Welcome to Litsy!

Today, UNESCO awarded an intangible cultural heritage status to Italian cuisine: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/12/10/travel/italian-cuisine-unesco-status
On the one hand, good for Italy, and no doubt well deserved; on the other, Meloni and Italian nationalists who have been shamelessy instrumentaling the issue are happy 😖

How serendipitous for #Italy #FoodandLit
@Texreader

😂 ♦️ ♠️ ♥️ 💰😂

#foodandlit #Italy #Jubilee

In case you haven‘t been following my #wordoftheday posts, my mom @Doll8455 is continuing her dramatic story using each word of the day. I look forward to her next post in the saga everyday!

#wordoftheday

“The most prestigious posting was to Spain, the greatest supporter of the Vatican. Spain controlled large chunks of Italy—the duchy of Milan in the north, and the kingdom of Naples, which shared the southern border of the Papal States. The second most important posting was to France, Spain‘s inveterate enemy and historically a far less supportive ally of Rome.”

#wordoftheday There‘s censorship and then there‘s burning at the stake

“Most popes usually let Pasquino [a gossiper about all things Vatican] and his friends have their say as a means of venting popular discontent against high taxes and injustice. But a few particularly annoying pasquinade writers had been incinerated at the stake. Even an execution didn‘t seem to dampen the ardor of would-be political columnists,… ⬇️

I pulled out the Dutch oven and made white beans and tomatoes for dinner tonight. It was easy and delicious with bread and salad. #FoodAndLit #Italy

https://bellieskitchen.com/cheesy-white-bean-tomato-bake/?utm_source=pinterest&u...

On Saturday, I went round the bookshops looking for Fontamara, which I had planned on reading and was on my #10BeforeTheEnd list. Didn't find it, but bought other books anyway 😊. And all my library holds came at once, so here's my pile of books:
- Tagged Italian cookbook: read, liked it;
- Graphic work by Zerocalcare: read liked it;
- Ibn Khaldun anthology: 60 pages still to read;
- Boccace's Decameron: will probably be a year-long read;

and ⬇

I was looking for something from Zerocalcare set in #Italy for #FoodandLit and stumbled on the tagged book, about the democratic Yezidi self-governing enclave of Sinjar/Shengal in #Iraq, and couldn't pass it up. It's one of those places we hardly ever hear about. All you expect from Zerocalcare: self-reflective, left-wing, informative and depressing, with a glint of tempered hope.
@Texreader

#wordoftheday

“Late-fifteenth-century popes pondered what to do with the tottering basilica, hesitating to destroy something so sacred. But the irascible warrior pope Julius II (reigned 1503–1513) had no such scruples. The ancient basilica was torn down, its ancient papal tombs relocated and some of the art incorporated into the new church. Throughout the sixteenth century the new basilica was raised by fits and starts… ⬇️

I don‘t know how many of you saw the moon earlier, but WOW! It had me texting my friends, “Beauty emergency!” a la Maggie Smith. One of them responded, “The moon was beautiful last night, too.” I don‘t know if she meant it to be an enthusiastic confirmation of my awe or flippant disinterest — but it reminded me of this quote by Anthony Doerr, which I love.

Anyway, the moon. 🌖 Hope some of you caught it!