Archive | My Blog about Italy RSS feed for this section

Happy Thanksgiving!

22 Nov

I learned something interesting today…

If you research the first Thanksgiving, you will find that several states, including Florida, Virginia and Texas, don’t exactly agree with the claim that the first Thanksgiving was held in Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. Since I’m about to leave for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my own family, I’ll leave any further research up to you. But what I did find interesting is that in 1863, it was President Lincoln who proclaimed the 4th Thursday in November to be a national day of Thanksgiving, hence what Americans still celebrate today. After the Civil War, times were turbulent and Lincoln hoped this national holiday might be a way of bringing the county together. Something to hope for and think about today as we gather to celebrate across the nation.

How does any of this relate to Italy? Well another thing I learned recently is how to say Happy Thanksgiving in Italian. Of course, this being an American holiday, the Italians don’t exactly have a phrase, but several offered the following:

Felice Giorno di Ringraziamento

Happy Day of Thanksgiving

In a way, Italians celebrate Thanksgiving every Sunday as they sit around the table and dine and talk, often for hours at a time, sharing food, telling stories, making new memories, enjoying life, debating issues – often with multiple generations, extended family, friends, and sometimes even strangers. Not a bad idea…Thanksgiving every Sunday…something to think about.

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Ciao,

Judy

Venice Pounded by Heavy Rain

17 Nov

For years and years, I have heard that Venice is flooding. That was true when I was a student in Italy in the early 70’s, and still true today. Luckily for me, however, most times I visited Venice it was dry. I actually recall only once, in the summer of 2007, that there was water in the Basilica San Marco as well as in Piazza San Marco, but only in the evening.  At that time, huge wooden planks were laid strategically, forming little bridges enabling people to walk across the water. These photos were in the daytime, when only people and pigeons filled the piazza.

 

Recently, however, heavy storms have swept through parts of northern and central Italy, causing Venice to be under a high water alert.  Nearly 70% of Venice was flooded last week. People could be seen wading and actually swimming in up to five feet of water. In some locations, it was even challenging to distinguish between the sidewalks and canals, the busy thoroughfares of Venice.

Many Venetians do not actually live in Venice, rather on several of the other islands, and those that do tend to live above the ground floor. Street-level shops and restaurants, however, are not so fortunate and are suffering the effects of the storms. Even the flooding, however, can’t dampen the spirit of some tourists who are determined to make the most of their vacation!

Huffington Post

According to the BBC, while flooding is common this time of year, this flood ranks as the 6th worst in the last 150 years. Here’s hoping for sunshine, calmer winds, the return of Venetian romance and magic, and piedi per terra, literally –  feet on the ground!

This clip seems to say it all: Venice Flooding

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: , , ,

Italy’s Gelato Rules!

24 Oct

Usually this would mean as implied… and why not, since delicious gelato is so readily available in Italy.

As of this month, however, the Rome City Council has adopted a rule – actually an ordinance – that prohibits eating or drinking on the streets in the city center of Rome. And that includes gelato!

To be fair, similar ordinances already exist in Florence, Venice and Bologna.

And further to the point, it is mostly foreign tourists and not Italians who typically perch on monuments and nibble away at paninis or indulge in gelato.

So, as you take in incredible Roman sights, including the Coliseum, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and any areas that “have a particular historic or architectural value,” eat first or go hungry, or risk a fine that can range from 25 to 500 euro, or up to $650!

What exactly does the Council ordinance say?

“It is forbidden to encamp or erect makeshift shelters and stop to eat or drink in zones which have a particular historic or architectural value.” The ordinance is an attempt to “guarantee the protection of areas of merit in the historic center.”

Now not all Italians agree with the new ordinance. La Republicca, an Italian newspaper, called this ordinance a “war on the panino.”

And some fear the ordinance will impact tourism, which Italy certainly needs.

Like this young man, I certainly can be counted among those who have wandered with a gelato in hand.

But being someone who tries to look on the bright side, maybe this ordinance isn’t so bad after all. Besides saving the historic zones from litter, perhaps tourists will learn to appreciate and even embrace the cultural aspects of eating in Italy as they now take time to sit at tables, appreciate the food, sip their cappuccino or vino, enjoy their gelato and even share a conversation with friends or locals.

As visitors to this wonderful country, tourists might as well experience some of the Italian “gioia di vivere” while taking in some of the greatest monuments Europe has to share.

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: , , ,

Welcome!

15 Jun

Ciao!

If you are reading this page, you most likely received an email invitation from me. This post is about why this blog exists.

In 1997, my parents took their four children and spouses to Italy for an unforgettable celebration of their 50th anniversary. I had spent my junior year abroad, so for Len, on his first visit, like me many years before, it was love at first sight. Since then Len, Benita and I have had the great fortune of traveling to Europe three times. We so wanted to share the history, architecture, art, culture, people, food, smells and sounds with Benita and explore and learn more ourselves. As tourists, we travelled from north to south and many places in between.

But there was always something nagging at us…we wanted to be more than tourists…we wanted to live in a town long enough to become part of the fabric…be recognized by name by the locals at the pizzeria, market and cafe…cook and shop and make pizza and play bocce with the locals…that was our dream.

In anticipation over the years, we have watched countless Italian cooking shows, travel shows, house hunting shows, and anything else Italian, always with an eye on our dream. And finally the time has come.

Our goal for this site is, to some extent, to take you along on our journey. Many of you have asked us to share, and this is the result, with help from Len (let’s make it a business), Benita (artistic influence) and me, the writer. I don’t tweet or  Facebook;  I’m not looking for  thumbs up /down. This is simply and lovingly our way of  sharing photos, stories, recipes, or whatever as we live and explore life in Cortona. With excited anticipation… ciao, ciao for now!

Judy

Newer Entries →