by Dianne Hales | Feb 16, 2021 | amore, Books, books on Italy, cookbooks, culture, food, Food and Drink, Italian folklore, Italian language, Italy, Language, learning Italian, love in Italy, Roman history, Romance, Rome, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
I went to Rome this week. I savored local specialties like spaghetti alla carbonara and saltimbocca alla romana. I strolled through the lively markets of Testaccio and Campo de’ Fiori. I garnered tips on cooking pasta al dente (it should resist the tooth—but the tooth...
by Dianne Hales | Jul 21, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italian language, Italy, Language, literature, Romance, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
A guest post by Maria Teresa Cometto She was one of the first women in Italy to earn a living as a journalist and a writer, the first female columnist for the leading Italian daily Corriere della Sera, and the author of 45 books. She called herself Marchesa Colombi,...
by Dianne Hales | May 26, 2020 | amore, art, art history, Books, books on Italy, coronavirus, history, Italian language, Italy, Language, Leonardo da Vinci, literature, love in Italy, Romance, Sayings and expressions, Social behavior, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs, wine
Cari amici, In a world turned upside down, we know that we can’t return to what was, yet we have no idea what will be. Although much has changed, one thing hasn’t: our love for Italy. Over the past few months, we’ve wept for the lives lost. We’ve worried about friends...
by Dianne Hales | May 19, 2020 | amore, art history, Books, books on Italy, culture, Current Affairs, Florence, food, Food and Drink, history, Italian language, Italy, Language, Leonardo da Vinci, literature, love in Italy, Music, Renaissance, Romance, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs, wine
Not even a global pandemic can stop people from doing what they love. Over the last few months, we’ve seen dancers dance; singers sing; actors perform—wherever and whenever they could. The same is true of writers. While sheltering at home in California, I...
by Dianne Hales | Feb 18, 2020 | Books, Carnevale, culture, food, Food and Drink, history, Italy, Language, Romance, Sayings and expressions, Social behavior, Travel, Venice, Web/Tech, Weblogs
For centuries the pre-Lent festivities of carnevale sumptuously celebrated carne, a word that translates as both “meat’ and “flesh,” in every sense. However, the name comes specifically from the Latin for meat (carnem) and “take away or...
by Dianne Hales | Feb 11, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italy, Language, Romance, Travel, Uncategorized, Web/Tech, Weblogs
“What could be more romantic than Valentine’s Day in Verona?” I asked my dubious husband as I persuaded him to visit the hometown of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for La Festa degli Innamorati (the Feast of the Lovers). “Did Valentine live there?” he asked....
