mariella radaelli

Naso: the roots of Lady Gaga

Born Joanne Stefani Germanotta, Lady Gaga was raised in Manhattan, but her melodramatic excess and sense of the theatrical baroque might spring from...

June 13, 2018

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Sardinia’s Carloforte: meeting with remarkable men

There is a remote island of resilient men in southwestern Sardinia. It is called San Pietro and legend has it that St. Peter visited in 46 AD. The...

May 30, 2018

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Castelbuono: the miracle of manna and the holy skull

Pinned like a medieval brooch on the slopes of Mount Milocca, Castelbuono is the leading producer of manna in all the Mediterranean region. In this...

April 19, 2018

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Ferla, treasure trove of the Hyblaean Mountains

The road into the Hyblaean Mountains snakes left and right, hugging the hillsides as the flora turns from spartan scrubland to holm-oak forest. It's...

April 4, 2018

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Vibrant life, volcanic tales and viticulture at Zafferana Etnea

Springtime is on the way in Zafferana Etnea, the pearl of Etna. Buds on the cherry trees are plumping up and soon the first will burst, starting a...

March 20, 2018

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Bussana Vecchia, where artists brought quake village back to life

Early one morning in 1959 a ceramic artist from Turin known simply as Clizia arrived in Bussana Vecchia, a medieval hilltop village about five miles...

February 20, 2018

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Sweet success of licorice, Rossano’s ‘black gold’

Even in the time of the Ancient Greeks, Calabria’s s soil and climate had already proved ideal for growing long, thick and sweet licorice roots...

February 2, 2018

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Magnificent Muro Lucano, buds of hope after battles

There are well-kept secrets hidden behind the southern Appennine Mountains in the remote, charming village of Muro Lucano, set amid the rugged beauty...

December 15, 2017

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Fubine Monferrato: a colorful journey to ‘infernot’

Fubine is evocative in autumn with the deep reds, yellows and browns of fallen leaves. You hear the crackle underfoot as you walk the countryside...

October 24, 2017

mariella radaelli

All Around Italy

Partinico and Alcamo, Sicily: poetic path to Via Frank Zappa

Ironically enough, musical genius Frank Zappa and a 13th century poet, Cielo d’Alcamo, had some important things in common. These artists so vastly...

October 11, 2017

mariella radaelli