Traditions

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 …

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 & …

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 …

E maranteghe i xe ‘riva anca ‘sto ano!  From the Venetian dialect, this translates  “Even this year, the witches (le befane) have arrived”. There can be no feast of the Epiphany in the ancient Maritime Republic without the traditional “Regatta …

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 …

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 …

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 …

It’s a special cake called the Fugassa of the Epiphany and reveals a particular ritual that involves all people around the table diners. Within the “petals” of the cake, shaped like a daisy, two beans are hidden, one white and …

One of the most well-known festivals in the Puglia region occurs every year on January 16th when “La Focara” (The Festival of Fire) starts. A small town called Novoli hosts the event, and more than lives up to its nickname …

Preservation and innovation: that’s the philosophy behind the work carried out by the brother-sister team at Antica Stamperia Artigiana Marchi, an artisan workshop in Sant’Arcangelo di Romagna dating to the 17th century. From the outside, it could easily pass for …