My Italian Blog - Welcome to My Corner of Italy

Karen Haid with students in Villa San Giovanni

Meeting Students in Villa San Giovanni

AN OLD CUSTOM

It was a little later than I had wanted to arrive, but there were still a good ten minutes before the presentation was to begin. Rounding the hallway, I could see the aula magna or assembly hall, full of students, waiting rather patiently, I thought, for a school event. I entered through the doors in front with the idea of making sure my memory stick worked in the computer. And at that moment, there was a sort of a hush and the students all stood up at the same time. There were over 100 of them. It wasn’t a wave, like at a sporting event, nor was it in any way a straggly rising. They were all looking directly at me.Read More

Mud, Terme Caronte, Lamezia Terme, Calabria

Lamezia Terme and the Terme Caronte

THE “CURE” IN LAMEZIA TERME

Using her hand like a shovel, Maria scooped up a goodly portion of mud and unceremoniously thwocked it onto my elbows, diving back into the gooey substance for my wrists, my feet and knees. Then, with multiple plops of the thick, grayish mud onto the table’s raised backrest, she instructed me to lie back onto the numerous piles of the hot, sticky matter. I was in room 36 of the Terme Caronte or the Caronte Spa, located in Lamezia Terme, a Calabrian town whose name reflects the presence of the curative properties of its water and mud. Read More

women travelers in south Italy, Emily Lowe

Early Women Travelers in South Italy

UNPROTECTED FEMALES IN SICILY, CALABRIA, AND ON THE TOP OF MOUNT AETNA

Intrepid is the word that comes to mind when characterizing women travelers in remote regions. Take Mrs. and Miss Lowe, two proper British ladies, a mother and daughter team that tramped all over the “continent” in the middle of the 19^th-century to both the horror and delight of those around them. I enjoyed traveling back in time in a vicarious trip through South Italy by way of Emily Lowe’s (the daughter’s) charming book of 1859, entitled Unprotected Females in Sicily, Calabria, and on the Top of Mount Aetna. Read More

Amantea: A Seaside Attraction

THE BEACH

Amantea is blessed with an unusually mild climate, and that’s something Italians are really able to appreciate – good beach weather. In Amantea, summer can begin as early as April and last into November. Thus, the town’s long sandy beach is popular. In fact, Amantea boasts eight beautiful miles of shoreline along the Tyrrhenian Sea, a narrow coastal terrain, just a little over a mile wide before climbing the adjacent hillside. Read More

The Festival of the Madonna in Reggio Calabria

EARTHQUAKES, PLAGUES, WARS AND FAITH

The devastation of the recent earthquake in Amatrice reminds me of the precariousness of life. The town had been preparing for its annual festival celebrating the world-renowned sauce that bears its name – the “amatriciana” would instead be celebrated all over the world. The region of Calabria is likewise no stranger to hardship, and in times of uncertainty past peoples have turned to faith. Even today, the Santa Maria Madre della Consolazione with the annual Festival of the Madonna della Consolazione, as she is commonly called, is celebrated every year in Reggio Calabria, the region’s largest city. Read More

My Italy Blog – Has It Been Two Years Already?

BLOG ANNIVERSARY

This month marks my two-year anniversary of blogging about Italy, mostly Calabria, the region in the toe of the peninsula, and I would like to reflect a moment on what I feel makes something worth blogging or writing about. As with my book, I’ve put my all into my Italy blog and when people ask me, “When are you going to write your next book?” I’ve found myself responding, “At this point I’m busy with my blog.” Read More

Mid-August Lunch, A Favorite Italian Film

PRANZO DI FERRAGOSTO

I was utterly charmed the first time I saw Pranzo di Ferragosto just after its release in the early fall of 2008. I remember seeing it in Rome at the multiplex in Piazza Barberini with friends from Rieti, where I was staying. The film wasn’t expected to be a huge draw and hadn’t been programmed in Rieti, so we drove the 80-kilometers to Rome – a trip well worth the effort. I was enchanted, as were the critics, and Pranzo di Ferragosto was distinguished with a number of important Italian film awards. Luckily, an English-language subtitled version would also be produced and it was released in the United States about a year and a half later with the title Mid-August Lunch. Read More

Painted Stories, View from Guardia Piemontese

Painted Stories of Calabria

PAINTED STORIES – THE PREMISE

Several months ago Diane Taylor of the Writers of Southern Nevada invited me to take part in the organization’s multimedia event, “Painted Stories – Duel in the Library,” co-sponsored by the Las Vegas-Clark County public library system. The gathering was to feature two writers, reading aloud from their books, and two artists, putting to canvas their impressions of the selected passages. After each reading, there would be time for questions, comments and discussion.Read More

The Bergamot: Calabria’s Incredible Citrus

WHAT IS THE BERGAMOT?

The bergamot is a wonderfully unique citrus that makes its home in Calabria. It’s quite puzzling, this strange fruit with a bitter, almost musty-smelling pulp and incredibly light, fragrant zest. Equally intriguing, the bergamot’s complex properties lend themselves to a wide variety of uses and products – from perfume to cuisine to pharmaceuticals – positively jaw dropping! Read More

Monasterace Museum and Archeological Park

NEWER CALABRIA MUSEUMS

No matter where you dig in Italy, you’re bound to hit upon something ancient, or at the very least medieval. Calabria is certainly no exception. Exciting discoveries pop up with a certain frequency and new museums are even inaugurated from time to time, such as the Monasterace Museum that opened its doors in the town of the same name in April of 2015. Read More