Delicious Italy

FAI - 16th Spring Event

The XVI Edition of the FAI Spring Days takes place on the 5th and 6th April 2008.

FAI or 'Fondo Per L'Ambiente Italiano' is a non profit organization who do good work highlighting and protecting the artistic and natural heritage or patrimony of the country and regions.

An equivalent would be the National Trust based in the UK.

The doors will be open in all 550 FAI locations in 240 Italian cities during the weekend.

An dedicated area in the FAI website is worth a visit to find out where.

www.fondoambiente.it

See Naples ...

In the late 1990's American writer Bill Bryson penned a book called 'Notes from a Small Island'.

The small island in question was Great Britain and one of the most memorable chapters began with the immortal lines 'They were having a litter festival in Liverpool when I arrived in the city'.

Almost on a par with architect Ian Nairn's 'There's something not quite right about Swindon', both came to mind during the current refuse problems in Naples.

What is going on?!

Suffice to say that 50 tons of stinking rubbish have been shipped to Cagliari in Sardinia and the problem has eased a little, at least for the Neapolitans.

Anyone who lived in Liverpool during the 1970's and 1980's could only have dreamed that the widespread urban decay would resolve for the better.

But, where there's a will there's a way, and 2008 opens with the city Europe's proud new Capital of Culture for the next 12 months.

Forza Napoli.

Bill Bryson Official Site

Alitalia Walz

Christmas and New Year is always a good time for a walz.

This year Alitalia has been swapping potential partners like Princess Sissi in the ballrooms of Vienna.    

As the music stops lets see who is still seeking her expensive hand.

Well, the suitors are Air France/KLM and Air One and within the next 48 hours we should all know which of the two is likely to consummate the marriage.

A business reporter on SKY television last night was asked who he thought should win. He simply stated that the profits of Air France/KLM were twice the turnover of their rival.

Yet, the political pressure in Italy to go with Air One is tremendous, with the unions and Confindustria leading the call.  The Italian PM Romano Prodi and the union of pilots (ANPAC) favor Air France.

But who else wants Air One? The answer lies somewhere between Torino and Milan and aren't they happy it's not Lufthansa.      

Maratonarte

Maratonarte is a call to save seven of Italy's lesser known but fascinating archaeological and historical sites from disappearing.

With the support of the 'Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali' and the 'Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri Dipartimento per lo Sviluppo e la Competitività del Turismo', RAI Television ran a video campaign to highlight each at the beginning of October 2007.

Claudia Cardinale and other well known and respected figures presented a project close to their heart.

The one which impacted most on us was the Modica-Ragusa railway line which aired just as we were helping Condé Nast House and Garden magazine with a photo shoot in Ragusa.

They crew didn't take the train, but the RAI video is a spectacular and slick homage to the zone and site.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE or view the You Tube clip below to get an idea

So far almost 3 million euros have been donated to Maratonart.

When you consider the spending of Ministry of 'Beni Culturali' was just over 2 billion euros in 2005, and the pressure is on to cut public spending, then there's a long way to go.

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.

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.

Enrico and Valeria report from Capo D’orlando

Catania residents Enrico and Valeria show us the insider's way of visiting the north east corner of Sicily during the summer vacation.

The self guided tour to the town of San Gregorio near Capo D’Orlando lasted 4 days and 3 nights from the 10-13 August 2007.

Enrico describes their break as an activie holiday with relax & Ecotur and the whole vacation cost €274,00 per person, broken down as follows: 

* Accommodation + breakfast: 450,00 €
* Gas: 45 € (500 km of distance A/R + sightseeing tour - starting from Catania)
* Freeway tickets: 14,80 € (We took 2 freeways: A18 Catania-Messina and A20 Messina-Palermo)
* Food and beverage: 38,10 € (Arancini, pizza, Ice creams, granita, etc…)

The holiday was built around the the pair's own likes and dislikes and you can view images and more details about the trip here

LIKES: Nature, Relaxing landscapes, Good position near the main attractions, Very tasty breakfast, Clean and comfort rooms, Sweet horses and donkeys to do tour of the property

DISLIKES: Too much car rumors from the near freeway, If the hotel is full it looks like it is empty and you can feel you are too isolated, You have to wait for a shuttle bur to move around the property, Too much bugs and mosquitos

Here is the daily itinerary

Day 1 - Arriving in the hotel

    * Starting from Catania, 2 hours of freeways (A18 and A20)
    * Arrive in the hotel
    * Afternoon on the beach
    * Dine with “Panino ca’ cutuletta” (bread with chicken)
    * Sleep

Day 2 - It’s raining man…alleluja!!

A view from The Nebrodi Mounts

    * Breakfast
    * Rain
    * In the morning visit to the Nebrodi parks (Sinagra, Naso, Ucria, Castell’Umberto)
    * Lunch with Granita and Brioche in the Bar “Mamy and Papy” Morosito bar - San Gregorio
    * Afternoon on the beach
    * Evening a visit in Capo D’orlando for a Pizza in “Crazy Pizza”
    * Walking on the Long Beach

Day 3 - Arancini mon amour…

A see view from Gioiosa Marea

    * Breakfast
    * All the morning on the beach
    * Luch with typical Sicilian food (Arancini and Siciliane) in “Da Matteo” Restaurant, San Gregorio Phone: 0941 955029
    * Afternoon on the Beach
    * In the evening an excursion in Gioiosa Marea and dine with a Brioche and Ice-cream in Bar “Miramare”

Day 4 - Come back home

    * Breakfast
    * On the beach to 12:00 o’clock
    * Come back home…:-(

The best attraction to see is the Coast. You can do with a car the SS113 (Statal road n°113) that connects Palermo with Messina and visit all the sea villages and see the magnific landscapes.

Considering the high season period i think it was a bargain holiday…;-)

Delicious Italy on You Tube

An account on You Tube seems like a good idea. Turning it into a must see video channel is altogether another task, but here goes.

Delicious Italy on You Tube

So far visitors will see that rare animal in the Italian countryside now, a donkey. A short 15 second thing we shot during a visit to Monte Amiata one cold & rainy December day.

By 'shot' we mean 'filmed', nobody was actually hurt in the production process.

We'll keep our camera with us at all times from now on and see what happens.

Expect to see bite sized clips from Florence, Viareggio, Ravenna, Calabria and Bardolino by the middle of August, although we can't promise any more mules.

A little ahead of us in the game is SagreinItalia who are putting together a series of short videos of rustic events around Italy. Take a look here.   

American Kids v. Italian Kids

A series of these were sent to us by Chas in the US.

"I guess I'm part Italian, 'cause I'm forwarding this".

**American Kids: Their dads always call before they come over to visit them and it’s usually only on special occasions.
**Italian Kids: Are not at all fazed when their dads come over, unannounced, on a Saturday morning at 8:00 and starts pruning the fruit trees. And if there are no fruit trees, he will plant some!

**American Kids: Will come over for cake and coffee and get only cake and coffee, no more.
**Italian Kids: Will come over for cake and coffee and get antipasto, a few bottles of wine, a pasta dish, a choice of two meats, salad,  bread, potatoes, a nice dessert cake, fruit, coffee and a few after dinner drinks ..... time permitting there will be a late lunch as well.

**American Kids: Think that being Italian is a great thing,
** Italian Kids: Know that being Italian is a great thing,

**American Kids: Will say 'hello".
** Italian Kids: Will give you a big hug and a kiss, pinch your cheeks, and pat you on the back.

**American Kids: Will eat at your dinner table and leave.
** Italian Kids: Will spend hours there, talking, laughing and just being together.

**American Kids: Would knock on your door.
**Italian Kids: Walk right in and say, "I'm home!"

**American Kids: Are for a while.
** Italian Kids: Are for life.

**American Kids: Will ignore this.
**Italian Kids: Will forward this.

The Perfect Italian diet

Is the perfect Italian diet a Mediterranean one?

The question came into our heads when we read what Brazilian football genius Ronaldo was eating to get fit following his transfer from Real Madrid to Milan.

His day begins with a breakfast of milk, toast with jam and freshly squeezed orange juice without sugar. Lunch is raw vegetables, carbohydrates such as potatoes and another freshly squeezed orange juice. During the afternoon, fresh fruit and piece of bread, with dinner based on grilled meat or fish, vegetables and fresh fruit.

And absolutely no pasta!

Milan could not be further from the sea in Italy, so is this a Mediterranean diet? In any case, he's lost 5kg in the short time he's been back in the country. 

The regions of Italy with the oldest inhabitants are Sardinia and Abruzzo, both famous for their salami and cheese, which do not exactly lower cholesterol levels.

We also know of a man in his late 80's who lives near Monte Amiata in Tuscany who, from trusted sources, drinks at least 4 bottles of red wine a day. He's as fit as a fiddle and walks daily to the top of the mountain.

So the secret seems to be fresh air and a lot of exercise.