by Dianne Hales | Jun 8, 2021 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, culture, Florence, history, Italian, Italian language, Italy, Language, learning Italian, Leonardo da Vinci, Leonardo da Vinci, Religion, Roman history, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo (June 15, 1479 — July 15, 1542) My quest for the real Mona Lisa began years ago in Florence when I was doing research for LA BELLA LINGUA. An art historian who befriended me casually mentioned during a dinner at her home that the mother...
by Dianne Hales | Mar 2, 2021 | art, art history, Books, books on Italy, culture, Florence, history, Italian language, Italy, Renaissance, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs, women
Italy’s dazzling pantheon of artistic geniuses seems a man’s world. Yet a few women with singular passion defied all obstacles and created important works of art. As a way of celebrating International Women’s Day, here are three artists whose stories I recount in LA...
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...
