Presepe

When we see a nativity scene or a true representation of this in art, it is difficult not to connect it with the figure of Saint Francis. 

In December of 1223 San Francesco was in Greccio, in Franciscan hermitage between Terni and Rieti. Seeing a cave, came up with an idea of ​​representing the nativity scene of Jesus. Thus was born the first crib in history.

The Pope would have not let him to do it in a church like he had seen it in Bethlehem (at that time the representation of the sacred dramas were banned) only allowing him to celebrate Mass in a natural cave in Greccio, rather than in church. The liturgical celebration were lit by torches and inside the cave was placed a manger stuffed with straw, standing next to a donkey and an ox. Actually it was not a real crib, but rather a mass celebrated in a cave and not in a church.

The first nativity scene with figurines dates back to 1283 and it is the work of Arnolfo di Cambio. The sculptor made a nativity scene with eight marble statues.

But because Francis of Assisi had this idea?

There is no explanation given for sure. We can accept the hypothesis formulated by professor Franco Cardini. A great desire of st. Francis remained unfulfilled because he wasn't able to visit the places of Jesus in the Holy Land. The Saint went there after the fifth crusade, but because of the war and because he had no papal permission to visit the holy places, Francis returned to Italy in 1220 without being able to visit and pray in these places. St. Francis decided to bring the Nativity from Bethlehem for all those Christians who could have not travelled to the Holy Land.

The word presepe (crib in Italian) comes from the Latin word "praesaepe" and it is formed of the words prae (before) and saeps (hedge). 

The afternoon coffee

During Sunday afternoons many people think about having a cup of delicious coffee. Maybe it is worth knowing better different types of this black gold which wins the hearts of many.

Let's start a journey between the two main species of coffee: arabica and robusta.

The arabica and robusta are two types of coffee beans used to produce the mixed coffee selections. Their main differences are in taste and where they are grown. The first important difference is genetic one, the robust also contains a higher level of caffeine as arabica, even twice. This factor is important to consider for those who have difficulty with falling asleep after drinking a cup of coffee.

The arabica (the 70% of the coffee produced in the world!) is mostly cultivated in the South America and in the Africa. The robusta is produced in West Africa (Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, etc.) and in the Far East (Vietnam and Indonesia). In addition to this the arabica grows best at high altitudes and needs a lot of rain, while the robusta grows at lower altitudes and even in tough conditions, less than ideal. It has also less problems with diseases.

The arabica and robusta beans are distinguishable. Those of arabica are more elongated, oval, those of robust have a more rounded shape.

All these things are useful as a curiosity, but we come to two very interesting elements: to a taste and a wallet. It is important to consider that the arabica has a more delicate taste, less bitter, with less strong and intense acidity (at least in the best types arabica). The robust taste has a strong sense of bitterness.

Judging by their portfolio is not always possible to say that the arabica is better than robusta (and because there are good robusta coffies and because tastes are different and you can appreciate different things). The arabica has also higher prices, keep this in mind if you want to buy 100% arabica. However there are arabica types which cost 2 euro per kilo and the other one can cost 400 euro. The choice and the taste is yours.

Do you know now why many companies write proudly on the paper cups for coffee "100% arabica"?

The history of ice-cream

The Italian ice cream are famous not only for the excellent flavor but also for their ancient origins. We can say that the history of ice cream in the world begins in Italy. The tradition of eating this cake existed also in ancient Rome. Probably already at that time somebody ate a cold dessert which looked like the ice cream, made of ice cubes with addition of juice, fruit and honey. At that time there were no refrigerators, the ancients Romans (of course only those who could afford it) sent their servants to the mountains to bring ice cubes. So as we see the primary ingredient of the first ice cream was water, not milk. From the Middle Ages comes an interesting story: the Arabs who lived in Sicily often ate a special ice cream: fruit juice mixed with the snow from Etna. The name sorbet derives exactly from the Arabic expression that meant fresh snow (in Turkish serbet). A real ice cream boom arrived in the Renaissance. In the sixteenth century at the court of Medici in Florence someone did an important discovery: adding a little bit of salt to the ice cream, make their temperature lower. This was the first step towards the invention of modern sorbet. The recipe of Medici let the ice cream spread around Europe.

How to recognize the quality Italian ice cream?

There are simple rules to recognize a quality artisan ice cream even if you are not an expert. Entering an ice cream shop (it. gelateria) you can easily check what kind of ice cream you are going to eat.

There are some rules in order to understand the ice cream production. The quality of ice cream depends always on how it is made, on the ingredients and on the production process.

Now I will try to write about simple rules for all ice-cream lovers :)

Good ice-cream melts fast

An ice cream to melt must not have so many fat. If an ice cream would melt immediately, we can be sure that they were used good ingredients, not so many artificial things like colorants and preservatives.

Color of ice cream

A good habit  is to observe the color that has the ice cream.

The pistachio is the taste that we can easily choose for this test.

The color should be pastel green, absolutely natural and with no lime green accent.

Another taste is the strawberry.

It must be as natural as it is the color of strawberry, not red. We can also observe if it is made with real strawberries: the typical strawberry seeds. 

An ice-cream should be smooth

We cannot find any little patches of ice (of course already of a particular taste) when we eat it. A good ice-cream should be always very smooth and pleasant for our palate.

Supplì

One of the most famous roman dishes is supplì - the rice balls. Everybody should taste them during their trip to Lazio. I truly recommend one of the most famous family bars where you can eat delicious and traditional supplì.

La casa dei supplì - the house of the rice balls in Piazza Re di Roma is opened since 1986.

This little bar there is in the heart of one of the most lively districts of the Italian capital. It opened for the first time  in 1986 but earlier, the owner had begun his work at Trastevere in 1979.

A meticulous work over the years and the perfect quality of products has guaranteed a success. The family still continues to make rice balls for customers.

They prepare the rice balls using the classic recipe - meat, mozzarella and tomato. But at this product you can add numerous variations. And that's what happens in the house of the rice balls - la casa dei supplì in Italian. There are about ten types of rice balls. Among these the most delicious are cheese and pepper or mushroom ones.

It's a spacious and comfortable place where you can be groped not only by the famous rice balls but also by other traditional products for a lunch or for a dinner. 

The house of the rice balls is opened very day except holidays. 

 

An ice cream please...

The best ice-cream of the recent times? For me certainly Grom if we are talking about a chain of shops. The idea of ​​Grom is to propose to the public (now the ice cream shops have locations in about 40 cities in the central and northern Italy and also abroad) a good quality ice cream made with excellent ingredients with high attention to the processes and ingredients.

Thw founders are Guido Martinetti and Federico Grom. The company opened its first restaurant in Turin in May 2003. Since then, the brand has spread to thirty-four Italian cities and seven abroad (Dubai, Jakarta, Hollywood, Malibu, New York, Osaka, Paris)

The question is: is it worth making all that queue that you see outside the Grom? The answer is yes, because on average the ice cream found there is really good. The taste will not disappoint you. All the creams have a very soft consistency and they use the technique of "stiring" the ice cream before the service and they put the balls one above another like all Italians do :)

The fruit flavors  (my favourites) are basically sorbets where the original flavor of the fruit is a real pleasure.  

My advice is  to try this ice cream. In Rome there are several locations in the city center, in Via della Maddalena, Piazza Navona and Via dei Giubbonari, and a Via Tuscolana 1370.

A special date for Italy: 2 June

In 2016 we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the birth of the Italian Republic. 

It was 2nd June 1946, when the Italian people turned the page of their history book. Because of the institutional referendum, they put to an end the monarchy, choosing a form of republican government.

The referendum gave the victory to the Republicans with 54.3% of the votes against 47.7% for the monarchists. For the first time (excluding the administrative elections in March and April in 1946 which concerned only some regions) in Italy voted even women. An achievement came after years of battles and much later than in the other European countries.

With the end of the monarchy, which was in whole Italy from 1861, also it was proclaimed the exile of the Savoy. Many people believed that they were leading the country to disaster with fascism and the Second World War. King Umberto II of Savoy left Italy directly from Ciampino airport and went to Portugal. He had been the king just for a month, from 9th May 1946 until 18th June : he has the nickname "King of May". Umberto accepted exile and lived in Cascais (Portugal) and in Geneva.

How could you ask for wine in Roman taverns?

These were the typical measures of wine served in the ancient Roman taverns:

- 1 liter, called "tubbo". If it was served twice, it was called "er barzilai" because of Salvatore Barzilai who during the late Nineteenth century elections precisely offered 2 liters of wine to those who voted for him,

- 1/2 liter, the "fojetta" (foglietta),

- 1/4, the "quartino" (the quarter),

- 1/5 of a liter called the "altar boy" because that was the amount poured by the altar boy during the Saint Mass

- 1/10 of a liter, also called "whisper" or "breath" because somebody who was ordering it, was whispering because of the shame of not having enough money to afford more!

Source: Passeggiate per Roma

LangFocus - The Romance Languages and what makes them amazing

I can't wait to show you a great canal on Youtube which I have come across a few days ago. The films are in English and the man who is talking to us, focuses on different languages and linguistic issues. I enjoy watching him because I always discover something new, for example the history of Finnish (which you can see here).

I recommend you to see something related to Italian: a film about the Romance Languages.

I hope you will enjoy it!

The Mouth of Truth

The lies, as you know, have short legs but is it always like that?.... In Rome in the Church Santa Maria in Cosmedin, you can find the Mouth of Truth. If you lie holding your hand into the Mouth of Truth, it will be cut immediately.

This famous marble mask called La Bocca della Verità (The Mouth of Truth) is known around the world for its legend, but not many know that its origins have roots in the Middle Ages. The hand of somebody who was telling too many lies, was actually cut by an executioner placed just behind the mask.

One of the famous legends is about a noblewoman accused of adultery by her husband who wanted a judgment of the Mouth of Truth. When she was walking to the Mouth, between two columns of the crowd , a boy suddenly gave her a passionate kiss. Faced general indignation, he justified himself saying that he had endured a poor innocent girl; The woman, meanwhile, slipped her hand into the rock and declared: "I swear that no man except my husband and the young man who just now kissed me never touched me!". She was recognized by the Mouth as innocent and her hand was saved. It fact she was very clever because earlier she had invented with her lover all this "sudden kiss" in order to distract the judge behind the Mouth.

Are you brave enough to visit La Booca della Verità?

Even all those holes have a history

In Via dei Fori Imperiali there is a building next to the beautiful church of Saints Cosmas and Damian (to visit!) which has a very curious holes, arranged in a symmetrical pattern.

On this wall there was a giant map of Ancient Rome, the Forma Urbis, large 13 x 18 meters .

It was the ancient cadastral database of properties in Rome, engraved on marble slabs. All the population could see and admire the map.

It is thought that it was a hard copy in case of fire or other damage. It was the copy that would not be damaged.

For centuries, only 1186 of the original fragments were recovered. This is only 1/6 of the entire surface.

Below there is a link to the website of the Stanford University where you can see the found fragments.

http://formaurbis.stanford.edu/

Well, let's give them something to drink

In Rome you do not run the risk of dying of thirst even in the hottest months. There is no other city in the world that has 2,000 public fountains from which flows fresh and clear water to drink.We are talking about the famous fountains that are called "Nasoni" from their particular form.The Nasoni are fountains that can be defined "democratic" because you can find them everywhere: in the historic center, in residential districts and in the suburbs. They are made of iron and at its center they have a small hole (on the top) from which you drink if you cover the bigger hole with your hand.

During the hot days it is a real pleasure to drink the water of the fountains of Rome or fill your bottles. It is free, it is good and it is always fresh because of its continuous and uninterrupted movement. 

The most curious and rare Nasone is located in Via della Cordonata because it has three taps, from which comes the water, instead of the traditional model that has a single cinnamon.

 

Since the days of ancient Rome, the water and the fountains were the elements that characterized the urban landscape and the artistic and cultural heritage of the city.

 Some of the fountains were the ends of the aqueducts that were providing water to the city since the Roman times.   

The Trevi fountain, for example, is the Acqua Vergine aqueduct arrival point, while the Fountain of Moses or the Aqua Felix is ​​the the end aqueduct Felice. The squares and the most beautiful streets of Rome, the courtyards of the palaces of the most important noble families, parks and villas of great families have always had the fountains which were designed and made by artists and architects who have made the city of Rome the most beautiful in the world.

Just think of the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza di Spagna, the Acqua Paola Fountain at Gianicolo, the fountains of Piazza Navona, the beautiful Fountain of the Turtles, the Triton Fountain and all the Baroque and Renaissance works of Bernini, Della Porta, Salvi and many others. 

All the water that comes out of the fountains of Rome is not lost or wasted because most is stored in large tanks in order to be used for watering gardens and parks of Rome.

Vittoriano- the symbol of Risorgimento

The big white monument of Rome called the Vittoriano (the Altar of the Fatherland) takes its name from the King Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy.  It is located on Piazza Venezia (Square of Venice) - the central part of Rome.

The work was commissioned by the son as a tribute to his father. King Vittorio Emanuele II died in 1878 and in 1880 were done the first projects for the construction of the monument. In 1882 the authorities organized a competition for only Italian designers in order to create a work that would follow certain characteristics. 

It had to be aligned with Via del Corso, located in the northern part of the Capitol and have a bronze statue of the king on horse.The winner was the architect Giovanni Sacconi Marche. 

The Vittoriano was inaugurated in Rome in June 4 in 1911 by Vittorio Emanuele III. During the World Expo they showed the monument to the public and celebrated with it the first fifty years of Italian unification.

In 1921, under the statue was done the tomb of the Unknown Soldier in order to commemorate many soldiers who died during wars and we do not know their identity or place of burial.The decorations that adorn the Victorian are statues, chariots, winged figures, plants. Their meanings are varied, but some of the major symbols refer to those who are considered the most important characteristics ​of the Italian people: the power, the right, the action, the sacrifice, the thought and harmony. 

The Vittoriano in Rome is worth seeing and in addition it is free. Every month we can admire various collections of artefacts, very often related to the story of the Unification.

Garibaldi and his men

The Expedition of the Thousand was the crucial episode of the Risorgimento. It happened in 1860 when a thousand volunteers, under the command of Giuseppe Garibaldi, set off in the night between 5 and 6 May from Quarto, in the territory of the Kingdom of Sardinia, to Sicily which were at that time in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

The purpose of the expedition was to support the revolts in the island and to end the Bourbon government. The volunteers landed at Marsala on May 11th and, thanks to the broad consent of the local population, were strengthened. After a series of victorious battles against the Bourbon army, the volunteers managed to conquer the entire Kingdom of the Two Sicilies allowing the annexation to the Italian State.

The shirt or red jacket was the mark chosen by Giuseppe Garibaldi and his volunteers since 1843, when the patriot gathered in Montevideo 500 Italians, the Italian Legion to defend the Uruguayan Republic by the Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas, who wanted to conquer it.

Garibaldi, relying on little funding for his business, he found the red woolen cloth, usually used for coats of butchers in order to hide the animal blood stains, to coat his troops.

The red shirts were among the protagonists of the birth of the Kingdom of Italy.

Garibaldi's Expedition od the Thousand

Padri della Patria - Fathers of the Nation

 

 

The short story of Italian Unification

In 18th century Italy was not united as we know it today, but divided into many small states: the United Lombardo-Veneto, the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Papal States and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, the duchies of Modena, Massa and Carrara , Lucca and Parma, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
All these states, with the exception of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was ruled by King Vittorio Emanuele I, were subjected to Austria. This situation made Italy an undeveloped peninsula and economically backward in comparison to other European countries.

The Risorgimento and secret societiesIn this climate began the Risorgimento, which is the period in which the inhabitants of the Peninsula created initiatives for its reunification. The people who pledged themselves to pursue the idea of ​​Unity of Italy were called patriots. They carried out their activities in secret to prevent the Austrians arrested them.One of the patriots Silvio Pellico, the writer of "My imprisonment", the story of the time when he was a prisoner of the Austria and Giuseppe Mazzini, who founded the Young Italy in exile in Spain.  

The revolutionary movements and the three Wars of IndependenceThe unification was not a peaceful process because of many revolutions and battles against the enemy. But the spontaneous movements were not enough and three Independence Wars were necessary to achieve the unification of Italy.

The first war of independence broke out in 1848. The King of Sardinia, Carlo Alberto, at the request of Lombard patriots declared war on Austria. The war, initially victorious, was later defeated and the king had to give the kingdom to his son Vittorio Emanuele II.

The Second War of Independence broke out in 1859 and led to the liberation of Lombardy and Sicily. The liberation of Sicily took place with the action of Giuseppe Garibaldi, who had an army of a thousand men. This action is remembered as the "Expedition of the Thousand". 

In 1861 it was declared the kingdom of Italy with Torino as a capital.

But Italy was not yet fully liberated.  The regions of Veneto and Lazio were lacking.

During the Third War of Independence, Veneto was incorporated to the Kingdom and remained only Lazio. In 1871 the briganti (Italian soldiers) arrived in Rome and opened a breach in the walls of the city liberating Rome. The unification of Italy was completed.

Evviva l'Italia! 17th March

Turin, March 17, 1861: the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy

"The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies have approved; we have sanctioned and promulgate the following: Article one: The King Vittorio Emanuele II assumes for himself and his successors the title of King of Italy. We order that the present, bearing the state seal, is included in the collection of the acts of the government, sending anyone up to observe and enforce it as state law. From Turin this day of March 17, 1861"

These words represent the text of the law n. 4671 of the Kingdom of Sardinia. A few days after the March 17, the same text would become the law n. 1 of the Kingdom of Italy.

The international reaction to the proclamation of the Kingdom was sudden and, in some cases, enthusiastic. The new state was recognized, in a few weeks, by the Swiss government, the UK and US.

The Kingdom of Italy was thus "created" by a decision taken by the Parliament met in Turin, in the Palazzo Carignano. Its representatives were elected a few months earlier, in January 1861. The elections were indeed held in all regions which, through plebiscites, in the previous year had requested the annexation to the Kingdom of Savoy.

What is the story of Risorgimento? Who is considerated to be a hero? We will find out in next posts.

These are our roots - the Roman culture.

The ancient history reveals Roman modus vivendi attractive and interesting to learn. For example, the Romans counted the hours of a day dividing time into twelve parts and not twenty-four, as we do now. The purpose was to consider the parts of the sun and distinguish them from those of the dark, thus the duration of the different sections of time was not the same during the whole year. 

Moving on to marriages, the custom to take the bride in arms comes from the ancient Romans, as well as to throw handfuls of rice well-wishing to the newly married couple. Also brides were dressed in white but in Rome they had a red veil. The toast: the Romans drank as many glasses of wine as there were letters that made up the name of the person chosen.  To cure diseases, the most popular was cabbage. The number 17 was bringing bad luck, this comes from  the Roman numeral system. It represents 17 as XVII witch is similar to the word Vixi, which means "I lived", "I don't live anymore".

These are our roots - the Roman culture.

If you are curious how the Ancient Rome looked like and you would like to feel the atmosphere of that time I truly recommend the video below.

Mother of the churches

Christian Rome is not only the Vatican but also includes other stops. A very important place is the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

The Church is called the "mother of the churches of Rome and of all the churches in the world" to indicate how much history and faith are enclosed inside the imposing building and the area around.

The area belonged to the old noble family of the Lateran. Because of the confiscation by the country it came under the imperial treasury, and then became repeatedly barracks and military custody. In 313 the Emperor Constantine erected this magnificent church in Rome, in order to offer to the emerging Church a place for a spiritual exercise.

The Basilica was consecrated in 324 by Pope Sylvester I. The Basilica was the first seat of pope until 1377. The pope moved to Vatican because Lateran had been damaged by fire. Over the centuries, the Basilica of Saint John has been repeatedly plundered, ruined, renovated and changed, also enhanced thanks to the great artists.

The Basilica has always maintained a five naves and a magnificent cloister. Also today the Basilica of St. John offers a museum with important liturgical artefacts and things which belonged to the noble families that once inhabited the area. On the occasion of the Jubilee of 2000 was inaugurated the new Holy Door made by the architect Floriano Bodini.

Do you have 8 minutes? Let's have a quick visit in this important and beautiful place!

 

Vatican stories: The Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are one of the richest in the world. Here we can find a lot of precious exhibits. There are a lot of different rooms and corridors. It is worth seeing also a huge garden. 

The most famous is the Sistine Chapel designed and painted by Michelangelo in 15th century. Everybody knows more or less this brilliant masterpiece but I have for you some interesting facts:

Source

• The Sistine Chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, is one of the most famous cultural and artistic treasures of the Vatican City. Welcomes over 25,000 visitors a day. 
• The name refers to the Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere who had requested the construction of this chapel in 1477.
  
• When the work was commissioned to Michelangelo, he was not enthusiastic, because his main artistic activity was the sculpture, with real regret he accepted the job.
•  Many believe that Michelangelo painted the ceiling lying on his back, he actually built a scaffolding, so he could paint with accuracy and control
  
• The whole area of ​​the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel measures 1/6 of a football field
•  The naked figures present in the fresco were considered inappropriate by the Council of Trent, which in 1564 ordered to change it. Daniele da Volterra covered the some parts with fig leaves, clothes, or other items.
•  In the Sistine Chapel, the College of Cardinals meet to elect the Pope from 1492
  
•  The biggest damage that visitors can do to the Sistine Chapel is invisible for a naked eye: sweat and heat from the skin of 5,000 visitors a day are a threat to the conservation of the masterpiece. In fact, the temperature and humidity are always under control.

Instead of the photos I propose you an interactive trip which is possible thanks to the students of Villanova University in Pennsylvania. They worked for 2 years with a special, advanced camera and now we can see the result. You can walk around the Sistine Chapel and zoom whatever you want. Enjoy!

VIRTUAL TRIP