Culture

You know the rule: children inherit their father’s surname automatically in most countries of the world, with the notable exception, for instance, of Spain and South America, where both are given, but only the father’s passing on further. For a long time, …

For decades Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua has collaborated with iconic fashion designers, such as Valentino, Dior and Dolce & Gabbana. A venerable Venetian institution, the small family-run business inspired interior designers and decorators, including legendary Iris Apfel, who had furnished her New York …

Relics and reliquaries were really a thing of the Middle Ages. A saint’s bone or two could put your tiny village on the map and quickly transform it into a pilgrimage destination, which also meant something else: money. Hang on, you may …

“Sweetie, where are you going on that bike?” If you like oldies made in Italy, you are probably familiar with the refrain from the 1951’s eponymous song, Bellezza in Bicicletta – incidentally, an interesting story, that of this song, but …

Coral is a mesmerizing material: it is alive, it belongs to the sea and, just like everything that comes from water – like pearls, sea shells, and Venus, the goddess of Beauty and Love – it has something ancestral and magical. …

The Colosseum is a symbol of Rome and Italy, with which everyone is familiar, even those who’ve never visited us. It is majestic and grandiose, as its name suggests, but also reassuring in a way: just like an old friend or a …

Aceto Balsamico di Modena is one of the most popular Italian products around the world. When I used to live abroad, in Northern Europe, I’d find it as an ingredient in a bit of everything from salad to sandwiches, and in …

You may have read that opera lirica has recently become a candidate to enter the UNESCO intangible world heritage: another great achievement for our beautiful country and for the world of music. Yes, for our country, because opera as we know it today was …

Whenever disaster strikes at home or abroad, the Red Cross springs into action. It’s a story many of us learn as school children: Clara Barton, nicknamed the Angel of the Battlefield because of her selfless medical service to Civil War soldiers, established the American …

Venezia is a jewel the entire world envies us. And while there may be other cities that live on water, there isn’t a place on Earth quite like her. Venezia doesn’t only strike for her beauty and her history, but also …