Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Blu Posted by Geoff on Aug 15, 2016
Singer Irene Fornaciari, daughter of the famous Italian pop star Zucchero, has written a moving song about the plight of North African refugees. But in order to fully appreciate the significance of this song you need to have an insight into the tragic humanitarian crisis behind the lyrics. Last year, a million desperate refugees undertook…
La Panzanella Posted by Serena on Aug 12, 2016
Browsing through my mother’s cookery books, I found an old booklet containing traditional Tuscan recipes. As I started reading through it I was immediately struck by its language, a beautifully old style Tuscan, full of almost obsolete words. So I decided to copy one of the recipes and share it with you. I chose La…
On Patrol Posted by Serena on Aug 5, 2016
There’s a painting by Giovanni Fattori called In Vedetta that for me encapsulates the Mediterranean summer. It’s probably not what you’d expect: no white beaches dotted with parasols, no fields covered in golden crops, no shady terraces with grape covered pergolas. It’s quite an unusual picture, but whenever I see it I’m immediately overwhelmed by…
Enjoy Rome Without The Traffic And The Tourists! Posted by Geoff on Jul 20, 2016
Imagine visiting Italy’s romantic capital without being jostled by endless crowds of tourists or having to put up with chaotic road traffic. Well, there are two ways in which you can do this: 1. catch a ride on a machine that travels through time alla H.G. Wells, or 2. enjoy a collection of beautiful photographic…
A Delicious Italian Fish Recipe Posted by Serena on Jul 15, 2016
Until a few months ago I’d almost never cooked fish despite the fact that I really like it, but recently I’ve ventured in this new territory, and I’m doing pretty well. I started with very basic recipes, but now I’ve progressed onto a couple of more elaborated dishes. Here is one of my favourites, very simple…
The Ghost Towns Of Tuscany Posted by Geoff on Jul 14, 2016
When I travel, I love to discover those special off the beaten track places that most tourists don’t know about. For me, it’s important to ‘feel’ the history, acknowledge the passage of time and generations, to observe the small details that really bring the place to life. And as I’m easily distracted by people, I…
La Dolce Vita Posted by Geoff on Jul 12, 2016
La Dolce Vita = The Sweet Waist? La Vita E’ Bella = The Waist is Beautiful? I gatti hanno sette vite = Cats have seven screws? Now hang on … there’s something a bit off about these translations! Actually, it’s just my way of introducing a small group of words that can be pretty confusing…