The names of international and Italian celebrities make a small list in the break up of George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis. Around the story is Christian Vieri, showgirl Belen Rodriguez and Italy’s favourite gay television star and Chi magazine director, Alfonso Signorini.

The latter was working with Elisabetta Canalis on Italian television when the break-up occurred and tells his side of the story of what happened two days ago. Interviewed in the Italian press, Signorini was asked:

Was everything going well?
Yes, I’m astonished. The news is a surprise even for me.

Tell us what happened.

Continue reading: George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis break up - the details

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In news from Italy this week we get everything from the possibility of natural disasters to gossip over Italian football coaches and in the meantime you’d think Carla Bruni was Italy’s first lady for all the attention she gets in the press here. See the news below:

AC Milan coach Allegri illegally parks in Milan

We’ve seen the kind of parking that is “acceptable” in Rome, and while Milan is a busy city too, generally the northerners are slightly more disciplined. In the photo above, though, we see AC Milan coach, Massimiliano Allegri parking in a no-parking zone near a pedestrian crossing, in the opposite direction to a one-way street. And nearly risking an accident as he pulls away in his Audi A1.

A Roman Holiday for earthquake scare

After news broke that Lazio and Rome was facing a possible earthquake, the city either went into fright or went into holiday mode. With people avoiding built-up areas (and therefore office blocks), when the earthquake never really happened, a figure of 20 percent absenteeism from work in Rome was recorded. Apparently excuses displayed in closed shop windows included the following: “closed for family reasons”, “closed for wedding”, and simply “reopening tomorrow”.

More news from Italy this week after the jump.

Continue reading: AC Milan coach parks illegally and Woody Allen says Carla Bruni is pregnant

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This fantastic picture of traffic in Rome shows what it means to drive in Italy and battle the streets of its capital city. The picture comes with news that Italian actor Max Giusti has joined forces with the “Coordinamento dei Motociclisti” association of Rome to get special lanes dedicated to motorcycle and scooter traffic. The aim is to provide a safer environment for scooter riders in Rome - and seeing this image, it’s probably something that needs to be done.

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Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western music gets a revival with a pop-spaghetti western flavour from Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi. Their new album ROME revisits the classic film scores and the duo did it faithfully; with a passion for “vintage Italian soundtracks” they wanted to recreate the recording experience of the original scores, too.

The result is an album made with some of the original musicians who worked in the 1960’s and 70’s film genre, specifically on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and that was recorded at Rome’s Forum Studios, founded by Ennio Morricone.

The music was recorded directly to tape using original equipment and the only real modern addition are the voices of Nora Jones and Jack White from the White Stripes. The ROME ablum has been five years in the making and will be released this month. Watch the video to see how this amazing project came about (more videos after the jump) and see the Rome Album website to listen to samples and order a copy.

Continue reading: Modern spaghetti western music by Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi

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Legumes bring good luck in Italy and the best example is the classic “cotechino e lenticchie” at New Year’s Eve where the lentils are said to promise good fortune (literally, money!) in the coming year. Generally Italians also prepare a broad bean and pecorino cheese dish for May 1st to bring good luck, but to expand our “fave” repertoire, here is another Italian recipe using broad beans.

While the legume itself might be healthy, the rest of this traditional Roman dish isn’t but it was made back in the days of Italian nonne who weren’t so concerned about their figures. For ingredients, this traditional Italian cooking recipe uses: 300 gr of sausage, 300 gr of pork cut for casserole, 500 gr of broad beans, 50 gr of lard, six slices of stale bread, chopped parsley, sage, mint, oil and salt and pepper.

To prepare, fry the lard in a little oil and then add the chopped herbs. Remove the skin from the sausage and break it up a little, then add to the lard, browning slightly. Add the pork as well and cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes. If it dries out, add some water.

If using dried broad beans, they need to have been soaked in water, otherwise use fresh ones with the skin removed. Add to the meat mixture and dust with a little salt and pepper. In the meantime, toast the bread and add a little olive oil. Remove the casserole from the flame and serve with the bread on the side.

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Specially created for the notte bianca event which took place in Florence on April 30, the Tape Florence is a surprising work of art. Entirely made of technological materials, this futuristic sculpture, which looks like a huge transparent cocoon, is the brainchild of Numen/For use, a group of young artists (i.e. Sven Jonke, Christoph Katzler and Nikola Radeljkovic) who work between Vienna and Zagreb; the installation made up of layers of transparent adhesive tape is on view at the beautiful palazzo Strozzi which, with its Renaissance architecture, seems to underscore the distinctive characteristics of the sculpture. But the big news is that this time visitors can take off their shoes, step inside the installation and become an integral part of it. The enclosed video shows the artists at work.

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“Semo romani” said in Roman dialect and meaning “we are Romans” was a phrase often seen on posters last weeked during the beatification of Pope John Paul II. He was perhaps the one Pope that the locals adopted as a Roman - because he considered himself to be one and adopted the city as his own.

Pope John Paul II made an effort to speak in Italian from the first speech he ever made as Pope, and in fact the Italians remember with affection the words “se sbaglierò, mi corrigerete” (which should read “corregerete”). Those words soon became more than just an effort to speak to the locals of the city hosting the Vatican state, and soon became examples where the Pope even dabbled in some Roman dialect.

The Pope first used some Roman dialect in a response to a priest who had jokingly asked him why the Pope who spoke all the languages of the world, didn’t speak a little local dialect, too. Karol Wojtyla’s was the only response to such a question. But it’s not just about language. Pope John Paul II visited all 300 of Rome’s churches during his time as Pope.

Continue reading: The Pope speaks Roman dialect: beatification of John Paul II

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Famous across the globe for the beauty of its landscape, the picturesque village of Sant’Agata sui due golfi enjoys a breathtaking view over the Galli island and the two gulfs which separate Positano from Sorrento. Located in the heart of this old village, there’s a luxury hotel called Relais Don Alfonso 1890 which is a true corner of paradise; with its 8 suites beautifully decorated (the colour palette ranging from pink and yellow to white and orange) and elegantly furnished with antiques underpinning the aristocratic origin of the palace in which the hotel is set, the Relais Don Alfonso has plenty to offer; from the restaurant –best known for its Mediterranean cuisine and the huge picture windows that allow the tables to be bathed in warm southern light- to the Poet’s house, a lodge named after poet Salvatore Di Giacomo who used to spend his long summer holidays there, enjoying, like a true poet, the delights of the surrounding gardens.

Luxury Hotels near Amalfi and Sorrento: Relais Don Alfonso 1890

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Deadline has just published the news that Italian director/actor Roberto Benigni, famous throughout the world for La vita è bella, a film which landed him an Oscar in 1997, will join the cast of Woody Allen’s new film The Wrong Picture which is being filmed here in Italy. If the news is confirmed (according to the above website the announcement will be made at the upcoming Cannes film festival where Woody Allen will present Midnight in Paris) Roberto Benigni will have the opportunity to work alongside several well-established actors such as Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz and Alec Baldwin.

Source | Deadline

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Sergio Corbucci’s classic Django will get a remake in a new Quentin Tarantino spaghetti western to be called Django Unchained. The Italian actor Franco Nero, who appeared in the original, will be enlisted for the Tarantino remake, which could be as violent as the first film. Other actors said to appear in the new film are Christoph Waltz and Keith Carradine.

The Tarantino-Nero collaboration is only rumoured at this stage, but is also said to be reciprocated with Tarantino agreeing to appear in turn in a new Nero spaghetti western production. Tarantino will apparently play a cameo role as a bandit in Enzo Castellari’s The Angel, The Ugly and The Wise, itself a tribute to Sergio Leone. Tarantino has previously made Inglorious Bastards, which was made in 2009 and was inspired by Castellari’s 1977 film of the same name.

Source | Cineblog.it

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