by Dianne Hales | Jan 7, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, culture, food, Food and Drink, history, Italy, Language, Sayings and expressions, Social behavior, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
A passion for food merits a precise word in Italian: golosità (from gola, for throat), which goes beyond appetite, craving, gluttony, or hunger. Friends proudly declare themselves “golosi,” often for a dish made only in their hometowns, only with local ingredients,...
by Dianne Hales | Jan 3, 2020 | books on Italy, Christmas in Italy, creche, culture, history, Italy, Language, Nativity scene, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
Long after many Americans have taken down their Christmas trees and packed away the decorations, Italians continue to celebrate. The final feast is l’Epifania (Epiphany), on January 6, which commemorates the arrival of i re magi, the three kings who followed the...
by Dianne Hales | Dec 30, 2019 | Books, culture, history, Italy, Language, Sayings and expressions, Social behavior, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
New Year’s Eve as we know it was an invention of the ancient Romans. In 153 B.C. they moved the start of the new year from the Spring equinox to January 1 and dedicated the first month of the year to Janus, the two-faced god who looks back toward the old year and...
by Dianne Hales | Dec 20, 2019 | Books, books on Italy, Christmas in Italy, creche, culture, history, Italy, Language, Nativity scene, Sayings and expressions, Social behavior, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
“Natale con i tuoi; Pasqua con chi vuoi,” Italians say. “Christmas with your family; Easter with whomever you want.” An Italian Christmas centers on stare insieme in famiglia (being together as a family). Here are some of the most beloved traditions among Italian...
by Dianne Hales | Dec 10, 2019 | Books, books on Italy, history, Italy, Language, Religion, Sayings and expressions, Social behavior, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
Lucia, whose name derives from the Latin lux or lucis for light (luce in Italian), was a young girl who lived in Syracuse on the island of Sicily in the third century. According to various legends, this saintly virgin would wear a wreath of candles as she carried food...
by Dianne Hales | Dec 2, 2019 | Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italy, Language, Religion, Sayings and expressions, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs
In ancient times the Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a winter solstice festival, with religious rites and drunken feasts. The early Christian church decreed December 25 — then the feast of the sun god Mithras — as the birthday of Gesù bambino (Baby Jesus), the “true...
