The virtual piazza has been a success beyond our wildest imagination, but it is time to look to the future.  We have some ideas about how to evolve, but in order to do so, we will be closing down this blog for a while.

Looking back on the years that the blog has been active, we realize that, together with our more than 40 contributors, we have contributed in a very real and vibrant way by sharing the beauty of the Italian culture with our international audience across more than 20 countries.

Has the blog helped you?  Send us your comments.

What stands out most is the incredible variety of informed opinions and lovely impressions of Italy that came together on at our meeting place, our piazza.  The connections made via our online meeting place have helped educate the world about the quality and tradition of Made in Italy with articles on a variety of topics from travel to design, the arts, food, and the Italian community, both at home and abroad. The blog formed a virtual bridge across the gaps of space and time and helped coalesce the Italian culture online.

There have been so many lovely images shared on our blog, but here is a recent photo by Irene Kung that captures the essence of Italy:

Piazza del Quirinale, Rome, 2017 – © copyright Irene Kung

Image courtesy of @ Lorenzo Perego Visioni Italiane

We want to thank the readers of the blog who have contributed so much to this experiment.   Hand in hand with that we wish to thank the many contributors to the MadeinItalymall blog.

Apprezziamo molto la risposta positiva del nostro pubblico sulle diverse prospettive che esponiamo sul nostro blog riguardanti l’Italia. Vorremo ringraziare i nostri contributori per la vostra graditissima collaborazione.

Ci sentiamo presto!  We’ll be in touch…

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Photo by Rebecca Price Butler from A Love Letter to Rome

Trastevere is a lovely residential neighborhood of Rome just across the Tiber from the centrale storico (historic city center)… a taxi or bus ride away or a rather lengthy but enjoyable walk …

Source: The Villa Farnesina in Trastevere, Rome

Italy offers a multitude of accommodations: bed and breakfasts, pensions, farmhouses, villas, but the most popular remains the hotel. Italian hotels do have some differences compared to the American ones, especially those that are not part of international chains.
The first thing to expect when reserving hotel rooms in Italy is that they are much smaller than the American ones. Just consider that most of the hotels in the city centers once used to be private residences. Newer constructions outside the historical centers are more likely to offer rooms that are closer to the American standard.
On top of this, note that if the hotel is part of a historical building, chances are that there is no elevator either.

PS:
In case you wonder, the photo above shows the entrance of the Liassidi Palace Hotel in Venice.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 6 “Hotels and accommodations” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”}

Published on italyfromtheinside.com: http://italyfromtheinside.com/2017/02/italian-hotels.html/venice-3

The Portland Opera just introduced an innovative event entitled Vino e Voce. The concept features the performance of operatic works in a more intimate setting with a casual atmosphere that features a wine sampler. For the debut event, they presented a fully staged Songs of Love and War by Claudio Monteverdi at their Hampton Opera Center, recently named Gregory K. and Mary Chomenko Hinckley Studio Theater.

“For this production, I’ve selected madrigals from Books 7, 8 and 9,” says General Director Christopher Mattaliano, who directed the production. “The poetry in these songs is surprisingly “modern” in viewpoint, covering a wide range of emotion and content: courtship and seduction, sensual attraction, unrequited love, sexual passion, betrayal, lovers at war, and the tension between chastity and sensual pleasure”.

Christopher Mattaliano personally chose the music of Monteverdi to integrate into this new concept, and especially the madrigals as they truly lend themselves to a modern treatment. It seems counter-intuitive that music from the 17th century would maintain such relevance in a contemporary setting.

Read more about the event and Monteverdi: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_58ace538e4b0d818c4f0a36c

Poised for growth in 2017, Seattle based coffee roastery Caffè Umbria opens its first Training Lab, to share three generations of coffee knowledge with new employees and wholesale customers. The Training Lab, located at 1700 NW Marshall, Portland, is a dedicated home for the company’s training team to provide a focused, hands-on coffee education.

The company is steeped in the rich tradition of Italian coffee roasting. One of the owners, Emanuele Bizzarri has direct ties to Italy. Many family members actively participate in roasting operations in both Italy and the US.

Read article by Lina de la Torre published by L’Italo Americano on February 18, 2017: http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2017-2-18/caffeumbria

Source: La Città Eterna

Italians recycle their garbage by throwing it into special bins designated for non-recyclable trash, paper, plastic, food waste and glass/cans.

{This is an excerpt from the chapter 15 “Miscellaneous information” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”}

Article from ItalyFromtheInside: http://italyfromtheinside.com/2017/01/the-italian-recycling-system.html

In Italy, speed limits are:

• 130 km/h (80 mph) on the freeway; but 110 km/h (68 mph) with bad weather
• 90 km/h (55 mph) on suburban roads
• 50 km/h (31 mph) in the cities.

{This is an excerpt from the chapter 2 “Driving in Italy” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”}

Article published by ItalyFromtheInside: http://www.madeinitalymall.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=6318&action=edit

Selinunte is located in southwestern Sicily, in the province of Trapani. Once one of Greece’s most important colonies, as it has for centuries, Selinunte holds vigil as it looks out to the endless horizon of the Mediterranean Sea. …

Read article by VICTORIA DE MAIO | JAN 10, 2017 published by L’Italo Americano:

http://www.italoamericano.org/story/2017-1-10/selinunte

Photo by Rebecca Price Butler from A Love Letter to Rome

I miss the sweetness I assigned to you. I miss the laughter I put into your mouth, the twinkle I applied to your eyes, the desire I affixed to your grin.  I miss picturing the heart of you, a …

Source: the dear one