Culture

Buon compleanno, Venezia. I know, you’d never thought to have such a birthday. No tourists in town and your — not many — residents locked inside. I have the impression you enjoyed your 1500 years celebrations, back in 1921, better, …

Possibly the most famous and recognizable Roman building in the world, the Colosseum is as iconic as anything can be: it’s synonym with the grandeur of the Roman Empire, with its power and, well… also with our ancestors’ penchant for …

I think we all agree on this: Palermo is one of Italy’s most beautiful cities. Crossroad between East and West, it is a melting pot of cultures, people, flavors and colors. It is reminiscent of the Middle East like no …

What’s the capital of Italy?  Rome, of course, everyone knows that! Not many know, however, that it hasn’t always been the case. On the 27th of March 1861, shortly after Italy became a unified country, Rome was proclaimed its Capital, …

We Italians love our beautiful markets, how characteristic and traditional they are and we still consider them central part of our weekly routine. Truth is, markets are common across Europe, from north to south, and we aren’t the only nation …

Have you ever wondered why Italy is divided into regions? Of course, our regioni are not that different from “counties,” but it’s interesting to see why and how they were created. Italy was first divided into administrative areas at the …

Of course gelato is Italian, but one of its most popular varieties, the ice cream cone – or cono gelato – is the brainchild of an Italian, too,  and that the US had part in its creation. There is very …

You’ll find more than a couple of winning Italian “notes” in Nomadland and The Father. And notes is the right word, because it was composer Ludovico Einaudi to create the music for these two “wonderful independent movies that speak about …

When US national sport teams compete internationally, their uniforms mirror the colors of the flag: blue, red and white. So, why aren’t the Italians clad in white, red or green, but in azzurro? Good question! The answer is curious enough …

Twelve years have passed from that tragic night between the 5th and the 6th of April when  a catastrophic earthquake hit Abruzzo, bringing its regional capital, L’Aquila, and a number of other locales, to its knees. Three hundred and nine …