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ITALY TRADITIONS
In the United States, New Year's Day is the climax and the end of the Christmas holidays while in Italy we have an extra bonus – so to speak - of about a week. On January 6 we celebrate the Epiphany, a Christian celebration that symbolizes the Three Kings’ arrival at the Baby Jesus’ manger, and that only recently has been officially recognized as a national holiday.
DRINKING WATER IN ITALY
Italy has an abundance of mountain springs that have provided the local populations with water for the longest time. Some of these springs actually flow with either naturally still or naturally sparkling water. If you enter an Italian supermarket, you will undoubtedly notice an entire aisle dedicated to tens of different water brands, mostly bottled at source in plastic bottles, then sealed and wrapped up in a cellophane package of 6 units each.
NEWS
The man stood stark naked in front the painting. He contemplated it first, then stared at it transfixed. He then slowly began to re-enact the scene: he mimicked the pose, then spread rose petals all around him. “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli portrays the goddess naked on a shell on the seashore; the serene beauty of the nature surrounding her is an ode to her very beauty, the winds gently caressing her hair, the meadows sprinkled with violets, symbol of love.
OPERA, BALLET & CONCERT SEASON
This opera house was dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II and is the largest in Italy. Italian architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile designed and oversaw the construction in 1864. What inspired Basile was ancient and classical Sicilian architecture, so the exterior is reminiscent of the Greek temples at Selinunte and Agrigento.
