Patricia Glee Smith
Porta Palazzo
Torino, PiemonteTurin has many small neighborhood markets, just like any other Italian town. But THE market is called Porta Palazzo, after the area in which it is situated (a few steps away from the Royal Palace), and it is said to be the largest outdoor market in Europe. In reality, a market has been there since… (more)
Museo dei Cuchi
Cesuna, VenetoThere is an engaging little museum nestled in the heart of the Venetian dolomites, ski country. The theme of the museum is, somewhat surprisingly, clay whistles. Clay whistles used to be a lot more popular than they are nowadays, and in fact they have been in use since around 6000 B.C. (whistles made from bone… (more)
Immoveable Feast
Otricoli, UmbriaSan Giuseppe was a friar born in the town of Leonessa in the early 1600s, and a member of the Cappucini order. He dedicated his life to feeding the needy and curing the sick. The house that served as infirmary during his time in Otricoli is still standing and displays a marble plaque dedicated his… (more)
Grappa
Bassano del Grappa, VenetoGrappa is an acquired taste. A marc based distilled beverage (80 to 90 proof), it was originally made in (or around) the lovely old town of Bassano del Grappa in the Veneto region. It has been produced for centuries, beginning its career as the rough drink of the poor. It utilizes the mosto, (skins, seeds,… (more)
Bologna surprise
Bologna, Emilia RomagnaBologna is a beautiful, old city, not to be missed, not only because of its great sights, but also because of its food. Called la grassa (the bountiful) due to its hospitality in general and its tortellini, prosciutto, cured hams and other delicacies specifically, you can spend part of your day exploring the small streets… (more)
Frilli Gallery
Florence, TuscanyThe Frilli family of Florence has been producing sculptures since 1860, soon becoming the world’s most important supplier of high quality replicas. They are still going strong; there is something in their establishment to satisfy every taste, including faithful copies of masterpieces found in museums, as well as contemporary work. Each piece is cast in… (more)
Cauliflower Fritters
Tuscania, LazioSPRINKLED WITH SUGAR?! Well, that‘s the way they do it in this ancient Etruscan town, at their yearly fritter festival. On January 16th, they celebrate S. Anthony, when the blessing of animals (and farm equipment) takes place. In the morning there is a parade led by a huge float carrying all sorts of unenthusiastic farm… (more)
Celebrating eels!
Comacchio, Emilia RomagnaYou either love them, or hate them. Eels are a much maligned fish (for fish they are), even among Italians. But there is a little town just below Venice, on the Adriatic sea, which has been linked to eels as a main source of livelihood for millennia: Comacchio. This ancient fishing village is built on… (more)
Pastificio DeFilippis
Torino, PiemonteThe Via Lagrange was once known for its high quality food shops and their magnificent displays of produce. You could buy anything from cheeses to fresh pasta, meats and fresh game, sweets and chocolates and more. Sadly they haven’t survived the supermarkets and are almost all gone. The Pastificio Defilippis is still there and is… (more)
For Bibliophiles Only..
Torino, PiemonteAfter you’ve had your espresso and worked up an appetite contemplating some of the wonderful food shops, take a break and stroll over to the Galleria Subalpina, an elegant glass ceilinged court built in 1896, containing some very fashionable shops. You would do well to wander into the Galleria Gilibert. It is a delightful place… (more)
Caffe San Carlo
Torino, PiemonteApparently, Henry James claimed that Turin is not a city to make a fuss about. He couldn’t have been more wrong. The capital city of the Piemonte region, it is rich in culture and history, enhanced by its elegant piazzas (each with an impassioned equestrian monument) and its palaces in the style of Versailles. It… (more)
Umbrian Tiles
Castelviscardo, Umbria“Here we still do everything by hand, placing the pieces in the wood fired kiln one by one. That’s 20,000 tiles in one go, and we do a quarter of a million a year! A million every 4 years. The wood fire creates the color effects and variations that make our terracotta (cooked earth) so… (more)
Pasticceria Maria Grammatico
Erice, SicilyNot far from Trapani (Sicily) a lovely, winding road meanders up a mountain that overlooks the sea, and at the top a picturesque medieval town called Erice appears. With its spectacular views, its beautifully paved cobblestone streets and interesting examples of Norman architecture, it is a town well worth visiting. After taking in the many… (more)
Life Imitates Art
Torino, PiemonteRedomante Pappi, owner of a magnificent delicatessen, manages to combine gastronomy and art. Together with his wife and daughter, he prepares various dishes each day and arranges them with panache in his shop window. The lavish display wouldn’t be out of place in a Dutch Master painting. He is passionate about food and the dishes… (more)
The Latteria: Cheese and simpatia in Torino
Torino, PiemonteFor more than 50 years the exuberant sisters Bruna and Romola Bera have been here, at first selling only milk and one kind of cheese (parmesan). Their helper, Evelin, has been with them for almost 20 years. The original hand painted sign outside proclaims the shop to be a Latteria (milk shop), and so it… (more)
A loaf of bread
Torino, PiemonteAn exploration of gastronomic delights in Torino wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a bakery. Everywhere in Italy bread is taken very seriously, but here it is definitely a passion. There seems to be a bakery on every block tempting passers-by with masses of assorted loves and rolls and, Torino’s specialty, breadsticks. They are… (more)
Mercatini
Piazzola sul Brenta, VenetoMarkets are ubiquitous in Italy. Every town has several, and even the tiniest village boasts at least one. They offer a unique chance investigate the local culture and stock up on clothes, hardware, food, flowers and much more. Antique and flea markets fall into a separate category, however. They are called mercatini (little markets) and… (more)
Antonio Canova
Possagno, VenetoPossagno, a small town (p. 2000) in the foothills of the alps near Venice is the birthplace of a sculptor who, in his day, was legendary. Antonio Canova was considered the most talented sculptor in Europe and his house there has been transformed into a museum, or rather a shrine. Lovingly preserved are his sketches,… (more)
Santa Maria della Salute
Venice, VenetoThe beautiful church of Santa Maria della Salute owes its origin to a dreadful event: the plague of Venice in 1630-31. To stop the scourge the Venetians invoked divine intervention, vowing to build a church to honor the Virgin Mary in exchange for an end to their troubles. It worked, and the promised church, designed… (more)
Castelluccio
CastelluccioIf you happen to be in Umbria between the end of May and into July, head for the hills (or the Monte Sibillini National Park). There, in the highlands, you will find the hilltop village of Castelluccio di Norcia perched above rolling pastures covered with masses of wildflowers (and lentil flowers) in a riot of… (more)
Old World Bookshop
VeniceIt is encouraging to find a bookshop that has survived the trinket establishments in this tourist challenged city. The Old World Bookshop, owned by John Francis Phillimore, is particularly appealing, possessing just the right amount of chaos and mustiness that book lovers treasure. Stop in while you are exploring the ancient Venetian Ghetto, in the… (more)
Venetian Masks
VeniceEven though Carnevale is long gone by this point, the pageantry and magic of that celebration linger year round. Many do not know that masks, the original central feature of Venice’s Carnevale, were worn by Venetians in the past during other parts of the year as well. Their symbolism and use in Venice are a… (more)
The Rialto Fish Market
VeniceThe Rialto food market right by the bridge of the same name has always been the heart of commerce in Venice. The market place is very old, and was also the seat of power and finance as well. Precious goods were sold, but also fruit and vegetables, wine, fish and meat. In the nearby Campo,… (more)
Baccala’ alla Vicentina
VicenzaA fitting recipe for today… it appears that shortly-to-be-sworn-in President Barak Obama ate baccala’ alla Vicentina con polenta on New Year’s Eve. And what on earth is that? I know because my journalist husband, Giangi Poli, being from Vicenza, is an expert on this dish: baccala’ (dried codfish) cooked according to the citizens of Vicenza,… (more)
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