Our First Year In Italy…
So, we have now been in Italy for just over a year. I thought now was a good time to share the good and bad things that we have experienced during the last year.
The Liebster Blog Award…
I got a nice surprise the other day when I received a message to say that my little blog had been nominated by Khloe of Simply Khloe for the Liebster Blog Award! The Liebster Blog Award is great way to get to know other bloggers that you follow, and also a way to get to know newer bloggers!
Cioccolandia 2017 A Festival Of Chocolate …
It’s now November, and the summer festival season in Italy is coming to a close. However, as always, it goes out with a bang – Cioccolandia, a day long festival of fabulous chocolate! Willy Wonka could learn a lot from this festival! Every year the town of Castel San Giovanni turns into a chocolate lover’s delight.…
Nose To Tail And Food For Soul …
I am a fan of “nose to tail” eating, which means that you use as much of an animal as possible, so that nothing goes to waste. The amount of food that is wasted in restaurants and homes around the world is estimated at a third of all the food bought, and the majority…
Local food for local people ….
I live in a beautiful town called Piacenza and I love its local food and wine. It is often overlooked by people visiting the Emilia Romagna region. They either they think that were in Lombardia (we’re right on the border), or they bypass us for the more famous tourist places like Bologna, Parma, Modena or…
Wine to the left of me, wine to the right ….
It’s that time of the year in Italy when they seem to have a wine festival every week. However, this is a very good thing in my book. Last week myself, my wife and a work colleague visited the food and wine festival in Fiorenzuola. This is a village which is a village about 15…
The Aperitivo – An Italian Institution ….
One of the best things that I’ve discovered about Italy is the “aperitivo.” It’s such a civilised way to spend some time with your friends, and experience some of the Italian ‘la dolce vita.’
Coffee In Italy – The Ten(ish) Commandments …
Coffee is so ingrained in Italian culture that the idea of not drinking it is as foreign as the idea of having a spaghetti bolognese. Every Italian has their own favourite brand of coffee. Mine is Musetti, which coincidentally was founded in my home town of Piacenza by Luigi Musetti in 1934. As with everything food and drink…
Ten “Italian” Dishes You Won’t Find In Italy …
As you will have read in my last post, Italians treat food as a religion, and there are very definite ways how dishes should be prepared. Another thing that annoys Italians is when a dish is claimed as “Italian” by someone, even by “Italian restaurants” abroad, with dishes that have never graced an Italian dining table.…
Why You Won’t Find Spaghetti Bolognese Anywhere In Italy …
If you ask what the world’s favourite Italian dish is, a large amount will say spaghetti bolognese. The problem is that it doesn’t exist in Italy!
Eataly – A Cathedral Of Food! …
Why do I love Eataly? Everyone who knows me is aware of my hatred and loathing of supermarkets, and their row upon row of perfectly packaged meat and vegetables. However, if every one was like Eataly, then I would change my views in an instant!
Cioccolandia – A Festival Of Chocolate …
Chocolate, tomatoes, pizza, gelato. Whatever they choose, one of the many things I love about Italy is that there seems to a food festival almost every week. So, when I spotted a festival celebrating chocolate just down the road from me, I all but packed my tent so I could be first in the queue.