Traditions

Before pasta, there was Lady Salad. Today we can taste all kinds of spectacular insalatone or large salads, yet the first to prepare raw leafy vegetables drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and cumin were the Ancient Romans. The root …

Brimming with cultural vigor, strength and resilience, Caltagirone is the heart of the authentic, wild southeastern Sicily. The scenic town is a small slice of heaven just 40 miles from Catania that proudly acknowledges its multi-layered past. It remains a …

While they may not be as trendy as their broody, ultra-dark mates, the vampires, werewolves have been certainly enjoying a bout of popularity in recent years, courtesy of a popular series of trashy, young adult novels — and subsequent movie …

Baked anelletti pasta is a recipe traditional to Palermo, but it is a dish that holds a special place in the hearts of almost all Sicilians.  If you visit Palermo and you hear someone say “timballo,” then rest assured: they …

What comes to your mind when you think of Sardinia? Azure sea, sandy beaches, VIP resorts. If you are a bit more knowledgeable, your thoughts may also go to the island’s beautifully wild inland, or to the interesting features of …

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, …

“Parla come mangi!” (speak as you eat!) is a common way to invite someone to speak in a simple manner and without using too many words. But do Italians really speak as they eat? Considering that we love our food, …

If you are familiar with all that’s trending on YouTube, then  you may know The Pasta Grannies, a channel with more than  400.000 subscribers where each video is  dedicated to Italian nonne and  the  way they  make traditional, delicious pasta …

Back in the day, one of our favorite places for a nice affordable meal close by our apartment in central Rome was Taverna Parione. Located on a small side street off tourist-mobbed piazza Navona, despite its location it was the …

Art has a thousand shapes, a thousand colors, a thousand scents. There is no work of art that doesn’t run through more than one of our senses, creating a direct path to the soul. The colors of a painting all …