Notes about Italy, food and more

We’ll spill the beans! 22 Italian sayings involving… food!

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In a country obsessed with eating and drinking well, food and wine have quite a presence in everyday common sayings. Here are a few.

A pizza that’s not pizza at all

This New Year in Rome's Ghetto, we discovered a traditional Jewish pastry that is crammed with toasted nuts and candied fruit. It may not look much, but it was pretty hard to stop eating it!

Traveling to Italy with Google Offline Maps

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The pilgrimage route to Rome was and is known as the “Via Francigena”. Despite its name “The road that comes from France”, it is generally thought to originate in the English Cathedral city of Canterbury.

The Pilgrims’ Route to Rome

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The pilgrimage route to Rome was and is known as the “Via Francigena”. Despite its name “The road that comes from France”, it is generally thought to originate in the English Cathedral city of Canterbury.

Ribollita

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This soup improves if left for a day or so. We make a large batch and have it in varied ways - without the bread soaked into it but served on top of hot toast rubbed with raw garlic or with the bread and served at room temperature.
Cantuccini

IGP Cantuccini

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In January 2016, the delicious straight almond biscuits known as Cantucci (or Cantuccini) Toscani earned their place on the IGP list.

How Italian are you?

Try this 10 question quiz and find out if you do as the Italians do!

Coffee in Italy: dos and don’ts

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Italy has long tradition of roasting and serving coffee and as all time-honoured traditions, coffee drinking in Italy has some codes. We will decipher them for you!

Carnival sponge cake

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This filled pasta is hearty fare from the mountains. The sage and butter sauce is delicate enough to let the subtle flavours shine.

We’ll spill the beans! 20 Italian sayings involving… food!

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0 Comments
In a country obsessed with eating and drinking well, food and wine have quite a presence in everyday common sayings. Here are a few.

Stuffed calamari

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Although some people may be squeamish about calamari (squid), you should really give them a chance. They are really tasty and versatile.

Potato and squash tortelli

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This filled pasta is hearty fare from the mountains. The sage and butter sauce is delicate enough to let the subtle flavours shine.

10 disgruntled reviews of Florence on TripAdvisor

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For centuries Florence has attracted visitors who have been stunned by its beauty… well, not everyone. Read these comments found on TripAdvisor and you’ll realize that a few of us are immune from Stendhal syndrome.
Taralli

Taralli

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Taralli are a delicious little ring-shaped cracker-type snack, like a crispy micro-bagel. Also like a bagel, they are boiled, then baked.

Coffee, the finest organic suspension ever devised – Star Trek: Voyager

Not a single coffee bean is produced in Italy (you need a cool to warm tropical climate and a high altitude), but when you mention the drink, one of the countries that immediately springs to mind is the Bel paese and its espresso and cappuccino.
Prego

The many meanings of a seemingly simple word. Prego!

if all you need is to learn some “survival Italian” to help you through a trip, some seemingly simple words can be confusing. “Prego” is one of them.

Cipolla di Certaldo – Certaldo’s centuries-old onion

Our closest town is Certaldo and is home to the “Cipolla di Certaldo” (Certaldo onion) SlowFood presidium.

The vegetarian population is growing fast in Italy: and they have so many delicious options!

Italy is now the country in the European Union with the largest proportion of vegetarians: a 2015 report puts the figure at 10%.
Ponte_Vecchio

The “secret” passageway above the Ponte Vecchio

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Vasari built a Corridor for Cosimo I, in order to join between the political and administrative center of Palazzo Vecchio with the private dwelling of the Medici across the river.

Our love affair with kabocha (aka green hokkaido)

This squash variety was introduced to Japan in the 16th Century by Portuguese traders who brought the vegetable from Cambodia. It is now widely used in Japan in tempura and elegant Kyoto cuisine. And luckily for its fans, it is now grown all over the world.