British novelist, Somerset Maugham, once said, “death is a very dull, dreary affair, and my advice to you is to have nothing whatsoever to do with it.” Clearly, he’d never been to a funeral fair in Italy…
First broadcast on The State We’re In, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 25th July 2010
Italians take their pasta pretty seriously but nowhere more so than in the north Italian city of Bologna, the hometown – of course – of Bolognese sauce. Not only were tagliatelle and tortelllni invented here, but you’ll even find legal documents in the city’s Chamber of Commerce, dictating the exact width of tagliatelle and the correct recipe for tortellini.
So it’s no surprise that Bologna is the venue for an annual pasta-making competition, “il Matterello d’oro”: the Golden Rolling Pin. Held at a local television studio, participants from all over the region compete to roll out the best egg pasta dough in town.
(first broadcast on Inside Europe, Deutsche Welle Radio, 11th March, 2010)
Last weekend, the Italian city of Bologna played host to Gods of Metal – the country’s largest annual heavy metal festival.
30,000 metal-lovers were there to head-bang to live concerts by Iron Maiden, Slayer, Judas Priest and many more. But a rather unusual performer was among the line-up of satanically-inspired names: Fratello Metallo. His name means Brother Metal – and he’s not your usual long-haired, tattooed, heavy metal singer. He is, in fact, a 62-year-old monk: a man of God with a passion for what’s often considered the music of the devil. Dany Mitzman dressed up in black, let her hair down and joined the crowds to see him perform.
(first broadcast on Inside Europe, Deutsche Welle Radio, 5th July, 2008)