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Life in Italy

Life in Italy: all you need to know about Italy : Life in Italy is dedicated to modern Italian life and culture - showcasing the Italy of today rather than focusing on Italy's past. Life in Italy is a place where expats, Italian-Americans, travelers or any Italophile can learn about the very latest from Italy.

News from Italy

COLOR 'RESTORED' TO ROMAN ALTAR TO PEACE

(ANSA) - Rome, November 20 - The Ara Pacis, an altar to peace built in the first century BC in honor of Emperor Augustus will show its true colors on Sunday thanks to a groundbreaking light projection system.

Though the stark-white monument has lost its color over the centuries, visitors next weekend will see its intricate array of friezes in dazzling technicolor.

ARTS GUIDE: EXHIBITIONS IN ITALY

(ANSA) - Rome, November 20 - The following is a city-by-city guide to some of Italy's art exhibitions:

BRESCIA - Museo di Santa Giulia: Inca, Origins and Mysteries of the Civilisation of Gold; 250 artefacts, December 4-June 27.

CATANIA - Palazzo Valle: Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana; until March 14.

FERRARA - Palazzo dei Diamanti: Boldini In The Paris Of The Impressionists; show on Ferrara-born artist's 'beau monde' portraiture years from 1871 to 1886; until January 10.

HUGE PINK SNAILS INVADE MILAN

(ANSA) - Milan, November 20 - Twelve enormous pink snails have moved in to Milan city centre for a new outdoor art installation designed to encourage the fast-living residents of the Lombardy capital to slow down.

Three metres long and two metres high, the huge molluscs are currently circling Piazza Scala in front of Milan's famous opera house and the nearby square in front of the Church of San Fedele.

Passers-by have been unable to resist stopping to touch the bright pink snails made from recyclable plastic, whose tentacles are perkily extended to the sky.

MARRAZZO PROSTITUTE MURDER PROBE

(ANSA) - Rome, November 20 - Italian prosecutors have opened a murder probe into the death Friday of a transsexual prostitute linked to disgraced Lazio ex-governor Piero Marrazzo.

Brenda was one of two prostitutes linked to Marrazzo, who resigned last month after it emerged he had been blackmailed over a video showing him with another transsexual sex worker, Natalie.

The dead prostitute's personal computer was found in her sink during a search of her fire-damaged apartment, police said.

EBAY MUSSOLINI BRAINS OFFER TAKEN DOWN

(ANSA) - Milan, November 20 - An offer to sell parts of Mussolini's brain and blood was "immediately" taken down by eBay after it appeared Friday morning, the on-line auction site said.

The starting price set by the seller was 15,000 euros ($22,000), it said.

No one had a chance to bid, eBay said.

It stressed its regulations prohibited the sale of human parts.

'LEONARDO PAINTED NUDE MONA LISA'

(ANSA) - Florence, November 16 - Leonardo da Vinci painted a nude version of the Mona Lisa, an Italian art expert says.

In a new book, Florentine art expert and Leonardo specialist Renzo Manetti said there was strong evidence for the never-discovered work because of alleged imitations.

Manetti argues that, like other Renaissance artists inspired by so-called Neoplatonic philosophy, Leonardo had conceived a 'heavenly' and a 'vulgar' version of the same subject, which represents the two sides of the love goddess Venus.

ANTI-TRUST WATCHDOG GIVES FIAT GREEN LIGHT FOR BERTONE

(ANSA) - Rome, November 16 - Italy's anti-trust authority on Monday gave its green light to Fiat to acquire bankrupt chassis-maker Bertone.

The watchdog said that the operation did not give Fiat a dominant position which could have hindered competition in the sector.

Fiat's bid for Bertone won out over one presented by former Lancia CEO Gian Mario Rossignolo, who has since acquired the De Tomaso marque.

Bertone has in the past designed models for Fiat as well as its subsidiaries Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo.

SUPERENALOTTO TAKE OVER THREE BILLION EUROS

(ANSA) - Rome, November 16 - Italy's popular SuperEnalotto game has already raked in over three billion euros this year and is expected to break its all-time record of 3.15 billion euros set in 1999, game organizers Sisal said on Monday.

Money collected from SuperEnalotto bets already broke last year's record intake of 2.509 billion euros by mid-September and the 2008 record was a 29.3% jump over the previous year.

VALENTINO DOESN'T REGRET RETIRING

(ANSA) - Rome, November 16 - Italian fashion icon Valentino told reporters on Monday he missed his work but had no regrets about his decision to retire.

"I miss the daily routine, being in the atelier but the high fashion world has been hard hit by the crisis and no one makes those expensive clothes any more," said the 77-year-old designer, who dressed the world's most glamourous women in his 45-year career.

"I wouldn't be able to express my creativity any longer. Yes, I miss it but I'm also glad not to caught in this (economic) crisis".

H1N1 FLU: DEATH TOOL REACHES 58

(ANSA) - Rome, November 16 - The number of H1N1 flu fatalities in Italy rose to 58 on Monday with three new victims.

Two of the Italians who died with the virus were from the Campania region, whose 25 flu victims account for nearly half the nation's total.

All of the victims on Monday had severe health problems prior to contracting the flu.

The first death was a 32-year-old Campania woman who came down with the virus just before giving birth last month.

New Italian Fashion Trends Fall 2009
Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

The Italian look is all about a marriage of style and function, and the 2009 Autumn-Winter trends for Italian fashion are no different. Italian designers have sent on the Milan runways a bevy of models who follow as well as set new trends. Here are is a look at a few of the key trends that govern Fall fashion in Italy.

Sculpted Silhouettes on Milan Runways: This winter, Italian women can keep warm while still flaunting their figures, thanks to the sculptured shapes that are all the rage this winter in Italy. These clothes are brilliantly tailored to follow the counters of the body, and are extremely comfortable as they almost glove the feminine form.

Italian Soft Drinks
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Italy is the undisputed land of wine, but Italians drink a lot of non-alcoholic drinks too. Who would have said that?

You can find Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta and the like everywhere in the world and Italy is no exception. The sparkling, sugary beverages are drank by youngsters and adults alike during meals, parties, or dinners in restaurants. As you can imagine, drinking of soft drinks spikes in summer, but you can find your favorite beverage all year long.

Briscola: The Card Game Everyone in Italy Plays
Thursday, October 29th, 2009

Briscola, along with Scopa, is one of those card games that next to everybody knows and plays in Italy. The game is actually known in most Mediterranean Countries.

Briscola is one of those easy to learn, difficult to master games. It's a trick game, so the goal of the game is to get more cards than your adversary.

Let's see how to play it. The easiest scenario is with two players, but traditionally Briscola is played with four, each player by himself or in two teams. We'll see the rules for a four player match.

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More on Future Tense
Friday, November 20th, 2009

The future tense is used in order to express events that will happen in the future. Any Italian verb that is conjugated in the future tense is translated back into English with the word "will"

In order to conjugate a verb in the future tense, you always start with your infinitive. Remember that infinitives end in "are" "ere" and "ire".

The next thing I have to do is to drop the final "e" from the infinitive.

The third thing I do is to add the appropriate ending depending on what the subject of the sentence is.

Ogliastra
Friday, November 20th, 2009

Ogliastra is a province in East Sardinia in Italy. Ogliastra is a beautiful place that opens up to the mountains and provides some of the best views in Italy. Ogliastra is known for its beautiful coastal area that is surrounded by majestic cliffs and hills, and it still remains one of the most untouched places in all of Italy which makes it a very special place to visit. It is the place where there are many natural landmarks, making it recently famous with a lot of nature lovers. Tourists who like to stay away from the crowds and want to just enjoy the natural beauty and good food of this region would love Ogliastra.

 

Nuoro
Friday, November 20th, 2009

Nuoro is a town located in Central Sardinia in Italy. Nuoro is a typical Sardinian town, located in the mountains with panoramic views across the region. It wasn't until 1927 that the population of Nuoro picked up, till then it had barely any population. However, even then it was still an urban town in comparison to the towns and villages situated around it. Nuoro is also the birth place of one of the most well known writers of Sardinia, Grazia Deledda. Nuoro has a beautiful historic center, various churches and museums and is also blessed with ample natural beauty. The views in the city are some of the best in Sardinia.

 

Asinara
Friday, November 20th, 2009

Asinara is a small island located along the northwestern coast of Sardinia characterized by an irregular shape island with around 700 inhabitants living here. This island comprises of rocky and steep mountain terrain along the western side whereas the eastern side has more flat areas reaching up to a depth of around 50 meters. There are thick Mediterranean shrubs covering the mountain peaks with absence of trees due to lack of fresh water in these areas. In 1991, Asinara was converted into a National Park as a marine preserve and hence it can be visited on organized tours.

Rimini
Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Rimini is famous all over the world for its nightlife; in fact its many bars and discos close at dawn. You can start your night by having an aperitif in one the street bars where people of all ages meet, here you can taste a nice glass of wine (the most famous wine of this area is the Sangiovese) and eat small pieces of the well-known Piadina with ham or cheese. After that, just choose a restaurant in the city or one on the beach and have some one the typical fish of the Adriatic Sea called pesce azzurro: it is delicious!

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