11 July 1893– The first cultured pearl is obtained by Kokichi Mikimoto. Cultured pearls are pearls grown inside oysters at pearl farms: they are the response of the shell to tissue implant. Technicians open the live pearl oysters then surgically implant a tiny piece of mantle tissue from a donor shell. The organism develops a… Read More Cultured pearls
Lo Specchio di Venere, a Pantelleria, è un lago a forma di cuore che occupa il fondo antichissimo di una caldera e viene alimentato dalla pioggia e da sorgenti termali da cui scaturisce acqua a 40-50 gradi di temperatura. È un luogo magico, caro a Venere, moglie di Vulcano, che vi si specchiava prima… Read More Pantelleria: lo Specchio di Venere
Nasreddin or Nasreddin Hodja was a satirical Sufi who lived in the 13th century . He is considered a populist philosopher and wise man, remembered for his funny stories, which usually have a subtle humour and a pedagogic nature. One day, a neighbour who Nasreddin didn’t like very much came over to… Read More Nasreddin
A beautiful and very sad legend explains the origin of the name of Samarkand. The story is about two young lovers. The girl was called Kant (“sugar”) and she was the king’s daughter. Instead, the boy, whose name was Samar, belonged to a poor family. They fell in love with each other but when Kant’s… Read More The name Samarkand
The Bukharian emir liked Samarkand bread and ordered to bake it in his court. He was told that bread would be tasty only if it was baked in Samarkand, but the khan ordered to bring bakers from Samarkand to Bukhara. The order was carried out and the best baker was brought to the palace, but… Read More Samarkand bread
How Khiva got its name Many years ago, between the Central Asian deserts of the Kyzyl-Kum and Kaza-kum, on the spot where Khiva now stands, there was a very small settlement, which had no name. Very kind and friendly people lived there, and because of their fresh clean water, hundreds of caravans carrying silk, cloth,… Read More Khiva’s water
Bibi-Khanym majestic and grandiose mosque was built by the Tamerlane’s youngest and favourite wife, Bibi Khanym, as a gift on his return from a military campaign in India. The mosque was to be the most grandiose creation in Samarkand, but almost all architects refused the task because the work was really hard. Only one… Read More The fatal kiss
On October 24, 1593, a Spanish soldier called Gil Perez was mysteriously transported from Manila in the Philippines to the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. On that morning Gil Perez, who was a member of the Filipino Guardia Civil and worked as a guard at the palace of the Governor General in Manila, was doing… Read More Teleportation?
HALLELUJAH Verse 1 Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the Lord But you don’t really care for music, do you? It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth The minor fall, the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah (Ho sentito che c’era un accordo segreto che… Read More “Hallelujah” (analysis, commentary, translation into Italian)
The Dedication of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (St Mary Major) is a feast day celebrated annually on 5 August. In earlier editions of the General Roman Calendar it was called the Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary of the Snows a reference to the legendary story about the foundation of… Read More 5 August: Our Lady of the Snows
