Category: Culture & Lifestyle
Posts about culture in Italy. Festivals, religion, etiquette, language, and more.
Favorite Italian Words: The Sequel
So many people enjoy learning Italian. It is so melodic – it’s the language of beautiful poetry, music, and the closest to Latin, the “dead” language that spawned dozens of others. While not everyone can travel to Italy, everyone can try to learn Italian, which is the reason that the Five Favorite Italian Words post…
Five Favorites: My Favorite Italian Words
What are your five favorite Italian words? In this post, an Italy-focused travel writer answers the difficult question.
Buon Natale
Like many of you, I have already started my Christmas vacation. So, I thought I’d check in one last time before December 25 and share with you some of the prettiest Christmas pictures from Italy this year. I’ve done this by creating a gallery on Flickr. My Buon Natale 2009 gallery will feature up to…
World’s Biggest Christmas Tree in Gubbio, Umbria
Rockefeller Center has nothing on this tree. The biggest Christmas tree in the world is, in fact, in Gubbio, Umbria. But this is not any tree. No, this is not a tree at all. Gubbio’s Albero di Natale is a dazzling neon feat–and Guinness Book of World Records holder–that has been lighting up the hills…
Italy’s Most Unusual Religious Relics
For every Biblical tale and saintly life, there is at least one precious relic housed in Rome, the Vatican, or in one of Italy’s thousands of churches.
Coloring the Skies: Kite Festival in Umbria
This weekend, the incredibly picturesque town of Castiglione del Lago, located on the banks of Lake Trasimeno in Umbria, will become even more beautiful as the skies fill with kites of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The event is called Coloriamo i Cieli, and it features some of the world’s most interesting kites commandeered by…
Genoa’s World Pesto Championship
Pesto, the green pasta sauce indigenous to Genoa, is celebrated at the Pesto World Championship. Learn more about pesto and culinary competition.
Jazz in January: Umbria Jazz Inverno and Other Winter Festivals in Italy
Winter means the music season for most of Italy. Opera productions and church-sponsored chamber music events are typical fare from Lecco to Lecce at this time of year. But you’ll also find jazz and blues in the mix. Umbria, which is home to Umbria Jazz, hosts a summer and winter version of its well-regarded festival. Umbria Jazz…
