If you would like to add authentic Italian cooking to your food repetoire then look no further than Salumi, where you can learn how best to dry cure your own meat… Salumi: The Craft of Italian Dry Curing by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, WW Norton, ?25 (hardback) From the authors of Charcuterie comes this […]
Alastair Sawday’s handy little guide will help you find the best places to stay in Italy… Special Places to Stay: Italy Alastair Sawday Publishing, ?15.99 (paperback) Just as we would always prefer the recommendation of a close friend, so do we entrust the experts at Alastair Sawday to give us the best places to stay. […]
We?ve got some superb Italian Christmas gift ideas to prepare you for the festive season? Tuscan, tasty, and oh-so-pretty, we love this adorable trio of stackable specialities from Trattoria La Vialla. New to their range for Christmas 2012, this gift pack contains 250ml bottles of extra-virgin olive oil, Tuscan wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar of […]
Italy?s independent businesses are at the heart of its culture, and the lack of chain stores is part of its charm. Mario Matassa embarks on a restaurant venture of his own and joins the ranks of family-owned businesses? Diversit? L?Italia ? un paese legato alla piccole imprese a conduzione familiare e sto per entrare nelle […]
From a religious calling comes the voice from Assisi as Friar Alessandro lands himself a major record deal… We at Italia! are rather excited about Friar Alessandro ? the first friar in the history of music to land a major record deal. The tenor, who hails from Assisi in Umbria, has been signed to Decca […]
Marina Spironetti gets off the beaten track in Milan and uncovers a surprising side to the capital of fashion ? one with peaceful residences and Venetian-style canals… The name says it all: Milano, from the Latin Mediolanum, coming in turn from the Celtic Midland, ?land in the middle?. In the middle of what? Water. As […]
Be sure to tick these sensational Italian art galleries off your list if you are visiting Italy this year? Built in 1581, the Uffizi gallery, one of the world?s oldest, is regarded as Italy?s finest collection of Renaissance art ? and with over 40 rooms stocked full of masterpieces, it?s reason enough alone to visit […]
For a true taste of Italian Christmas, you can?t beat a classic slice of raisin-filled panettone ? so we tasted seven to see which one you should serve for dessert this year? For many in Italy, the festive season just wouldn?t be the same without a proud panettone sitting at the heart of seasonal confectionary. […]
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 […]