Gala Placidia's activity

Questions Asked

We all have cooking tips and techniques learnt through personal experience or because someone else was kind enough to tell us.

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 05:07

 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. 

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.  

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

Tue, 03/16/2010 - 15:58

 Normally, warm weather cannot be expected until the end of May.

Sat, 03/13/2010 - 04:42

 Saint Swithun is very effective in case of a drought. You pray to him if what you want is a good shower. Keeping in mind what regularly happens in the UK, he is a very busy saint! I thought that we were praying for fair weather. In the case of electrical storms, Saint Barbara should be invoked for protection... Possibly they are having some fun together.

Fri, 03/12/2010 - 14:52

 I understand that autumn is the right time of the year for transplanting. Anyway, here is an article with very precise instructions.

Thu, 03/11/2010 - 17:32

Is British citizenship compulsory, or is it an option?  That would be the question to ask. The newborn child would have an ½ûÂþÌìÌà Birth certificate, which would be then accepted by the British Consulate if you decide to register him/her in order to have the British nationality.  Section 3 would apply to people over the age of 18 only. At least this is what I understand and would also follow current legal requirements in other EU countries. What about dual nationality? This is quite usual nowadays. I have dual nationality (not ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, but Australian and Spanish). 

Thu, 03/11/2010 - 12:17

  Great Anne! I loved it! Thanks.

Thu, 03/11/2010 - 12:08

 Penny, I think that your child is entitled to ½ûÂþÌìÌà citizenship by birth and sections 1 and 3 that you are quoting relate to naturalization only. As far as I know, ½ûÂþÌìÌà citizenship by birth is granted to: 1) A child with an ½ûÂþÌìÌà mother or father 2) A child born in Italy to unknown or stateless parents 3) A child born in Italy to non-½ûÂþÌìÌà parents providing that they are from a country where the law does not impose adopting the citizenship of the parents 4) A child of unknown parents found in Italy without proof of citizenship or identity This is the law which is applied in most EU countries

Wed, 03/10/2010 - 17:30

 Cilla, it is always hard work for both teachers and students. The rewards are great but it takes a lot of patience and perseverance. Keep on learning, you are lucky to have a very patient teacher and someone who is keen to help. Only very young children learn languages quickly because their brains are like sponges. Once we are over 12 years of age, it becomes increasingly difficult. But you can make it.... I had students of French in their 70's and they made it into university....Keep on trying and practice as much as you can.

Tue, 03/09/2010 - 17:32

 Very funny, story, although it may not be "historically" correct. Franco had been agonising for many months. His son-in-law, the Marquis of Villaverde, who was a heart surgeon tried to keep him alive all this time as members and friends of the dictatorial regime were afraid of what may happen. So his agony was unmercifully prolongued. In the end, nothing happened and Spain regained its democracy.... with a few hiccups...but the transition was smooth and bloodless. I only found quite interesting that both Franco and Skorzeny died a few months apart. Actually, Franco may have been technically dead before Skorzeny and Perón also died around that time.... Can´t remember the exact date. Perón was also an unconditional admirer of Mussolini. Both Hitler and Mussolini helped Franco during the Spanish Civil War....

Tue, 03/09/2010 - 13:14

 A fascinating story, Postmac. I read about it a long time ago, but it had faded.... An interesting detail about Skorzeny, he came to live in Spain under the personal protection of Franco. He was a multimillionaire and resided mainly in Majorca; however, he was found to have a tumor and died, as you said in Madrid on July 5th, 1975. His "protector", Franco, died on the 20th November of the same year. Skorzeny was also an adviser to Nasser.

Tue, 03/09/2010 - 12:57

 Wrong saint! That is St Médard, a French saint whose festivity is in June. According to customs, if it rains on his day, it will keep on raining for 40 days..... That's what they say. Now, the patron saint to pray against cold weather is Saint Maurus, an ½ûÂþÌìÌà Benedictine monk born in Rome in 512 of a patrician family. He is the one who protects against the cold weather... so he may be more helpful, being ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ... Only problem, taking into account the EU, it may be a good idea to pray to both saints.... There is also a German saint, St Sebaldus. Perhaps the three of them could get together!