Customs and traditions are an important part of the Italian culture, which is why you can get a great cup of coffee anywhere, or there is a picture of a saint on your rental car. Many of Italy’s traditions are food-related, but there is also social etiquette to be followed and superstition to be reckoned with, so to avoid a brutta figura (looking like a fool) it’s a good idea to know more about protocol and culture in Italy.
Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy
At a free pasta feast in Rome, Italy celebrates the Mediterranean diet’s inclusion in the Unesco Intangible Heritage list.
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The warm sunny days of early November – similar to an American Indian summer – are called the “summer of San Martino” in Italy. Find out why.
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Italians who travel to another town to visit family in Italy feel compelled to bring samples of the best of their regional food, exchanging it for local specialties to bring back home. I’ve lived on the family trade route between sausages, olive oil and gorgonzola.
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Italian traditions indicate which flowers are appropriate on certain occasions – avoid giving the gift of death, a no-no in the Italian culture.
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A simple recipe for how to cure green olives that does not require daily attention.
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Parking in Italy can be a challenge, from squeezing into a tiny space to deciphering a parking sign. Here are parking tips to avoid getting a parking ticket in Italy, and where to find a guardian angel.
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In 2010 the Festa Della Repubblica celebrations in Italy on June 2 take place in a climate of political instability.
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Called a calcipitu in Sicily, a rudimentary go-kart is a part of the Italian culture of street games, where danger and noise go hand in hand. Join the celebration during a walk through Ragusa Ibla.
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One of Italy’s historic cheeses is Provola dei Nebrodi, a DOP cheese made in the mountains above Messina, Sicily, and traditionally aged in damp caves.
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Bartering with a farmer in Modica, Sicily brings us traditional caciocavallo cheese in exchange for weeds.
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I learned the technique of making Sicilian ravioli in a home kitchen during a neighborly cooking lesson in Sicily, and managed to take enough notes to write up a recipe and explain the technique. I also had a great lunch.
Continue Reading »Posted In: Italian Food Traditions & Recipes, Stories of Life in Tuscany & Sicily, Understanding the Culture & Customs of Italy
Cooking traditional foods of Italy sounds like fun, but lampascioni-hyacinth bulbs-are a stickier story. Learn how to prepare and cook this regional specialty of Puglia.
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