Who doesn't enjoy a ghost story over the Christmas period? If you’re looking for an Italian-themed spooky read then The Eleventh Gate by Rossella Cirigliano would make a great choice over the festivities. The action takes place in modern day Rome at a fictive museum in Porta Gaia, one of the many …
Discovering the Aurelian Walls in Rome
The Eleventh Gate by Rossella Cirigliano After almost two decades of living in Rome, I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I knew very little about the history of the Aurelian Walls (or mura aureliane in Italian), the old Roman defensive walls that have surrounded the city for almost two thousand …
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A Frighteningly Good Halloween Pumpkin Risotto Recipe
Save time and surprise your dinner guests with this pressure cooker main course! Halloween may be a rather low key affair in Italy where I live, but that doesn't mean that there aren't some devilishly delicious local recipes that can easily be adapted for the Fall festivities. No vegetable …
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Orecchiette Pasta with Broccoli, Olives and Anchovies
A delicious and healthy Mediterranean diet recipe! I first discovered orecchiette pasta with broccoli and anchovies whilst on holiday in Apulia (Puglia) several summers ago. This fresh pasta is shaped into "little ears" or "orecchiette" which are perfect for holding tomato sauce, or in the case of …
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5 Reasons Why the Vespa Scooter is a Timeless Pop Culture Design Icon!
From Roman Holiday to Lady Gaga, the cult of Vespa continues... Almost seventy years since Italian aircraft manufacturer Enrico Piaggio teamed up with a brilliant aeronautical engineer and inventor named Corradino D'Ascanio to create the Vespa scooter as a functional and cheap mode of transport …
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Savoury Escarole Pie – Torta rustica di scarola
When I first moved to Italy I was surprised to learn that escarole, the broad-leaved and slightly less-bitter version of the endive salad vegetable, could be cooked. Known as scarola in Italian, this winter salad leaf is the main ingredient of theSavoury Escarole Pie - Pizza di Scarola or Torta …
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