Culture

Pizzoccheri are a traditional dish from Valtellina, a mountainous region between northern Lombardia and Switzerland. The dish has ancient origins, with some believing that the Romans already knew them, as we will see.  The recipe is quite simple: a dough made …

Fora Febraro che marso xé qua, people from Veneto say: “Let’s get rid of February, March is here!” The funny expression is also synonymous with a popular tradition in the region, called the Fora Febraro, rooted in the very history …

Instinctively, you say: “Galileo!” Upon reflection, you probably remember it was Hans. But what if I told you that the person who invented the telescope was the one and only Leonardo da Vinci? This is the conclusion researchers came to, after …

Just like us, our ancestors, the Ancient Romans, liked to follow trends. After the conquest of Egypt, in 31 BC, it became popular – at least among the wealthy – to get buried … in pyramids. We know that, at …

As crazy as it may seem, that’s the truth. Psychologists say they can understand our personality type based on the wine we prefer. Research carried out at the University of Macerata (Marche) and the University of Verona (Veneto) with a sample of …

I’ve been to Florence on several occasions, even though I haven’t in years – note to self: it’s time to pay a visit soon. There is so much to see and learn in this city: art lovers, historians, and foodies …

Sanremo in Fiore takes place every year and it is one of the most beloved traditions in town, second perhaps only to Sanremo’s famous Festival della Canzone Italiana. Sanremo is perhaps the most popular of all towns along the Ligurian Riviera dei Fiori, which borders …

Medicine in Rome was at once incredibly different and incredibly close to what it is today. Different, of course, because of what 2,000 years of discoveries and research gave us; but similar, because some of our ancestors’ intuitions – which …

If you’ve been to Rome, you know the Eternal City loves her cats. The cat colony at Torre Argentina is world-famous, and visitors to the Colosseum, or the Fori Imperiali can testify their presence is well-established in these two famous archaeological symbols of …

Telling an Italian not to be superstitious is a losing game. Even when we generally don’t believe in old-fashioned tales of misfortune and malocchio, I can guarantee you we probably still avoid opening an umbrella indoors and wince in horror …