Luigia Lollobrigida 1927-2023 Signora Luigia Lollobrigida, known as Gina Lollobrigida, became famous through her films and is still considered one of the essential divas; hers is the star number 2628 among those on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the 1990s she fully resumed her activity as a sculptor, which she had neglected for the […]
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I had plenty of ideas of what to write about this day. That was more than a month ago. Things however did change very much this past two weeks. Of course there are plenty of women to celebrate from the past, women that changed history, but were always played down, or even misrepresented. Today however, […]
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Monica Vitti, died at just over 90 years, thirty-five of which were spent in the cinema interpreting over fifty roles. But Monica Vitti left us twenty years ago, taken away by a degenerative disease that progressively closed the doors of the world and led her to live in a separate universe. Her health deprived us […]
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Gino Strada died last August, it was a surprise for everybody. He was a man to be proud of. He was a heart-and-lung surgeon, trained not only in Milan but also in Stanford and in South Africa. Gino could have spent a rich life in Milan, instead he cose a much different life, caring for […]
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The Unlikely Stone What would the Rolling Stones music be without Charlie Watts? There are some songs where I womder if the magic of Jagger and Richards would get to such heights without Charlie’s contribution. A few iconic songs come to mind: • Paint it Black (it was—perhaps still is—one of my favorites) • Get […]
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The Eternal Dancing Young Girl She lived flying, but she defined herself: “… with roots well planted in the earth.” And so, graceful and solid, sweet and tenacious, she left a “national monument,” a myth of ballet, one of the greatest artists of international ballet dance. Carla Fracci died in Milan at the age of […]
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Catherine de Medicis wasn’t beautiful, and not even charming. Her great-grandfather, now dead for about forty years, was the great Lorenzo, known as The Magnificent, Lord of Florence. She had very little to be happy about. Her mother died a few days after her birth and her father, Lorenzo II, also died two weeks later. […]
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As we celebrate International Women’s Day, #IWD2021, I would like to give a Mimosa to Meghan [Markle]. Not because she married a Prince, nor because she is a Duchess. But because of all the online bullying she has been subjected since she started dating her now-husband until now. These days she is again mercilessly bullied […]
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In these times of Post-Covid (not so sure it is really “post”), businesses need to reinvent themselves. Restaurants in particular, with their necessity to keep customers “socially distanced” can really be a challenge. Moreover, most fancy weddings, where canceled or postponed; see Princess Beatrice of England and her Italian beau, for example. Weddings cancellations was […]
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There is one SOFIA in italy. Sofia Loren the one the only! Sofia Scicolone was born in Rome in September 20th 1934. Her father (son of the marquis of Agrigento Scicolone Murillo) recognized the paternity of Sofia, whom he named after his own mother, however, he always refused to marry Sofia’s mother who, due to […]
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Maria Callas died on September 16, 42 years ago, yet she is as present as ever. Her singing was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. I delight in her interpretation of Lucia di Lammermoor; the duet with the flute is still unmatched (in my humble opinion). In “Quando […]
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Domenico Modugno was born in 1928 in Polignano a Mare. He is known for his 1958 song “Nel blu dipinto di blu“, perhaps best known simply as “Volare!” To Fly! It is perhaps one of the best known italian songs, just next to “O Sole Mio…” Because some of his very early songs were sung […]
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Life in Italy 