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 […]
Turn Christmas leftovers into the perfect party starter with this panettone gastronomico recipe by Mario Matassa. This savoury take on the classic sweet panettone has in recent years become a fashionable antipasto in Italy, often served before Christmas lunch. Alternatively, prepared in the days after Christmas, I see it as the perfect vehicle for a good […]
Learn to make Crocchette di riso con mozzarella e pomodoro with Mario Matassa’s Italian rice cake recipe Okay, if you form the exact same ingredients set out below into a ball, then arancini is the word you’ll be looking for. But, while working the lunch menu in restaurants here in the north, we more often formed […]
Mary Novakovich and friends enjoy a long-awaited reunion – and where better to do it than Tuscany? Better late than never. Covid had put the kibosh on so many celebrations during lockdown, but there was no way my friend Tracey wasn’t going to make a big splash for her 50th birthday – even if it […]
Learn the root and meaning of the Italian word ‘boh’, and how to use it… If you’ve spent time in Italy, you’ve probably heard a casual “boh” used on many occasions. It’s a versatile sound, capable of adding that Italian flair to statements of indifference or uncertainty. On the surface, the Italian word “boh” means […]
Discover the best things to see and do in our Ischia travel guide… Ischia, the charming ‘Green Island’ affectionately known as the Isola Verde, is situated in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Naples, Italy. Ischia is a small paradise offering an abundance of natural springs, pristine sandy beaches, vibrant towns with abundant shops, […]
Tom Alberto Bull travels to Ischia, a perfect little gem in the glittering Gulf of Naples Affectionately known as the Isola Verde, the ‘Green Island’, Ischia has so much to offer for a short getaway. The terrain is small enough to explore in just a few days and the rewards are plentiful: natural springs emanating […]
Indulge your taste buds in the vibrant flavours of Italy with this delightful ‘Insalata di riso’ Mediterranean rice salad recipe. Rice salad has been described as the caposaldo, ‘cornerstone’, of Italian summer cuisine. Every Italian has an opinion about what makes a good rice salad, and there are as many variations on the recipe as there are […]
We take a look at Pecorino, an ancient grape from central Italy which makes excellent white wines and which deserves to be better known beyond the confines of its terroir… Chances are that if you’ve visited Le Marche or Abruzzo in central Italy, you’ll have drunk a glass or two of a local white wine […]
In this edition of our bilingual feature, Tom Alberto Bull reports on the two women who now face each other in the Italian parliament KEY WORDS Useful Italian words and phrases to add to your vocabulary. Anni di turbolenza Years of turbulence Una fase nuova A new era Una vittoria travolgente A landslide victory Già […]