Life in Italy, Real Estate in Italy, Move to Italy
The use of herbs is so steeped in lore and legend, and the microwave oven so modern, that you would hardly think they complemented each other. Yet they do, and the microwave can be your best friend when it comes to drying and using herbs. So how to dry herbs […]
Rodrigo de Borja was born in Xàtiva, near Valencia, in Spain on January 1, 1431. In Italian, he is known as Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia; or more commonly as Pope Alexander VI, the successor to Innocent VIII. Rodrigo’s mother was Isabella Borja and his father was Joffre Llançol. Rodrigo chose to take […]
The Italian language has two future tenses – il Futuro Semplice and il Futuro Composto while English has only one future tense. IL FUTURO SEMPLICE The simple future tense (il Futuro Semplice) in Italian is used to talk about future actions. Stasera telefonero’ alla mia amica. Tonight I’ll […]
Unforgettable Novels set in Italy Italy has provided an unsurpassed backdrop for many memorable novels. The art and culture of cities like Florence and Rome, the lagos of the North, the Tuscan countryside and the splendors of Venice-Italy conjures up a picture of life as only its spectacular regions can. […]
How to Attract Italian Butterflies into Italian Gardens One of the most spectacular sights in Italian gardens has to be the European swallowtail butterfly flitting, effortlessly over lavender, buddleja, valerian or any other nectar-providing flower. This large and beautiful butterfly is a master of the air and glides from flower […]
In almost every authentic Tuscan garden one can find an ancient Mulberry (or ‘Gelso‘ or ‘Moro’) tree, with a large canopy and very thick, gnarled trunk. This curious tree can grow for eighty to a hundred years or more and in Tuscany the mulberry’s large canopy is always pruned drastically […]
How to Use Iris Flowers in Italy Members of the Iris family (Iridaceae) have sprung from almost every country- and every corner of this world can boast at having its own variety. But surely for most it must be Italy that springs to mind as the month of April arrives, […]
The history of Rome is closely tied to its military history. As a fledgling nation, Rome’s military was disorganized and sporadic, only being brought together as it became necessary. With time, however, the military would become a professional war machine, with its members fighting for the glory of the state, […]
Saffron is known especially for being one of the main ingredients of a typical Italian dish, risotto alla Milanese, to which it gives its characteristic yellow color. It is used in other rice dishes, too Navelli in Abruzzo, just south of the National Park of Gran Sasso, is considered […]
Italian Moths that seem like Hummingbirds I have been asked, time and time again, “What’s that? Is it a hummingbird?” by the guests that come and stay at our holiday houses here in Tuscany. They were all referring to a curious creature that flits, with great speed, from flower to […]