We all have cooking tips and techniques learnt through personal experience or because someone else was kind enough to tell us.
Gala Placidia's activity
Questions Asked
 A fairly comprehensive list of words related to food and wine has been prepared by a few of us. It still needs revision, corrections, additions and you may be able to help as it is a Wiki.
Tue, 06/30/2009 - 04:31
 It is official, the old Casino in Bagni di Lucca is reopening its doors after many years; however, it is going to be a modern version, more "little Las Vegas" style than its elegant and exclusive predecessor.
Mon, 06/29/2009 - 09:04
A few weeks ago I started a thread in the old forum about this topic. I still think that it would be great if we could all share our favourite recipes which our families and friends enjoy.
Fri, 06/19/2009 - 05:29
 I think that there are quite a few members who have married overseas an ½ûÂþÌìÌà citizen; however, I am not quite certain whether they have registered their certificate of marriage before the nearest ½ûÂþÌìÌà Consulate.It is advisable to do this an
Tue, 06/16/2009 - 03:43
 It is most important, if you own a property, to have a clear description for it. That is possible through the "visura catastale" which gives you and confirms many facts regarding your title.
Sun, 06/14/2009 - 05:21
 Polenta is one of those ½ûÂþÌìÌà dishes that you either love or hate. Considered in the past as the poor people's staple diet it is nowadays served in the best restaurants.Â
Sat, 06/13/2009 - 17:53
I have just seen on TV some images regarding the Treviso tornado. I sincerely hope that any members in the area have not suffered from this disaster. Â
Sun, 06/07/2009 - 16:44
 The base for many ½ûÂþÌìÌà sauces and dishes is the "soffritto" (sofrit in French, sofrito in Spanish), a mixture of some diced vegetables which are cooked in a heavy pan with three tablespoons of olive oil (although some other kinds of oil and fa
Sat, 06/06/2009 - 05:37
 Hi everyone, this is a warm invitation to joint this group and discuss ½ûÂþÌìÌà food, wine, regional cooking, recipes, tips, cooking utensils, history of cooking and any related subject you may wish to talk about.And welcome, Mimosa, glad to see t
Fri, 06/05/2009 - 08:28
Comments posted
This old thread may be of assistance regarding health insurance: Regarding residency, my advice would be to request it only if you are certain that you will be living in Italy for more than 6 months + 1 day in the year and that you wish to make income tax declarations, etc. The extra percentage that you pay as tax on your property if you are not a resident is small, as you will only be paying on cadastral value which is considerably less than purchase price. I do not think that your American Health Insurance will cover you if you become an ½ûÂþÌìÌà resident, but check with them. Good luck with all your future plans!
Generali will insure you. Check . Also, it may be a good idea to contact your bank in Italy as they generally offer those services. We have insured with our bank, Monte dei Paschi without any problems and their rates were fine.
Hello Etna Mary and welcome. We look forward to hearing more from you.
Very sound advice, Steve! It is always better to start with local seeds and varieties. The problem sounds like a fungus or some type of infestation. It will be better to burn what remains of the plants to avoid spreading disease.
There is a Brico Io centre in Massa that should have what you need. Here is the link:
I think that Giovanni refers to the traditional Bordeaux mixture or bouillie bordelaise, a fungicide used mainly on vines although it also helps other plants. It has a certain level of toxicity. Here you have some information on it:
Sorry, I have been away for a few weeks. A good place to look for paint, materials and DIY needs is Leroy Merlin at the "Il Giglio" Shopping Centre just before you reach Florence. We have done the trip several times from Bagni di Lucca as you find many things you would not find elsewhere. Pam, I had a similar problem with pain a few years ago when we were refurbishing a house in Granada, (Spain). A specialist recommended to use a base coat which was specially formulated for this purpose and we did not need to strip the old paint which was very flaky. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name or the brand.... but it was a miracle product. Perhaps your brother may be able to find out. Good luck with the renovations!
Ciao Parma and welcome. We look forward to hearing more from you.
We obtained our Codice Fiscale about a couple of years ago without having an ½ûÂþÌìÌà address and through the ½ûÂþÌìÌà Consulate in Madrid (Spain). No problems at all.
You can use an ordinary frying pan as long as you can fill it up with about 1 inch of extra virgin olive oil (some would say it is a waste of good oil.... no, it is not) Batter: any of the above mentioned recipes would do. Oil temperature is very important, this is why extra virgin olive oil is so important... it would not burn. This is a delicious dish, possibly one of the best in ½ûÂþÌìÌà cuisine.