Posted on May 12, 2013 in Eating |
It is common knowledge that Italy has been the setting of great political transformations, as well as the battlefield between factions and countries, where armies of all types met and fought. It is therefore likely that the chocolate was introduced in the “Boot” in this way – imported by soldiers. However, what is certain is that Francesco Carletti, a Florentine and famous traveller, visited the cocoa plantations near Guatemala around 1591. He immediately understood that this cocoa powder used by the Indians to make their hot chocolate drink had enormous commercial possibilities. At the beginning of the 1600s, it seems that it was Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spain, wife...
Posted on May 11, 2013 in Villages |
Robert Browning, an English poet from the mid-1800s, entitled his last work Asolando. It is a neologism that combined the name of the village in the Veneto region that provided the setting for some of his poems, and where he lived just before dying, with the word “asolare”, which literally means “go out for some fresh air, enjoy the outdoors”. Taking the word play a further step, you could replace the “A” at the beginning with an “I” and get “Isolando”, which, perhaps, would more aptly describe the spirit of this village, nestled in the green hills of Treviso, solitary, but close to large cities, secluded but discernible by...
Posted on May 10, 2013 in Villages |
We are in Ponente, inland Liguria. There are no views of the sea from here, nor can you smell the salt water. Instead the area is dominated by the slopes and high grounds to which the groves of taggiasca olives and the houses of the small towns cling, where stillness and legends reign. This area has one of the oldest olive routes in Italy, a road that unites 20 towns, with stone houses, covered passageways, parish churches, bell towers and paved alleys that are never level, as the terrain does not permit it. One of the most famous is Apricale, which presents itself more like a backdrop than a...
Posted on May 9, 2013 in Beach and coast, Villages |
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this island is not often mentioned as one of Italy’s most beautiful, or that you don’t see it on top-ten lists with stars beside it. Ponza, the largest island in the archipelago that bears its name, is straight out of a fairy tale. Your arrival in the harbor presents one of the most picturesque and surprising vistas you can imagine. Although it was modified in the 1700s, you can still see unmistakable signs of its structure dating back to the Romans. There are numerous other traces of the descendants of Romulus and Remus. Probably the most spectacular of these are the Caves...
Posted on May 5, 2013 in Bergamo |
There are a lot of good reasons to spend a weekend in Bergamo among realx, culture and tasty food, discovering this beautiful city settled on the hill. A walk on the tiny road of the Upper City is undeniable. A walk for the pure pleasure to discover an urban scenic design built during the centuries, which has kept an unexpected melody among multiple styles, volumes and perspectives. In the middle of this set, there is Piazza Vecchia, core of the city, quoted by the great architect Le Corbusier as “The most beautiful square in Europe”. Into the square there is the Fontana dei Contarini of the Eighteenth century and...
Posted on May 4, 2013 in Flavours |
The eastern hills of Friuli are both tart and sweet at the same time, spreading out over 70 kilometers (44 miles). The vistas that follow one after the other before the Alpine foothills alternate between wooded areas, tiny towns and rolling hills, where the terracing of vineyards gives evidence of man’s intervention in the area. When you think about it, it’s is nothing short of amazing, the human skill and determination necessary to shape the terrain to accommodate the precious fruits from which, in this case, incredible wines are produced. The heart of the region is Cividale del Friuli, a city that offers rare artistic treasures, just as unique...
Posted on May 3, 2013 in Villages |
Sometimes, it is our mistakes that lead us to discover a beautiful location or an unexpected story, the maps that are turned in the wrong direction, a letter mistaken for another, a path taken in one direction rather than the other, missing a metro stop or the bus stop. With the technology we have available today, this happens more and more infrequently, and so, to leave us gazing in open-mouthed amazement, a place has to be especially fascinating, it must possess something that re-connects us to that part of our brains that we have forgotten about since our childhood – wonder. Pitigliano is just the place to produce this...
Posted on May 3, 2013 in Natural Beauty, Villages |
The Foreste Casentinesi are a magical place, dating back millennia, in which you can sample a piece of the ancient world, where men and nature seem to bear the signs of a past that still pulsates. The forests were developed along part of the Tuscany-Romagna Apennine mountains, straddling the provinces of Arezzo, Florence and Forlì-Cesena. As you walk through them, even on a short hike, you may only see the sun rarely, through a thick mantle of branches and leaves, and you will roam around large parts of terrain blanketed in lush green. The forests are worth an extended visit in and of themselves, but in the Casentino area...
Posted on May 2, 2013 in Bergamo |
Large and thin, al metro or round, fragrant or soft, with the socalled “cornicione”, made with spelt or with the traditional dough. For certain pizza has conquered tastes all over the world and when you are caught out by the desire to eat it, your istinct suggests to take the first train to Naples. In the course of time it has continuous evolutions that upgrade it and rise it from simple dishes made with few ingredients as yeast, flour, oil and salt to absolut main dishes in the table. Pizzeria Upper Bergamo? Luckily there are good pizzeria also in the Old part of Bergamo, where you can eat well...
Posted on Apr 19, 2013 in Drinking |
When you takes a sip of Prosecco Superiore, you should close your eyes for a moment and let the imagination take over. Most likely, what you see first would be green hills full of vineyards, cultivated by local farmers over hundreds of years, the rise that leads from Valdobbiadene to Conegliano, an area of dazzling beauty, which produces a fragrant, elegant and refreshing sparkling wine. In addition to producing one of the most famous Italian wines, this region has a rich artistic history, as evidenced by two of the principal artists of the Venetian Renaissance, Giovanni Bellini and his apprentice Cima da Conegliano. In their works, the key figures...
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