DERUTA CERAMICS
WHERE CLAY BECOMES ITALIAN ART In the green heart of Umbria, a few miles south of Perugia, there is a small hill town whose name has travelled much farther than its streets. Deruta may appear quiet and modest from a…
Alessia
ORVIETO’S “WISHING WELL”
A JOURNEY INTO THE HEART OF THE ROCK Perched dramatically on a volcanic cliff in the green heart of Umbria, Orvieto is a city that seems to belong to two different worlds. Above ground, its medieval streets lead towards one…
BOMARZO
THE ITALIAN GARDEN WHERE MONSTERS ARE CARVED INTO STONE In the wooded hills of northern Lazio, less than one hundred kilometres from Rome, there is a garden that seems to have been created from a dream, or perhaps from the…
The Legend of Colapesce
Among the ancient legends of Sicily, few are as poetic and mysterious as the story of Colapesce.It is a tale born from the sea.A story of courage, sacrifice, and an extraordinary love for one’s homeland.For centuries, Sicilians have told the…
10 VERY ITALIAN SAYINGS
IN BOCCA AL LUPO!Literal meaning: “Into the wolf’s mouth!”Real meaning: Good luck!Traditional reply: “Crepi!” or, more recently, “Viva il lupo!” ACQUA IN BOCCA!Literal meaning: “Water in your mouth!”Real meaning: Keep it secret. Don’t tell anyone.Example: “I’ll tell you something, but…
The Legend of the Bella ’Mbriana
In Naples, every house is more than walls, windows, and doors.It is a place filled with memories, voices, habits, and invisible presences.Among the most fascinating figures of Neapolitan folklore is the Bella ’Mbriana.She is known as the gentle spirit of…
FRASASSI CAVES: ITALY’S SPECTACULAR HIDDEN WORLD
Beneath the green mountains of the Marche region lies a world that remained hidden from human eyes for an astonishing length of time. It is a landscape without sunlight, seasons or horizons, shaped slowly by water and stone. Here, enormous…
ANDREA CAMILLERI
THE VOICE THAT TURNED SICILY INTO A WORLD Andrea Camilleri became internationally famous when he was already approaching seventy, an age at which most people are expected to slow down, look back and politely accept that the important part of…
LEONARDO SCIASCIA: THE SICILIAN WRITER WHO QUESTIONED POWER
Leonardo Sciascia was not simply a writer from Sicily. He was a man who used Sicily as a lens through which to examine an entire country, its institutions, its fears and its carefully protected lies. From the small town of…
AGRIGENTO, SICILY: WHERE ANCIENT GREECE MEETS THE MEDITERRANEAN LIGHT
There are cities that preserve a few traces of their past, and then there is Agrigento, where the past still dominates the landscape. Here, on the southern coast of Sicily, Greek temples rise above olive trees and almond groves, golden…