Tell me how you dress and I will tell you who you are....

Shorts, thongs....  Clothes represent personality and social status in Italy so people wear nice clothing almost all the time.

Italians seeing you for the first time will judge you by your appearance, and will respond accordingly. So if you dress or look like a tourist, you will be treated like one. For this reason when you go to Italy try to blend in, wear nice clothes and have fun!!

In this way you will also avoid attracting the wrong people!!

Rome, the water and the public fountains

In Rome there are many famous fountains as the Trevi fountain in Piazza di Trevi or the Barcaccia at the bottom of the Spanish Steps or the Four Rivers fountain in Piazza Navona....but few seem to realize that the water coming from the fountains is not only free, but clean and drinkable. 

So next time you’re in Rome be sure to take a sip from the waters of the Eternal City! Especially when it is summer, it is so nice to stop and have a drink of water for free!

public fountain in Rome

In appearance some of these fountains are not so attractive, nevertheless the water is always fresh! The nasoni or big nose are round and stout, they are made of cast iron and produce fresh water. On each one of them you will find the initials S.P.Q.R. stamped, which stands for Senātus Populusque Rōmānus (Senate and People of Rome), that you can also find on the rubbish bin and on the city’s sewer grates. The water for these fountains comes from the Riserve del Peschiera which runs approximately seventy miles of channels before emerging from the spout of a city fountain.

The water fountains is the same that comes out of the Roman houses, so if you just around the city and you have are thirsty you can refill your bottle in one of these fountains.

Lorenzo @ the Gianicolo 

There are plenty of them around, from Campo dei Fiori, to the Pantheon, to the Trevi fountain, just to mention the most popular ones. Anyway if you want to know where they are located, have a look to  the map provided by the www.acea.it.

BUONA PASSEGGIATA!

La palla di Pomodoro

Palla di Arnaldo Pomodoro in Pesaro

Have you ever been to Pesaro? Pesaro is an interesting town, with a population of around 90,000; the second-largest town, after Ancona in Le Marche region, on the eastern side of central Italy. The town is at the northern end of the region, near the riviera romagnola, where are the most famous city of Rimini and Riccione. 


Like most Italian seaside resorts, the original settlement, dating to the Roman era, is a short distance inland, and so the centro storico is separated from the Mediterranean. But if you go in Pesaro and you give someone an appointment, the best place to meet is "La Palla di Pomodo". Everyone knows this place!!     The bronze sculpture at the end of the main street on the edge of the Adriatic Sea has become a common fixed point for anybody permanently or temporarily passing through the city.

The dramatic "Grande Sfera" or Big Sphere– in a polyester incarnation – first made its appearance at the Montreal Expo in 1967, but in 1971 the artist Arnaldo Pomodoro donated it to Pesaro, where he previously worked in the mid-1950s. When you look at the orange glowing globe in the evening, when it reflects the last rays from the setting sun, you have the impression to see a new world order, where the planet are molded in metal.

A similar example of Pesaro is in Rome.

"Sfera con Sfera" by Arnaldo Pomodoro at the Vatican Museum

The "Sfera con Sfera" is the centerpiece of the Courtyard of the Pinecone at the Vatican Museums.  This bronze sculpture is called Sphere Within Sphere and it measures four meters in diameter.  It was created by artist Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1990 for the Vatican Museums.  Pomodoro's specialty is the casting of gigantic columns and/or globes.  In this magnificent sculpture, the fractured surface of the outer sphere reveals a very complex inner sphere that represents the harsh difficulties that the modern world finds itself in at the end of the second millennium.  

A wonderful achievement for this artist!


Other works from this artist are even in Brisbane, donated for the 1982 International Expo! 

Look down...what do you see?

Spanish Steps...back in October 2010

Do you want to know a bit more about the Spanish Steps? Have a look to the article I have published yesterday for my friend on ItalianNotebook.com.


To read the article just click down here:
Look down...what do you see?





A presto!!!

Pavia: Chocomoments

    

Italy is famous for the production of good chocolate, therefore there are always events to attend. The next event is in Pavia, which presents "Chocomoments" between March 11th and 20th: a mix of beautiful dishes with chocolates. For more info: Chocomoments

The traffic policeman of Piazza Venezia

Piazza Venezia is a busy intersection in the center of Rome. If you have to cross the road here to go towards the Forum or Via del Corso o Via del Plebiscito is better to wait the signal of the traffic policeman.

There are not traffic lights here!!! But it is amazing how a traffic controller can keep up with all the confusion of this big square!! Believe me ..

Barbie nel mondo

It sounds strange, nevertheless a temporary exhibition of 200 Barbie part of Elisabetta Colzi's collection has been organized for a short period of timein the Science Museum of Camerino , from December 11, 2010 to January 9, 2011.

So if you are around Camerino, in the Macerata area, on December 11, you can download the invitation here:

Invitation to Barbie nel mondo

This is a nice exhibition ...especially for young ones...