ON THE SIDE OF A HILL IN THE HEART OF THOSE WHO KNOWS – Welcome to Rome, stopped at the rooftop terrace of the Pincio

​When your geographical horizon extends – for business or pleasure – you have the wonderful opportunity to hear you inside, like the perfectly proportioned man (created by Leonardo da Vinci), correlating the symmetry of human anatomy to the symmetry of the universe. What you see, hear, eat and feel, it’s all inside the Vitruvian approach to life. Welcome to the …

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TWICE A YEAR – Massa Marittima, Italy: “The Balestro del Girifalco”

From Sunday, May 22, 2016 to Sunday (or from Sunday, August 14, 2016 to Sunday), 24 archers take part in the race, for each of the 8 Terzieri Massa Marittima, where it is divided from the time of its establishment as a free municipality. This exciting event is a medieval crossbow competition, where shooters from each district of the city …

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37° HAVE BEEN IN USE, SINCE THE TIME OF THE ETRUSCANS – Saturnia, Italy: Maremma, region of Tuscany

His name is linked to a legend that surrounds its ancient origins. It is said that the thermal springs have been gleaned from a thunderbolt launched by Jupiter, angry with his father Saturn. Saturn, before stopping in the wild but beautiful Maremma, wandered (according to the greek-Roman mythology), throughout Italy. Contrary to what is narrated by this legend, it seems …

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THE FINEST PAINTING – Lucas Cranach the Elder, between Venus and Lutero

LUCAS CRANACH THE ELDER 1/4 – He was a German Renaissance painter, and is known for his portraits. He also painted religious subjects, in the Catholic tradition and Lutheran concerns in art. His work at this time, lyrical and spirited with landscape setting, was influenced by that of Albrecht Dürer. He continued throughout his career to paint nude subjects drawn …

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THIS DAY – Poetry, by Adele Ne Jame

THIS DAY Finally, after days of rain, sun and clouds roll over the hills dreamlike, perfect upcountry morning. I pull the Jeep over on the shoulder of Crater Road to watch a pair of horses, grazing in the sun. How their burnished coats gleam against the wild green, fields of yellow dandelion and brush, how flies swarm their flanks in …

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NATASHA, THE WHITE DONKEY AND ME – Poetry, by Baekseok (1912-1963)

NATASHA, THE WHITE DONKEY AND ME Tonight the snow falls endlessly, because I, a poor man, love the beautiful Natasha. I love Natasha, the snow falls endlessly, and I sit alone, drinking rice wine. Drinking rice wine, I think: the night the snow falls endlessly, I would like to ride, with Natasha, upon a white donkey to a remote, mournful …

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PARTING BEFORE DAYBREAK – Poetry, by An Qi

PARTING BEFORE DAYBREAK First the day, then daybreak, and finally the time for parting. Local time in Beijing is 7 o’clock according to the TV. As a child, I liked to lie in bed, and wait for daybreak, my silver broach stayed in its soft dormant curve. I counted my fingers, exactly ten. Almost daybreak, but no light in the …

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WHEN THE MUSIC BECOMES POETRY – Marco Mengoni: I wanted you really well

TI HO VOLUTO BENE VERAMENTE > Così sono partito per un lungo viaggio, lontano dagli errori e dagli sbagli che ho commesso. Ho visitato luoghi, per non doverti rivedere. E più mi allontanavo, e più sentivo di star bene. E nevicava molto, però io camminavo. A volte ho acceso un fuoco per il freddo, e ti pensavo, sognando ad occhi …

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TIMELESS BOOKS – Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

JANE EYRE With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte’s innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers. Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most perennially popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she …

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