Delicious Italy

Lord Nelson in Sicily

A college student in Kansas recently got in touch as she is compiling a research paper about Sicly and the famous three legged trinacria.

There is a lot of history surrounding the trinacria and it seems to involve the whole of western Europe.

A story of myths, tribes, facts, fiction and good old yarns stretching from Isle of Man to the Island of Capo Passero.

Strangely enough, Celtic symbolism crops up near Bronte on the slopes of Mount Etna, in the unlikely location of Admiral Horatio Nelson's forgotten estate.

The entrance is guarded by a large black Celtic cross with the inscription “Heroi Immortali Nili”

The land was given to Nelson as a thank you gift by Ferdinand IV for the Admirals' help in repressing Bourbon influence in the island.   

Apart from having one arm and kissing Hardy, Nelson is perhaps most famous for his affair with Emma Hamilton.

Lady Emma was the wife of the British ambassador in Naples and the very keen eyed can spot her portrait on the ceiling of the lounge of the St Regis Grand Hotel in Rome.   

Art and Gastronomy

“Foodscapes – Art & Gastronomy” is the name of an exhibition taking place in Parma from the 7 Oct to 6 Jan 2008 at the ex Cinema Trento.

The works of 40 international and contemporary artists are on show depicting the theme of eating in the  context of history, anthropology, sociology etc.

The aim is to demonstrate that our approach to food is more than conditioned by our environment and is, above all, cultural or metaphysical if you like.

How else could you explain cannibalism, or eating dogs or marmite, or not eating pigs for that matter. This is parma ham territory after all.

Maximum debate guaranteed and we hope everyone will be offended in equal measure.   

Amongst the artists featured we note Tracey Emin, Gilbert & George & Daniel Spoerri.

Artissima

Artissima is the International Contempory Art Fair being held in Turin from the 9–11 November 2007 at the Lingotto Fiere.

131 galleries from 16 countries will be taking part and together they form a showcase for the world's best young and upcoming artists.

Here is the full list:

1/9 Unosunove, Roma / 1000eventi, Milano / 41artecontemporanea, Torino / Albion, London / AMT, Como / Analix Forever, Genève / Paul Andriesse, Amsterdam / Art agents, Hamburg / Art: Concept, Paris / Artericambi, Verona / Alfonso Artiaco, Napoli / Artra, Milano / Astuni, Pietrasanta / Laura Bartlett, London / Bellwether, New York / bnd tomasorenoldibracco, Milano / Bortolami, New York / Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin / Brancolini Grimaldi, Roma, Firenze / Canada, New York / Cardi, Milano / Charim, Wien / cherry and martin, Los Angeles / Ciocca, Milano / Citric, Brescia / Antonio Colombo, Milano / John Connelly Presents, New York / Continua, San Gimignano, Beijing / Raffaella Cortese, Milano / Cosmic, Paris / Guido Costa, Torino / Ellen de Bruijne, Amsterdam / de Expeditie, Amsterdam / Alessandro De March, Milano / de Multiples, Paris / Elizabeth Dee, New York / Umberto Di Marino, Napoli / domobaal, London / e/static, Torino / Feinkost, Berlin / Figge von Rosen,  Köln / Emi Fontana, Milano, Los Angeles / Fonti, Napoli / enricofornello, Prato / Foxy Production, New York / Fruit and Flower Deli, New York / Galerie Im Regierungsviertel, Berlin / Galica, Milano / Annet Gelink, Amsterdam / Glance, Torino / Vera Gliem, Köln / Goff + Rosenthal, New York, Berlin / Haas&Fisher, Zürich / Moti Hasson, New York / Reinhard Hauff, Stuttgart / Anna Helwing, Los Angeles / Hoet Bekaert, Gent / In Arco, Torino / Alison Jacques, London / Michael Janssen, Berlin, Köln / francesca kaufmann, Milano / Nicole Klagsbrun, New York / Klerkx, Milano / Christine König, Wien / Johann König, Berlin / Elaine Levy, Brussels / Magazzino d'Arte Moderna, Roma / Cesare Manzo, Pescara, Roma / Giò Marconi, Milano / Marella, Milano, Beijing / Franco Masoero, Torino / Maze, Torino / Francesca Minini, Milano / Massimo Minini, Brescia / Monitor, Roma / Pio Monti, Roma / Murata & friends, Berlin / Museum 52, London / Newman Popiashvili, New York / Franco Noero, Torino / Nogueras Blanchard, Barcelona / Noire, Torino / Lorcan O'Neill, Roma, OREDARIA, Roma / Palma Dotze, Vilafranca Del Penedès / francescopantaleone, Palermo / Alberto Peola, Torino / Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris / Giorgio Persano, Torino / Perugi, Padova / Photo & Contemporary, Torino / Photology, Milano / Pianissimo, Milano / Pinksummer, Genova / Postmasters, New York / Produzenten, Hamburg / prometeo, Milano / Reflex, Amsterdam / Rizziero, Pescara / Sonia Rosso, Torino / Perry Rubenstein, New York / Rubicon, Dublin / Lia Rumma, Napoli, Milano / Nikolaus Ruzicska, Salzburg / S.A.L.E.S., Roma / schleicher + lange, Paris / Mimmo Scognamiglio, Napoli, Milano / Suzy Shammah, Milano / Side 2, Tokyo / Silverman, San Francisco /Škuc, Ljubljana / FRANCOSOFFIANTINO, Torino / Reena Spaulings, New York / Diana Stigter, Amsterdam / Sutton, Melbourne / Jiri Svesta, Prague / Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerpen / Ermanno Tedeschi, Torino, Milano / Ileana Tounta, Athens / TUCCI RUSSO, Torre Pellice / Daniele Ugolini, Firenze / V.M.21, Roma / Georges-Philippe et Nathalie Vallois, Paris / van Gelder, Amsterdam / Vernon, Prague / Vistamare, Pescara / Wallspace, New York / Max Wigram, London / Wilkinson, London / ZERO, Milano / Zonca & Zonca, Milano

Stazione Termini

There's been a lot of good work done in recent years to restore Termini Railway Station in Rome to most of its original glory.

It almost looks as good as it did in Vittorio de Sica's 1953 film Stazione Termini or 'Indiscretion of an American Wife' as it is sometimes known. 

The open spaces of the station we see in the film have been recuperated and the shopping area given back a certain elegance.

What have gone are the telegraph offices, the third class waiting rooms and the barrier which allowed only those with tickets onto the platforms.

And of course that 1940's atmosphere, which funnily enough you can still experience in Milan's central station. 

The railway station is the real star of the film which stars Montgomery Clift and Jennifer Jones with dialogue written by Truman Capote.

If you do get to see it, also try and catch Noel Coward's 'Brief Encounter' (1945) and 'Cairo Train Station' or 'Bab al Hadid' by Youssef Chahine (1958).

The three make a great triology of unrequited love in those black and white post war train stations they just don't seem to do anymore.

If you have seen a similar film set in North America we would like to know.

Best Grape Harvest since 1937

2007 will see the Best Grape Harvest since 1937 according to 'Assoenologi', an association of enologists in Italy.

As we are no enologists ourselves, this may or may not mean great wine, but the hot dry summer has meant the grapes are arriving at the harvest perfectly healthy.

Let's see what comes out of the barrels from the autumn. 

www.assoenologi.it

Man cannot live on bread alone

Man cannot live on bread alone!

Well, if you consider some of the fantastic traditional breads from around the Italian regions, it's worth giving it a shot.

And with certain political leaders calling for a fiscal strike in the autumn we may all be on crumbs and water very soon in any case.

But back to the point. What is happening to all the local shops Italy was famous for?

Here in one of Rome's more quoted quarters, the only high street commercial activities opening up are three; banks, estate agencies and pizza take aways.

They are replacing small local grocers who are all but gone. We are now all doing our food shopping in supermarkets retailing only goods advertised on television.

The estate agents are understandable considering the spectacular properties, something like 80% private ownership and a noticeable generational change.

The pizza take aways are catering for public employees and other workers who could once indulge in longer lunches in restaurants, such is the pace of life now.

While the banks are a mystery. Who needs a brand new branch of the Popular Bank of Bari in the middle of Rome? Isn't it all about online banking these days.

What are thriving, to a certain extent, are shops specializing in quality local food products, such as mozzarella buffalo cheese from Salerno and burrata from Puglia.

A new growing demand is there and many of the products once sold in local grocers are appearing in these outlets for their wares.

Long may it continue.

Best September Day out near Rome with no car

This summer more Italian citizens stayed at home than went on holiday.

A combination of a general lack of purchasing power and, just perhaps, a boom in things to do in the cities.

Not least Rome, especially along the River Tiber as part of Roma Estate.

Also a chance to catch up with friends and generally hang about in the capital, not so easy to do at other times of the year.

So, if people did go away it was for a number of short breaks, long weekends or majestic days out.

For one more fine day out from the Eternal City, as September cools but the sea remains warm, we suggest Nettuno. 

Your day would be something like this:

- Train from Termini Station early morning.
- Short walk through the centre of Nettuno to enjoy a quick coffee before paying entrance to one of the managed beaches.
- Swim and final top up tan. 
- Sandwich for lunch and checking out along the front the old Spanish fortress and Santuario della Madonna delle Grazie dedicated to Saint Maria Goretti.
- Back to the beach. As the onshore breezes die away, fresh water shower.
- Walk to the new marina to gawp at the sail boats, then enter from the port into the splendid old walled Nettuno.    
- Fried fish supper with a bottle of local white wine.
- Last train home.