Staff

Along Italy’s Adriatic coast, you’ll find a unique seaside construction, the trabocchi (or trabucchi): they are a traditional type of fishing machine, popular in the regions of Molise, Puglia, and especially Abruzzo, specifically along the Costa dei Trabocchi, a stretch of coastline between Ortona …

 Ok, I admit it: this may be far-fetched because it wasn’t Italians who created contact lenses as we know them today. But if it wasn’t for an Italian, they may have never been invented! And guess who’s the Italian I …

Montegrappa was founded in 1912 in Bassano del Grappa, a town in the Veneto region of northern Italy, by Austrians Edwige Hoffman and Heinrich Helm: their goal was to produce high-quality fountain pen nibs using precious materials such as gold and …

Altrimenti(al-tree-mehn-tee)is a commonly used adverb in Italian, formed by combining the adjective altro, which means “other,” with the suffix –mente, which in Italian is used to form adverbs. The word altrimenti is typically translated into English as “or” or “otherwise,” …

Today’s word, sottosopra (soht-toh-soh-pra) has never been so popular!  Sottosopra translates with “upside down” and it is the way Italians call the terrifying alternative universe of an incredibly popular Netflix series set in the 1980s — I am sure I need to …

The Festa della Sensa is a traditional Venetian celebration that takes place on the Sunday following the Ascension, which is usually in May or early June. The festival commemorates the historical and spiritual importance of Venice as a maritime power and highlights the city’s …

 In the realm of language, few words possess the nuanced grace of our word of the day, insinuare (een-see-noo-ah-rai), which we translate in English as “to insinuate” or “to suggest.” This verb traces its origins back to the Latin verb insinuo,  meaning “to introduce” …

With sampietrini, there are no half-measures: either you love them or you hate them. And if you have been to Rome, you definitely know why. They are beautiful to look at, and so incredibly characteristic of our beloved capital, but god …

The innovative construction of Venetian chimneys stands as a testament to the city’s unique approach to addressing the challenges posed by its specific geographical conditions. With high humidity, salt air, and densely packed dwellings of varying heights, the Venetians needed ingenious solutions …

Nestled in the Molise region of Italy, the village of Sepino is rich in history and natural beauty. Its name derives from the Latin word saepum, meaning “enclosure,” which referred to the wooden palisade that enclosed the area designated for animals along the …