Gobsmacked is such a lovely English word. It also described perfectly the reaction of many Italians to the fourth(!) government in as many years. The way to express the same feeling in Italian is to say "rimanere di marmo" - literally "remain marble", become a piece of marble. Fitting as this week we talked, purely by coincidence, about Carrara Marble. We visited Carrara's Marble Quarries, the source of some of the most famous sculptures in the world, including Michelangelo’s Pietà and David. We also celebrated the extraordinary talent of Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo to commemorate the 450th anniversary of his death.
Helpfully, any anxiety created by the shifting Italian political landscape was quelled by ITALY magazine’s new column - Vino Vini Vinum - dedicated exclusively to the adoration of Bacchus's favourite drink. The first column was an informative article explaining how to read Italian Wine Labels.
Salute!  |