La vita italiana

In the life of an actor there is plenty of competition, plenty of rejection, plenty of obstacles to overcome. Even more so when you are a foreigner. Going to auditions may seem tough; but if one really loves the craft, …

To me, history is like morning coffee, I need it to function. I always loved it, since I was a child, and I’ve ended up making it the subject of my master’s degree and of my doctorate. No wonder, then, …

Towering 2,460 feet above Trapani on the Mediterranean Sea in northwest Sicily, the ancient citadel of Erice has found a new outlook by catering to the wedding trade. Today its 12th-century Norman castle serves as the backdrop for hundreds of …

I know, today we mostly associate travelling by train to filthy seats, noise and running out of a station in a rush, trying desperately to get to wherever we need to be on time. If you think of it for …

In Italy, food means much more than nutrition, it is culture, heritage, tradition. Satisfying all senses at once in a voluptuous embrace, Italian food is impossible to resist. Its variety is legendary and its history rooted deep into that of …

For whoever has chosen to settle in North America, to carry on his/her scientific research, or further his/her field of studies, there is an invaluable resource, ISSNAF (Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation). This non-profit organization aims to …

I was utterly charmed by Palermo when I was there less than a week ago. I admit to have been somewhat wary of it last time I visited. It was a combination of the bumper-to-bumper traffic; the accommodation (which although …

Imagine migrating to a land you don’t know the language of. This is the reality that millions of Italians have faced when they moved to the United States after the unification of Italy, in 1861, and on. “Ticketta” said the …

Even if the passion for java is common to most countries in the world, with some (I am looking at you, Finland) even consuming more of it per capita than Italy itself, the relationship we Italians have with our favourite …

Constantino Brumidi: not exactly a household name, and yet he was the man responsible for the decoration of several rooms and walls of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. in the 19th century. Brumidi’s chief work, the allegorical fresco The …