The city of Lucca has always been my favourite. Not only because it is only 25 minutes away from our home and I go there at least two or three times a week, but also because you do not feel like a "tourist" there.
Gala Placidia's activity
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In this icy cold weather, hot drinks and comfort foods are a must. Preparing and consuming them are good ways to spend time when we cannot venture outdoors.
Wed, 02/08/2012 - 06:10
The cold weather is affecting most of Italy and creating difficulties concerning energy supplies. Russia, the most important supplier, has been reducing the provision of gas up to 30% due to increasing demand in their area.
Tue, 02/07/2012 - 02:22
The San Francisco Chronicle publishes today this most interesting article:
Sun, 02/05/2012 - 12:45
Whenever we are in Italy, we love to visit antique and vintage markets and fairs, looking for that special piece that we would love to have. Sometimes, we find it...
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 02:47
One of my favourite activities in Italy is to visit those markets that sell antique and vintage items.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 06:38
Some members may have noticed that I have been fairly quiet for the past month and a half. The reason for this was that we have been visiting our daughters who live in San Francisco (CA).
Fri, 01/20/2012 - 02:59
The new ½ûÂþÌìÌà government has been announced and it is obvious that we will have a fight between technocrats and politicians.
Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:24
A lot has been written about the dangers of overheating Teflon coated cookware. Toxic fumes can be extremely dangerous for our health. Personally, I have never liked that type of cookware and I do not buy it anymore.
Sat, 10/29/2011 - 06:24
In another thread, we were discussing Tuscan herbs and "funghi porcini". Tuscany is a paradise for herb lovers and many varieties, such as rosemary, sage and "nipitella" grow wild.
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:23
Comments posted
Salt is an acquired taste and it should be handled with care, particularly if we are not getting any younger and our blood pressure is playing up. I agree that many times you find places where they use too much salt. It should be kept in mind that we have to balance flavours and that some ingredients, such as olives in brine, anchovies, ham, bacon, tinned tomatoes and vegetables may already contain salt.... not to mention stock cubes, although there are new varieties with reduced salt.Many people also reach for the salt and pepper mills immediately without tasting their meal first. I always try to keep salt and pepper nearby but away from the main table and I warn my guests to check first to see whether they need any adjustment.I use different types of salt for different purposes. For grilling, barbecueing and roasting, I prefer "fior di sale" 100% salt, very similar to Maldoon. It is quite expensive, however, you use it in small quantities.You can also find "sale da cucina" or "sale grosso" which is ordnary cooking salt and "sale da tavola" or "sale fino", which is refined table salt.
It is heartbreaking to realise that many lives could have been saved with a little bit of common sense and organisation. But then, common sense seems to have been the least common of all senses...
Hello and a warm welcome. Best wishes regarding your project.
Hello, John, Angela and Doggie and a warm welcome to our Community. We look forward to hearing more from you. Doggie seems to be quite a world traveller, very much like our own "Tequila".
Hello Dave and Anna and welcome to the Community. We look forward to hearing more from you.
Nothing better than this kind of information. I was almost certain that growing coriander in Italy was more complicated.... Thanks
Sorry, I have had problems with computers and Internet lines for the past four days, so I missed on the discussion. Salt has historically been a very valuable commodity.... until the arrival of deep freezers and other methods to keep and preserve food. Salt was heavily taxed and this is the reason why Tuscan bread is unsalted as the Tuscans refused to pay those heavy taxes. Most of Italy´s salt comes from Sicily and this is the reason why places such as Trapani were very important in the past, however, salt is nowadays just another item in the food basket. Those signs about selling tobacco and salt refer to those times when taxes applied. Now you can buy it at any supermarket at very reasonable prices.
Hi Niklas and welcome. Best wishes regarding your project.
Thanks, you have solved a mystery for me. I always buy Twining´s English Breakfast, but I noticed that in Italy the taste was not the same.... I thought that it may had something to do with the water.....
I agree with the above translation. It was not an easy one as it was more in the "nouvelle cuisine" style which is difficult to translate.