Rome, Italy: My son and I like to set up a little organic market stall at our neighborhood playground. I used to do this when I was a child, in the same place, and it’s heartwarming to see my son–totally unprompted–doing the same. Starting from the bottom left we have, freshly harvested collard greens, wild [...]
Follow up to last week’s Ingredienti Italiani post on Olive Oil Vinegar: Aceto {ah CHE toh} Vinegar is wine’s destiny, brought about by exposure to oxygen and specific types of bacteria that use alcohol as nourishment. Vinegar is one more reason to be thankful for the French. The slow, ancient method of making vinegar was [...]
Olio Extra Vergine d’Oliva {AWlyoh extra-VERgeeney d’AWleevah} The best known, and top-quality extra virgin olive oil comes from Italy, no doubt. Olive oil is a staple of the Mediterranean diet and part of Italy’s culture. But olive oil is not just a condiment. Homer called it “liquid gold,” and in ancient Greece, athletes ritually [...]
Foreign tourists hardly know the place. This Amalfi Coast beach is not in the average guidebook, and the few Italians on holiday along the stunning beaches of this coastline who are familiar with this secluded little strand, keep it to themselves. Laurito is the Costiera’s best kept secret. I’m sharing this little corner of coastal [...]
Flea market finds, antiques’ fairs, garage sales, vintage bijoux stalls, second hand stores… Don’t you just love them? Market shopping in Rome, Italy, calmly browsing the displays, and then coming upon that perfect and unique piece? Ah, bliss.[SlideDeck id='3' width='100%' height='475px'] Every second Sunday of the month, a tiny “mercatino dell’antiquariato” (antiques market) comes to [...]
5 of the best picnic locations in Rome Rome’s warm spring weekends beg for a picnic. As the warmer months begin to bless the city, during weekends, Romans tend to migrate to nearby pastoral locations laden with copious amounts of picnic food. Bucolic folly and loud outdoor snoring become mandatory. This coming weekend, families and [...]
Guanciale {gwanCHAleh} (aka: porky goodness) Pig’s cured jowl/neck meat is a considerable Italian delicacy, as it imparts unique flavor and smooth sumptuousness to any dish or sauce. The word guanciale means two things: a) a headrest pillow, on which you repose your cheek when you retire to bed; and b) cured pig’s fleshy and droopy [...]
Taking a trip to visit a country where your native tongue is not the primary spoken language can be intimidating. But there are a number of easy things you can do to make sure you are understood in Italy. Speaking louder is not one of them; and neither is the commonplace gesticulation cliché. Italians use [...]
Starting this week, for La Piazza’s new “Ingredienti Italiani” series, I’ll be sharing brief notes on favorite Italian recipe ingredients–itemized and brought to you in totally random order. Annotations will duly include: bilingual names with phonetics, useful nutrition information, cooking tips, interesting facts of folklore and food history. The entries come laced with anecdotes and [...]
Dress Italian Style Editor’s Note: You may also enjoy The Surprising 2011 Summer Fashion Trends in Italy , How to (un)dress like an Italian at the Beach, and What we learn about travel fashion from Audrey Hepburn and the little black dress . White sneakers and khaki pants? American. Flip flops and shorts in the middle of [...]
