La vita italiana

In a few months, the travelling exhibition of Michelangelo’s precious  drawings from Casa Buonarroti, Florence, will proceed to Nashville and Phoenix, after having had its only Canadian venue in Toronto, at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Michelangelo (1475-1564), was a …

Angelina Jolie, born in L.A. 39 years ago, was recently nominated the highest-income actress three times by Forbes, but also “Special Envoy” and former “Goodwill Ambassador” for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).   Upon meeting with Queen …

While American youngsters put their shoes outside hoping that Saint Nick will leave them goodies, six-year old Filippo Brienza of Bologna put his shoes on to go see the Zampognari play.  He waited all year for the beginning of December …

Can anyone possibly imagine an ancient Roman ship floundering in heavy seas off the coast of what is now South America?     There are some who theorize that such a ship still exists, after having been blown off course …

This time of year, Aosta, Italy hosts the Fair of Saint Ursus (Sant’Orso in Italian and Saint’Ours in French). This thousand-year-old festival will showcase the work of local artisans in the city center’s ancient quarter January 30-31. With the beautiful …

During November, Americans bring chrysanthemums to Roman social events. These New England and Midwestern transplants mean well. What could brighten an autumn engagement party at Cul de Sac or a Thanksgiving banquet at AUR better than mums? Gasps of horror …

Spending the holidays with your group of Italian friends, you should be aware of the fact that they’ve most likely started planning New Year’s Eve celebrations at least a month in advance. In fact, Capodanno – the Italian word for …

The galleries of the Accademia Museum in Venice have recently been re-opened to the public, following a radical restoration by Venetian architect Tobia Scarpa, begun in 2001, which has doubled the exhibition space from 6,000 to 12,000 square metres. This …

The images and stories out of Syria that stem from the Arab Spring uprising in 2011 are both heart wrenching and painfully disturbing. Men, women and children have been displaced and forced into overcrowded refugee camps. The victims of the …

On December 24, 1914, a dejected Pope Benedict XV cel- ebrated midnight mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. His efforts to secure a Christmas truce had failed. A 400-mile trench stretched from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border. Some British …