Rome is magnificent and brutal at the same time Its a showcase of Western civilization with astonishingly ancient sites and a modern vibrancy But if you are careless youll be rundown or pickpocketed And with the wrong attitude you will be frustrated by the kind of chaos that only an Italian can understand On my last visit a cabbie struggling with traffic said Roma Chaos I responded Bella Chaos He agreed While Paris is an urban garden Rome is a...

Travelers to Italy may be surprised when they order a Pizza con Prosciutto to find that they have been given a pizza with boiled ham rather than what we normally think of as Prosciutto That is because Prosciutto is Italian for ham so it includes several types of ham Prosciutto cotto is the boiled light pink ham that is typically seen in the US The Prosciutto most Americans are familiar with is actually Prosciutto crudo Prosciutto crudo is a drycured...

Italy is the cradle of European civilization established by the Roman Empire and carried on by the Roman Catholic Church As a traveler there youll see some of the worlds most iconic images from the 2000year history the Coloseum of Ancient Rome the medieval Leaning Tower of Pisa Michelangelos David and Botticellis Venus that signal the Renaissance the Trevi Fountain and the Italian city that preserves this legacy in a state of elegant decay Venice Beyond...

Caff Latte in the morning espresso in the afternoon and evenings is the Italian way Americans often drink caff latte shortened to latte and cappuccino all day long which is fine but dont expect Italians to do the same thing In Italy breakfast is generally a quick stop at a coffee bar for a small cup and I mean a very small cup no ventis in Italy of coffee Your coffee may be accompanied by a sweet pastry At most coffee bars you pay first and take...

La Bella Figura A Field Guide to the Italian Mind Review submitted by Susan Willey Spalt La Bella Figura Field Guide to the Italian Mind is a fascinating exploration of Italian life as told by an Italian author as he takes his readers on a ten day tour of Italy Severgnini is also the author of Cioa America which humorously chronicles his familys time in Washington DC Severgninis observations are as funny as they are true The quirks and glories of...

Rome is over 3000 years old thats a lot of history Ruins from ancient Rome are everywhere You will be walking down a street and see an ancient column roped off right next to a very modern parking meter Churches ruins fountains piazze and the Vatican are all popular places for visitors both local and foreign Pages 192 pages Dimensions 75 x4 x 06 inches Weight 94 ounces Maps There is a map of Rome but it is very small You will need a supplemental...

The island of Sicily is Italys largest region and is also its most varied In terms of geography there are offshore islands endless coastline rugged mountains rolling Wheatfields and volcanos but its history and architecture are also of note Sicily formed a significant part of the Greek empire was strategically vital to Rome and was invaded by the Byzantines Arabs Normans French Spanish and Bourbons before unifying with Italy Each conquest left its...

Italian judges have forbidden a couple from naming their son Friday saying it would bring the child shame and ridicule to be named after the character in Robinson Crusoe They thought that it recalled the figure of a savage thus creating a sense of inferiority and failing to guarantee the boy the necessary decorum the couples lawyer Paola Rossi said Wednesday The boy was baptized Venerd Italian for Friday even though the boy was born on a Sunday...