...for Tuesday is Martedì grasso, better known in its French version of Mardi Gras! That is to say, it is Carnevale, ogni scherzo vale! which goes a tad further than 'Trick or treat!' I dare say! The tricks, or scherzi, I've seen come closer to charivari than the ritual throwing of rotten eggs at a jack-o-lantern.…
Seeing as we are still in the 12 days of Christmas, I am going to extol the virtues of the Genovese Christmas culinary tradition. Recently, on a lovely evening at that Ligurian culinary mecca, Ristorante Manuelina in Recco, we were treated to the delights of the local gastronomy... Could a meal at Manuelina's start with…
My father would tell me I saw the world through rose colored glasses. My response? Dad, this is how some people live, and I am going to be one of those people. What better place to confirm my belief in la Dolce Vita than Ristorante Rosa in my once-and-only home, Camogli? For those of you…
Buongiorno da Firenze! The 450 delegates of the 8th Symposium have convened and Florence is a-buzz. Things started up mid-afternoon Thursday at the Palazzo dei Congressi, and I haven't had a minute since. The tastings are amazing, the Masters are truly that.So, what are you tasting, you ask! My pick of the first quite impressive…
The 8th Symposium organized by the Institute of Masters of Wine will be held in Florence, from May 15 - 18. In just a few days, wine connoisseurs will convene in that cradle of the Italian Renaissance for 4 days of conferences, tastings, meeting and greeting. And there will be a significant number of the…
We are concluding a week that included two national holidays: Pasquetta, or Little Easter, on Monday, and the Festa della Liberazione, April 25th on Friday. How will we make it through next week? There's only one national holiday: Thursday is May 1st, or Labor Day! Here in my neck of the woods (Liguria), April 25th…
Continue reading ➞ Ever wonder why it’s called Genoa salame?
Today is ‘Little Easter’ in Italy: Pasquetta! Easter Monday is traditionally spent having a barbecue (you didn’t know Italians loved barbecue? They invented mixed grilled meat!!) Or sometimes having a picnic, usually associated with a walk in the countryside. This is like what 90% of the people do here on Pasquetta. You need a day…
On this Holy Day in Italy – venerdì santo, or Good Friday – the question is: Vin Santo or Vino Santo? Holy cow, as Phil Rizzuto used to say, we are not talking about the holy wine they use on the altar during Mass, OK? We are talking about sweet wines, dessert wines – although…
Have I convinced you yet that all this tasting is hard work? When you start sipping at 10 in the morning, your taste buds are begging for a break by mid-afternoon. I don’t know if this is harder on the legs or on the taste buds. Tuesday is dedicated to some serious conferencing, as…
We are deep into it now, Vinitaly 2014. The heat is on, here in Verona – temperatures are record-breaking, and the wines are sweating. The refrigeration just can’t keep up with the sun beating down on the Verona fairgrounds. I’ve got to admit it, I prefer to sniff. The aromas are heady… I came to…
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 