More from Tutto Italiano - Understanding February's Importance with Italians.
Tutto ItalianoBenvenuto a Tutto Italiano
It’s not too late to make plans to attend Carnevale in Venice. This year, Venice – along with all of Italy – is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Italy’s unification. Carnevale ends March 8th, on International Women’s Day, and to honor the day, the Carnevale theme is also women. The two themes will be woven through the festivities in celebrating the nineteenth century with historical reenactments and tributes to heroines.
Carnevale starts one weekend early, on February 19th, with a “Grand Toast in Venice.” The source of the “grand toast” is the main attraction – a large fountain that streams wine instead of water. The Opening Carnival Ball, hosted by the persona of Giacomo Casanova (born in Venice in 1725) is sold out, but tickets to numerous balls, concerts, dinners, and other events are still available. Some special events include Venetian Style Pub Crawls, a Moon Masquerade, Hot Chocolate in Costume at Caffé Lavena in the Piazza, and a Dolce Carnival – a gondola ride to a palace to sample wines and sweets.
The celebrations end with the Silent Regatta on March 8th, when gondolas and rowboats parade in the Grand Canal lit, not by electricity, but by thousands of candles.
Venice Carnival 2011 Scroll down to read about 2011 events and view prior Carnevale photos.
Carnival of Venice 2010 (YouTube)
Celebrating SchiavoneTennis player Francesca Schiavone set a record this month, playing the longest match – at four hours and 44 minutes – in the woman’s Grand Slam in Australia. Last June, she won the French Open – the first Italian woman to win a singles title in the Grand Slam. Schiavone became a professional tennis player in 1998, and at 30 years old, she is not considered a top pick. No matter. During the record match, she kept an eye on the clock and thought “Brava, Francesca.”
Francesca Schiavone Official Website (In Italian)
Amazing Shot (YouTube)
Celebrating Palladio
Late last year, the U.S. Congress voted to pass a resolution honoring Andrea Palladio. The Bill “recognizes the 500th anniversary of Andrea Palladio's birth year and his influence on architecture in the United States.”
Palladio, the “Father of Architecture,” is the most influential architect of the western world. He wrote I Quattro Libri dell' Architettura (The Four Books on Architecture), still in print and cited by Thomas Jefferson as “the Bible” on architecture. Palladio’s symmetrical designs of arches, columns, pediments, porticos, and arched windows are standard in many buildings in America.
Celebrating Italian American HeritageThe Winter Newsletter of the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey is now available. In addition to providing timely news about the organization and information pertaining to law enforcement, the newsletter offers a variety of articles about Italian and Italian American culture. This issue features several pages of 2010 Columbus Day events; an article about the Polizia di Stato – Italian National Police – and their trip to Washington, D.C.; an article about Giuseppe Petrosino; articles about Italian food and traditions; and trivia questions about Italian culture and history.
WisItalia, a nonprofit organization in Wisconsin, created “to promote the teaching of the Italian language in WI schools” is a great resource for not only Italian language, but also culture and heritage. The website offers links to numerous events, organizations, and other sources. See the home page for information about the Andrea Palladio Resolution.
A new book, Colors Italiano, uses colors in sentences to teach children the Italian language.
Articles of Interest
Mosaics of pebbles and stones date back to 3000 BC, and Pliny the Elder wrote that glass was made as early as 5000 BC. By 200 BC, small pieces of glass were being used to make mosaic designs. In the early 1600s, Antonio Neri wrote L’Arte Vetraria (The Art of Glass), a book that changed the history of glassmaking.
Read my articles “Glass Art of Italy: Mosaic” in the January issue of La Gazzetta Italiana and “The History of Mosaic Art” at suite101.com.
Venetian Glass Masters An overview of the glass industry in Venice.
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