Inarea St Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan is depicted with either a scourge or a honeycomb in his hand: impetus and ambrosian sweetness for a man – a layman, not even a baptised one – who was elected bishop by popular acclamation . Being bishop also meant being “mayor” because Ambrose ruled the city for … Read more
When talking about presents and reindeer, we should also remember Father Christmas’ medieval ancestor, St Nicholas, whose personal history seems quite distant from that of his jolly successor. Nicholas was born around 270 A.D. in what is present-day Turkey, was persecuted by the Emperor Diocletian and had his nose broken. Among his many, unconfirmed saintly … Read more
We like to think that it’s no coincidence that Walt Disney was born twenty days before Santa Claus’s wondrous night; perhaps he was already preparing to share Santa’s chores (as well as the copyright of so many future gifts). But there’s also another side to this story because little Walt could only really be a … Read more
Apart from being the king of Milan, panettone is one of those few Italian words that requires no translation. We know that in the 19th century, the traditional Italian Christmas cake took on shape that is so familiar to us today, so it’s in the 1800s that we’ll linger a little today. In a letter … Read more
If we were to choose an image to represent the lives of famous people and their children, it would be a comet whose tail – the child – eventually decides to detach itself from the parent star, leaving the latter to shine in all its brilliance. But the moment such children decide to go their … Read more
One of the totally forbidden moves in Greco-Roman wrestling is the “neck hold”. And if our Greek prima donna could speak to us today, she might be able to recount several episodes when she either struck, or was herself struck, below the belt: her presumed collusion with German officers during the occupation of Greece, followed … Read more
Here’s a colourful lady who has been the prima donna of velvet-upholstered sitting rooms since 1885: the Tiffany lamp. She was invented by Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), a painter, designer and decorator who was the son of Charles Tiffany: yup, none other than the founder of the famous jewellery shop where certain young ladies like … Read more
There was no such thing as the Nobel Prize in 1753 and the Copley Medal was one of the most prestigious awards that a gentleman could aspire to. At the time, the British considered anyone born on the other side of the Atlantic not quite on a par with them; hence bestowing the Medal on … Read more
Who knows why nostalgia always puts in an appearance, blushing shyly, when strawberries are mentioned: from Bergman to The Beatles, this fruit is something of a gateway to long-lost childhood. For song-writing John Lennon in particular, “Strawberry Fields” was the garden of an orphanage in Liverpool where he used to go and play: a place … Read more
Oggi parliamo della compagnia aerea con il simbolo dell’arpa che, dal 1922, è anche quello dell’Irlanda. Il motivo per cui questo strumento è così legato all’identità di questa nazione, è da cercare nel fatto che era suonato dal mitico re Brian Boru, vissuto attorno all’Anno Mille. La sua arpa, oggi, si trova al Trinity College (anche se non manca qualche … Read more
