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Recent Posts Tagged With 'history'
The Legend of La Befana
Every child of Italian heritage has heard of La Befana, a character in Italian folklore who delivers presents to children throughout Italy. It is believed that the legend of La Befana may have originated in Rome, then spread as a tradition to the res...
The History and Love Story of Panettone
In Italian folklore, it is widely believed that Panettone originated in the city of Milano in northern Italy during the 15th century. It became instantly popular. Today, hundreds of years later, people around the world continue to enjoy the sweet bre...
The Love Story behind Panettone
In Italian folklore, it is widely believed that Panettone originated in the city of Milano in northern Italy during the 15th century. It became instantly popular. Today, hundreds of years later, people around the world continue to enjoy the sweet b...
Murano Glass
There are few things in this world as beautiful as Murano glass, an art steeped in history, centuries old. No one knows the exact date when the art of glass blowing in Murano began, but it is thought that it started in the 9th century. Murano’s r...
Italian Christmas Traditions and History
For a real treat, I would like to invite you to visit the blog of my good friend, author Diane Hales. She wrote the bestselling book, La Bella Lingua. Hers is an amazing story - an American with no Italian roots who fully immersed herself in the cul...
Love Letters - Pietro Bembo to Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of the Spanish Cardinal, Rodrigo Borgia, who later became Pope Alexander VI. Much scandal regarding incest and murder surrounds her. She entered into a passionate affair with Pietro Bembo, (1470-1547), a respected p...
San Nicola - Italy\'s Original Santa Claus
Saint Nicholas (270 A.D. to 346 A.D.) was really Nicholas of Myra, a saint and bishop in Turkey. Many miracles have been attributed to him. He is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting ...
Quel Mazzolin di Fiori
Some of my earliest memories are of this beautiful Alpini song. I remember after weddings or family get togethers, entire tables of people singing and harmonizing this song, while staff urgently cleared tables around us.My uncle, Pietro Basso, comes...
Lionhearted Women
I'd like to introduce my newest blog, Lionhearted Women. This blog is different than other blogs that deal with historical accountings of the lives of famous and infamous women. Blog posts here are written in first person narrative and the identity...
A Soldier Away From Home
A SOLDIER AWAY FROM HOMEWritten by Glen Gregory Kelly at the age of 11As I run across the fields of grey,Will I make it, I hope, I pray.And now and then I think of home.The beautiful streets I used to roam.The house I built by the sea,There a child w...
Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Ever since I was a child, I've been fascinated with women who choose to live a life of seclusion and sacrifice in a convent or monastery. So when I saw this novel by Sarah Dunant, one of my favourite authors, I immediately ordered it. The novel exp...
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Synopsis:For a thousand years her existence has been denied. She is the legend that will not die - Pope Jon, the ninth century woman who disguised herself as a man and rose to become the only female ever to sit on the throne of St. Peter. Now in th...
Italy's Anglo-Italiano Invasion
I recently read an article written by an English gentleman who works for a company dealing in Italian Real Estate. He congenially allowed me to share his entertaining view on Anglo Italian colloquialisms with my readers. I hope you enjoy his articl...
The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini
Winner of the Premio Campiello (Italy's equivalent of the National Book Award) I'm always excited to get my hands on translated Italian novels. I stumbled across this book while surfing an on-line book store. So I ordered it and just finished readi...
Interview with Diane Hales - Author of La Bella Lingua
Welcome, I’m so glad to have this opportunity to chat with you. Can you share with my readers the essence of your book and why you penned it?Twenty-some years ago I started studying Italian simply to be able to speak with Italians on our travels. ...
La Bella Lingua by Diane Hales
La Bella Lingua by Dianne HalesLittle did Dianne Hales know that when she went on her first vacation to Italy, it would become a life altering experience. But that’s exactly what happened. Not only did she fall in love with the country, its cultu...
Italian Hand Gestures
If you're Italian, at least once in your life, you have been accused of speaking with your hands. I know I often have. But it wasn't until I went to Italy and spent time with my grandparents and cousins that I learned many of the gestures and their ...
Medieval Food
In my research for my medieval novels, I'm always looking for examples of medieval food. Not all of what we eat today was available in medieval times. So I've had to be very careful in choosing what foods to mention in my novel. In Italy, the Rest...
Maria Montessori 1870 - 1952
Maria Montessori was born in the town of Chiaravalle in the province of Ancona, Italy in the year 1870 in an era where it was not common to treat children with respect. The old adage applied – Children should be seen and not heart. Her father, Al...
F. Marion Crawford - Italian American Author
Every once in a while we discover a new author who fast becomes one of our favourites. Recently, I discovered such an author. Like any new discovery, I’m suddenly very excited about it. I’m always searching for all things Italian to blog about...
Pompeii
Although I have been to Italy many times, and visited Milano, Rome, Venice, Vicenza, Trieste and the Abruzzi region, there are many, many places I have yet to experience. Pompeii has always been such a place for me. I have heard first hand about the...
Becoming Italian Word by Word by Diane Hales
I recently had the pleasure of meeting Diane Hales through the miracle of cyberspace. Diane stumbled across this blog and took the time to email me and tell me a little about herself, her work, and her blog.Diane is a journalist who fell in love wit...
Medieval Scriptorium
I'm currently working on a novel that takes place in 10th century Germany and Italy. In those days, writing and illuminating was done on processed sheep skins called vellum. In my research I came across this video that demonstrates how a sheet of v...
Omerta by Mario Puzo
Omerta is the final novel in a trilogy about the Mafia. It was written during the last three years of Mario Puzo's life. The first novel in the trilogy was The Godfather in which Puzo introduced us to the Corleone family. The second novel, The Las...
Marco Polo
Marco PoloMany years ago, as I floated down one of Venice's canals on a gondola, I noticed a plaque high up on the wall of a home that marked the home of Marco Polo. I'll never forget that moment. Having grown up in Canada, it amazed me to see home...
La Scala di Milano
My uncle and his family live in Milano. Many years ago, while in my teens, I remember he took me to La Scala. I remember sitting in one of the red velvet palchi, my mouth agape at the beautiful architecture and gold gilt. I was transfixed, speechless...
Pizzelle
Pizzelle (pit-sell-eh) - Pizzelle are a traditional cookie from the Abruzzi regionof Italy. They are thin wafer cookies that look almost like a waffle. The word pizelle means little, round, and flat. For decades, blacksmiths forged pizzelle irons ...
The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini
Winner of the Premio Campiello (Italy's equivalent of the National Book Award) I'm always excited to get my hands on translated Italian novels. I stumbled across this book while surfing an on-line book store. So I ordered it and just finished readi...
Interview with Diane Hales - Author of La Bella Lingua
Welcome, I’m so glad to have this opportunity to chat with you. Can you share with my readers the essence of your book and why you penned it?Twenty-some years ago I started studying Italian simply to be able to speak with Italians on our travels. ...
La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales - Book Review
La Bella Lingua by Dianne HalesLittle did Dianne Hales know that when she went on her first vacation to Italy, it would become a life altering experience. But that’s exactly what happened. Not only did she fall in love with the country, its cultu...
