Posts under Culture

Viva la Befana

“Epifania, tutte le feste si porta via” (Epiphany brings an end to all the festivities).
Epifania, a Latin word with Greek origins, means “(festival of) the apparition” or “manifestation (of the divinity)”. In the Catholic church the Epifania celebrates the visit of the Re Magi (the Wise Kings) to Gesu’ Bambino (Baby Jesus) on the 6th of [...]

Il Regista Italiano, Sergio Leone

Last Saturday, the 3rd of January, was the 80th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Italian regista (director) Sergio Leone, an event that has been commemorated here in Italy by the many journalists and individuals who have payed tribute to his genius.
According to an article in the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra (3rd Jan 2009) entitled [...]

Papà Natale è brutto e cattivo

In response to my blog “La Leggenda del Panettone” I had an e-mail from a reader asking me to write something about Christmas traditions in Italy.

When I was eight years old a new girl came to my school. One day, talking with her about regali di Natale (Christmas presents) I discovered with great astonishment that [...]

Natale by Giuseppe Ungaretti

Natale (Christmas) is upon us with all its frenetic rhythms: shopping, cards, presents, parties, expectations of happiness, peace and goodwill. But in my mind there are a few whispered words: it’s a poem, written by Giuseppe Ungaretti during the First World War, that we used to study at Christmas time when I was at school. [...]

La Ricetta del Panettone - The Panettone Recipe

As promised here is the recipe used by Toni to enchant his beloved Lucia.
This recipe is for a panettone casereccio (home-made panettone). Normally people don’t make Panettone at home but buy it from the fornaio (bakers) or an alimentari (food shop). This recipe is not suitable for microwaves and you’ll need a fairly big traditional [...]