Personal shopper: deal of the day!!!! Artsy GM LV original

Hi everyone!  Look what I've found for you today walking around a second hand market in beautiful sunny Italy:  an original 2010 LV Artsy GM with dust bag!!!!!!!!!! This is the real thing and a real bargain!  Please contact me for details, ciao!

Home made fresh pasta: how to make it

I have to admit, I’ve gotten a bit slack and have been buying dried pasta for the past few years. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought pasta – I’ve become fond of the whole wheat pasta spirals I get at my natural foods store, tossed with greens, garlic, and olive oil – but I was recently at the home of a friend and while we were talking over wine, he pulled out a disk of dough, quickly rolled it, and put together a simple lasagna with those just-made noodles. 

It was so good, and made me realize that I’d forgotten how good fresh pasta is. And it’s not difficult at all to make.

Unlike pastry and bread doughs, pasta dough isn’t very fussy. You don’t really need a machine to shape the pasta, but a pasta roller really helps and it’s one of life’s great pleasure when you pull that final cut of the pasta strands out of the machine and drop them into a pot of boiling water. 

I have an attachment for my stand mixer, although the small hand-cranked machines are inexpensive and do a good job, too. You can handroll pasta with a rolling pin, but be prepared for a bit of a challenge if you want the dough really thin.

Pasta dough is simple and forgiving. It’s one of those recipes that’s more about technique than ingredients or quantities. It’s basically only two ingredients, but because of variations in eggs, flour, and other factors, you may need to tinker with it a bit. 

Kind of like trying to tell someone exactly how much butter to swipe on toast, or trying to give a precise time for frying an egg to your liking – it’s impossible to give exact instructions to get it just right, but it’s very easy enough to figure out. 

I like the heartiness of semolina, so I use half of that, half all-purpose flour. It’s best to make the dough the day you plan to use it; if left overnight, even in the refrigerator, the dough will turn an unappealing grey color.

Semolina is relatively easy to find, although you can make pasta dough without it. If for some reason your dough feels a bit dry after you’ve been kneading it for a minute, wet your hands and add that small amount of water into it. I also weigh the ingredients since it’s more accurate.

Contact me if you wish to enroll to a course about the art of fresh home made pasta in Italy, I will be happy to help ;)

April 25th in Italy

Liberation Day is a national holiday in Italy that is annually celebrated on April 25. It marks the fall of Mussolini's Italian Social Republic and the end of the Nazi occupation in Italy in 1945, towards the end of the second World War.

But what is more important is that it's public holiday and we are off!!!!
Normally it's the perfect day for a day trip for example in Venice, Florence or to the coast.
But another big tradition is you have no day trips planned is the.......GRIGLIATA! A massive BBQ late lunch, a lot of people, everybody pitches bringing something.  

The location is normally somewhere in the countryside, on a river, on a lake or at someone's place;  you meet together at about 11.30 - 12.00 and off you go, drinking and eating until you drop and may be tanning a bit!

This is my actual plan for today!   If you want to come along......just call!
Ciao!

Shopping today!

When you’ve got Italian designers on the brain, but can’t burn more on that purse than you did on your flight over here, there’s a solution: have your personal shopper in Italy deal with the hustle while you sit on the couch in the comfort of your own house.

Today I can suggest you all you need for the perfect spring pic-nic:

Very practical canned beef meat, perfect for salads or by itself

The one and only Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Drops of aceto balsamico to go on your Parmigiano-Reggiano

A nice glass of Vernaccia di San Geminiano, fine dry white wine from the hills of Tuscany, serve chilled.

S. Pellegrino sparkling water 

.....and cake!  Chocolate cake.....or....

......chocolate custard cake......or......

............mixed jam cake......or........

.........summer lemon cake!

Contact me for prices and shipment enquiries :)

Wedding in Italy

Why get married in Italy? 
For the sunshine, style, famous cities, fabulous food and wine, stunning scenery, beautiful hilltop towns and hospitable people.

The ultimate romance destination and very popular for wedding couples, Italy offers stunning churches, magical sights, luxurious unforgettable venues and a very special atmosphere. If you're looking for an exquisite rural setting, we can offer amazing country villas to have your wedding party,  well kept secrets that offer unrivalled wedding locations which are affordable, unique, exclusive and undiscovered.

We offer all the services you would expect of a professional wedding planner and on top of that:

• We offer multilingual support
• You'll receive dedicated assistance with legal paperwork and translation 
• We offer a range of honeymoon options, speciality wedding gifts and favors, flower arrangements, menus, music, make up artists and hairdressers......and all you need to make the perfect wedding and stay experience 
• We promise personal contact throughout the whole planning period

Once you have decided to get married here we'll take care of everything. If you'd like to visit our venues we can arrange for you to come and enjoy a mini break so that you can see everything at first hand and we can start the exciting prospect of designing your wedding together.

Please feel free to get in touch with any questions - I'll be delighted to talk to you.

Sagra: the traditional Italian local festival!

The sagra is an Italian festival, organized in some towns, or regions, and is always linked to a local tradition or food celebrated in the course of the event.

The term sagra derives from Latin. It is the evolution of the adjective sacrum, meaning holy, which explains the original purpose that gave birth to this type of event: the religious factor. In fact, in the past the sagre were mainly moments of union between Man and spiritual and holy life.

The ancient sagre were, for their religious connotations, celebrated in front of temples or churches during the Christian Age. Moreover, animals were sacrificed and products offered in the course of the celebration.

Nowadays, the sagre are still part of the Italian tradition, but they have acquired a new meaning and function. In fact, they are local festivals often born from local and historical traditions or sport events. The real protagonist of the sagra is certainly food and sometimes particular sagra are born from the enhancement of some local food, acquiring the name of that particular food.

Many sagre are deeply rooted in old fairs but they now have tried to adapt to modern times. In fact, in the past these festivals were confined to the local inhabitants but they are now an important tourist attraction, both nationally and internationally.

Sagra dell'uva

Sagre are organized all over Italy, in several towns. Most of them are dedicated to some common ingredients such as: mushrooms, local cheeses, pork, or truffle.

There are some important sagre that take place each year in every region of the country. Here is a short list of some of the most famoussagre, listed per month.

"O cippo di Sant'Antonio" (Naples) - January

This event takes place in Naples on January the 17th. The town is lit up with bonfires called "cippi." People celebrate Sant'Antonio, Saint Anthony, around the fire. The typical food served is soffritto, a soup based on pork meat.

San Biagio. La festa delle "panicelle" a Taranta Peligna (Chieti )-February

This festival is based on a traditional food: the panicelle, a typical bread of the area of Chieti that presents the shape of a hand and it is distributed to the population after having been blessed.

"Trato marzo" a Pinzolo (Trento ) - March

This sagra is based on a funny tradition, according to which people go up to the hills and say aloud: "Trato Marzo." The sagra lasts three days during which funny events and tricks take place.

La "diavolata" ad Adrano (Catania) - April

This is celebrated on Easter Day and it is based on a theatrical performance of Good fighting Evil in the main square. The stage is divided into two parts: on one side is heaven and on the other, hell. The performance focuses on the characters, representing the two opposite and contrasting worlds.

Festa del Calendimaggio ad Assisi (Perugia) - May

This festa finds its origins in the Renaissance and it was celebrated in honor of spring. It is accompanied by a local representation with characters symbolizing episodes of the Middle Age.

Il "cavallo parato" a Brindisi (Brindisi) - June

This event is based on a local folk tale. The town is full of colors and the inhabitants of Brindisi parade with a white horse, il cavallo parato, that carries the tabernacle on its back along roads full of flowers.

Sagra pesce e patate (Barga- Lucca) - July

This fish and potatoes festival takes place from July 22nd to August 16th at the Barga Football Stadium "Moscardini." Starting from 19:30 people can taste fried fish and chips. However, other dishes are served such as grilled meat, cold dishes, and home-made cakes and desserts.

This sagra is accompanied by music entertainment and dancing. Moreover, there is a special area for children where they can play.

Festa del vino a Montefiascone (Viterbo) - August

This is a typical sagra celebrating wine and it includes a visit to several wine cellars where many different types of local wines can be tasted. The event is also linked to a historical tradition,  according to which the abbot Defuk made his servant select several taverne, taverns, having the best selection of good wines. It is in Montefiascone that he found a wine,Moscatello, which was judged as the most delicious of all. In honor of this wine sagra, the inhabitants of Montefiascone stage a parade reminiscent of the event.

Maria Santissima della Montagna a Taurianova (Reggio Calabria) - September

This sagra is based on a one-week celebration in honor of the Madonna dei campi, the Virgin Mary of the fields. In this festival is an opening bonfire, and it closes with a lottery where a veal is put up as a prize. Local biscuits, mostaccioli, and"nzudi" are served during the festival.

La Madonna della "stella" a Palagiano (Taranto) - October

A little church is dedicated to the Madonna in a little town near Palagiano. On the first Sunday of October the inhabitants of Palagiano gather to go to mass celebrated by the local priest.

Later, the pagan festival takes place: tagliatelle with tomato sauce are served on tractors and given to the participants

Madonna della Salute a Venezia (Venezia) - November

The festival was established in 1631 when the town was freed from the plague. Starting from that moment the Virgin, Madonna della Salute, has been celebrated. Every year a procession is held and local cakes are served.

Fiera a Lenna (Bergamo) - December

A traditional winter market is held with the festival of Lenna. It gives people a chance to buy presents for Christmas. Moreover, there are several local stands that attract many people, infusing the event with a wonderful Christmas atmosphere and enthusiasm.

This is only a short list of some festivals held in the country - many others are organized all over Italy, more than a hundred events. Please contact me for more info to plan your visit :)