francesca bezzone

My love for pizza fritta (fried pizza) dates back to the years of high school. One of my best friends’ dad was from Naples and he would make it quite regularly: tales about how good it was were legendary. My …

The Beati Paoli are, perhaps, the most mysterious citizens of Palermo, so mysterious we don’t even know if they existed. For more than five centuries, their name and the legend surrounding it has permeated the streets of Sicily’s capital, with …

While the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 in Italy and Europe continues, new ways to limit the spread of the disease, which has become more contagious because of its delta variant, have been discussed and implemented around the continent. Recently France …

Castel del Monte has a way to charm its visitors. Architecturally unique and historically precious, this medieval dwelling located some 15 miles from Andria and about 50 from Bari, in Apulia, had been constructed in the 13th century to meet …

Every Italian born after 1961 has, for sure, some childhood memories tied to figurinePanini and their beautiful albums. We’d buy them – or better, beg our parents and grandparents to buy them for us –exchange them with one another to …

If you had to define Italian cuisine with one, single adjective, what would you chose? Personally, I’d go for “simple.” Simplicity is key in many of our most famous recipes, just as attention to using quality ingredients is. But I …

Naples has her sfogliatella, the North plays with the Teutonic idea of krapfen, but Rome… Rome has the maritozzo.  You look at it and it’s perfect: golden and shiny, sliced in a half, its creamy filling perfectly levelled all at …

What does “Italia” really mean? In a moment such as this, without a doubt, it seems legit to say “victory,” “commitment,” “resilience,” “strength,” as inspired by the great athletes of our Olympic team. With its 40 medals – at the …

If you read us regularly, you are definitely familiar with Pasquino, the talking statue located near Piazza Navona that, through his invectives, satires and commentaries  (the famous Pasquinate) — all rigorously seasoned with a hefty dose of humor —  outlined …

The world discovered the existence of trenette, the traditional Ligurian noodle, thanks to Pixar’s Luca and his voracious appetite for them. But for every person familiar with the Italian Riviera and its cuisine, they are far from being a surprise: …