Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Curiosities”
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 19th-century to both the horror and delight of …
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 …
Dog lovers take note of the slightest mention of man’s best friend. So not surprisingly, a number of people have asked me about the dogs I briefly referred to in my book. To set the scene, my dear friends Luisa and Franco had three dogs that they walked in the beautiful park along Via Marina in the center of downtown …
“Buona festa!” (Happy Holiday!) My boss Mario greeted me with a big smile and was handing me a small bunch of yellow flowers and some foliage tied together with a ribbon. The secretary came up behind me and he picked up another little bouquet from his desk and said, “Auguri!” (Good wishes!)
THE FALL OF MURAT IN PIZZO “Straight to the heart, but spare the face!” These were the final instructions Joachim Murat gave to his firing squad on October 13th, 1815, according to his wife’s memoirs, although Caroline Bonaparte wasn’t actually in attendance that fateful day in Pizzo as her husband and former King of Naples looked down the barrels of …
THE COSMOS We’ve all read our horoscopes whether or not we actually believe in them. Could there really be something to the positioning of the stars, the alignment of the planets, the lunar cycle? Nowadays we have so many facts at our fingertips, but are we any closer to understanding where the individual fits in with the tides or the …
PALMI’S ASSEMBLAGE OF CULTURE La Casa della Cultura, the complex of museums and libraries in Palmi has a good name. It certainly piqued my interest. The photos I had seen of various items in its ethnographical museum had further aroused my curiosity. Before visiting, however, I thought it best to confirm the opening hours.