Eight things you should know about Rome's Spanish Steps
The Spanish steps are one of Rome's most popular tourist sites. But how much do you know about the famous landmark? Many a tourist has grumbled that they are 'just steps' - but this staircase is an institution in Rome. Here's everything you need to know about Italy's most famous steps. 1. There are exactly 135 steps However, if you try to count the...
Why gladiator school is better than Fortnite
For my summer vacation, I got to choose where to go to on a trip in Europe. It was between Rome and Greece because I wanted to see the old temples of the Greek gods, but I settled on Rome because it has a Colosseum and cool sculptures to see. It also is home to my favourite foods, pizza and pasta. And of course gelato! My mom and I arrived in Rome...
Organic food is king in the shopping cart
Thanks to a 10.5% increase in retail sales in 2018, organic food is the real star of the cart in Italy with an uninterrupted growth in demand for over a decade. This is what Coldiretti says on the basis of Nielsen data at the opening of Sana 2018, the international exhibition of organic and natural products (from today to September 10 at BolognaFie...
5 Amazing Italian Wine Routes, Great For Fall Getaways
There are few better ways to experience autumn in Italy than with a trip to its wine regions, visiting vineyards and cantinas, sampling artisanal cheeses and breads, and dining in rustic trattorias overlooking poster-worthy landscapes. But Italy has some 140 wine roads (called strade dei vini) to sate most every oenophile’s taste, so how to choose...
People in Liguria live longer than any other region in Europe
The northern Italian region of Liguria is the longest-living in the European Union, according to the latest figures from Italy's national statistics office. More than three of every 100,000 Liguria residents live to at least 105, Istat reports in its annual snapshot of the Italian population: 3.58 per 100,000. That's compared to Italy's national r...
In Defense of Calzones: Pizza's Forgotten, Red-Sauced Stepchild
Parks and Recreation's Ben Wyatt (played by the eternally awkward Adam Scott) is a man of niche tastes. He loves civil service. He's in love with show protagonist Leslie Knope. And, perhaps most notably, he has an undying adoration for calzones that steadily became one of the show's longest running jokes. The fact that Wyatt vehemently prefers calz...
Americans, Italians mourn fallen, celebrate friendship
The 17th annual Italian-American Friendship Festival drew hundreds Saturday to a celebration and memorial in the largest city nearest Aviano Air Base. This year’s festival included sporting events in soccer, basketball and volleyball featuring players from both countries. Additionally, firefighters from the 31st Fighter Wing and the Vigili del Fuoc...
Six lesser-known World War II sites to visit in Italy
As Italy commemorates the 75th anniversary of its wartime surrender, signed on September 3rd, 1943 and made public five days later, researcher Anne Saunders tells the stories behind some of the most evocative World War II sites you can visit today. Perhaps the best-known WWII sites in Italy are those at Cassino. However, the war also is commemorate...
I Really Wanted to Hate Italy's First Starbucks, But It Was Fantastic
I came here prepared to hate Starbucks’ new Milan store. After all, anyone who has lived in Italy for any length of time quickly learns that this country’s coffee culture is every bit as important as its art and historical offerings. Just what’s so special about it is hard to define. Maybe it’s something as simple as the porcelain cups that are nev...
Renzo Piano offers new bridge design for his beloved Genoa
Architect Renzo Piano has offered a new bridge design for his beloved hometown of Genoa to replace the one that collapsed last month, killing 43 people, saying it must be built to last 1,000 years and be "simple, solid ... but not banal." Piano joined city and regional officials on Friday to present the plans for the new bridge, which officials hop...
Idyllic Lipari: legends, labor and love amid the azure waters
Even in a country like Italy blessed with immense beauty, the Aeolian Islands are a standout destination. The Aeolian archipelago – a group of seven islands and five islets afloat in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Sicily – was named after the Greek god Aeolus, “the keeper of the winds,” by Greek settlers. Today, it still offers impressive crys...
Making memories of a lifetime on experiential learning trip in Italy
It was around this time last year that my parents began nagging me to get information about the Italy Experiential Learning Seminar. At that point, they were more interested in me getting to experience Italy than I was. My maternal grandfather, or nonno, was initially from Italy, so I was not completely clueless about Italian culture. That being sa...