Delicious Italy

No airport jam

You may have been travelling in and out of the UK over the Christmas period and been unlucky to have hit the persistant fog and long queues.

We also flew in and out of England over the New Year but can report no jam whatsoever. 

In fact, we left our all our rustic regional preserves in the hands of the British Airports Authority as it turns out that even humble British homemade jams cannot make it past the customs checks.

They fall into the category of potentially dangerous liquids, or rather dangerous gels like toothpaste. So no marmalades, chutneys, pickles or mustards.

You can actually buy a line of decent English jams in Italy quite easily and they usually sit next to Lipton teas below the Quaker oats.

We would like to hear from anyone who has had their Italian food or wine stopped at the border. Post your comment below.      

The State Discoteque

We never knew Rome was home to the 'Discoteca di Stato'.

Translated literally that's the 'State Discoteque'. Surely not.

Images of civil servants unwinding following a long day flood to mind.   

What we have learned is that the 'Discoteca di Stato' is located in Via Caetania in the Chiesa Dives Misericordiae di Tor Tre Teste. It was projected by Richard Meier, the same who designed the controversial new home for the Ara Pacis near the River Tiber.

Whatever, we'll be checking it out this Christmas as part of 'Zampogne a Roma'.

We mentioned this traditional Christmas scene earlier in this Blog and the event is aimed at regaining interest in this fabulous ancient wind instrument from the Lazio Abruzzo Apennine hills.

www.finisterre.it

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Portofino

Portofino could mean 'refined port', but the name actually comes from the Latin Portus Delphini.

Today, this remarkable coastal village oozes exclusivity.

Indeed, you may have to queue to get into the village as numbers are strictly limited.

That's motor vehicles we're talking about and be aware that it costs 9 euros for your first 2 hours of parking once at the pedestrian zone. The first 5 mins are free!

We prefer tales of pirates, fishermen and animated communities of ancient folk going about their daily lives. A romanticised past for sure but look hard enough and it's all there.

Try this recipe for Trofie pasta Portofino style and resist buying the pesto sauce from your local supermarket by making it yourself. You'd be surprised how easy it is.

Deliciously Alba

We recently noticed the tag line 'Deliciously Italian' used in various print advertising targeted at lovers of 'Made in Italy'.

It was used by Ferrero s.p.a. to promote one of their many brands.

You can't miss the huge Ferrero factory in Alba as you drive the approaches to the historical centre and it's an impressive sight, even more impressive as you climb the slopes for a view of the whole city.

Alba may be all white truffles and fine Barolo wine to the casual visitor, but hazelnuts  and chocolate are not far behind.    

      

If it's a Zampogna, its Christmas

As soon as there is a chill in the air in Rome, you know Christmas is around the corner.

And the great thing is, as long as there is no chill in the air, you know there will be no chance of festive decorations blotting the landscape.

It's a kind of pact between the autumn seasonal cycle and the Comune di Roma to not ruin our end of year break by starting it in September.

And to prove our theory, the temperature really did drop today, dutifully accompanied by the first and traditional zampognari.

These colorful caracters wear sheepskin and are typically found in the central Italian Apennines and the Lazio Abruzzo border.

They play one of Europes oldest instruments, a type of bagpipe but with a very high pitched sound.

Its a great site and passers by normally give them a few cents for their efforts. 

Just to make sure they were the real deal, we asked from where in Abruzzo they originated. The reply was Castel di Sangro. The follow up questions regarded the local football and their successful run in the late 1990's. All passed with flying colours and blind faith in their team. 

Head to Piazza Navona this Christmas to find them for yourself.

http://www.zampognari.com/testo_inglese.htm

 

Salento Passion

We received an email from a young company based in the province of Lecce, Puglia.

They are promoting the color and passion of their home territory through a series of clothing products branded 'Salentu'; from T-shirts to caps, sweatshirts and other items.

Salento is the land of the pizzica, the fabulous traditional dance which is also incorporated into one of their trademarked logos. 

The yellow sun, blue sea, deep brown earth of the zone are all represented in the products of 'Salentu' and we have chosen this strong read and yellow T-shirt to give you an idea.

The colors are also those worn by local football team - Lecce.

www.salentu.it

Autostrada cheese and ham

Hiring a car and taking the side roads is one of the great pleasures of travelling independently in Italy.

What could be better than meandering aimlessly through the Val d'Orcia in the province of Siena, Tuscany, looking for a family run trattoria?

Nevertheless, distances can be very large and every driver has to take the autostrade before long.

But don't fret, local food and drink is still at hand. Every 37km or so are the eternal Autogrills or fast food equivalents.

Not only is it possible to have a nice lasagna and half a liter of watered down wine before continuing your journey, you can view substantial displays of local typical products as you walk through the one way shops leading to the the exit.

Interestingly, the motorway stopovers subtly change their range as you pass from region to region, making it possible to have an intense introduction to traditional Italian food territory by territory.

Pictured is the well stocked cheese and salami counter along the A1 at the level of Fabro in Umbria. 

November sun in Rome

You may ask yourself if a trip to Italy or Rome at the end of October will catch the final hot days of the year.

Well, you could get lucky, or you could find yourself with daytime temperatures of 5°.

Only a week ago the beaches of Ostia and the Roman coast saw people having post summer dip in the sea under a 24° mini heat wave. This week 15° has disappeared somewhere.

In fact, the Ortles in Alto Adige registered the coldest ever temp for the period: -21°.