Traditions

Where the sunrise lifts swirling rounds of swallows skyward over ancient terra-cotta to announce the day,  and cobbled streets host the daily walk of shop-keepers, artisans, and townsfolk as they have for over 1,500 years. Where ancient church towers sing …

Having discussed Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, and the traces these great navigators have left in Genoa and Venice, our tour of the “land of explorers” ends with a closer look at Amerigo Vespucci’s origins and presence in the city of …

The coming of Summer brings to each and every one of us different emotions: for school kids, it is synonym with holidays and mornings spent in bed. For city dwellers, it brings about frightful images of blasting AC in the …

Nutella® was invented by Piedmont pastry maker Pietro Ferrero. Today is one of the most famous Italian food around the world. History tells that Nutella was created during the Second World War, when finding cocoa was almost impossible due to …

In the heart of Sicily, there was once a town called Corleone, the birthplace of a mafia boss of the likes of Bernardo Provenzano; his bloody history, in reality and on screen, has transformed this place into a stereotype of …

Perhaps because Pasquale Verdicchio can boast a grayish beard worthy of a Greek philosopher – the likes of Plato or Aristotle – or maybe thanks to years and years of teaching in Southern California, or even – if we yield …

I brought with me a little sachet of salt, a time-honored remedy to ward off evil spirits, when visiting two Medieval borghi on La Riviera dei Fiori whose history includes a bizarre story of witchcraft, envy, superstition and power. The …

What really is remarkable about the upcoming exhibition, The Sicilian Cart: History in Movement, hosted at the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles (IAMLA) from June 30th to January 7th, is that its Executive Director, Marianna Gatto, since she was …

In so many ways, the Romans are ingrained in our ways of thinking. Many of our fundamental thoughts about life have been shaped and tested by the Romans and their writing. Cicero is among those writers. A formidable Roman politician …

In a world where the younger generations are less and less acquainted with pen and paper, and more and more in love with keyboards, talking about the pleasure of writing with a a good fountain pen may seem old fashioned. …