[Web-trans] virtualitalia.com - artichokes & building in italy

[virtualitalia . com - amici]

 
... the resource for enthusiasts of italian culture ...

artichoke primer: cleaning, cooking & eating!
Many are intimidated by this beautiful vegetable because they don’t know how to clean, cook and eat it. A cool summer in my garden has yielded non-stop artichokes! During “normal” seasons, artichokes make their appearance in the Spring and Autumn.

i built a house in italy
My brother and I came up with this naïve dream. A sliver of land in Italy with a house to be constructed overlooking the highest peak in the Apennine mountain range. The house would be brand new and built where a chicken coop now stood.

campania cooking Vacations that include cooking classes, field trips, restaurants, wineries, and farms - oh my!

monte argentario A beach front haven that is a popular summer destination for Romans and Tuscans alike.

plan ahead: 2005 italian calendars
Planning things for next year with nowhere to pencil them in? Grab an Italian calendar to hang in the office, one to hang at home and one to carry with you -- grab a couple for your family and firends - that way, you'll be surrounded Italy no matter where you are!

tales from the medici crypt
This summer a mass exhumation began that dwarfs any previous excursions into Italy’s past: the exhumation of the Medici, one of the most powerful families ever. The purpose? To learn more about the diseases they may have suffered from, to sort out just which Medici were murdered, and also to satisfy curiosity about the lives of the rich and famous and dead. CBS’ 60 Minutes was there for the Medici Project, along with TLC, which will broadcast a documentary later this month. What may seem grisly to Americans is almost a national pastime in Italy, especially when it comes to the Medici. After all, they gave the world Florence, probably the most beautiful city on earth. The Medici were the bankers, popes and princes. They were connivers and murderers, and patrons and protectors of architects and artists whose work resounds to this day: Botticelli, Fillipo Lippi, Leonardo da Vinci. When Galileo's scientific theories were deemed heresy, the Medici gave him refuge. Donatella Lippi, a professor of the history of medicine and a member of the exhumation team, says there is a great sense of anticipation. "I think that I am touching people who have been ruling Florence for many centuries," says Lippi. "And I think that this is the last gift to their town. Because they give themselves." All the exhumations are taking place in Florence's Medici chapel, which simply bellows the family's importance. The tombs of Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici are graced by tributes by Michelangelo. "These people are gods for the Italians. And to find out any new information about them is, I think, crucial," says Bob Brier, another member of the team. He's an archaeologist and senior research fellow at Long Island University, who believes that bones tell their own story. "If you know how to read them, there's an incredible amount of information in them. So, I think we can find out a lot about the Medici," says Brier. "We want to see what did they eat, what ki nd of diseases they had. Did they suffer? I mean, you think of people as wealthy. But maybe they weren't having such good lives. So, we're trying to make 'em come alive again." more...

italy sending immigrants back to africa
The Associated Press reports that Italy plans to send back more illegal immigrants, after hundreds of people arrived over the weekend on a tiny island off the coast of Sicily. Reports said that about 360 would be sent back to Libya and Tunisia. More than 1,200 migrants are held in the detention center in Lampedusa, a tiny island closer to Africa than to Italy. The detention center is meant to hold less than 200 people. Italian Authorities say that they expected a rush of new arrivals before the joint crackdown by Italy and Libya. Italy has pledged to provide Libya with training and equipment to identify and stop immigrant boats from heading out to sea. Relatively few of the thousands who try to slip into Italy by boat each year intend to stay in the country. Most hope to travel farther north, to countries such as Germany, with proportionally larger immigrant populations.

Academic warns of Italian pensioner poverty
Italian workers face the risk of relative poverty if they do not save for their pensions, says the president of the National Commission for the Research on Social Exclusion. Giancarlo Rovati, also a professor at the Milan-based Universita’ Cattolica, stressed the importance of saving to boost the state pensions. He told a conference organized by the European Institute of Public Administration that a 60 year-old worker with 35 years of contribution retires today with a pension worth about 67% of his wages. “In spite of insufficiencies and inequalities, it is possible to say that the Italian pension system has contributed in the last three decades to reducing the risk of poverty among the elderly generations,” he said. But as the defined contribution model kicks in - introduced in the 1990s and endorsed by the new reform - the ratio is going to fall. In 2020 a worker who has made no extra pension provision is likely retire with just 56% of his wages – falling to 48.1% in 2 050. “Facing these estimates,” Rovati said. “There are three strategic ways to pursue: increase the employment rate, postpone pension age and develop an alternative pension system” A rise in employment of just one percent would be “more effective than any financial engineering on pensions.” more...

more news...

Meglio essere invidiati che compassionati.
It is better to be envied than pitied.

We really like to bring people together. Not just virtually, but in person, too! Check out our comprehensive list of the latest Italian-themed events in your local area.

• New York Event Calendar   [add event]
• Boston Event Calendar   [add event]
• Chicago Event Calendar   [add event]
• San Francisco Event Calendar   [add event]
• Los Angeles Event Calendar   [add event]

If you belong to a club, or organization who has lots of regular events we can create an account for you -- having an account with the virtualitalia.com calendar will allow clubs to edit and update their own events. Contact us at address@hidden

unsubscribe
If you're not interested in receiving email updates we will quickly and permanently remove your email address from our list (we'll be sorry to see you go). Remove your email address from our list by copying and pasting this link in your browser:
http://www.virtualitalia.com/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?f=u&l=amici&address@hidden&p=5923

subscribe
Add yourself to the virtualitalia.com mailing list by visiting this link: http://virtualitalia.com/newsletters

contact us
Just fill-out our feedback form. We do not have the resources to answer your specific travel, genealogy, recipe, or research paper question. However, you can post it in our forums where virtualitalia.com's readers can provide you with an individualized answer.

advertise with us
See your advertisement here. There are over 70,000 enthusiasts of Italy and Italian culture reading this message, right now! more....

Best way to promote Italian culture?
parade
event
class
movie
online
other

view results

you said it
"Has anyone used check cards to rent cars and put a deposit on hotels in Italy?" respond

you can help us!
We're an all volunteer website and need your help to keep going. Here are five ways you can contribute:
1 Donate
2 Buy something
3 Submit a story
4 Volunteer
5 Advertise