Italian philosophers

If you give a good wife you'll be happy, and if not you will become a philosopher, it is always useful to man.

Pitigrilli (1893-1975) Italian writer.
It is difficult to create ideas and easy to create words, hence the success of philosophers.

André Maurois (1885-1967) French novelist and essayist.
The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; than it is to change it.

Karl Marx (1818-1883) German philosopher and economist.
True philosophers are those who like to see the truth.

Plato (427 BC-347 BC) Greek philosopher.
A philosopher is a guy who goes to a summit in search of the sun, is fog descends and explains the magnificent spectacle that he saw.

William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British writer.
Dialecticians and Sophists, in their disquisitions, are clothed appearance philosophers.

Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) Greek philosopher.
It is for the philosopher to speculate about everything.

Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) Greek philosopher.
Not having a philosophy philosopher who head is not well in the heart.

Arturo Graf (1848-1913) Italian writer and poet.
The greatest good that can exist in a state is to have true philosophers.

René Descartes (1596-1650) French philosopher and mathematician.
The philosopher, philosophy should do when life is over.

Italian Geography

Italy is a country belonging to the European Union, whose territory is mainly in the Italian peninsula, plus some nearby islands. Bordered on the south Tyrrhenian Seas Mediterranean, Ionian, south and east, and north to the Adriatic, Slovenia and Austria and northwest with France, Switzerland and the Ligurian Sea, in the Mediterranean. Within the peninsula are also independent countries of San Marino and the Vatican City. The peninsula is separated from the rest of Europe by the Alps.


The capital of Italy is Rome, the official language of Italy, the euro currency (formerly the Italian lira) and the official time of the CET (UTC +1). The total area of ​​Italy is 301,270 km ², has 1932 miles of coastline and 7,600 border.
A core part of the peninsula, are Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as well as many minor ones: Agates, Burano, Capraia, Caprera, Capri, Elba, Pianosa, Favignana, Ferdinandea, Giannutri, Giudecca, Santo Stefano, Aegadian , Aeolian, Lavezzi, Pelagie, Ischia, Lampedusa, Linosa, Lipari, Montecristo, Murano, Palmaria, Pandataria, Pantelleria, Pianosa, Procida, Salina, Stromboli, Tavolara, Tiber, Tinetto, Tino, Tremiti, Ustica and Vulcan.
Italy occupies a central position in the Mediterranean, and as such it dominated for centuries. It is the birthplace of the Roman Empire, which spread all around the Mediterranean, and is in the direct origin of Western European civilization that dominates the world. During the Middle Ages and the early modern period was divided into multiple republics, many of them very powerful: Genoa, Venice, Florence, and especially the Papal States, from which he ruled the Catholic Church Pope. It is also the birthplace of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, artistic styles reference in the Western world. It unifies again in the nineteenth century, after the Napoleonic invasion, and becomes, then, one of the main European countries. After the Second World War reached a level of development that places him among the first in the world. Founding member of the European Union since the founding treaty was signed in Rome in 1957.
Today Italy is a democratic parliamentary republic and is governed by the constitution of 1948. Executive power rests with the president and the prime minister. The President is the head of state. It ensures the unity of the country and respect the constitution. It acts as a referee in political conflicts. He is elected by Parliament for a period of seven years. The president appoints the prime minister, who is the head of government and elect their ministers. The prime minister has to be accepted by parliament.
The legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. Both cameras have the same powers. Deputies and senators are democratically elected in direct elections for a period of five years. However, there are a few senators for life.
The judicial power is vested in the courts. The country's highest courts are the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.
The Italian political game without ever leaving the strict democratic margins, is very unstable, and governments often happen, we always need partnerships and fall because of more or less high-profile scandals. However, political stability is very noticeable background.
Italy is divided into 20 administrative regions, and these into provinces and these, in turn, in municipalities or communes. Five of the regions: Valle d'Aosta, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sicily, Sardinia and Trentino-Alto Adige, have a special status that gives them greater political autonomy.

Family commemorate anniversary of the sinking of the Concordia

ROME, ITALY (13/JAN/2013.) - Survivors and relatives of victims of the Costa Concordia tragedy commemorated on the Italian island of Giglio on the first anniversary of the sinking of the cruise, a memory was more emotional than this by the fact that the ship is still stuck in the same place.
Some of those who lived more or less closely the wreck on the cold night of January 13, 2012 wanted to return to the small Italian island, to honor the memory of the two missing and 30 dead.
The symbolism and emotion were common note acts, starting with the release of sea with a plaque set on it, from the rocks against which the keel of the vessel collided at 21.45 local time (20.45 GMT) that day, when carrying more than four thousand 200 people.
One of the most emotional moments was the religious ceremony officiated by the bishop of Grosseto, Guglielmo Borghetti, in the same small church of San Lorenzo and Mamiliano which hosted the castaways and which also attended today's environment minister, Corrado Clini , and the head of the Civil Protection Franco Gabrielli.
In the presence also of diplomats from other countries (the passengers were of different nationalities), Bishop remembered the victims and acknowledged the "generosity" shown by the Islanders that night and who worked in the rescue, as reported by Italian media .
The main event this Sunday is the 2145 hours with a minute of silence in honor of the victims and the release of 32 sea lanterns lit at the exact moment in which the first anniversary of the crash on the rocks of Costa Concordia.
The remains of the ship, owned by the shipping company Costa Cruises, still aground off the island surrounded by giant metal structures to allow removal that has been delayed in recent months and is expected to be finished at the latest in September.
That task, entrusted to the Italian-American consortium Titan-Micoperi, involves work seven days a week, 430 people, including operators and engineers of 19 nationalities and will eventually overcharged by $ 100 million, making it the total amount to about 400 million.
"The goal is to raise the hull, giving it a sort of floating caissons under the keel, so that it can be pulled as a inflatable boat," says the engineer Carlo Femiani, in an interview published in the newspaper "La Stampa" .
Meanwhile, Environment Minister told reporters that the ship has to be taken to the large port closest to the island for subsequent scrapping, expected to Piombino (Tuscany).
"We must act quickly, but we have to get it right. We are considering measures to lighten the weight of the boat so you can take it to the nearest port," Clini said.
The representative of the Government of Sunday resigned as Mario Monti, who had to cope with this tragedy soon after coming to power, further called for the punishment of those responsible for a process in which, for the moment, there are twelve investigated, among including the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino.
"Officials said-will be punished harshly. Nobody has to understand who is wrong, starting with the company and down. I think we've all learned from this case that the shallowness and incompetence and sometimes underestimates is one of the worst risks there may be. "
The other geographic point where all eyes are focused is the town of Meta di Sorrento (Southern Italy), where Schettino remains at home on probation since last July 5 and which could not be seen in public the captain, who has been investigated for alleged multiple manslaughter and abandoning ship.

When Giglio Sunday attended by representatives of the families of the two missing, Russel Rebello and Maria Grazia Trecarichi and Gregorio de Falco, the Coast Guard Captain of a hero by the now famous conversation in which Schettino to return demanded Shipboard.

Typical Christmas meal

Typical dishes of Italian cuisine

The Italian Christmas dishes include Baccalá (salted dried cod fish), pasta, baked pasta, capon and turkey. The traditional Christmas dinner includes seven types of fish, or nine, eleven, thirteen or, depending on the city of origin.

This meal is called "The Vigil Napolitana" in southern cities and includes a vegetable: broccoli and therefore is also known as Christmas broccoli, eel and caponata di pesce (fish salad) to complete the main course .

The traditional sweets

The traditional sweets are also important for the Christmas menu in Italy. Many of them originated in convents, where nuns were a special kind of sweets to celebrate religious holidays such as Christmas, presenting them as gifts. Each convent was a particular type of sweet.

These desserts are struffoli (Neapolitan honey pastry), Cenci (strips of fried dough sprinkled with sugar power), dried figs, candied almonds, nuts and marzipan fruits and vegetables.

Also sweet bread, which has different names depending on the region: panforte (a specialty of Siena) and pandolce (a specialty of Genoa).