Culture

The restoration of the 86 casts found in 1863 in Pompeii is now completed thanks to the technique developed by Giuseppe Fiorelli. Starting May 27, twenty of them will be displayed at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii for the exhibition “Pompeii …

The Greek colonization in South Italy left an immense cultural heritage: besides an influence on the language, traditions, and cuisine, there is also a relevant trace when it comes to art, in particular on the working of gold. This is …

For the next 27 years, slave uprisings seemed to be a thing of the past.  During this time, however, gladiator games had become one of the more popular forms of entertainment in Rome.  So much so, that a number of …

Marcus Aurelius, one of the greatest Emperors of Rome and  an important philosopher, was born on April 26, 121 AD, the son of Marcus Annius Verus and  Domitia Lucilla, who were both from wealthy patrician families.  Despite their status, they practiced the old …

San Severo in Apulia region is famous for its festival held on the third Sunday of May. The so-called Festa del Soccorso, Festival of Help and Aid, it is held in honor of the patron saints of San Severo, the …

  The European Union and its culture ministers officially designated the UNESCO-listed Matera has European culture capital.  Matera was formally named along with the Bulgarian city of Plodviv.   Among the city’s objectives is to involve 80% of the residents in …

  As reported by the Institute for Conservation and Restoration, a 13th-century icon of the Madonna di Sant’Alessio is again shining in the Rectory Church of Saints Boniface and Alexius on Rome’s Aventine Hill following restoration work.     Experts …

The Alpini is a corp created as a special mountain infantry formation in 1872 by the Italian Ministry of War to work along the arc of the Italian Alps. The corps were composed of mountain men full of rigors of the Alpine …

Long before the romantic, peaceful “flower power” movement of the 1960s in which hippies decorated their cars and homes with flowers, cities in Italy were decorating their streets and alleyways with pretty, intricate flower petal designs. Since the 1600s, certain …

One of my favorite  aspects of the Italian lifestyle is the late afternoon and early evening ritual known as la passeggiata, or the evening stroll. Each evening, between the hours of 5pm and 8pm, Italians take to the streets, to …