Italy is a small country with a relatively small population but it has 70% of the world’s artistic and cultural heritage sites! In fact, with 50 sites, it leads the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is followed by China with 47 sites and Spain with 44. But apart from its spectacular beaches, Italy’s natural areasContinueContinue reading “Italy is for Nature Lovers”
Tag Archives: seasons
Groundhog Day in Italy
Time seems to fly by, especially as we get older. Since our return to active ministry, the to-do lists get longer, time seems shorter, and some days it’s hard to keep up. I can’t believe February is almost here. That means many people will be keeping an eye out for groundhogs (marmots) peeking out ofContinueContinue reading “Groundhog Day in Italy”
The Italian Tormenta: Winter’s on the Way
The Italian word tormenta has three definitions. It can mean a blizzard. Or a turbine of powdery light snow, carried by strong winds over mountain peaks, ridges, and slopes. Finally, it is a present tense conjugation of the verb to torment. This should give you a pretty good idea of how many Italians think aboutContinueContinue reading “The Italian Tormenta: Winter’s on the Way”
Italy’s Autumn Harvest
Autumn in Italy! It’s the season for grape harvesting and winemaking, as well as olive gathering and oil pressing. Ah, this is autumn in Italy! And all of this takes place right in our own garden! My husband harvests our olives the traditional way. He picks them by hand, one by one. He probably wouldn’tContinueContinue reading “Italy’s Autumn Harvest”
Roman Summers & Ottobrate Romane
Autumn in Italy is a wonderful season! Mostly warm and balmy – almost warm enough for sunbathing through the first part of November. It’s known as Italy’s Roman Summer, similar to the Indian Summer we used to enjoy back in the USA. But since the early 1900s, Roman summer has been the season for special harvestContinueContinue reading “Roman Summers & Ottobrate Romane”
Happy Ferragosto!
What better way to wind up the hottest part of summer than with a Ferragosto post, right? Still, I can hear you asking, “Ferragosto? What in the world is that?” Well, it means August vacation. And it’s the official celebration day (on August 15) of the summer vacation from work. Ferragosto is a holiday periodContinueContinue reading “Happy Ferragosto!”