paula reynolds

There are great love affairs that permeate the ages: Anthony and Cleopatra, Rhett and Scarlet, Samson and Delilah…Everyone and Pasta.  There’s something almost magical about digging into a heaping plate of piping hot noodles slathered in tangy red sauce…or pudgy …

The vigorous celebrations of Pasqua and Pasquetta in Italy — Easter and the Monday after Easter — are as much a part of the season of renewal as any of nature’s predictable proclamations. It’s a time of awakening. Vibrant green …

Few scents evoke an emotional response like that of bread as it rises to perfection in a hot oven. Taste buds awaken, eyes widen, stomachs rumble, voices cry out – “When will it be ready?”  Each civilization since anyone’s kept …

Ask the average non-Italian to give you a rundown on Italian cuisine and chances are it will sound like this: “Spaghetti…with meatballs, Fettuccini Alfredo, lasagna for sure…and pepperoni pizza…!”  We’ll spare the culinary critique of how…shall we say… deficient” this …

There seems to be a shared fascination with lighthouses the world over. These austere pillars of hope and guidance, most often planted on precarious ground, seem to speak to our need to be watched over, protected, guided through life’s storms. …

Wheat fields have decorated the rolling hills of Tuscany for thousands of years. Interspersed amongst linear vineyards and silver-leafed olive groves, the golden grain has nourished generation after generation, just as it continues to do so today.  In recent decades, …

Oh the delights of Christmas in an Italian village with all its endearing traditions! Twinkling lights, carols floating on air, the revered nativity crèche, spiced aromas of mulled wine tickling your nose…so much to delight the senses and wrap you …

A debate on whether a man in a suit generates appeal might last a minute or two. The same debate on a man in an Italian suit would be over before I finished typing this sentence. Given the fact that …

As “resta a casa” mandates and travel bans continue to be the new normal, many of us have found extra time to daydream, to get lost in thoughts that whisk us away from reality. For me, those dreams often center …

Admit it – it’s been on your mind since that first viewing of “Under the Tuscan Sun” … owning your own magical villa in the lush Italian countryside surrounded by singing birds and plentiful wine. After all, who amongst us …