Romitorio: the ancient beauty of sacred traditions
Romitorio – in Pienza, near the church of Saint Catherine – exudes ancient charm, with a series of rooms carved into sandstone where hermit monks used to live between the 11th and the 18th centuries. It is also blessed with a wonderful location, both in terms of pleasant weather and lovely views. In the upper part of the structure, a chapel from th...
Autumn in the States for Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
In New York for the biggest wine and food festival, for an exclusive blogger event and a demonstration day: Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI was present in three major events this fall in the States, thanks to the campaign “Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, the Original”. It all began with NYCWFF, from the 10th to the 13th of October, the largest wine and...
Notti Sylvane: Two evenings of music and film by composer Sylvano Bussotti
A screening of Bussotti’s film Rara (New York premiere), followed by a selection of the artist’s musical miniatures. After an introduction by Luciano Chessa, Bussotti’s silent film Rara (1967-69) will be screened in a restored version. Experimental and without deliberate narrative, the work gathers ‘filmed portraits’ of the 1960s Italian avant-gard...
Italians speak mythology
“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, and that when people dare criticizing it, they really hit our Achilles’heel, the answer is yes: the way Italians speak is very refined an...
Newest ethnic Italian restaurant and wine bar opens in Stratford
Aleks and Phyllis Gjeka say they want customers to feel like part of the family at their new restaurant. “We want to treat everybody the way we want to be treated when we go somewhere else,” said Aleks Gjeka, who manages La Fortuna Bar and Restaurant, which opened Monday at 7365 Main St. in Stratford. The family-run restaurant and wine bar brings a...
Casa can bring out the author in you
Our families were part of the more than 4 million Italians who came to America during the late 19th and early 20th century to escape poverty and start a new life. They settled in ethnic enclaves across America, working hard and maintaining the traditions while finding success in the mainstream. We all have stories about this journey that we either...
Discovering the Lunigiana: Tuscany's Hidden Gem
If you think Tuscany is all about rolling hills and cypress trees then think again. Starting in Carrara in the west, and stretching right across to Garfagnana in the east, the Apuan alps are one of the region’s best kept secrets. Home to some of Italy’s wildest and most unspoilt countryside, this diverse ecosystem sees typically Mediterranean plant...
Two New Italian Restaurants Change the Downtown Dining Scene
Like Lady and the Tramp, we sit in a cozy, slightly downscale restaurant eating big bowls of thick, cheesy ravioli treading in red marinara. Our two-top is tucked into a corner and draped with a thread-bare red and white checked tablecloth that’s gently illuminated by a scentless white candle perched in a wicker basket Chianti bottle. We sip non-de...
10 Things You Didn’t Know About David Giuntoli
David Giuntoli is an American actor who is known for playing the part of Detective Nick Burkhardt in “Grimm” and now he’s a big part of “A Million Little Things.” He’s been popular since he first began his professional career as an actor. His performance in the NBC supernatural drama has gotten him a lot of positive attention from fans. His base of...
House Hunting in … Italy
This three-bedroom house is perched on a hill in Pantogia, a bucolic residential area on the northeastern coast of the Italian island of Sardinia overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Built in the early 1900s as a farmhouse, called a stazzu, the home was restored and expanded in the 1970s into a 1,399-square-foot,cottage-style villa by the prominent Fren...
Umbria, a gastronomic trip through the green heart of Italy
For the Umbria region – an internal area in the central part of Italy – tartufo (truffle) represents the basis of the local gastronomy and business. About 80% of the national product is processed, packed and commercialized here, inside an area defined by the Nera river and the towns of Terni, Spoleto, and Norcia. There, the major canning factories...
16th-Annual Christmas In Italy Comes to Carnegie Hall Starring Cristina Fontanelli
Award-winning singer and PBS/WNET and NY affiliates Host for Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble and Il Volo, Cristina Fontanelli brings her program of Italy's best-loved songs, arias, Neapolitan and Christmas classics during her 16th-Annual "Christmas In Italy" show at the Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, December 8 at 3 p.m. Called a "Vocal geni...