When I say I love skiing, what I really mean is that I love lunch while skiing. Anybody reading this in North America may be unable to relate to this statement. I grew up eating very expensive, dry, burnt hamburgers with frozen fingers before heading back down the piste. Then I came to Europe to…
4 unmissable towns in Umbria…and what to eat
Umbria has amazing light. The landscape is a patchwork of green, yellow and brown. The vineyards, fields of yellow sunflowers, hay bales dotting the plains, brick towers and cypress trees jutting towards the sky, white and yellow wildflowers line the country roads and fallow fields lie in between the shimmering olive groves, creating a stunning…
If you love Tuscany and Umbria then you will certainly love Le Marche.
As we enter Le Marche from Romagna, there continues to be hilltop towns, some with forts and the patchwork of green gives way to yellow. We pass field after field of sunflowers interspersed with vineyards and olive groves. My previous post was on Le Marche‘s coastline but similar to Tuscany and Umbria, the region also has historic towns…
Why visit Le Marche?
Having never been a fan for the often underwhelming Italian beaches on the Adriatic side, I was not excited about our trip down the coastline of Le Marche along the Riviera di Conero. I started to cheer up as we passed several metal food trucks selling porchetta (roast suckling pig) along the coast. While it…
The secret delights of Romagna
Driving down towards the Adriatic Sea from Emilia, we enter Romagna and its vineyard-covered hills. We have officially left Emilia and entered Romagna. An obvious indication of this is the rudimentary signs for piadina places. These are informal countryside restaurants with large groups of family and friends sitting outdoors enjoying the local flatbreads, traditionally griddled on terracotta or…
Bologna: A food lover’s heaven
Bologna is a food lover’s idea of heaven. Piazza Maggiore is the heart of the city and ground zero for food sightseeing. Even Eataly (the Italian gourmet food emporium) has opened a branch on one of the major food streets leading off the east side of Piazza Maggiore (Via degli Orefici). Along the streets of…
Why visit Milan Expo 2015?
Having only been to Shanghai’s Expo previously and visiting the ghostly remains of previous expos in San Francisco, Montreal and London, I was not sure what to expect when we visited Milan’s Expo. Milan Expo is currently running from 1 May to 31 October this year. What drew me was the food-related theme, “Feeding the…
What makes Parma ham (prosciutto di Parma) so special? And what is even better?
Prosciutto from Parma is the most famous cured ham in the world but what makes it so special? Also, do you know a very similar product to prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham) which is considered even more prized? Is it its historical importance? Prosciutto is an ancient food whose name means “dried” (from perexsuctum in Latin). It has been…
Why you should avoid “Parmesan” cheese? And what you should buy instead…
Parmesan is one of the most famous cheeses in the world and is an ubiquitous presence on the table of any Italian restaurant. What is less known is that anything labeled “Parmesan” is not in fact Parmesan. In fact the name “Parmesan” is no longer permitted to be used within the European Union. What was…
3 tips to choosing the best gelateria (Italian ice cream shop)
A good gelateria is difficult to select if you do not know what to look for. Here are 3 tips to finding which gelateria the locals frequent in Italy. This is still valuable advice if you have gelaterias where you live outside Italy. Signs An artisan gelateria usually says “artiginale” which means “artisan”. It…
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