In its constant progress, History with a capital “H” made a stop in Sperlinga at least twice. The first time was in 1282 during the Sicilian Vespers, when the soldiers loyal to king Charles I barricaded themselves inside the ancient town’s castle for an entire year; while the rest of… more >
by Alberto Manodori Sagredo Political satire is today’s most successful form of comedy. Comedians – who have depended on gags, witty remarks, and jokes to make the audience laugh since Plautus’s theater in ancient Rome – have discovered that referring to common people’s habits, contradictions, and hypocritical behaviors is not as… more >
Glass is “solid water” to art designer Peppino Campanella, based in the beautiful old village of Polignano a Mare, Apulia, which rises on a cliff overhanging the Adriatic Sea. Campanella graduated in architecture from Florence University in 1988, and then returned to his hometown. He turned an abandoned oil mill… more >
The thirteen historic villages facing the so-called Gulf of Poets – from Tellaro to Porto Venere – face off at sea every year: the Palio del Golfo, an annual boat race taking place in front of the beautiful La Spezia, Liguria, will return for its 2014 edition on August 3rd.… more >
Corte della Maestà, a residence at the heart of Civita di Bagnoregio, has a room called “The Writer” dedicated to Virginia Woolf. After entering a room full of books, in 1933 the great English writer noted in one of her journals, “I think I could happily live here and read forever”: she loved books… more >
Count Pier Alberto Conti was madly in love with his wife, soprano Francisca Solari. The two of them are buried in the crypt of the neo-Gothic church deep in the park of Villa Conti, in Civitanova Marche. The couple rests together for eternity, like Aida and Radamès in Verdi’s masterpiece… more >
The walls of the Missione Chapel (“Cappella di Missione”), in Villafranca Piemonte, still show the traces of an ancient Christian catechism telling the story of human frailty, and of God’s mercy for man. On the left wall, one late Gothic fresco – in the cycle mostly painted by Aimone Duce… more >
most popular
