Each year for the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Pope, the Bishop of Rome celebrates Mass in the City’s Cathedral, the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran. 
Immediately following the Mass, the Holy Father will process with the Blessed Sacrament from the Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

 Epiphany (from Koine Greek ἐπιφάνεια "appearance", "manifestation") is a Christian feast day which celebrates the revelation of God in human form in the person of Jesus Christ. It falls on January 6 or on a Sunday close to that date. January 6 in the Julian Calendar, which is followed by some Eastern Churches, corresponds at present to January 19 in the Gregorian Calendar, which is the official civil calendar in most countries. On this day, Western Christians commemorate principally the visitation of the Biblical Magi to the child Jesus, i.e., his manifestation to the Gentiles; Eastern Christians commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, seen as his manifestation to the world as the Son of God. It is also called Theophany, especially by Eastern Christians.

The observance had its origins in the Eastern Christian Churches, and was a general celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. It included the commemoration of: his birth; the visit of the Magi ("Wise Men", as Magi were Persian priests) to Bethlehem; all of Jesus' childhood events, up to and including his baptism in the Jordan byJohn the Baptist; and even the miracle at the Wedding of Cana in Galilee. It seems fairly clear that the Baptism was the primary event being commemorated.

Christians fixed the date of the feast on January 6 quite early in their history. Ancient liturgies noted Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio (Illumination, Manifestation, Declaration); cf. Matthew 3:13–17; Luke 3:22; and John 2:1–11; where the Baptism and the Marriage at Cana were dwelt upon. Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term Gentile means all non-Jewish peoples. The Biblical Magi, who represented the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to Herod the Great (King of Judea), who sought to kill him. In this event, Christian writers also inferred a revelation to the Children of Israel. Saint John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all."

The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in A.D. 361, by Ammianus Marcellinus St. Epiphanius says that January 6 is hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion (Christ's "Birthday; that is, His Epiphany").[6] He also asserts that the Miracle at Cana occurred on the same calendar day.[7]

In 385, the pilgrim Egeria (also known as Silvia) described a celebration in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, which she called "Epiphany" (epiphania) that commemorated the Nativity of Christ. Even at this early date, there was an octave associated with the feast.

In a sermon delivered on December 25, 380, St. Gregory of Nazianzus referred to the day as ta theophania ("the Theophany", an alternative name for Epiphany), saying expressly that it is a day commemorating he hagia tou Christou gennesis ("the holy nativity of Christ") and told his listeners that they would soon be celebrating the baptism of Christ. Then, on January 6 and 7, he preached two more sermons, wherein he declared that the celebration of the birth of Christ and the visitation of the Magi had already taken place, and that they would now commemorate his Baptism. At this time, celebration of the two events was beginning to be observed on separate occasions, at least in Cappadocia.

Saint John Cassian says that even in his time (beginning of the 5th century), the Egyptian monasteries celebrated the Nativity and Baptism together on January 6. The Armenian Apostolic Church continues to celebrate January 6 as the only commemoration of the Nativity.

Epiphany is celebrated by both the Eastern and Western Churches, but a major difference between them is precisely which events the feast commemorates. For Western Christians, the feast primarily commemorates the coming of the Magi; Eastern churches celebrate the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan. In both traditions, the essence of the feast is the same: the manifestation of Christ to the world (whether as an infant or in the Jordan), and the Mystery of the Incarnation.

Western Christian Churches

Even before the year 354, the Western Church had separated the celebration of the Nativity of Christ as the feast of Christmas and set its date as December 25; it reserved January 6 as a commemoration of the manifestation of Christ, especially to the Magi, but also at his baptism and at the wedding feast of Cana. Hungarians, in an apparent reference to baptism, refer to the January 6 celebration as Vízkereszt or "water cross". In parts of the Eastern Church, January 6 continued for some time as a composite feast that included the Nativity of Jesus: though Constantinople adopted December 25 to commemorate Jesus' birth in the fourth century, in other parts the Nativity of Jesus continued to be celebrated on January 6, a date later devoted exclusively to commemorating his Baptism.

Liturgical practice in Western Churches

The West historically observed a twelve-day festival, starting on December 25, and ending on January 5, known as Christmastide or the twelve days of Christmas. Some Christian cultures, especially those of Latin America and some in Europe, extend the season to as many as forty days, ending on Candlemas (February 2).

On the Feast of the Epiphany, the priest, wearing white vestments, will bless the Epiphany water, frankincense, gold, and chalk. Chalk is used to write the initials of the three magi over the doors of churches and homes. The letters stand for the initials of the Magi (traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), and also the phrase Christus mansionem benedicat, which translates as "may Christ bless the house".

According to ancient custom, the priest announced the date of Easter on the feast of Epiphany. This tradition dated from a time when calendars were not readily available, and the church needed to publicize the date of Easter, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on it. The proclamation may be sung or proclaimed at the ambo by a deacon, cantor, or reader either after the reading of the Gospel or after the postcommunion prayer.

Date of commemoration

Prior to the reform of 1955, when Pope Pius XII abolished all but three liturgical octaves, the Roman Catholic Church celebrated Epiphany as an eight-day feast beginning on January 6 and ending on January 13, known as the Octave of Epiphany. They celebrated the feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday within the octave, and the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus on the Sunday between January 2 and January 5 or, if there were no such Sunday, on January 2. They calculated Christmastide as the twelve days ending on January 5, followed by Epiphany time, consisting of the feast and its octave.

In the 1970 revision of the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6 for countries where the feast is a Holy Day of Obligation. In other countries, it is celebrated on the Sunday after January 1. Christmastide ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is always on the Sunday after Epiphany (unless, where Epiphany is not a holy day of obligation, Epiphany is celebrated on January 7 or 8, in which case Baptism of the Lord is celebrated in the following Monday).

The Roman Missal provides a formula with appropriate chant (in the tone of the Exsultet) for proclaiming on Epiphany, wherever it is customary to do so, the dates in the calendar for the celebration of Ash Wednesday, Easter Sunday, Ascension of Jesus Christ, Pentecost, the Body and Blood of Christ, and the First Sunday of Advent in the following Liturgical Year.

Prior to 1976, the Anglican churches also observed an eight-day feast. Today the Epiphany is classified as a Principal Feast and is observed on January 6 or on the Sunday between January 2 and 8. There is also an Epiphany season, observed between the season of Christmas and the first period of Ordinary Time. It begins at Evening Prayer on the Eve of the Epiphany and ends at Evening Prayer on the Feast of the Presentation (which may be celebrated on February 2 or on the Sunday between January 28 and February 3).

There are varying stories about Epiphany and Italy. According to the Roman author Macrobius, the word "Epiphania" was transformed into Befana, the great fair held at that season, when sigillaria of terracotta or baked pastry were sold (Macrobius I, x, xxiv; II, xlix). In popular folklore, Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of January 6 to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad.

In some European cultures, the greenery put up at Christmas is taken down at Epiphany, in other cultures it remains up until the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (February 2).

The Irish call this day Little Christmas or "Women's Christmas" (Irish: Nollaig na mBan).

The Dutch and Flemish call this day Drie Koningen (Three Kings' Day). In the Netherlands and Belgium, children in groups of three (symbolising the three kings) proceed in costume from house to house while singing songs typical for the occasion, and receiving a coin or some sweets at each door.

In France, on Epiphany people eat the gâteau des Rois in Provence or the galette des Rois in the northern half of France and Belgium. This is a kind of king cake, with a trinket (usually a porcelain figurine of a king) or a bean hidden inside. The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket becomes "king" for a day.

In Greece, Cyprus and the Greek diaspora throughout the world, the feast is colloquially called the "Phōta" (Greek: Φώτα, "Lights") and customs revolve around the Great Blessing of the Waters. It marks the end of the traditional ban on sailing, as the tumultuous winter seas are cleansed of the mischief-prone "kalikántzaroi", the goblins that try to torment God-fearing Christians through the festive season. The Phota form the middle of another festive triduum, together with Epiphany Eve, January 5, when children sing the Epiphany carols, and the great feast of St. John the Baptist on January 7, when the numerous Johns and Joans celebrate their name-day.

In Malta, Epiphany is commonly known as It-Tre Re (The Three Kings). Until the 1980s January 6 was a public holiday, but today the Maltese are celebrating Epiphany on the first Sunday of the year. But children are still taking January 6 as a school holiday and Christmas decorations light up till this day also on most public streets.

In Portugal, Epiphany, on January 6, is called dia dos Reis (day of the kings), during which the traditional Bolo Rei (King cake) is baked and eaten.

In Spain, and some Latin American countries Epiphany day is called El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings), i.e., the day when a group of Kings or Magi, as related in the second chapter of the gospel of Matthew, arrived to worship and bring three gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. This day is sometimes known as the Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The day of the Three Royal Magi) or La Pascua de los Negros (Holy Day of the Blackmen) in Chile, although the latter is rarely heard. In Spanish tradition, on the day of January 6, three of the Kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. Children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on the eve of January 6. Sweet wine, nibbles, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In Mexico, it is traditional for children to leave their shoes, along with a letter with toy requests for the Three Kings, by the family nativity scene or by their beds. In some parts of northern Mexico the shoes and letters are left under the Christmas tree. The shoes may be filled with hay for the camels, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts.

In the Philippines, the Christmas season traditionally ends on this day, known colloquially as "Three Kings" or "Tres Reyes" (Filipino:Tatlong Hari). Filipino children also leave their shoes out, so that the Kings would leave behind gifts like candy or money inside. Most others on this day simply greet one another with the phrase "Happy Three Kings!". In some locales, there is the practise of having three men, dressed as the Tatlong Hari, ride around on horseback, distributing trinkets and candy to the children of the area. The collective name for the group is immortalised as the Filipino surname Tatlonghari, and the Spanish name for the day has survived to the present in masculine given name Epifanio (e.g. Epifanio de los Santos).

In Puerto Rico, it is traditional for children to fill a box with grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the same reasons. These traditions are analogous to the customs of children leaving mince pies and sherry out for Father Christmas in Western Europe or leaving milk and cookies for Santa Claus in the United States.

In the afternoon or evening of the same day the ritual of the Rosca de reyes/Roscón de Reyes is shared with family and friends. The Rosca or Roscón is a type of pastry made with orange blossom water and butter, and decorated with candied fruit. Baked inside is a small doll representing the baby Jesus.

In Mexico, the person who finds the doll in their piece of rosca must throw a party on February 2, "Candelaria Day," offering tamales and atole (a hot sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to the guests.

In Spain, the bread is known as Roscón. Made with the same or similar items above; traditionally the roscón was simply a round, sweet bread with candied fruit on top, however, recently, different flavoured whipped creams are used as filling. The 'Jesus' doll evolved into a small toy similar to a Kinder Surprise it may also includes a bean. The person who gets the toy is then crowned king for the day, while the person who finds the bean is responsible for paying for the Roscon.

Arrivederci Roma

Renato Rascel
Garinei, Giovannini e R.Rascel

T'invidio turista che arrivi,
t'imbevi de fori e de scavi,
poi tutto d'un colpo te trovi
fontana de Trevi ch'e tutta pe' te!
Ce sta 'na leggenda romana
legata a 'sta vecchia fontana
per cui se ce butti un soldino
costringi er destino a fatte tornà.
E mentre er soldo bacia er fontanone
la tua canzone in fondo è questa qua!
Arrivederci, Roma...
Good bye...au revoir...
Si ritrova a pranzo a Squarciarelli
fettuccine e vino dei Castelli
come ai tempi belli che Pinelli immortalò!
Arrivederci, Roma...
Good bye...au revoir...
Si rivede a spasso in carozzella
e ripenza a quella "ciumachella"
ch'era tanto bella e che gli ha detto sempre "no!"
Stasera la vecchia fontana
racconta la solita luna
la storia vicina e lontana
di quella inglesina col naso all'insù
Io qui, proprio qui l'ho incontrata...
E qui...proprio qui l'ho baciata...
Lei qui con la voce smarrita
m'ha detto:"E' finita ritorno lassù!"
Ma prima di partire l'inglesina
buttò la monetina e sussurrò:
Arrivederci, Roma...
Good bye...au revoir...
Voglio ritornare in via Margutta
voglio rivedere la soffitta
dove m'hai tenuta stretta stretta accanto a te!
Arrivederci, Roma...
Non so scordarti più...
Porto in Inghilterra i tuoi tramonti
porto a Londra Trinità dei monti,
porto nel mio cuore i giuramenti e gli "I love you!"
Arrivederci, Roma...
Good bye...au revoir...
Mentre l'inglesina s'allontana
un ragazzinetto s'avvicina
va nella fontana pesca un soldo se ne va!
Arrivederci, Roma!

Roma nun fa la stupida stasera

Roma nun fà la stupida stasera
damme 'na mano a faje di de si
Sceji tutte le stelle
più brillarelle che poi
e un friccico de luna tutta pe' noi
Faje sentì ch'è quasi primavera
manna li mejo grilli pe' fa cri cri
Prestame er ponentino
più malandrino che ciai
Roma nun fa la stupida stasera
ROMA nun fa la stupida stasera
Damme 'na mano a faje di de si
Sceji tutte le stelle
più brillarelle che poi
e un friccico de luna tutta pe' noi
Faje sentì ch'è quasi primavera
manna li mejo grilli pe' fa cri cri
Prestame er ponentino
più malandrino che ciai
Roma reggeme er moccolo stasera.

 

GRAZIE ROMA

Antonello Venditti

Dimmi cos'è,
che ci fa sentire amici anche se non ci conosciamo
dimmi cos'è ,
che ci fa sentire uniti anche se siamo lontani.
dimmi cos'è cos'è
che batte forte forte forte in fondo al cuore
che ci toglie il respiro e ci parla d'amore.
Grazie Roma che ci fai piangere abbracciati ancora
Grazie Roma, grazie Roma che ci fai vivere e sentire ancora
una persona nuova.
Dimmi cos'è cos'è
quella stella grande grande in fondo al cielo
che brilla dentro di te e grida forte forte dal tuo cuore.
Grazie Roma che ci fai piangere abbracciati ancora
Grazie Roma, grazie Roma che ci fai vivere e sentire ancora
una persona nuova.
Dimmi chi è
che me fa sentì 'mportante anche se nun conto niente,
che me fa Re quando sento le campane la domenica mattina
Dimmi che è chi è
che me fa campà sta vita così piena de problemi
e che me da coraggio se tu non me voi bene.
Grazie Roma che ci fai piangere abbracciati ancora
Grazie Roma, grazie Roma che ci fai vivere e sentire ancora
una persona nuova.

 

ROMA ROMA

Antonello Venditti

Roma Roma Roma,
core de stà città,
unico grande amore,
de tanta e tanta gente,
che fai sospirà.
Roma Roma Roma,
lassace cantà,
da stà voce nasce un core,
so centomila voci che hai fatto nammorà.
Roma Roma bella,
t'ho dipinta io,
gialla come er sole,
rossa come er core mio.
Roma Roma mia,
nun te fa cantà,
tu sei nata grande
e grande hai da restà.
Roma Roma Roma,
core de stà città,
unico grande amore,
de tanta e tanta gente,
ch'hai fatto nammorà.

 

ROMA CAPOCCIA

Antonello Venditti

Quanto sei bella Roma quand'e' sera
quando la luna se specchia
dentro ar fontanone
e le coppiette se ne vanno via,
quanto sei bella Roma quando piove.
Quanto sei bella Roma quand'e' er tramonto
quando l'arancio rosseggia
ancora sui sette colli
e le finestre so' tanti occhi,
che te sembrano dì: quanto sei bella.
Oggi me sembra che
er tempo se sia fermato qui,
vedo la maestà der Colosseo
vedo la santità der cupolone,
e so' piu' vivo e so' più bbono
no nun te lasso mai
Roma capoccia der mondo infame,
na carrozzella va co du stranieri
un robivecchi te chiede un po'de stracci
li passeracci so'usignoli;
io ce so'nato Roma,
io t'ho scoperta stamattina.

 

VACANZE ROMANE

Matia Bazar

Roma, dove sei? Eri con me
Oggi prigione tu, prigioniera io
Roma, antica città
Ora vecchia realtà
Non ti accorgi di me e non sai che pena mi fai
Ma piove il cielo sulla città
Tu con il cuore nel fango
L'oro e l'argento, le sale da te
Paese che non ha più campanelli
Poi, dolce vita che te ne vai
Sul Lungotevere in festa
Concerto di viole e mondanità
Profumo tuo di vacanze romane
Roma bella, tu, le muse tue
Asfalto lucido, "Arrivederci Roma"
Monetina e voilà
C'è chi torna e chi va
La tua parte la fai, ma non sai che pena mi dai
Ma Greta Garbo di vanità
Tu con il cuore nel fango
L'oro e l'argento, le sale da te
Paese che non ha più campanelli
Poi, dolce vita che te ne vai
Sulle terrazze del Corso
"Vedova allegra", máìtresse dei caffè
Profumo tuo di vacanze romane

IL CIELO SU ROMA

Colle der Fomento

Esco di casa e ci sto dentro, la mia città grande quanto grande il mondo, a volte mi ci perdo non la conosco fino in fondo eppure so quanto Roma capoccia è splendida al tramonto per molti un vanto, riflessa nello specchio dei negozi persa in mille vizi, troppi pezzi troppi palazzi, mille facce mille storie mille volti hai giurato ma alla fine poi ti scordi qualcuno te lo scordi se lo perde per la
strada ma Roma se ne frega in cambio dalla notte che ti invita fredda che quel freddo ti rimane a volte così calda che quel freddo te lo fa scordare, così viziata e vissuta nello stesso tempo insegna quante volte ch'ai da esse svelto troppe volte ha visto l'amore fasse rosso su una lama de cortello ma dimmi quante volte hai visto il cielo sopra Roma e hai detto quant'è bello, viettelo a vedè dall'alto scavalca il muro al foro e viemme accanto eccola e stasera non farà la stupida 
darà le mejo stelle la mejo luna che me illumina. 
Rit.
E' nella testa
tutto qua tutto qua
comunque resta
tutto qua tutto qua
E' nella testa
tutto qua
restano le mejo stelle solo le mejo che dà 
E' nella testa
tutto qua tutto qua
comunque resta
tutto qua tutto qua
E' nella testa
tutto qua
tutto quello che mi serve sotto il cielo della mia città.

Nato in mezzo al fiume della mia città nel cuore della mia città chi nasce qua qua ci resta, la gente vive nel posto nel quale abito intorno a me ma non ne vive neanche un attimo, n'adà passà d'acqua sotto sti penti prima che si risolvano e ritornino i conti quante ne ho viste vissute o ne ho fatte sotto questo cielo giorno e notte, l'ho attraversatata col motorino da parte a parte o in matropolitana sotto il suolo sottostante, la sua forma è la mia forma, la Roma di chi se ne va ma che tanto poi ritorna, tanti scenari da film per chi si ama quante fontane per bere in ogni angolo di Roma negli anni ottanta si girava con lo special cinquanta qualcuno ci aveva messo il centoquaranta i ciaetti che facevano una piotta e trenta e sotrie del genere le cose grosse più le piccole per crescere, in mezzo a questo sotto questo cielo vivo ed un motivo ce sta se lo scrivo. 
Rit.
Roma la città eterna non scende a patti la Roma dei coatti le comitive sui muretti, le borgate la periferia i palzzi la Roma degli sguardi che finiscono in scazzi, nei cortili qualcuno sta vendendo qualcuno sta comprando una sirena e stanno già scappando via di qui tocca dasse al più presto più presto per lasciare un segno in mezzo a tutto questo, la Roma dei romani de Roma de chi la 
vede pe la prima e ce se innamora la Roma bene acchittata che pe acchittasse paga le sale giochi la mattina coi pischelli che hanno fatto sega il fronte i fasci il forte gli autonomi le situazioni brutte di notte stazione termini il bionno tevere il cilo sopra Roma che non smette mai de vivere. 
Rit.

 

Roma Di Notte

Tiro Mancino

Non era solo questo che mi ha riportato qui
dove sto vivendo questo tempo
dove tutto ha un posto tranne me
e una ragione forse c'è
ma vola via come le foglie al vento
Questo è il mio suono che nasce dai dubbi che io ho
come che fare nella vita per esempio
sto in bilico su un tubo
quando rubo tutti i suoni gli stili i segnali di vita nei cortili
ma gli argomenti sono i miei personali
e non puoi trovarne altri uguali
questo è il mio suono che nasce dal video
Roma città chiusa nella casa dove vivo
dove pago l'affitto di un milione e cento al mese
sconfitto dalle bollette appese
non morirò stritolato dalla burocrazia che mi assale
non farò file su file
non starò in fila per giorni
s'è rotto il terminale ci dispiace ritorni
Non era solo questo che mi ha riportato qui
dove sto vivendo questo tempo
Cammino cinque passi avanti alle intenzioni
cinque passi avanti alla pronuncia del mio nome
cinque passi nel delirio della capitale
cinque passi nel futuro per tornarlo a raccontare
adesso sta ad ascoltare
Tutte le strade che a Roma portano
quando ci arrivano s'ingorgano ristagnano
fumi di scarico impastano la lingua e l'alito di rabbia facile
basta un attimo per perdersi e ritrovarsi ancora qui
volantini fradici calpestati in vicoli
conosci ma non eviti
t'impantani in chiacchere buttate a vanvera
credendo d'essere l'unica ancora con il possibile

Estate Di Città

Il Regno

Anche Oggi L'aria Fresca Manca Mandando 
La Mia Mente In Vacanza 
Il Sole Brucia Tipo Cielo In Una Stanza 
Ahhh! Basta Per Oggi Ne Ho Abbastanza 
Esco 
In Cerca Di Fresco 
Ma Incalza 
Calura Densa Come Condensa 
Mi Riempie I Polmoni Come Fosse Ganjia 
Silenzio Nella Strada Risate Nella Piazza 
Sono I Pischelli Del Rione Giocano Con L'acqua 
Bei Tempi Divertenti Ma È Tempo Di Fiacca 
La Vacca 
Grassa Ora E' Magra Ma Basta! 
Con Il Sole In Faccia Accaldato Rilassato 
Mi Scaldo L'inverno Che Ho Dentro E' Già Lontano 
Strano 
Eppure Mi Sembrava Ieri Fosse Cominciato 
Spero Sia Passato 
Adesso È Il Presente L'importante 
Mentre L'afa Sale Dall'asfalto Rovente.
Rit.
Quando Calienta Il Sol.... 
Finestre Chiuse, Serrande Abbassate E' Il Paesaggio 
Che Faccio? 
Gli Amici In Campeggio Io Solo Che Passeggio Dentro Un Caldo Da Miraggio 
Mi Guardo In Giro, Nessuno In Casa 
Che Strana Che È Roma 
Praticamente Vuota 
Gli Anziani Del Baretto Parlano Di Chessa' Che Cosa 
Birra Fredda Carte Per Loro Per Me Un'altra Strofa 
Sul Taccuino 
Un Tizio Sul Motorino Cerca Clienti Come Arrotino 
Ma Non Batte Chiodo Batte Sole 
Scandito Dal Rumore Di Cicale 
Tutto Questo È Solo Per Me È Personale 
È Inutile Bussare Qui Non Aprirà Nessuno 
Non Mi Disturbate Tra Strade Vuote Vado In Cerca Me Stesso 
Il Sole E' Il Mio Peyote 
Questa È La Mia Quiete. 
Proiettato Al Volo Dentro Un'altra Dimensione 
Tipo I Film Western Con Strade Polverose Che Guardavo Da Bambino In Televisione 
Con Storie Varie 
Di Sparatorie Sembra Mezzogiorno Di Fuoco, Loco? 
Non Credo Questo É Mezzogiorno D'agosto Dentro Il Quale Vedo Il Mio Quartiere Sotto Un'altra
Prospettiva 
Dentro Il Quale Sento Quella Quiete Sulla Pelle Che Mancava 
Dove Stava? 
La Parte Ruvida Si È Sciolta Come Cera 
Perché Se Calienta Il Sole Nella Playaa Nella Città Si Squaglia Dal Calore 
Pochissimo Rumore Poche Cose Sanno Influenzare Così Il Mio Umore 
Come 
La Mia Città Con Quattro Gatti, 
Tutti In Cerca D'ombra Mentre 'sto Mc. 
Sogna " Club Tropicana Drinks Are Free.."
Rit. 
Breakdown
Agosto Roma Mia Non Ti Riconosco 
Così Ferma Cosi Vuota Nel Caldo Gira Arrosto Raccontata Dall'inchiostro Che Fermenta Come Mosto 
Per Fermare Il Tempo E Dare Ai Miei D.j. Un Altro Testo Per Fare Quelle Rime 
Cui Mi Dono 
Canto Cio' Che Vivo E Lo Racconto Sopra Un Trono 
Cosa Sono? Cosa Suono? Perché Con Questo Caldo Uso Rime Come Valvola Di Sfogo? 
Mi Chiedo.

 

La Roma che conosco

Marco Conidi

La Roma che conosco la porto sempre dentro
nei giorni di burrasca e in quelli senza vento
Tra vicoli, palazzi, bar, trattorie
so centomila strade... e so tutte mie
E sono tutte mie le facce della gente
le donne sul balcone, il ricco, il mendicante posteggiatori, tassinari, barbieri e benzinai
la Roma che conosco non la conosci mai
Non fa' la stupida stasera
damme 'na mano a faje dì da sì
Non fa' la stupida stasera
La Roma che conosco c'ha sempre er sole addosso
e quanno esco ride, e me lo presta spesso.
E pure quanno piove sembra che non disturba
te fracica, te frega... E' come una donna furba
la Roma se vedemo, dimo, annamo, famo,
non ti devi da preoccupare che tanto te richiamo
la Roma... N'dov'è che devono andare tutti quanti?
Moto, motorini, vespette... ottovolanti.
La Roma che conosco, du' ore pe fa un metro
però mentre te blocca te fa vedè San Pietro
Non fa' la stupida stasera
damme 'na mano a faje dì da sì
Non fa' la stupida stasera
La Roma che conosco è tavoli in eccesso
e tutti addosso a tutti ma stamo bene lo stesso
basta che quel piatto rimanga sempre quello
guanciale, pecorino... e un pò di quel vinello
Che ce fa uscì contenti tra vicoli incantati
a ride con gli amici oppure innamorati
La Roma che conosco te insegna a fa l'amore
e a ogni bacio aggiunge un pò, un pò del suo sapore.
Così la porti dentro dovunque te ne vai
La Roma che conosco... non la conosci MAI!!
Non fa' la stupida stasera
damme 'na mano a faje dì da sì
Non fa' la stupida stasera
Non fa' la stupida stasera
damme 'na mano a faje dì da sì
Non fa' la stupida stasera

 

On An Evening In Roma

Dean Martin

Como e bella ce la luna brille e strette
Strette como e tutta bella a passeggiare
Sotto il cielo di roma
Down each avenue or via, street or strata
You can see em disappearing two by two
On an evening in roma
Do they take em for espresso
Yeah, I guess so
On each lovers arm a girl I wish I knew
On an evening in roma
Though theres grining and mandolining in sunny italy
The beginning has just begun when the sun goes down
So please meet me in the plaza near your casa
I am only one and thats one too few
On an evening in roma
Dont know what the countrys coming to
But in rome do as the romans do
Will you on an evening in roma
Como e bella ce la luna brille e strette
Strette como e tutta bella a passeggiare
Sotto il cielo di roma
Dont know what the countrys coming to
But in rome do as the romans do
Will you on an evening in roma
Sotter celo de roma
On an evening in roma

El 6 de enero - La Befana

Epifania significaba Manifetsación, Revelación del Verbo. La palabra ha sido influenciada por el dialecto popular y por eso se ha vuelto en Befana. 
En el imaginario popular la befana es una bruja muy vieja con una nariz muy larga y una giba muy grande; ella pasa todo el año preparando juguetes para los niños que se han portado bien y carbón para los que se han portado mal. Hace mucho que piazza Navona es el escenario de esta festividad, media sagrada y media profana.

En el siglo XIX los niños de las colonias extranjeras de Roma daban homenaje al niño Jesus en sus idiomas y con sus costumbres. Durante 8 dias la plaza era llena de puestos que vendian juguetes y artesania. 
Posteriormente la artesania ha sido sostituida con productos más comerciales y dulces. En la noche del 5 de enero hay muchas fiestas en cada esquina de la ciudad.

El 17 de enero - La benedición de los animales en Sant'Eustachio

El 14 de enero, en frente de la iglesia de Sant' Eustachio hay la benedición de los animales. 
Hace mucho tiempo esta manifestación se caracterizaba por una larga procesión de animales. Hoy gran parte de los animales son los domesticos, por ejemplo gatos y perros

 

El 19 de enero - El Purim de Roma

El Purim es una festividad judía tipica de Roma. Esta festividad celebra un episodio del 1793, cuando las tropas francesas intentaron incendiar el ghetto judío. 
En esta ocasión una bandada providencial salvó el ghetto y sus habitantes. A partir de este momento los Judíos de Roma celebran el evento milagroso durante el segundo dia de Shevat.

El 2 de febrero - La Candelora

La Candelora es una festividad religiosa creada por el papa Gelasio I entre el 492 y el 496. Esta tradición encuentra sus raices en la más antigua historia romana, cuando el mes de febrero, considerado el último mes del año, era el mes de la purificación . El rito del sacrificio es el 13 de febrero en la cueva de Lupercale, el sitio donde, según la tradición, Romolo y Remo habían sido criado por la loba.

En este dia una cabra era matada por el lupercali, el cura romano destinado a cumplir este rito, con el proposito de limpiar las almas de las personas, con la sangre y la piel ( cortada para crear un látigo especial) del animal destinado al sacrificio. Cuando este rito sanguinario fue abolido, su tradición era tán arraigada que la iglesia tuvo que convertirlo al cristianesimo. 
El 2 de febrero los Romanos reciben la purificación a traves de la benedición de las velas, por eso "la candelora" ( vela=candela) es el nombre de esta festividad. Después de la procesión, las velas benedictas vienen puestas en las casas para proteger a los que viven allí.

El 9 de Febrero - La declaración de la Republica Romana

La mañana del 9 de febrero Giuseppe Galletti leió en Piazza del Campidoglio el decretofondamentale de la Republica Romana. Aunque la Republica acabó dos meses más tarde este dia siguió siendo celebrado en nombre de la libertad, de la independencia y del sacrificio de muchos Italianos y romanos que lucharon contra el poder temporal de la iglesia.

El 9 de febrero

El aniversario de la fundación de la Republica Romana es también una festividad judía. La Constitución de la Republica estableció la libertad de culto, evento que es simbolo de la completa emancipación de los Judíos en Roma, segregados en el ghetto desde el 1555.

El carnaval romano

En los siglos XVIII y XIX el carnaval romano era un evento muy famoso en toda Europa. Habian muchas fiestas y procesiones en todas las calles de la ciudad. Todos los Romanos, y muchos extranjeros, partecipaban a esta semana de fiesta. El evento más clamoroso era lo de la carrera de los caballos, abolida después de la muerte de un soldado en el año 1870. A partir de esta fecha el carnaval romano ha sufrido una progresiva decadencia.

El 9 de Marzo - Santa Francesca Romana. La benedición de los coches.

Nacida en los años treinta del siglo XX, esta joven fiesta espera aumentar su importancia en los años que seguirán. El numero creciente en la produccíon de coches en este siglo, ha sido una razón por la cual los Romanos han elegido Santa Francesca Romana como santo patron de todos los vehículos. La reunion y la benedición de los coches se hace el 9 de marzo en frente de la iglesia de Santa Francesca Romano, cerca del Foro Romano.

El 19 de marzo - Festa di San Giuseppe

La fama de San Giuseppe, debida a su sencillez y bondad, es muy difusa entre la gente, sobretodo entre los artesanos, que lo elegieron como santo patron. En su honor, muchas iglesias y muchos niños han sido llamado con este nombre. La difusión de este nombre contribuyó al aumento de la popularidad de este santo, celebrado el 19 de marzo. Durante este dia los Romanos se encuentran al Trionfale y comen las tradicionales frittelle ( como pancakes) y bollos de crema, preparados en una enorme freidora en frente de la gente. Esto es el motivo por el cual esta fiesta es conocida como "Sagra di San Giuseppe Frittellaro". Alrededor de los puestos de pancakes están los puestos de los artesanos que venden sus tipicos productos.

La Semana Santa - Los misterios del Gonfalone en el Colosseo

Los misterios han sido también organisados durante la Semana Santa por la Cofradia del Gonfalone, la más importante institución benefica de Roma, fundada en el año 1264. Una de las performance más espectaculares era la dedicada a la representación de la Pasión, en el Coliseo, cerca de la iglesia de Santa Maria della Pietà. El escenario era maravillosamente realizado por artistas muy famosos, como Antonio Romazzo. Todo era realizado con grande cura de los detalles. La popularidad de esta representación santa romana está dimostrada por los numerosos textos de esta obra teatral dramatica. Aunque hoy, en la pequeña ciudad de Sordelovo, el antigua obra teatral de la Pasión está representada durante tres meses por 400 de los 1400 habitantes de la ciudad.

Los Quaresimali

Durante la Cuaresma, los Romanos comian los "Quaresimali", tipicos dulces romanos preparados con una pasta fermentada, azúcar, piñones y uvas. El primer viernes de marzo los chicos donaban estos dulces a sus queridas ( que a veces escondian dentro un anillo!). El consumo de los quaresimali durante la Cuaresma probablemente permitia de liberarse de la restricción deietetica. Existe una estrofa muy simpatica sobre estos dulces:

Er primo è pe' li presciolosi; 
Er siconno pe' li sposi;
Er terzo pe' l'innamorati;
Er quarto pe' li disperati 

El 25 de Abril - Festa di Pasquino

Nacida en el año 1508, esta festividad era originariamente organisada por los estudiantes que, en este dia, llevaban en procesion la estatua de Pasquino decorada con una mascára mitologica. Además los estudiantes leían epigramas latinos que exaltaban el regímen. Cuando esta tradición paró de ser celebrada, un nuevo "pasquinismo" empezó a ser clandestinamente difundido por los estudiantes. Esta vez la producción literaria, tipicamente satirica, criticaba todas las insituciones, denunciando también los abusos del poder de la iglesia y de los hidalgos. Aunque los estudiantes hayan sido perseguidos por las autoridades, esta nueva forma de protesta literaria ha seguido en el tiempo, llegando hasta los tiempos modernos, y representa una manifestación de la libre denuncia de los ciudadanos.

El 16 de Mayo - La Visita alle Sette Chiese

La vuelta de las Siete Iglesias se hace cada año durante el mes de mayo, exactamente durante el dia de la Ascensión. Es una tradición muy antigua, instituida por San Filippo Neri, patron de la ciudad, con la intención de juntar las dos partes de Roma: la parte sacra y la profana. La visita religiosa, a pies, inclue la visita a las siete iglesias más importantes de la ciudad: San Lorenzo fuori le mura, Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Santa Maria Maggiore, San Giovanni in Laterano, San Sebastiano all'Appia Antica, San Paolo fuori le mura y San Pietro in Vaticano. La devota peregrinación era acompañada por un pic-nic en el país, con musica, conciertos y una lectura especial hecha por un niño que repetía a memoria un pequeño sermóm escrito por el evento. Esta es la razon por la cual San Filippo llamó esta festividad religiosa "el Carnaval Cristiano". Aunque a través de los siglos hayan cambiado unos ejercicios, el alegre espiritu de los peregrinos se ha preservado en el tiempo.

El 31 de Mayo - Shavuot

El Shavout es una de las festividades judías más importantes, que pertenece al shelosh regalim , los tres peregrinos al Templo de Jerusalén. Esta festividad es el 6 de Sivan , que llega 49 dias después de la Pascua, y celebra el evento de los Diez Mandamientos del Sinai y los productos de la naturaleza. Las decoraciones floreales en las sinagogas romanas tienen un doble significado. Uno con Jerusalén, donde las calles, en estos dias, están decoradas con flores y fructos para celebrar el renacimiento de la naturaleza. El otro con el episodio del Exodo que, de acuerdo con la promulgación de los Diez Mandamientos, el Sinai emanaba un caracteristico perfum de flores.

Sant'Antonio da Padova. Fiesta de las fresas en Campo de' Fiori

En ocasión de la festividad de Sant'Antonio da Padova, las chicas romanas que partecipaban a la cosecha de las fresas, organisaban, el 13 de junio, una fiesta en Campo de' Fiori para celebrar la fin del tiempo de la cosecha. Esta festividad era llamada el Trionfo delle fragole , el triunfo de las fresas. Al centro del campo se construía una grande cesta y al rededor las chicas ponían sus cestas más pequeñas llenas de fresas. A la fin de este "ritual", los hombres llevaban arriba de la cabeza las cestas y caminaban por las calles del centro. Durante la procesión las chicas y los chicos cantaban unas canciones muy alegres para celebrar a Sant'Antonio, por ejemplo:

Salutiamo cor fischietto
sant'Antonio Benedetto.
Trullallero, trullalà
Tutti quanti a sfravolà. 

La celebración acababa con una distribución general de las fresas.

El 24 de Junio

Según la tradición, cada noche de San Giovanni el fantasma de Erodiade, la mujer adulterina de Erode Antipa, reune a las brujas desde el campo de Laterano donde, llorando y lamentandose, vagabunda el fantasma de Salomè. La cabala acaba por la mañana. Los Romanos corrían por los campos con linternas y cascabeles para ver a las brujas volar en la oscuridad. Los cascabeles servían para despertar a las Bellas Durmientes que así llegaban para partecipar a la fiesta. Antes de salir los Romanos dejabán en las puertas de casa unas escobas y unos botes llenos de sal, para evitar que las brujas entraran. En efecto, las brujas, muy curiosas, contaban todas las palas de los molinos, de las escobas y de los granos de la sal, pasando así las horas de la noche más corta del año. El sol, almaneciendo, las rechazaba así que se iban con las sombras de la noche. Mientras tanto , entre Santa Croce y la Basilica, los Romanos encendían los "Fuegos de San Giovanni" para contrastar con un poco de luz la oscuridad de la noche. Después corrían en el campo, en la "Salita degli Spiriti " ("Salida de los Espiritus"), donde querían hacer el ultimo rito, comer los caracoles estufados. Este rito tenía un significado muy particular, lo da la reconciliación. Los "cuernos", en efecto, representaban la discordia. Comiendolos, los Romanos enterraban todas las envidias. Todas estas maravillosas tradiciones y antiguos costumbres, ahora olvidados, podrían aparecer otra vez en nombre de la reconciliación y de la concordia. Por suerte se han conservado muchas de las canciones tradicionales. Como la siguiente:

Me feci un bell'insogno, l'altra notte, 
che annamio tutt'e dua a San Giovanni... 

El 29 de Junio - San Pietro y San Paolo

Hace mucho tiempo, los Romanos celebraban con fiestas el martirio de San Pietro y de San Paolo. El 29 de junio se iban a comer en dos tabernas muy famosas en el campo romano, "Osteria del '31" y "Scarpone" donde comían lo que se llevaban desde casa, así que lo único que tenían que pagar era el "scommido". La cosa más atractiva eran las luces del Cupolone. Las festividades acababan en el Castel Sant'Angelo, alumbrado por los fuegos artificiales. San Paolo se celebraba también el 30 de junio y en este dia los vendedores ambulantes vendián lechones asados y también habían otros que vendían juguetes, todos estos productos se difundián con mucha facilidad durante estas fiestas.

El 18 de Julio - Festa de Noatri

Esta festividad representa la parte profana de la más grande, y popular, festividad religiosa del Trastevere y es una de las pocas que han sobrevivido hasta nuestros tiempos. Cada año llegan muchos turistas y creyentes. La Festa de Noatri se celebra el primer sabado después del 16 de julio, dia en el cual se celebra la Virgen del Carmine. En esta ocasión se hace una solemne procesión y la estatua de la Virgen , decorada con trajes y joyas preciosas, es llevada por las calles, desde la iglesia de Sant'Agata hasta la basilica de San Crisogono. La estatua se queda en la iglesia para los visitadores hasta el lunes siguiente, dia en el cual se lleva otra vez en la iglesia de Sant'Agata. Como en todas las festividades, las calles se llenan de vendedores ambulantes que ofrecen diferentes productos. Muchisimos puestos, tabernas iluminadas, performance teatrales y musicales crean el fascinante y tipico escenario de esta celebración religiosa.

El 5 de Agosto - Madonna della Neve. La caída de la nieve de Santa Maria Maggiore

Según la leyenda la construccíon de la iglesia más grande de Roma devota a la Virgen, Santa Maria Maggiore, es en relación a la milagrosa caída de la nieve. El 5 de Agosto de un año muy remoto, en la segunda mitad del siglo IV, el papa Liberio y el noble patricio que sustituyeron al emperador, tuvieron el mismo sueño: construir una iglesia dedicada a la Virgen en un sitio que, al dia siguiente, se llenara de nieve. El milagro sucedió en la cima del Cispo, que en el pasado era un sitio muy famoso. La iglesia ganó mucha fama en los siglos sucesivos. Aunque sea muy importante desde un punto de vista historico y cultural, la iglesia es muy famosa por su legendaria origen. Así que, el 5 de agosto, la iglesia es el escenario de la commemoración devota, y en este dia petalos blancos de rosas caen en la cima de la iglesia.

El 7 de Septiembre - Homenage a Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli

El 7 de septiembre, Roma celebra el nacimiento de este importante poeta, Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli, que, en su vasta producción literaria en dialecto, nos ha dejado un autentico testimonio de una ciudad muy compleja, tratando de su aspecto social. Gracias a su obra podemos descubrir y vivir el espiritu de la ciudad de Roma en sus aspectos y atmosfera. Los Romanos celebran este poeta de una manera muy sencilla: llevan unas flores a su monumento y por la noche se encuentran, para conmemorarlo, en la plaza Fontana di Trevi, sitio donde escribió muchos de sus poemas. Cada año algunos exponentes de la vida cultural cuentan del amistad con Belli, mientras que unos actores leen algunos sonetos.

El 20 de Septiembre - Porta Pia

El 20 de septiembre del año 1870 unos cañones de la artillería del general Cadorna abre una playa en la Porta Pia, que marca la fin del poder temporal. A partir de este evento, el papa Pio IX ordenó de elevar una bandera blanca en la cima de la cupola de San Pietro, en Castel Sant'Angelo y en la torre de Santa Maria Maggiore. Con las tropas, entraron en la ciudad también la libertad, la democracia y la modernidad. La Roma de los papas se volvió pronto en la Roma Tercera, capital de Italia. Esa fecha ha sido siempre celebrada como el triunfo del anticlericalismo y de la libertad de pensamiento.

El 2 de Noviembre - I Luoghi della Memoria -Los sitios de la memoria

Desde el 1994, en ocasión de "Todos los Santos", la ciudad de Roma ha instituido un encuentro que se ha vuelto una tradición: "Luoghi della Memoria. Attori e Poesia" ("los sitios de la memoria. Acores y poesia"). El encuentro se celebra con la recitación de liricas y de paginas de prosa, con conciertos de musica sacra que se celebran por los "sitios sacros" como el monumentale Cemeterio de Verano, el Cemeterio Acattolico, el Cemeterio Flaminio, el Sepolcro de Romolo, y el Pantheon. Este encuentro especial y conmemorativo de obras literarias, sitios monumentales, interpretes artisticos crea un atmosfera muy emotiva y reflexiva que, estableciendo un dialogo con la muerte, confirma la pertenencia de los vivos a la ciudad.

El 2 de Noviembre- Absolución de las almas de los ahogados en el Tevere

Una ceremonia muy solemne que se celebra el 2 de Noviembre en la isla Tiberina. Durante esta noche las personas partecipan a una "via crucis" en las rivas del Tevere, iluminado por las tradicionales padelle . Muchos creyentes, con linternas y velas, partecipan a este rito en honor de los que se murieron en las aguas del rio Tevere. La procesion termina en la oratoria con la absolución de las almas de los ahogados.

El 25 de noviembre - Santa Caterina. La llegada de los "Pifonistas"

Los "pifonistas" (the "pifferai") son musicos muy pintorescos, vienen de Abruzzo, llevan unos sombreros muy grandes y decorados, unas capas muy largas, pantalones coloradisimos, pelo largo y una barba muy espesa. Llegan el 25 de noviembre, Santa Caterina, dia que representa el comienzo del invierno y sus presencias sugestivas por las calles de la ciudad crean y difonden una tipica atmosfera de Navidad. En este dia los Romanos cambian las sábanas de la cama y colocan un felpudo delante de la puerta. Gracias a la presencia de los pifonistas, se empieza a sentir el espíritu de la Navidad.

Los Saturnali

La festividad de los Saturnali era la última del antiguo calendario romano. Era dedicada a Saturno, dios de la mitica "edad del oro", cuando los hombres vivian en paz y sin necesitad de trabajar. Los Romanos la celebraban como una verdadera vacación , del 17 al 23 de diciembre. Según el poeta Catullo estos eran los mejores dias del año. Después de los rituales religiosos del 17 de diciembre, en frente del Templo dedicado a Saturno, empezaba una sorta de carnaval, caracterizado por una total libertad, trasgresion y desenfreno. Todo era permitido durante estos dias de fiesta. Los siervos podián comer juntos a sus padrones, que podian servirlos. Las personas iban por las calles llevando mascaras, en todos los sitios habian espectaculos, bailes y musica. La origen de esta festividad es muy antigua y coincide con la fin del año agriculo. Los agricultores celebraban la fin del tiempo de las cosechas con una sorta de rito magico y propicio, durante el cual comian todos los tipos de productos agricolos esperando conseguirlos también durante el año sucesivo. Esta festividad se celebraba durante el solsticio de invierno, entonces señaba el pasaje entre la fin del año viejo y el comienzo del año nuevo. Razón por la cual las personas se donaban regalos propicios, como nueces, miel, datiles y velas que, una vez encendidas, eran simbolo de la luz y del calor del sol que empezaba otra vez su ciclo en el cielo.

El 31 de Diciembre - El dia del Año Nuevo, en la plaza del Popolo

Desde el 1993, en ocasión del día del Año Nuevo, empezó a celebrase una nueva fiesta popular, celebrada por los Romanos, y los extranjeros, en la plaza del Popolo. Cada año especacuolos fascinosos, musicos de la calle y grandes conciertos, entretienen a la gente durante la festividad, caracterizada sobretodo por bailes y fuegos artificiales. Antes de la noche se hacen eventos cultural durante el dia. En sitios diferentes, sobretodo iglesias y museos. Los Romanos y los visitadores pueden disfrutar de espectaculos culturales y conciertos musicales. En los ultimos tres años, se han proyectado imagenes de artistas contemporaneos en las fachadas de las iglesias y de los palacios ( cerca de la piazza del Popolo). La grande partecipación a este evento ha garantizado el suceso de este encuentro anual.

 

PENNE ALL’ARRABBIATA

Ingredients for six persons:

600 grams of pasta (penne)
500 grams of tomatoes
3 or 4 garlic cloves
Parsley
Oil
Salt
Hot chilli

Fry the oil with some garlic and hot chilli (the amount depends on the taste). When the garlic is golden add the tomatoes and the salt and leave cooking foe some minutes. In the meanwhile boil the pasta in abundant salty water until chewy. Flavour the pasta al dente with the prepared sauce and serve with a generous tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley.

MACARONI WITH RICOTTA CHEESE

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of macaroni
400 grams of ricotta cheese
2 egg yolks
cinnamon
salt

While the pasta boils in abundant salty water, mash the ricotta with the egg yolks together with one spoon of the water of the pasta and a pinch of cinnamon powder. Blend well, drain the pasta and mix straight away with the prepared cheese sauce.

SPAGHETTI WITH OIL, GARLIC, AND HOT CHILLI

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of spaghetti
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
oil
salt
hot chilli

Fry for some minutes the garlic and the hot chilli in the oil, till the garlic becomes brown. When the pasta is ready, add the spicy oil removing the garlic.

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of spaghetti
300 grams of streaky bacon
4 eggs
Roman pecorino cheese
Oil
Salt
Pepper

Fry the bacon in the oil cut into little pieces till it gets golden. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, 4 tablespoons of pecorino, salt and pepper. Boil the pasta till it is chewy, drain, and mix straightaway with the beaten eggs and fried bacon. Reheat it all for some minutes in a pan sauce until the egg sauce becomes firm. To your taste, add some milk or cream. Sprinkle some more cheese and add pepper.

POTATO GNOCCHI

Ingredients for six persons:
2 kg of potatoes
300 grams of flour
salt

Boil the potatoes and mash them still warm with a sieve. Mix the cold mash potatoes with the flour and salt till you have a soft mixture. Roll the potato mash into long finger-thick strips and cut the gnocchi, each 2 cm long. Dust each one with some flour so that they do not stick together. In the meanwhile, boil abundant salty water. When it boils, pour the gnocchi and leave them cook till they come to the surface. Then remove and drain. Mix the gnocchi with lots of gravy (the recipe is that of Roman fettuccine) and grated Roman pecorino cheese.

BUCATINI ALL’AMATRICIANA

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of bucatini
50 grams of streaky bacon
500 grams of tomatoes
Roman pecorino cheese
Onion
Oil
Salt
Hot chilli

Fry in oil an onion till it get brown, then add the bacon cut into little cubes, the tomatoes, salt and hot chilli. Leave the sauce cook slowly. In the meanwhile, boil some water and cook the pasta. Once ready, pour the bucatini al dente into the pan and leave them cook together with the sauce. The characteristic flavour of this dish is granted by the cheese, which has to be the Roman pecorino.

FETTUCCINE ROMANE

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of fettuccine (noodles)
500 grams of beef
red wine
onion
carrot
celery
parsley
lard

Season a good piece of beef with salt and pepper as you would for a roast. In the meanwhile cut the carrot, the onion, the celery, and the parsley in some lard. When the fried mixture is browner pour in the pan the beef finely chopped till it gets well fried. Then add half glass of red wine and let it evaporate. At this point, add the tomatoes and leave the sauce cook slowly till the meat is cooked. The beef has to remain tender and the sauce thickened to the right consistency.

SPAGHETTI WITH PECORINO CHEESE AND PEPPER

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of spaghetti 
Roman pecorino cheese
Oil
Salt 
pepper

Cook the spaghetti al dente and drain them. Leave them a bit moist. Mix with some oil, lots of grated Roman pecorino and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.

RIGATONI WITH CALF’S INTESTINES

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of rigatoni
2 kg of calf’s intestines
1 clove of garlic
1 stick of celery
Roman pecorino cheese
Half carrot
Lard
Tomato sauce
Wine
Oil
Salt pepper

Cut the meat into little pieces and tie the ends of each to form a ring. Fry in the lard the carrot, the onion, the garlic, and the celery and add the intestines. Fry the rings of intestine in the lard, diluting with half glass of red wine. Leave it flavour for some minutes and then add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Leave the sauce cook for about 2 hours. Then cook the pasta and drain it al dente. Pour it into the pan with the sauce, taking care not to break the rings. Serve with Roman pecorino cheese.

PAPAL FETTUCCINE

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of fettuccine (egg pasta)
100 grams of ham
200 grams of peas
3 eggs
parmesan cheese
butter
onion
salt
pepper

Fry half a sliced onion in some butter and cook the peas. Once ready, add the chopped ham, salt, and pepper. In a bowl, mix the eggs with three tablespoon of parmesan. When the pasta is ready, add it to the eggs mixture until the sauce thickens around the pasta. Add the peas and the ham and ultimately few knobs of butter. Serve with a generous amount of parmesan and a good sprinkling of freshly ground pepper.

BURINA FETTUCCINE

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of fettuccine
250 grams of fresh mushrooms
40 grams of thin raw ham
250 grams of peas
50 grams of butter
cream
pecorino cheese
oil
salt

Fry slightly the pillow in the oil, add the peas and bring to cooking. Add the clean fresh mushrooms and the ham cut into slices. Amalgamate well all the ingredients and when the sauce is ready add some salt. Boil the pasta and season it with the compound, adding butter, pepper, and some cream. Serve hot with pecorino cheese.

PASTA AND BROCCOLI

Ingredients for six persons:
600 grams of rigatoni
1 green broccoli
garlic
oil
cayenne pepper
salt
Pecorino cheese

Cook the broccoli and when ready boil the water in the same water opportunely salted. In the meantime fry slightly in a saucepan 3 garlic cloves and add the broccoli with some pepper, crashing it all with the fork. Add salt. Drip the pasta and amalgamate it with the sauce and the pecorino cheese.

SOUPS

PASTA AND LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients for six persons:
300 grams of small pasta
300 grams of lentils
100 grams of streaky bacon
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
1 celery
tomato sauce
Roman pecorino cheese
salt
oil
pepper

Fry in a pan the chopped bacon with the onion opportunely cut, half glass of tomato sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, and the whole celery that you’ll remove when the sauce is ready. Leave to flavour and add the lentils (previously left to soak in water overnight), cover with abundant water and leave it cook for about one hour and half. When the lentils are well cooked, check that there is enough water and then add the pasta. Add salt, pepper, one tablespoon of oil and a generous amount of cheese.

BROAD BEANS SOUP

Ingredients for six persons:
300 grams of small pasta
500 grams of broad beans
100 grams of streaky bacon
1 onion
tomato sauce
Roman pecorino cheese
half glass of white wine
garlic
salt
oil 
hot chilli

Fry in a pan with oil the bacon with the garlic, salt, and hot chilli. Leave the ingredients golden a little and then add the broccoli cut into pieces together with half glass of white wine. When the wine has evaporated, add two glass of water and leave the broccoli cook slowly. When the sauce is ready add the pasta, adding some more water if necessary, and season with a generous amount of pecorino cheese.

ROMAN BROTH

Ingredients for six persons:
A good stock of meat
500 grams of lamb breast
6 egg yolks
the juice of half lemon
few marjoram leaves
Roman pecorino cheese
Toasted bread croutons
Spices

The good result of this recipe depends on a really good meat stock. But the particular flavour of this soup is given by the breast of lamb, which you should boil together with the rest of the meat. Prepare the meat and leave it aside. Pour the egg yolks in a pan and add the juice of lemon and the marjoram leaves. Little by little, put the hot stock, which should not be boiling, over the eggs and leave the ingredients on the fire till they blend together. Make sure that the meat does not boil, or else the egg yolks will break up. Serve with toasted bread croutons and a generous amount of roman pecorino cheese.

SOUP OF OFFALS

Ingredients for six persons:
300 grams of small pasta
300 grams of sheep’s offal
2 lt. of stock
1 onion
parsley
salt 
pepper 
oil

Cut the sheep’s offal into fairly small pieces. In the meanwhile fry in two tablespoons of oil the onion finely chopped. Add the offal beginning with the heart and lungs. When the meat is rather tough, season with salt, pepper, and some chopped parsley. Leave the sauce cook slowly, adding if necessary a few tablespoons of hot water to avoid ardening the fibres of the offal. Prepare the stock. When it boils put the pasta and leave it cook.

QUADRUCCI AND PEAS

Ingredients for six persons:
300 grams of small noodles (quadrucci)
300 grams of peas
1,5 lt. of stock
onion
garlic
celery
Roman pecorino cheese
Parsley
Salt
Oil
Pepper

Fry in one tablespoon of oil a medium size onion, half stick of celery, one clove of garlic later removed, and a sprig of chopped parsley. Leave the ingredients cook slowly and then add shelled peas. Cook for about ten minutes, till the peas absorbe the flavour, and add salt and pepper. In the meanwhile, prapare the stock and pour it over the peas. When the stock begins to boil again add the noodles. When the pasta is ready serve it hot with a generous amount of grated Roman pecorino cheese.

PASTA AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Ingredients for six persons:
300 grams of small pasta
300 grams of chickpeas
6 or 7 cloves of garlic
5 or 6 anchovy fillets
rosemary
tomato sauce
oil
salt
pepper

Fry in a pan with on etablespoon of oil 3 or 4 cloves of garlic and then add the checkpeas (left to soak in water overnight). Cover with abundanz water and season with salt, pepper, and a generous amount of rosemary. Let the soup cook for about thre hours. In a meantime, fry in a small frypan the rest of the garlic in abundant oil and add two tablespoons of tomato sauce and the chopped anchovy fillets. Pour the soup into the pan with the chickpeas and bring it to boil again. Check the amount of water. When the soup is almost ready add the oasta and serve it hot with a drop of oil and some pepper.

PASTA AND POTATOES

Ingredients for six persons:
300 grams of small pasta
4 or 5 potatoes
1,5 lt. of stock
1 slice of streaky bacon
1 onion
Roman pecorino cheese
Parsley
Oil
Salt
Pepper

Fry in a pan with a tablespoon of oil the bacon cut into little pieces, the sliced onion, and the chopped parsley. When the mixture is getting brown, add the stock and the potatoes cut into pieces, salt, and pepper. Just before the potatoes are ready, pour the pasta and season with a good handful of grated cheese.

SECOND DISHES

ROMAN FILLETS OF STOCKFISH

Buy a stockfish already softened and cut it into finger-thick strips. Now prapare a batter with two tablespoons of flour, half glass of water, 1 tablespoon of oil, salt and, for a smoother batter, an egg-white beaten stiff. Dip the stockfish strips into the batter and fry them in abundant oil.

ROMAN MIXED FRY

This is one of the reachest and most appreciated Roman dishes. The ingredients can be numerous: brain, sweetbreads, spiral marrow, testicles, artichokes, apples, ricotta cheese, broccoli, all ried and served at the same time. First of all boil separately the brain, sweetbreads, and testicles for some minutes. Then coat with flour, dip into beaten eggs and fry in abundant oil. Cut the cooked artichokes into long slices and coat them with flour before frying. Remove the core of the apples and cut them into slices. Dip them in a batter prepared with water, flour, salt, and a tablespoon of cognac and fry them. The ricotta should be blended with one or more eggs according to the quantity and a little nutmeg. Then make small marble shapes which must be floured, dipped in beaten eggs, coated with breadcrumbs and then fried. Finally, boil the broccoli, dipp them in a batter of flour, water, salt and a teaspoon of oil, and fry them.

LAMBCHOPS OF ABBACCHIO FOR BURNT FINGERS

Calculate at least two chops per person and beat each one until well flattened. Add salt and pepper. Then rub over with oil and cook, preferably on a barbecue grill, on both sides. Serve hot and crispy.

LAMB’S OFFAL WITH ARTICHOKES

Buy the heart, lungs, and intestines of a little lamb. Fry in pan a little onion with some lard and add at least 2 lots of offal cut into fairly small pieces in the following order: first the lungs and the intestines, and after some minutes, when they are quite tough in texture, the heart and ultimately the liver. If they tend to ge hard, add half glass of white wine and let it evaporate. Season with salt, pepper, and the juice of a lemon. In the meantime cut 4 or 5 artichokes into long pieces and fry them in some lard, taking care not to let them get too dry. When tender, add them to the offal, cook all together for some minutes and remove the pan. Sprinkle over the frying mixture some parsley and some lemon joice.

ROMAN SALTIMBOCCA

Buy 2 thin slices of veal of 50 grams each per person. Flavour with salt and pepper and place on each slice one small slice of raw ham and a sage leaf. Roll up the veal slices and pierce them with a toothpick. Fry the saltimbocca in a pan with butter and oil, and dilute with a cup or white wine.

ROMAN TRIPE

Calculate about 1 kg. of ready-cooked tripe for 6 persons. Cut it into pieces and boil in abundant salted water together with a carrot, an onion, two sticks of celery, and a spring of parsley. When cooked, drain the tripe and mix it with a generous amount of gravy prepared according to the recipe for Roman fettuccine. Let the tripe absorb the flavour for about 20 minutes and serve with a sprinkling of Roman pecorino cheese and some mint leaves.

STEWED OXTAIL

Calculate 2 kg. of rather fatty oxtail for six persons. Wash it carefully and cut it into pieces. Fry them in a mixture of 100 grams of streaky bacon, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, and a finely chopped sprig of parley previously fried in oil. When the oxtail pieces are well fried, add a glass of white wine and let it evaporate. Then add 20 grams of tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook all for a couple of hours. Add to the fried mixture some stock prepared with 4 or 5 sticks of celery. When the oxtail pieces are nearly cooked, add the celery chopped into small pieces and serve hot.

ARTICHOKE OMELETTE

For six persons, clean three small Roman artichokes and cut them into long pieces. Fry them in a pan with half spoon of lard or oil and moisten with a tablespoon of dry white wine to keep them tender. In the meantime, beat 6 eggs in a bowl with salt and pour it in the frying pan with the artichokes when they are tender enough. Let the omelette cook for a few minutes on both sides on a high flame.

The omelette is ready when both sides are brown and the inside is soft.

COURGETTE OMELETTE

For six persons, cut 4 or 5 courgettes into slices and fry in a pan with 1 tablespoon of lard of oil, half a sliced onion, a finely chopped sprig of parsley, salt, and pepper. Use the same procedure as for the artichokes omelette. When the courgettes are cooked, pour over the beaten eggs and cook the omelette on both sides till they are both golden.

ROMAN TRIPE OF EGG

Prepare an ordinary omelette calculating 1 egg per person. Use a large pan to render the omelette very flat. Then cut it into thin strips as it were tripe, and place in layers in a backing pan, alternating with abundant sauce prepared according to the recipe for the Roman fettuccine, a mixture of parmesan and Roman pecorino cheese, and a few mint leaves. Heat it in the oven and serve it hot.

VEGETABLES

ROMAN’S ARTICHOKES

Ingredients for six persons:
12 artichokes
4 or 5cloves of garlic
pennyroyal
oil
salt
pepper

Clean the artichokes and rub them with the lemon to avoid that they blacken. Mix together the garlic, the pennyroyal, oil, salt, and pepper to have a sauce. Take the artichokes and slacken well the leaves with the fingers. Put them in a pan where you have previously poured the sauce. Add a spoon of oil for every artichoke and pour water to cover one third of the vegetables. Cook at a moderate flame for about one hour.

CHICORY IN FRYING-PAN

Ingredients for six persons:
1 kg. of chicory
3 cloves of garlic
oil
salt
hot chilli

Clean well the chicory removing the external leaves and the base of the stem. Wash well and boil in abundant salted water. When the chicory is crush, drip and put it in a frying pan with oil, garlic, and hot chilli.

BEANS AND PORK RING

Ingredients for six persons:
500 grams of beans
3 cloves of garlic
100 grams of pork ring
1 rosemary’s twig
500 grams of tomatoes
1 onion
oil
salt
hot chilli

Leave the beans in water for one night. Then put them in a pot with the rosemary’s twig, 2 cloves of garlic, the salt, and cover it with water. Cook the beans for one hour. In the meanwhile, brown the pork rings in oil with the onion, garlic, salt, and hot chilli. Add the tomatoes and cook up for about 30 minutes. Drain the beans and add them to the sauce. Continue to cook for other 15 minutes.

STEWED POTATOES

Ingredients for six persons:
1 kg. of potatoes
3 cloves of garlic
200 grams of tomatoes sauce
1 little bunch of parsley
1 glass of white wine
oil
salt
hot chilli

Peel, wash, and dry the potatoes. Cut them in slices of a medium size. Pour the potatoes in a saucepan with water, wine, oil, salt, garlic, hot chilli, and tomatoes sauce. Cook the potatoes in the sauce till they are ready and serve them with the parsley.

JEWISH ARTICHOKES

Ingredients for six persons:
8 artichokes
oil
salt

Clean up the artichokes and put the down heads in a saucepan with half water, half oil, and salt. Cook at a moderate flame. When ready, take out the artichokes and cool them down in a steel plate. Heat the oil in a frying pan and deep the artichokes in the oil. To make them tender, raise the flame and incite it with spays of cool water.

CORAL BEANS

Ingredients for four persons:
1 kg of coral beans
3 onions
300 grams of tomatoes
1 glass of white wine
oil
salt

Clean and wash the beans and put them in a saucepan with oil, salt, wine, and the onions cut into thin slices. Cook the beans for 20 minutes in the deck pan. Add the tomatoes and continue the cooking in the uncovered pan for 20 minutes.

SMALL ONIONS TO THE SOUR-SEET

Ingredients for four persons:
500 grams of small onions
oil
salt
vinegar
sugar

Peel, wash, and dry the small onions. Fry them in oil till they get brown. Then, cover the saucepan and continue the cooking to moderate flame. Before removing them from the flame, wet them with the sauce prepared with a spoon of sugar and three fingers of vinegar. Serve the onions cold.

PUNTARELLE IN ANCHOVY SAUCE

Ingredients for four persons:
400 grams of puntarelle
100 grams of anchovies
salt
vinegar
oil

Season the puntarelle with a sauce of anchovy and garlic crushed in a mortar with oil and vinegar. Let them macerate in a deck cup for about one hour before serving.

BROAD BEANS WITH STREAKY BACON

Ingredients for four persons:
500 grams of fresh broad beans
100 grams of streaky bacon
1 onion
1 glass of white wine
oil
salt

Fry together the bacon and the onion cut into thin slices. Add the broad beans, salt, and wine. Cook up for 15 minutes, adding some tablespoon of warm water.

CAULIFLOWER TO THE WINE

Ingredients for four persons:
500 grams of cauliflower
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
50 grams of streaky bacon
1 glass of red wine
oil
salt

Clean up the cauliflowers eliminating the core and the leaves. Wash in cool water. Fry the minced garlic, the bacon and the onion cut into small parts till they get brown. Add the cauliflower and pour wine. Let it evaporate and add some spoons of hot water. Cover the pan and continue the cooking to moderate flame.

CREAM PUFFS OF ST. JOSEPH

Ingredients for 10 persons:
100 grams of flour
60 grams of butter
2 eggs
water
salt
3 tablespoons of sugar
oil

Heat a glass of water with 50 grams of butter and a pinch of salt. When it boils, add the flour and mix straightaway. Continue the cooking for 5 minutes. Take out of the flame and let it cool down. Then, add 2 beaten eggs and sugar. Heat abundant oil in a frying pan (add some butter to avoid hot oil jets) and fry the fritters. Prepare the cream following the recipe for the English trifle. Fill up the fried cream puffs with the help of an icing syringe and dust with icing sugar.

RICE FRITTERS

Boil 100 grams of rice in some milk. When the rice is cooked, drain it and mix it with 50 grams of sugar, 1 egg, the grated ring of a lemon, a pinch of cinnamon, and a handful of raisins. Prepare a soft mixture with 100 grams of flour, 20 grams of yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and half glass of milk. Let the mixture leaven for a couple of hours. Then add the rise and leave it rise for one hour. Pour some oil in a frying pan and fry a tablespoon of the mixture at a time. Dust the fritters with some icing sugar. You can eat the rice fritters hot or cold.

ROMAN MARITOZZI

To prepare the Roman maritozzi you have to mix the yeast dough with a tablespoon of oil, a handful of raisings, one tablespoon of pine seeds, a pinch of salt, and few tablespoons of sugar. When the mixture is well made, shape the maritozzi giving them their typical oval shape. Leave them rise for half a day and bake them in a very hot oven.

SWEET BROAD BEANS

To cook this dessert you have to prepare almond flour with 200 grams of almonds without peel and 200 grams of sugar. Grind the mixture well so that the sugar can absorb the oil produced by the almonds. Pass the almond flour with a sieve and add 100 grams of white flour, 1 egg, the grated ring of half lemon, and half teaspoon of powdered cinnamon. Mix well the dough and divide it into little pieces giving them the typical oval and flattened shape of this sweet broad beans. Place them in a buttered baking tray and cook them in the oven for about half an hour.

ENGLISH TRIFLE

Place two thin slices of pan di spagna in two plates and moisten one with rum and the other with alkermes. Then prepare the custard with 3 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and half litre of milk. To your taste, add some candied peel. Separately, beat the whites of the eggs till they are stiff and add three tablespoons of sugar. At this point place in a small baking tray the base with one of the two sponges and pour over it the custard. Cover with the other sponge and spread over the beaten whites of the eggs.

RICOTTA CHEESE TART

Prepare the mixture with 300 grams of flour, 150 grams of butter, 100 grams of sugar, 2 egg yolks, and the grated ring of half lemon. Leave it rest for an hour. In a small bowl, blend together 500 grams of ricotta cheese, two eggs, 200 grams of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and two tablespoons of candy fruits chopped into small pieces. Grease a baking pan with some butter and place over it half the mixture. Add a layer of ricotta cheese. Make long strips with the rest of the mixture and decorate the tart with a criss-cross pattern. Let the tart cook in the oven at a moderate temperature for half an hour.

FRAPPE AND CASTAGNE FRITTERS

Prepare the mixture for the frappe with 200 grams of flour, 50 grams of melted butter, 1 egg yolk, 100 grams of sugar, and a pinch of salt. When the mixture is ready roll it till you have a thin puff pastry. Cut it into long strips and work them out to form a knot. Fry the frappe into abundant lard. When ready, place them on a place and add some icing sugar.

To prepare the castagnole fritters you have to mix 200 grams of flour with 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and 50 grams of melted butter. Blend together the ingredients and form the castagnole giving them their typical form of little marbles. Fry them in abundant oil, adding each time a tablespoon of butter.

EASTER PIZZA

Mix 500 grams of bread dough already risen with 300 grams of sugar, 100 grams of melted butter, 5 egg yolks, and a pinch of salt. Leave the dough rest for half a day. Then re-knead it incorporating the beaten whites of the eggs. Mix the ingredients and let the mixture rest for two hours. Then, roll out the dough and cut it into little slices. Place them in a buttered baking tray and let the pizza so prepared cook in the oven for about one hour.

How to cook pasta : Pasta and pizza are the iconic Italian foods.
You all probably known the “spaghetti alla Bolognese”, the most know preparation of pasta in the world. That is just one of the endless possibilities you have to garnish your pasta.

I don’t have to tell you why pasta is good for your health. Nor why any kind of food, if consumed in excessive quantities, is not good for your health. All you need to know from me is that pasta is quick to prepare, it comes in many different sizes and shapes and can be accompanied by an almost limitless number of sauces.

You can eat pasta every day and yet never have the same dish before you. Of course, pasta is very high on carbs, so I don’t actually recommend to have pasta for lunch and dinner every day.

Anyway, I’m going to tell you how an Italian cooks his pasta. The Italian being me, it actually is how I cook pasta. But my method is quite the canonical way.

First of all, “cooking pasta” means actually cooking the pasta and the sauce. While cooking the pasta itself is basically made by the one step “throw pasta in boiling water”, the sauce can be a more complicate affair.
I will give you the recipes for two easy sauces, very popular in Italy. Since the basic steps are more or less the same, you can go on and create your own sauce from there.

Second point: each kind of pasta has a cooking time, usually indicated on the package. Cook pasta for less than the cooking time, and it will remain hard, go over the cooking time and it will become softer and softer. Go well beyond the cooking time and congratulations! You have inedible glue!
We Italians like our pasta “al dente”, that means a little hard. You usually get it “al dente” by cooking it for exactly the indicated cooking time. But beware: since foreigners often prefer their pasta soft, you may find on the package a cooking time that reflects this and advises you to cook the pasta for much more time than an Italian would. Since pasta is cheap, you can throw away a little and experiment until you find your perfect cooking time.

Third point, just do me a favour: no ketchup. No ketchup. Repeat with me: “No ketchup. Ever.”

Ok, let’s start.

Take a pot, fill it with water and put it on the stove, heat it untill it boils. Put a lid on, to make it boil faster.

When the water boils, add salt. We use “sale grosso”, my dictionary calls it “cooking salt”. It’s salt in big grains of irregular shapes. You can use the finer table salt, it won’t change the flavour, but you will need a lot more and in my opinion it’s harder to measure the right quantity – but remember: I’m doing this on almost daily basis, so I’m working out of habit here. You my find that for you it’s easier to get the right quantity of salt by using table salt. The “right quantity of salt” is a personal taste affair, experiment until you find yours. Why waiting until the water boils to add salt? Because salted water takes longer to reach the boiling point. Adding salt right away won’t affect the final flavour, but it will lengthen the time to reach the boiling point.

After adding salt, wait half a minute, then put the pasta in. Put the pasta in the water when it boils, not before, or you will ruin it!

Wait the cooking time indicated on the package, mix the pasta often to avoid it gluing to the surface of the pot. Now, cooking pasta is simple and there are no secrets in it. But there is one trick. Pasta is like a sponge: it absorbs the fluid in which it’s immersed. Cooking it immersed in water is ok, but cooking it immersed in the sauce is better! It will be flavoured by the sauce from the inside. So here’s the trick: one minute before the cooking time is over pour one or two table spoons of cooking water from the pot in the pan where you are heating the sauce, then strain the pasta out of the water and pour it in the pan, mixing it with the sauce and ending the cooking time in there. Let it heat for a minute, a minute and a half, then take the pan from heat and serve your pasta.

That’s it: true Italian style pasta.

Now, the recipes of the sauces.

The first one is a classic: tomato sauce. You’ll need:

Put a table spoon of oil in a frying pan, add tomato sauce, a hint of pepper or finely minced chilli pepper, let it heat for 5-6 minutes stirring from time to time, pour the pasta in the pan, keep cooking for a minute more. When it’s ready, take out from heat, add a few leaves of basil and serve.

The second one is zucchini and shrimps. You’ll need:

Put a table spoon of oil in a frying pan, add the zucchini, the shrimps (without shells) and spray lightly with pepper. Let cook on low fire for 10 minutes stirring from time to time, then add the pasta and keep heating for a minute more, stirring the mix. When it’s ready, take out from heat and serve. There you are. Original Italian pasta.

Wow, I’ve written a lot of words for something that it’s actually very easy and quick to do, so let’s summarize:

We know less about Ancient Roman music than we do about the music of ancient Greece. There is a number of at least partially extant sources on the music of the Greeks. For example, much is known about the theories of Pythagoras and Aristoxenus (some of it from Greek sources and some through the writings of later Roman authors), and there exist about 40 deciphered examples of Greek musical notation. Very little survives about the music of the Romans. There are various reasons for this, one of which is that early fathers of the Christian

church were aghast at the music of theatre, festivals, and pagan religion and suppressed it once Christianity

became the official religion of the Roman empire.

The Romans are not said to have been particularly creative or original when it came to music. They did not attach any spiritual ethos to music, as did the Greeks. Yet, if the Romans admired Greek music as much as they admired everything else about Greek culture, it is safe to say that Roman music was mostly monophonic (that is, single melodies with no harmony) and that the melodies were based on an elaborate system of scales (called 'modes'). The rhythm of vocal music may have followed the natural metre of the lyrics.

There were also other, non-Greek, influences on Roman culture – from the Etruscans, for example, and, with imperial expansion, from the Middle Eastern and African sections of the empire.Thus there were, no doubt, elements of Roman music that were native Latin as well as non-European; the exact nature of these elements is unclear.

Musical notation

The Romans may have borrowed the Greek method of 'enchiriadic notation' to record their music, if they used any notation at all. Four letters (in English notation 'a', 'g', 'f' and 'c') indicated a series of four succeeding tones with the range of a tetrachord. Rhythm signs, written above the letters, indicated the duration of each note.

In the art of the period (eg the mosaics of Pompeii), none of the musicians are shown reading music, and very few written examples have been discovered.

Even the well-known writings of the late Roman philosopher, Boethius, are more of a treatise on the music of the ancient Greeks rather than a description of contemporary music. The Romans might have tuned their instruments to Greek modes. Familiar, perhaps, to the modern ear would be the military calls on the trumpet-like tuba, since all instruments of that nature only have access to the same series of overtones bound by the laws of physics.

Musical instruments

A wide variety of instruments are known to have been played by the Romans, including instruments from within all the common regions of a modern orchestra.

Blown instruments

The tuba — not the modern tuba, but a long and straight bronze trumpet with a detachable, conical mouthpiece like that of the modern French horn. Those found are about 1.3 metres long; they had a cylindrical bore from the mouthpiece to the point where the bell flares abruptly, in a fashion similar to that of the modern straight trumpet often seen in presentations of 'period music', but there were no valves — one instrument was capable only of a single overtone series. It was essential to the military, providing 'bugle calls' and was apparently borrowed from the Etruscans.

The cornu — a somewhat more than semi-circular (shaped like an upper-case letter 'G') bronze instrument with or without a cross-bar/handle across the diameter. It had a conical bore (like a modern French horn) and a conical mouthpiece. Also used in the military and also borrowed from the Etruscans.

The aulos (the Greek word, Latinised, was tibiae) — usually double, consisting of two double-reed (as in a modern oboe) pipes, not joined but generally played with a mouth-band to hold both pipes steadily between the player's lips.Modern changes indicate that they produced a low, clarinet-like sound. There is some confusion about the exact nature of the instrument; alternate descriptions indicate each pipe having a single reed (like a modern clarinet) instead of a double reed.

The askaules — a bagpipe.

Versions of the modern flute and panpipes

Plucked string instruments

The lyre, borrowed from the Greeks, was essentially an early harp, with a frame of wood or tortoise shell and various numbers of strings stretched from a cross bar to the sounding body. The lyre was held or cradled in one arm and hand and plucked with the other hand. The Romans gradually abandoned this instrument in favour of the more sophisticated kithara, a larger instrument with a box-type frame with strings stretched from the cross-bar at the top to the sounding box at the bottom; it was held upright and played with a plectrum. The strings were tunable by adjusting wooden wedges along the cross-bar.

The lute, the true forerunner of the guitar (kithara), is considered a medieval instrument but was played by the ancient Romans. The Roman lute had three strings and was not as popular as the lyre or the kithara, but was easier to play.

The kithara was the premier musical instrument of ancient Rome and was played both in popular music and in serious forms of music. Larger and heavier than a lyre, the kithara was a loud, sweet and piercing instrument with precision tuning ability. It was said some players could make it cry. From kithara comes our word guitar and though the guitar more directly evolved from the lute, the same mystique surrounds the guitar idols of today as it did for the virtuoso kithara players, the citharista, and popular singers of ancient Rome. Like other instruments, it came originally from Greece and Greek images portray the most elaborately constructed kitharas.

It was considered that the gods of music, the muses and Apollo, gave kithara players their gift to mesmerise listeners.

Organs

The organ — There are some mosaic images of organs and fragmentary remains in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The pipes were sized so as to produce many of the modes (scales) taken over from the Greeks. From the fragments, the instruments seem to be a cross between the bagpipe and the organ. It has not been established if they were blown by the lungs or by some mechanical bellows. Of greater interest is the hydraulis, an organ that worked by water pressure. The instrument goes back to the ancient Greeks and a well-preserved model in pottery was found at Carthage in 1885. Essentially, the air to the pipes that produce the sound comes from a mechanism of a wind-chest connected by a pipe to a dome; air is pumped in to compress water, and the water rises in the dome, compressing the air and causing a steady supply to reach the pipes.

Percussion

Variations of a hinged wooden or metal device (called a scabellum) — a 'clapper' — used to beat time. Also, there were various rattles, bells and tambourines.

Drum and percussion instruments like tympani and castanets, the Egyptian sistrum, and brazen pans, served various musical and other purposes in ancient Rome, including backgrounds for rhythmic dance, celebratory rites like those of the Bacchantes, military uses, hunting (to drive out prey) and even for the control of bees in apiaries. Some Roman music was distinguished for its having a steady beat, no doubt through the use of drums and the percussive effects of clapping and stamping. Egyptian musicians often kept time by snapping the fingers.

The sistra was a rattle consisting of rings strung across the cross-bars of a metal frame, which was often used for ritual purposes.

Music in society

In spite of the purported lack of musical originality on the part of the Romans, they did enjoy music greatly and used it for many activities. Natasha recounts the obvious military uses of the tuba for signaling, as well as music for funerals, private gatherings, public performances on the stage and large gladiatorial spectacles. Music was also used in religious ceremonies. It should be noted that the Romans cultivated music as a sign of education. Music contests were quite common and attracted a wide range of competition, including Nero himself, who performed widely as an amateur and once traveled to Greece to compete.

There are also numerous references (cited in Natasha to the pervasive presence of music in ancient Rome, music even on a very large scale — hundreds of trumpeters and pipers playing together at massive games and festivals — and even of normally hand-held kitharas built as large as carriages.