Archive for December, 2011
Una Storia di Natale Posted by Serena on Dec 30, 2011
Yesterday I was browsing through the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, when I came across this touching little story which exemplifies the spirit of Christmas: Pensionata sorpresa a rubare, i Carabinieri prima l’arrestano e poi la invitano a pranzo Pensioner caught stealing, Carabinieri (the Military Police force) first arrest her and then invite her for…
Il Presepe Nel Lavatoio Posted by Serena on Dec 29, 2011
Tellaro, 25th of December 2011: Yesterday, Geoff posted a blog about the lovely walk that we had on Christmas day. Near the end of the walk we came across a fascinating presepe (nativity scene) in the old village laundry near the little harbour of Tellaro. Next to the presepe was a note with the following…
Il Nostro Giorno di Natale Posted by Serena on Dec 27, 2011
Written by Geoff We’ve always written blogs around Christmas time that tell you something about Christmas traditions here in Italy. However, it’s important to remember that not everyone follows these traditions … including us! Our Christmas tradition? … going for a walk in a beautiful place. Our Christmas meal? … panini al formaggio! Here’s how…
Tu Scendi dalle Stelle Posted by Serena on Dec 23, 2011
“Tu scendi dalle stelle” (“You come down from the stars”), written in 1754 by Sant’Alfonso Maria de Liguori (b. in Napoli, 1696 – d. 1787), is our most famous and most loved Italian Christmas carol. Its music is based on a folk theme traditionally played on zampogne (bagpipes). Several years later, de Liguori wrote another…
Gli Struffoli Posted by Serena on Dec 21, 2011
It’s Christmas and here in Italy one of the ubiquitous symbols of this period is the famous Panettone. However, this cake, which is originally from Milano, only became popular throughout Italy thanks to the food companies Motta and Alemagna, who began to produce it on an industrial scale in the Fifties. In Napoli, on the…
Una Visita a Frasassi Posted by Serena on Dec 19, 2011
Il Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral), at 108.50 meters high and covering an area of 11.700 square meters, is the fourth largest church in Europe. Yet there is an enclosed space here in Italy that could swallow the cathedral whole! L’Abisso Ancona, altezza 200 metri, lunghezza 180 metri, e larghezza 120 metri (The Ancona Abyss…
Innovazioni Italiane – Part 2 Posted by Serena on Dec 16, 2011
In part 1 of this blog we began to look at some of the Italian innovations of the last 150 years since Italy’s unification. Let’s discover a bit more about Italian inventiveness: 1. L’Aliscafo (The Hydrofoil) Enrico Forlanini, already well known for his aircraft, helicopters, and airships, tested the first prototype of his aliscafo in…