The Castelli Romani are home to the wealthiest citizens in Lazio according to the report published on tax returns in 2023 by the Ministry of Economy and Finance Rome does not rank first in terms of the highest average income per capita Here’s where Lazio’s wealthiest citizens live It ranks first for its 29,724 euros in average per capita income Although it is less well known than Frascati Grottaferrata is famous for its beautiful villas often purchased by soccer players and other show business personalities It is part of the Castelli Romani area and contains a monastery founded in 1004 by St Nilus of Rossano (the Abbey of Santa Maria di Grottaferrata) Nilus was built on an ancient Roman villa given to the Basilian monks by the Count of Tusculum The name “Grottaferrata” comes from the iron grates that protected a Roman crypt (Crypta Ferrata) located on the site of the abbey View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fabrizio Iozzo (@fabrizioiozzo) with its 27,484 euros average income per capita It is a charming medieval village located about 30 km from the capital in the heart of the Agro Veientano and Veio Regional Park the town is an ideal destination for those wishing to explore the traditions and landscapes of Lazio Formello’s name comes from the Latin word “forma,” which indicated the conduits dug by the Etruscans to drain water On 10th September the Municipality of Grottaferrata (Rome Italy) posthumously conferred honorary citizenship on Chiara Lubich an award that tangibly renewed the friendship between the founder of the Focolare Movement and this place she held so dear where the first centres of the Movement were located current President of the Movement received the plaque a place to “gather people with different vocations into a single people” which led her to perceive in the area of “Castelli Romani” a fertile ground where everything could flourish and a meeting room was inaugurated at Villa Maria Assunta a beautiful house made available to the Focolare Movement by the Marquise Rossignani Pacelli A house that soon became the heart of the Movement the lively and fervent “Mariapolis” or “little town of Mary” Chiara Lubich spent some periods in Grottaferrata during the years from 1956 to 1964 Images of a story guided by God and recalled by Margaret Karram on the occasion of the ceremony of conferring the posthumous honorary citizenship of Grottaferrata on Chiara Lubich on 10th September The ceremony was followed by the screening of the docufilm “Chiara Lubich: Love wins everything” Also present were the director of the film the producer Luca Barbareschi and the actress Valentina Ghelfi A sense of community and fraternity pervaded the appointment which had already been scheduled for 2004 and then postponed due to Chiara’s illness and death could also become a unique “means of communion” for the public life of a city where the “search for the common good” remains the main objective What seems an arduous journey finds its confirmation in “unity through love” and in the unpublished words that Chiara would have liked to use in receiving this recognition which come back to us thanks to the voice of Margaret Karram: “I would like to propose the Art of Loving to all those present and in particular to the citizens of Grottaferrata so that we can help each other live it and spread it everywhere “ A legacy which is for each of us and of which each as the President of the Focolare Movement concluded “does not stop at the borders of our cities but extends in relationships of collaboration with other Municipalities creating an ever brighter network of cities which give a witness of fraternity” and website in this browser for the next time I comment By submitting this form you agree that this site stores and manages your data You also agree to our privacy policy and to receive emails according to the preferences you have expressed Remember that you can unsubscribe or change these at any time ‘Bel Espoir’ set sail in March 2025 from Barcelona (Spain) and will continue its voyage until October Its route will link five shores of the Mediterranean eight groups of twenty-five young people of various nationalities cultures and religions that share a common desire to build a better world They will live together and get to know each other Among them are traveling twenty Living Peace ambassadors and other young people from the Focolare Movement She is involved in the MediterraNEW project which works for the education of young people predominately migrants in the Mediterranean Patricia and their two children are an Argentinian family the Latin-American branch of the university institute that is based in the international little town of Loppiano (Italy) they began to research their roots among the indigenous peoples and this gave rise to a strong commitment in intercultural dialogue The 2025 edition of the traditional youth festival in the Focolare citadel If you would like more information or to get in touch with us By submitting this form you agree that this site saves and manages your data Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Metrics details FTIR-ATR spectra (400–3750 cm−1) of human skeletal remains: (A) rib1 fragment from the Aebutia’s sarcophagus and A1; (B) cranium1 specimens from the Aebutia’s sarcophagus, with and without white concretions; (C) rib1, 2, 3 fragments from Aebutia’s sarcophagus and comparison with modern human bone (femur) burned at 1000 °C (F1000) and unburned; (D) comparison of FTIR-ATR spectra of vertebrae2, 3, 4 from Aebutia’s sarcophagus. FTIR-ATR spectra (400–3750 cm−1) of human skeletal remains from individual A1 (with and without white concretions): (A) vertebrae5 specimens; (B) pelvis specimens The spectra of fragments of white rock1 fragment1 and of the rock2 fragment beneath the bones are also shown 9 and 10 found inside Aebutia’s sarcophagus located in the central area of the skeleton carpal and cranium1 were unburned; (ii) bones from A1 appear as burned—at ca and at temperatures higher than 900 °C for cranium2 and radius such as the one affecting the human remains of Aebutia Quarta and Carvilius Gemellus could be related to the attempt to better preserve the body of these members of an important family during such display we have investigated the possible burning conditions to which skeletal remains from the “Hypogeum of the Garlands” were exposed using a combination of vibrational spectroscopic techniques—inelastic neutron scattering (INS) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR-ATR) and Raman spectroscopies for the determination of the temperatures and the burning conditions of the bones despite the presence of deformation and blackening of some skeletal areas Our results confirm that Aebutia underwent an embalming process by applying oils or waxes which were identified through the presence of spectral biomarkers from fatty acid esters the central area of the body shows signs of exposure to a low temperature and localized heat source (< 200 °C) distinct heating conditions were unveiled according to the INS and FTIR-ATR data showing burning temperatures that span from ca The oxygen availability during the heating events differed for these distinct skeletal remains yet suggesting a prevalently anaerobic burning compatible with cremation of the body no traces of oils/waxes are detected for this individual with respect to Aebutia Quarta and Carvilius Gemellus that did not entail embalming of the corpse the vibrational spectral data gathered for these samples (both optical and neutron-based) allow us to retrieve important and unique information regarding burial habits and ancient Roman funerary practices this methodological investigation can provide objective data that is complementary to the use of the classic chromatic scale for determining the maximum temperature reached were found piled up on the floor and present evident heating traces; in this case the measurements are equally distributed along the skeleton using a Bruker Optics Vertex 70 FTIR spectrometer purged by CO2-free dry air and a Bruker Platinum ATR single reflection diamond accessory A liquid nitrogen-cooled wide band mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector and a Ge on KBr substrate beamsplitter were used for the mid-IR interval (400–4000 cm−1) These data were obtained for very small bone splinters carefully scraped from each bone sample in the fracture area applying the 3-term Blackman–Harris apodization function yielding a wavenumber accuracy better than 1 cm−1 The Opus 7.2 software was used to correct the spectra regarding the wavelength dependence of the penetration depth of the electric field in ATR Spectra were sequentially recorded between 4500 cm–1 and 400 cm–1 with a resolution of 2 cm–1 The spectra were recorded at room temperature with 128 scans to reduce the background noise Handling and investigation of the archaeological samples were conducted within the procedural guidelines of the curating organization and none of the techniques used in this work are considered to be destructive in nature Measurements were duly authorized by the Central Institute and by Professor Mauro Rubini (Anthropology Service Belle arti e Paesaggio per le Province di Frosinone e Latina SABAP-LAZIO MIC—Ministero Italiano della Cultura) co-author of the paper and the one who formally authorized the essentially non-destructive analysis of ancient finds in full compliance with the ethical rules approved by the Italian Anthropological Association Comune di Grottaferrata. Carta Archeologica Monumentale, Scheda Analitica n. 268. http://www.osservatoriocollialbani.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Sito-268.pdf L’ipogeo Delle Ghirlande a Grottaferata (Roma): Una Storia Vissuta 2000 Anni Fa (Archaeopress Una Breve Annotazione Riguardo L'ipogeo Delle Ghirlande Presso Grottaferrata (RM) (2007) L’Ipogeo Delle Ghirlande a Grottaferrata: Un Esempio Di Sepoltura Di Età Romana Imperiale (Arbor Sapientiae Editore Indagini Archeopalinologiche e Archeometriche Preliminari Nell'Ipogeo Detto Delle Ghirlande a Grottaferrata (Roma) (2010) Ackers, H. I. The representation of wigs in roman female portraiture of the late 2nd to 3rd century AD. Babesc 94, 211–234. https://doi.org/10.2143/BAB.94.0.3286787 (2019) Miseria e nobiltà nell’area extraurbana a sud-est di Roma in età imperiale Conference proceedings: “Nono Incontro di Studi sul Lazio e la Sabina” Ghini e Zaccaria Mari (Lavori e Studi della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Lazio The structure of bone studied with synchrotron x-ray diffraction x-ray absorption spectroscopy and thermal analysis Bone mineral: Evidence for hydroxy groups by inelastic neutron scattering Detection of hydroxyl ions in bone mineral by solid-state NMR spectroscopy Implications of heat-induced changes in bone on the interpretation of funerary behaviour and practice Burned bones tell their own stories: Methodological approaches to assess heat-induced diagenesis: A review Profiling of human burned bones: oxidising versus reducing conditions Heat-induced bone diagenesis probed by vibrational spectroscopy The impact of moderate heating on human bones: An infrared and neutron spectroscopy study First analysis of ancient burned human skeletal remains probed by neutron and optical vibrational spectroscopy Gestes et pratiques funéraires autour des inhumations en fosse d’enfants en Afrique romaine à l’époque païenne Types de Tombes et Traitement du Corps des Enfants Dans L’antiquité Gréco-romaine (ed Pedrosa, M., Ferreira, M. T., de Carvalho, L. A. E. B., Marques, M. P. M. & Curate, F. The association of osteochemometrics and bone mineral density in humans. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24283 (2021) Infrared and isotopic evidence for diagenesis of bone apatite at Dos Pilas Green synthesis of calcium carbonate with unusual morphologies in the presence of fruit extracts An infrared and Raman spectroscopic study of gypsum at high pressures History of Human Life Span and Mortality (Akadémiai Kiadó Raccomandazioni per la determinazione dell’età e del sesso sullo scheletro Recommendations for age and sex diagnosis of skeletons Sex determination by discriminant function analysis of crania Importance de certains mesures craniennes (en particulier de la longuer sagittale la mastoide) dans la determination sexuelle des cranes Sexual differentiation in the innominate bone studied by multivariate analysis Sex determination of prehistoric Central California skeletal remains using discriminant analysis of the femur and humerus A new method for assessing the sex of fragmentary skeletal remains: femoral shaft circumference A simple univariate technique for determining sex from fragmentary femora: its application to Scottish Short Cist population La determinazione del sesso mediante analisi multivariata di caratteri metrici della tibia Etude sistematique en function de l’age de l’os spongieux et de l’os cortical de l’humerus et du fémur Reconstruction of Life from the Skeleton (A.R Ectocranial suture closure: A revised method for the determination of skeletal age at death and blind tests of its accuracy Multifactorial determination of skeletal age at death: A method and blind tests of its accuracy The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine (Springfield Trotter, M. & Hixon, B. B. Sequential changes in weight, density and percentage ash weight of human skeletons from an early foetal period to old age. Anat. Rec. 179, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.1091790102 (1974) ISIS Facility INS/TOSCA. https://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/tosca.aspx Vibrational spectroscopy with neutrons: A review of new directions Recent and future developments on TOSCA at ISIS ISIS Facility INS/MAPS. https://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk/Pages/maps.aspx Upgrade to the MAPS neutron time-of-flight chopper spectrometer Mantid: Data analysis and visualization package for neutron scattering and μSR experiments QFM-UC website. University of Coimbra. http://www.ci.uc.pt/qfm/ CREF website. https://cref.it/ https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/869-188700 Charred bone: Physical and chemical changes during laboratory simulated heating under reducing conditions and its relevance for the study of fire use in archaeology Autofluorescence of experimentally heated bone: potential archaeological applications and relevance for estimating degree of burning Download references We also acknowledge the Central Institute and Italian Ministry of Culture for authorization CREF – Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche Enrico Fermi “Molecular Physical Chemistry” R&D Unit G.F.—planning of experimental measurements preparation of figures and tables; M.R.—sample choice osteological analysis and responsible for the samples interpretation of the results and manuscript writing; P.Z.—sample identification interpretation of the results and manuscript writing; A.G.—contribution to manuscript preparation; N.L.—contribution to manuscript preparation; S.F.P.—measurement of the INS data and contribution to manuscript preparation; G.R.—measurement of the INS data writing of the manuscript and interpretation of the results; L.A.E.B.C.—FTIR and Raman measurements and spectroscopic data analysis; M.P.M.—spectroscopic data analysis (INS interpretation of the results and manuscript writing All authors have read and agreed to the submitted version of the manuscript The authors declare no competing interests Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07689-0 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science The Saint of the Day presents a daily calendar of Saints remembered by the Church The pages feature the stories of the great witnesses of Christian life through the centuries he developed a taste for the bolognese specialities so lovingly cooked by his mother and grandmother and carried his memory of them with him his whole life But Fellini didn’t love food on a merely sensory level; he adored the conviviality of mealtimes the atmosphere of sociability engendered by a table laden with meats and cheeses Even in huge banquet scenes like the one in Roma he ensured the food had been carefully prepared by caterers “We had twenty cooks working for that scene,” he told Variety “We keep reshooting as long as the food lasts—and the money.” He was a famously picky man, much like his British contemporary Alfred Hitchcock “I like now very simple foods but perfectly prepared That is the hardest to find.” he once observed “If you are going to have only rice or pasta with butter and cheese the pasta or rice must be first-quality and perfectly cooked and the Parmesan must be grated just as it is used.” Though he couldn’t resist his mother’s cappelletti in broth – small pasta parcels filled with pork and ricotta and served in stock – he always preferred rice and soups to pasta dishes there were exceptions: lasagne verde al forno was flavoured with saffron and “exactly two drops of grappa added just before serving” exploring Federico Fellini’s favourite places to eat in Italy the owner of Osteria del Fico Vecchio in Grottaferrata was a great friend to Fellini and spent many a mealtime chatting with the director “One of the times when Fellini took off his mask and was simply Federico was Christmas,” Ciocca wrote “Every year we spent Christmas Eve together at my house in the kitchen he wasn’t exactly the best; instead he chose the seat arrangements and dressed the table as he pleased Fellini visited Osteria del Fico Vecchio regularly especially when he was shooting a film at nearby Cinecittà Studios A lover of simple food made with care and attention the director often ordered a plate of scrambled eggs lightly cooked to retain that delicious creamy consistency the restaurant boasts a lush garden shaded by the broad leaves of an old fig tree Expect classic Roman dishes made with the finest ingredients A post shared by Osteria Del Fico Vecchio (@osteriadelficovecchio) When Fellini stepped inside Cesarian Ristorante for the first time he was just 19 and still working as a caricaturist – selling drawings to diners for a pittance so when he entered Cesarina and ate everything on the menu he was forced to confess that he wouldn’t be able to pay the bill “Nothing happened until all the customers left,” he told Variety not looking at me but flicking the tablecloth with a towel ‘One who has no money should not go to a restaurant’.” the owner who had ejected Fellini from the restaurant found the now emaciated 19-year-old wandering the neighbourhood She invited him inside and continued to feed him a full meal every day for an entire season Fellini organised the press conference for his film La Dolce Vita to take place inside the Cesarina transforming it into one of Rome’s most popular restaurants Sat at the gilded heart of the Eternal City it continues to attract visitors from all over the world You may need some time to digest the enormous menu which is divided into eleven sections: Starters Despite being raised in the northern town of Rimini in Emilia Romagna something Anna Dente from Osteria San Cesario can attest to the restauranter once met Fellini and was struck by his unpretentious attitude towards food Fellini had some rather eccentric dinnertime habits asking for a piece of parmesan whenever he sat down at a table always claimed Federico had been born with the smell of parmesan under his nose the main thing attracting diners to Osteria San Cesario is meat Anna Dente has a close relationship with an award-winning meat curer from the neighbourhood and always gets the best cuts If it’s a cosy candle-lit dinner you’re looking for Serving the best Tuscan cuisine outside of Tuscany Dal Toscano al Girarrosto on Via Germanico is famed for its Bistecca alla Fiorentina a braised steak cut from a rare breed of cow raised on the green hills of Tuscany’s Val di Chiana It was here the director drew a pencil sketch of owner Paola whom he eventually nicknamed “Blessed Paola of the Meatballs” Her delectable polpette can still be found on the menu today and are named after the director who was known for giving precise instruction on how a given dish should be prepared A post shared by Ristorante Dal Toscano (@ristorantedaltoscano) 1047921 Rimini RN (he and his family had several other addresses in Rimini) Fellini’s childhood in Rimini was the inspiration behind so many of his movies Perhaps his greatest tribute to the town was Amaracord a semi-autobiographical film about a young boy growing up in fascist Rimini in the 1930s a reflection of the tensions within the family also remembers the director’s habit of demanding very specific meals when he came to visit his family ‘I’m just arriving in a few hours in Rimini I want a cappelletti in broth.’ And for my mummy even when he became a world-famous director he still longed for the home-cooked dishes that had defined his youth Wanted in RomeMagazine Rome has paid tribute to Mary Gayley Senni the American founder of the city's rose garden with a plaque at the Roseto Comunale on the slopes of the Aventine hill The unveiling ceremony on Friday was attended by city officials and the grandchildren of the garden's founder who was born in Pittsburgh Mary, whose father James Gayley made his fortune in the US steel industry, arrived in Rome aged 18 on a Grand Tour of Italy with her mother and sister. During her time in Rome, Mary met an Italian count, Giulio Senni, who she would describe as her "one true love". After their wedding in New York in 1907, the couple began their married life in Rome before moving to the Senni family estate in Grottaferrata, about 20 km south-east of the capital. Mary Gayley Senni and Giulio Senni in 1907 It was at Villa Senni that the new countess developed her love of gardening with a particular passion for roses and irises were avid travellers and made frequent trips to the US and Europe A visit to the Parc de Bagatelle in Paris had a profound effect on Mary who decided that Rome should have its own rose garden In 1924 she presented Rome with its first collection of roses However she was unimpressed with the city's chosen location to plant them - in the Pincio corner of Villa Borghese - and requested that her beloved roses be returned to her. Eight years later, in 1932, Mary had better luck with the then governor of Rome, Prince Francesco Boncompagni Ludovisi, and a rose garden was created on the Oppian hill near the Colosseum. Plaque dedicated to Mary Gayley Senni at the Roseto Comunale Mary also established the prestigious Premio Roma to judge the most beautiful rose in the capital The rose garden on the Colle Oppio was destroyed during world war two but in 1950 the roses bloomed once more at the garden’s present site on the Aventine hill where the Jewish cemetery had been located from 1645 until being transferred to Campo Verano in 1934 During the war, the 10,000-sqm site overlooking the Circus Maximus had been transformed into a vegetable garden before remaining uncultivated until 1950 The city's Jewish community agreed to the creation of the rose garden at the once sacred location but stipulated that a stele be placed at each of the two entrances and that the paths be designed in the shape of the Menorah the traditional seven-branched Jewish candelabrum Mary Gayley Senni died in Rome on 14 March 1971 at the age of 87 together with her husband Giulio who died in 1949 Enjoying the spring blooms in Rome’s rose garden on the slopes of the Aventine Hill. pic.twitter.com/PiGFSxdeBt — Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) May 4, 2024 Serendipitously, in 2010, American author and Fulbright scholar Margaret Brucia was browsing through a collection of old handwritten letters at the Porta Portese flea market in Rome. She bought a handful of the letters, with the intention of cutting them up to make a collage, and took them home. However before picking up a scissors she decided to read one of them. The letter began: “Last night we had Albert Einstein for dinner...”. Brucia immediately abandoned any idea of cutting the letters and the following Sunday she returned to the same stall at Porta Portese where she purchased dozens of other letters from the same collection. The letters, more than 100 in total, were written between 1902 and 1937 by Mary's mother, a New York socialite named Julie Gardiner. Brucia made contact with Mary's family and soon came into possession of another stash of 100 letters written from Mary to her mother, which had recently been discovered by chance in an attic in Maine. All of a sudden Brucia had the entire exchange of letters between Mary and her mother, and her research led her gradually to Mary's grandchildren in New York, Maine and Rome. A plaque dedicated to Mary Gayley Senni was unveiled at the Roseto Comunale on 17 May 2024 but by chance I have come to know her intimately" Brucia said during the plaque unveiling ceremony last week at the Roseto Comunale where she was joined by Mary's grandchildren Mary Gayley Senni is remembered at the rose garden she founded almost a century ago as an "enterprising spirit and lover of flowers to which she dedicated her entire life" which hosts about 1,200 varieties of roses Cover photo: Roseto Comunale: Boris-B / Shutterstock.com Wanted in Rome ™ is member of the Wanted World Wide Ltd network.Click here to find out more about our Network or Follow us on social networks © 2025 / 2026 Wanted World Wide LTD Network Allegorical floats and parades at the Castelli Romani Between parades of allegorical floats and street performances even in Lazio everything is ready for the former Carnival of the post-Covid Though the province of Rome seems to offer many more ideas than the city where no major events have been announced yet a calendar full of appointments is expected Arlecchino and Pulcinella had to wait for the long wave of the Coronavirus to pass It wasn't a "joke" when the pandemic really came from China in the winter of 2020 and many of the parades and carnival parties were cancelled where an attempt is made to return to the glitz of the pre-Covid era preparations are underway four allegorical floats will parade through the town four times as far as St Peter's Square "and we are certain that they will be an important tourist attraction - says Daniele Sereni head of communication for the Artepassione association which deals with the organization of the Carnival - And ' an important moment for the city and also for the economic induced” It is a tradition that the citizens of Civito claim to have preserved since the second half of the 1400s A real competition for the mask and the most beautiful group: "unfortunately this year there will be no allegorical floats because in May when the work to build the artifacts should begin there was no certainty that the parade would take place" he explains to "Agenzia Nova” Claudia Frezza who coordinates the “Cocorite” team one of the 22 groups that will compete for the primacy for a total of over 4 participants “Our group is made up of about 200 extras and we are all women it is not uncommon to find Romans among the masked people in organized groups But mainly tourists come from Rome to attend the three parades scheduled "during Shrove Tuesday and the two Sundays that precede it" At the Carnival of Civita all citizens participate “Each group has a board of directors – adds Frezza – who choose the theme to develop each group turns to its own stylist who prepares a draft which It is known that passion does not make discounts and a dress "costs each figure on average between 200 and 300 euros" The whole city lends itself to the event which with a very slow procession where everyone dances arrives in the historic center up to the town hall square after having rewarded the group and the most beautiful "free" mask the Puccio is "set on fire" with which the carnival closes also has important repercussions from an economic point of view for an induced sector that includes dozens of tailoring workshops full houses at the restaurants and commercial activities in the area a city chosen the finalists Grottaferrata (Rome) The awarding of the title took place yesterday in Rome with the following motivation: “The project presented by Subiaco offers an accurate range of proposals all aimed at the enhancement and dissemination of the book project starting from the revitalization and restoration of the great library heritage kept in its territory up to the use of new technological resources that will allow the new generations to approach with methods more in keeping with them a cultural world - mostly considered dusty and ancient - that can instead offer them many stimuli and surprises But this is not only the focus of the project one will be able to witness the creation of the first book printed in Italy in 1465 of which the original has been lost allowing the first Italian movable type printing press to be materially reconstructed There are many initiatives intended to make people discover protect and enhance the many artistic and architectural riches of the area starting from guided tours in museums with innovative audiovisual supports such as WhatsArt involving teachers and students of local schools All this with the important aim of introducing the long journey made by the book over the centuries to new generations uniting past and future in an interactive and attractive way for all can enlighten us in a new vision of culture as a form of humanity’s resistance.”The Jury appointed by Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli consists of Gian Arturo Ferrari (chairman); Roberto Alfatti Appetiti; Domenico Minuto; Susanna Tamaro and Simona Vinci the title provides funding of 500,000 euros from the General Directorate for Libraries and Copyright disbursed through the Center for Books and Reading to implement the project submitted by the city Subiaco presented the project Threshold of Paradise:Rethinking cultural heritage as a unified whole guiding visitors to sites toward a more complete and documented knowledge Here are that the priority lines of action of the candidacy are aimed both at enhancing the information heritage through the integrated network between municipal and school libraries and at better positioning in terms of tourism thus making visitors converge toward religious and cultural sites to be enjoyed through new publishing products necessary to enhance and transmit to future generations the material evidence of the past “The awarding of the title of ’Italian Capital of the Book’ comes just in the days when the Ministry of Culture turns 50 an excellent viaticum for an award that has confirmed its plural geographic and cultural vocation landscape and accent of Italy animated a competition in which all participating cities brought to bear their cultural and literary heritage,” Giuli added from the initial 20 entries to the 6 finalist cities And there is no doubt that Subiaco will live up to the title awarded to it with a program of events and initiatives capable of enhancing the local and national heritage of the book exalting the social value of reading and its vital relationship with the territory.” “The success of the MiC initiative with the General Directorate for Libraries and Copyright is confirmed by the ever-increasing demand for participation from municipalities: there were 20 candidate cities this year as it is clear that the promotion of books is now an important part in the enhancement of culture and territory,” concluded the director general of the Directorate General for Libraries and Copyright Paola Passarelli she has written for publications such as Delicious she has written travel guides to Italian wine destinations such as Bologna Central-western Italy’s Lazio region has proved a late starter but the current trend for small wineries bringing out the best in indigenous varieties is delivering impressive results especially in the hills just south and east of the country’s capital the wines are perfect partners for the strong-flavoured local cuisine – dishes such as carbonara pasta porchetta and offal that feature regularly on menus throughout the capital from Piazza Navona and Campo de’ Fiori to the village-like Trastevere neighbourhood The variety chosen for the rejuvenated city vineyard is Bellone a white enjoyed by Romans according to historian of the day Pliny the Elder who mentioned it in his encyclopaedic writings ‘We’re curious to see how the wine will turn out as the terrain on the Palatine Hill is very different to our own volcanic soils.’ Established in 1947, Cincinnato is a wine cooperative that’s drastically different to those of yesteryear Membership has been closed for two decades grapes are paid for not by weight but according to 20 quality parameters and considerable investments are made in equipment It’s located an hour’s drive southeast of Rome in Cori a charming village built on terraces with cobbled lanes weaving up through pretty piazzas to the majestic columns of the Tempio di Ercole (late 2nd-century BC) The celebrated Gardens of Ninfa are 10km away ‘We strongly believe in our local varieties, Bellone and Nero Buono di Cori,’ says Trisorio. Despite simplistic names, there’s nothing naive about the wines, Bellone making enticingly herby whites and Nero Buono intense ruby reds with chocolate and balsamic notes. At neighbouring winery Marco Carpineti amphora versions are made from old vines of both varieties the Carpineti family has also planted a vine maze opening next spring along with other multi-sensory vineyard experiences the hills of Castelli Romani have drawn city dwellers in search of fresh air and genuine flavours since ancient times It’s a fascinating area of Renaissance villas lovely lakes and 16 characterful towns each with its own tasty speciality Romans have come here for supplies of the local wine that’s celebrated each October in Marino with the historic Sagra dell’Uva wine festival and the recent leap in quality of the traditional Malvasia-based blends is impressive particularly for the two DOCGs: Frascati Superiore and late-harvest Cannellino di Frascati ‘It’s partly thanks to a shift from neutral Malvasia di Candia to less productive but more structured and aromatic Malvasia del Lazio.’ Likewise Trebbiano Toscano is being replaced by local Trebbiano Giallo and high-acid Ottonese (Bombino Bianco) with the vast consumer market of Rome so near such fertile land and regular sea breezes together with an old-fashioned cooperative culture there was no impetus to improve quality,’ adds Constantini is one of today’s many part-time producers pouring energy and enthusiasm into his family estate in Grottaferrata a town famous for its 11th-century Byzantine abbey Its prestigious Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot wine was first made with input from Tancredi Biondi Santi in the 1950s The grape finds its ideal home in the clay and volcanic soils of the hills a little further to the east of Rome around three centres located on different sides of the same hill: Piglio an appealing medieval village much-loved by landscape artists holds an annual Cesanese festival in late August which only ever serves Lazio labels – what better way to start exploring the local wine scene Waking up under giant reproduction wine labels and finding eight of your favourite wines chilling in place of the minibar, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re still dreaming, but no, this is par for the course at Hotel de’ Ricci Drag yourself away from such a paradise, stock up with pizza bianca, the local speciality focaccia, at Forno Campo de’ Fiori and say arrivederci to Roma to hit the road heading south for the Castelli Romani wine area just half an hour away Make your first stop at the Villa Simone winery near Monte Porzio Catone – in town there is an interesting wine museum that reopens in 2022 – to tap into the wisdom of local winemaker guru Lorenzo Costantini and try his wines From here it’s just five minutes to the hilltop town of Frascati, the main centre. Park in front of grand 16th-century Villa Aldobrandini and stroll through the historic centre to Osteria dell’Olmo for an informal lunch of porchetta and cheese served by colourful character Remigio In Castelli Romani you’re spoilt for choice with so many villas, villages and wineries to visit, so plan a return trip, but make time for the friendly Gabriele Magno winery at Grottaferrata Try the small range at the idyllic cellar ocation among the vines or at La Torretta villa surrounded by lush gardens pass scenic lake Albano to reach the charming hillside village of Cori the perfect place to stretch your legs and work up an appetite up steps and past frescoed churches to reach the site of the ancient Roman Tempio di Ercole with its striking columns and wide-open views Back down the hill, check in at the Cincinnato Wine Resort for a delicious dinner with the winery’s own olive oil and local-variety Bellone and Nero Buono wines before stretching out under the sheets against a bedhead made from wine barrels with postcard-pretty views of Cori through the window This wine-themed hotel is handily located near Campo de’ Fiori and is an easy walk from the central sights Each of the eight rooms has a personalised supply of wine and access to a list served via Coravin all-day meals and a prestigious cellar shared with top seafood restaurant Pierluigi An informal wine bar founded in 1895 in the animated Monti neighbourhood near the Colosseum The decor is warm yellow and wood and daily wines are served by the glass with simple dishes like spicy coppiette salami A traditional family-run trattoria with an all-Italian wine list – an ideal spot to try Roman classics including pajata (calf intestines) or rigaglie (chicken giblets) with pasta or the house speciality This historic bakery on the corner of the busy marketplace piazza is good for simple and crispy pizza bianca Rome’s favourite anytime snack; try the rossa version with tomato A cosy place near the Spanish steps serving genuine versions of typical dishes such as abbacchio lamb in various ways there is quality glassware and an extensive and informative list of labels at accessible prices This wine lover’s wonderland offers a variety of formulas from tasting flights to tasting dinners The Roscioli family also runs a popular deli-eatery Come for a drink and a hearty bite – think pizza slabs with meatballs A relaxing haven run by the Cincinnato winery in a beautifully converted farmhouse with simple stylish bedrooms and lovely views of the hillside village of Cori The restaurant (weekends only) serves fresh imaginative dishes using local ingredients Remigio serves his wine from the micro-cellar where it’s made picturesque piazza to prepare tasty bites such as porchetta buffalo mozzarella or ricotta and olives presented in vintage kitchenware A welcoming restaurant with a terracotta colour-scheme open fire and beamed ceiling plus two spacious terraces Come for traditional dishes including home-made bucatini all’amatriciana and a good choice of wines has direct trains to Termini station (30 mins) while Ciampino airport is 15km southeast of the city Frascati town lies about 20km to the southeast and Cori 30km further in the same direction Medievalists.net is the hero of several texts from the medieval and early modern periods and of several Modern Greek folk songs Six Greek and one Slavic version of the epic survive named after the monastery at Grottaferrata It has been argued that the long narratives are attempts to form a single cohesive story out of loosely connected songs about a hero who may have lived in the ninth century,during the reign of Basil I.The songs and epics of Digenes have been mined for historical information more often than they have been studied as works of verbal art Scholarship on the epic tends to favor a date of origin in the twelfth century based on societal structures portrayed in the text but a date closer to that of the Grottaferrata manuscript’s production circa 1300 is possible celebrating the frontier spirit that protected the Empire before it lost its vast Asian territories and an author attempting to celebrate a lost age might inadvertently reproduce the way of life of a more recent Elizabeth Jeffreys argues that parallel verses found in Grottaferrata and in twelfth-century texts demonstrate that “a version of the Digenis poem resembling G” was in existence in the twelfth century result from a common store of traditional oral formulae The texts of Digenes Akrites that we have tell us little or nothing of value about the time of Basil I but they do attest to the nostalgia with which later Byzantines thought of the time before the loss of the Empire’s eastern territories Digenes is a warrior of superhuman power who lives in the Empire’s far eastern regions The name Akrites means “frontiersman.” Though he exists at the borders between Christendom and Islamic lands there is not the slightest suggestion of religiously motivated war and the hero’s epithet literally means “born of two races.” His Christian name the great military leader who ruled from 976-1025 in what later generations would recall as the last glorious period in their civilization’s history before the defeat at Manzikert in 1071 and the ensuing loss of the Anatolian hinterland to the Turks The hero’s name thus has a cultural significance similar to that of the Spanish warrior commonly known as El Cid who shares the name Rodrigo with the last Visigothic king the emir voluntarily converts to Christianity out of love for Digenes’ future mother but there is never any hint of forced conversion and many of the hero’s enemies are Christian bandits The very circumstances of the emir’s conversion seem to tell us that the Christian poet for all the violence of his subject matter would have his religion spread through love or not spread at all A climate of religious coexistence is one of several traits shared by the Spanish and Byzantine frontier epics which I hope to demonstrate in this article indicate that Digenes Akrites came out of a milieu of cultural exchange as lively as the one inhabited by its characters Click here to read this article from Oral Tradition We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast and remove the advertising on our platforms This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce Member Login Grottaferrata, Italy - October 29, 2017 - At the end of October, the project "Oratorio on the road" was launched in the pastoral unit of Grottaferrata, near Rome, which aims to raise children in the style of Don Bosco. The initiative was launched by several Salesian Cooperators of the “Sacro Cuore” parish, one of three constituting the pastoral unit which until the 1960s was a Salesian parish; now diocesan, it has maintained the charism. ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007. This site also uses third-party cookies to improve user experience and for statistical purposes. By scrolling through this page or by clicking on any of its elements, you consent to the use of cookies. To learn more or to opt out, click "Further Information". Woman's 2000-year-old tomb uncovers beautiful memento she had made for her deceased sonWe all have things in life that remind us of those we have loved but lost This is one such story of a mother's undying love for her son In the olden days, people often carved mementos into stone. However, this particular memento was found in the tomb of this Roman noblewoman on her hand the face of the woman's deceased son was carved behind the stone It was a beautiful representation of a life loved and lost Roman “hologram” effect ring found in the grave of 1st century AD noblewoman, Aebutia Quarta. Thought to depict her son, Titus Carvilius Gemello, who died at age 18. Found at the Grottaferrata necropolis near Rome. pic.twitter.com/qWktHrgUb4 A post shared by Amazing Stories (@amazing_history4) It belonged to a 1st-century CE Roman noblewoman called Aebutia Quarta Her tomb was found in the year 2000 in Italy on the Grottaferrata site The tomb also had the remains of her son Carvilius Gemellus His remains showcased death due to some poisoning or injury The remains also proved that the young man died when he was only 18 years old and that he died before his mother did Since the remains of the mother and the child were covered in garlands of flowers their tomb is also known as the "Hypogeum of the Garland." 2,000-Year-Old Hologram Ring Features Face of 1st-Century Woman’s Deceased Son https://t.co/86KzgNml92 In today's world, a token like this is as impossible as it would probably be rare. This ring, which was probably made after the son's death and before the mother's, is a reminder of her love and grief. That is why this ring is now treated as a symbol of grief, love and craftsmanship. Scoop Upworthy is an independent news and lifestyle website sharing the best of humanity as part of the GOOD Worldwide family of publications.