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DURING THE MIDDLE AGES, THE cities of Northern Italy were in a state of constant competition to control as much territory as they could. This was especially true during the wars of the communes of the 13th century, and city walls were erected to protect numerous towns during this period. Though many of those walls have crumbled, the walls around hi...

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Tucked into a little dead-end that you might otherwise pass right by is one of my favorite hidden wonders in La Serenissima. The spiral staircase of Venice is officially known as La Scala Contarini del Bovolo. In Venetian “bovolo” means snail shell, which is usually known as a “chiocchiola” in Italian. The pretty stairs do indeed give the impressio...

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Although the city is still closed to tourists, gondoliers have donned their iconic white-and-blue striped shirts, as well as gloves and face masks, to transport locals. Tape has been placed in each vessel to help passengers maintain social distancing requirements while onboard. According to Giovanni Giusto, the city councillor for the Protection of...

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A perfectly preserved ancient Roman mosaic floor has been discovered near the northern Italian city of Verona. Archaeologists were astonished by the find as it came almost a century after the remains of a villa, believed to date to the 3rd century AD, were unearthed in a hilly area above the town of Negrar di Valpolicella. After the discovery in 19...

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An Italian pianist has treated local residents in Venice to a beautiful outdoor concert while sailing down one of the city’s most colorful canals. Ever since Italy’s lockdown measures were put in place to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the usually bustling Grand Canal has seemed much quieter than usual – but now, the soothing sound of a grand pia...

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The Venice Film Festival will go ahead as scheduled at the beginning of September, Luca Zaia, the governor of the region around the Italian city said on Sunday as the spread of the new coronavirus in the country slows. Organized by the Biennale di Venezia company, Venice is the world's longest running film festival. In January it announced that Cat...

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It started in a vast meadow of the Colorado backcountry, mid-summer. In the distance, I saw what looked like a bear, but then realized the large, dark form was accompanied by a human. “It’s just a dog,” I said to myself, relieved. I gripped the leash of my small pup and called out: “Is your dog friendly?” Seconds later the animal — all 120 pounds...

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A few days before Italy is set to lift restrictions across much of the country after being locked down since March 10, the streets of Venice are starting to spring back to life. There are no tourists here just yet. Instead the noise is from vacuum cleaners and sanitation crews inside stores that are getting ready for the grand reopening on May 18....

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Ciao from Rome on lockdown to all the friends of We the Italians. Dear friends, I start this editorial from an Italy in phase 2 of the lockdown thanking you all again for the final outcome of our fundraising. Here you can find the video with which the General Director of the Spallanzani Hospital, Marta Branca, thanks us for this wonderful result: a...

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The city of Padua is inextricably linked to the figure of St. Anthony, a Franciscan friar of the thirteenth century, venerated all over the world and patron of the city itself. Strenuous defender of Catholic doctrine, he fought the Cathar heresy, especially in France, with great energy and considerable success.  He moved to Padua, where he died age...

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