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DURING THE MIDDLE AGES, MANY monks manually copied ancient books so they could be passed on to future generations. The invention of the printing press made this work largely obsolete, but thousands of old books remained stored in monasteries. You can find many of those volumes in the library of the Praglia Abbey, an almost 1,000-year-old monastery...

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Isola Santa Cristina, a private island in the north of the Venetian lagoon, will welcome 14 first responders from hospitals in Bergamo for a free five-night stay before the island opens up to tourism.  Owners René and Sandra Deutsch, members of the Swarovksi family, have offered their island and covered the costs of food and lodging, while Allison...

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I’ziae Frazier spent the hours before her American high school graduation Saturday with friends and 100 strangers in an Italian plaza protesting racism and police brutality in her home country. “Honestly, I feel the pain of all of my ancestors, all of them,” said Frazier, who’ll be attending Howard University in the fall. She said it was devastatin...

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DURING THE MIDDLE AGES, THE cities of Northern Italy were in a state of constant competition to control as much territory as they could. This was especially true during the wars of the communes of the 13th century, and city walls were erected to protect numerous towns during this period. Though many of those walls have crumbled, the walls around hi...

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Tucked into a little dead-end that you might otherwise pass right by is one of my favorite hidden wonders in La Serenissima. The spiral staircase of Venice is officially known as La Scala Contarini del Bovolo. In Venetian “bovolo” means snail shell, which is usually known as a “chiocchiola” in Italian. The pretty stairs do indeed give the impressio...

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Although the city is still closed to tourists, gondoliers have donned their iconic white-and-blue striped shirts, as well as gloves and face masks, to transport locals. Tape has been placed in each vessel to help passengers maintain social distancing requirements while onboard. According to Giovanni Giusto, the city councillor for the Protection of...

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A perfectly preserved ancient Roman mosaic floor has been discovered near the northern Italian city of Verona. Archaeologists were astonished by the find as it came almost a century after the remains of a villa, believed to date to the 3rd century AD, were unearthed in a hilly area above the town of Negrar di Valpolicella. After the discovery in 19...

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An Italian pianist has treated local residents in Venice to a beautiful outdoor concert while sailing down one of the city’s most colorful canals. Ever since Italy’s lockdown measures were put in place to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the usually bustling Grand Canal has seemed much quieter than usual – but now, the soothing sound of a grand pia...

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The Venice Film Festival will go ahead as scheduled at the beginning of September, Luca Zaia, the governor of the region around the Italian city said on Sunday as the spread of the new coronavirus in the country slows. Organized by the Biennale di Venezia company, Venice is the world's longest running film festival. In January it announced that Cat...

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It started in a vast meadow of the Colorado backcountry, mid-summer. In the distance, I saw what looked like a bear, but then realized the large, dark form was accompanied by a human. “It’s just a dog,” I said to myself, relieved. I gripped the leash of my small pup and called out: “Is your dog friendly?” Seconds later the animal — all 120 pounds...

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