by Dianne Hales | Sep 22, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, coronavirus, history, Italian language, Italy, literature, Renaissance, Roman history, Rome, Travel, Venice, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women, worldwarII
This year, for the first time in decades, I didn’t go to Italy. But Italy came to me–in the form of wonderful books and programs inspired by a passion for Italy. I was happy to feature them in my summer blogs. The harvest season seems a perfect time to share a...
by Dianne Hales | Aug 11, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italian language, Italy, Language, Religion, Roman history, Rome, Social behavior, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
The Roman emperor Augustus (63 BC-AD 14) so enjoyed late summer that he claimed the month we now call by his name. Yet Caesar’s grandnephew, adopted son and chief heir, born Gaius Octavius, seemed an unlikely candidate for any claim to glory. After his great uncle’s...
by Dianne Hales | Aug 4, 2020 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italian language, Italy, Rome, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
A guest post by Elizabeth Lev Some of Rome’s masterpieces come on strong. Who can resist the rakish ambush of Caravaggio? Who isn’t swept off his feet by the might of the Coliseum? The Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are all awe-inspiring...
by Dianne Hales | Jul 14, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italian language, Italy, Rome, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
July was named in honor of Rome’s slain leader Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BC). “Veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered), he declared after one victory. These three words summarize his passion. Caesar lived to conquer—by sword, word, or seduction. While...
by Dianne Hales | Apr 21, 2020 | Books, culture, history, Italy, Rome, Travel, Uncategorized, Web/Tech, Weblogs
Rome, the eternal city, was born in passion. Deep in mythological time, Venus (Aphrodite in the Greek pantheon), goddess of love and beauty, spied a handsome prince in the vicinity of Troy. Dressed as an earthly princess, she seduced him and then slipped away. Nine...
by Dianne Hales | Apr 7, 2020 | books on Italy, Easter, history, Italy, Language, Religion, Rome, Travel, Uncategorized, Web/Tech, Weblogs
On my first Easter in Rome in the Jubilee year of 2000, I joined the throngs jammed into the massive piazza of St. Peter’s basilica. Pope John Paul II, bent with age, extended Easter greetings in dozens of languages, including Italian. “Buona Pasqua!” the Roman family...
