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Will Italy Shrink?: A Video Detailing the Country’s Current Disaster

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Here is a great video I found while surfing the web, and wanted to share.  It is titled Power Shift Europe: Italy Undone.  I watched it, then sat down with my husband to watch it again.  Although it’s a little long (20 minutes), it’s very informative and worth your time.  It speaks about Italy’s current economic crisis.  It gives an overview of how Italy arrived to its current state, and it also touches on job competition, depopulation, and the risk of the Euro.

The video is put together nicely, and shows some of the beauties of Italy while a few of the gloomier details are being discussed.  If you’re not aware of what is taking place in Italy, this video will bring you up to speed.  If you happen to live in Italy (like we do), some of the topics discussed will ‘hit home’ with you.  Want more?  Click here for a text version.

Although impacted by the economic crisis as a whole since we live in Italy, we are also  personally affected by the glass ceiling (so to speak) Italy has implemented over the years with the guilds (groups who limit licenses to keep jobs for a set number of people … read – Italians with connections) with my husband soon to be entering into the pharmaceutical industry.

Would love to know your thoughts after watching the video!

 

 

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Why Rome?

A Birthday Weekend Filled With Strikes

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Buon Compleanno, bella Roma!

This Saturday, April 21st, Rome will celebrate its 2,765th birthday.  (Can you imagine being around that many years?!)  This is based on the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus in 753 BC.

 
In case you’re not familiar with the legend, here is a brief overview.  Romulus and Remus were twins.  Their mother, Rhea, was a Vestal Virgin, and their father was a god (Mars, the god of war).  Before they were born, male descendants in the family were killed by their Grandfather’s brother.  When the twins were born, they were left to die.  However, a she-wolf came along and nursed them.  The boys grew up to become natural leaders.  They decided to found a new city, but couldn’t agree on the exact location.  The two quarrelled, and Remus was killed in the end.  Romulus then founded the new city on the Palatine Hill, and named it after himself … Rome.To celebrate Rome’s birthday, the city will have plenty of events taking place throughout the weekend … music, dancing, theatre performances and ceremonies.  For further information on the events taking place, you can check here (in English) or here (in Italian).Rome’s birthday will be celebrated with an extra bang this year.  The bang will come to the people of Rome in the form of strikes!  Strikes for buses, trains and flights. The scheduled sciopero (strike) details for each day are below.

Friday, April 20th – ATAC, Rome’s public transportation company, is scheduled to strike from 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, then from 8:00 PM to end of service.  This will include all buses, metro lines and light rail trains.  
 
Saturday, April 21st & Sunday, April 22nd – Trenitalia is scheduled to have a 24-hour train strike from 9:00 PM Saturday to 9:00 PM Sunday.Monday, April 23rd – The personnel of Alitalia, Italy’s largest airline, will be on strike for four hours … from 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM.  If you have a flight to/from Italy on Monday, it would be a good idea to check with the airline to make sure your flight plans will not be affected.  Click here to access their website.Here’s to hoping the scheduled strikes don’t impact your travel plans or birthday celebrations too much.

Tanti Auguri e Buon Compleanno, Roma!  Just in case you’re wondering, that translates to Happy birthday and many good wishes. 🙂

© copyright 2013 – All rights reserved

Why Rome?

Dolce Idea: A Sweet Idea in Trastevere

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Several months ago we had the sweetest clients who gave us the nicest gift of assorted chocolates.  I’ve mentioned it a few times before, but I am a complete lover of chocolate. I am a self-proclaimed chocoholic, so you can imagine my excitement when we received such a thoughtful gift.

Fast forward to last week.  I was walking down a side street in Trastevere, one I had walked numerous times before, but this time I noticed a familiar logo.  It was the logo from the chocolate shop where our lovely gift came from.  Of course, I had to take a detour and enter inside.  The name of the shop is Dolce Idea, and let me tell you, what a sweet idea it was to go inside!

 


There was an assorted array of chocolates displayed behind the glass counter, which immediately started my mouth watering.  The small, specialty chocolate shop was also filled with a rainbow of pastel and brightly colored wrapped chocolate eggs in preparation for Easter (known as Pasqua in Italian).  This shop has some of the prettiest decorated eggs I have seen in Rome so far.  They even had small chocolate bunnies, like in the States (not the norm here).

If you are looking for an Easter gift, or just want to spoil someone (or yourself) with tasty chocolates and beautiful edible treats, be sure to visit Dolce Idea.

 

Dolce Idea
Via San Francesco a Ripa, 27
Roma, 00153 (in Trastevere)
Telephone: 06 5833 4043
http://chocolate.dolceidea.com/

A Tisket, A Tasket … What’s In An Italian Easter Basket?

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Easter is fastly approaching!  Can you believe it?  When I think back to my childhood years, I am reminded of waking up early on Easter Sunday to see what goodies the Easter Bunny (aka Mom & Dad) had left in my Easter basket.  Easters for me were filled with decorated eggs, chocolate bunnies, small toys, plastic eggs filled with candy, chocolate and money, and baskets with pastel colored ‘grass’ to display the decorated eggs and hold all the Easter goodies.  

After a lifetime of the same traditions, and the holiday commercialized to consumers in a grand spectrum each year, I was shocked during my first Easter in Italy last year.  No bunny, pastel or cartoon baskets.  No brightly colored plastic eggs to place treats in or have an egg hunt with.  No aisles and aisles of assorted Easter candies.  No egg dye kits.  
 
My first thought was, “Wow, these kids are missing out!” 

Yes, I know the Easter holiday has been overly commercialized, but I have fond memories of Easter days of my childhood.  I would wake excited to discover what the Easter Bunny had left for me in my basket.  We would then head off to church, all decked out in our new Easter attire (I always got a new dress and shoes specifically to wear on Easter Sunday).  After church we would go to my grandparents’ house for a big Easter lunch.  After lunch, all the kids would make their way run outside to the backyard for an Easter egg hunt.  We would all try to collect the most of the colorful plastic eggs scattered and hidden throughout the yard.  The real excitement was for the one who found the ‘golden egg’, a large, golden colored egg with money inside … usually $20.

 
 
Here in Italy, it seems large chocolate eggs take the place of Easter baskets.  Supermarkets display an assorted array of the brightly wrapped, extra large chocolate eggs in preparation of Pasqua (Easter holiday in Italian).  You can find the chocolate eggs wrapped in an assortment of popular children’s characters for the younger crowd (Barbie, Spiderman, Hello Kitty, etc.), plain for the slightly more sophisticated, or with a simple statement of ‘Auguri’ (congratulations and well wishes expressed during holidays or important days).  I still miss the variety of assorted candies and treats, but with an oversized egg made of chocolate in front of you, how can one complain?! 🙂  
 
Another typical Italian treat specific to Pasqua (Easter) is the Colomba.  It is a cross between a cake and a bread, and is made with flour, eggs, sugar, yeast and butter.  It is usually topped with almonds and sugar, and is shaped in the form of a dove.  The name Colomba Pasqua translates to Easter Dove.  You can find the Pasqua treat in a variety of different flavors … traditional topped with almonds and sugar with candied orange peel inside, chocolate, lemon and different cream filled flavors.  I wish they were available all year round, but I think my waistline is glad they are not. 😉  They’re quite tasty! 
 

 

Theatrical Light Show in Piazza del Popolo

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During Carnevale, we really enjoyed the parades, fireworks, horse show and the various entertainment in the piazzas, but one of our favorite things was the theatrical light shows displayed on the gateway, Porta del Popolo, located in Piazza del Popolo.

Porta del Popolo on a regular day. 


A little history on the gateway:  Piazza del Popolo, known as the people’s square, was the entrance and first impression visitors received when arriving to ancient Rome.  The Via Flaminia, built in 220 BC, was the road built to connect Rome to the Adriatic Coast, and was one of the most important roads leading to Rome.  A gateway connected Via Flaminia to Piazza del Popolo.  The large gateway was originally known as Porta Flaminia, but was later renamed Porta del Popolo (this is the name used today).  The gateway we see today was reconstructed by Bernini (yes, the same Bernini who constructed the magnificent Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona) and Pope Alexander VII in 1655.

During the light shows, images bounced around to the beat of the lively music, and it was a lot of fun to watch as the ancient gateway seemed to come to life.

You can see a video of one of the theatrical light performances below.  Be sure to watch until the end for the finale.  Hope you enjoy!