Web site: www.bertrand-russell.it

What is that partying noise echoing down the road, towards the squares? And that mixture of smells that floods the city centre? The answer lies in the heart of Italian history, in the old trade of selling, in the pleasure of choosing: market. Actually, the Paduan markets. Dust lifted by carts laden with fruits and vegetables, the cries of the vendors, the tangle of bicycles jammed in the medieval streets.

A time paradox in front of the shop windows of major fashion houses, and bars competing to be the most fashionable. The Paduan squares have been experiencing this contrast every morning for centuries. Like a Middle Eastern bazaar, the market reinvents itself each day at the northern border of the Mediterranean. A little taste of the east in Northeastern Italy, beside one of the oldest and most prestigious Universities in Europe, a few kilometres from Venice and its ports.

This is Padua, whose old town exudes fragrances, flavours and images from centuries of history, studies and travels. Two squares with antique, but clear, names, Piazza della Frutta – Fruit Square – e delle Erbe – Herbs Square –, separated by the huge Palazzo della Ragione and by Piazza dei Signori, still dominate life in the town’s historical centre.

Every single day, except Sunday, they give way to an ancient and yet modern ritual: market. With its stalls full of fresh produce which sets out every day at dawn on its journey aboard tiny three-wheelers, Piazza delle Erbe is filled with seasonal colours and flavours: this is where fruit and vegetables are sold.

This “Great Bazaar”, this orderly, unique and unchanging confusion, has been going on for centuries in Padua. And inside, in between the squares, Palazzo della Ragione is certainly not there just to watch. The inhabitants of Padua call it il Salone or Great Hall, due to its extent and to the sense of comfort that it exhales. You can find all kinds of meat, fresh fish and bread there. Under the arches of the thirteenth-century Palazzo a crowd of customers swarms, each one of them following their intuition or the trust they have in a specific shop, which they wouldn’t replace for anything, and for which they are willing to queue even up to half an hour, heedless of the fact that the stall beside, seems to offer the same products.

Thus, the square maintains the original usefulness it has offered for thousands of years. Like a Greek Agora, a Roman Forum, the squares in Padua appear to be much more modern concepts than would lead to think the millennia they have gone through.
“Now we’ve got to drink!” said the ancient Romans who founded Padua over 2000 years ago. It seems that this motto still applies, seeing the wine, the spritz and aperitif cocktails, as well as all the food you can buy. And the food is not only intended as raw material. The fish from the neighbouring ports, Venice and Chioggia, is cooked and served at a stall on Piazza della Frutta; the stall is red and as small as the surprise at the perfect taste of its squid or boiled octopus is big. Elderly ladies discuss politics while students hurry past, or relax mingling with the sound of the merchants. The morning is almost over; in less than an hour the stalls will be gone at an unthinkable speed. The scents still linger and the squares remain empty of products but full of people, ready to host student nightlife, and to start the bazaar all over again the following day.

Web site: www.ciaoitaly-turin.com

Giandujotto,Bicerin… there are many specialities that make Turin “terribly delicious”. As you stroll through the streets of this “little Paris” you cannot help but try the hot chocolate, cakes, pastries and other genuine delicacies whose recipes have been passed on from generation to generation.

An international symbol of Torinese and Piedmontese pralines, the Giandujotto is a chocolate with a classic clove shape and “hand-cut” with “daggers”. Made with milk chocolate and the “Tonda Genitle”, a typical hazelnut from the Langhe area of Italy, it was born at the beginning of the 1800s thanks to the testing of some new equipment that – mixing cocoa, vanilla, water and sugar – allowed the chocolate to be transformed into solid little bars. It was the first chocolate to be paper-wrapped, and it was named after Gianduja, the legendary Commedia d’Arte character typically representing Turin. It was subsequently put onto the market in 1865 especially for the Carnival season.

Giacometta, a Torinese speciality which takes its name from Gianduja’s girlfriend, is a cream made with toasted hazelnuts, cocoa or dark chocolate, sugar, vanilla and milk. A lighter coloured version can be found, made with white chocolate or just milk, and it is also available in two contrasting shades of dark and light.

Chocolate is also a leading player in another two typically Torinese specialities: the Bicerine and the Marocchino.

The first, which can boast enthusiastic endorsements from the likes of Alexandre Dumas, Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway, who included it in the hundred things that he would save from this world, is a hot drink which is served in a bicerin (small glass in Piedmontese dialect), from which it takes its name.
Obtained from a secret recipe, it is the result of a unique blend of cocoa, coffee and whole milk, prepared on the spot and whose proportions can vary according to personal taste. For an excellent bicerin, the selection of the ingredients and the processing of the cocoa are the two most important stages. The coffee and full cream milk are still prepared according to traditional methods, and the ingredients are mixed while hot and then left to stand for a few minutes before serving.
Also known as Bicerin ‘d Cavour, referring to the fact the Subalpine Statesman, a leading force behind Italian unification and first President of the Council of the Kingdom of Italy, was particularly fond of the drink, it was of great comfort during cold winters and was said to help ease mental strain.

Coffee, a sprinkling of sweet cocoa , frothy milk and a little more cocoa: this is the recipe for a Marocchino, a hot drink served exclusively in Turin. When you order one, remember to ask for a “Marocchino”, and not a “caffè marocchino”, since this derives from the famous Bicerin.
Born with the advent of modern coffee machines, it is not merely a small cappuccino with added cocoa, but a sweet, elaborate and creamy drink whose name derives from Marocco, a type of leather used as a hair band which was very fashionable in the 1930s. It was a light brown colour, just like the drink.

A legend, on the other hand, accounts for the origins of one of the most popular creams of Torinese and Piedmontese tradition, one which can either be drunk or eaten with a spoon: Zabaione or Zabaglione (’L Sanbajon).
It is said that Brother Pasquale de Baylon (1540-1592) of the Third Order of Franciscans, who was in Turin to perform evangelism, invented the cream by chance, combining eggs and sugar with Cypriot wine in order to improve the flavour.
The legend states that he recommended it to his more disconsolate female penitents during confessions, saying that it could give renewed strength and vigour to their spouses. These enthusiastic Torinese women are then said to have shared and recommended the recipe amongst themselves in order to benefit from the miracle of the Saint, whose name was immediately abbreviated in Torinese dialect to San Bajon (the o is pronounced u). Thus ‘L Sanbajon was born in Turin, and was subsequently Italianised to Zabaione or Zabaglione.
Canonised in 1680 by Pope Alexander VIII, San Pasquale de Baylon has been the Patron Saint of all the world’s cooks since 1722. His feast is on May 17th and he is venerated in Turin’s Church of Saint Thomas in Via Pietro Micca. His portrait hangs in the chancel of the Church of Monte dei Cappuccini in the same city.
Zabaione, the pride of Torinese pastries and a key ingredient in certain types of cream puff, has gone beyond the borders of the Savoy kingdom and over time has become famous throughout the world. In the 1950s, it gave rise in Italy to a number of well-known liqueurs such as Vov and Zabov.
Last but by no means least are the caramelle of Turin.
Not many people know that the word caramella is an exquisite Piedmontese gift to the Italian language (if the Tuscan dialect had prevailed, today we would say pasticca, from pasticceria, the Italian word for confectionery).
In olden times, cane sugar sticks were referred to in Latin as canna mellis, (or “honey stick”), from which the Spanish word caramel derives. The word was Italianised as caramella, and starting from the mid-nineteenth century it was in Turin that the sweet was first produced, and with the growth of the industry on a larger scale it became a product of mass consumption.
The multicoloured, flat and crumbly sugar pastels are typically Torinese, and are available in a wide range of flavours such as mint, vanilla, raspberry, carnation, ratafia and blackcurrant, obtained by cold mixing with icing sugar.
The lecca-lecca (lolly pop)is also from Turin: big, flat and round, supported by a stick and usually a hexagonal shape, it was once known as Gianduja in honour of the character that was depicted on its wrapper in order to announce the arrival of the Carnival period.
Still today, one says Caramelle di Torino to indicate a product deriving from a tradition in which several generations have shared.

Pictures from Aros Comunicazione

The idea behind this exhibition came from a desire to open up Palazzo Farnese, now the location of the French Embassy, to the public.

The Palazzo houses an array of art works covering five centuries of history, beginning with the now defunct Farnese family, succeeded by the Bourbons of Naples, up to the present day Embassy and the Ecole française de Rome. Then there is the Farnese collection: ecclesiastical figures, skilled politicians or great commanders, the Farnese family were also important patrons, and made their home into a “museum of the world”.

Over 150 works, including paintings, statues, drawings, sculpture, coins, tapestries and ceramics, bring five centuries of the fascinating history of this Palazzo to life: from the 16^th century pomp of the Farnese family, through the modern period, to the last 135 years during which the Palazzo has been the seat of the French Embassy in Italy and the Ecole française de Rome. A significant number of works from the Farnese collection have been returned to the place where they first originated thanks to this family’s great passion for art.

The exhibition can be seen, by appointment only, until 27^th April 2011.

For information and bookings: +39 (0)6 32810

Web site: www.ciaoitaly-turin.com

Turin, the first capital of Italy, encapsulates both mystery and magic. The home of important museums, wonderful works of art and culinary delights, the Savoy City has been one of the most important esoteric locations in Europe ever since the times of Paracelsus.

Situated on the 45th parallel, exactly halfway between the north pole and the equator, the Piedmontese capital has always maintained its reputation as a magical city. Indeed, it is said that Turin is positioned at a point joining two esoteric triangles: the white triangle, which it forms with Lyon and Prague, and the black triangle together with London and San Francisco. It stands on the confluence of two rivers, the Dora and the Po, that represent, like the sun and the moon, life and death, the feminine and masculine parts of the cosmos; parts of the same cycle, existing in function of their opposites.

The “black” heart of the city is represented by Piazza Statuto with its Fontana del Frejus, a black stone monument commemorating those who died during the construction of the tunnel of the same name (1857-1871). On the top of the monument, the statue of an angel appears to act as an allegory of the difficulties encountered in man’s conquest of True Knowledge, but it is also said that the figure represents the image of Lucifer, the lost angel, banished after his rebellion against God.

If one looks carefully, in the little garden in the middle of the square, there is a manhole cover which is considered by many to be the Gateway to Hell. Reality and legend seem to merge in the areas “hellish” reputation, an area which today is the centre of the city’s drainage system but which was once, ever since Roman times, a venue for executions. Indeed, nearby Corso Valdocco takes its name from the Latin Vallis occisorum (valley of the slain), which identified the area as the site of a great necropolis. Perhaps today, under the square, the bodies of those who were executed can still be found.

The city’s white side, however, is to be found in Piazza Castello, which represents a centre for positive and benevolent energy. The peak of positivity is found right between the statues of the two Dioscuri, the twins Castor and Pollux, who adorn the gates of the Royal Palace. However, one must go to Piazza Solferino to find the Gate of Infinity.
Indeed, at the centre of the square is the Fontana delle Quattro Stagioni (Fountain of the Four Seasons), otherwise known as Fontana Angelica.

The monument, built according to Masonic principles, is composed of four groups of statues representing each of the four seasons of the year. At either side of the monument sits a female figure, allegories to the Spring and Summer, while in the middle two male figures can be seen, Autumn and Winter, looking towards the East and West respectively while pouring water from two goatskin bottles.

The space between the two statues is well-defined and seems to outline an imaginary gateway: the Gate of Infinity which, set against the Fontana del Frejus, are said to open the way towards Eternity and Enlightenment. According to an esoteric interpretation, the two figures represent Jachin and Boaz, carrying the burden of the Pillars of Hercules, and according to Masonic symbolism, the two fundamental principles of man, the basic elements of wisdom: stability and strength. Knowledge is said to be symbolised by the waters that the two figures are pouring. Furthermore, one of the goatskin bottles takes the form of a ram that recalls the legendary Golden Fleece pursued by the Argonauts and that, in its alchemical sense, represents the moment when matter is transformed into absolute perfection.

Web site: www.ilfarolingua.it

If you like writing and you love Italian language and culture this is a great opportunity for you: you can win a language course in Italy in our beautiful beach town of Caorle (near Venice).

The Language School IL FARO has in fact promoted a literary context based on Italo Calvino’s collection of short stories Sotto il sole giaguaro.

If you know the collection, you are aware that the author has completed only three of the five stories originally planned focused on the human five senses: the sense of smell in “Il nome il naso”, the sense of taste in “Sapore saperi” and the sense of hearing in “Un re in ascolto”.

It is now up to you to complete Calvino’s original project and provide a story based on either the sense of sight or touch.
The Faro judges will select the two best stories and the authors will receive a free two-week Italian language course* in our Language Center in Caorle, in the summer 2011.

All partecipants must be:
18 years or older
non native speakers of Italian
not currently living in Italy.

To participate, send a short story in Italian, no longer than 1500 characters, focused on the sense of sight or touch, to the following email address: unditonellocchio@gmail.com

All stories will be published in the blog “Un dito nell’occhio”.

The winners will be announced on 20 December 2010.
Good luck or In bocca al lupo!

*The prize is limited to the cost of the language course. Traveling and accommodation expenses are not included and are the winners’ responsibility.
The language course must be taken in the period between 13 June 2011 and 30 September 2011.

Throughout September and October 2010 the Festival includes a packed programme of walks in the Natural Park of Migliarino San Rossore Massaciuccoli, which extends over an area of about 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) in the provinces of Pisa and Lucca.
The area is dotted with coastal areas, woodlands and marshlands of particular interest, with extensive beaches, beautiful pine forests, mixed woods, ilex groves and wetlands containing many rare plants. Such varied habitat ensures that the area is populated by a wide variety of wildlife, ranging from aquatic animals and amphibians to reptiles, waders and mammals.

Here are just some of the excursions available this autumn:
Take a trip down memory lane on Saturday 18th September, with stories and first-hand accounts of Massaciuccoli and its lake; while on Sunday 19th September at Tenuta di Tombolo you can join a guided tour from the WWF-protected Tirrenia dunes to the old tram station in Marina di Pisa.
On Saturday 25th September we will be walking from the Basilica of San Piero a Grado to the Cornacchiaia reserve, followed by a folk concert on the Tre Pini path at around 5.30pm. On Sunday 26th September there’ll be another chance to take the guided tour to Massaciuccoli.
In October, the ideal time to enjoy the glorious orange and yellow of the autumnal leaves, we begin on Saturday 2nd with a walk and horse-riding show at the San Rossore farm. We will be walking from Cascine Vecchie to Lame degli Ontani, spotting wildlife along the way. On Sunday 3rd October there will be a walk in the Lecciona reserve, from Viareggio to Torre del Lago.

See the full Festival programme on the website, which has a simple and effective internal search engine.

Website: www.tuscanywalkingfestival.it

Happy walking!

So what does FAI actually do?

One of its most important tasks is to educate people about the need to collectively protect Italy’s environment and artistic heritage.
In order to achieve this goal, FAI began working with schools over 15 years ago.
But FAI’s educational activities are not just aimed at schoolchildren. Adults are also involved in this awareness-raising process, through the organisation of cultural meetings and art courses held every year on the history of Italian art.

Another of FAI’s key activities is to protect and restore our country’s artistic and natural treasures, and reopen them once more for public viewing. FAI heritage properties require daily care and attention to ensure they are preserved over time.

FAI actively defends the Italian landscape and cultural heritage in the interests of our entire society. It addresses the needs of threatened or at risk areas on behalf of local communities, notifying the relevant authorities, and taking direct action where possible.

More and more acquisitions have been made over the years, and FAI can now boast a grand total of 45 properties, 21 of which are regularly open to the public. Thanks to FAI, these splendid treasures now belong once again to Italy and to all of us!

Website: www.fondoambiente.it

In Piemonte between castles, fortresses, gardens, palazzos and villas it is possible to discover a large number of itineraries and a region steeped in history and culture.
The exhibition “Castelli aperti” reaches its 14th edition and from April until October makes it possible to visit a hundred jewels of architecture of different epochs and styles, including places usually not accessible to the public.

In the province of Alessandria the municipality of Volpedo makes its debut with an itinerary dedicated to Pellizza da Volpedo.

In the Asti region, new castles such as Belveglio and become part of the trail and many Municipalities have included itineraries to explore historic centres while the city of Asti has become enriched with the presence of the Museo Diocesano and two new artistic historical tours.

In the province of Cuneo the castello di Sanfrè, the Castiglia in Saluzzo, the Torre Civica and Giardino botanico di Villa Bricherasio have signed up for the first time. On Sunday 18 April and 24 October, special tour of all the residences.

Link: www.castelliaperti.it

Puglia is rich in charming and ancient towns where Romans, Greeks, crusaders and other passed civilisations, left their imprint and much historical evidence on the people, towns and landscape. Coming here, you will feel as if you were taking a walk back in time through the pages of history.

Coming to Puglia, means the opportunity to discover a place unspoiled by tourists, full of long sandy beaches, rugged landscapes, vineyards, old olive groves, castles and local trulli (the unique coned houses, found no where else on earth). What else will you find in Puglia? Well, the answer is a slower pace of life to the one you’re probably used to. This means people have time to stop and chat, to share their hospitality, great Mediterranean food, folklore, passion for music and lively local dances from Puglia. All in all, a place that you can fall in love with.

The town of Mesagne (where our school is located) is an elegant, charming and beautiful town typical of southern Italy. Art, culture, tradition and history make it particularly fascinating and full of interest, surrounded by rich, vibrant and fertile land overflowing with luscious vintage wines, sweet fruit and sun drenched Mediterranean flavours.

Countless age-old olive trees girdle, protect and nourish Mesagne, much as the crusading knights and kings of noble fable once stood guard over the city. Situated mid way between the Ionian and the Adriatic coasts, Mesagne grew to be a fortress as a result of its strategic position in the ‘Penisola Salentina’, the strip of Puglia region abundant in astonishingly beautiful and pristine beaches, unspoilt nature, captivating folklore and a multitude of outdoor activities begging to be discovered.

Mesagne is 68 km from Alberobello, 29 from Ostuni, 96 from Otranto, 120 from Santa Maria di Leuca, 67 from Gallipoli. These are just some of the most beutiful and easily accessible destinations of interest.
In addition, you can visit the WWF preserve by the sea, in Torre Guaceto , for a delightful full immersion with nature and is only 15 minutes from Mesagne. Moreover, to get to the nearest beaches it takes just 15 minutes to get to Adriatic and 40 minutes to Ionian coast.

Whilst visiting some of the places described above, will undoubtedly impress you with their cultural, architectural, historical and artistic offering, your emotions will be truly assaulted thanks to the intense flavours and smells of our Mediterranean food, as seen on TV when Jamie Oliver visited the area in the summer of 2005. The local cookery is based around organic, simple, genuine and wholesome food. The so called ‘cuisine of poverty’ where there are no rules but are absolutely overflowing in inspiration: fresh fish, wild vegetables, olive oil, breads, taralli, frise, fresh pasta, fresh cheeses, wine, liqueurs…. everything must be experieced by visiting the local wine cooperatives (cantina), oil mills (frantoio), old farms (masseria), in order to taste the very best of the local produce.

You shouldn’t miss the traditional ‘Salento’ and experience the local music and dance belonging to a past time full of popular songs and sounds that recount tales of passionate love, life and struggle. It is due to our marvellous microclimate which ensures sunny weather for much of the year, that there are such an abundance of out-door festivals. This is when the main village and town squares show off their real character, providing a popular and unique way for communication and gathering of communities, to reflect local art, tradition and culture. Pizzica Salentina, the local dance, is the typical dance of the region and its people. Easy to learn and fun for all age groups to participate in, you will find that language and cultural differences are quickly forgotten in the hypnotic beat of the music.

In summary, choosing a stay at the l’Acanto school, means much more than just learning the Italian language in Puglia, it’s also a great holiday. It’s also a special place where you will meet friends and build memories for a lifetime.

Our Italian language courses mean you will be warmly welcomed as a special guest and made to feel immediately at ease. Moreover, you get to spend a holiday in a truly remarkable region.

Posted by L’Acanto, Italian language school in Mesagne - Puglia.

Web site: www.sorrentolingue.com

Easter in Sorrento is a special emotion enveloping all the senses. Colors, scents, smells and flavors of this wonderful land characterize your journey in early spring marking the beginning of the tourist season. The guests will feel welcome tasting several cues for thought and pleasure.
Everything seems to be set in order to allow you to better appreciate the wealth of environmental, historical and gastronomic delights that the Sorrento peninsula can offer. We could start by describing the rituals of Holy Week, which are really suggestive in the Sorrento Peninsula.

The processions of confraternities are particularly exciting. According to the legend of these rituals, when they go back to the headquarters of fraternities, hoods are often wet with tears of those who wore them during the journey. The voices of the Miserere begin their drills two months before the processions. The brothers are eager to get prepared for the moment when they accompany the hooded people with liturgical songs. They bring the lights and other symbols of the Passion of Jesus: the basin and the pitcher with the towel when Pilate washed cowardly his hands, the bag with the price of the infamous betrayal of Peter, the knife with the ear of Malchus, the cock that with its song reminded Peter his threefold denial, the column with the cords with which Christ was tied.

Not only that: the whips, the crown of thorns, the robe and cane with which Christ was mocked and acclaimed King of the Jews, the inscription of his conviction, the nails and tongs for the crucifixion, the spear that ripped through his ribs and, finally, the great cross from which the shroud hangs.

In all these circumstances, maniacally cared for, there has been a poetic meaning for the Sorrento processions since 1586, when the Brotherhood of St. Catellus, born in the city in the last years of the XIV century, asked to join the Roman “Morte ed Orazione”. An example of this, the brothers in black and with the lamps in their hands began to go out in processions not on Thursday (for the medieval visit to the “Tomb” in the church), but on Good Friday, bringing to the various monasteries of the city the statue of the Dead Christ with the singing of Miserere.

But spending Easter in Sorrento also means to enjoy the well known traditional dishes like “pastiera”, “casatiello” and “lasagna”.

Also we must not ignore the possibility to spend wonderful days walking in the center of Sorrento through decorations and smart shops, tasting local products and shopping. For lovers of nature, we suggest the path of Punta Campanella and the mythical “Path of the Gods”. But surely we can not miss the excursions to the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, Pompei, Naples and the Vesuvius, all of them directly connected by public services.

Posted by Sorrento Lingue, Italian language school in Sorrento.