Panoramic view of Cagliari Ph. depositphotos/sepavone Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, in Italy, is a cosmopolitan city that has been a main tourist destination for decades. The city is a heady mix of the old and the new, where the medieval meets the modernist creating a perfectly balanced mix. Cagliari’s history spans over 2000 […]
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Castles in Eastern Sicily
Our dive into the castles of Sicily continues… You can also read the articles about the Castles of Western Sicily. Castles in Catania Castello di Aci Castello The castle of Aci Castello was built in dark volcanic stone and it is situated on a cliff on the sea, not far from […]
Life in Italy from 1945 to 1950
After the Second World War and the defeat of Mussolini’s fascist government, Italy’s history was in the hands of the Christian Democratic system for almost 40 years with the Italian Communist Party acting as the main opposition. This condition continued until the crisis of the Soviet Union, the theTangentopoli scandal, […]
Two Famous Italian Temptresses
Before the twentieth century, one of the ways women could become independent and wealthy was to become a high-class courtesan. However, this was far more difficult than it might at first appear. Class distinction reigned even in the realm of prostitution, and only the most beautiful and the most […]
The Stone Castle and Zan Bridge
The Castello della Pietra (The Stone Castle), in the National Park of Antola, is one of the most extraordinary fortified buildings in Liguria and is considered a great masterpiece of architecture. This isn’t your usual fortress. The castle, which dominates a narrow valley, is wedged between two spectacular rocks creating a perfect […]
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti. Ph. Doha Stadium Plus Qatar on flickr (flic.kr/p/bjjWZD) Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most gallant figures in Italian soccer. Born in Parma, he became a professional soccer player and exploded into the limelight while playing for Rome. After two major injuries Ancelotti was able to recover his full […]
Maria De Filippi
American TV has personalities like Oprah and Barbara Walters, women who have become household names while ruling the airwaves. One of the Italian equivalents would be Maria De Filippi –blonde, long-limbed and husky voiced, she is one of the indisputable queens of Italian TV. Perhaps not as refined and traditionally sexy as compatriots […]
Italian National Soccer Team
Vittorio Pozzo (Photo from Wikipedia) Read part two of this article here The Italian national football team–“La Nazionale” or “gli Azzurri”– is the most important sports team in Italy and has been one of the most followed teams since the creation of modern sports. The head coach of the team […]
Italian National Soccer Team, Part II
Cesare Prandelli (Photo from calciopro.com) Fulvio Bernardini became coach of the national team after Valcareggi blew it in 1974 World Cup. Bernardini was a man with strong skills and great achievements, however, he didn’t do much for the national team and in 1977 his coaching job was given to Enzo Bearzot. Bearzot […]
Immigrants in Italy
Minorities in Italy (Map from europeanunionmaps.com) In the past few decades, things dramatically changed in Italy in terms of immigration and illegal entries. This issue, which until the 1980s seemed to be only a problem for the United States, rapidly and like an oil spill, hit the Italian coastline with violence. It […]