Tag: featured
Remembering the Battle of Montecassino
About an hour and a half south of Rome lies Montecassino, an enormous Benedictine monastery whose environs witnessed a very costly battle of World War II.
Important Dates in Italian History for the Curious Traveler
A short primer on a few of the dates you will encounter while meandering the streets and squares of Italy.
The Art of Nobel Winner Dario Fo
Calling Italian playwright Dario Fo a “Renaissance” man would probably irk him given his long history of questioning authority and mocking the status quo. But Fo, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997 (one of six Italians to have won the literature prize) proves he is worthy of this nickname with the new…
Rooted in Italy: The World’s First Botanical Gardens
It has been said (too many times) that all roads lead to Rome. But did you know that you could trace botanical medicine and even the environmental movement to 16th century Italy? It was here in the city of Pisa (1544) then Padua (1545) that the world’s first botanical gardens were set up. This month’s…
Braving the Elements: A Rare Snowfall in Rome
Over the past weekend, Rome got pelted with eight inches of snow, the largest single snowfall in the capital since 1986. The rare snowfall prompted the closure of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, and other tourist attractions. Many businesses had to close because workers were unable to access public transportation or get their…
Give the Gift of Italian Culture
When my colleagues in the Italy Blogging Roundtable and I decided to write on the topic “gifts” for our December post, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. I knew straight away that I didn’t want to write about Italian gifts you can buy in a store, though there are many I desire…
An Invitation to Bloggers: A “Gift” From the Italy Blogging Roundtable
Many of you will know that, since May 2011, five of us have been writing a monthly post on a given topic and we call it the Italy Blogging Roundtable. Each month we decide the topic in advance and the only rule is that it has to be connected to Italy; the posts are published…
Comfort Me With Potatoes: A Tale of Two Tuber Dishes in Italy
The potato is a vegetable that no one really associates with Italy but it features in two dishes that some consider comfort fo
