LIFE & PEOPLE

The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco recently welcomed Italian author Michele Cecchini who presented his acclaimed novel, “Per Il Bene Chi Ti Voglio” to a Bay Area audience.  The novel, now in its fourth printing, speaks of the bittersweet …

Whatever membrane exists between this life and the universal mystery is palpably thin in Sardinia’s Gallura: ancient nuraghi, megalithic monuments left by the island’s enigmatic Nuragic civilization, are vibrant in their stillness; collar bells ring out as shepherd dogs herd …

Time ago, there was a girl running freely along green hillsides and valleys. Since an early age, she was not afraid of animals, but, rather, intrigued by Nature. Her name was…Heidi. Actually, no, I’m sorry to disappoint Johanna Spyri’s fans, …

If the idea of living longer has ever intrigued you, Valter Longo’s Fasting Mimicking Diet may be the secret. Associate Professor of Gerontology and Biological Sciences, as well as the Hanson Chair of Biogerontology at the University of Southern California …

“Trust your crazy ideas” is Roberto Bonzio’s motto. Founder of Italiani di Frontiera, or Italians of Border, the Italian journalist once decided to make the bold move to move to Palo Alto with his family in 2008 to pursue a …

Brilliant, versatile, spiritual, funny and generous. Franc D’Ambrosio, an artist with a thousand faces, hidden for over 2,600 performances behind the shadow of the most fascinating and obscure mask of the theater musical, The Phantom of the Opera. D’Ambrosio’s resume …

The 11th edition of the Los Angeles, Italia. Film, Fashion and Art Fest, held at the TCL Chinese Theatres, on the pre-Oscars week, from February 21 to 27, channeled its efforts in celebrating two Italian legends.   The first, Italian …

The celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco got an Italian touch: while the museum’s current home was designed by architect Gae Aulenti, the museum is hosting an exhibition regarding the Italian Jesuit Missionary …

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 …

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 …