NEWS FROM : ITALY  

The year comes to an end with the 31st December: New Year’s Eve. Each country has its own habits and customs when it comes to how to end a year and begin another. Italy, too, has its own traditions and rituals, which are usually followed strictly by many, as we are, it is well known everywhere in the world, a nation of scaramantici, that is to say,...

Just recently I was  watching the quirky and highly interesting Belgian television series, Professor T.  In the US this series is shown in the original language, Flemish, with English subtitles. Imagine my surprise when in the midst of a dramatic scene, suddenly and totally unexpectedly, the soundtrack regaled us with the haunting sounds of Roberto...

Around 10million self-taking tourists cram into Rome's streets and around its ancient sites each year. But it wasn't always so. These fascinating vintage pictures taken in 1956 show a far less hectic Eternal City. The black-and-white snaps were captured by photographer Allan Hailstone, from Coventry, on a trip to Rome as a schoolboy in August 1956...

Valpolicella wines are heading into the states of Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, and Texas, after having toured the big cities of the East Coast with the Valpolicella Consortium. The expansion strategy is based on GDP numbers in many states that indicate growth opportunities in the market for Valpolicella. Americans already enjoy Valpolicella, a...

Scala dei Turchi Patrimonio Unesco? Potrebbe accadere presto. L’Assemblea Regionale Siciliana ha approvato all’unanimità un ordine del giorno che impegna la giunta Musumeci a promuovere l’inserimento nel patrimonio mondiale, culturale e naturale dell’Unesco della celebre scogliera bianca di Realmonte (Agrigento), un gioiello ambientale minacciato d...

No wonder owner Sauro Podesta keeps a beady eye on his Springer Spaniel and is poised to sprint whenever he hears frantic digging among the oaks. But, during our sunny morning walk in a northern Italian wood, he is never cross with his wayward hound who must have earned him thousands over the years by snuffling out the pungent treasures to supply h...

A 35-year-old Italian musician played guitar and tambourine while being operated on to remove a brain tumour in Turin Friday. The so-called 'asleep-awake' technique was used at the northwestern city's Molinette Hospital. This enables surgeons to better monitor brain function during the operation. In this way, the risk of brain damage is reduced to...

Thousands and thousands (tens of thousands? millions?) of nonnas can’t be wrong. They’re the ones rolling and shaping taralli, in their cute little kitchens in Puglia (or Sicily or Napoli or ...). With quick, deft movements they work, talking about how easy they are to make. How good they taste. How they’re the perfect bite with a cold glass of whi...

In what is being billed as a first, Italian state broadcaster RAI has scored a significant boost to its RaiPlay streaming service by using an original, live variety show hosted by a hot local entertainer to attract viewers. Rosario Fiorello’s live music and comedy show, called “Viva RaiPlay,” just wrapped a six-week run on pubcaster’s RAI streaming...

Nel 2018, oltre 128 milioni di persone (128,6 per l'esattezza, di cui 58,6 stranieri) hanno visitato il patrimonio culturale italiano: quasi 10 milioni in più (+8%) rispetto al 2017. Lo rende noto l'Istat nel rapporto 'L'Italia dei musei 2018'. In particolare, è quasi raddoppiata l'utenza dei musei, dei monumenti e delle aree archeologiche statali,...

Italy is a wonderful place to explore anytime of the year, but when the Roman cathedrals or Trevi fountain serve as the backdrop to a New Year’s Eve fireworks show, there’s nothing quite like it. Yet, the significance of the celebration extends well beyond this spectacle. Il capodanno, or the New Year, consists of several Italian traditions that re...

Ownership of the Italian soccer giants AS Roma may be changing sooner rather than later, but will still remain in American hands. The Friedkin Group, a consortium run by U.S. billionaire Dan Friedkin, is reportedly about to purchase the majority share of AS Roma from current co-owner and chairman James Pallotta, Friedkin’s compatriot and executive...