Category: Culture & Living

Posts about culture in Italy. Festivals, religion, etiquette, language, and more.

  • Genoa’s World Pesto Championship

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    Pesto, the green pasta sauce indigenous to Genoa, is celebrated at the Pesto World Championship. Learn more about pesto and culinary competition.

    Pesto Championship, Genoa
  • ‘Exploring Etruria’ Guides You Through the Land of the Etruscans

    Affreschi: Exploring Etruria is the only travel book I know that focuses on the land of the Etruscans, also known as Etruria. Before the Romans came along, the Etruscans ruled a wide domain, which stretched from Rome to southern Tuscany and east to Umbria. Author Mary Jane Cryan profiles these areas, including the towns of…

  • Bologna’s Old Cutlery Shop

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    In a recent NY Times Foraging column, Melissa Clark profiles Antica Aguzzeria del Cavallo, a cutlery shop that dates back to 1783. Clark notes, “If it cuts, rips, tears, nicks, grates, slices, shaves or pricks and is legal to sell, they most likely have it.” Here’s another taste of the short article: When Antonio Bernagozzi…

  • Dining Near the Forum

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    I recently received an e-mail from an Unofficial Guide reader asking about the best places to dine near the Roman Forum. The Forum “complex,” which includes the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Colosseum, and Trajan’s Market (and, to a lesser extent, the Capitoline and the Vittoriano) is ultimately a tourist area. So, as like in other…