It’s a long turbulent flight. I see my friend in the seat diagonally in front of me popping a pill. I think it’s the Ativan she told me she had stashed in her purse for any possible anxiety disorders she might encounter on the flight. This is a good a time as any, seeing that
On close inspection, a small farming village seemingly abandoned and forlorn on a distant hilltop, is a cluster of red tiled-roof houses and farming sheds strung together by footpaths that meander about and lead one to the edge of the green where far into the horizon can be seen cypress-fringed pastures and vineyards and undulating
The Cappuccino is sacrosanct----- above and beyond criticism, change, or interference! And yet, like with pizza and sauce Bolognese, we have persisted in attempting to alter its inviolable nature. As it began to cross borders, this wonderful morning drink became an after-dinner dessert, a mug of boiling, sudsy milk and coffee, and, horror of horrors,
High atop the Amalfi coast sits one of the most beautiful and unique perches from which to see the wondrous view below. Ravello, a small and exquisitely charming mountain town has throughout the centuries enraptured and seduced countless visitors, inspiring not only artists but all that would be mesmerized by the spell of its vistas. Getting
I am still relishing the lightly crisped homemade gnocchi in that delectable stracchino sauce sprinkled with sweet corn niblets and thinly shaved truffle resting on top. In fact, this morning I am burning ----"Ardo" in Italian,---- (although the name is a nickname of Chef Marotta’s son,) with the rediscovered excitement I experienced just a while back
Not all journeys are physical; at times we find ourselves travelling within ourselves, discovering, slowly, realities hitherto unknown. It is that metaphysical pilgrimage that perhaps, even if taken only once in our lifetime, leaves us irrevocably changed. Not by coincidence, I found myself drawn to that book on my library shelf, that I had not picked
The cuisine of Sicily is unique and exceptionally varied, and no wonder; it is the culinary reflection of all that Sicily is----a land closely linked to historical events dating back to the Ancient Greeks, and cultural and religious influences of numerous peoples like Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, Islamic, Norman, Catalan, and Spaniard. Over and above this,
I normally drink my cappuccino in the morning, at breakfast, without thinking about it. In between sips I am calculating how much I owe the gardener this month, or trying to organize my day, step by step. This morning instead, I want to think about it: it’s not a bad cappuccino, this creamy concoction I
Years ago when I first visited Tropea with my father I could not have anticipated my dad's reaction as we approached this gem of a town along the southern Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria! It was to be a little sightseeing detour for me, from Filadelfia, where we had come for a brief visit to family
The Rustici Leccesi or Salentini are the finger-lickin'-good snack/appetizers found everywhere in Salento, from bars to restaurant takeaways. The first stop for a day at the beach or picnic is to buy some tasty rustici for the kids in tow, and even, perhaps more especially, for the grownups. These flavourful morsels are made of crispy