Culture

The Candelora, known in English as Candlemas, is a Christian feast celebrated on February 2nd, commemorating the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the Purification of the Virgin Mary; though less known than other religious celebrations, the Candelora has …

Rome never stops surprising us, and just when you may think there is nothing more to be discovered … well, something is discovered! The Horrea Piperataria, once a center for the storage and trade of exotic spices, have recently emerged from centuries of …

Who knows what the weather was like at 8:45 p.m. on that Friday, March 12, 1909, in Palermo? A few people stood at the tram terminus in Piazza Marina when the sudden crack of four gunshots shattered the evening calm. …

In the village of Vico del Gargano, in Italy’s Apulia region, Valentine’s Day is celebrated a bit differently. Saint Valentine has been the patron saint of the place since the 17th century; here, however, he doesn’t only protect lovers, but …

I am going to be honest with you: as an Italian, I detest the concept of bella figura. While it still remains one of the most deeply ingrained aspects of Italian culture, shaping not only individual behavior but also public …

Torrita di Siena is a charming medieval town located in the heart of Tuscany, Italy. It lies approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) southeast of Florence, the region’s largest city, and 50 kilometers (31 miles) southeast of Siena.   Torrita is known for its well-preserved historical …

Etna, Idda (She), Mungibeddu (Mongibello), ‘a Muntagna — these are some of the names used for Europe’s largest, widest, and tallest volcano, located in the plain of Catania. It is often referred to in the feminine form, as if it …

In the early nineteenth century, when the great French writer Stendhal visited Florence, he claimed that he was so overwhelmed by the town’s vast accumulation of culture that he fainted. This condition has become famously known as the Stendhal Syndrome, …

The term bòcolo in Venetian dialect refers to a rosebud and, on this day, it’s customary for men to present a red rosebud to the significant women in their lives — be it wives, fiancées, mothers, or sisters — as …

Long before the advent of quartz crystals, digital displays, or GPS-enabled smartphones, ancient Romans were already walking around with personal time-telling devices in their hands. We are not talking about watches in the modern sense, of course, yet they fulfilled …