La vita italiana

Some decades have passed, but the memory of almond trees fields is still very much alive in my mind. Fields that filled our land with many, old trees, with their heady perfume and many colors. Indeed, the unmistakable scent coming …

The low, deliberate beat of the drums comes first, distantly reverberating off the high stone walls like a pulsating heartbeat. Louder and louder they thump as the procession approaches. Finally, they turn the corner with a flourish of flamboyant flags, …

Indeed, it can happen to the best of us. It can be genetics or simple love, but when Italy gets into you, it shows. Here are ten easy-to-spot signs demonstrating to the world il Bel Paese is not only in …

The news arrived just a handful of days ago, but it was barely noticed in Italy. Perhaps it’s because we are busy trying to understand who is going to become our Prime Minister, or just distracted by the early signs …

Sturdy yet light, with its typical red color it made the cupola of Firenze’s duomo unique in the world: this is the terracotta dell’Impruneta, a small village only a stone throw away from Tuscany’s capital. Jars, vases, tiles, shingles, all …

Sicilian photographer Giuseppe Leone has earned the distinguished title of maestro after six decades of documenting the culture, traditions and everyday life of Sicily. Like an accomplished musician,  his work documents the Mediterranean island’s journey in a beautifully eloquent visual …

Domenico Di Salvo arrived on Ellis Island on September 5, 1907. He had left on the 23 rd of August on the Koenig Albert steamer, which had  been used only for a few years on the profitable Genoa-Naples-New York route. …

Maybe it is all due to fairy tales, but weddings, big and fat or small and thin, are always in fashion. A wedding in Italy is considered such a beautiful event that when someone asks you to do something you …

Only naming them brings to mind mystery and divination, the magic aura of the unknown surrounds them: but are tarot cards really that difficult to decipher? They may be – for those who believe in such things – at least …

As your eyes acclimatize to the soft ambient light, sacred statues begin to peek out from shaded alcoves. A single shaft of dazzling sunlight hits the floor, drawing your gaze up to the heavens. And the smell of incense assails …