Culture

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The Festa dei Ceri, or Saint Ubaldo Day, is a centuries-old tradition held annually on May 15 in the medieval town of Gubbio, in Umbria. The festivity honors Saint Ubaldo Baldassini, the town’s patron saint, who died in 1160. Central …

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 …

The Catholic Church is preparing for a historic transition following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. His passing has set in motion the historical process of electing a new pope, with the …

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, …

Trallalero is a highly distinctive form of polyphonic singing that originated in Genoa, Italy, known for its complex harmonies and unique use of vocal techniques. Traditionally performed by male ensembles, trallalero features a complex arrangement of different vocal parts. The …