Siena cathedral reopens its fabled 'stairway to heaven'
Siena's 13th-century cathedral will reopen its "stairway to heaven" shortly, local authorities said Tuesday. The famous black-and-white striped cathedral first opened a series of spiral staircases to the public in 2013, allowing visitors to climb up to a walkway near the top of the 16-metre nave. Once they have reached the top of the spira...
A mile of pizza?! Chefs break world record
by Lindsay Deutsch Sixty chefs just joined the mile-pizza club. Italian pizza makers spent all night at Milan's world fair, Expo 2015, Saturday, creating a cheesy, sauce-y, record-breaking pizza, according to the Associated Press. The occasion: The margherita pizza's 126th birthday. (How did you celebrate, eh?) Using 1.5...
Napoli, un tesoro archeologico svelato ai piedi del Vesuvio
A Somma Vesuviana, a pochi chilometri da Napoli, sta ermergendo un tesoro archeologico: l'imponente e maestosa villa romana dove potrebbe essere morto l'Imperatore Ottaviano Augusto. Il sito è ai piedi del Monte Somma, il vero Vesuvio, affermano gli archeologi – quello che nel 79 d.C. coprì Pompei e non solo. Risale invece al 472 d.c, l'eruzio...
Top 10 best Italian movies 2015 you have to watch
by Claudia Baroncelli With the end of 2015 coming closer, Swide wants to have a look at all the best Italian movies we have seen this year. From Oscar winning director Paolo Sorrentino's Youth to Italian first-timer Piero Messina's movie The Wait, no doubt this has been a great year for the Italian cinematic scene. So, while waiting to see...
Winter bargains: why January is a great time of the year to visit Italy
by Chiara Assi When most think about their dream vacation in Italy they envision themselves strolling around quaint streets basked in perpetual sunshine, eating gelato and wearing airy cotton dresses and shirts purchased at a local boutique. But while warm weather is great for traveling up and down the boot, an Italian holiday during the s...
Calascibetta: History carved in stone
Just a few kilometers from Calascibetta – a small town 900 meters above sea level, at the heart of Sicily – people settled in a womb carved out of stone. The hamlet is known as "Byzantine Village", and is formed of tunnels and large spaces dug in sandstone in different periods from prehistory to the Middle Ages, passing through the Greek and Roman...
An All-Electric Maserati Sports Car is On The Way
Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne told Bloomberg news that he thought the Italian-American conglomerate will challenge Tesla using electrified versions of products like the upcoming Maserati Alfieri sports car and a small city car like the Fiat 500. Fiat already sells a battery electric version of the 500 in the U.S., but Marchionne...
Tania Cagnotto: Italian of the Week
Born to two award-winning athletes in Bolzano, Italy, Tania Cagnotto was destined for greatness. Her father was Giorgio Cagnotto – a diver who medaled four times at the Olympics during his career. Following in his footsteps, Tania began swimming and diving at a young age, winning her first award when she was just 14. During her career, she...
Let’s Talk Food: Italian food rules and laws
A bunch of us members of the Older Generation, during a recent dinner party, were discussing how we survived all these years without seat belts, baby car seats and air bags. I saw a Facebook post from Horn News that said members of the Older Generation are tough because we survived spanking, lead paint, wooden playgrounds, second-hand smoke, toy gu...
A Stroll Through Orvieto, the “City in the Sky”
By Victoria de Maio Victoria tours the Etruscan and medieval town in Umbria. Orvieto sits on an impressive outcropping of volcanic tufa stone. Settled by the Etruscans, it has an amazing labyrinth of underground tunnels and wells. However, what gets your attention is definitely above ground! Let's explore this appealing medieval gem, shall we...
“American Families: An Ongoing Debate on an Everchanging Institution”
Centro Studi Americani - via M. Caetani, 32 00186 Roma Tel 06.68.80.16.13 fax 06.68.30.72.56 info@centrostudiamericani.org www.centrostudiamericani.org Lunedì 20 – Venerdì 24 Maggio 2013 Seminario di Letteratura, storia e cultura americana "American Families: An Ongoing Debate on an Everchanging Ins...
A new importer brings in artisanal Italian lambruschi
When Bay State native Nick Mucci, 28, decided to launch his own company, Mucci Imports, and bring in small-producer Italian wines, he imagined he'd have a few adventures along the way. But he never expected to be chased out of an inn by a burly restaurant owner wielding a salami. Mucci and his girlfriend, Kelsey, were living and working in...