It's a Classical Life

  I wanted to start a new series this year called My Favourite Books...in which I will share with you a collection of my favourite books with the same theme, setting, or genre. First up, I wanted to begin with My Favourite Books....Set in Italy because I recently reread Diana Athill's A Florence Diary (which absolutely makes my list) and was to remember some of my other favourite books with Italy as the setting. I am a trained Italian language teacher and spent time in my early twenties living and travelling in Italy. It is a place that holds a very dear place in my heart and has inspired many writers, artists, musicians and creatives over the centuries, from the composer Giuseppe Verdi to artist Michelangelo to writer Italo Calvino. Overseas travel isn't in our plans at the moment but when I feel that longing for Italy, these are the books that I turn to. Of my list, the first three are non-fiction, and the following seven are fiction. I hope you enjoy my top 10 favourite boo...

Hello, and welcome back to It's a Classical Life! If this is your first time here then I hope you will leave a comment saying hi and that something inspires you as you go about your day. As my mother cleaned out her house recently, I inherited a small collection of classic movies on DVD. They had been my grandmother's and my mother, knowing how much I love the classics, offered them to me after my grandmother passed away. I've watched a few of them already and though it would be a great idea to share some thoughts I've had whilst watching. This new little series (which won't be every week) is called Saturday Matinee, so if you're interested in classic films, please be sure to keep an eye out for that heading.  Today, I want to begin with a silly, but fun favourite: Three Coins in the Fountain. This American film was made in 1954 and won two Academy Awards (Best Cinematography and Best Song). Set in Rome, Italy it follows the lives of three American secretaries w...

  Nonna Knows Best  - she knew it then and she knows it now! The summer continues to roll slowly along in our little corner of the world. The grass has died off, leaving funny brown patches and sporadic spots of vibrant green weeds. The tomatoes, zucchini and capsicum plants are all full of flowers. The potato plants are looking sad on top but are flourishing deep beneath the warm, brown soil. There is nothing better than potatoes for producing a rich, nutrient-dense soil. Every afternoon I give the chickens and the rabbits a cooling shower. I spray the trees above their enclosures so that drips of water continue to drop down on them long after the hose is turned off. In the cool mornings, we collect eggs, feed the chickens, water the plants and breath the summer air. By late morning we are inside, enjoying the slow days with board games, lego, movies, paper crafts and reading. The children want to play on their devices (of course) but we encourage as much creative play as we ...

Home. There truly is no place like it. A place where we can rest and rejuvenate at the end of a busy day. Where we can share laughter, tears, happiness, fear and togetherness - and feel validated and welcome. A place that allows us to be the best and most true version of ourselves. Do you ever wonder what home has looked like in the past? I do. It's one of my favourite parts of reading classic novels and studying history. The simple, everyday life of the people who came before us still has to much to teach and inspire us. Today, I'd like to take you on a little guided tour inside a Renaissance home. In case you are wondering, the Renaissance usually refers to a time of reawakening and enlightenment after the historical period known as the Dark Ages (or the Middle Ages). It began predominantly in Italy and then spread throughout Europe and focused on a renewed appreciation of Classical Greek and Roman thought, art, architecture, and values. Generally it is defined as beginning ...

Welcome back to It's a Classical Life!   If you are new here, welcome! I hope that you will take the time to explore the diverse array of articles published here on how to live well, inspired by the classics. Reading classic literature, studying the arts, appreciating classical music, and sharing these things with all of you, are my passions. If you have come here before, you might be aware of my love of all things Italian. As part of my teaching degree I studied Italian language, literature and history and in 2004 I spent some time living and studying in the northern regions of the Veneto. It is such a rich culture, full of so many points of interest and inspiration.  This week I'm looking at Italian Nobel Prize winning poet, Eugenio Montale - one of the most important Italian poets of the twentieth century - and his moving poem,  The Lemon Trees. I've mentioned before that the best way to read poetry is aloud. I tried to find a recorded rendition of ...

  Last week when I was reflecting on my Preparedness Challenge , I turned to some Italian classics to get me started. The books by Machiavelli and Boccaccio are indeed classics, and they, along with Dante's Inferno, formed the basis of my Italian Renaissance education at university. I love the Italian Renaissance and everything to do with it, but as I was reading over those books last week I started to thinking about the Italy that I know. The Italy that I first visited when I was 22 and then again when I was 24. On the second visit I lived in the northern city of Padua for six weeks, to consolidate my Italian language learning. I love Italy. I love all things Italian and just by having those two books out last week, reignited my love. The first thing that I turned to satisfy my desire for Italia  was the classic 1953 movie starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, Roman Holiday.  Have you seen it? If not, you can watch the movie trailer below. Besides starring the amazin...