Splitting the Tarot Card Allegory

Although famous for its lavish culture and traditions, it would still be surprising for some to find out that indeed, tarot cards originated from the whimsical city of Milan, Italy. Playing cards composed of 52 familiar ones were already brought by Middle Eastern crusaders during the 1300s in Europe, but it was about a decade after when a new card game called Tarrochi launched a set of painted ones that was then tagged as Trumps. It started when Duke Fillippo Maria Visconti of an well-off Milan family requested his secretary, Marziano di Tortona, to develop a new card game with the appropriation of the Greek Gods along with attributes such as virtues, riches, virginities, and pleasures, which in turn made way for the hand painted suits to be added to the existing decks. A Tarroche game is undifferentiated to a Bridge game with originally no divination inclination but since the cards' cryptic depiction is there, meanings, mostly superstitious ones, have soon developed.

Most Tarot cards in use today look very far from how it was before and amazingly enough, the old and new decks have strong samness and deviations altogether. I find it interesting that Milan is embracing the practice continuously as proven by numerous Tarot designers who are creating their own decks in the most tasteful patterns possible so nobody would ever run out of fabulous choices.

Steep Yet Romantic Gondola Rides

Part of a bona fide Italian experience is visiting the picturesque city of Venice. Fortunately, you don't have to be a ladies' man to truly relish this city of water. Venice is not only a perfect site for twosomes on their honeymoon. Even if you are on a respite all by yourself, you will surely have a outstanding time exploring the city. Of course, a vacation in Venice is not complete without riding the vintage Venetian boat, the gondola.

On one of my vacations in Venice with a pal, I had the chance to ride this famous boat. One thing to know regarding gondola rides is that they are pretty steep. The rates fluctuate but it can set off from around €62 for a 50-minute ride. Gondola rides can be found adjacent to overvisited areas likes Piazzale Roma, Doge's Palace, and Rialto Bridge. The most well-known ride is down the Grand Canal, but my friend and I opted for a more quiet cruise in Venice's side canals. The adventure is comparable to riding one of those handsome cabs around New York City only it's more idealistic and well, more expensive; the cruise is all worth it, though. The panoramas you'll see as your gondola pass by will promptly make you forget about the Euros you just shelled out.

Refreshing Italian Treat

For my Italian leave this year, I have decided to reside with a foster family to get to know the Italian culture much better. During my two-week stay in Venice, I have remarked many delightful things about the Italian people, customs, and food. Speaking of food, I found an Italian desert, which eventually became a cherished sweets of mine Italian dessert that I wish for called amaretti.

The amaretti are little cookies that taste a little bitter, but are very tasty. These little cookies are best eaten after being dipped in plain red wine. Amaretti are made from a mishmash of flour, eggs, sugar, and almonds with powdered sugar crystals on top. I have learned that amaretti has a fascinating story associated to it. Legend has it that the amaretti cookies were first made by a doughboy with his fiancee as a hospitality give away to the Cardinal of Milan. The lovers made use of the small amount of baking ingredients they have to come up with small chewy cookies. The Cardinal cherished the miniature cookies and soon many people asked for the biscuits. Since then, this Italian dessert has become a stable preference in dining tables. The sweet yummy taste of amaretti has become so reputable not only to the Italian, but to people all over the world as well.

Immemorial Garment of Ancient Rome

Way before the magnificent creations of Gucci and Cavalli ever hit the catwalk, Italy had a sense of vogue that was undeniably theirs. Aside from the gory war epics and awesome tales of Roman deities, the distinctive toga could be considered just as important in the history of Rome.

The old Roman toga was made of an over-sized piece of garment, which was usually around 20 feet or six meters long. The sublime sashes were wrapped around their bodies in a specific manner, covering parts of another old garb called tunics. Togas were mainly composed of snug wool while tunics worn underneath were made with linen. For the most part of their long and characterful distant past, togas were used exclusively by Roman men while stolas, the feminine version of togas, were worn by the women. During those unpermissive times, both women and outsiders in Rome were not allowed to use togas for clothes; those who defied the law were considered prostitutes and scoundrels. In present times, the toga and its close variations are used in quite a few functions, such as graduations, New Year's Eve commemorations, toga party re-enactments, and theatrical performances depicting the lively backdrop of early Rome.

Mother and Daughter Italian Holiday Caper

My daughter and I had just returned from our wearing yet amazing two-week holiday to Italy. The journey was a birthday gift I confirmed for her 10th birthday. She was so captivated in everything European, so I made a promise that when she ranked number one again in her class we would fly to Italy and see a few cities. She wished that we headed first to Venice because she hoped to see the Grand Canal and to ride a gondola so bad.

I wanted my daughter to love her first trip to Italy so I reserved for a hotel located near the Grand Canal. I found a three star guesthouse so-called Hotel Antiche Figure and we stayed there for a few days. I pleaded a guestroom overlooking the Grand Canal for I knew my daughter would love that. I had to pay extra for that, which was not a problem, since it has an startling view and the room itself was shipshape and air-conditioned. Breakfasts were pretty good also just okay for a three star guesthouse, plus the hotel staff, especially the receptionist was very amicable and accommodating. My daughter asked stacks of questions but still the girl on the front desk was willing to give answers though she almost run out of gens to share. All in all, the hotel was gorgeous, the city (Venice) was splendid and our visit there was one-of-a-kind.