Dance and Travel

Cemeteries, in particular monumental ones, has always fascinated me, of that kind of fascination which is difficult to explain. I would say it is a mix of sense of sacred and beauty, with a bit of respect and fear. I believe that cemeteries represent the soul and history of the city thanks their art. Yes, because cemeteries are full of art, full of great masterpieces made by local and international artists, the most of the time before they become famous, like the Italian Naturalist Sculptor Giulio Monteverde . For sure my fashination is also linked to the “romantic” suggestion of the silent landscape and the presence monuments and architectures, which are connected very tightly to each other and creates at the same time a sacred and mystic atmosphere. Cementery of Staglieno: nature and architecture It is because this hidden and romantic charm that every time I visit a city, I visit its cemetery as well. I do this also to know better about the history of the city and its peo...

This year I had the pleasure to assist to one of the most important event that opens the spring in Spain: Las Fallas de Valencia . In this article I am going to investigate which was the original meaning and see how it has transformed all over the centuries . Sacred and Secular Origins: The mixture between sacred and secular it has always been strong in Catholic countries. However, there are different hypothesis about the origin of Las Fallas festival. O ne suggests that the Fallas started in the Middle Ages , when artisans used to burn broken artifacts and pieces of wood that they saved during the winter in order to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Another one is that Valencian carpenters used some planks of wood called  parots  to hang their candles on during the winter. When spring came, they were no longer necessary, so they were burned. Over time, and with the intervention of the Church, the date of the burning of these  parots  was made to coinc...