Published on Monday, April 27, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Back in elementary school, you may have used a lemon from your mother’s kitchen to make a simple battery that could power a single lightbulb. Now, imagine if you could use lemons to light up your entire neighborhood: In Sicily, the region’s massive amount of citrus waste (rinds, pulp, seeds) is being used to power a generator that can provide electricity to 333 ho...

Published on Friday, April 24, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Via Urbana, a quiet cobblestone street, will be the first car-free street in Rome after a municipal council vote to make the street a wholly pedestrian area. Anyone who has ever visited The Eternal City will testify to its eternal din from scooters, cabs and honking cars of all shapes and sizes. But the noise is a secondary ill; the real problem is safety, since agg...

Published on Monday, April 20, 2015 by Kathy McCabe In May, Expo Milano will open its doors and not close them until October. It’s been a long journey for the northern Italian city to get ready for this huge international event, and as spring begins, the Milanese are busy putting the final touches on Expo locations, as well as making sure their own monuments, buildings, parks, and institutions are shown in the best l...

Published on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Around and about the city of Florence, worn-down walls are covered with text—but it’s not careless graffiti, it’s carefully written poetry, typed on sheets of white paper taped into small galleries. These instances of “poetry on the wall,” as they’re often called, are crafted and hung by the Movimento per l’Emancipazione della Poesia, or the Movement for...

Published on Thursday, April 9, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Italian wine lovers won’t be surprised that sales of Prosecco have outstripped those of Champagne around the world. Cheaper and sweeter than its French competition, Prosecco is an affordable indulgence that is nonetheless excellent sparkling wine on its own merits. Prosecco DOC comes from the Veneto,the region that is home to Venice. Complicating the picture is ...

Published on Sunday, March 29, 2015 by Kathy McCabe In just three blocks, Via Margutta, the shortest street in Rome, encapsulates at least 2,000 years of history and at least a dozen famous names, including Italy’s celebrated filmmaker Federico Fellini, who lived at No. 110 with his actress wife Giulietta Masina. The April 2015 issue of Smithsonian Magazine carries journalist Jeff MacGregor’s love letter to the ...

Published on Friday, March 20, 2015 by Kathy McCabe The largest house in  Pompeii fully reopened today following two years of renovation. Villa dei Misteri (Villa of the Mysteries), famous for its frescoes of the cult of Bacchus or  Dionysus, is now completely to visitors. The villa was renovated in stages so parts could remain open. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini  cut the ribbon on the renovated site an...

Published on Monday, March 16, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Looking for the perfect excuse to visit Rome and the Vatican in 2016? Pope Francis just gave you one. He has declared 2016 a Holy Year.  The last one was in 2000. The Holy Year, also called a Jubilee, will start this year on December 8th – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – and will close November 20, 2016 with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ...

Published on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 by Kathy McCabe It’s been—to paraphrase a great band—a long, cold lonely winter. Who couldn’t use a little warmth? You might not be in Italy at the moment, but reading one of these classic books will infuse your mind and soul with a sense of sunny noontime piazzas and breezy coastal beaches. A Room with A View by E. M. Forster The classic story of an Englishwoman abroad...

Published on Monday, March 9, 2015 by Kathy McCabe New tickets for use on Rome’s public transportation network – including trams, buses, local Trenitalia trains (excluding airport trains) and the metro – are now available, replacing the old 24-hour and 72-hour tickets and adding a 48-hour ticket. Unlike the former ticket system, under which tickets were valid only until midnight on the last calendar day of use, ...