Italian gardens and parks: Villa Fracanzan Piovene
Villa Fracanzan Piovene, historical residence of the Fracanzan family, is at the center of a large complex of ancient buildings in the Vicenza province, Veneto. It was built in 1700 by Francesco Muttoni, a baroque architect, with vague references to the Palladian architecture in the main facade and with baroque finishes. The whole garden area is fe...
Italian wine: Understanding Italy's Wine Designations from VdP, IGT, DOC to DOCG
Although I love highlighting Italy’s indigenous grapes, wine regions and producers I think it’s also good to take a step back from time to time and highlight some of the basics in understanding Italian wine. Italy is home to over 2,000 native grape varieties with about 400-500 of them being actively being commercially produced. It’s always a challe...
What's up with WTI: Editorial # 172
Dear friends, 2024 is fast moving on between the daily routine made up of news and content in social media, the monthly routine with interviews and the magazine, and the planning of projects, events, and lots of news, both in Italy and in the United States. The first news ... is not new: it is the third edition of our Gala here in Rome, which again...
Italian handcrafts: Biella textiles
The historic textile tradition of Biella owes its development to the characteristics of the local area: its location in the foothills of the Alps favoured livestock breeding rather than extensive crop cultivation and so the use of sheep fleece to provide yarns and fabrics became established in the area. The abundant presence of watercourses and the...
Italian sport: Gigi Riva, the legend of Italian soccer
Gigi Riva left us last January 22, on the threshold of his eightieth birthday. A heart attack stopped the big heart he had causing a real shock to all the Italian people. "Rombo di Tuono," as he was nicknamed by Italy's greatest sports journalist, Gianni Brera, had not only been a great footballer. He was the greatest of all, the most loved by all,...
Italian land and nature: Italy's Peaks and Pinnacles
In all its territorial variety, Italy boasts a large number of beautiful and evocative mountain localities, ideal for visiting any time of year, whether summer or winter. From north to south, the Italian mountain scene offers tourists a range of landscapes: lakes at high altitutude, incredible forests, enchanting villages and borgoes rich in histor...
Italian cuisine: Discovering Cacciucco: The Nonno of San Francisco’s Famous Fish Stew
This recipe from my Italian Diabetes Cookbook is said to be the ancestor of San Francisco’s famous Cioppino stew. My version comes from the western Tuscan town of Livorno, located on the sparkling Tuscan Sea. During the Gold Rush Era and later in the 19th century, many Italians immigrated to California. Some of them replicated Italian fishing boats...
Italian books: The Day of the Owl
The Day of the Owl (Il giorno della Civetta) is a novel written by Leonardo Sciascia and published in 1961. Throughout his life, the author (1921-1989) wrote about a wide variety of topics. He first studied the historic and social origins of the underdevelopment in Sicily, drawing inspiration from his experience as an elementary school teacher. The...
Italian little Italies: Ronciglione, A two-story town
"La Rocca" erected in the Middle Ages by the Prefects of Vico to guard the only natural access to the town, it was the prerogative of the Counts of Anguillara, Della Rovere and Farnese families and underwent major changes, particularly between 1475 and 1480 with the renovation ordered by Pope Sixtus IV and entrusted to the Florentine architect Giov...
Italian design: Italian Innovation and Design at CES in Las Vegas
The latest edition of CES, the Consumer Electronic Show, the world's most important trade show for the computer and consumer electronics industry, took place in Las Vegas, January 9-12, 2024. It is an event that has gradually become more prominent, evolving from a mere showcase for the latest and most curious electronic gadgets to a genuine driving...
Italian flavors: Lusia Salad
The first documents that speak of horticulture in the Lusia area are several handwritten notebooks dated 1930. The term “insalata” is used, which at that time still meant either lettuce or endive. But, in 1933, the words “latuga” or “salata” appear meaning "Cappuccia lettuce”. The post-war period, characterized by destruction and famine, provided a...
Italian culture and history: The Borghese Gallery
The Borghese Gallery in Rome is perhaps the most fascinating museum in Italy. It is housed in a villa built in the 1600s, the interior stuccoes of which make for the ideal setting of such an exceptional collection of world-famous masterpieces. Along with bas-reliefs and ancient mosaics of astounding quality, the Gallery – commissioned by Cardinal...