by Dianne Hales | Dec 8, 2020 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, history, Italian language, Italy, literature, Renaissance, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
A guest post by Melissa Muldoon Even if you are a fan of Italy and Renaissance art, you may be wondering who Sofonisba Anguissola was, why she is important, and what would lead me to write a novel about her. Her unusual name doesn’t roll off the tongue easily. But in...
by Dianne Hales | Nov 17, 2020 | Books, books on Italy, culture, Italian language, Italian movies, Italy, Naples, Sophia Loren, Travel, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
The Life Ahead, a Netflix movie starring Sophia Loren and directed by her son Edoardo Ponti, marks the return to the screen of a woman with an unquenchable passion for life—and for acting. Born near Naples in 1934, Sofia Scicolone grew up amid Allied bombings that...
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 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 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 | Jun 9, 2020 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, coronavirus, culture, Italian language, Italy, Language, Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, Renaissance, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
Leonardo’s muse, Mona (Madame) Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, was born 541 years ago on June 15, 1479. Few art works have experienced more adventures—and misadventures—in and out of the frame. The Florentine matron has shed her stately robes and appeared in...
