A few years ago we were invited over to our friend’s house for supper in Montefiore. We arrived late, as usual, my fault not Michael’s! We were introduced to a lovely Dutch couple, Constance and Bert Jacobs. I liked them instantly, they have a zest for life and adventure and love Italy as much as […]
In this instalment of the Appassionata blog, Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs describes a fantastic shopping experience at the Tods outlet in Sant’Elpidio A Mare. Sometimes we just need a little retail therapy to lift our spirits in February, especially when there are sale bargains to be found! I asked my lovely friend if she wanted to hit the […]
Appassionata share the history and the magic behind their business. When our four children were young I frequently used the phrase sharing and caring. Share your possessions with your siblings and friends. Watch someone else experience joy and happiness from something that is dear to you. It shows you care. I’m not saying it’s easy. Try explaining […]
Our love affair with Italian gelato Whether you believe that Marco Polo brought back the idea of ice cream to Italy from his travels in China (along with pasta, but that’s a different story), there’s no doubt that gelato is close to every Italian’s heart, and we’re in love with it too. Italian gelato is different from the […]
On Sunday 14 August 2016 you could be heading to the Festival Italia at Brands Hatch… In celebration of Italian motoring, Brands Hatch will host the inaugural Festival Italia on the date of 14 August 2016. The event will run on the world famous 1.2 mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Race content will be all Italian, […]
The weekly round up is here! We love your photography too much to keep it to ourselves, we’re going for a very classic, elegant focus to start with… We enjoy the photos you send us so much we’ve decided, we want more! From today onwards we will be doing a weekly round up of all our fans’ photo…so […]
Pesto (n.m.) Pesto. The word pesto comes from the Italian ‘pestare’, meaning ‘to pound, or crush’, or indeed to ‘pestle’, and is of course also cognate to our noun ‘pestle’ (Italian: ‘pestello’, Latin: ‘pistillum’) – so there is absolutely no need to ever again get confused about which is the pestle and which is the […]
It can be summer all year round when you dine al fresco Italian on Vivo’s roof terrace, as Hannah Bellis finds out At the table across from me are a group of four girls drinking cocktails and passing poker chips back and forth as they bask in the sunshine on Vivo’s roof terrace. It is […]
Relax in style on your Ischia holiday at the Ischia Garden & Villas resort Can you put yourself in this scene? It’s certainly an appealing place to be. This photo was taken during my lunch at the edge of the thermal pool at Ischia Garden & Villas Resort in May 2014. I was leaving […]
My mother in law remembers shopping for shoes at Ferragamo in Florence many moons ago and Salvatore Ferragamo would be there with his leather apron around his waist. The shop is still the same, located in the magnificent Palazzo Spini Feroni, built in the 13th century by Geri Spini, in the most elegant area of […]