La vita italiana

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 …

The ancient city of Rome is famous for many historic monuments (which many tourists line up to visit every year), but sometimes, some real antique monuments are seen by looking down, and not admiring upwards. A feature of the city …

Tutte le strade portano a Roma,  we say in Italian, “all roads lead to Rome.” Of course, that was the case in ancient Roman times, when the capital was the heart of the known world. Having a well-conceived, well-built road …

There is a place in Tuscany’s Mount Amiata region, where Christmas is synonym with fire. In truth, the connection between the two is quite common across the country, with ritual fire celebrations like those in Nemoli (Basilicata), Agnone (Molise), and …

This year, La Serenissima turned 1600, and she carries her age well. According to tradition and historical sources, Venice was founded in 421 AD: it’s the Chronicon Altinate,  a chronicle dating from the 11th century, that tells us. Of course, …

Every time I read about Rome’s underground archeological world, I always think about what Romans often say: “Wherever you dig in the city, you’ll find something interesting.” It’s true: there’s a whole city under the city, in Rome: catacombs, ancient …

Ferragosto  is a typically Italian holiday, that isn’t celebrated anywhere else in the world. While the 15th of August is honored in Catholic countries as the day of Mary’s Ascension to Heaven, Ferragosto in Italy doesn’t have only a religious …

Some things are definitely best left in the past, like shoulder pads. Well, this is my opinion, at least. But there are others we still think of fondly: mixed tapes, rotary phones, buying a CD in a store, or the …

Just like panettone, torrone is a classic of Italy at Christmas, that you’ll find in every household. But while panettone is almost a synonym of Milan, torrone is more ubiquitous, even if many associates it especially with Cremona. As we …

Did my use of “rules” and “Italian” in one sentence cause a second glance? Other than keeping that left lane on the Autostrada open for high-speed designer cars, or maybe dutifully respecting the ZTL signs (Zona Traffico Limitato) that come …