Italian entertainment: Carlo Verdone
This November 2020 a very famous and acclaimed Italian actor and director celebrates his 70-year anniversary: Carlo Verdone. Recognized by many to be the heir of the great Alberto Sordi, Verdone has always tried to present in his movies the archetype of the “average Italian”, facing his daily problems, anxieties and joys. Some of his most appreciat...
Italian handcrafts: Lisio Silk
Manifattura Arte della Seta Lisio (the Lisio Silk Art Factory) was established in Florence in 1906 by Giuseppe Lisio, a determined and enterprising man from Abruzzo. Trained in the field as a representative of Luigi Osnago di Milan, an important weaving factory that participated in the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris, Lisio nurtured the dre...
Italian design: Virtual galleries, beauty at home at the time of the pandemic
If we were in normal times, in the afternoon we would be strolling through the galleries of Italian cities visiting the open exhibitions of the week and immersing ourselves in the somewhat artificial and decadent glam of openings and vernissages. But we have to stay at home and we put ourselves in the hands of the internet in an attempt to absorb o...
Italian little Italies: Finalborgo, a sort of marquises vibe
The borgo is surrounded by well preserved medieval walls with towers and gates. Here visitors can immediately feel an atmosphere of protection and welcome. Narrow streets, beautiful squares, gates, columns and other elements are made with the local “stone of Finale”. The great monuments (the Renaissance and Baroque palaces, the Basilica of San Biag...
Italian language: Perugino
Here we go again on our trip around the Italian dialects. This time we are in the core of Italy, region of central and southern Italy that is not by the sea but has beautiful rolling hills. We are in Umbria, more specifically Perugia, a city famous for its Eurochocolate Festival, its art, and amazing Etruscan architecture. As all the other regions,...
Italian innovation: Reducing the distance in distance learning. The meta-challenge of Marco De Rossi
During these months of hard and then soft lockdown, especially in this second wave of contagion by COVID-19, Italy is experimenting with the distance learning approach. Results are not enthusiastic for now: not only for the intrinsic attitude of Italian professors to be against every kind of change but also due to poor technologic background of hig...
Italian wine: Birthday Celebrations call for Poderi Colla Barolo and Barbaresco
Birthdays are the perfect time to celebrate popping bottles and drinking the good stuff. Earlier this year I had received a couple of bottles of Barbaresco and Barolo from Poderi Colla and no time like the present to sample them. Although for a Barolo and Barbaresco these wines are in their youth, they will further benefit from aging. Luckily I...
Italian gardens: Villa comunale “Carlo Ruggiero” in Cittanova, Calabria
It is nicknamed the “salotto Verde” of Cittanova and has been considered since 1984 a national monument of natural and historical interest by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage. Mayor Carlo Ruggiero had the villa built at his expense, the project was done by the swiss engineer-agronomist Enrico Fehr, then it was donated to the town in March 1880. T...
What's up with WTI: Editorial # 132
Dear friends, while I'm writing this editorial the coronavirus situation in Italy is dramatically worsening, and probably in a few days we will be in a full lockdown again. We are scared and angry, because we knew that a second wave would come and the Italian institutions were unprepared. The weeks to come will be difficult and hard, and we all hop...
Italian culture and history: Milan's Quadrilatero della Moda
Milan is known first and foremost as Italy's - and an international - fashion capital. The city hosts innumerable boutiques - selling jewelry, decor, and of course, the most sought-out fashion labels - in its Quadrilatero d'oro della moda or Fashion Quadrilateral. The district is brodered by four main thoroughfares - Via Monte Napoleone, Via Alessa...
Italian cuisine: Risotto with Black Truffle
Who can resist truffles? Not me! Risotto with truffle is a classic first course, easy and quick to prepare, a dish that will certainly impress your guest. The simplicity of the ingredients is enhanced by the flavor of truffle. This is something you can prepare for a special meal with friends and family. Like most authentic Italian recipes it’s dece...
Italian art: Carella's forgotten canvases
From Apulia comes some good news in the field of artistic discoveries. In the last months, in the Spanish Hall of the Aragonese Castle in Taranto, the technicians of the Superintendence have carefully examined the state of conservation of nine artworks painted in the eighteenth century by Domenico Carella that in the eighties of the twentieth centu...