We first headed to Sirolo, Marches region seaside gem, in the early 1980’s with our sons, toddlers then (Giulia not yet born). And we’ve been back uncountable times since then. For us, no Sirolo stay is complete with a seafood lunch at Ristorante Da Giustina. Just outside Sirolo, this pleasant family-run restaurant in the midst…
I asked Lorenzo, owner (with all his family) of Hotel Il Parco in Sirolo about how business was this past rainy summer (the coldest, wettest in 240 years, they say) and he smiled, “Bene, grazie a Dio.” He added, “We worked quite alot this summer as we have so many return clients who come back…
From early April to late October, sagras – outdoor village food festivals – animate the evenings all over central Italy. They all have common threads: ten-day festivals highlighted by outdoor dinners at long tables (under tents in inclement weather) of typical local cuisine cooked by volunteers (often local farm women) and served by other volunteers…
In 2015, floral tapestries will carpet the winding backstreets of Spello and Assisi on June 7th, the date of the Feast of Corpus Domini. The united work of all ages for weeks before. I am already counting the days. What wonders were created in 2014! (See below). Read more on Assisi floral passione Read about…
Talla is most famous as the birthplace (maybe! – a debate…) of Guido Monaco, late 10th-c Benedictine monk, regarded as the inventor of modern musical notation (staff notation) and writer of Micrologus, a key medieval musical treatise. You might not head to Talla in the Tuscan Casentino Valley to hunt for the house of Guido…
Stroll the path under towering poplars, beeches and firs along the Nera River just outside Scheggino perched on a limestone outcrop and you might think that you’re in a national park in North America. You certainly seem worlds away from the gentle landscapes of silvery olive groves and emerald green vineyards cloaking the Umbrian hillsides…
You know you’re headed towards Rieti’s peperoncino festival, Rieti, Cuore Piccante, as soon as you cross the Velino River and enter Via Roma: huge green and red chili peppers meet in a sort of triumphal arch over the street (and you’ll see people coming towards you with peperoncini plants in their arms, on their way…
If it weren’t for the eye-catching bright red and white umbrellas spread out over the outdoor tables surrounded by scarlet begonias, you might drive right past what seems to be a nondescript little shack just off the main road passing Rieti. But pull into the parking lot near the trucks of savy workers who know…
When you head to that small slice of paradiso, aka, the island of Ventotene (south of Rome, near the island of Ponza), you’ll want to make a list before you leave on “not-to-miss experiences.” Your list should include: – swim every day as much as you can in the turquoise waters off the jutting lavic…
Pino’s first trip to the tiny island (3 km x 700 m) of Ventotene this August and my fifth but we’re in synch on island eating: Ristorante da Verde on Piazza Castello is this island’s best eating spot, for “rapporto qualita’/prezzo”, as Pino puts it. Not easy to translate but here’s the idea: fair relationship…