You’ve probably heard about the “Mediterranean diet”, and know that it involves a lot of carbohydrates, olive oil, tomatoes, and other fresh vegetables, as well as lots of good red wine. So what does a typical Italian meal look like? A restaurant meal may involve up to four courses: an antipasto, primo (first course), secondo… Continue reading How to Eat Like an Italian: Fundamentals of the Mediterranean Diet
Category: Italy
Volterra: An Ancient Town in Tuscany
The old Roman roads still serve, though they’ve been repaved a few times in the last few millennia. We left Rome on the Via Aurelia (which goes up the west coast from Rome to Genoa), heading for a friend’s summer house in Marina di Bibbona in the Maremma region of Tuscany. Marina di Bibbona is… Continue reading Volterra: An Ancient Town in Tuscany
Castelli: Traditional Ceramics from the Hills of Abruzzo
Castelli is a small town in the hills of Abruzzo (the region on the east coast of central Italy, on the Adriatic sea), famous for its hand-painted ceramics – a centuries-old tradition in the area thanks to its local deposits of clay. You start to see shops along the road kilometers before you get there,… Continue reading Castelli: Traditional Ceramics from the Hills of Abruzzo
Reflections on Machismo: “Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates”
Tom Robbins has long been one of my favorite authors; every one of his seven novels is a gem, infused with his uniquely loopy sensibility and style. This novel (Amazon UK | US), published in May, 2000, was eerily timely in its discussion of West vs. East and Muslim vs. Christian, in the context of… Continue reading Reflections on Machismo: “Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates”
Pope-O-Vision
As popes go, John Paul II is certainly one of the best there’s ever been: he is truly upright and deeply religious, and he has tried to use his position to be a force for good in the world. I respect that, even though I’m not Catholic and don’t agree with everything he says. But… Continue reading Pope-O-Vision