 | The Festa Della Repubblica Opening Speech The Festa Della Repubblica or Italian National Day. Produced by Alessandro Sorbello http://www.alessandrosorbello.com for the Italian Consulate for Queensland and Northern Territory.Opening speech by Dr Francesco Capecchi, Consul of Italiy for Queensland and Northern Territory. Official reception June 2008 Brisbane QUT Art Musuem. Present The Honarable Grace Grace, Santo Santoro. The "Festa della Repubblica" is the Italian national holiday celebrated on the second day of June. It commemorates the institutional referendum of 1946 when (by universal suffrage) the Italian population was called to decide what form of government (monarchy or republic) to give to the country after the second world war and the fall of Fascism. After 85 years of monarchy, with 12,717,923 votes for and 10,719,284 votes against, Italy became a Republic, and the monarchs of the House of Savoy were deposed and exiled. This is one of the most important Italian national holidays which, like July 14th in France (Storming of the Bastille) and July 4th in the USA (Independence Day), celebrates the birth of the nation. All over the world Italian embassies hold celebrations with Heads of State of the host country. Heads of State from all over the world send congratulations to the President of the Republic. Special official ceremonies take place in Italy. Before the foundation of the Republic, the national holiday was on the first Sunday of June, anniversary of the Statuto (constitution) granted by the King Carlo Alberto of Savoy. History - In June 1948, the first military parade was conducted in via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome. In 1949, after the entry of Italy into the NATO, 10 more parades were conducted in different cities, such as Pordenone, Latina and L'Aquila. In 1950, for the first time, the parade was included in the celebrations for the Republic Day and in 1961, on the hundredth anniversary of the unity, it was also conducted in Turin and Florence, the first capitals of unified Italy. Because of Pope John XXIII's death in 1963, celebrations were postponed on 4 November. In 1965 a group of flags which took part in The Great War paraded to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the entry of Italy into the First World War. These flags, kept in The Vittoriano, were placed in command of Colonel Alberto Li Gobbi who was awarded with a gold medal for valour during the Second World War. The parade was also conducted during the protest of the early 70s. In 1976 it was suspended because of the earthquake in Friuli and it was replaced by a deposition of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In the meantime, groups of flags which had took part in the War of Liberation and Gonfalons of the cities awarded with gold medals for military valour had been introduced to the parade of 1975. These became permanent elements of 1983-89 parades. The Parade - At present, the ceremony consists of a deposition of a laurel wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, placed inside the Altare della Patria in Rome and of a military parade in the presence of the highest offices of the state. All Armed Forces, Police Forces, the Fire Brigade and the Italian Red Cross, along with some military delegations of the NATO and of the European Union, take part in the parade and in the deposition of the laurel wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony goes on in the afternoon with the opening to the public of the Palazzo del Quirinale Gardens, official residence of the President of the Italian Republic, and with concerts performed by the band of the Italian Army, Italian Navy, Italian Air Force, Carabinieri, State Police, Guardia di Finanza, Polizia Penitenziaria (Penitentiary Police) and Corpo Forestale dello Stato (State Forestry Department). |
 | Christopher Columbus and the "Fascist" Pirates The Showman Piero Angela talks: As usual at his time, Christopher Columbus was not speacking Italian language but his town Genova dialect and Spanish. But what the showman named "Genova dialect" in reality was a language. In fact at the time of Columbus Genova was a State, and Italy, as a State, did not exist and it was no history of it. And above all, the Renaissance Culture was based on Catholic Heresies, not compatible the Italian Culture. It wants a simple minded, a ninny to believe the Italian culture may have even a bit of the intellectual and heretical Renaissance cultural tradition. Colombo was not Italian, Leonardo was not Italian, Galileo was not Italian. The Universities teach that Galileo and Leonardo were Italians, host and defend the pirates fabricating documents in order to boycott the work of Italian scientists and inventors, forced to emigrate... ... while the U.S. Ambassador Ronald P. Spogli complains Copyrights from well known imposters and traditional counterfeiters... ... While Mr. Peter Popham on the Independent reports the situation of Italy like was an "unwanted mistake". It is not a mistake, this is what the people work for in Italy... Dear Ambassador, there are so many false degrees between Former Professors of the best University. I am sure the Ambassador would never accomplice in plagiarize intellectual culture, intellectual dignity or intellectual freedoms Would never accomplice of those criminals who fabricate false documents in the offices, and hiding the evidences in the courts of Justice, as Guido Papalia Prosecutor in Verona and Corrado Carnevai prosecutor in Milan Would never protect those professors of the Institute of Italian Culture (IIC) organizing Catholic propaganda in the universities worldwide America included Because it takes a pirate to teach Galileo was Italian. It takes a pirate with the motivation to plagiarize Reinassence culture and give scientific and intellectual dignity to a State that hasn't, but is reduced to a Catholic Intellectual Colony. Who is the forger? Who is the impostor? Who pays? There is a number of victims of the Pirates of the Italian Public Administration, the State of the CAZOO, but we are not "wops", We are victims and refugees persecuted by the Inquisition. Even worse than the sexual abuses we read sometime on the news. The Renaissance Culture was based on catholic Heresies, not compatible with the Italian Culture. |
 | Open Letter to Her Majesty Elizabeth II Concerning Freedom of Speach in the Universities For the attention of Her Majesty Elizabeth II Your Royal Highness, I am writing to inform concerning racism, discrimination and segregation of innocent people doing nothing wrong. Here I read from the Statute of Universities "These legal requirements are consistent with the University's long-established policy on freedom of speech and, in particular, with its public declaration that members of a University have a particular obligation not to seek to prevent the expression of opinion but to counter argument with argument and thought with thought.". Well, this is not matter of opinion but hiding and preventing people from reading Official documents, and is about organising intentional misinformation. My Concern starts with few simple questions: 1) Why the Universities world wide but also in the UK and teach that Italy is a country of scientist and inventors, with scientific traditions since Renaissance time, if in Italy is not possible Patent Technologies since Italy exists? 2) Why the Universities world wide but also in the UK teach that Galileo and Leonardo were Italians if Italy was established for the first time in 1861 as Savoy Kingdom of Italy? How could Galileo be Italian 300 years before? How Leonardo could be Italian 400 years before Italy was established? 3) Why people reading the Italian Patent form is treated like extremist, but not the people writing it? Few evidences and Observations. It is written in the Italian Patent Form in Italy cannot Patent technologies like diagnostic instruments, surgery, pharmacology, information technologies, software, How is it the Institutes of Italian Culture in the English Universities teach Italy is a scientific country with technological traditions since Renaissance? May be it was, but it is not now, not since Italy exists for real. Why people know only the History of Italy when Italy was not established yet, but don't know about Italy since Italy exists? In evidence Italy uses the Renaissance traditions, like Galileo and Leonardo, to cover up the contemporary regime of intellectual restrictions in science and technologies. Meanwhile an entire intellectual class is discriminated and expropriated of civil rights, and people is educated, better people is brainwash to believe Italy is a country of scientist and inventors despite in Italy was never patented any. Yes of course I do understand actually the reading the Italian Patent Form is like translating the Bible in Renaissance time, because "they" made people believe Italy is a country of scientist and inventors, and this is not true but the biggest lie ever. I do understand the Italian propaganda is miser and embarrassing, but in evidence the Italian Patent Form unveil the cultural brainwash, the Censorship concerning the fundamentals of the Italian Culture, the Italian corruption system. For Consequence, to be realistic, the Institutes of Italian Culture organise courses of Propaganda, intentional misinformation and discriminate and prevent people from reading and complaining the hidden Fundamentals of the Italian Culture and corruption. And, to be realistic, the professors of my degree ceremony did not confirm their signature on my degree neither the marks I had from them. And the Italian Police Inspectors of the Offices in Milan did not confirm hand delivered communications I had from them with their signature, reporting my address and the detail of my passport issued few months before from same offices. Her Majesty, I did not came in England to be homeless and Jobless, but despite the best opportunities I organised, not only they made me homeless and jobless in England but also prevent people from reading the fundamentals of the Italian Culture they hide. This is intentional misinformation, and this "culture" recalls the Inquisition rather than Renaissance intellectual thought. Where is the right of freedom of speech, if cannot even read Public Documents like the Patent Form, and the Universities only hide this "cultural detail" and prevent people from reading and understanding the consequences for the intellectual class without Intellectual Rights? Last I have sent a complaint to the Student Union, to the Professors of the Institutes of Italian Culture, to the vice Chancellor, and to the MP Secretary of State for High Education. But in conclusion I was not invited to see the Secretary of State during the meeting he organised last November with the students at the Leeds University. And from the Student Union I had an email informing "I would discourage you from writing to anyone more senior within the University if you still want the option of doing your PhD here in the future". Actually I am really sorry to inform the evidence of intellectual dishonesty, racism, discrimination and persecution of people doing nothing wrong. Your sincerely, Luca |
 | Cultural extravaganza in Florence Italy The Bargello, also known as the Bargello Palace or Palazzo del Popolo (Palace of the People) is a former barracks and prison, now an art museum, in Florence, Italy. Its collection includes Donatello's David and St. George Tabernacle , Vincenzo Gemito's Pescatore ("fisherboy"), Jacopo Sansovino's Bacco, Giambologna's L'Architettura and his Mercurio and many works from the Della Robbia family. Benvenuto Cellini is represented with his bronze bust of Cosimo I. The Uffizi Gallery (Italian: Galleria degli Uffizi), one of the oldest and most famous art museums in the world, is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a palazzo in Florence, Italy. The Palazzo degli Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices, the Tribunal and the state archive (Archivio di Stato). The project that was planned by Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany to arrange that prime works of art in the Medici collections on the piano nobile was effected by Francesco I, who commissioned from Buontalenti the famous Tribuna degli Uffizi that united a selection of the outstanding masterpieces in the collection in an ensemble that was a star attraction of the Grand Tour. |
 | Dom Serafini - Air date: 03-13-00 Dom (Domenico) Serafini was born in 1949 in the Italian fishing village and resort town of Giulianova. At the age of 18 he moved to New York, to study color televisin, which had fascinated him since the age of 14. In New York he first lived with his aunt Yole in a New York City suburb on Long Island. In New York, Serafini worked as a corrispondent for JCE Publications of Milan, Italy, while attending Empire State College at night. In 1971 Serafini expanded his contributions as a freelancer to a local newspaper, and eventually started working with large, international journals, like RadioWorld, and Videography, always writing about television. In 1977, Serafini became the Italian co-ordinator of the American magazine Consumer Electronics. Previously, in 1976 he had helped co-found for JCE publications' Millecanali, Italy's first professional television magazine. In 1978, he was appointed international editor of TV/Radio Age magazine. [edit] VideoAge and his breakthrough to L.A. In 1981, with the support of the American, Italian, French and Brazilian TV industries Serafini launched a professional TV trade magazine called VideoAge International. In 1982, Serafini introduced to the television industry the concept of "Market Dailies" (i.e., Daily publications published only during TV trade shows). Subsequently, he launched publications such as GameShow Magazine, for US consumers; TV Pro, France's first TV trade publication; TV Era, Latin America's first TV trade publication, and, in Italy, "Baseball Magazine," none of which succeeded. In 1983 he opened VideoAge's editorial office in Los Angeles. In 1988, VideoAge's New York editorial offices moved from its original East 51st street location to the present East 75th street location, which happened to be Andy Warhol's former residence. Currently, VideoAge is the only professional TV trade publication that doesn't require the use of sales people. However, VideoAge takes pride of its editorial staff. [edit] Published works: • Television Via Internet • AbruzzoAmerica (With Collaboration of Generoso D'Agnese) • Veltroni and I • The Ten Commandments for the TV of the future • "O Sole Mio" It's Now or Never • History of Television [edit] Political involvement and recent developments From 2001 to 2005, Serafini was an official advisor to the Italian Ministry of Communication. In 2006, Serafini ran to represent Italians expatriates in North America in the Italian Senate by co-founding an independent party. Although he lost, he put up a formidable fight, finishing third in most areas. Currently he writes about politics and television for several Italian, Canadian and American weekly and daily publications. www.domserafini.com |
 | Sensational Sicily Sicily is directly adjacent to the region of Calabria via the Strait of Messina to the east. The early Roman name for Sicily was Trinacria, alluding to its triangular shape. The Sensational Sicily Project http://www.SensationalSicily.com is a collaboration with the Region of Sicily, The Italian Chamber of Commerce, Alessandro Sorbello Productions http://www.alessandrosorbello.com and New Realm Media http://www.newrealm.com.au The volcano Etna, situated close to Catania, is 3,320 m (10,900 ft) high, making it the tallest active volcano in Europe. It is also one of the world's most active volcanoes. The Aeolian islands to the north are administratively a part of Sicily, as are the Aegadian Islands and Pantelleria Island to the west, Ustica Island to the north-west, and the Pelagian Islands to the south-west. Sicily has been noted for two millennia as a grain-producing territory. Oranges, lemons, olives, olive oil, almonds, and wine are among its other agricultural products. The mines of the Enna and Caltanissetta district became a leading sulfur-producing area in the 19th century but have declined since the 1950s. http://youtube.com/watch?v=NJAalPqBuFo&mode=related&search= Sicily is divided into nine provinces: Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Syracuse (Siracusa), Trapani History The original inhabitants of Sicily, long absorbed into the population, were tribes known to Greek writers as the Elymians, the Sicani and the Siculi or Sicels. Of these, the last were clearly the latest to arrive on this land and were related to other Italic peoples of southern Italy, such as the Italoi of Calabria, the Oenotrians, Chones, and Leuterni (or Leutarni), the Opicans, and the Ausones. It's possible, however, that the Sicani were originally an Iberian tribe. The Elymi, too, may have distant origins outside of Italy, in the Aegean Sea area. Phoenicians/Carthaginians, Greeks & Romans Sicily was colonized by Phoenicians, Punic settlers from Carthage, and by Greeks, starting in the 8th Century BC. The most important colony was established at Syracuse in 734 BC. Other important Greek colonies were Gela, Acragas, Selinunte, Himera, and Zancle or Messene (modern-day Messina, not to be confused with the ancient city of Messene in Messenia, Greece). These city states were an important part of classical Greek civilization, which included Sicily as part of Magna Graecia - both Empedocles and Archimedes were from Sicily. Sicilian politics was intertwined with politics in Greece itself, leading Athens, for example, to mount the disastrous Sicilian Expedition during the Peloponnesian War. The Greeks came into conflict with the Punic trading communities with ties to Carthage, which was on the African mainland, not far from the southwest corner of the region, and had its own colonies on Sicily. Palermo was a Carthaginian city, founded in the 8th century BC, named Zis or Sis ("Panormos" to the Greeks). Hundreds of Phoenician and Carthaginian grave sites have been found in necropoli over a large area of Palermo, now built over, south of the Norman palace, where the Norman kings had a vast park. In the far west, Lilybaeum (now Marsala) never was thoroughly Hellenized. In the First and Second Sicilian Wars, Carthage was in control of all but the eastern part of Sicily, which was dominated by Syracuse. In 415 BC, Syracuse became an object of Athenian imperialism as exemplified in the disastrous events of the Sicilian Expedition, which reignited the cooling Peloponnesian War. In the 3rd century BC the Messanan Crisis motivated the intervention of the Roman Republic into Sicilian affairs, and led to the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage. By the end of war (242 BC) all Sicily was in Roman hands, becoming Rome's first province outside of the Italian peninsula. The initial success of the Carthaginians during the Second Punic War encouraged many of the Sicilian cities to revolt against Roman rule. Rome sent troops to put down the rebellions (it was during the siege of Syracuse that Archimedes was killed). Carthage briefly took control of parts of Sicily, but in the end was driven off. Many Carthaginian sympathizers were killed— in 210 BC the Roman consul M. Valerian told the Roman Senate that "no Carthaginian remains in Sicily". For the next 6 centuries, Sicily was a province of the Roman Empire. It was something of a rural backwater, important chiefly for its grainfields, which were a mainstay of the food supply of the city of Rome. The empire did not make much effort to Romanize the region, which remained largely Greek. The most notable event of this period was the notorious misgovernment of Verres, as recorded by Cicero in 70 BC, in his oration, In Verrem. Byzantines In 440 AD Sicily fell to the Vandal king Geiseric. A few decades later, it came into Ostrogothic hands, where it remained until it was conquered by the Byzantine general Belisarius in 535. But a new Ostrogothic king, Totila, drove down the Italian peninsula and then plundered and conquered Sicily in 550. Totila, in turn, was defeated and killed by the Byzantine general, Narses, in 552. For a brief period (662-668), during Byzantine rule, Syracuse was the imperial capital, until Constans II was assassinated. Sicily was then ruled by the Byzantine Empire until the Arab conquest of 827-902. It is reported in contemporary accounts that Sicilians spoke Greek or Italo-Greek dialects until at least the 10th century, and in some regions for several more centuries. First Arab invasion of Sicily In 535, Emperor Justinian I made Sicily a Byzantine province, and for the second time in Sicilian history, the Greek language became a familiar sound across the island. As the power of the Byzantine Empire waned, Sicily was invaded by the Arabs in 652 AD. However, this was a short lived invasion and the Arabs left soon after. Arab control from Tunisia and Egypt In around 700, the island of Pantelleria was captured by the Arabs, and it was only discord among the Arabs that prevented Sicily being next. Instead, trading arrangements were agreed and Arab merchants established themselves in Sicilian ports. Then, in 827 a failed Sicilian coup against an unpopular Byzantine governor. Euphemius, a wealthy landowner, who overcame the imperial garrison in Siracusa, declared himself Emperor and invited the Aghlabid Emir of Tunisia to help him. The response was a fleet of 100 ships and 10,000 troops under the command of Asad ibn al-Furat, which consisted largely of Arab Berbers from North Africa and Spain. After resistance at Siracusa, the Arabs gained a foothold in Mazara del Vallo. Palermo fell after a long siege in 831, but Siracusa held out until 878. From 842 to 859 the Arabs captured Messina, Modica, Ragusa and Enna. In 902 Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold also fell to Arabs and by 965 all of Sicily was under Arab control and Palermo became one of the largest cities in the world. Emirate of Sicily Sicily was ruled by the Sunni Aghlabid dynasty in Tunisia and the Shiite Fatimids in Egypt. The Byzantines took advantage of temporary discord to occupy the eastern end of the island for several years. After suppressing a revolt the Fatimid caliph appointed Hassan al-Kalbi (948-964) as Emir of Sicily. He successfully managed to control the Byzantines and founded the Kalbid dynasty. Raids into southern Italy continued under the Kalbids into the 11th century, and in 982 a German army under Otto II was defeated near Crotone in Calabria. With Emir Yusuf al-Kalbi (990-998) a period of steady decline began. Under al-Akhal (1017-1037) the dynastic conflict intensified, with factions within the ruling family allying themselves variously with Byzantium and the Zirids. By the time of Emir Hasan as-Samsam (1040-1053) the island had fragmented into several small fiefdoms. As a virtually an independent emirate, Sicily played a privileged role as bridge between Africa and Europe. Trade flourished and taxes were low. The tolerant regime allowed subjects to abide by their own laws. Despite freedom of worship, Christians freely converted to Islam and there were soon hundreds of mosques in Palermo alone. The Arabs initiated land reforms which in turn, increased productivity and encouraged the growth of smallholdings, a dent to the dominance of the landed estates. The Arabs further improved irrigation systems. A description of Palermo was given by Ibn Hawqual, a Baghdad merchant who visited Sicily in 950. A walled suburb called the Kasr (the palace) is the center of Palermo until today, with the great Friday mosque on the site of the later Roman cathedral. The suburb of Al-Khalisa (Kalsa) contained the Sultan's palace, baths, a mosque, government offices and a private prison. Ibn Hawqual reckoned 7,000 individual butchers trading in 150 shops. The Cathedral of Palermo.In addition to Andalusian Arabs and other Arabs, there were Berbers, Persians, Greeks, Jews, Slavs and Lombards. Western Sicily particularly prospered with Berbers settling in the Agrigento area coupled with Bedouin, Syrians and Egyptian Arabs in Palermo. Muslim rule in Sicily slowly came to an end following an invitation by the Emirs of Catania and Siracusa for a Norman invasion. The Normans, under Count Roger de Hauteville (Altavilla) attacked Sicily in 1061, beginning a thirty year struggle against the Arabs. In 1068, Roger and his men defeated the Arabs at Misilmeri but the most crucial battle was the siege of Palermo in 1072, and the conquest of Sicily was completed by 1091 with the defeat of the last Emir in Noto. Arab-Norman period (1091-1224) Following the Norman conquest, Arab influence continued to persist creating a hybrid culture on the island that has contributed much to the character of modern Sicily. The cultural diversity and religious tolerance of the period of Muslim rule under the Kalbid dynasty made Palermo the capital city of the Emirate of Sicily. This continued under the Normans who conquered Sicily in 1060-1090 (raising its status to that of a kingdom in 1130). During this period, Sicily became one of the wealthiest states in Europe, and according to historian John Julius Norwich, Palermo under the Normans became wealthier than the England of its day. After only a century, however, the Norman Hauteville dynasty died out and the south German (Swabian) Hohenstaufen dynasty ruled starting in 1194, adopting Palermo as its principal seat from 1220. But local Christian-Muslim conflicts fueled by the Crusades were escalating during this later period, and in 1224, Frederick II, grandson of Roger II, expelled the last remaining Muslims from Sicily, temporarily relocating many to a colony in Lucera on the southern mainland, while the rest fled to North Africa. Conflict between the Hohenstaufen house and the Papacy led in 1266 to Sicily's conquest by Charles I, duke of Anjou: opposition to French officialdom and taxation led in 1282 to insurrection (the Sicilian Vespers) and successful invasion by king Peter III of Aragón. The resulting War of the Sicilian Vespers lasted until the peace of Caltabellotta in 1302. Sicily was ruled as an independent kingdom by relatives of the kings of Aragon until 1409 and then as part of the Crown of Aragon. Spanish control Ruled from 1479 by the kings of Spain, Sicily suffered a ferocious outbreak of plague (1656), followed by a damaging earthquake in the east of the region (1693). Sicily was frequently attacked by Barbary pirates from North Africa. Bad periods of rule by the crown of Savoy (1713-1720) and then the Austrian Habsburgs gave way to union (1734) with the Bourbon-ruled kingdom of Naples, first as independent kingdom under personal union, then (1816) as part of the kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Sicily was the scene of major revolutionary movements in 1820 and 1848 against Bourbon denial of constitutional government, even though the main request was recognition of an independent status from Naples. The 1848 revolution resulted in a sixteen month period of independence from the Bourbons before its armed forces took back control of the island on 15 May 1849. In late 1852, Prince Emanuele Realmuto had set up power in North Central Sicily. Highly educated, the prince established a political system set to bring Sicily's economy to the highest levels in all of Italy. The Prince's life however was shortened by an assassination in 1857. To this day some of his work is still present in the Italian parliament. Italian unification Sicily was joined with the other Italian regions in 1860 following the invasion of irregular troops led by Giuseppe Garibaldi and the resultant so-called Risorgimento. http://www.greatitalians.com/garibaldi.htm The new Italian state was a strongly centralized nation, and it did not take long before, in 1866, Palermo revolted against Italy. The city was soon bombed by the Italian navy, which disembarked on September 22 under the command of Raffaele Cadorna. Italian soldiers summarily executed the civilian insurgents, and took possession once again of the island. A long extensive guerrilla campaign against the unionists (1861-1871) took place throughout southern Italy, and in Sicily, inducing the Italian governments to a ferocious military repression. Ruled under martial law for many years Sicily (and southern Italy) was ravaged by the Italian army that summarily executed thousands of people, made tens of thousands prisoners, destroyed villages, and deported people. The Sicilian economy collapsed, leading to an unprecedented wave of emigration. In 1894 labour agitation through the radical Fasci Siciliani led again to the imposition of martial law. Map of the Allied landings in Sicily on 10 July 1943.The organised crime networks commonly known as the mafia extended their influence in the late 19th century (and many of its operatives also emigrated to other countries, particularly the United States); partly suppressed under the Fascist regime beginning in the 1920s, they recovered as a side effect of the massive World War II Allied invasion of Sicily on the night of July 10, 1943 when an allied armada of 2,590 vessels freed the then-Fascist Sicily. Mafia was the only organization present in Sicily to be a proved enemy of the Fascist regime and able to offer the Allied occupants a steady grip on the island. The invasion of Sicily was one of the causes of the July 25 crisis. An autonomous region from 1946, Sicily benefited to some extent from the partial Italian land reform of 1950-1962 and special funding from the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, the Italian government's indemnification Fund for the South (1950-1984). Sicily returned to the headlines in 1992, however, when the assassination of two anti-mafia magistrates, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino triggered a general upheaval in Italian political life. Transport Main article: Transport in Sicily Automobile Most of Sicily's motorways (autostrade) run through the northern portion of the island. The most important ones are A19 Palermo-Catania, A20 Palermo-Messina, A29 Palermo-Mazara del Vallo and the toll road A18 Messina-Catania. Much of the motorway network is elevated by columns due to the mountainous terrain. http://youtube.com/watch?v=RcI8fadvwaY The road network in the south of the country consists largely of well-maintained secondary roads. Railways Sicily is connected to the Italian peninsula by the national railway company, Trenitalia, though trains are loaded onto ferries for the crossing from the mainland. Officially, the Stretto di Messina, S.p. A. was scheduled to commence construction of the world's longest suspension bridge, the Strait of Messina Bridge, in the second half of 2006. When completed, it would have marked the first time in human history that Sicily was connected by a land link to Italy. In October of 2006 the Italian Parliament scrapped the plan due to lack of popular support, particularly amongst Sicilians.[2]. Air Sicily is served by national and international flights, mostly to European locations, to and from Palermo International Airport and the substantially busier Catania-Fontanarossa Airport. There are also minor national airports in Trapani and on the small islands of Pantelleria and Lampedusa. Metro The city of Palermo has an urban metropolitan service, handled by Trenitalia, with eleven stations, including an airport stop. Catania also has an underground rail system, which completes the circuit on the circumetnea narrow gauge railway. Towns and cities Sicily's principal cities include the regional capital Palermo, together with the other provincial capitals Catania, Messina, Syracuse (Siracusa in Italian), Trapani, Enna, Caltanissetta, Agrigento, Ragusa. Other Sicilian towns include Acireale, Taormina, Giardini Naxos, Piazza Armerina, Bagheria, Partinico, Carini, Alcamo, Vittoria, Caltagirone, Cefalù, Bronte, Adrano, Marsala, Corleone, Castellammare del Golfo, Calatafimi, Gela, Termini Imerese, Francavilla di Sicilia, Ferla, Sciacca, and Abacaenum (now Tripi). The regional flag of Sicily, recognized since January 2000[3], is also the historical one of the island since 1282. It is divided diagonally yellow over red, with the trinacria symbol in the center. "Trinacria" literally means "3 points" and it most probably is a solar symbol even though lately, it has been considered representative of the three points of the island. The head shown on the Sicilian trinacria is the face of Medusa. The trinacria symbol is used also by other regions like the Isle of Man. Arts Palermo is the regional capital of Sicily. Landscape with temple ruins on Sicily, Jacob Philipp Hackert, 1778Sicily is well known as a region of art: many poets and writers were born here, starting from the Sicilian School in the early 13th century, which inspired much subsequent Italian poetry and created the first Italian standard. The most famous, however, are Luigi Pirandello, Giovanni Verga, Salvatore Quasimodo, Gesualdo Bufalino. Other Sicilian artists include the composers Sigismondo d'India, Girolamo Arrigo, Salvatore Sciarrino, Giovanni Sollima (from Palermo), Alessandro Scarlatti (from Trapani or Palermo), Vincenzo Bellini, Giovanni Pacini, Francesco Paolo Frontini, Alfredo Sangiorgi, Aldo Clementi, Roberto Carnevale (from Catania). Noto, Ragusa and particularly Acireale contain some of Italy's best examples of Baroque architecture, carved in the local red sandstone. Caltagirone is renowned for its decorative ceramics. Palermo is also a major center of Italian opera. Its Teatro Massimo is the largest opera house in Italy and the third largest in the world, seating 1,400. Sicily is also home to two prominent folk art traditions, both of which draw heavily on the island's Norman influence. A Sicilian wood cart, or Carretto Siciliano, is painted with intricate decorations of scenes from the Norman romantic poems, such as The Song of Roland. The same tales are told in traditional puppet theatres which feature hand-made wooden marionettes, especially in Acireale, the capital of Sicilian puppets. Sicily is the setting for many classic Italian films such as Visconti's La Terra Trema (1948)and Il Gattopardo (1963), Rosi's Salvatore Giuliano(1962) and Antonioni's L'avventura (1960). The 1988 movie Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, was about life in a Sicilian town following the Second World War. It is also the setting for Michael Radford's Il Postino (1994) starring Massimo Troisi. People The position of Sicily as a stepping stone of sorts in the center of the Mediterranean Basin has lent it strategic importance throughout history, resulting in an endless procession of settlers and conquerors. Modern methods of genetic testing enable us to see which have had the greatest demographic impact. Several studies show strong ties between Sicily, mainland southern Italy and Greece, suggesting that the Siculi, Elymi and Greek colonizations were the most important. It has been proposed that a genetic boundary divides Sicily into two regions, reflecting the distribution of Siculi and Greek settlements in the east, and Sicani/Elymi, Phoenician/Arab and Norman settlements in the west.[10][11][12] However, other research has failed to detect any such division.[13][7] No data exists on the contribution of Normans, but a number of studies hint that North African and Middle Eastern gene flow was limited by the physical barrier of the Mediterranean Sea and resulting cultural differentiation.[6][14][15][16][17][18] Sicily's population is approximately 5 million, and there are an additional 10 million people of Sicilian descent around the world, mostly in the United States, Argentina, Canada, Australia and the EU countries. The island today, like all of western Europe, is home to growing communities of immigrants, including Tunisians, Moroccans, Nigerians, Indians, Romanians, Russians, Chinese and Gypsies from the Balkans. Language Main article: Sicilian language,. Many Sicilians are bilingual in both Italian and Sicilian, a separate Romance language, with Greek, Arabic, Catalan and Spanish influence. It is important to note that Sicilian is not a derivative of Italian. Although thought by some to be a dialect, Sicilianu is a distinct language, with a rich history and a sizeable vocabulary (at least 250,000 words), due to the influence of the different conquerors of, and settlers to, this land. The Sicilian language was an early influence in the development of the first Italian standard, although its use remained confined to an intellectual élite. This was a literary language in Sicily created under the auspices of Frederick II and his court of notaries, or Magna Curia, which, headed by Giacomo da Lentini also gave birth to the Scuola Siciliana, widely inspired by troubadour literature. Its linguistic and poetic heritage was later assimilated into the Florentine by Dante Alighieri, the father of modern Italian who, in his De Vulgari Eloquentia (DVE claims that "In effect this vernacular seems to deserve a higher praise than the others, since all the poetry written by Italians can be called Sicilian" (DVE, I, xii). It is in this language that appeared the first sonnet, whose invention is attributed to Giacomo da Lentini himself. Sicilian dialects are also spoken in the southern and central sections of the Italian regions Calabria (Calabrese) and Puglia (Salentino); and had a significant influence on the Maltese Language. Malta was a part of the Kingdom of Sicily (in its various forms) until the late 18th century. With the predominance of Italian in Italian schools, the media, etc., Sicilian is no longer the first language of many Sicilians. Indeed, in urban centers in particular, one is more likely to hear standard Italian spoken rather than Sicilian, especially among the young. Sicilian generally uses the word ending [u] for singular masculine nouns and adjectives, and [a] for feminine. The plural is usually [i] for both masculine and feminine. By contrast, in Italian masculine nouns and adjectives that end in [o] in the singular pass to [i] in the plural, while the feminine counterparts pass from [a] to [e]. The "-LL-" sound (in words of Latin origin, for example) manifests itself in Sicilian as a voiced retroflex plosive with the tip of the tongue curled up and back, a sound which is not part of Standard Italian. In Sicilian, this sound is written simply as "-dd-" although the sound itself is not [d] but rather [ɖ]. For example, the Italian word bello is beddu in Sicilian. In numerous villages, the Arbëreshë dialect of the Albanian language has been spoken since a wave of refugees settled there in the 15th century. While it is spoken within the household, Italian is the official language and modern Greek is chanted in the local Byzantine liturgy. There are also several areas where dialects of the Lombard language of the Gallo-Italic family are spoken. Much of this population is also tri-lingual, being able to also speak one of the Sicilian dialects as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicily |
 | Switzerland-National Anthem National Anthem of Switzerland Confoederatio Helvetica (Latin) Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German) Confédération suisse (French) Confederazione Svizzera (Italian) Confederaziun svizra (Romansh) Swiss Confederation Flag Coat of arms Motto: Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno (Latin) (traditional)[1] "One for all, all for one" Anthem: "Swiss Psalm" Location of Switzerland (orange) on the European continent (white) Capital Berne (federal capital) 46°57′N 7°27′E Largest city Zürich Official languages German, French, Italian, Romansh[2] Demonym Swiss Government Direct democracy Federal parliamentary republic - Federal Council M. Leuenberger P. Couchepin (Pres. 08) S. Schmid M. Calmy-Rey H.-R. Merz (VP 08) D. Leuthard E. Widmer-Schlumpf Independence - Foundation date 1 August[3] 1291 - de facto 22 September 1499 - Recognized 24 October 1648 - Restored 7 August 1815 - Federal state 12 September 1848 Area - Total 41,285 km² (135th) 15,940 sq mi - Water (%) 4.2 Population - 2007[4] estimate 7,591,400 (95th) - 2000 census 7,288,010 - Density 181.4/km² (61st) 479.8/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate - Total $296.2 billion (38th) - Per capita $38,706 (6th) GDP (nominal) 2006 estimate - Total $388 billion (19th) - Per capita $56,711 (7th) Gini (2000) 33.7 (medium) HDI (2007) ▲ 0.955 (high) (7th) Currency Swiss franc (CHF) Time zone CET (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Internet TLD .ch Calling code +41 Switzerland (German: Schweiz, French: Suisse, Italian: Svizzera, Romansh: Svizra), officially the Swiss Confederation (Confoederatio Helvetica in Latin, hence its ISO country codes CH and CHE), is a landlocked alpine country of roughly 7.5 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km². Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states. These states are called cantons. Berne is the seat of the federation and de facto capital,[5] while the country's economic centres are its two global cities, Geneva and especially Zürich. Switzerland has high degrees of economic freedom, immigrants, and globally-oriented business. Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world. It is bordered by Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein and has a long history of neutrality — it has not been at war since 1815 — and hosts many international organizations, including the Red Cross, the World Trade Organization and one of the U.N.'s two European offices. Switzerland is multilingual and has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. (Text from From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Created for LearnFree2007 by Robert Nichol AudioProductions .Music Copyright KPM music. This section is for demonstration only |
 | Veranda Park - Orlando Luxury Condo Towncenter Veranda Park is Orlando's largest urban town center offering an array of exciting and unique entertainment venues. Fine dining, sidewalk cafes, a state of the art cinema, night club and artisan piazzas mixed with beautiful parks, a lake front amphitheater, imported Renaissance sculptures, featured fountains and moonlit gondola rides all form the backdrop for Veranda Park, Orlando's premier lifestyle destination. Luxury residential condominiums and Class A offices are available throughout the Italian themed village. |
 | Wallenstein Palace garden 01 The original Palace was built in years 1623-1630 by Albrecht Wenzel von Wallenstein, Duke of Mecklenburg (1583-1634), who made his name and fortune as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial forces in the Thirty Years War. Emperor Ferdinand II feared Albrecht of Wallenstein's calculating mind and had him assassinated in 1634 in the town of Cheb. He live in the palace for only a year before his death. His widow sold it to his nephew and it remained in the Wallenstein family until 1945. After the Second World War, the palace became Czechoslovak state property and was renovated to house government offices. Today, the Senate of the Czech Republic operates out of the main palace buildings. The Riding School is used as a branch of the National Gallery in Prague. The challenging restoration of the main building began in mid-1999. The most valuable parts of this building in historical and artistic terms are the Main Hall, the Knights' Hall, the Antechamber, the Audience Hall and the Mythological and Astronomical Corridors. Albrecht of Wallenstein had traveled in Italy, and when the palace was built between 1623 and 1630, Italian architects and artisans were used including Andrea Spezza (likely the main architect), succeeded in 1628 by Niccolo Sebregondi. The interiors were decorated by the Florentine Baccio del Bianco (1604-1656), who completed the ceiling fresco in the Main Hall, figure paintings in St Wenceslas Chapel, and most important parts of the decoration of the Mythological Corridor during the first year of construction. The Florentine Giovanni de Galliano Pieroni (1586-1654), engineer and army colonel, played an important role in the construction. Pieroni's father Alessandro (1550-1607) had been an architect for the Medici. Pieroni studied the design of the new part to Wallenstein's Castle in Jičín and the church of St. Jacob there, and the garden, Sala Terrena, and Riding School are attributed to him. Pieroni also influences the astrological and astronomical decoration of the Mythological Corridor and other interiors. The total value of interior furnishings after his death was 70 000 gold pieces, while another 134 000 gold pieces was invested in jewels and tableware made from precious metals. To make space for this palace, Wallenstein razed 26 houses, six gardens, and two brickworks at the site. Wallenstein Palace was built to rival Prague Castle. Four courtyards are created by the palace layout. Its complex includes period gardens, the Avenue of Sculptures, stables and the large Riding School. The monumental conception of the loggia with three arcades on doubled columns recalls the Baroque style. The Italian style garden includes an aviary, a grotto, and a fountain by Adrian de Vries (c.1545-1626). After years of neglect after the war, the gardens have been reconstructed. Wallenstein would have dined in the huge sala terrena (garden pavilion) that looks out over fountain and rows of bronze statues. The sala terenna and its rich stucco decoration were modeled after the portico of a Livornese church. Today, these are copies of the Netherlander sculptor Adriaen de Vries' works. The originals were looted by the Swedish army in 1648. The main wing of Wallenstein palace was largely a reconstruction of the Trcka residence that runs 60 meters along Valdstejnske namesti. The façade has three rows of identical windows which stream light into the Main Hall. It incorporates both late renaissance and Nordic mannerism which is expressed in the portals and Netherlandish dormer-windows. Initially, in keeping with the architectural style, the Main Hall was decorated with tapestries and furniture ordered from Italy and the Netherlands. Much of the original furnishings were looted either in 1648 by the Swedes or 1742 by the French. The west wing of the complex hosts the Main Hall, that rises to the height of two stories. The Duke is depicted, in the middle ceiling fresco as the god of war, Mars, riding in a war chariot drawn by a team of horses. In the painting, the Duke is holding the reins of four horses while Mars is usually seen only holding three horses. This is another example of Albrecht von Wallenstein's vanity. The stucco work depicting weapons, war trophies and musical instruments were probably made by Santino Galli and Domenico Canevalle. These are references to The Duke's career in the military. When it was built, it was the second largest hall after the Spanish hall of Prague Castle with an area of 288 meters squared and a height of 10.5 meters. This is original façade was altered in the mid nineteenth century to include marble portals from the Cerninsky palace and the entire hall was rebuilt as a barracks. |
 | ROMA ROME Rufián , Rim , Rím , Řím , An Róimh , Rom , Rómi , Róma , Roma , Roum , Romo , Rooma , Roym - רױם Yiddish , Rūmiya , Рим / Rym , Rzym , Rome, Roeme, Roame Erroma Roma, conosciuta anche con gli appellativi di Caput Mundi e Città Eterna, è un comune, la capitale della Repubblica Italiana, nonché il capoluogo della Regione Lazio e della provincia di Roma. Con i suoi oltre 2.700.000 abitanti distribuiti su una superficie di 1.285 km², è il comune più popoloso e più esteso d'Italia. Ha un'area metropolitana che conta una popolazione stimata di circa 3.700.000 abitanti,[1] Nel contesto dell'Unione Europea, invece, il comune si colloca al quarto posto in termini di popolazione, dopo Londra, Berlino e Madrid, ed è il più esteso. Ospita al suo interno l'enclave della Città del Vaticano, il cuore della cristianità cattolica. Il centro storico della città, sovrapposizione di testimonianze di più di 2.800 anni di storia, è stato inserito nella lista dei Patrimoni dell'umanità dell'UNESCO e fa della città una tra le più frequentate mete del turismo mondiale: 26,1 milioni di presenze nel 2007. Rome (Italian: Roma, Latin: Roma) is the capital city of Italy and of the Lazio region[2], as well as the country's largest and most populous city, with more than 2.7 million residents.[3] The metropolitan area has a population of about 4 million. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, where the river Aniene joins[4] the Tiber. Rome is known as, Caput Mundi (Capital of the world), la Città Eterna (The Eternal City), Limen Apostolorum (Threshold of the Apostles), la città dei sette colli (The city of the seven hills) or simply l'Urbe (The City),[5] has been for centuries the center of Western civilization, and is the seat of the Catholic Church. The State of the Vatican City, the sovereign territory of the Holy See is an enclave of Rome. Today, Rome is modern and cosmopolitan. It is the third most-visited tourist destination in the EU[6] and a city of cultural and political importance. Its international airport at Fiumicino is the largest in Italy; it hosts the head offices of the vast majority of the major Italian companies, as well as the headquarters of three of the world's 100 largest companies (Enel, ENI, Telecom Italia).[7]. As one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. The Historic Center of Rome is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.[8] The Mayor of Rome is Giovanni Alemanno. Roma es una ciudad del sur de Europa, en la Península Itálica, que antiguamente fue capital del Imperio Romano, y hoy es capital del estado moderno de Italia. Situada en el centro de la península, en la región del Lacio, a ambas orillas del río Tíber, a unos 20 km de su desembocadura en el mar Tirreno bañada por el mar mediterráneo, fuente de riquezas de la zona. Población: 2.714.932 habitantes, que unidos a los de su área metropolitana, se elevan a 3.700.000. Su importancia histórica es enorme. Cuna de la civilización occidental, atrae cada año a millones de visitantes, atraídos por las ruinas de su antiguo esplendor y sus incalculables obras de arte . Enclavado en la zona oeste de la ciudad se encuentra el Vaticano, que constituye un estado independiente y soberano, centro de la Iglesia Católica. ==Rome (en italien Roma), est la capitale de l'Italie. Elle se trouve sur le Tibre, dans la région du Latium, dans le centre du pays et à 22 km de la mer Tyrrhénienne. Avec 2 705 603 habitants établis sur 1 285 km²( 4 253 450 avec agglomération), Rome est la commune la plus peuplée et la plus étendue d'Italie (près de 8 fois la superficie de Paris) ; son agglomération est en revanche moins importante que celles de Milan et de Naples. Rome fut dans l'Antiquité la capitale de l'Empire romain. On l'appelait alors couramment Urbs ("la Ville" par excellence). On l'appelle parfois la ville aux sept collines (Aventin, Cælius, Capitole, Esquilin, Palatin, Quirinal et Viminal). Les catholiques considèrent l'évêque de Rome (le pape) comme le successeur de saint Pierre et la ville de Rome comme le centre de la chrétienté ou tout du moins du catholicisme. Rome est également le chef-lieu de la région du Latium et de la province de Rome. Rome doit son nom à la légende de Romulus et Rémus. Rémus, le frère de Romulus, a été tué par ce dernier. En réalité le nom de Rome viendrait du mot Rumon qui signifie "la ville du fleuve". Rome possède aussi plusieurs surnoms, dont L'Urbe, Caput Mundi (capitale du monde) |
 | ANTONIO DI PIETRO "MAGNACCIA INVECE CHE STATISTI" http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/29/italy Silvio Berlusconi remains an embarrassment to democracyAll comments (26) Editorial The Observer, Sunday June 29, 2008 Article historyThe great paradox of democracy is that the political freedom it needs to thrive also gives succour to its enemies. A democratic society must tolerate, up to a point, the activity of politicians whose instincts are fundamentally undemocratic. Evidence of that is clear in the fact that Silvio Berlusconi is the freely elected Prime Minister of Italy. He is now 50 days into the job, which he resumed after a stint in opposition, having previously governed from 1994-95 and 2001-2006. His earlier premierships saw him accused by opponents - but never convicted - of corruption. He has also routinely been denounced for nepotism, financial mismanagement and socially divisive reactionary nationalism. But still he won. Mr Berlusconi was elected on promises of economic revival - Italy has one of the slowest-growing economies in the eurozone - leavened with promises to crack down on crime and immigration, which his Forza Italia party routinely presents as one and the same issue. In government, he has proposed draconian racial profiling, fingerprinting Roma children and threatening to take those who beg on Italian streets away from their parents, a measure seen by leaders of other minorities as a throwback to Italy's fascist past. Mr Berlusconi has also returned to a favourite legislative theme - protecting himself from the various corruption charges that have accrued against him over the years. He wants to pass a law that would make the holders of top public offices, naturally including his own, immune from prosecution. When he tried to introduce the same measure in 2004, the supreme court ruled that it was unconstitutional. He has another law pending which would suspend for one year certain trials where the alleged crime carries a sentence longer than 10 years. One such case, due to start next month, involves allegations of bribery against Mr Berlusconi. This agenda is little short of all-out war against a judiciary and those sections of the media determined to hold him to account. (The Prime Minister has substantial control over commercial television and uses his office to influence the state broadcaster.) The judges who pursue him, he says, are 'a cancer in our democracy'. It has all been conducted in Mr Berlusconi's trademark brazen, flamboyant manner that, were it not so sinister, would be reminiscent of a circus ringmaster. Mr Berlusconi's leadership is a tragedy for Italians, although the inconvenient truth of the matter is that so many of them voted for him. That should serve as a warning to other western European countries that think their democratic culture is so entrenched as to be immune from internal threat. If that is the great paradox of democracy, the greatest cliche in politics is that nations get the leaders they deserve. But surely Italy and Europe deserve better than Silvio Berlusconi |
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
