From gramophone to record player As a teenager,  discovering my father’s record collection opened up a whole new world to me.  I was amazed by the richness of the sound and the depth of the atmosphere.  It didn’t take very long before I fell in love with the moment when the needle would drop...

Milan’s saffron risotto With its bright golden hue, deceptively minimal ingredients and creamy texture, Risotto alla milanese (risotto milanese style) is one of the most famous dishes in Lombardy’s culinary tradition. Traditionally made with saffron, grana padana cheese and bone marrow, today this golden delicacy is an iconic dish, but one with a debatable history based...

103 years of Italian soccer Normally, I’m someone who doesn’t care very much about sports, but put me in front of the TV when the Italian National Soccer Team is playing and you’ll see me laugh, cry and jump off of the sofa! I can’t explain it, but I go nuts. Maybe it’s because, in...

  Sunday lunch with the family is a well know Italian tradition, especially when you are a child. I remember I was always happy to go to my grandmother’s house because I would get to eat her delicious Tiramsù. While every Italian will say that their grandmother’s Tiramsù is the best, I’m sure that my grandma...

The golden years of Sanremo – Vintage Italian Music Festival     The Sanremo Music Festival is the most famous Italian music festival.  The three day contest is held annually in the beautiful city of Sanremo on coast of Liguria, close to the French city of Nice.  Known as the “city of flowers,” Sanremo hosts...

Want to go for a ride with Isotta Fraschini?   With its history dating back to the dawn of the 20th century, Isotta Fraschini is the largest Italian deluxe luxury car manufacturer.  Cesare Isotta and Vincenzo, Antonio and Oreste Fraschini founded the company in 1900 with what today might seem to be a very simple and...

  I have this picture in my mind that I can’t forget. It’s one of my favorite childhood memories: my brother and I both excitedly screaming “pay attention to the turtle” or “hurry, the mushroom is coming up!” It was wintertime and we were pretty young. We were in the living room sitting on the carpet we...

  The Italian shoes everyone loves As the most important brand of Italian tennis shoe, Superga sneakers are a worldwide symbol of Italy’s reputation as a premier source of well-designed footwear. Across the generations, most young people in Italy have at some point owned a pair of Superga shoes. A case in point: these shoes...

  On stage in one of Italy’s great theaters When you think about opera music and ballet in Italy, one theater inevitably comes to mind: La Scala. When I was little and wanted to become a ballerina, I dreamed of gliding gracefully across the stage.  While at a young age I knew that La Scala...

Sicilian sweetness I’m not a sweet person. Of course I’m nice, but when it comes to food I definitely prefer the savory over the sweet. My only weakness is cannoli.  When it comes to this Sicilian specialty, I am an entirely different person. With its delicate ricotta cream filling that contrasts perfectly with the toothy...

  Re-designing an everyday material When I look at the transparent body of a Kartell Bourgie Lamp, with its refined finishing and stylish curves, it seems to me that it is made from pure crystal. It’s surprising to discover that such an elegant piece of lighting is made from a much more common material …...