Traditions

A century ago in Black Diamond, Wash., the freight trains arrived empty twice a day and twice a day they left, loaded with coal. Railroad assistant Amos Ungherini would go down the line each day in a hand-pumped “speeder” to …

When looking at a gondola, have you ever noticed that sinuous object supporting the gondolier’s oar? Well, neither had I, until I learned about it at the Venetian workshop of Piero Dri, one of only four remaining artisans in the …

Ok, so it’s a bit silly I suppose, to have tens of thousands of tourists a year flock to Verona just to stand under the balcony that Juliette stood upon and gazed down at her love, Romeo… especially since it’s …

On my first Easter in Rome in the Jubilee year of 2000, I joined the throngs jammed into the massive piazza of St. Peter’s basilica. Pope John Paul II, bent with age, extended Easter greetings in dozens of languages, including …

Nestled in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley stand the historical Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes of Bacigalupi Vineyards.  Growers Charles and Helen Bacigalupi are internationally known after winning the 1976 Paris Tasting. Not only represents this a Californian success, but …

I am referring to Leonardo da Vinci ’s portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci, his only painting to be found in the Western hemisphere. It is one of the greatest glories of the National Gallery in Washington D.C., and was purchased …

Pulcinella was going to Biella, sitting on a carriage, and if the horse had been attached, then certainly by this time would have arrived.  Pulcinella was going to Turin, sitting on a horse, and if the horse had not been …

Vintage Vespas have become increasingly very popular in the last few years and, since the American market opened to the famous Italian scooters, the interest has been growing over time. Vespa were first sold in the U.S. by Sears & …

Mother Mary is ubiquitous in Italy, considering the many churches and traditions revolving around her.  Her humble, carpenter husband can be forgotten behind his popular wife and (literally) godly foster child. While churchgoers flock to mass to praise Jesus and …

Every year, the little town Bova-Chora in the Reggio Calabria area celebrates Palms Sunday with a special event, which is pretty much unknown in the rest of the region. The tradition consists of bringing, during a procession, huge female statues sculptured …