Culture

Pinin Brambilla Barcilon was an architecture student when she was first introduced to the restoration world by Piero Portaluppi e Mauro Pellicioli. As a girl she started painting flowers on tablecloths for Gio Ponti and eventually, when she became a …

The exhibit “Arts & Foods: Rituals Since 1851” opened Thursday April 8 at the Triennale Museum and will open throughout Milan Expo 2015, as the food-themed world fair has been picked for the event.  The Triennale exhibit on the relationship …

A few months ago I decided to make some changes in my life and, having recently acquired Italian dual citizenship, the first change was of scenery: I came to Milan!  It’s been a month now and I’ve been surprised at …

April 2nd marked an important day for the city of Mantua. After having experienced a series of devastating earthquakes back in 2012, the Ducal Palace reopened its famous Camera degli Sposi (“bridal chamber”). The Ducal Palace or Palazzo Ducale was …

Just over 6 miles from the famous Renaissance town of Urbino, Marche’s Fermignano hosts a race each year on the Sunday following Easter that gives the Palio di Siena a run, or hop, for their money. Instead of racing with …

Another mainstay of Italian culture has succumbed to the tentacles of realty developers in New York City.  De Robertis, an Italian pasticceria and café, for nearly 110 years, has closed permanently.  De Robertis Pastry Shoppe, where New York Yankee’s Shortstop, …

Dear Readers,   April – Aprile comes from the Latin word aperire which means to open.   1. April Fool’s Day is a day people usually play silly pranks, so be alert. The United States orbited the first weather satellite …

YOUR CONCEPT OF MEAL IS DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHERS You easily find yourself saying: “Is it 3 pm already???” Lunch is not just feeding yourself in an Italian family: it’s a way to stay together, to enjoy both a good …

Dear Readers, April marks the 141st anniversary of the birth of the great Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi. April also marks the month when Guglielmo Marconi, born in Bologna April 25, 1874, was hailed worldwide as a benefactor and hero to …

  Since the advent of travel in the Medieval period, Italy has always been the focus of European voyagers. In the beginning, early travel books were written as guides for the Medieval religious pilgrim seeking Christian sites in Italy. With …