SHADOW WINGS

SHADOW WINGS

Mar 28, 2026 | BOOKS, BOOKS

I would like to thank the author, Paola Petrillo, and Manuale di Mari for the copy of the book *Shadow Wings*.

Paola Petrillo, a writer and creator of candles, ceramic objects, and wedding favors, has chosen a mysterious title.

Ali d'ombra

I was very struck by how the book stems from a dream.

Paola felt an immediate urge to write upon waking.

By now, you know well about my soft spot for dreams. 

I always hope to remember as much as possible whenever I happen to dream, and this happens when I wake up early in the morning, have time to fall back asleep, and manage to do so.

On this subject, I was recently chatting with Un cielo vispo di stelle, who rightly argues that dreaming is a serious matter. 

It certainly was for Paola Petrillo.

And for you?

What is our insomnia if not the maniacal obstinacy of our intelligence to manufacture thoughts, chains of reasoning, syllogisms and definitions of its own, its refusal to abdicate in favour of the divine foolishness of eyes shut fast or the wise madness of dreams?
Marguerite Yourcenar

Is yours a mind that abdicates?

HOME RUN COFFEE

HOME RUN COFFEE

Mar 21, 2026 | SPORT, SPORT

Home Run Coffee isn’t just a type of coffee—it’s a ritual, or perhaps better described as a tradition.

An espresso for every player who hits a home run.

Superstition, or perhaps a strategy not strictly related to sports.

The fact is that everyone is talking about the Italian national team, which has made headlines by earning a spot in the semifinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic but also because of a coffee machine in the dugout.

Launching not the ball, but this tradition: Francisco Cervelli, the newly appointed manager of the Italian National Baseball Team, in Rimini on January 24. 

Cervelli isn’t Italian: he has Venezuelan roots, so it’s natural to wonder exactly where this coffee idea came from.

In fact, Cervelli has managed to instantly and virally capture the team’s identity, whose American players have Italian roots. 

So, you can follow the exploits of Vinnie Pasquantino or Dominic Canzone.

A collection of clichés?

Probably so: the names themselves seem straight out of a Mickey Mouse comic—and the reference to coffee has a hint of Tommy Cash’s Espresso Macchiato, but I still find it unique.

What do you think?

CORAL HEART

CORAL HEART

Mar 14, 2026 | BOOKS

*Coral Heart*, published by Giunti, is a collaborative work written by Marosella di Francia and Daniela Mastrocinque. 

The coral heart represents the fulcrum of the story; it is created by the granddaughter, who gives it to her grandmother.

In turn, the grandmother will give it to her great-granddaughter, until the coral heart returns to its origin.

In this book as well, almost immediately following my previous reading, I found a precise description of the fleeting yet tragically illusory happiness experienced on September 8, 1943, the day of the armistice. 

Terrible.

So many, too many broken hearts.

But I would say that above all, this book is about mistakes.

Mistakes born of moments when fate strikes unexpectedly, born of hesitation, of wrong decisions, of a lack of courage, of too much selflessness.

Mistakes that divert the course of entire lives.

Mistakes ready to present a heavy bill of consequences and suffering.

How much can one go wrong in a single moment?

I then had the chance to discover the tradition of the coral divers of Torre del Greco. 

Did you know about it?

Have you ever had a coral heart?

Nature wonderfully gives us so many kinds of hearts. 

cuore di corallocuore di corallocuore di corallo

I have one shaped like a rock—a gift from Monica—just like this book.

What about you?

WILLY DASPO

WILLY DASPO

Mar 7, 2026 | CHRONICLE

Gastronomic daspo is the common name given to the Willy Daspo ban imposed on Vigevano and the province of Pavia against the elusive lady in red.

Daspo “gastronomic” or restaurant ban because it prohibits entry to any restaurant in Vigevano in particular, but also throughout the province. 

But what is the reason for this rather bizarre ban? And who is this lady in red?

Woman in red, but not the elegant kind you see in the movies, quite the contrary.

This woman went to the restaurant L’oca ciuca in Vigevano, where she ate a meal worth seventy euros.

After her meal, she went outside to smoke a cigarette, then left without paying the bill.

Intercepted in a nearby street, she claimed she was going to fetch her wallet, but never did so.

When the complaint was filed, the restaurant owners discovered that the woman was well known to the police for having ‘eaten’ at other establishments in the area.

For this reason, the police commissioner added a Willy Daspo to the sentence for fraudulent insolvency.

Daspo is an acronym for Divieto di Accedere a manifestazioni SPOrtive (Ban on Access to Sporting Events), Law No. 401 of December 13, 1989, aimed at combating violence in stadiums.

Willy comes from Willy Monteiro Duarte, who was killed in 2020 for trying to defend a friend during a beating.

A measure aimed at combating violence was introduced in his name and published in the Official Gazette: the Decree-Law converted with amendments by Law No. 173 of December 18, 2020 (in G.U. 19/12/2020, No. 314).

Article 11
Letter b
Paragraph 1-bis
The Chief of Police may prohibit access to public establishments or public entertainment venues throughout the entire province to persons who, for the crimes referred to in paragraph 1, have been arrested or detained by the judicial authorities, or convicted, even if the sentence is not final.

No stadiums, no violence, but a measure that is extended to the entire territory of the province.

What do you think?

QUELLI DEL CIVICO 21 – THOSE AT NUMBER 21

QUELLI DEL CIVICO 21 – THOSE AT NUMBER 21

Feb 28, 2026 | BOOKS

Quelli del civico 21 – Those at Number 21 is the third book written by author Andrea Francavilla, which I read with pleasure, and for which I am very grateful.

Once again, the edition is edited by Manuale di Mari. 

After Racconti nani non democristiani – Non-Christian Democrat Dwarf Tales,  Andrea Francavilla reconfirms his talent for recounting ordinary yet unique characters, intertwining their moments and destinies.

And if Racconti nani were limited to a specific time frame, Quelli del civico 21 are contained within a defined space that does not, however, enclose them.

Those at number 21 immediately takes us to the protagonists’ home, an eight-apartment building.

A condominium that could be like the one where I live, or where you live.

He thought continually about the apartment building, a Pandora’s Box whose thousand lids were one by one, inwardly opening.
James Graham Ballard

What do you associate with the idea of a condominium?

Is your experience negative or positive?

When my husband and I got married, we lived on the first floor of a building with only five apartments.

An intense and, above all, fun friendship developed on our landing, to the point that our moments of sharing intersected a bit like in the TV series Friends. 

We moved away a long time ago, but Luisa who lived on the ground floor and I, still call each other every Sunday just to see how things are going.

No Pandora’s boxes at that address, just dishes and glasses 😉

And you, what’s your number?

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