Discerning The Heavenly Life As The Romans Do

What many people denounce about the American way of life is that it is too fast-paced, that most Americans are so pre-occupied with their work that they often forget to take things freely and to lay back even for just a while. This is the reason many tourists would rather go or live in other places where the people know how to cherish the social scene and in this respect, no country knows it better than Italy. If by now, you are very curious about how Italians cherish their lives and take things freely, you should read the book "As The Romans Do" by Alan Epstein.

"As The Romans Do" reveals all the supreme things about living in Rome, the old great Italian capital. The enlightening book depicts the fabulous experiences of the author, Alan Epstein, since he lived in Rome in 1995. By reading "As The Romans Do," you will get to identify the way of life of every Italian and what lies behind their routinary cafe scenes, passion for the arts, indulgence in fabulous food, and of course, unexplainable charm to foreigners. "As The Romans Do" also tells the oddity that lives in Rome: a city that is both Christian and pagan, also Middle Eastern and Western at the same time.

Italy Excellently Prevails in The Oscar Record

In more than 70 years of existence of the Academy Awards, no country has ever defeated the record of Italy for having the most number of hits winning. Italy now owns the record for having 12 grandiose movies winning Best Foreign Language Film in the past 60 years. Well, this is not really that surprising since Italy was the first country to ever rake in the award when it was introduced in 1947, particularly when "Shoeshine," directed by the genius Vittorio De Sica, achieved the trophy. To top it off, Italy once again got the exceptional honor in 1949 when De Sica made his arresting film, "The Bicycle Thief."

In 1956, as a formal category, Italy won again when "La Strada," directed by the film supreme Federico Fellini, achieved the honor. The Italian film honor was repeated the following year through Fellini's imaginative work, "Nights of Cabiria," and in 1963.

What followed were legions of Oscars through the film of Italian supremes De Sica and Fellini. De Sica achieved an Oscar for "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" in 1964 and for "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" in 1971, while Fellini achieved an Oscar in "8 1/2" in 1963, and Amarcord in 1974.

Other amazing Italian movies winning this very exceptional award were "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" by Elio Petri in 1970, "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso" by Giuseppe Tornatore in 1989, "Mediterraneo" by Gabriele Salvatores, and "Life Is Beautiful" by Roberto Benigni in 1998.

Healthy Recipe For Scrumptious Italian Treat

I love pasta -- anything with noodles and red spreads just makes me go crazy, as I binge for more of Italy's quintessential dishes. But lately, I've been stuck in this alarming challenge after my fitness trainer warned me of my weight. I've been trying to keep away from my beloved serving of pepperoni pizza and lasagna, yet, what can I do when it's all I think about? So before my longing turns into depression, I must thank my buddy, Pia, for giving me such a fine alternative. I'm not talking about veggies here, but real pasta still with sweet and peppery red tomato spreads, only without meat.

Italian recipes, according to Pia, doesn't always have to hurt my diet with more calories, when there are a nice variety of ingredients to replace the meat. I wouldn't agree, of course, if this healthy food would compromise the great Italian taste, until she served me the scrumptious meal she called "Lasagne Magro." This is an original food typically present in Southern Italy for people who enjoy great food, but are also conscious about their health. This is totally meatless with ricotta and different brands of cheese as alternatives for a lighter diet, though it is just as scrumptious as the meaty serving. Obviously, I can't single out much the difference, when all I could taste are crisp onions, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. This is a great low-fat Italian course, while my good friend, Pia, said that pasta should not be rinsed after cooking, so the starch would stick to the multi-layered pasta.

Be More Informed with the Prada Fashion

I know what your choice bag is---made of leather, durable, quality-ensured, and most of all, made from Italy! When talking about leather things, the tag Prada is so loud that perhaps even deaf people can hear. Of course, you may notify me that you don't care because you just wear whatever you want without knowing who the designer is or his story. Well, have you not ever marveled how the name Prada became so influential?

The authentic Prada designer was discovered in 1913, but the name still survives even today, thanks to the work of the granddaughter Prada. Miuccia Prada is the granddaughter of the original Prada designer and the one who heads the kin business and recreates the original styles into the ones we know today. Together with her husband who is in charge the retail and commercial divisions of the business, Miuccia has been busy in creating and integrating details into the designs, in an effort to keep the minimalist yet luxurious standards that the brand is commonly known for.

Actually, the things Prada started with were women's wear and men's wear. As the 1990s came into the picture, plenty of things have been added to the line, including cosmetics and underwear. But among the products of Prada, the leather items and shoes are reported to comprise a huge portion of sales.

An Invariable Hotel in Contemporary Italy

If you are going on a plane journey bound for historic Italy, a good place to land is on the place of Bologna, which has a fairly wide airport, the Giuseppe Marconi Airport. From there, it only takes up 15 minutes of driving to be able to make it to the nearest hotel of the town, the Tre Vecchi Hotel.

The hotel is quite old, nearly 300 years, but that has not stopped this historic Italian landmark from regularly providing excellent service to its many guests. It has very advanced rooms which have been designed using only quality wood and highlighted by light-colored draperies. Standard equipments are available in every room although the accepted variety is often known to contain either a single queen's bed or two single beds. Additionally, jacuzzis can also be considered in the bathroom, usually supplemented by hand showers.

Perhaps, what makes the Tre Vecchi Hotel such an invariable landmark amidst the transforming lifestyle in Italy is its location. Located quite near the Bologna Railway Station, the hotel is definitely the most convenient impermanent resting place for travelers in Bologna. The area has many historic monuments and when one is booked at the Tre Vecchi, driving to see these Bologna sites will only take about five minutes.

Indeed, with such interests, it is no wonder that the Tre Vecchi Hotel continues to be sieged by guests wanting to see beautiful Italy.