Polenta Pizza Margherita Recipe

Polenta Pizza Margherita Recipe

A staple with ancient origins, polenta has now found favour around the world. Mario Matassa demonstrates how wonderfully versatile it can be in this recipe for polenta pizza margherita Polenta is perhaps one of the oldest dishes known to Italy. Made originally from any pulse – often a mix of spelt and rye – it […]

5 foodie reasons to visit Bologna

Characteristic food shops in the historic center of Bologna

Discover the delicious reasons to visit Bologna in Emilia-Romagna … 1. Authentic ragù When you think of Bologna, Bolognese sauce may spring to mind – but you won’t ever find it teamed with spaghetti in this city. This is a common misconception that spread across Europe and the United States when the ragù left its […]

Polenta with black bean and spicy sausage stew

polenta with black bean and spicy sausage stew

A staple with ancient origins, polenta has now found favour around the world. Mario Matassa demonstrates how wonderfully versatile it can be in this recipe for polenta with black bean and spicy sausage stew. Cooking polenta There’s good news and there’s bad news. I always like to start with the latter, as it pays to […]

Gazetta Italia: Love your leftovers

leftovers in fridge

In this edition of our bilingual feature, Tom Alberto Bull looks at how Italians are saving money by turning to old techniques for leftovers in the kitchen. KEY WORDS Useful Italian words and phrases to add to your vocabulary. Il aumento dei costi Rising costs Dove possibile Where possible I metodi tradizionali Traditional methods Il […]

Glimpses of Christmas Past: Photos from Verona 2019

The Christmas star flies from the arena to piazza bra in verona

Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Verona in 2019 A prosperous modern city of medieval squares, Verona has several historical claims to fame. It’s the town where Romeo and Juliet lived, loved, and, alas (spoiler alert) died. It’s where […]

Glimpses of Christmas Past: Photos from Sorrento 2018

Workers club presepe in sorrento

Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Sorrento in 2018. Perched on top of sheer cliffs, high above the Bay of Naples, Sorrento provides an abundance of picturesque charm, history, views, cafés, summer sunshine and lemon-scented air. It’s also the […]

Glimpses of Christmas Past: Photos from Venice 2019

Christmas tree in front of Doges Palace, Venice

Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Venice in 2019. Those who are tasked with decorating Venice for Christmas have a challenging job: it’s difficult to park a boom lift in the middle of a street to hang lights if […]

Glimpses of Christmas Past: Photos from Turin 2017

Luci d’Artista lights on Via Po

Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Turin in 2017. We arrived in Turin early in December. There was a huge advent calendar set up in Piazza Castello. Every night the fire brigade arrived with a truck-mounted cherry picker to […]

Glimpses of Christmas Past: Photos from Rome 2017

7 Acts of mercy presepe

Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Rome in 2017. When the City of Rome’s official Christmas tree – a72-foot Norway spruce from Trentino – was erected in Piazza Venezia on the 8th of November, it was shockingly bare of […]