Traditions

Growing up in the States, I had heard two things about the origins of Halloween: 1) that it had originated as a Pagan festival and 2) that it was the secular version of the Catholic All Hallow’s Eve. I suppose …

The tiny island of Burano in the Venetian archipelago, with its colorfully painted houses and boats tied all along the canals “like so many domestic animals,” as Cassiodorus observed in A.D. 537, might be one of the most enchanting places …

While St. Martin’s day is November 11, in Tuscany everyone hopes for sunshine because the legend says that, after St Martin halved his cloak to keep warm the first shivering naked beggar he came across, God was so pleased that …

People in Venice celebrate today the Festa della Salute, which is a moment to remember the bout of pestilence, started in 1630 and lasted for two years. At that point, the Doge decided to ask for the intercession of the …

For outsiders, the Palio may just be an ancient horse race, but, to the Sienese, it is much more than that: the Palio is life, they say. Hopes, dreams, passions, fears, battles, scheming and community: just as these elements are …

2015 marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Meli, Sicily’s most celebrated poet, who died of pneumonia on December 20, 1815. Prof. Giovanni Ruffino, director of the Centro di Studi Filologici e Linguistici Siciliani, in collaboration with Sicily’s …

Sure, Spring and Summer are the two most popular season with travelers that chose to spend time in Italy, but traveling during shoulder season can have some advantages too. Most fair and festivals, especially those geared towards a local crowd, …

Every Italian region has its harvest rituals that make quick and tasty use of the foods of the season. Umbria, lush land of endless vineyards and porky delights, makes salsicce all’uva, pan-roasted sausages and grapes, a dish that joins two …

Fausto Roma (Ceccano, 1955), is a rare example of painter, sculptor and visual artist, who despite extensive travels along the years, has decided to live in his hometown, not far from Frosinone, capital of the geographical region of Ciociaria. Fausto …

Rome is a city famous for its fountains. The largest and most celebrated one is the Fountain of Trevi, so called because it is situated at the center of three converging streets (tre vie). Some say that the Trevi fountain …