Traditions

With rain forecast for the next few days, and as 1st November is a public holiday here in Italy, why not spend some time in the kitchen making a traditional Tuscan slice known as castagnaccio. It is very easy to …

The term quinto quarto, “the fifth quarter,” refers to a type of cuisine born from poor, peasant kitchens, and the term itself originates from Rome.The fifth quarter refers to everything that is not included in the four quarters in which …

Every time the month of October rolls around, many people think about the change of the seasons, from summer to now true fall. The holidays are just ahead, and so we all gear up to see how and where and …

A beautiful article appeared a while back on the renowned pages of the New York Times. It was an incredibly entertaining and informative account of the author’s voyage to one of Italy least known corner, Basilicata, a region mostly associated …

Today, I feel like to write about Rome and Italian heritage, but for once – our regular readers may be aware of my penchant for classical history – I won’t delve into the depths and beauties of the Empire, but …

As big as a Robin’s egg, mildly tart with a hint of sweetness, and just-perfect chewy only begins to describe an Ascolana olive. Biting into one is a much finer manner of introduction to this enticing little fruit…and I was …

Milan is one of Italy’s most metropolitan and contemporary cities. Attracting travelers and business people from all over the world, it has become one of Europe’s most popular destinations. Among the new mirrored-façade skyscrapers and designer boutiques, old Milan hides …

It takes a lot of things to prepare a good cup of coffee: obviously, a good coffee blend and a good machine, to say the least. There’s a brand that is known all over the world for its excellence in …

The lighthouse, a mysterious and poetic place, cherished by artists and writers: Virginia Woolf set one of her most popular novels, To the Lighthouse, around one of them, and the immense James Joyce once lived and wrote for days on …

When Juno, Queen of Olympus, needed to vent her spleen, she visited Aeolus, god of the winds, on his draughty island off Sicily. Juno was outraged that the fugitive Trojan prince Aeneas was destined to found Rome and destroy Carthage, …