For food enthusiasts, there?s nothing better than escaping to Italy to learn some new kitchen skills. We?ve selected some top cooking holidays for those who want to learn cucina italiana? CUCINA DELLA TERRA Set in the beautiful Italian countryside setting of Umbria, Cucina della Terra offers customized cooking vacations or one-day cooking classes that enable […]
Laura Thayer invites us to a Christmas in Amalfi… The holidays are a magical time to be in Italy. The Christmas lights twinkling across piazzas and narrow streets, the colourful decorations, the scent of cinnamon and chocolate floating out of bakeries and the surprise of coming across a band making its way through the village […]
We have some grand highlights from newly published Italian books, including novelist Pietro Grossi, the latest offering from Lonely Planet and posh nosh to inspire you in the kitchen? Nuovo Mondo by Stefano de Pieri and Jim McDougall, Hardie Grant Books, ?25 (hardback) Translating as ?new world?, this innovative cookbook brings together modern twists on […]
On Lake Garda, from the bridge of San Giovanni in Peschiera, you can see this extraordinary underwater nativity scene? This unusual aquatic nativity scene in Peschiera del Garda was created in 1980 with additional characters added in 1993. The ghostly, life-size figures are sculpted from metal then covered with reflective paint before being lowered into […]
Writer Christine Smallwood joins vegetarian chef Jane Baxter on a culinary adventure in Umbria to discover its meats… Recipe for a culinary exploration of Umbria: Take two friends ? Christine Smallwood, the writer of An Appetite for Umbria, and Jane Baxter, an acclaimed chef who was the creative culinary force behind the Field Kitchen, the […]
Check out the latest Italian products and treat yourself to a slice of la dolce vita? Learning a language can be tough, as the Italia! team well know, but now there?s a new way to learn that is suitable for everyone. Learn Italian in Kent is a bespoke service offering long or short courses tailor-made […]
Continuing to showcase some of the hotel highlights across Italy, this month we look at the elegant Veneto region and where to stay for luxury or local life? GIARDINO DI MEZZAVILLA (BED & BREAKFAST) In a town with a history ? it was the site of the Italian victory over the Austro-Hungarian forces, the end […]
Foraging, collecting and hunting for food is part of Italian life ? Mario Matassa shares some Italian recipes from the wild… Whether it?s chestnuts, borage leaves and mushrooms in the autumn, truffles in the winter, asparagus, wild hops, nettles and dandelions in the spring or wild garlic, berries and fruits in the summer, there?s always […]
A great way to bulk up a main meal, why not try these Italian mushroom recipes from the Vegetarian Society… Potato nest with artichoke, mushrooms and tomatoes Nidi di patae con carciofi, funghi e pomodori secchi Serves 6 | Preperation 15 minutes | Cooking 50 minutes For the potato nests Olive oil to grease the […]
Novelist Janette Griffiths re-visits the source of her inspiration on Lake Como, and embarks on a celebrity spotting mission with a difference? A man desired by women the world over has set up home on Lake Como. He?s got a woman in tow and on these warm autumn days, the lake is abuzz with talk […]