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The Wedding of the Trees (Video)

Springtime! A time of new life, abundance, and joy! And what better way to celebrate than with a wedding! So, you are cordially invited to The Wedding of the Trees, or the Spozalizio degli Alberi! A full medieval festival in every sense, complete with costumes, bands, and flags. Participants: two big oak trees Date: May […]

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English Posts Italy

Italian Liberation Day: Celebrating Freedom [Audio]

Liberation Day is one of Italy’s traditional picnic days. And today’s balmy weather has many people planning one! Which makes me wonder: do all nations have standard picnic days? I only know about Italy and the USA. Americans, of course, are familiar with picnics on Memorial Day, the 4th of July, Labor Day, and others. […]

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English Posts Italy

Rome, the Eternal City

With the tourist season upon us, wouldn’t you like to know a little more about Rome the Eternal City? In case you find yourself here in the boot in the future! Rome is often referred to as the Eternal City or Caput Mundi, Latin for capital of the world. This comes from the long-held Roman […]

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The Italian Easter

Toc, toc, toc. I wiped my hands on my apron and headed for the door, wondering who would be visiting so close to lunchtime. “Buon giorno,” I hesitantly greeted the unexpected visitor. “Um, can I help you?” I really didn’t know what to say or do. We’d never had a priest visit us before! “I’m […]

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The April Fools’ Spaghetti Hoax (Video)

The Italian name for April Fool’s Day is Pesce d’Aprile, or April Fool’s Fish. It comes from the children’s custom of sticking a paper fish on the back of a classmate. Since that child is the only one who does not know about the fish, he or she becomes the April Fool or the fish. […]

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The Italian Carnival: A Venetian Tradition

It’s Carnival, or Mardi Gras, week in Italy. And our little town, like many others, holds a traditional parade and a masked street party every year. But no Italian carnival celebration in Italy is more famous than that of Venice. The word carnival literally means to say goodbye to the flesh. The celebration is a […]