An elf is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda.
Milan is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban population and the second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city has 3.22 million residents. The urban area of Milan is the fourth-most-populous in the EU with 6.17 million inhabitants. According to national sources, the population within the wider Milan metropolitan area is estimated between 7.5 million and 8.2 million, making it by far the largest metropolitan area in Italy and one of the largest in the EU. Milan is the economic capital of Italy, one of the economic capitals of Europe and a global financial centre.
Lombardy is an administrative region of Italy that covers 23,844 km2 (9,206 sq mi); it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is located between the Alps mountain range and tributaries of the river Po, and includes Milan, its capital, the largest metropolitan area in the country, and among the largest in the EU.
Naples is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's administrative limits as of 2022. Its province-level municipality is the third most populous metropolitan city in Italy with a population of 3,115,320 residents, and its metropolitan area stretches beyond the boundaries of the city wall for approximately 30 kilometres. Naples plays also a key international role in international diplomacy, since it is home to NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Naples and of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean.
Modena is a city and comune (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.
Rimini is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy.
The kazoo is a musical instrument that adds a "buzzing" timbral quality to a player's voice when the player vocalizes into it. It is a type of mirliton, one of a class of instruments which modifies its player's voice by way of a vibrating membrane of goldbeater's skin or material with similar characteristics. There is a smaller version of the kazoo, known as a humazoo.
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy.
In Italy, music has traditionally been one of the cultural markers of Italian national cultures and ethnic identity and holds an important position in society and in politics. Italian music innovation – in musical scale, harmony, notation, and theatre – enabled the development of opera and much of modern European classical music – such as the symphony and concerto – ranges across a broad spectrum of opera and instrumental classical music and popular music drawn from both native and imported sources. Instruments associated with classical music, including the piano and violin, were invented in Italy.
In Italian folklore and folk customs, the Befana is a witch-like old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve in a similar way to Santa Claus or the Three Magi. The Befana is a widespread tradition among Italians and thus has many names. She is a part of both popular national culture and traditional folk culture and is akin to other figures who roam about sometime during the Twelve Days and reward the good, punish the bad, and receive offerings. The Befana is a mysterious, contradictory figure of unclear origins. This character is enhanced by the fact that she is overall neglected by scholars but is the subject of much speculation by the ones who do mention her. Pre-Christian, Christian, and syncretism of the two have all been postulated as explanations of her origins. In some parts of Italy, especially the central regions, mumming takes place on Epiphany eve. Dolls are made of her and effigies are burnt and bonfires are often lit. She brings gifts to good children, typically sweets, candies or toys, but coal to bad children. She is usually portrayed as a hag riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both. She is not only loved but also feared and mocked, particularly by children.
Northern Italy is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four northwestern regions of Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Liguria and Lombardy in addition to the four northeastern regions of Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Emilia-Romagna.
A name in the Italian language consists of a given name and a surname ; in most contexts, the given name is written before the surname, although in official documents, the surname may be written before the given name or names.
Italia in Miniatura is a miniature park in Viserba, a frazione of Rimini in the region of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy.
Folklore of Italy refers to the folklore and urban legends of Italy. Within the Italian territory, various people have followed each other over time, each of which has left its mark on current culture. Some tales also come from Christianization, especially those concerning demons, which are sometimes recognized by Christian demonology. Italian folklore also includes the genre of the fairy tale, folk music, folk dance and folk heroes.
Italo Meschi was a harp guitarist from Lucca, Italy.
The history of Castel Goffredo, an Italian municipality located in Upper Mantua on the border with the province of Brescia, began in the first half of the 3rd millennium B.C., although the present town was founded in Roman times and then developed over the following centuries. In the early medieval period the history of the city was closely linked to the control of the powerful families of the Visconti, Della Scala and the Republic of Venice. However, the city's history remains inextricably linked to the Gonzaga, who ruled it for 400 years. An autonomous fief from 1444 to 1602 under the first marquis Alessandro Gonzaga, it was at this town, in 1511 with Aloisio Gonzaga, that the collateral branches of the "Gonzaga of Castel Goffredo, Castiglione and Solferino" and the minor branch of the "Gonzaga of Castel Goffredo" originated, which died out in 1593. Castel Goffredo became one of the historic Gonzaga capitals, the forerunner of other small capitals from Castiglione to Sabbioneta, due to its urban layout of 1480, equipped with a strict orthogonal grid. With the advent of Napoleon, the town was part of the Cisalpine Republic and, after its fall, of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia; in 1861 it was finally united to the Kingdom of Italy, following its subsequent historical events.
Alex l'ariete is a 2000 crime film directed by Damiano Damiani, starring former World cup alpine ski racer Alberto Tomba and Michelle Hunziker.
The Golden Root or The Golden Trunk is a literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in the Pentamerone, as the fourth story of the fifth day. It is considered to be one of two rewritings of the Graeco-Roman myth of "Cupid and Psyche" by Basile, the other being "Lo Catenaccio".
The Workers' Hymn or Workers' Song, also known as the Hymn of the Italian Workers' Party, is an Italian socialist anthem written by Filippo Turati, and set to music by Amintore Galli.
The mazapégul, also known by several other names in Romagnol, are mischievous nocturnal elves in the folklore of Romagna, especially around the Apennines of Forlì, in northern Italy.
