francesca bezzone

Stereotypes are hard to die and they are more complex than we may think. Because if it’s very easy to dismiss them as superficial nonsense, sometimes they do hold a grain of truth, under all that silly fluff.  I don’t …

Eggplant parmigiana: when I used to live abroad, it was one of my culinary cavalli di battaglia. Simple to make enough to be thrown together on a weeknight, yet full of Italian va-va-voom. Eggplant, a staple of our national cuisine …

In Italy, you don’t find only nice stores, you find very old ones, too. Mind, trade and commerce have a long history everywhere in the world, but there aren’t many places where you can find ateliers, restaurants, or cafés operating …

The 13th of December is a special day across the country, where the cult and worship of Santa Lucia is very alive. It is a day that feels a lot like Christmas already: the bright blue skies of December, the …

In Catholicism, the Cult of the Dead is very important. Who isn’t familiar, especially in America, with the traditional Mexican celebrations for El Dia de los Muertos? In Italy, too, religious events and spiritual moments of remembrance hold hands with …

Who doesn’t love shopping? Online, IRL, at the mall or at the market. Food, clothes, books, trinkets, anything goes, really. True, in this day and age, spending money on futilities or “extras,” as we like to call them, it’s become increasingly …

The peaceful majesty of the Dolomites is what comes to mind when we think about Trentino Alto-Adige. The region is popular among lovers of nature, trekking and skiing, as well as a favorite for gourmets, who enjoy its Mittel-Europa-meets-Italy take …

Prosciutto crudo, known simply as “prosciutto” or “Parma ham” in English-speaking countries, is one of our Made in Italy’s most renowned products. Who doesn’t know it or hasn’t tried it in a sandwich, on a pizza or layered delicately on …

There is nothing better than sharing a drink with friends, and in the quaint Alpine northern region of Valle d’Aosta, they know how to do it in great style and with a nod to tradition.  If you have ever been in …

Selinunte did not exist for long, just over two centuries. Yet, the mark she left in the history of the Mediterranean is great and she, just like a beautiful ancient goddess, keeps of giving and surprising, as very recent archaeological …