OPINIONS + EDITORIALS
Opinions + Editorials
Sunless in Seattle
The Florentine in exile
All right, we hit the Seattle all-time high-temperature record last week with an unprecedented 97 degrees, but it was absolutely bearable—sunny, dry, and breezy. I must confess that I was actually enjoying it. However, every single person I talked to during …
Italian Sketches
Aldo Moro
Death of a statesman
One of the most emblematic photographs of the socio-political events that occurred in twentieth-century Italy is that of the crumpled body of statesman Aldo Moro lying dead in the back of a battered, dark red Renault abandoned on via Caetani in …
Italian Sketches
Loris Fortuna
Divorce Italian style
Consumed by passion for his beautiful 16-year-old cousin, Angela, the languid, droopy-eyed Sicilian nobleman, Baron Ferdinand ‘Fefè’ Cefalù decides he must have her at any cost. His big problem is that he is married to a woman with a moustache, Rosalia, …
Life
With friends like these
by Nita Tucker
Surf the TV channels in Italy, and you are bound to come across the current most popular show, for it is broadcast seven days a week. Or, if you look at TV listings and see the show’s name, Amici, you might …
Italian Sketches
Luchino Visconti
Film in the face of fascism
Nothing sums up better the contradictions, complexities and contentiousness of film-maker Luchino Visconti than his two great movie masterpieces, Rocco e i suoi fratelli (‘Rocco and his Brothers’) and Il gattopardo (‘The Leopard’). They both juxtapose the disintegration of family life …
Italian Sketches
Lina Merlin
Goodbye Wanda to the brothels
In February 1958, the Italian Parliament enacted Law No. 75/1958 or the Law on the Abolition of the Regulation of Prostitution and the Fight Against the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. Widely called the ‘Merlin’ law, it came into force …
Italian Sketches
Pellegrino Artusi
He wrote the bible of Italian cooking
Turning to writing after retiring from a successful career as a merchant in Florence in the late 1800s, Pellegrino Artusi was to produce the most influential cookbook published in Italy.
His La Scienza in Cucina e L’Arte di Mangiar Bene or, …
Life
Dont forget to duck
The pigeons of San Marco
Looking down from the top of the Basilica in Piazza San Marco in Venice, you see that the ground is transformed into a black sea of swarming pigeons. When you get closer, it looks like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The …
How Do You...?
Put a roof over your head, under the Tuscan sun
Indispensable tips for prospective homebuyers
by Bill Thomson
The prospect of slowly sipping a glass of Chianti while relaxing in your quaint and comfy farmhouse in the heart of wine country is tempting you to purchase a vacation home in Tuscany. But you’ve heard about the amount of red …
Interviews
Leather 101: The art and science of purchasing leather in Florence
An interview with Italian designer Jennifer Tattanelli
Florence is famous for its leather goods, from shoes and accessories to clothing. But with so many stores and so much to choose from, how can a buyer be sure of making a good choice?We went to the Casini leather stores …
Italian Voices
'Non fa parte della nostra mentalita''
A window on language and customs in Italy
If you’ve just arrived in Italy and are kicking for a little avventura italiana, you’re probably still feeling excited and optimistic. Most likely you’re convinced that if you ever decided to stay long term, you’d never get homesick enough to miss …
Life
Superstitious survival
Avoiding bad luck in Italy
You just spilled some salt: Do you throw another pinch over your left shoulder to avoid bad luck? Do you cross the street to skirt a black cat? When you break a mirror do you dread seven years of misfortune? The …
Italian Voices
'Mi raccomando'
A window on language and customs in Italy
In 1998, I was hired to teach English at the military barracks in the province of Mantova. The course was funded by the European community so that all the draft soldiers would be able to understand each other. The post was …
Life
Step by step
Stair design over time
by Sabine Eiche
Have you noticed howsome stairs make you feel as though you’re hobbling along in tight, heavyboots, while others make you feel like you’re floating in a pair of softleather slippers? If you live in one of the narrow houses that make …
Italian Voices
'L'amicizia'
A window on language and customs in Italy
Nell'amicizia, Italians do not necessarily aim for understanding. The simply see, know and feel. And while this type of soul-searching needs no consent, real trust might not apear for years.
People phone the pressroom with various questions. Some depend on the season. …
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Tuesday, May 21, 2013