“Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations.” –UNESCO World Heritage Center Since 1972, UNESCO has designated sites throughout the world, both natural and man-made, as World Heritage Sites, in an effort to help preserve and protect “cultural and natural heritage around the…
Category: Art & Culture
These 14 Universities in Italy Have Welcomed Students Since the 1400s — or Earlier
As roughly 207 million college students worldwide begin their new fall term, many will attend universities which have been in operation since the 1400s — some since the 1200s. Being a passionate armchair historian, I find that information very enticing. The university as we regard it today — an educational institution designed for instruction, examination, or…
The Oldest Universities in Italy: A Sneak Peek
Not only is Italy home to the oldest university in all of Europe and nearly the oldest in the world, il bel paese is also home to multiple universities which have been in continual operation for several centuries. Where might one find these educational treasures? And how many might there be still in operation? Here’s…
The Birth of the University: An Italian Story
This fall roughly 207 million college students will converge at universities across the world to learn, study, gather and debate with like-minded individuals in the name of higher education. As they select roommates, buy books and balance the demands of a new schedule, it understandable that many may not have medieval Europe on their minds….
Cheers to all: Cin Cin a tutti!
I never really thought about why we “toast” with our drinks when gathered with others, I just accepted it as a time-honored tradition. But the armchair historian in me was amused to discover recently, while browsing one of my Italian texts, that we have the ancients to thank for this one. This sparked my interest,…
7 Reasons to Love Italian
We study Italian because we want to, not because we need to. Because the music of the language moves us to learn it, to engage in this “impracticality”, to throw some of our precious time to the wind and do something simple for the pleasure of being able to pronounce words like piacere. –From “Why…
Buon Onomastico or, the Serendipity of Italian
What is an Onomastico, and Why is it Important? “Buon onomastico!” read a Facebook post a few years back on the page of a cherished Italian cousin, followed by several people of the same first name who were tagged with well-wishes and congratulations (auguri). I had no idea what an onomastico was, but I was…
22 Terms To Better Appreciate Italian Art and Architecture
Terms curated and defined by Alexandra Kiely, A Scholarly Skater & The Art Museum Insider My love for Italian art and architecture is undeniable, but also, untrained. Often I have felt guilty at the blessings of being exposed to the beauty of Italian museums and buildings without the knowledge to better appreciate it all. Thus, I…
A Home for the Italian Language
On the outskirts of Florence sits Villa di Castello, country home of Cosimo I de’ Medici (1519-1574), Grand Duke of Tuscany. Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera once adorned the walls of the villa, and Castello’s elaborate garden — renowned throughout Europe — influenced other famous gardens including Florence’s Boboli Gardens. Villa di Castello has seen…
Churches of Florence: A Love Story, Part Two
“I never weary of great churches. It is my favorite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral.” — Robert Louis Stevenson Like many who have fallen for Italy, I too never weary of churches. I am not shy in professing my love of all things Duomo, but, a dire…
Prayers & Piazzas 