Reader Giuseppe Scalas, in Milan, tipped me off to something that’s chef’s-kiss perfect. Behold, “Ciao 2020,” a Russian television New Year’s Eve homage to cheesy Eighties-era Italian variety shows. Giovanni says that in the Eighties, Italian TV shows and music were all the rage in the Soviet bloc. The Russians pulled the whole thing off entirely in Italian. You don’t have to speak a word of Italian to appreciate this insanely fun, loving ’80s tribute (the show begins after a 90-second Russian introduction):

Here’s something else fun from the Italian pop culture past: Adriano Celantano singing “Prisencolinensinainciusol”. It’s a nonsense song, meant to mimic the way English sounds to Italian ears. These aren’t actually words, just English-sounding syllables. The chorus is irresistible. When my children were younger, they used to chant “prisencolinensinainciusol, all right!” when they listened to it.