Fado: the sad, melancolic song
Fado is more alive than ever. A new generation of artists joins to the mythic voices of its early times. Fado music is the heart of the Portuguese soul. The essential element of fado music is “saudade,” a Portuguese word that means longing. It is a sad music that sings to the destiny, to the death, to the betrayal love, to the despair and to the melancholy.
The origin of this popular music goes back to the 19th century and arises among the low classes and marginal neighbourhoods. Fado was the earthy music of taverns and brothels and street corners in Alfama and Mouraria, the old poor sections of Lisbon. Later, these songs proceeding from the suburbs, became fashionable among the aristocratic class, which introduced its verses in their lives as an eccentricity of ordinary people. Like other forms of folk music such as Argentine tango, American blues or Spanish flamenco, fado cannot be explained; it must be felt and experienced. Fado can be performed by men or women. A `fadista´ or fado singer communicates through gesture and facial expressions. The hands move, the body is stationary.
This music reached its golden times in the first half of the 20th century, when the Portuguese dictatorship of Salazar forced the fado performers to become professional and confined them to sing in the fado houses. Nowadays, it is protected by official institutions and cultivated as tourist spectacle.
The unrivalled queen of the fado was Amalia Rodrigues, worshipped at home and celebrated abroad as the most famous representative of Portuguese culture. Other great names of fado music were Carlos Ramos, Alfredo Marceneiro, Berta Cardoso, Maria Teresa de Noronha, Hermínia Silva, Fernando Farinha, Fernando Maurício, Lucília do Carmo or Manuel de Almeida.
Nowadays, Cristina Branco and Mariza walk the fine line between carrying on the tradition and trying to bring in a new audience.
If you travel to Lisbon, don´t forget to go to a fado spectacle. There are some restaurants where you can have dinner listening to beautiful fados. The best fado houses are located in the quarters of Alfama, Mouraria, Bairro Alto and Madragoa. Find the best apartments in Lisbon and enjoy the best accommodation way.
Attention, people! What we have always suspected is finally scientifically proven: practising sex is the best medicine for our health. Now we have another reason to enjoy more our sexual activities, because sex preserves both our physical and mental health.
The experts looked at the 90’s and discovered a relationship between hormones, the nervous system and sex. They investigated how the hormones react between the nervous system and sex. A long time ago they concluded that dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin are neurotransmitters involved in the reaching of orgasm. The principal hormone to obtain the sensation of relaxation and of well-being is, without any doubt, the endorphin. Now then, these conclusions encouraged the scientists to continue investigating the effects that the sex produces in the human organism. The results will amaze you!
The first curiosity is that there is almost no difference between having sex alone or with company, because the satisfaction is the same in both cases. This fact is proved by the blood investigations. A person who just has had sex with his partner has the same blood composition as a person who has masturbated. A team of university experts in the USA has studied the relationship between sex and disease resistance. And again it has been proven that having sex is good for the health.
All aspects of sex such as desire, practising it, orgasm and relaxation produce in the human body countless biological advantages. If you practice sex at least twice a week – no matter if alone or not, the levels of immunoglobulin (proteins that protect the body from infection) increase by 30% according to scientific studies. This way, you enjoy a greater resistance to diseases and the wounds also heal faster.
Besides health factors, sex, or rather the chemical reactions that it produces, favour longevity. Sex cures depression, anxiety and increases the muscle and heart tone. We no longer need to go to the doctor or the pharmacy: intense moments in bed can be much more effective!
This time the experts have revealed positive news. We all know that the best opportunity to take advantage of our sexual feelings away from the stresses of everyday life is by going on holiday. Why don’t you spend a few relaxing and erotic days in one of the most charming cities in Italy? Rent apartments in Milan to enjoy a quiet, comfortable, romantic and above all cheap stay.
