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Along Italy’s Adriatic coast, you’ll find a unique seaside construction, the trabocchi (or trabucchi): they are a traditional type of fishing machine, popular in the regions of Molise, Puglia, and especially Abruzzo, specifically along the Costa dei Trabocchi, a stretch of coastline between Ortona …

Spring is finally here, and not only per the official calendar but also, and mostly, thanks to warm temperatures and sunny days across the Bay Area and California. With it, there are many events, exhibitions, and special moments: from arts and …

A symphony orchestra is composed of dozens of elements playing a wide variety of instruments: violins, violas, cellos, double basses, harps, flutes, horns, clarinets, percussion, trumpets, oboes, bassoons, and piccolos. Unlike opera, which involves staging a true spectacle with singers, …

Sotheby’s mette all’asta a NYC (16-19 maggio, 2023) l’ultimo lotto della collezione d’arte Manetti Shrem, “The Art of Giving” che conta opere di Picasso, Fontana, Dominguez, Redon, Nauman, Paladino, Matta etc. per supportare un’attività filantropica senza precedenti nella storia tra …

It was a clear, sunny March day in Castellina in Chianti: Spring had just sprung, but inside the town’s ancient church, we could see the fog of our breath hanging in the air. As we stepped outside, we saw Laura …

If you grew up in an Italian home, you definitely had a bunch of them hidden in some drawer or, if they were particularly pretty, making a good display of themselves somewhere in the sitting room. Yes, I’m talking about the bomboniera. …

In Italy, as in many other parts of the world, churches are traditionally built with their main altar facing East. In Rome, San Pietro, San Giovanni in Laterano, and Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri all face East. In Florence, the …

Today’s word, sottosopra (soht-toh-soh-pra) has never been so popular!  Sottosopra translates with “upside down” and it is the way Italians call the terrifying alternative universe of an incredibly popular Netflix series set in the 1980s — I am sure I need to …

The Festa della Sensa is a traditional Venetian celebration that takes place on the Sunday following the Ascension, which is usually in May or early June. The festival commemorates the historical and spiritual importance of Venice as a maritime power and highlights the city’s …

Dear Readers,  May jottings with an Italian Connection:  Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 14th, calls for a toast. Here is one shared with me by the late Frank Befera of Duluth, Minnesota: “Here’s to the happiest hours of my life, spent in …