Italian Gift Ideas - Dagli Nostri Amici

There are holiday gift ideas everywhere we look during this time and more specifically - Italian gift ideas are no exception.  We thought we would gather these ideas for you to make gift-giving a bit easier and enjoyable for you!

1) If you or someone you know has a bit of an adventurous side, take a look at whaiwhai Tour Books, which New York Times is calling "a high-tech Italian touring game that is part 'Amazing Race' and part treasure hunt, with a bit of DaVinci Code-style storytelling mixed in."  Allowing you to learn more about the city's history, culture, and architecture, whaiwhai Tour Books currently feature one city in the U.S. (New York City) and five Italian cities including Milano, Verona, Venezia, Roma, and Firenze.

Learn more about whai whai Tour Books here.
Price: $16.95/book
Suggested by: Select Italy
Find more of Select Italy's gift ideas here.

2)  The Italian language seems to be increasingly in demand.  Italian Children's Book: I Grandi Libri Tocca e Senti con Topo Tip Big Books is a way to engage your child with the language.  Don't worry, we won't tell anyone if you choose to use this for yourself!  

Please click here for purchase information.
Price: $21
Suggested by: La Piazza di Carolina
Find more of La Piazza di Carolina's gift ideas here.




3) Fiasconaro Panettone - Who needs fruit cake when we have a wonderful panettone? Panettone (a type of sweet bread loaf originally from Milan) comes in so many varieties nowadays, it would truly be hard to not find one to like.  A small piece of advice: dunk it in your coffee!  Try Fiasconaro Panettone this year.


Please click here for purchase information.
Price: $24
Suggested by: All Things Italian Specialty Food Store
Find more gift ideas from All Things Italian here. 


4) Michelin Atlas Italy (Atlas Michelin)

Nowadays a GPS seems to be a must for travel anywhere in the world, but for the moments in which technology may fail in providing the smallest locations (as in Italy's tiniest streets), Michelin Atlas Map may really come in handy for the next trip to Italy.

Please click here for purchase information.
Price: $15
Suggested by: La Tavola Marche
Find more gift ideas from La Tavola Marche here.

I Proverbi da Ricordare - Proverbs to Remember

These proverbs have been passed down such a long way.  That's why their classic nature is worth preserving and sharing because they still teach us how to be wise!

Ogni riccio è un capriccio!

Literally - "every curl is a caprice." This refers to curly hair, said to be a sure sign of a capricious nature (red hair would have a similar connotation for an Englishman).

(Grazie a Li Iacobacci who also provided the history behind this - molto interessante!)

Nella vita - chi non rischia - non rosica.

Translation: In life: who risks nothing - gains nothing.
Equivalent meaning: In life: nothing ventured - nothing gained. 

(Grazie a Debbie Biamonte; shared via Facebook)

Tra il dire e il fare c'e di mezzo il mare.

Loose Translation: Talk is cheap.

(Grazie a Osama Mohy; shared via Facebook)

Tanto va la gatta al lardo che ci lascia lo zampino.

Loose translation: Curiosity kiled the cat.

(Grazie a Emma Running; shared via Facebook) 

Non è tutt'oro quel che luccica.

Translation: Not all that glitters is gold.

(Grazie a Rosanna Costanzo for sharing via Facebook e a Li Iacobacci for the translation.)

Rosso di mattina la pioggia si avvicina. Rosso di sera buon tempo si spera.

Literal translation:  Red sky in the morning, await rain.  Red sky in the evening, hope for good weather.

(Grazie a Virginia DiGirolamo for sharing; via Facebook)

Chi non stima la vita, non la merita. 

Literal translation: He who does not value life does not deserve it.

(Grazie a Frank L Varrica for sharing; via Facebook)

Please feel free to share these on our Italian Proverbs page on Facebook.   Not a fan of Facebook?  No problem, feel free to also submit some via email (modernitalian@modernitalian.org) and your proverb may get published in our next newsletter.  Grazie!

Happy Birthday to Italy - 150th Anniversary is Almost Over!

Italians around the world and non-Italians who simply love the country and culture are joining together to wish a Happy 150th Anniversary to Italy commemoration the Unification of the country in 1861.  This project is dedicated to celebrating Italy by allowing users to sign an electronic birthday card.  This free service allows users to share their Italian surnames and Italian cities & provinces of origin in order to connect with long-lost relatives.  This service is optional if you wish to keep your privacy.  There are only a couple months left to wish Italy a Happy 150th!

Learn more at www.happybirthdayitaly.com.

Property in Italy for Sale at Low Costs - Here is What to Look Out For

If you are interested in buying some lesser expensive property in Italy, here are some useful tips to help you decide on where to buy!  Our friend Jos Deuling scouts out the best regions in which to buy property.

Please visit affidata.co.uk to find houses in Italy for sale.

House-hunting in Italy, regions with low house prices.

Tuscany, Umbria and Marche are popular Italian regions for buying a house or second home. On the map of Italy, they lie in the middle. A house in Tuscany is quite pricey. In Umbria and Marche houses also are not cheap. Experts say that Apulia is an upcoming region. For me, Apulia is not a region where I would go on vacation but acquaintances of mine have been there twice last year.

Regions, which are further from the center, are less popular than Tuscany and Umbria. Examples include the Abruzzi, Molise, the Valle d'Aosta, Friuli-Venice Giulia, Basilicata and Calabria. However, these regions are particularly attractive for foreigners who want to buy a holiday home :

1. These are disadvantaged regions with little industrialization, pollution and tourism.
2. Local government focuses on protecting the environment. It focuses on small-scale tourism and promoting local products.
3. Traditions of architecture, cuisine, folk customs and dialects have been preserved. They are real, authentic Italian regions.
4. There is a rich variety of local building styles and materials.
5. Of many cities and towns, the old town center survived. Much has been restored. These restorations are partially funded by the European Union.
6. It welcomes the arrival of foreigners. People think it is beneficial for the local economy.
7. Houses and land are still cheap.

Price Fighters like RyanAir and EasyJet have unlocked these regions with cheap airfares and many regional destinations. RyanAir, for example, flies to Pescara (Abruzzo, Molise) Turin (Aosta Valley), Trieste (Friuli-Venice Giulia) and Lamezia (Calabria, Basilicata).

House prices by region

The prices in Abruzzo are 30 to 70% lower than in Tuscany. Inland a farm or village house with 3 bedrooms will cost around 100,000 euro (plus 100,000 euro in renovation costs). Homes closer to the coast are 2 or 3 times as expensive.

Molise is extraordinarily cheap. There is hardly any tourism. Interesting for buyers seeking the authentic Italy. O You can own a beautiful and comfortable village house for around 100,000 euro. A farm with sea view and olive trees cost around 200,000 euro.

The Aosta Valley is attractive for people who want an apartment in the Alps. The region borders the premier ski resorts in France (Chamonix) and Switzerland (Verbier). Compared with France and Switzerland, house prices are low. A basic flat is for sale from 150,000 euro. The ski season runs from November to April. Just an up and down weekend for skiing is no problem. Fly to Turin with Rynair and from Turin, a one hour drive to your destination.

In Friuli-Venice Giulia, the houses are fairly cheap. Many Italians from the Veneto region buy a second home here. There are more and more foreign buyers from Germany, Austria, Croatia and Russia. They buy mainly apartments with air conditioning, balcony and close to the beach. These apartments cost around 120,000 euro. Friuli-Venice Giulia faces competition from nearby Slovenia, where prices are much lower.

Basilicata is in southern Italy located just above Calabria. It is a sparsely populated region famous for its cave dwellings in Sassi di Matera. The local government provides 50% subsidy on a renovation of a cave home in late Sassi di Matera. The houses in Basilicata are also cheap. A renovation object in the interior costs as little as 50,000 euro.

In Calabria, there has been an increase in prices in recent years. There is a strong demand for holiday apartments on the coast with air conditioning. Quite a lot of tourist complexes have been built in the last couple of years. An apartment complex in a complex costs between 100,000 euro and 200,000 euro. It is said that you have recouped your purchase within 10 years if you rent your apartment in high season. In the mountains, you can still get a bungalow or cottage from 70,000 euro, but it can also be quite cold up there.

Grazie a Jos Deuling for providing this useful information.  Follow her on Twitter @PropertyTuscany

Rick Steves Visits Spaccanapoli - the "Urban Jungle"

Rick Steves' "A One-Street Tour Shows Why I Like Naples"

Una vita molto interessante!  Rick Steves explores the "urban jungle" worth visiting in Spaccanapoli (in Naples).  (Grazie a Campanica Digest for sharing).

Cucina Povera - Tuscan Peasant Cooking for the Modern World

We were inclined to share with you  Cucina Povera  or “Tuscan Peasant Cooking” by Pamela Sheldon Johns because this cookbook promotes the use of creativity with the simplest ingredients which can really come in handy in today’s world in which making a delicious meal in a half hour or less seems to have become the inevitable ideal.

Johns is a California native who has lived in Tuscany for the past 20 years and has admittedly adopted a local cobbler named Virio Neri as her family's nonno (grandfather) who is frequently referenced in the book recounting tales of growing up in a small hill town before, during, and after World War II where hunger forced families to be conservatively creative with the limited resources of the land.  Virio even confesses a childhood memory of  regularly snatching up a handful of chestnut flour from a local grocer to fill his stomach.  Chestnut flour may not seem like much today, but in those times, peasants would live off of its sweet flavor and hardy substance in order to give them energy to work through a long day in the fields.

Cucina Povera is undoubtedly an unconventional cookbook because of its heartfelt and brutally real stories like those Virio would describe depicting a time when land-owners would disregard certain low-protein ingredients produced by the land and yet the peasants used those very same resources, such as cornmeal for polenta, as the foundation for some robust recipes which are ironically not only used today, but also served in high-class restaurants.

Here is a recipe from Cucina Povera we thought you would enjoy.  Please click here to find Cucina Povera in our store on Amazon.com.

Pollo Arrosto al Vin Santo

Roasted Chicken with Vin Santo Sauce

1 Chicken, about 3 pounds
3 tablespoons aromatic herbs minced with

salt (page 41), or your preferred combination

of fresh herbs

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups vin santo or sweet Marsala wine

Vin santo is a Tuscan dessert wine made with dried grapes. Marsala makes a good

substitute, or you can use a good dry white wine. Adjust the cooking time according to the

size of chicken you use. When the chicken is done, an instant-read thermometer inserted in

a thigh and not touching bone will register 165° F, or the juices will run clear when a thigh

is pierced with a knife.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a small roasting pan or heatproof

casserole.

In a small bowl, combine the herb mixture with the garlic. Loosen the skin

of the breast of the chicken and spread the herb mixture under the skin.

Rub the chicken all over with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on its side in the prepared pan and roast for 15 minutes,

then turn and roast on the second side for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken

onto its back and roast for 30 minutes, or until the chicken tests done.

Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm. Set the roasting

pan over medium heat and add the wine, stirring to scrape up the

browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to high and

cook to reduce the liquid by half. Drizzle the pan sauce over the roasted

chicken and serve at once.

Serves 6

— From Cucina Povera/Andrews McMeel Publishing

About Pamela Sheldon Johns

Well-known cooking instructor Pamela Sheldon Johns is the host of culinary workshops throughout Italy and was recently named one of the top 10 culinary guides in Europe by The Wall Street Journal. She is the author of 14 cookbooks including Parmigiano!, 50 Great Appetizers, and 50 Great Pasta Sauces. Pamela, her farm in Tuscany, and her cooking school have been featured by CNN Travel, Cooking Light, Food & Wine, and Canadian Geographic.

www.foodartisans.com

Our Favorite Member Photos in Italy

We love your zest for life!  We love your passion for Italy!  And we love your shared photos because capturing a special moment indeed speaks a 1,000 words with a single snapshot.  We have gathered some of our favorite recent community photos.

Shared by Mimi De Leo (via Facebook)

Fiat Cinquecento shared by Michael  Della Camera

Shared by: Napoli Florida (Via Facebook)

Luciano Romano, Ming Wong posing in front of Mount Vesuvius

Shared by: Joe Zoda via Facebook

Shared by: Emanuela Fratini (Via Facebook)

Share your photos on Facebook and Twitter

Trip Advisor's - Top 10 European Cities for Food & Wine

It is rather satisfying to know that we are not the only ones who favor Italian cities to visit - particularly for the food & wine.  Apparently, TripAdvisor agrees.  Here are their picks from the 2011 Traveler's Choice Best Food & Wine Destinations list.  Is there really a need to wonder why half of this list consists of Italian cities?  We think not!

To keep you in suspense, we have listed the favorite city last.

#10 Edinburgh, United Kingdom - TripAdvisor's photo slideshow.

Bologna (Source: TripAdvisor)

#9 Barcelona, Spain - TripAdvisor's photo slideshow

#8 San Sebastian, Donostia, Spain - TripAdvisor's photo slideshow

#7 Bologna, Italy  - You have to love a city that invents its own sauce.  Bologna has given the world the gift of the meat-based sauce ragu'.  TripAdvisor's photo slideshow   

#6 Siena, Italy - What's not to love when you are eating Tuscan cuisine known for its legumes, bread, cheeses, fresh fruits & vegetables?  TripAdvisor's photo slideshow

#5 York, United Kingdom - TripAdvisor's photo slideshow

#4 Sorrento, Italy - Sorrento is located in Napoli (Naples), the region where the pizza was born.  Need we say more?  TripAdvisor's photo slideshow

Florence (Source: TripAdvisor)

#3 Rome, Italy - the Roman-Jewish community has influenced this city's cuisine with hearty artichokes.  TripAdvisor's photo slideshow

#2 Paris, France - TripAdvisor's photo slide show

#1 Florence, Italy - Simple, seasonal ingredients + Tuscan wines = pure bliss!  TripAdvisor's photo slideshow


TripAdvisor has released their list for the 2011 Traveler's Choice Best Food & Wine Cities in Europe.

Attention Lovers of Writing, Photography, and Italian Food!

Amalfi Coast Photography Expedition With Massimo Bassano

If you love photography and want to eat well while traveling along the Amalfi Coast, then this is a trip for you to take!  From October 2^nd through October 7^th, 2011, National Geographic award-winning photographer Massimo Bassano (a native of Calabria) will be taking an excursion along the Amalfi Coast photographing the surrounding breath-taking scenery and cooking too!  Massimo Bassano is working together with Cooking Vacations to make this trip possible.  Please click here to learn more.

Writing & Cooking in Positano - October 8-13, 2011

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Berg and Cooking Vacations are offering a writer’s workshop and cooking lessons.  This takes places on October 8 – 13^th, 2011 in Positano.  You will want to sign up now because space is limited!  Please click here for more information. 

Le Raccomandazioni - Some Suggestions You Might Enjoy

There is a plethora of Italian goodies to choose from, and if you are not sure where to start, that's where we come in.  Check out some of our favorite Italian products in the departments of food, entertainment, and travel from Amazon.com.  You can visit our Modern Italian Store for more raccomandazioni (recommendations).

Film:  

La Meglio Gioventu’ (The Best of Youth)

Classic, heart-wrenching, and dramatic, all the qualities an Italian movie should have.  

Click here for reviews and more.

Food:

Simple Italian Sandwiches

Simplicity is beauty, and there is nothing simpler (yet versatile) than a panino.    

Click here to learn more on this book.

Travel:

Easy Italian for Travel, Volume 1 

The style of this CD allows the learner to quickly gain confidence in their Italian.   

To learn more, please click here.

 

I Proverbi da Ricordare - Some Proverbs to Remember

We have gathered some new - yet old - proverbs to live by because we know you love them!  Please keep in mind that the very loose English translations are included, but do not sound as culturally rich as the ones originally written in Italian.  We welcome your versions of translations but more importantly want to hear more of your own Italian proverbs, quotes, and sayings!  Feel free to share them on our Facebook group page dedicated to proverbs, tweet them to @modernitalian or email them at modernitalian@modernitalian.org so we can share them with the community!

Fai bene e scordati, fai male e guardati. (Do good and forget it, do bad and watch your back).

Un pranzo senza il vino e’ come una giornata senza il sole. (A meal without wine is like a day without the sun).

Impara l’arte e mettila da parte. (Learn your skill and keep it to the side).

Vizio di natura fin alla morte dura. (A habit stays ‘til the death).

Per fare una bella insalata, poco aceto e assai ogliata.  (To make a good salad, use little vinegar and much olive oil).

Fregola con Arselle - A Traditional Recipe from Sardinia

Part of our philosophy is that we are not the experts on Italian culture, however, we know the experts and know how to bring them to you – our readers.  That is why we know you will appreciate this traditional Sardinian recipe brought to us by Giulia Garau - an Italian travel lover living in Sardinia. 

This will surely be a dish of "pasta and clams" unlike any other you have ever had before!

Typical of Sardinia, fregola or fregula is a kind of dried pasta made of semolina dough. It resembles couscous and can be prepared in several ways. The most common (and my favorite!) is with clams (arselle, or vongole). It is prepared at home by Sardinian families, but you can easily find it in the fish-based restaurants in Sardinia too. This is how I prepare it, although there are a few variants according to one’s personal taste.

Ingredients:

200/250 gr. Fregola

1Kg Clams

2 cloves of garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

Parsley (about 2 spoons)

Sun dried tomatoes (or chilli)

Peeled tomatoes or tomato sauce

1 Lt. Fish stock (fumetto di pesce) or hot water

First of all, you need to purge the clams. Immerse them in abundant fresh water and salt for at least an hour. Change the water a couple of times in order to remove the residual sand.

Place the clams in a low, wide pan over high heat; they will open and will release some water. Once opened (it takes only a few minutes) separate the shellfish from the shells.

Set aside a few shells for decoration.

Filter the remaining cooking liquid and keep it aside.

Take another pan and lightly fry the garlic (chopped or whole, if you want to remove it before serving) with the sun dried tomatoes. Add the clams, mix and add a little tomato sauce to it (at your taste). Cover with abundant fish stock (a variant: instead of the fish stock you can mix hot water with the filtered cooking liquid).

When boiling, add the fregola and let it cook, adding the fish stock from time to time when necessary. Add a sprinkling of parsley just before switching off the gas.

Add salt and chilli according to your taste.

Buon appetito!!

Giulia works in the tourism field for a local travel agency, specialized in luxury hotels inSardinia.  She runs the blog CharmingItaly.com, where she shares information about Italy. You can reach her on Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon. 

Tante grazie a Giulia!

Age-old Italian Proverbs are Relevant Today to All

Words of wisdom.  Age-old adages are timeless and relevant to all.  The origins of some proverbs are evident in their context.  For example, the famous Italian contadino (farmer) would have come up with “L’acqua bolle e il maiale sta ancora in montagna” (The water boils and the pig is still in the mountain).  An English version of this could perhaps be “Do not put the carriage in front of the horse.”  While it may not be as common today in our everyday lives to hunt wild animals for dinner or ride in horse carriages, the principle of these sayings still apply in our world today.  Don’t jump the gun!  

We have gathered some of our favorite Italian proverbs shared within our community.  Please remember that we value our members who find the importance to learn these cultural treasures just as much as those who share them!  Enjoy!  Buona lettura!

Those of you on Facebook, please share your favorite Italian adages here.

Ogni medaglia ha il suo rovescio (There are two sides to every coin) (Johnna Stewart)

Non e’ oro tutto quello che lucida. (Everything that shines is not always gold.)

Non dispiace invecchiare, è un privilegio negato a molti.
(Do not regret growing older, it is a privilage denied to many) (Terri Affanato McAvoy)

Ogni nodo viene al pettine (Every knot is caught by the comb.) (Carmen Martin)

Chi nascia quadro non puo morire tondo (He who is born a square cannot die round). (Dora Miraglia-Meola)

Fra i due litiganti, il terzo gode. (Between 2 quarrelers, the third one gloats.)

Il meglio deve ancora venire é arriverá quando meno te l'aspetti. (The best is yet to come and will come when you least expect it.) (Michael Biasi)

 

Fai bene e scordati, fai male e guardati. (Do good and forget about it, do bad and watch yourself.)

Tutto fumo, niente arrosto.) (All smoke, no roast).