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
Congratulations! It has taken a long time but it's done. Regarding heating, there are quite a few old threads with valuable information such as this one: You can also do a search entering the word "heating" where the search butten is, at the top right corner. Also, it is difficult to know until you have spent some time in the place during the winter months. Insulation is most important if you want to save on energy. Best wishes
Anne, here are two good explanations of both "fiume" and "torrente" For instance, our watermill is on the "Torrente Lima", which feeds into the Sercchio, which is a "fiume". Looking at the ½ûÂþÌìÌà text, I would say that they are talking about the River Aso, which would be near the Torrente Indaco. Actually, the "torrente" would lead to the river: "un fiume nella vicinanze dell'Indaco". And that should make sense.
but I trust that this will help you. There is, according to the Comune site, "2 Corsi d'Acqua": Fiume Aso and Torrente Indaco. There is also a Country house in the area called: Colle Indaco, which is next to the torrente.
This is a delicious combination, ideal for a festive occasion. Simply steam about 600g of Brussels sprouts. Heat a bit of olive oil. Add the Brussels sprouts and cooked chestnuts (you can get these already prepared: and some cubes of bacon or ham. Add the juice and the grated zest of 1 orange together with 1/2 spoonful of sugar. Allow to reduce. Delicious.
Very easy, here we go: INGREDIENTS: 600 g red radicchio, washed and cut into quarters (you can also use endives) extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper to taste PREPARATION: Dry the radicchio quarters patting them with some kitchen paper to absorb any excess of humidity. Put them in an oven tray, previously coated with some olive oil. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Bake in a moderate oven for some 5-10 minutes or until the leaves become tender. You can also cook them in a skillet or a wok for some 3-5 minutes. They cook very quickly. What else would you like?
Well, I have been able to see it. Anyway, here are 10 pages of recipes and comments from the Old Forum: The sauce that uses a full bottle of wine will be delicious and very rich. The alcohol content of the wine evaporates after 3-5 minutes of boiling. This will be useful if children are having some of the sauce. Another suggestion, you can serve potatoes and sweet potatoes or yams as the Americans call them (patata dolce). If your children do not like Brussels sprouts (you should be able to get them) offer them sauteed broccoli or spinach, or cauliflower in white sauce with cheese and ham, or "radichio rosso al forno". Do you need a recipe for any of those?
I agree with Casa Monal. The banks are responsible for this catastrophe which has dragged everyone into a crisis. Greed is (or was) good! They gambled with their money.... well, we should say our money and they were rescued by those who represent us in theory, with our own money... Not a nice picture and a recipe for disaster. And we shall be paying for it for a long time. It is going to be necessary to have a profound change in the economy before we can breathe easy.
I could not agree more, Casa Monal. This is what I have been saying all the time.
I have successfully communicated with Admin and I have been assured that they are aware of all problems which are due to some technical adjustments and that they are in the process of fixing them. So be a bit patient and we will all see the light
I think that at this stage you do not need moderation or censorship. You need to be exorcised or excommunicated. For this reason, I am stopping all communication with you. You can say whatever you want, I will not respond. I further believe that you have been exposed and you have shown what you are capable of doing. I rest my case.