Traditions

Let’s be honest, it’s not only kids who love chocolate eggs: we all do! Indeed, the egg has a very ancient symbolism: it always represented life, the fulcrum of universal elements, both in pagan and Christian traditions.   Easter egg tradition …

Jewish populations have called Italy home since Judas Maccabee sent a contingent to Rome in 161 B.C.  Although their history is wrought with strife, Jewish communities have established deeply planted roots throughout Italy. Their distinct culture has interwoven with the …

A solitary woman dressed in dark regal hues, her fingers adorned with  topazes and opals,  a voice as deep and smooth as the softest of velvets. She sits in a room scented like opium and incense, twilight cloaking everything in …

Chocolate eggs are stacked high in supermercati, Colomba dove cakes decorate pasticcerie windows and lambs are being made ready for the dining table. But away from the well-known traditions of an Italian Easter there are many different ways to celebrate. …

Close your eyes and image Sicily in all its glory, some two thousand years ago.  A precious stone set in the crystal blue Mediterranean, she was the envy of every nation: the Greeks conquered it, longing to settle in such …

I’m not a great fan of the fantasy genre — exception made for a recently discovered love for the Harry Potter saga: yes, I know. I come about 20 years  late — but who doesn’t know about J.R.R. Tolkien? Add …

The Pasquetta day has historical and religious significance: indeed, Italian Catholics call it Lunedì dell’ Angelo which is meant to remember the women of the sepulcher, including Mary Magdalene, who were comforted by an angel when they returned to Jesus’ …

Gladiators: the stars of the ancient Roman world: but it’s not gold all that glitters.  Before Pompeii and Hercolaneum were rediscovered by archaeologists in the 18th century, we knew relatively little about them and the way they lived, but today, …

A vigorous thrust with a fork resolutely imposes on the icing to reach the body of soft ricotta cream in perfect symbiosis with the sponge cake. The bitter chocolate morsels explode in your mouth in contrast with the sweetness of …

Sardinia, cradle of history and special traditions, holds within also plenty of culinary secrets. Let’s ideally travel to the west of the island. We are in the enchanting area of Marmilla, a small region at the very edges of the …