There is no question that Florence is a food-lover’s paradise. Once a year, there is a special food event, Taste Firenze, organized by Davide Paolini. He has gathered together some of the best that Italy has to offer, food, wine, beer, books, lifestyle. This year the show is March 9-11. It is held at the…
Tuscany 101- Where are you?
Where are you when you are in Florence? You are in Tuscany. I get so many requests for trip planning saying we are going to Florence and then want to go to Tuscany. I am never really sure what they mean. I assume they mean they want to go to the countryside. Probably Chianti. But…
Festival Foods: Catania- Sant’Agata February 5
I love festivals. Italy really knows how to party. Huge parades, lots of lights, often fireworks and costumes, but mostly FOOD. I was in Catania February 5th, Saint Agatha’s day. She is the patron saint of Catania. It was HUGE. They celebrate for three days. It coincides with the Candelora, which is the festival of…
New Year- Old Recipes
I adore new beginnings. They don’t always have to be the beginning of a new year, but any new adventure. When I first left the USA in 1984,I had no idea I would end up living in Italy. It was real culture shock actually living here rather than being a tourist. Learning to function in…
Castagnaccio- Chestnut Love
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, brisk chilly mornings. Markets full with kale, cabbage and artichokes. Fall brings so much to the Italian table. It was unusually warm for a long time, then it exploded.We finally got fall here in Tuscany. Italy was hit with huge storms and flooding both in the north and the…
Buglione- A Summer Stew
In my husband’s family, Buglione was always on the table in Summer. His father worked at the city’s main fruit and vegetable market in Novoli. There was was always seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables on the table. His mother was a great cook with simple seasonal produce. Summer hasn’t really decided if it is here…
RIP Tony Bourdain- Stay Hungry- Stay Curious
Tony Bourdain was just in Florence, filming at one of our favorite trattoria’s in town. He was with one of Florence’s rock stars Pelu, who held a small impromptu concert in the trattoria. He was just visiting at Dario’s in Chianti with his girlfriend Asia Argento and I was jealous that I had not been…
Taste Chianti | Gelateria Dondoli – San Gimignano
I moved out to Certaldo around 2002 and am only 14km from San Gimignano. We don’t tend to go very often as it is such a popular tourist destination. But I know how to time visits and often can arrive at my favorite gelato place and not find a line, which is rare. The man…