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
It may be a bit difficult to find Cabernet vines in your area. I found that these people accept mail orders and they seem to be specialists. They also have both Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc varieties. Good luck!
Oh Patz! I think that you are talking about "la cioccolata in tazza" and it is a cardinal sin to even mention it as it has millions of calories! But I agree, it is delicious and you can become addicted. And I confess that I am a sinner
Hi Dougal and welcome. As you have seen the "recatastamento" is unavoidable. We also had to submit new plans showing some very minor internal reforms made by the previous owner. I think that the fees are pretty much what we ended up paying, even if my husband - a retired architect - had already drawn up all the new plans reflecting those slight changes.
A couple of years ago, I was given Polaramin, both the tablets and the cream, but if you realise that you have an allergy problem it is better to go to a specialist and have some tests done. They can identify the allergen(s) and give you a proper treatment.
You will find that most hotels belonging to the "Stars" and "Campanile" chains accept pets.
There is a full glossary in the "IL BUONGUSTAIO" CERCLE, a group which is open to everyone. If you have a look under the letter F you will have a list of different types of "farine". You will also find that bicarbonate is called "bicarbonato di sodio" and baking powder is "lievito in polvere". Many useful words there and if you know any that do not appear, you can add to the list. It is a "wiki".
Have a look at Northern Tuscany, particularly Lucca Province, two airports within easy reach: both Pisa and Florence, good train connections, good roads, within easy reach of large cities such as Lucca, Pisa, Florence, Siena and even Bologna, Modena. We can include as day trips Lake Trasimeno, the Versilia Coast, the Cinque Terre, Arezzo.... Prices are still reasonable and we find it extremely convenient. You do not get bored at all.... And the region is beautiful, with interesting microclimates. My advice: go there and spend some time looking around until you find the right spot for you.
I would suggest that you rent something in Italy first for a few months before deciding to sell property in the UK. Not everyone adjusts to retirement life in a different country, even if you have ½ûÂþÌìÌà ancestry. There are family and friends that you may miss, or perhaps that place that you thought was perfect for you proves not to be so "perfect". We do not live permanently in Bagni di Lucca, but we go to our home there two or three times during the year. The rest of the time, we live in Spain, where I have family and friends and we also visit the USA where our daughters live. I would not have problems living permanently in Italy, but this is the way things are at the moment and we enjoy going from une place to the other.
Hello and welcome Graham. Sorry to hear about your predicament. You certainly need to get together and work with a good lawyer to sort this out. Good luck!
Tinker is right, take your time. We had to make several trips to Italy before finding exactly what we wanted. And then... there it was. The agent was not convinced and kept on showing us other places, but we had fallen in love with the old watermill and the river that we could see and hear from all the windows. We bought it immediately! Actually, I think that the house decided that we were going to be its owners....