Author Archives: Un po' di pepe

Countering Isolation with Creativity

15 Wednesday Mar 2023

Posted by in Art, Art projects

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Countering Isolation with Creativity was a Canadian government incentive to engage Canadian seniors post COVID. Accenti Magazine received a grant to host 12 free workshops via Zoom for those over 55.  I had the pleasure of presenting the first workshop May and here it is on Youtube!  I had to figure out how to use 2 cameras so I could talk and also demonstrate.  There was an email sent out to participants in advance with the preparation work.  I am including the information after the video, if anyone is interested.  

 

Countering Isolation with Creativity: Accenti Magazine Workshops to engage Canadian seniors. Mixed Media Collage Self-Portrait Workshop

Who says ‘selfies’ can only be by phone? Try this mixed-media collage project to make your own selfie at home. In this 90 minute workshop, participants will create a mixed media collage self-portrait.  There is some image gathering and/or preparation work to do in advance. 

Instructions for Workshop preparation and supplies:

For the workshop, you will need 3 self-portrait images.  They can all be the same image, which you will each colour differently, or 3 completely different images.  If you prefer to use a photograph, it is best to use a larger size (5×7 or 8×10). These images can also be prepared during the workshop if you like, but there will probably not be enough time to complete the project. 

To make a self-portrait, use a hand mirror or wall mirror and draw yourself.  Angle the mirror based on the profile you want to draw.  It can be a frontal view, side view, even a view from above if you have ceiling mirrors.  Try to keep the drawing surface as vertical as possible and draw what you see.  Sketch in the main shapes first, then add details and shading.  Put lots of ‘self’ into it.  Use props to express your personality.  If drawing yourself from a mirror is awkward, try drawing from a photo with a plain background. 

Use any media; pencil, pen, sharpie, felt, crayon, eyeliner, lipstick…. The images can be as simple or as complex as you like.  Representational images (meaning it actually looks human) or abstract images will work. 

Make 3 different portraits, or just one, then make 2 photocopies or tracings.  Colour 2 of them, so that you have 3 similar, but different portraits.  If you prefer to work with photographs, it is best if they are larger.  If you only have 1 photo to use, make 2 copies. 

Feel free to start several collages to work on simultaneously and continue after the workshop ends.

Supply List for the workshop:

  • Images; 3 self-portraits on paper, all a similar size
  • A hard surface to glue onto. This can be a wood panel or board, a heavy piece of cardboard or a piece of 250-300 lb paper.  A surface with something already on it works well, since there is already an underpainting!
  • Acrylic matte medium. Matte medium is acrylic paint without the colour. It can be used as a glue and also as a protective coating over top of your work.  White glue can also be used if you do not have matte medium, but it is not archival
  • Paint brush and/or foam brush
  • Scissors
  • Hand mirror (if you need to work on your images)
  • Whatever art supplies you have-anything goes! Ex: acrylic or watercolour paints, pencil crayons, markers, oil or chalk pastels, inks, stencils
  • Bits and pieces of old artwork or fancy paper to collage, magazine clippings, letters, postage stamps, blank or printed rice paper or tissue paper, photos, paper doilies, candy wrappers…..more stuff is better!  

Happy Creating!  If anyone makes a selfie collage, let me know!  Ciao, Cristina

 

 

Gallerie d’Italia Napoli

26 Sunday Feb 2023

Posted by in Art, Art history, Italia

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Sant’ Orsola, Caravaggio’s last painting, has a new home! If you have read my posts Pio Monte della Misericordia and L’Ultimo Caravaggio, you know about my adventure to Napoli in search of a Caravaggio painting…only to visit the wrong one.  The ‘wrong’ one was absolutely amazing, but I still wanted to see the intended one.  In June, on my way back from Santorini, I stayed a night in Napoli so I could finally see ‘Il Martirio di Sant’ Orsola/The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula’.  It was painted in May 1610, just before Caravaggio’s death.  For hundreds of years, it was believed to be painted by one of his followers or ‘Caravaggisti’, Mattia Preti.  In 1980 a letter from the agent was found, proving that Sant’ Orsola was painted by Caravaggio.  To read more about the letter and the history of the painting, see L’Ultimo Caravaggio.

I stayed on lively Via Toledo, near the Toledo metro station and in between the port and Quartieri Spagnoli, since it was close to the 1500’s Palazzo Zavalos Stigliano.  A few weeks before my visit, the Napoletano Collection of Banca Intesa Sanpaolo moved 300 m down the street to Palazzo Piacentini at 177 Via Toledo.  Newly renovated Palazzo Piacentini is the new home of Gallerie d’Italia Napoli.  It is a 1930’s building and former home of the Banco di Napoli. The design is described as a modern vision of classical architecture and has 10,000 sq ft of exhibition space.

The atrium features L’Atlante Farnese/Farnese Atlas, a 2nd Century AD sculpture on loan from MANN (Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli) under an enormous starry wooden ‘sky’.  At the far end of the ground floor is an actual branch of Banca Intesa Sanpaolo! The building is home to the permanent Intesa Sanpaolo Collection, which includes Napoletani artwork and paintings from the 17th to the 20th Centuries, a Magna Grecia pottery exhibit, space for temporary exhibits, a library and bookshop, and a bistro.

The star of the permanent collection is Sant’ Orsola.  Right beside it is Artemisia Gentilleschi’s Sansone e Dalila/Samson and Delilah (1630-38).  This painting is stunning, but I had to check twice to see that it was an Artemisia.  Those teeny nail scissors are so tame compared to the usual aggression in her Judith and Holofernes paintings with a giant sword and a lot of blood! Incidentally, on the other side of Sant’ Orsola is a Judith and Holofernes painting attributed to Ludovicus Finson that is a copy of a lost Caravaggio.

A few of my other favourites from the permanent collection include this amazing loosely sketched painting Fanciulla Napoletana o La Zingara (1885) by Vincenzo Gemito.

I absolutely love the screen prints Vesuvius (rosso) and Vesuvius (nero) by Andy Warhol (1985) in the 20th Century collection.

The temporary exhibit while I was visiting was ‘Restituzioni’ featuring projects and art restoration presently funded by Intesa Sanpaolo in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture.  There were 200 pieces from all over Italia including paintings, mosaics, jewellery, books and even a giant bell!

Galleria d’Italia Napoli is walking distance from the Toledo metro station.  It is open Tuesday to Friday 10-19 and Saturday/Sunday 10-20.  Mondays closed.  The first Sunday of each month admission is free.  Admission is €7.  Reduced admission is €4 and those under age 18 get in free.  Definitely worth a visit! Ciao, CristinaMartirio di Sant'Orsola Caravaggio's last painting

 

Sanremo 2023

30 Monday Jan 2023

Posted by in Culture, Feste, Italian life

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The 73rd edition of Festa della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo is February 7-11, 2023, broadcast live on RAI.  Once again this year, I have put together a viewing guide to the annual 5 day song competition held in the town of Sanremo, Liguria. The Festival di Sanremo is the world’s longest running national televised music competition.

In 1950. Piero Bussetti of the Sanremo Casino and Giulio Razzi, conductor of the RAI orchestra launched a competition for previously unreleased songs to boost the local economy.  The first edition was broadcast live on RAI radio in January 1951 with 3 artists performing 20 songs.  Since 1955 it is broadcast live on television.

From 1951-1977 the festival was held at the Sanremo Casino.  Since 1977 it has been at the iconic Teatro Ariston. The Festival di Sanremo is a massive media event in Italia and has launched many careers, including Domenico Modugno, Zucchero, Mina, Andrea Bocelli, Il Volo, Giorgia, Laura Pausini, Eros Ramazzotti, Mahmood and most recently Måneskin. I love to watch Sanremo every year with Mamma!

The winner has the option to represent Italia at the annual Eurovision Song Contest.  Eurovision is huge in Europe with 39 countries participating, but hardly known at all in North America.  2021 Sanremo winners, Måneskin won Eurovision with their brilliant song ‘Zitti e Buoni’.  As the reigning country, Italia hosted Eurovision 2022- in Torino. Mahmood and Blanco represented Italia with the 2022 winner ‘Brividi‘.

The 73rd edition of the Festival di Sanremo is February 7-11, 2023, broadcast live on RAI (RAI International for the rest of us).  It will be hosted for the fourth time by Amedeus, with cohost Gianni Morandi. Chiara Ferragni will also cohost the first and final nights. Former winners, Italian and international guest artists will perform.

Feb 7th, Mahmoud and Blanco will perform ‘Brividi‘, and 1990 winners I Pooh will sing together for the first time in 6 years.  Al Bano and Massimo Ranieri perform with Gianni Morandi Feb 8th, as well as the Black Eyed Peas.  Måneskin performs on Thursday Feb 9th.  Other performers include Salmo, Fedez, Takagi, Piero Pelù, Nik, Francesco Renga, Achille Lauro, Annalisa and La Rappresentante di Lista. There are rumours Lady Gaga and Britney Spears will perform, but there is no confirmation at this point.

The award goes to the winning song, although in most cases the performers are involved in the songwriting.  This year, there are 28 contestants, including the top 6 winners from the junior contest, ‘Sanremo Giovani’.  Judging is complex and contestants perform with the full RAI orchestra-complete with maestro.

A summary of what happens each night:

Night #1 and #2 February 7 and 8.  14 of the contestants perform each night and there are no eliminations.  Voting is 33% TV and print media jury, 33% web media jury and 33% radio jury.

Night #3 February 9.  All 28 contestants perform, with no eliminations.  Voting is 50% demoscopic jury* and 50% televoting.

Night #4 February 10 is ‘Covers night’.  Each artist/group performs a cover song of their choice from 1960-1999  They can perform solo or invite an Italian or international artist as a guest.  Voting is 33% televoting, 33% press jury and 33% demoscopic jury.

Final night #5 February 11th.  There are 2 rounds the final night.  In round 1 all 28 acts perform.  Voting is 100% from televoting.  The top 5 proceed to round 2, the Superfinale.  Voting is reset and all 5 superfinalists perform again.  The winner is decided by 33% televoting, 33% press jury and 33% demoscopic jury.

*Demoscopic jury=made up of a sample of the population.  Jurors are selected by statistical criteria to represent the country at large.

The lineup of concorrenti /contestants includes 3 former Sanremo winners, 2 who have represented Italia at Eurovision, many former contestants, and some first time acts.  Below is a list of the 28 performers, the song titles and a few other details to help you watch and enjoy the festival:

  • Anna Oxa – ‘Sale (Canto dell’anima)‘.  Anna released her first album in 1978 and was runner up at the Festival di Sanremo.  She is a 2 time winner; in 1989 with duet ‘Ti Lascerò’ and in 1999 with ‘Senza Pietà’. She and Fausto Leali represented Italia at Eurovision 1989 in Lausanne with ‘Avrei voluto‘, placing 9th.  This will be Anna’s 14th time at Sanremo across 5 decades!
  • Ariete – ‘Mare di Guai’.  Roman singer Arianna Del Giaccio was an X Factor Italia contestant in 2019.  In 2022 she released the album ‘Specchio‘ which 1,000,000 streams in 24 hours. For covers night she will perform with Sangiovanni
  • Articolo 31– ‘Un bel Viaggio’. This hip hop duo from Milano formed in 1990 consists of Alessandro Aleotti (aka rapper J-Ax) and Vito Luca Perrini (DJ Jad). They are together again to compete in Sanremo for the first time and are working on their 8th album.  For covers night, Fedez will join them for a medley.
  • Colapesce e Dimartini – ‘Splash’ Sicilian duo Lorenzo Urciullo and Antonio Dimartino competed in 2021 with the hit song ‘Musica Leggerissima‘. This is their second time at Sanremo. For covers night, they perform Adriano Celentano’s ‘Azzurro‘ with Carla Bruni.
  • Colla Zio – ‘Non mi va’. This quintet of 21-25 years olds from Milano released ‘Zafferano’ in 2021.  They place in the top 6 in Sanremo Giovani.
  • Coma-cose – ‘L’addio’. Milanese indie duo consisting of life and music partners since 2016 Fausto Zanardelli (aka Fausto Lama) and Francesca Mesiano (aka California).  They participated in Sanremo 2021 with the song ‘Fiamme negli occhi’ which went gold in 3 weeks.  This is their second time at Sanremo.
  • Elodie – ‘Due’.  The Roman singer participated in Amici* in 2016, and Sanremo in 2017 with ‘Tutta colpa mia‘ and in 2020 with ‘Andromeda‘.  In 2020 Elodie was the most listened to female artist on Spotify Italia.  In 2021 she was the cohost for night #2 of Sanremo.  She is competing for the 3rd time and has an album due out February 10th.
  • Gianluca Grignani – ‘Quando ti manca il fiato’.  This is Gianluca’s 7th time competing at Sanremo.  The first time was in 1994 for Sanremo Giovani.  He was also a guest in 2022 on covers night, singing with Irama. For covers night he will be singing with Arisa.
  • gIANMARIA – ‘Mostro’. The singer from Vicenza is the winner of Sanremo Giovani. On covers night he will sing with Manuel Agnelli who sang with Måneskin in 2021.
  • Giorgia- ‘Parole dette male’. Giorgia Todrani has 12 top 10 albums, 24 top 10 singles, and a vocal range that spans 4 octaves.  In 1994 she placed second in the Nuovi Proposti (newcomers category), losing to Andrea Bocelli!  Giorgia won Sanremo 1995 with ‘Come Saprei’, came in 3rd place in 1996, and 2nd in 2001. She even won a Davide di Donatello (the Italian version of an Oscar) in 2004 for original movie song. She has performed with Pavarotti, Mina, Eros Ramazzotti, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Jovanotti, Ray Charles, and Andrea Bocelli (‘Vivo per Lei‘). Giorgia was a musical guest at Sanremo 2017. She has a new album ‘Blu’ coming out on February 27th.  This is her 4th time in the competion. She duets with Elisa on covers night.
  • I Cugini di Campagna – ‘Lettera 22’. This quartet of Silvano and Ivano Michetti, Tiziano Leonardi and Nick Luciani formed in 1970 and started by busking near the Fontana di Trevi.  This is their first time at Sanremo and their song was written by La Rapresentante di Lista, of 2022’s ‘Ciao Ciao‘.
  • Lazza – ‘Cenere’.  This is Jacopo Lazzarini’s first time competing at Sanremo.
  • LDA – ‘Se poi domani’. 19 year old rapper Luca D’Alessio, is an Amici 2021 participant and son of Napoletano singer Gigi D’Alessio. He started doing covers on YouTube at age 13.  This is his first Sanremo competition. He performs with Alex Britti on covers night.
  • Leo Gassmann – ‘Terzo Cuore’. The son of Alessandro Gassman and grandson of Vittorio Gassman was a semi-finalist in the 2018 edition of X factor.  in 2020 he won the ‘newcomers’ category of Sanremo with ‘Vai bene cost‘ and this is his first time as a regular contestant.
  • Levante– ‘Vivo’.  Sicilian singer Claudia Lagona released her first album in 2014 and competed in Sanremo in 2019 with ‘Tikibombom’. She was an X Factor judge in 2017 and has collaborated with Max Gazzè, Negramaro, J-Ax and Fedez.  She has also published 3 romance novels.  This is her second time at Sanremo.
  • Madame – ‘Il Bene nel male’. 18 year old rapper from Vicenza Francesca Calearo known as Madame participated in Sanremo 2021 with the song ‘Voce’. She recently collaborated with Negramaro on ‘Non è vero niente‘.  This is her second time competing in Sanremo and she is once again the youngest contestant.
  • Mara Sattei – ‘Duemilaminuti’ Roman singer Sara Mattei was a previous contestant on Amici and guest on X factor.  She became known for making YouTube videos with her brother Davide (known as thasup) starting in 2017 and released her first album in 2022.  Her catchy quadruple platinum single with Fedez and Tananai ‘La Dolce Vita‘ was the song most played last summer. In this competition, she is singing a song written by Damiano David of Måneskin!!!  Mara performs with Noemi on covers night.
  • Marco Mengoni – ‘Due vite’. Marco is back competing at Sanremo on the 10 year anniversary of his 2013 win with ‘L’essenziale‘.  He also represented Italia at Eurovision that year in Sweden, coming in 7th.  Marco is also the winner of 2009 season 3 of X factor, a 2 time winner of the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European act and an ambassador for National Geographic’s international campaign ‘Planet or plastic?’.
  • Modà – ‘Lasciami’. One of my favourite bands, Modà was started in Milano in 2000 by Francesco ‘Kekko’ Silvestre.  This is their 3rd time competing at Sanremo.  In 2011 their song ‘Arriverà’ with Emma Marrone came in 2nd place and in 2013 ‘Se si potesse non morire’ came in 3rd place. 2023 is the 20th anniversary of the release of their first album. On covers night they perform with Le Vibrazioni.
  • Mr Rain-‘Supereroi‘.  Rapper and ex Amici participant Mattia Balardi from Brescia is known as ‘Mr Rain’.  He will be duetting with 2022 contestants Highsnob & Hu for covers night.
  • Olly  – ‘Polvere’. The Genovese rapper has collaborated with singer Arisa and earned a spot in the competition via Sanremo Giovani
  • Paola e Chiara – ‘Furore’.  The sisters from Milano were in Sanremo Giovani in 1996 and 1997.  They competed in 1998 and in 2005 with the international hit of the summer ‘Vamos a Bailar’.  In 2013, they each went solo, Chiara Iezzi to acting and Paola Iezzi dj, producing and singing.  Last year they joined Jovanotti’s Beach party 2022 and they are back to Sanremo for the 3rd time.
  • Rosa Chemical – ‘Made in Italy’ Rosa Chemical is 24 year old rapper Manuel Franco from Torino, who has also been a Gucci Italia model since 2018.  He was a guest performer at Sanremo 2022 covers night with Tananai.
  • Sethu – ‘Cause perse’. Marco De Lauri released his first EP in 2018.  In 2020 he had 3 singles on Spotify’s Raptopia, Gen Z, and Novità Rap Italiano playlists.  Sethu has opened for Pinguini Tattici Nucleari and was named MTV artist of the month September 2022.  He is a top 6 finalist in Sanremo Giovani.  Sethu claims to be ‘fundamentally an incurable doomer’.  His song is dedicated to inseparable twin Jiz.
  • Shari-‘Egoista‘.  Shari was in Sanremo Giovani in 2019.  She recently released her first EP, ‘Fake Music‘ and is one of the top 6 Sanremo Giovani finalists.
  • Tananai – ‘Tango’.  27 year old Alberto Ramusino from Brescia participated last year with his single ‘Sesso Occasionale’ and placed second in Sanremo Giovani. Last summer he collaborated with Fedez and Mara Sattei on the catchy quadruple platinum hit ‘La Dolce Vita‘. He performs with Biagio Antonacci on covers night.
  • Ultimo – ‘Alba’. Niccolò Moriconi’s first album in 2017 was 3X platinum and his second album in 2018 5X platinum.  He won the ‘newcomers’ category in 2018 and came in second place at Sanremo 2019 with ‘I tuoi particulari’.  That same year, Ultimo became the youngest Italian artist to play stadium tours.  In 2021 he had a record 4 simultaneous albums in the annual chart-according to the Italian music federation.  He also collaborated with Ed Sheeran on ‘2Step‘. On covers night, he performs a medley with Eros Ramazzotti.
  • Will– ‘Stupido‘.  William Busetti released his first music on YouTube in 2019.  In 2020 ‘Estate’ had over 40 million streams on Spotify and went platinum.  He released his first EP in June and is one of the Sanremo Giovani top 6 finalists.

*Amici is an Italian talent show on television since 2001.  20 ‘students’ aged 16-30 years who are interested in being professional singers, songwriters and dancers participate.  Nuovi proposti was a previous ‘newcomers’ category.  Now there is Sanremo Giovani, the junior category and the top 6 go on to the regular competition.

Read the contestants’ full bios on the Festival di Sanremo website.  RAI International usually airs the shows twice-once live at 1900 -0100ish Italian time, and a replay later.  Check the local listings for your country.  The RaiPlay app is another way to watch -and it will not be Geoblocked!

Will you be watching the Festival di Sanremo?  Let me know which performances you are looking forward to or which ones were your favourites!

Ciao, Cristina

Appuntamento con la Daunia

18 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Amici e Famiglia, Mangiamo!, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia

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On October 17th, I attended the 27th edition of Appuntmento con la Daunia, hosted by my amico Peppe Zullo. Every year I receive an invitation, but this was the first time I was actually in Italia in October.   La Daunia is the modern day Provincia di Foggia, named after the people who lived there under King Daunus.

Held at Villa Jamele in Orsara di Puglia, the event featured local food and wine, focusing on the biodiversity of the area.  It was attended by journalists, food writers, and those involved in the local enogastronomic industry. There were various site tours, then a round table discussion with 6 speakers from the enogastronomic industry and the Director of tourism for the Regione Puglia.  There was discussion and sharing of information and research for growth, development and sustainability concerning local food and culture.

New research was presented from the University of Foggia further confirming that the soil in the Monti Dauni area is rich in the antioxidant Selenium.  This is likely why there are a higher than usual number of centenarians in the area. Nature, nutrients and culture…ingredients of the Daunia.

The event concluded with a meal made entirely with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Dalla terra alla tavola-from the earth to the table-you won’t get any fresher than this!

‘Ostriche di montagna’ which means ‘mountain oysters’.  They are actually fried borragine/borage leaves, served with lampascione con pecorino (fried wild onion on pecorino) and crostino di salsiccia e fico (sausage and fig crostino)Parmigiana di borragine, similar to parmigiana di melanzane, but layered with borage leaves instead of eggplant.

Pancotto e patate con verdure e pomodorini (cooked bread and potatoes with wild greens and tomatoes). Pancotto e patate is Cucina Povera at its best-my favourite comfort food.

Troccoli con zucca, cicerchi e cime di rapa (Handmade Troccoli with squash, local chick peas and rapini)

Maiale con zucchine e uva fragole e patate fritte (Pork with zucchine and sweet grapes topped with fried potatoesSemifreddo di zucca, torta con crema e biscottini di grano arso (pumpkin semifreddo with pomegranate seeds, cream cake and tiny biscotti made with grano arso, a burnt wheat flour

To drink, we had Peppe’s Amarosa vino rosato / Amorosa rosé.  It is made from the Nero di Troia grape, which according to legend was brought by Diomedes who settled in the Daunia area after the Trojan War. Read more in Vini di Puglia.

Peppe Zullo was recently voted one of the 10 best local restaurants in Italia and the best in Puglia by the online gastronomic guide TasteAtlas!  Here is a link to an article in Italian in Rec24 and in Corriere.it. Tantissimi auguri Peppe!!!!

Ciao, Cristina

Buon Anno 2023

05 Thursday Jan 2023

Posted by in Blogging, Inspiration

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Buon Anno a tutti i lettori di ‘Un po’ di pepe’, vicini e lontani!  Spero che 2023 porta buona salute e gioia a voi e ai vostri cari.  Happy New Year readers of  ‘Un po’ di pepe’, near and far.  I hope 2023 brings good health and joy to you and your loved ones!

I usually write a Buon Anno / year in review post on New Year’s Eve , looking back at the blog year.  I am late in writing this one, since we celebrated my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary on Dec 27th and I posted some of their wedding photos in Diamond Anniversary. I also slipped and took a tumble down the stairs 3 weeks ago and have been moving at a slow pace. Guess I should stop practicing the Wednesday/Mercoledi dance!

2022 was the year I wrote the least amount of posts.  Mannaggia!  Post pandemic creative block was partly responsible, and I was also away a lot.  I attempted to make up for 3 years of not travelling, and did quite an epic job of it.  Read all about my travels in Post Pandemic Travel Postcard.

WordPress keeps end of year stats which I love to share because they are so interesting.* In 2022, Un po’ di pepe had almost 14,000 views from over 100 different countries!  I wish I could visit all of of them!  The top posts of 2022 are listed here, in case you missed any of them.  All of the links included in red!  Based on the number of views, the top posts of 2020 are:

#10 Beat the heat-Surviving Summer in Roma This post is based on my many years of travelling to Roma in the heat of summer.  It was published while I was in Santorini in June. 6 weeks later, I was in Roma, having to take all of my own advice! The recommendations are specific to Roma, but the information is useful for travel anywhere in Mediterranean Europe during the summer. 


#9is a tie 9a Hairstyling in Ancient Roma I am sooooo beyond thrilled to see this 2017 post on the top 10 list for the first time!  It needed some love. Join me as I study ancient hairstyling practices by looking at Classical sculptures and paintings. Most of the research was done at Palazzo Massimo.  Yeah for archeology nerds! 

Exquisite mummy portrait in encaustic wax on wood panel, Hawara, Middle Egypt, 120 AD. Photo National Museum of Scotland

#9b Polignano a Mare In this 2016 post about the stunning clifftop town on the coast of Puglia, read about my probable encounter with the mysterious ‘stair poet’  and learn what infraditi are.  In June I was back in Polignano!

#8 The Last Medici As an art history nerd, this 2020 post was my personal thanks to Anna Maria Luisa De’ Medici (AMLDM) the last of the Medici family, for leaving Firenze and the world her family’s legacy of art treasures.  If you have been to the Uffizi or Palazzo Pitti, you will know what I mean.  I was thrilled to see it on the list again! It  comes up #5 in google search for the topic!

#7 Grano Arso a Pugliese gastronomic tradition that honours the resilience of our contadini ancestors. Grano arso is also the subject of my first non- diabetes related publication! There is not a lot written in English on grano arso, which explains why this 2015 post comes up 6th on Google search and this post is in my top 10 every year.

#6 La Grande Cacata  Wow-or should I say merda! I couldn’t believe this 2018 post where I attempt to be an art critic was one of my top 10.  If you need a good laugh, my scathing review of a bruttissima monumental excremental sculpture in Piazza della Signoria in Firenze should do the job.  #5 In my kitchen in Puglia 2022 My summer cucina and the amazing barrel-vaulted stone ceiling were sorely missed during the pandemic! Check out the photo of Mamma cleaning octopi at the kitchen sink. This post was written as part of the ‘In my kitchen’ worldwide blog linkup hosted monthly by Sherry’s Pickings.

#4 Matrimonio in Puglia In June I went to a wonderful family wedding in Puglia, which included an 1100 year old church, a dress made by a 91 year old Nonna and dancing under the olive trees. Auguri Federica e Antonio!

#3 Napoli Street Art I absolutely love Napoli a perfect place for self-expression since the last few thousand years.  Join me on a graffiti/street art tour in the Centro Storico. This 2020 post comes up 5th in Google search. I went to Napoli again, so stay tuned for more posts and even more street art.Madonna con la Pistola Banksy Napoli street art

#2 L’Arte sa Nuotare  made my top list again! During a 2019 trip to Firenze with my nipotina Viaggio con Isabella we were on constant lookout for street art by Blub, the talented artist who plunges famous works of art underwater. This post also comes up 2nd on Google search!  Spread the Blub love- read about more Blub in Blub a Napoli.Putto Raffaello Firenze street art Blub#1 Italiano per Ristoranti-How to Pronounce your Restaurant Menu, this handy Italian menu pronunciation guide has been #1 every year except one.  In a google search for ‘Italian pronunciation guide restaurant’ and ‘Italian menu pronunciation’ it comes out as the top suggestion! Molto cool! This post is available as a 6 page downloadable PDF via a link at the end of the post and. I would still like to expand and turn it into an ebook someday. Speriamo! If any of you have experience publishing ebooks and can give me some advice, let me know! 

Bruschetta (broo.SKET.tah)

For 2023 my goals are simple….lots of travel-although not as much as last year- less stress, more exercise, more art and writing! 

I would love to hear which post you liked best, and what you would like to read more about in 2023 on Un po’ di pepe?  Let me know in the comments.  Looking forward to writing more cose interresanti /interesting stuff in 2023. I have a long list of posts to write based on 2022 travels.  Next month, I also plan to do a writeup on this year’s Festival di Sanremo as I did last year.  

Vi auguro un 2023 piena di gioia e buona salute!  Ciao, Cristina

Check out Italian Christmas Vocabulary for help understanding my seasonal greetings,

*Note…WordPress’ method of collecting stats is odd.  The newest post counts as a ‘Home page’ view until the next one is published and this does affect the results, especially for those of us that do not post often.

Diamond Anniversary

29 Thursday Dec 2022

Posted by in Amici e Famiglia, Orsara di Puglia, Photography

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My parents Leonardo and Pasqualina celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary a few days ago.  60 years is the Nozze di Diamante or Diamond Anniversary, and it is a big deal since less than 1% of married couples reach this milestone. Last year at my cousin’s wedding, his new wife did not throw her bouquet to the unmarried ladies-she gave it to Mamma for being married the longest and providing inspiration!

They wanted to celebrate at home with just immediate family and all of our cugini. It was a lovely event and we all had fun.  There was a display of just a few of their December 27, 1962 vintage winter wedding photos.  I also posted them on FB and IG, where they received so much love that I am posting them here as well.  

It was, and still is the custom in Orsara di Puglia for all of the wedding guests and family to depart from the bride’s house and walk behind her to the church. This is called a processione.  Following the ceremony at San Nicola di Bari, the processione continues to the reception location or wherever the vehicles are located.  In 1962 there were not many cars in town.This photo in the Portone Giudice was taken from Palazzo Baronale. It is my favourite as the snow is more visible!This one is in Piazza Mazzini.  The 2 arches in the background is the Fontana Nuova, where the women used to wash clothes.

Since there was snow on the ground, they got a ride in an old Mini.  At their 50th anniversary in 2012, the wedding dress and veil were on display on a mannequin. We could not display it this time since we were at home and the Christmas tree took up all the extra space.

They still look almost the same! I hope you have enjoyed the photos as much as we do.  Viva gli sposi! Auguri Mamma e Papà!

Post Pandemic Travel Postcard

20 Sunday Nov 2022

Posted by in Puglia, Travel

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Like most travel postcards, this one is arriving after the vacation is over. Things have been quiet on the blog, with only 3 posts published since May.  Perché? Partly creative block, but also because I tried to make up for almost 3 years of no travel all at once. I did quite the epic job of it too!  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you already have an idea what I have been up to. Here is the short version of my adventures.  More info to follow in future posts.

In June, my parents, sister, nipotine* and I attended a family wedding in Manfredonia.  Read all about it in Un Matrimonio in Puglia. The rest of the weekend was full of post-wedding activities, including a long table meal under olive trees by the beach in Mattinata.  We also spent a day in Polignano a Mare.

I took an unexpected ‘extra’ trip to Santorini to keep my nipotina Francesca company for a few days before she met her cousins.  Who knew you could fly direct to Santorini from Napoli for €70? I had been to Santorini in 1990 and it is still just as breathtaking but more crowded and expensive.  Bring lots of $ if you go!

On my way back to Puglia, I stayed in Napoli, since it is one of my favourite places.  Finalmente, I was able to see L’Ultimo Caravaggio in person!!! Also more sfogliatelle.

The rest of my time was spent in Orsara di Puglia trying to stay cool.  It was HOT!  The mornings and evenings were amazing.  My weekend camping on the beach in Mattinata was spent almost entirely in the water.

I had pizza one night in the smallest town in Puglia, Celle San Vito, population about 200.  Papà says that is only if you include the cats and dogs, but he was joking…I think.  The pizza was yummy! Apparently there are more than 200 people from Celle who immigrated to Brantford, Ontario.

Between Puglia and Greece, I ate a lot of polpo.  Many photos were posted, and this one of Mamma washing polpo in the sink was popular on Instagram. Stay tuned for a recipe post coming up.washing octopus

My last few days were spent in Roma, where I had to follow my own advice to Beat the heat-Surviving summer in Roma.  My mission was to finish crossing all of the Caravaggio paintings in Roma off my list.  I have now seen them all-except for the ceiling fresco that is in a private home.

I spent a day with friend and fellow AICW member David, who works at Santa Maria Maggiore for the summer, and I ate at a few Roman restaurants I had wanted to try.  ‘Research’ was required for the post I am editing on Pasta Romana. My amica Shannon from the post Val d’Orcia day trip and I overlapped for 1 day in Roma.  She photographed me crossing the street in style on the Gianicolo, and we made plans to meet in San Francisco in November.

At the end of July, I flew back to Vancouver to work and take care of my garden.  I even managed to publish a post In my kitchen in Puglia.

The Association of Italian Canadian Writers- AICW conference in Torino was postponed 3 times due to the pandemic, and was happening the last week of September. My cousin lives in Nice, and she informed me that the high speed TGV train travels from Paris to Torino in 5½ hours. She knew I had never been to Paris, and suggested we meet there before the conference.  A brilliant idea-the travel planning gene definitely runs in our famiglia!

September 22 I flew to Paris and spent 4 amazing days with Elia.  I will save the details for another post.  The TGV was comfy and the scenery through the Alps beautiful.

I arrived in Torino the day before the conference started, and met Lucia from Turinepi for a morning walking tour and Bicerin.  The afternoon was spent at il Museo Egizio– the largest collection of Egyptology outside of Cairo.  Torino was a pleasant surprise.  It is walkable, has grand architecture and hardly any tourists in early October! Autumn is a perfect time to visit Piemonte, especially for the seasonal food….zucca, porcini, castagne, salsiccia, with tajarin and agnelotti del plin.

The conference was at l’Università di Torino and featured 4 days of inspirational presentations.  Mine was called ‘A Nzalat d’Purtuall‘, inspired by this blog post. I made lots of new Italocanadesi friends and also Italiani who study Italian Canadian literature—yes, that is a thing!

Following the conference, the plan was to go to Venezia for 3 days.  I have been many times, but the last time was 24 years ago!  I wanted to stay right in Venezia, as I previously stayed in Mestre or went as a day trip.  Things do not always go as planned.  For reasons I won’t elaborate on, I left booking my accommodation too late, and could not find a reasonably priced place to stay-even in Mestre.

So… I took the train to Milano while I figured out what to do.  I stayed with the new sposini from Un Matrimonio in Puglia and also visited other cugini.  3 cuginetti came with me to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana to see Caravaggio’s Canestra di Frutta and they may have been even more awestruck than me!

I did manage to find a last minute deal on accommodation in Venezia.  It was even half price!!! I spent 3 days/2 nights in Venezia the first week of October, and no one got the memo that it was not summer!  The crowds were crazy, but the weather was gorgeous. Everything required online reservations and lineups so I mostly just walked and walked.  I finally made it to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum spent a day on Burano and Torcello.

Venezia was not only crowded, but definitely more expensive than the rest of Italia.  it reminded me of Santorini.  Gorgeous, but expensive.  I can only imagine what it was like in the summer.  I spoke to several Italian business owners and they are not sure if this year was a post pandemic exception or if it will be the new normal. Next year will tell.

The next train journey was Venezia to Foggia (6 hours).  I spent 2 weeks at home in Orsara di Puglia going for walks, meeting friends for caffè, eating good food and just hanging out like a local.  The weather was mostly really nice, but I did have to sleep with 3 blankets, as nights were cold and there is no heat in our little casa.

October 17th I attended ‘Appuntamento con la Daunia’ an annual event hosted by amico Peppe Zullo.  Every year I receive an invite but am not usually in Italia in October.   It is a Slow Food/Farm to Table type of event featuring speakers, tours and local food.  It was attended by food and wine journalists, chefs, RAI, and other enogastronomic types.  Read more about it in my next post.

The final train journey was to Roma where I mostly visited with friends. 2 places I had not been to since age 11 were revisited-Ostia Antica and the Musei Vaticani.I also had aperitivo with the Italian Senate representative for Italiani all’Estero, On. Francesca La Marca.  We met earlier this year at a function in Vancouver.

10 days after flying home from Roma, I went to San Francisco.  Shannon and I met there to see Måneskin live at The Masonic.  Read about them here. It was amazing and we felt like teenagers.  Listening to a North American audience singing along to all of the Italian lyrics was so cool.  We were glad to have attended this concert, since we doubt the band will be playing 4,000 seat venues any longer now that they are selling out stadiums!

This brings me to the end of my post-covid travelpalooza.  If anyone is still worried about travelling, I did not have any issues at all. I do not have any travel plans right now, but I am sure something will come up! Got any plans?  Let me know in the comments!  Buon Viaggio, Cristina

PS My nipotina* Isabella gave me selfie taking lessons, so I practiced during all my travels. At the Fontana di Trevi I impressed myself, managing to capture the coin toss mid air and not cut my head off, while avoiding the 500 other people trying to do the same!

*nipotine can mean nieces or granddaughters.  In this case it is nieces!

AICW Photo by Vincenzo Pietrapaolo

Me crossing the street in style-photo by Shannon Milar

Un Matrimonio in Puglia

08 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by in Amici e Famiglia, Feste, Italia, Italian life, Puglia

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Viva gli sposi!  After a 3 year ‘pandemic hiatus’ I finally made it back to Puglia. My trip was earlier than usual to attend un matrimonio in famiglia -a family wedding in June.  Gli sposi were Federica and Antonio. The wedding was held at the 900 year old Santa Maria di Siponto. The church is in the architectural style Romanica Pugliese, Pugliese Romanesque. Byzantine and Islamic influences are evident in the pure, simple lines and geometric patterns. The building is square, which is unusual for a church.

Our day started out with heavy rain.  My parents, sister, nieces and I ran to the car with our umbrellas for the 1½ hour drive from Orsara di Puglia. Luckily it was sunny by the time we arrived. The ceremony was held at 11 am and the stark white interior of the church was bathed in light!The look on Antonio’s face when he sees Federica at the altar is priceless. 

The 4 witnesses, called compari, and the parents of the bride and groom also take part in the ceremony.Federica looked stunning.  The wedding dress was handmade by her 91 year old nonna!  Nonna Celestina made it with fabric she had kept from the time when she owned a fabric store in Foggia many years ago. The dress is ‘a portafoglio‘ which means that it had a short skirt underneath, visible only when the slit opened. Nonna even made a spare dress, just in case!

Since we were in Puglia, we were surrounded by olive trees. I fit right into the floral arrangements with my olive coloured dress with pink and silver flowers.The reception was held at Tenimento San Giuseppe, 4 km from Foggia. We started out with aperitivo in the main building, then moved to another section for the main meal.

There was un mastro casaro-a master cheesemaker-making nodini, knots of fresh mozzarella.

Later we moved into the cantina for degustazione di vino, where I found a tasty Susumaniello that was too good! Dessert was back in the main building.  All of this moving around really helps with digestion!

The dish in the photo above is ‘mezzi paccheri rigate con salsa di gamberl e astice’, pasta with shrimp and lobster sauce.  The black smudge on the plate is squid ink. I was too busy socializing and eating to take many food photos, so read the menu and imagine it yourself!Dancing was everywhere.  Instead of having to sit through the entire meal and a bunch of speeches and wait for the end of the night to dance, dancing happens throughout the reception. Also good for digestion!One course is served…then dancing, more food, then more dancing, etc.  Since the wedding was in Puglia, there was also dancing outside under the olive trees.

Federica likes swing dancing, so there was a swing band and later in the evening, my cousin (father of the bride) and his band played their funky music.

Cake cutting was held outside, at the bottom of the dramatic staircase.  In the photo, you can see a bit of Federica’s ‘spare’ dress, while Antonio gestures for us to move out of the way.  He probably said ‘livt da nanz’.

Guests take home a little bag of confetti for good luck.  These are not what you throw at the bride and groom.  They are sugared roasted almonds, sometimes with a chocolate filling.  Traditionally there are 5 almonds that represent health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life. Bomboniere are also handed out at the end of the night.  These are a small gift from the bride and groom to thank the guests for celebrating their special day with them.

I hope you enjoyed this peak at a wedding in Puglia!  Auguri Federica e Antonio! Ciao, Cristina

In my Kitchen in Puglia, 2022

13 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Italian life, Mangiamo!, Orsara di Puglia, Puglia

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I recently returned from a long trip to Italia, after an unplanned 3 year ‘pandemic break’. We missed our little casa in Orsara di Puglia.  Once we cleaned up a bit, there was a lot of activity in the kitchen. Cucina povera, literally ‘food of the poor’, is what you mostly find in Puglia.  Simple foods made with fresh local ingredients. Here are just a few of the things my family and I were up to in our tiny but functional summer kitchen in Orsara di Puglia.

Starting with the space itself, the whole casa is 40m² (about 450 square feet) including a bedroom and bathroom.  That is about the size of a double garage.  The room with the cucina is also the living room, guest room (aka my room) and art studio. The highlight of the room is the amazing barrel vaulted stone ceiling, which is hard to fit in a photo.

We had a lot of visitors who came bearing gifts.  My favourite gift was the anguria -the huge watermelon on the counter.  It was grown by a friend and was delicious!  He also grew the cipolle.

Melanzane (eggplant, or aubergine for the Brits) and zucchine are plentiful in summer.  We made Parmigiana di melanzane e zucchine.  It was soooo yummy, but we only made it once as cooking it was painful.  It was too hot to have the oven on! Now this is my idea of a bouquet of flowers! Fiori di zucca are one of my favourite summer foods. I stuffed them with caciocavallo and basilico, then battered and fried them.  It was too hot to bake them in the oven.  They were eaten before I could take a photo.  Luckily they are easy to find here. I grow fiori di zucca in my garden in Vancouver, because they are impossible to find. Recipes and harvesting tips can be found in the post Fiori di zucca. 

Fichi-figs-were everywhere.  Green, purple, small, big…even ginormous like this one in my hand.More fichi!basket of figsLast time I was here, I bought a spianatoia, although I only knew what is was called in dialetto.  It is a pasta rolling board with a lip on one end so it stays put on the table.  This one also has a handy carrying handle. I was only able to use it once in 2019, so I wanted to get some use out of it. I made ravioli di ricotta e spinaci a few times and filled the freezer.  I make them often in Vancouver, and they are good-but the goat milk ricotta here is so incredibly good that they taste better.

I did not get a chance to make my own orecchiette as I was too busy socializing, but we did eat them often.  I need to practice my technique!

Orecchiette con sugo

The cheese products in Puglia and Campania are drool-worthy!  Orsara has its own DOP cheese called cacioricotta, made with goat milk, but it never stays around long enough to be photographed!  Wednesday is mozzarella di bufala day. These melt in your mouth ones are from Masseria Li Gatti near Torremaggiore, SanSevero (FG).  

June is amarena season.  Amarene are sour wild cherries.  The word amaro means sour or bitter.  Everyone is busy picking them, making jam, canning them and making crostate.  I went amarena picking in my cousin’s olive grove.  Aren’t they gorgeous?Amarena cherries on the tree

Friends and relatives gave us amarene in syrup.  The absolute best place to use it is on top of gelato! I ate a lot of polpo or polipo on this trip.  They both mean Octopus and it is one of my favourite foods.  I will have to publish a post with all of my polpo photos.  This one of Mamma washing polpo in the kitchen sink was popular on instagram.washing octopusThis is the insalata di polpo that she made.  No leftovers.  Sorry, not sorry!Octopus salad

Cooking fish needs to be coordinated with umido day which is 3 times a week, otherwise the entire house will be puzzolente -stinky. Orsara now does la raccolta differenziata for garbage and recycling and it is extremely efficient!  Roma, are you listening?  The town has never looked so clean.  I will have to write a post about this.  Here is a sunny photo of l’umido pickup day.  This is not the kitchen, but these stairs do lead to it!

We went to a post-wedding meal in Alberona and stopped off at the caciocavallo store on the way home.  It was actually a farm and it was super-puzzolente!

Fresh caciocavallo needs to hang to dry.  The kitchen stone ceiling has a catnill’.  This is a metal ring like the ones outside that were used to tie up your donkey.  We couldn’t reach it to hang the caciocavallo, plus they tend to ‘sweat’ and leak a small amount of fluid until they dry.  Yuck.  who wants caciocavallo sweat to fall on their head?  It was hung from the fridge, next to the piattaia full of Pugliese plates.

I will leave you with one last photo of the cute little Ichnusa Sardinian beer bottle I brought home from camping in Mattinata.  I hope this post has made you either hungry and drooling or wishing you could visit Puglia yourself.  Maybe it has done both? Perché no?  I am already planning my next visit!  Buon appetito e buon viaggio, Cristina
Thanks Sherry from Australia for hosting the monthly food blogging event, In My Kitchen (IMK). Click the link to Sherry’s Pickings to read about other world kitchens. Buon appetito, Cristina

Beat the heat: Surviving Summer in Roma

19 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by in Italia, Roma, Travel, Travel tips

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Visiting Roma this summer? Summer in Roma can be hot, humid, sticky and crowded.  The temperature is usually >30° C (85°F) and the humidity can make it feel even hotter. I often hear people say ‘the worst time to go to Roma/Italy is in the summer-it’s too hot!’  Well…anytime is a good time to go.  Whatever time works for you.  You will just have a different experience depending on the season.  Teachers, students, school employees and families with bambini in school can only travel in summer, so advising them to visit at another time is not helpful.

For those of us that go to visit family, especially in smaller villages, August is often the best time to be there.  In my small mountain village in Puglia there are feste and concerts, my friends and relatives have time off work, and those who have moved away for work come back to visit. This is why I go in summer.

Roma will have a decreased amount of Romans for the 2 weeks around Ferragosto Aug 15th. Many Romans head to ‘la spiaggia’ so it will be less crowded with fewer cars on the road.  Office and public workers are off or have decreased working hours. A lot of smaller businesses are closed as well. Do not worry, there will be more than enough restaurants open that nobody will starve. August 15th is a national holiday, so definitely avoid travel on that particular day. Public transportation will be reduced and nearly everything will be closed. Museums and cultural sites will be open. July is actually more crowded than August. For more info on this, read the post Chiuso per Ferie.

I visit Roma for a few days every summer at the beginning or end of my trip to Puglia and consider myself quite the expert on managing the intense heat and crowds. Here are my tips for surviving summer in Roma:

1-Schedule the day like an Italian!  Quando a Roma, fai come i Romani/ When in Roma…..

A- Mattina/Morning Wake up early and do your stuff in the morning. Visit ‘non shady’ sites in the morning, as they will be too hot to do in the afternoon. These include the Colosseo, Foro Romano, Piazza Navona and Passeggiata all’Aventino.

B Pomeriggio/afternoon During the hottest part of the day-1-5 pm, participate in the riposo or ‘pausa pranzo’.  (**Note that this is not known as siesta in Italian) This is a ‘rest period’ and many places are closed. This is not always the case in the larger cities or touristy areas, but it makes sense to follow when it is hot.  Have pranzo-the main meal, at 1pm, enjoying the interior of a cool restaurant, then if your lodgings are close by, have a rest, take a nap or check email. Keep it dark with closed shutters/curtains while staying indoors, and also while you are out, so it stays cool.

If it is not feasible or you do not want to participate in the ‘pausa pranzo’  visit cool places during this time. For example:

1-Visit churches! Roma has >900 churches- they are dark, cool, free and may even have seats.  Some, like San Luigi dei Francesi and Sant’Agostino even have their own Caravaggio works for you to drool over. For the full walking tour, go to  Caffè con Caravaggio a Roma.  Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the Pantheon and Santa Prassede are 3 other favourites of mine.  Smaller churches may be closed during pausa pranzo, but many are open. Sometimes you even find things by happy accident. I once stepped into Santa Brigida, a very traditional Scandinavian church in Piazza Farnese for a 3 pm Mass which included otherworldly sounding chanting and singing by cloistered nuns.

***Important Note about churches – Churches are primarily places of worship, so please be respectful.  Dress appropriately, speak quietly-if the artwork does not render you speechless. Avoid Mass times, especially on Sundays.  It may not be possible to visit unless you are attending Mass. There is no charge to visit most churches, but I always like to light a candle when I visit (€.50-€1).

2 –Visit museums Most are air conditioned and open until 1900 (7pm). My favourites are Centrale Montemartini and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme which is downright cold-especially the top  floor where the fresco villas are.

Both of these museums are never crowded, even in high season. Galleria Borghese requires a reservation and you can only stay 2 hours.  If you time the visit right, go to Villa Borghese afterwards and find shade under a tree.

Smaller museums might not have air conditioning.  **A note on AC.  Electricity is expensive in Europe.  The AC is cool, but not cold like it usually is in North America. Read my amusing post Aria Pericolosa for more on this topic!

3- Go underground and visit the Catacombs of Domitilla, 12 km of cool underground tunnels from the 2nd to the 5th Century or the Basilica San Clemente which has 3 layers of churches, ending in a Mithrean temple.

C Sera/evening Get back out in the early evening, then stay out late enjoying the fresh air and longer days. Go for aperitivo! Pop up restaurants, wine bars and stands line the Tevere in summer near Ponte Sisto and Isola Tiberina.

Villa Celimontana holds an outdoor evening jazz festival from June-August. This is also a great time for a passeggiata in Piazza Navona or Trastevere.  There is a  Colosseo night tour as well as tour of the underground and the Forum. These can be booked online.  Roma also has several roof bars including the Terrazza Borromeo, Hotel Pantheon and Hotel Minerva.

More hot weather advice:

2 Keep hydrated Bring a water bottle and drink from from the >2000 cast iron nasoni or ‘big noses’.  These are running water fountains all over the city with SPQR stamped on the front.  This one is in front of the Pantheon.

Nasoni were installed in 1874 to make cold drinking water from acqueducts free and accessible to all. Place your hand under the main flow and drink from the gush out the top. My favourite place to drink is La Barcaccia in Piazza di Spagna. The water is absolutely freddissima!

3 Granita e gelato! Gelato will keep you cool. As if an excuse for more gelato is ever needed! I find the fruit flavors most refreshing, especially limone and pompelmo rosa (pink grapefruit).  You must try a granita di caffè at Tazza d’oro near the Pantheon. Also refreshing are caffé Shakerato, affogato and Grattachecca. It is hard to find bad gelato. There is Gelato del Teatro, Grom and Fatamorgana has 9 locations. My favourite is Danielgelo, a small family run gelateria near where I stay in the San Paolo area.

Granita di caffe

4 Dress appropriately Wear a hat! Use sunscreen and dress lightly in layered breathable fabrics such as linen or cotton. Bring a light shawl or coverup if planning to visit churches, especially the Vatican. Walk on the shady side of the street, if possible. Buy a souvenir folding Roma fan.  They are available at all the souvenir stands for 2-3 Euro.

Should you avoid going to Italia in August? Absolutely not! If that is when you are able to go-then do it! Hopefully my tips will help. Be sure to click on the post links. Also remember the positive things about summer in Italia-the long days and wonderfully cool evenings, sky so blue it does not look real, the cast shadows of the mid afternoon sun and the seasonal summer food 😋.

Buon viaggio, Cristina