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Home | Italian Life/History
 
Italian Life/History

Italian Life and History Articles

Book your trip to Italy with our team of Italy travel professionals!

The incredible Italian journalist Luigi Barzini (author of the seminal work The Italians) claimed that there were "two Italies": the one that created and nurtured such luminaries as Dante Alighieri, St. Thomas of Aquino and Leonardo da Vinci; the other, feeble and prone to catastrophe, backward in political action if not in thought, "invaded, ravaged, sacked, and humiliated in every century." Italy, the country, is a relatively new concept, born only within the last century and a half. Italy, the culture, is a wonderful, complicated, frustrating, beautiful, unique thing.


The following articles are free for all readers to access:


Celebrations for Italy's 150th Birthday in 2011
Italy Events Calendar: What's Happening in Italy in 2011

The articles below are available to paid subscribers only:

One Woman's Truly Dolce Vita - Villa d'Este's Jean Salvadore (Sept. 2011)
Meet Jean Salvadore -- an Italian woman who has lead a most evenful life -- from a volunteer to help American troops in Rome in World War II to international ambassador for one of the world's most exclusive hotels, Villa d'Este on Lake Como. . . . read more
What is An Agriturismo? (June 2011)
Created by the Italian government in 1985 to help subsidize farmers, an agriturismo is a working farm that rents rooms and/or serves food from what it produces. . . . read more
Secrets of the Italian Language (May 2009)
Author Dianne Hales says, "Italian, handcrafted by poets and wordsmiths, embodies its native speakers' greatest genius: the ability to transform anything--from marble to melody, from the humble noodle to life itself--into a joyous art." Learn everything from the history of the language, to why there are so many past tenses and what the languge of Italian food says about the culture. . . . read more
**Celebrate Christmas and New Year's, Italian Style (Free Italy Travel Advice)**
What you need to know about Christmas and New Year's in Italy, from the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to Epiphany. . . . read more
New Identity Cards for Italians (May 2004)
New identity cards have been introduced in Italy. . . . read more
"Big" Problem for Italian TV Producer (April 2004)
What happens when you mix a college basketball mascot with a loose-tongued Italian businessman? You get a super-sized lawsuit against Ricci and an international publicity war. . . . read more
Italians Consider New Public Holiday: Columbus Day (March 2004)
Italy considers the possibility of celebrating Christopher Columbus with a national holiday . . . read more
Italian Men Feel the Pinch (February 2004)
Think that a pinch to a woman's backside is innocent fun in Italy? Think again! . . . read more
The Dream Interview: Raeleen Mautner on Italian Living (May/June 2003)
The author of Living La Dolce Vita: Bring the Passion, Laughter and Serenity of Italy Into Your Daily Life talks to Dream of Italy about "living the sweet life." . . . read more
Who Was Giuseppe Garibaldi? (September/October 2002)
A summary of the Risorgimento hero who is the namesake of countless Italian piazzas and roads. . . . read more
Oh Baby! Traditional Italian Names Make A Comeback (May/June 2003)
See the recent trends in baby names in Italy. . . . read more