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Archaeologist says tunnel found under Egyptian ...

A 4,281 foot long tunnel discovered about 43 feet under the Egyptian desert is being called an "engineering miracle," but is also believed to be inching archeologists even closer to finding the lost tomb of Cleopatra.

An archaeologist from the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic has devoted nearly 20 years of her career to finding the queen's lost tomb.

Archaeologist says tunnel found under Egyptian temple could lead to Cleopatra's tomb
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‘Exceptional’ trove of 24 ancient statues found ...

An “exceptional” trove of bronze statues preserved for thousands of years by mud and boiling water have been discovered in a network of baths built by the Etruscans in Tuscany.

The 24 partly submerged statues, which date back 2,300 years and have been hailed as the most significant find of their kind in 50 years, include a sleeping ephebe lying next to Hygeia, the goddess of health, with a snake wrapped around her arm.

‘Exceptional’ trove of 24 ancient statues found immersed in Tuscan spa
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Truffle Hunters

THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS follows a handful of men, seventy to eighty years young, in Piedmont, Italy, on the search for the elusive Alba truffle. They’re guided by a secret culture passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly trained dogs. The documentary subtly explores the devastating effects of climate change and deforestation on an age-old tradition through a visually stunning narrative that celebrates life and exalts the human spirit.

Truffle Hunters
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Parmigiano takes a hit as Trump's Italian ...

Furious Italian cheesemakers have hit out as US tariffs of 25 percent were added to exports of cheeses including Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, Grana Padano and Gorgonzola.

The additional tariffs, which kicked in on Friday, were added to a long list of EU goods by American President Donald Trump as a bitter US-EU dispute over aircraft subsidies rolls on.

The measures are expected to cause a 20 percent drop in sales of agro-food products to the US, Italian agricultural association Coldiretti said.

Parmigiano takes a hit as Trump's Italian cheese tariffs kick in
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These Italian towns in Molise will pay you ...

(CNN) — When Italian villages began selling houses for $1, it seemed too good to be true. But the latest offer from Italy is enough to make even that deal look like a ripoff.

The region of Molise, a wild, beautiful but overlooked area that lies east of Rome, has announced it will pay people more than $27,000 to settle in one of 106 underpopulated villages in an effort to prevent their communities from dying.

These Italian towns in Molise will pay you $27,000 to move there

Michelangelo’s former villa is on the market for $9.3M

Michelangelo’s former villa is on the market for $9.3M

By Nicole Jewell, Inhabitat

If you’ve been dreaming about living a new life under the Tuscan sun, now you can in Michelangelo’s former villa — currently on the market for $9.3M. The famed artist bought the sprawling 12,916-square-foot home located in Chianti, Italy in 1549, and it remained in the family until 1867. Today, the ten-bedroom manor — which is surrounded by the region’s iconic rolling green hills — was recently renovated to retain the historical character of the property. It even includes a copy of the original deed.

Montemigiano History & Stories

(Written in Casa Angletto’s book - thank you John and Siobhon O'Neill)

Angelo and Marisa: 11-12-2007 - Dinner at their home:

“The story of Montemigiano is the story of my family, their friends, and the whole region. It’s a story full of famine war and hard labor.”

Marisa and Angelo told us that before 1917, the campanile had a large clock with men who stuck the bell - all run by a huge stone weight. The clock was damaged in 1917 and sent to Lucca for repair, never to be seen again.

Angelo’s father (or grandfather?) fought in WWI from the rear seat of a bi-plane — dropping bombs by hand. The American’s entering the war was a blessing because they supplied food to starving Italian soldiers.

Amanda Knox Documentary on Netflix

Amanda Knox Documentary on Netflix

There are many upsetting scenes in Netflix’s “Amanda Knox” documentary, which started streaming Friday (watch it here: https://www2.netflix.com/title/80081155) One smaller moment almost slips by unnoticed: Viewers hear audio of Knox’s mother visiting her in jail in 2007, just after Knox was arrested and charged for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, during a study abroad trip in Italy.

“The lawyers said something interesting. They said, ‘Amanda’s been caught up in something that’s way bigger than her,'” Knox’s mother is heard saying, “Because it’s turned into this huge international bull—- story.”

“Are you serious?” Knox asks, sounding horrified.

“Oh yeah, everybody in the family has been assaulted by media,” her mother says. “It’s gone crazy.”

Umbria, Italy’s Best-Kept Culinary Secret, Is Budding

NORCIA, Italy — Norcia, a small town in Umbria, is little known outside Italy. It’s not a celebrity hill town like Siena or a religious destination like Assisi, but in Italian food its name is even more resonant.

Norcia has been famous for centuries for its butchers and the extraordinary array of cured meats they produce. Last month it acquired a wider and sadder renown as the town closest to the epicenter of a deadly earthquake.

Norcia, like most of Umbria, was touched but not transformed. The most serious damage was just south of Umbria, in the devastated towns of Amatrice and Accumoli, which, like Norcia, lie in the foothills of the volatile central Apennine mountain range. San Pellegrino di Norcia, a village near here, was leveled; many of its residents are still living in tent villages (where, photographs show, volunteers and field kitchens have been dispatched to produce pasta and tomato-meat sauce from scratch).

Count Bolza and the Renovation of Reschio

When Count Bolza discovered a neglected estate in Central Italy, he saw the chance to regain something he’d lost - and to create a private idyll for others wanting exactly the same thing.
About 30 years ago, Count Antonio Bolza decided to throw in the towel on his family’s ritual vacation to Tuscan’s Forte dei Marmi - precisely because too may other towels had started spreading along its sandy shoreline. Instead, the Hungarian-born publishing executive, who was living near Munich with his wife and five kids, bought a quiet old country house in Tuscany’s neighboring - but much less discovered - region of Umbria.

There, the family could swim, stroll the olive groves and ride horses in what they felt Tuscany could no longer offer them: privacy. So when the Count, who had been forced from Hungary along with his aristocratic parents in 1949, during the Stalinist era, noted two empty houses that were settling close to his new vacation home, he decided to buy them.

The Innocents

"The fighting in this [valley] was particularly fierce, bloody and merciless, a fact which is silently but grimly attested by the looming presence of a large stone that stands alongside the road threading its way through the Niccone valley. It both honours and mourns the innocent villagers who were rounded up and executed by burning in a barbaric act of reprisal in response to partisan activities in the region.

Of course, this happened nearly 60 years ago and, even though there are still people living in the valley who remember the atrocity, it doesn’t do to bear a grudge. At the other end of the same valley road, in the town of Lisciano Niccone, the sound of German voices can once again be heard in the bars and pizzeria. Some of them are on vacation, touring the region, others have bought holiday homes here. So, although their presence might suggest that the local people are prepared to forgive, the memorial stone bears permanent witness to the fact that they do not intend to forget."

Tower Restoration

The clock tower was restored in 2011, and there is a beautiful, functioning clock and additional structural supports. The original clock was hundreds of years old, and Angelo recalls a heavy pendulum that was set each morning by pulling it down to the ground. Over the course of the day, the pendulum would move to indicate the time. The new clock is much more accurate, and even sets to the correct time when power is restored after outages!

There are two bells in this tower and they are both very old. The smaller bell dates from the 1200s and the larger bell is almost as old and original to the town, but was moved down to a church in Niccone for several years. It has since returned to its rightful home. A few times a year, on Saint's days or Church holidays, Angelo will ring the bells -- a truly breathtaking experience!

"The Valley of the Castles"

The Borgo di Montemigiano is located in the beautiful Niconne River Valley, nicknamed the "Valley of the Castles" for its formidable architecture. As evidenced by the many remaining hilltop fortresses, crumbling walls, and gates, the valley experienced prolonged and repeated battles over thousands of years.

"You can still see this in the castellations of the castle towers and walls of Italian towns, Ghibeliine (allied with the Emperor) have fish tail castellations and Guelf (allied with the Pope) have square castellations. This can only be used as a rough guide because many towns swapped sides, and in the case of nearby Cortona, the fish tails were pulled down by the Medici because they made less of a target for cannon balls.

The wealth of the Italian city states and their merchant classes lead to the Renaissance, an explosion in artistic, architectural, engineering and, what we would now call scientific ideas. The castles along the Niccone Valley look very picturesque, but they are a constant reminder that the valley was not always the peaceful rural retreat that holiday makers come across today."

Speeding in Italy

It's a myth that speed limits aren't enforced in Italy. In fact, in the last few years the Italian police have installed these radar sensors throughout the countryside. These are highly lucrative for the Italian government, and we received a speeding ticket in the mail for going 15 km over the speed limit outside Sienna (eight months later) for $315 with the wire transfer fee. Needless to say, we'll drive more slowly from now on.

Roman Numerals

On the back wall of the Borgo's church, there's a date inscribed in Roman Numerals: "CDDCXXIV" 

 

We know  "XXIV" is 24 but we're stuck on the "CDDC." CD is 400 and DC is 600 so it could be 1024? That date pre-dates the first mentions of the Borgo in the historical record in the 12th Century, but even if it is accurate, and they wanted to write 1000 why wouldn't they use M? Perhaps roman numerals have changed over the last several hundred years? Or maybe it's an early typo?  

The Dog Who Ate the Truffle

By Suzanne Carreiro

We recently discovered this charming memoir/cookbook written by an American living in Umbertide. Published in 2010, it has lots of wonderful stories about the region and mouth-watering recipies that can easily be replicated in the US.

"An authentic culinary journey—part memoir, part cookbook—introducing readers to the people, places, and food of Umbria.

Veteran food critic Suzanne Carriero spent a year and a half in Umbria, and this is her intimate look at its ancient recipes, traditions, and the people who pass them on. Each of the book’s eight chapters features local cooks, as their personal stories are as much a part of the cuisine’s essence as are the crops they grow and the family dishes they prepare.

Anecdotes, sidebars, and boxes are used throughout the book to further illustrate Umbrian life—from buying a rabbit in the country, to making torta di Pasqua for Easter, to reading the Italian wine label, and drinking cappuccino after lunch (a serious breach in tradition). With a food and wine glossary included as a reference for travelers, The Dog Who Ate the Truffle immerses the reader in the people, cuisine, and lifestyle that few are privileged to experience. Suzanne’s colorful stories and authentic classic recipes make for an intimate and illustrious travel

The Neverending Nightmare of Amanda Knox

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"How a naive kid from Seattle was coerced into confessing to a brutal murder and wound up sentenced to 26 years in an Italian jail."Rolling Stone Magazine, July 2011

Update

on 2013-07-30 18:17 by Megan Moye Zacher

"Amanda Knox spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit.

In the fall of 2007, the 20-year-old college coed left Seattle to study abroad in Italy, but her life was shattered when her roommate was murdered in their apartment.

After a controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011, an appeals court overturned the decision and vacated the murder charge. Free at last, she returned home to the U.S., where she has remained silent, until now.

Filled with details first recorded in the journals Knox kept while in Italy, Waiting to Be Heard is a remarkable story of innocence, resilience, and courage, and of one young woman’s hard-fought battle to overcome injustice and win the freedom she deserved."

Buy the Book >