Heritage

 In the narrative of the Gospels, the birth of Christ doesn’t take up much space: the focus, as those among you who went to catechism as children may remember, is all on the last three years of his life, those …

Holidays are all about sharing and making memories if you ask me. Sharing, because we end up spending a lot of time in the company of our family, definitely more than the rest of the year,  and that means sharing …

“Would you like fries with that?” may not be as modern a phrase as we think. You’ve probably seen the recent headlines extolling the full excavation of a gloriously intact fast-food joint, or thermopolium, in Pompeii. Virtually undisturbed save for …

Milan, the beating heart of Italian economy and fashion, the trendsetting city, the birthplace of Manzoni and panettone, the home of the most famous gothic church in the country, the Duomo, and of one of Leonardo’s most precious works, the …

Capodanno is, on the Italian calendar, the second most important holiday in the season,  just after Christmas and just before Epifania. From a religious point of view, of course, the day of the Befana is more important – and not …

Panettone: soft, fragrant, with its melt-in-the-mouth texture, it is perhaps the most popular cake we eat at Christmas. Traditional with candied fruit and sultanas, or reinvented, with chocolate, fruit, nuts, and creams of all types, it has several contenders across …

2021 has been rough. Not as rough as 2020 but I am not that sad to see this year go. While we are sitting and gorging on panettone on two different sides of the Atlantic, I reckon our New Year’s …

Not many know that, since 1946, Rome celebrates the new year in an unusual way: a dive from Ponte Cavour at midday, just when the cannons from the Gianicolo ring the hour. The first to celebrate the new year in …

Italians live longer, we know it: the people of the Belpaese are among the longest-living in the world, along with other Mediterraneans like the Spaniards, and the eastern masters of longevity, the Japanese. There are some parts of the country …

AH! Il Presepe! Quintessential tradition of the Italian Christmas, it brings together Faith, history, tradition, and art. The first was created by Saint Francis of Assisi, our Patron Saint, to represent the birth of Christ and offer another way to …