'Four weddings and a funeral': part 2

Vittorio Cecchi Gori   My Third Marriage   My third marriage was not entirely related to the history of the Fiorentina team. It was, in fact, a flesh and blood union between two real people - or more precisely, four. When my wife and I …

A festival of dance

For upsoming dance events keep an eye on: www.teatroverdifirenze.it For more info on dance in Florence write to: danceon@danceconnectionone.it or info@florencedance.org   Dance is entwined with the history and culture of different countries around the globe, and can communicate many different messages; it can mesmorize, …

'Four Weddings and a funeral'

PART ONE   Italy is famous throughout the world for the Mafia, pizza, fashion and mandolins, as well as another popular phenomenon: soccer. If soccer is sometimes considered a sickness in Italy, then in Florence there’s a high concentration of desperate cases. The …

U.S. suspense writer's real-life thriller

One of our readers, Douglas Preston, sent us the following letter in which he tells his version of a controversial news story recently published in Italy’s most important daily newspapers. We received the letter and have decided to publish it here. …

Life on both sides of the pond

Life in Italy and life in the U.S. are two completely different worlds. When I was a little kid, living in Northern California, I thought there was no other place like home. I thought all of my future lay within the …

Parole di Piazza

Athletes at this year’s Winter Olympics may have been surprised to find that the coveted medals they had come to the Apennines to compete for were missing their golden centers. The Olympic officials who had commissioned the new medal design said …

The ABCs of Italian Schooling

For many parents January was a month of choices and tribulation as they tried to register their children for school next year. This obligation was for all students who in September 2006 are to start one of the four “cycles” of …

How to Succeed in Business while really trying

Tired of your boss’s constant nagging, hopeless mental capacity and unbearably bad breath?  Have you got a brilliant business idea plus some time and money to spare? Then you can become your own boss, especially in Italy. Because Italy is the …

Before hearts and roses

Being known as the land of love, it’s only logical that the Patron Saint of Lovers comes from Italy. Strongly associated with the festival of Valentine’s Day, San Valentino lived in Rome when the Empire was under the reign of Emperor …

Finds, fakes, and fines

Like them or loathe them, street vendors are an everyday encounter on the busy streets of Florence. Whether in the main shopping streets or lurking on the corners of winding back streets, the traders ply their wares to tourists and locals …

Married to the Italian

Chi è? quanto sta? quando va?   This, I heard, was my future father-in-law’s reaction when my future wife first announced that she had a new boyfriend who was, uhm, not Italian: who is this guy? how long is he staying here? and …

Is the Pope catholic?

When I moved to Italy, as a Protestant, I was interested to see what religious life would be in a Catholic country.   As a philosophy and religion major in college I had studied the history and theology of the Catholic church.I …

Beyond the red tape

Here are some of the most salient points:   You’ve probably heard it’s difficult to start a business here? Well, it’s true, or so says the World Bank’s recent survey where Italy ranked 70th out of 155 countries when judged on a …

Stepping over stereotypes

Forgive me a stereotype: Italians like to talk about food. A lot. Running a distant second among favorite subjects is the differences between people from Italy’s various cities and regions. A likely conversation might seamlessly flow between these two stand-bys.   “What are …

Navigating the real estate Maze

Italy has a reputation of being a bureaucratic minefield, and voluntarily involving oneself in its system of laws and taxes may be a daunting prospect for a foreigner purchasing property here.  Doing so is, however, no more difficult than in any …