Life + Style

In one of his masterpieces, Oceano Mare  (Ocean Sea), Italian novelist Alessandro Baricco describes an artist who painted the sea with sea water. I remember thinking, after reading the book for the first time, that there couldn’t be anything more …

Il Primitivo di Turi: “it has the beautiful color of aged wine, a dry tonic flavor, a most pleasant, harmonious scent, generous as a whole” (Dr Antonio Carpenè) Wine —  “the gods’ nectar,” according to classical mythology – has always …

Introduced with Royal Decree number 532 on the 31st of May 1914, film censorship has been abolished in Italy at the beginning of this month by Minister for Cultural Heritage and Activities Dario Franceschini. From now on, a specialized Commission …

While born in Italy, the habit of having aperitivo with friends to unwind after a day at work, or as a fun preamble to a good dinner in company, has become a worldwide custom. Similarly, what we Italians like to …

Some traditions are not to be broken…or are they? The big red vending machine that debuted recently near Rome’s Piazza Bologna has certainly pushed the envelope, at least in the eyes of many Roman citizens. Food is sacred to Italians, …

We all long to return to normality: how we’d love, once again, to think only about our holidays and the place we’d travel to, when summer arrives, and preparing our suitcases, just like “we used to do.” Our minds would …

Sophia Loren had one. So did Anita Eckberg and Sean Connery…as did violet-eyed Liz. Brigitte  Bardot’s had zebra print seats, and even George Bush was often spotted in his, breaking waves in the Hamptons. They’ve always been the nautical epitome …

Tomatoes may be among the most ubiquitous ingredients in our cuisine, but they are a gift from the New World. It was the Spaniards who, very likely, first introduced the plant to Europe and, during its first years of diffusion, …

People of America, Italy wants you back. With the promise that international travel will finally resume any time now, Americans can hope to fly over to the Belpaese again, after 15 months where boarding a plane to Europe remained a …

In the age of the Baroque, the archbishop of Milan Federico Borromeo (1564-1631) would send burly yet educated men to sea on a hunt for manuscripts.  Cardinal Federico was a younger cousin of the zealous prelate Carlo Borromeo, the eventual …