The “Sex and the City” ladies should have traveled to Italy for shoes, to Stra, near Venice to be precise. In this area, scattered with Venetian Villas, an artisan in 1942 Narciso Rossi started a small workshop of women’s shoes—initially probably limited to a production of one or two pairs a day. The small shoe […]
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We are all crazy for Zerocalcare, or in English “Zerolimescale.” Why Limescale? Calcare is our enemy par excellence: limescale happens to tiles, pipes, bathroom fixtures and showers. We are talking about a sedimentary rock composed largely of a specific mineral, from which it takes its name, calcare. His pen name, was inspired by an […]
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One of the things I love most about living in Italy is the existence of four distinct seasons. During my past life in the USA, specifically in Washington, D.C., seasons were determined by the Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes winds, and the occasional hurricane making landfall. In Italy, Summer is long and hot. Winter […]
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The 17th International Architecture Exhibition will soon close (November 21, 2021). It opened in May, to the surprise of many, including the exhibiting countries ( my guess). It is always lovely to go to Venice and visit the biennale. However, the curiosity was even more immense this year because it was the first big event […]
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A recent survey identified which traditional Italian dishes are the most Instagrammed. Each time I open Instagram, I can see clearly how much Italian 🇮🇹 food occupies a place of considerable importance in our diets and lifestyle. Not everything can end on our Social profile; there is a need to catch the eye with color, […]
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NIO It is a line of ready-mixed cocktails. NIO means “Need Ice Only,” it needs a glass as well–the prettier the better–(at least for me) ☺️. It should be the right one for the drink at hand! 🍹🍸 NIO is an Italian startup that has come up with a line of ready-made drinks just to […]
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Since my childhood I had a long love affair with Pistachio Ice Cream. I loved the pastel green color, and of course the subtle and smooth sweet & savory taste. It was a classic, especially paired with Vanilla (for me). It stands out for that its delicate and salty aftertaste, which can be perfectly combined […]
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I received these little ceramics just recently. Some attentive reader may have noticed them in my last post about the all time classic “Spaghetti Aglio & Olio,” looking pretty next to my plate. They are little “cutlery rest” when setting an informal table for everyday, to brighten up the table with a touch of class, […]
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Another Easter in Lockdown Per se it is not that bad, it is just Easter but less pretentious. More intimate, no travel to fashionable places, nothing much. It is even less stressful. I recall I thought the same about Christmas, and NY Eve. Some traditions can be maintained nevertheless, like having the typical “Colomba Pasquale” […]
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Giovanni Rana is the grandfather that all marketing students would like, the real savvy of the “large-scale retail trade” hype. Here is his new product Sweet chocolate ravioli by Giovanni Rana, a limited edition from the famous supermarket pasta factory. The product that was first launched in 2009 (with little success), but now in the […]
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Well-well! Some good news in this troublesome 2020 year. The distinguished Condé Nast Magazine is engaging the best chefs from Italy to bring the Italian culinary tradition to the highest Unesco recognition (#lacucinaitalianagoestounesco). They believe that “Italian cuisine” is an intangible heritage for humanity and should be part of the UNESCO world heritage. The initiative […]
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Italians have a passion for coffee and I am as passionate as my fellow Italians. Coffee ☕️ for us means first and foremost “Espresso.” Espresso Italiano coffee must be prepared exclusively with professional bar machines and using a blend of coffee beans. Specifically, the dose of ground coffee for an espresso cup between 7 and […]
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Life in Italy 