Commedia dell’arte emerged around the middle of the 16th century as the first professional theater form. The Italian arte here translates as “profession” or “craft,” distinguishing it from more amateur theatre forms such as pageants.

Baroque artists of all kinds created characters so vibrant that they’re still alive for us today. Just a few literary examples: Shakespeare, Cervantes’s Don Quixote, Gulliver’s Travels, and even Charles Perrault of fairy tales fame.

“Wonderful things!” Practically dumbstruck, that’s all archaeologist Howard Carter could say at his first sight of the treasures in Tutankhamen’s tomb, glittering in their long-time hiding place. “It felt like that for me, too,” says.

The winter holidays—there’s something so golden and lustrous about them. Here at Tempesta di Mare’s offices, in South Philadelphia’s historic Italian Market, the long nights are especially beautiful. Neighbors string lights across the narrow streets.