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 | Nov 13, 2019 | Books, books on Italy, culture, Education, Florence, history, Italy, Language, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs
In the 1500s, an invaluable invention transformed Italian agriculture: il frullone, a sieve-like device that separated wheat from chaff to produce flour. A group of irreverent Florentine intellectuals, passionately devoted to preserving their language’s più bei fiori...
by Dianne Hales | Jul 30, 2019 | Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italy, Language, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs
“Rome’s naughty neighbors to the North.” This is how British author D.H. Lawrence described the Etruscans, an ancient people who settled in central Italy in the eighth century BC. Among pre-Roman civilizations, only the Greeks compared in wealth, power, and influence....
by Dianne Hales | Jul 24, 2019 | art, Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italy, Language, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs
“You look at us with virgin eyes.” I wasn’t sure I was translating the Italian correctly, so the gentleman at one of my readings in Florence continued in English. “We Italians focus on our country’s problems, and we lose sight of the beauty that surrounds us, the...
by Dianne Hales | Jun 16, 2019 | art, Books, books on Italy, culture, history, Italy, Language, Religion, Travel, Tuscany, Web/Tech, Weblogs
Two years ago I’d never even heard of Castiglion Fiorentino, a postcard-pretty town near Cortona, but when I arrived for my first visit, everyone seemed to know my name. Posters featuring the cover of LA PASSIONE: How Italy Seduced the World dotted the streets. “Is...
