Author Archives: Un po' di pepe

Sanremo 2024

29 Monday Jan 2024

Posted by in Culture, Feste, Italian life

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The 74th edition of Festa della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo is February 6-10, 2024, 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 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 first option to represent Italia at the 68th annual Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden May 7, 9 and 11, 2024.  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.

The 74th edition of the Festival di Sanremo  February 6-10, 2024 will be broadcast live on RAI (RAI International for the rest of us) and the RAIplay App, hosted for the fifth time by Amedeus, with a different cohost each night.  They are Marco Mengoni (2023 winner), Giorgia, Teresa Manneno, Lorella Cuccarini and comedian Fiorello. Former winners, Italian and international guest artists will perform.

Special guests, on Feb 6th, cohost Marco Mengoni will perform.  Feb 7th special guests are Giovanni Allevi, and Giorgia, who celebrates the 30th anniversary of ‘E poi‘.  Feb 8th, Russell Crowe will perform with his band, Indoor Garden Party, and Eros Ramazzotti celebrates the 40th anniversary of ‘Terra Promessa’.  Finally on Feb 10th, Italian ballet dancer Roberto Bollè performs and Gigliola Cinquetti celebrates 60 years of ‘Non ho l’età’.

The Sanremo prize goes to the winning song, although in most cases the performers are involved in the songwriting.  This year, there are 30 contestants, including the top 3 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 February 6th.  All 30 contestants perform, with no eliminations.  Voting is 100% by press jury-(accredited journalists from press comprising of print, TV and web).

Night #2 and #3 February 7th and 8th. 15 of the contestants perform each night and there are no eliminations.  The contestants will be introduced by one of the artists not performing that night.  Voting is 50% televote and 50% radio jury.

Night #4 February 9 is ‘Covers night’.  Each artist/group performs a cover song of their choice.  They can perform solo or invite an Italian or international artist as a guest.  Voting is 34% televote, 33% press jury and 33% radio jury.

Final night #5 February 10th.  There are 2 rounds the final night.  All 30 acts perform and voting is 100% from televote.  The top 5 are announced, then voting is reset and there is a new, final vote. The winner is decided by 34% televoting, 33% press jury and 33% radio jury.

The lineup of concorrenti /contestants includes 6 former Sanremo winners, 1 two-time winner, 5 who have represented Italia at Eurovision, many former contestants, and some first time acts.  Below is a list of all 30 performers, the song titles and a few other details to help you watch and enjoy the festival:

  • Alfa –‘Vai’.  This is Genovese rapper Andrea De Filippi’s first time at Sanremo.  He released his debut mix tape in 2017 and collaborated with Rosa Chemical on ‘Snob’ in 2021.
  • Alessandra Amoroso –‘Fino a qui’.  Alessandra is the 2009 winner of the talent show ‘Amici’.  She has received 2 MTV awards and 2 MTV Europe music awards.  In 2017 she sold out L’arena di Verona for 2 nights.  This is her first time at Sanremo.
  • Angelina Mango –‘La Noia‘. Angelina had an amazing 2023.  She won the talent show Amici and released an EP ‘Voglia di Vivere‘.  ‘Ci Pensiamo Domani’ went triple platinum.  This is her first time at Sanremo, with a song co-written by Madame.
  • Annalisa –‘Sinceramente’.  Annalisa placed 2nd in the 2010 edition of Amici.  She has collaborated with many Italian artists and has 31 platinum and 14 gold records.  Her 2023 song Disco Paradise with Fedez and Articolo 31 went triple platinum.  This is her 6th time at Sanremo since 2013.  In 2018 she came in 3rd place.  Fun fact:  her 2016 song ‘Used to You/Potrei abituarmi’ was written by Dua Lipa!!!
  • Big Mama -‘La Rabba non ti Basta‘. Avellino native Marianna Mammone promotes body positivity and anti bullying.  In 2022 she was chosen as one of 10 up and coming Italian artists by the streaming platform RADAR.  In 2023 she was a guest on covers night, singing ‘American Woman’ with Elodie.  This is her first time competing at Sanremo.
  • Bnkr44 –‘Governo Punk’. Bnkr44 was formed in 2019 by 7 young men from Villanova, near Firenze.  They are Erin, Piccolo, Faster, JxN, Caph, Fares, and their artistic director ghenayO. Their music is urban pop/nuovo pop Italiano.  In 2023 they appeared on Covers night, duetting with Sethu on ‘Charlie fa surf RMX’.  They have collaborated with several Italian artists, including Madame, Ghali, Rkomi, Elisa and Tananai. Bnkr44 placed in the top 3 of Sanremo Giovani.
  • Clara -‘Diamanti grezzi‘. Clara Socini aka Clara or Crazy J. She is the winner of Sanremo Giovani, the first female to win in 14 years! Clara has released 4 singles since 2020.  In 2023, she played the role of Giulia on the RAI series Mare Fiori 3 and her collaboration with Mr Rain on ‘Un Millione di Notte‘ made the top 10.
  • Dargen D’Amico -‘Onda Alta‘. Milanese rapper and producer Jacopo D’Amico wrote 2 songs for Sanremo 2021.  In 2022 ‘Dove is Balla‘ came in 9th place and went on to be platinum.  Dargen was a judge on XFactor Italia 2022 and 2023. This is his 2nd time competing.
  • Diodato -‘Ti muovi‘. Diodato is the winner of Sanremo 2020 with ‘Fai Rumore‘.  He also participated in 2014 and 2018.  He was to represent Italia at Eurovision 2020 but it was cancelled due to the pandemic. He performed as a guest at Eurovision 2022 in Torino. Diodato has a docuseries on RAIplay.
  • Emma –‘Apnea’. Emmanuela Marrone is the 2012 Sanremo winner with ‘Non è l’inferno’. She won the talent show Amici in 2010 and in 2011 came in 2nd place with Modá at Sanremo.  She also cohosted in 2015. Emma was invited to represent Italia at Eurovision 2014 with ‘La Mia Cittá‘. In 2018 she performed onstage with U2 during their Italia tour!  Emma was a Sanremo super guest in 2020 and an Amici and XFactor judge in 2020/21.  She came in 6th place in 2022 and in 2023 was a guest on covers night with Lazza. Emma’s docufilm is on Prime Video.
  • Fiorella Mannoia -‘Mariposa‘.  Fiorella has collaborated with many Italian artists, including Lucio Dalla, Pino Daniele, Loredana Bertè and Giuliano Sangiorgi.  Her  musical debut was in 1968.  She participated in Sanremo 1981, 1984 and 1987, when she won the Critics Prize with ‘Quello che le Donne non Dicono‘.  In 2000 Fiorella appeared as a Superguest. In 2017 she participated with the song ‘Che sia Benedetta’ and placed 2nd.
  • Fred DePalma -‘Il Cielo non ci Vuole‘.  Federico Palana discovered hip hop in 2008.  He has had 28 platinum records and 6 gold.  Fred has 4 million monthly streams on Spotify and has collaborated with several international artists, including 3 with Ana Mena.  This is his first time participating at Sanremo.
  • Gazelle –‘Tutto qui’. A first time participant at Sanremo, Gazelle has released 4 albums, with over a billion streams and his concert tour included the Stadio Olimpico Roma in June 2023.
  • Geolier -‘I p’me, tu p’te’. Napoletano rapper Emanuele Palumbo had the 2023 bestselling album in Italia with ‘Il Coraggio dei Bambini‘.  This is his first time at Sanremo.
  • Ghali -‘Casa Mia’. Ghali Amdouni is a Milanese rapper. His first album ‘Album‘ was the 5th highest selling in Italia in 2017. He collaborated with Ed Sheeran in 2020 on a remake of Antisocial and also appeared as a super guest at Sanremo with a medley of his hits.  In 2021 he also created a new capsule Collection for Benetton.  This is Ghali’s first time competing at Sanremo.
  • Il Tre –‘Fragili’. Roman hip hop artist Guido Senai.  Il Tre’s career started in 2016 when he won the show ‘One shot game’.  This is his first time at Sanremo
  • Il Volo -‘Capolavoro‘.  Piero Barone, Ignazio Boschetto and Gianluca Ginoble, 2 tenors and a baritone, won the children’s talent show ‘Ti lascia una canzone‘ in 2009 and have since had an incredible international career.  This is their 3rd time participating at Sanremo.  In 2015 they won with ‘Grande Amore‘ and in 2019 placed 3rd with ‘Musica che Resta‘. Il Volo represented Italia at Eurovision 2015 in Vienna and placed 3rd..
  • Irama -‘Tu no’. This is Irama’s 5th time competing at Sanremo.  In 2016 he was in the Newcomers category and his 2019 song went double platinum.  His 2020 song ‘Mediterranea‘ was the most listened to song of the summer.  Irama was not able to perform live in 2021 due one of his staff testing COVID positive, although he still placed 5th based on his pre-recorded rehearsal performance! His ballad ‘Ovunque Sarai’ dedicated to his recently deceased nonna was my favourite to win in 2022.  It placed 4th.  Irama has several recent collaborations with Rkomi, including the game show Celebrity Hunted.
  • La Sad -‘Autodistruttivo’.TheΦ, Plant and Fiks, 3 solo rap, metalcore, and emo punk artists got together to form La Sad.  They released their first album in 2022, and in 2023 premiered their single ‘Toxic‘ on TV.  They spent the summer touring Italia on the Summersad Tour.  This is their first time at Sanremo
  • Loredana Bertè -‘Pazza‘. Loredana can be recognized by her short skirts and long blue hair.  Her first LP in 1974 ‘Streaking‘ was censored at the time!  After seeing Bob Marley live in Jamaica in 1979, she released the first reggae music in Italian ‘È la Luna Bassò’.  Loredana’s 1982 album ‘Traslocando‘ is #24 on the Rolling Stone Italia list of 100 best Italian albums ever.  She has competed at Sanremo 11 times and in 2008, was presented the city of Sanremo career prize.  In 2019 her song ‘Cosa ti Aspetta da me‘ placed 4th, which caused a minor outrage among fans. In 2015, she released her autobiography ‘Traslocando, è andata così’.  Since 2015, Loredana has been an Amici judge various times and since 2020 a coach on The Voice Senior and The Voice Kids. In 2022 on Covers night, she performed her 1975 hit ‘Sei Bellissima‘ with Achille Lauro.
  • Mahmood -‘Tuta gold’.  Mahmood (Alessandro Mahmoud) won Sanremo Giovani in 2018, which got him a spot in the 2019 competition.  He is the 2019 Sanremo winner and 2ndplace Eurovision winner with the catchy ‘Soldi’. He also received the Eurovision prize for best musical composition.  Mahmood also won Sanremo in 2022 with Blanco with ‘Brividi‘. I believe this is the only love ballad performed by 2 men.  They placed 6 at Eurovision in Torino.  In 2023 Mahmood was a special guest the final night of the Eurovision Festival in Liverpool.  He was a guest performer at Sanremo 2020 and 2021 and has written songs for Elodie, Michele Bravi, Marco Mengoni and others. He starts his European tour in April 2024. Fun fact:  Mahmood voices Sebastian in the Italian version of the live action ‘La Sirenetta/The Little Mermaid’!
  • Maninni -‘Spettacolare’. Alessio Mininni released several singles in 2022 and 2023.  He opened for The Kolors on various dates of their tour.  This is Maninni’s first time at Sanremo.
  • Mister Rain -‘Due Altalene’. Rapper and ex Amici participant Mattia Balardi from Brescia, known as ‘Mr Rain’ has been performing since 2014.  At Sanremo 2023 Mr Rain placed 3rd with ‘Supereroi‘, which he performed harmonizing with 8 talented bambini. He also released a platinum single with Sangiovanni ‘La Fina del Mondo‘.
  • Negramaro –‘Recominciamo Tutto’. Negramaro, made up of Giuliano Sangiorgi, Emanuele Spedicato, Ermanno Carta, Danilo Tasco, Andrea Manasco and Andrea DeRocco are one of my favourite bands- and not just because they are Pugliesi!   In 2001 they were finalists in MTV’s new talent contest.  They released their first album in 2003.  In 2005 the album ‘Mentre tutto Scorre‘ put them on the map.  They competed at the Festival Sanremo with the title song and received the Sala Stampa radio and TV critics award.  They also received an MTV Europe award.  Negramaro has collaborated with everyone in Italian music and also international acts, including the beautiful duet ‘Senza Fiato’ with the late Dolores O’Riordan. Negramaro was the first Italian band on the cover of Billboard Magazine. They were Sanremo superguests in 2018 and in 2019 released a docufilm on the occasion of their 20 years together.  In 2022 they had a 40 date Unplugged European Tour.  19 years later, they are back competing at Sanremo for the 2nd time.
  • Renga e Nek -‘Pazzo di te’. Francesco Renga and Filippo Neviani aka Nek have each been in the Italian music industry for over 35 years.  Francesco is the 2005 Sanremo winner with ‘Angelo’ and this is his 8th time in the competition.  Last year he and Nek were guest performers and they released an album together ‘Renganek’.  This is Nek’s 5th time competing at Sanremo. In 2015 he placed 2nd with ‘Fatti Avanti Amore’ and also won the prize for best arrangement. In 2017 he was the Italian artist most played on radio, with 4 singles.
  • Ricchi e Poveri -‘Ma non Tutta la vita’. Originally formed in 1968 as a quartet Franco Gatti, Angela Brambati, Marina Occhiena and Angelo Sotgiu. In their 1970 Sanremo debut, they came in 2nd place with ‘La Prima Cosa Bella‘ together with Nicola di Bari. They also came in 2nd place in 1971 with ‘Che Sarà’.  In 1978 they represented Italia at Eurovision.  In 1981 they came in 5th with ‘Sará Perché ti Amo‘ and Marina left the group.  They won Sanremo 1985 with ‘Se m’Innamoro’.  In 2013, they received the Premio della carriera Città di Sanremo and in 2016 Franco also left the group.  To celebrate half a century of Ricchi e Poveri, they held a concert at the Teatro di Torino in 2018.  In 2020 their manager reunited the 4 and they were superguests at Sanremo. Franco passed away in 2022.  This will be their 13th time competing at the Festival Sanremo.
  • Rose Villain -‘Click boom!’.  This is Goth singer/rapper Rosa Luini’s first time competing at Sanremo.  Last year she performed on Covers night with Rosa Chemical.  She also released her first album ‘Radio Gotham‘ and ‘Fragile‘ a single with Achille Lauro. Her new hit ‘Io, me e altri guai‘ is described as ‘Tainted love meets Wednesday Addams’. Rose will be performing with Italian legend Gianna Nannini for Covers night!
  • Sangiovanni –‘Finiscimi’. Since his Sanremo debut in 2022, the 20 year old has had great success. His song ‘Malibu’ had the most listens on Spotify Italy in 2021. For Covers night, he will perform ‘Mariposas‘, the Spanish version of his hit ‘Farfalle’ with Spanish singer Aitana.
  • Santi Francesi -‘L’amore in Bocca‘.  Santi Francesi is made up of 2022 XFactor winners Alessandro DeSantis and Mario Francese-see what they did with their name?.  They released their first album in 2019 and opened for Madame and Blanco at the Ferrara Summer Festival. This is their first time at Sanremo.
  • The Kolors -‘Un Ragazzo, una Ragazza’. Formed in Milano in 2009 by cugini Antonio ‘Stash’ and Alex Fiordispino and Dario Iaculli with a distinct 80’s funk vibe.  They were the resident band in the club ‘Le Scimmie’ and won the Amici talent show in 2015. The Kolors made their Sanremo debut in 2018 with their first song in Italian ‘Frida (Mai, mai, mai)’. They have done many collaborations and Stash has been an Amici judge.  Their 2023 hit ‘Italdisco‘ was the tormentone** of the summer!

*Amici is an Italian talent show on television since 2001.  20 ‘students’ aged 16-30 years, interested in being professional singers, songwriters and dancers participate. **Un tormentone is a catchy song that you can’t get out of your head, like an ‘ear worm‘!

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

2023~Un po’ di pepe Year in Review

31 Sunday Dec 2023

Posted by in Blogging, Inspiration

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As we prepare to ring in 2024, here is a look back at 2023 on Un po’ di pepe. More posts were published than last year (yeah!) although still not as many as I was hoping for. The post pandemic creative slump is still lingering, but things are slowly improving. There are many half written things in progress!

I did manage to participate in a Countering Isolation with Creativity project for seniors. Click on the link to view the 1.5 hour mixed media selfie collage workshop on Youtube. Early in the year, post #200 was published, and I had an ‘Espresso per uno‘ print giveaway for 3 readers.  

During my yearly trips to Italia, I try to visit 1 or 2 new places.  In 2023, I went to Procida for the first time-definitely not the last time.  I also took an unexpected short trip to Costa Rica and saw lots of monkeys!   It is probably news to most of you that I am a huge U2 fan. In October, I went to see them in Las Vegas at the Sphere! It was amazing, and we even had surprise guest Lady Gaga for 3 songs!  The visuals and acoustics at the Sphere are so good it has ruined me for any future concerts.  Have a look at my 2 minute video-make sure  to watch it till the end:

 

To celebrate Week of the Italian language in the World, I published a post to liven up your language skills ‘Che Cavolo! Non rompere le Scatole!‘. 

WordPress sends me end of year stats which I love to share because they are so interesting.* In 2023, Un po’ di pepe had over 14,000 views from 112 different countries!  I wish I could visit them all!  The top 10 posts (11 actually because of a tie) of 2023 are listed below, with links included in red, in case you missed any of them.  7 of the top posts of the year appear on the first page of a google search.  This is fantastic!  Granted, they are not commonly searched topics but I am still impressed. The art history related posts seem to do well-I will have to write more of them in future!

Based on the number of views, the top posts of 2023 are:

#10a In my kitchen in Puglia 2023 Once again, my summer cucina with its amazing barrel-vaulted stone ceiling was well read.  This post was written as part of the ‘In my kitchen’ worldwide blog linkup hosted monthly by Sherry of Sherry’s Pickings

#10b tied with #10a Appuntamento con la Daunia.  Every October I receive an invitation to this event and I was finally in Italy at the right time! Hosted by my amico Peppe Zullo at Villa Jamele, this event features local food and wine, focusing on the biodiversity of the Monti Dauni area of Foggia.

#9 Tutti i Santi This 2018 post was written after I attended the annual November 1 festa in Orsara di Puglia to honour the departed with bonfires and carved pumpkins. I previously wrote about this event in Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje, but at the time I had not attended in person yet. 

#8 Grano Arso A Pugliese gastronomic tradition that honours the resilience of our contadini ancestors. There is not a lot written in English about grano arso, which explains why this 2015 post is in my top 10 every year and comes up 5th on the first page of Google.

#7 L’Arte sa Nuotare  made the 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 the first page of a Google search!  Spread the Blub love- read about more Blub in Blub a Napoli.Ragazza con l'orecchina di perla Blub street artist Firenze, Girl with a pearl earring#6 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 #4 in google search both for the topic and for her name!

#5 Bialetti Moka A 2023 post about the history and invention of the beloved Moka caffettiera which revolutionized caffè for Italian households around the world.  The best invention to come out of observing laundry!

#4 Italiano per Ristoranti-How to Pronounce your Restaurant Menu, this handy Italian menu pronunciation guide is usually #1.  In a google search for ‘Italian menu pronunciation’ it comes out as the top suggestion! Molto cool! A 6 page downloadable PDF is available via a link at the end of the post. I would still like to expand and turn it into an ebook someday. Speriamo! If any of you have experience or advice on this, let me know! Ravioli di ricotta e spinaci

#3 Sanremo 2023 For the second year in a row, I wrote a handy viewing guide to the 5 day Festival di Sanremo Italian song contest held the first week of February and it was well received, so I plan to keep doing it every year.

#2 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 3rd in Google search .I have  been to Napoli a few times since and probably have enough new street art photos to make a 2.0 version.volto di Sophia Loren Napoli street art#1 Hairstyling in Ancient Roma This 2017 post was on the top 10 list last year for the first time, but I am sooooo beyond thrilled to see it is in first place for 2023!  I am not sure why? I know some views have been referred via Pinterest and it now ranks 3rd in Google search. Another art history post of mine that suddenly had lots of views was because it was being used for a class by a college in California.  It is hard to know for sure why? 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!

For 2024 my goals are simple and the same as usual…. travel, 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 2024 on Un po’ di pepe?  Let me know in the comments.  Looking forward to writing more cose interresanti /interesting stuff in 2024. In April, Un po’ di pepe celebrates 10 years of blogging, so I will have to plan something special!

To find out what I’m up to, check out the Un po’ di pepe Facebook page and Instagram (@unpodipepe).  I know many of you read new posts when they are posted on Facebook, but with the new algorithms, you are likely to miss them most of the time.  To get notified of new posts, it is best to sign up with your email in the top right hand corner of the home page.

Buon Anno a tutti i lettori di ‘Un po’ di pepe’, vicini e lontani!  Spero che 2024 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 2024 brings good health and joy to you and your loved ones!

Vi auguro un 2024 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 definitely does affect the results, especially for those of us that do not post often.

Buon Natale 2023

24 Sunday Dec 2023

Posted by in Feste

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Cari amici di ‘Un po’ di pepe’, auguro un buonissimo Natale e un meraviglioso nuovo anno piena di gioia e salute a voi e alle vostre famiglie!

Dear friends of ‘Un po’ di pepe’, wishing you and your families an incredibly Merry Christmas and a marvelous new year filled with joy and good health.

Un abbraccio, Cristina

L’Albero di Natale-Rockefeller Center

08 Friday Dec 2023

Posted by in Feste, Italocanadesi

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December 8th is a national holiday in Italia and the official start of le feste Natalizie-the Christmas season.  It is also the day most Italiani put up and decorate their Christmas tree, l’ albero di Natale.

The most well-known albero di Natale is probably the one in Rockefeller Plaza in New York.  It is known around the world and visited by 125 million people each year. Usually, the tree is a giant Norway Spruce from upstate NY, sometimes it is even from Canada.  The tree goes up on the Wednesday evening after American Thanksgiving* and is lit from 5 am to midnight until after the epiphany.

The tree may not go up on December 8th, but I recently found out that this famous tree tradition was started by Italian immigrant excavation workers.  On December 24th 1931 work had just begun on the future site of Rockefeller Center.  The first tree, a ‘small’ 6.1 m (20 ft) Balsam fir was brought to the site by Cesidio Perruzza.  Originally from Frosinone, he was one of a group of Italian excavation workers who built a lot of Manhattan. They pooled their money to buy the tree, wanting to bring Christmas cheer and to be thankful for being employed during economic depression.  The tree was decorated with paper garlands made by their families, gum wrappers, and the foil wrappers from blasting caps-since their job was blowing things up!

The photo from the Rockefeller Centre’s website shows workers lining up to collect their wages on Christmas Eve 1931 beside the tree.

By Christmas 1933, the job was completed and 30 Rockefeller Plaza opened.  The first ‘official’ tree was lit in the plaza and it was made an annual tradition.  It was a 15 m (50 ft) tree and according the Rockefeller Centre’s website, was intended as ‘a holiday beacon for New Yorkers and visitors alike’.  The skating rink was added below the tree in 1936. This is how a group of Italian excavation workers with hope and Christmas spirit started a beloved tradition.

Perhaps this is common knowledge for Italian Americans? Did any of you know about this? Let me know in the comments.

*I specify American Thanksgiving because in Canada Thanksgiving is in October, the same time as American Columbus Day

Photos of 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree taken last week by my cuginetto, paparazzo Luciano Pepe

Photos of Dec 24, 1931 from Rockefeller Center website

Buon Natale, Cristina

Che Cavolo!  Non Rompere le Scatole 

22 Sunday Oct 2023

Posted by in Italian language, Parole piacevoli

≈ 10 Comments

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Broken boxesWhat the Cabbage and don’t break the boxes?  WTF? Yes, that is exactly what this post is about!  Since it is ‘Settimana della lingua italiana nel Mondo/Week of the Italian language in the World’ this is an Italian language related post about my 2 favourite eufemismi- euphemisms.  A euphemism is a word substitution where a more polite, less vulgar word or expression is used in place of one that may be offensive.  We can subtitle this ‘How to swear politely in Italian’.  Take your conversational Italian to the next level and learn how to swear politely-well, sort of.Cabbage

Cavolo means cabbage, and is often used as a euphemism for cazzo -the vulgar term for the male reproductive organ.  Why cabbage? Is it because cabbage can be wilted and limp?  Ha ha!  The reason is probably just because the words sound so similar.  It is like how, in English ‘fudge’ is used to replace ‘f*ck’.  Cavolo can be used anywhere as a replacement-and it is used often in everyday Italian. ‘Che cazzo’ translates to WTF.  This is not the literal translation of this expression, which would be ‘what the dick,’ but it is the Italian equivalent to the English WTF.  For those of you who do not speak text, WTF means ‘what the f*ck’).  Che cavolo!

Flying cazzi amulet mobile at the Napoli Airport gift shop

Cavolo! Followed by an exclamation mark, cavolo is an expression of surprise or frustration.  This is equivalent in English to saying ‘Damn!’ or a long, drawn out fuuuuuu*k!  Example:  Cavolo! Mi sono dimenticato le chiave!

Fare col cavolo means to do something with cabbage.  This expression is used to say that something will never happen or is unlikely to be successful.  Example:  Elio lavoro col cavolo.

Non me ne importa un cavolo literally means ‘I don’t give a cabbage’ and is equivalent to IDGAF (I don’t give a f*ck). Example:  Ho vista tua ex fidanzata con un altro /I saw your ex girlfriend with someone else.  ‘Non me ne importo un cavolo!’

Non vale un cavolo means ‘not worth the cabbage’.  This expression is used to declare something a waste of time.

Fatti i cavoli tuoi means ‘make your own cabbages’ and is equivalent to MYOB -mind your own business. Sono cavoli miei, literally ‘they are my cabbages’ means ‘it’s my business’. Example: ‘Fatti i cavoli tuoi, ma questi sono cavoli miei!’

Non ho fatto un cavolo means ‘I didn’t do a cabbage’-I didn’t do anything. Example: Domenica non ho fatto un cavolo/ On Sunday, I didn’t do a darn thing.

Fare una Cavolata-‘making a mess of cabbages’, means to do something stupid.  Example:  Lorenzo ha fatto una cavolata con la prenotazione /Lorenzo f**ked up the reservation.

Incazzata is the vulgar form of arrabbiata, meaning angry.  When you use incazzata, you are really angry!  Using the cavolo euphemism, we get Incavolata.  Example; Ieri quando ho visto la casa in disordine, mi sono incavolata! /Yesterday when I saw the mess in the house, I got angry!

Substituting with cavolo definitely makes the statement less intense, so if you really want to emphazize how you feel, keep the cazzo!

Scatole means boxes, and is a euphemism for palle or coglioni which are balls or testicles. Rompere le scatole, meaning ‘breaking the boxes’ is the polite way of saying ‘breaking balls’. Mi hai rotto le scatole=you have broken my boxes.  This expression is usually used when someone is annoying and getting on your nerves.

Non rompere le scatole-Don’t break the boxes /Don’t break my balls can be shortened simply to the no nonsense ‘non rompere’! Example: ‘Basta, mi hai rotto le scatole!’ = Enough! You have broken my boxes/balls!

Lui e un rompiscatolo means ‘he is a ball breaker’.  This usually refers to someone who is a PITA -a pain in the ass.

There is a new book on my ‘to read’ list called ‘Lo Zen e l’arte di non rompere le scatole’/Zen and the art of not breaking balls! by Enzo Braschi and Danilo Sacco.

These expressions are widely used in everyday Italiano. Interestingly, although both cavolo and scatole are euphemisms for male genitalia, they are gender neutral and used equally as often by and about women.

‘It is said Live and let live because mind your own F***ing business and don’t break the balls didn’t appear too polite’

Do you ever use these Italian eufemismi?  Or do you prefer to just say what you really mean? For other language posts, check out Italiese, Uffa, allora, purtroppo, magari, ….mannaggia, and Italian Christmas Vocabulary or search the category ‘parole piacevoli’.

Ciao, e non rompere!  Cristina

Collezione Peggy Guggenheim

30 Saturday Sep 2023

Posted by in Art, Art history, Italia

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Terrace Horse, Peggy Guggenheim Collection VeniceThe Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important collections of European and North American 20th Century art.  This was on my ‘must see’ list for years. An unintentional 24 year absence from Venezia got in the way, but I finally made it!Terrace View, Peggy Guggenheim Collection Grand Canal Venice

Located in her former home, the unfinished Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal, the museum includes Peggy Guggenheim’s personal collection and a sculpture garden. Since 1980, it is part of the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation, which includes Guggenheim museums in New York, Bilbao Spain and soon Abu Dhabi.Marino Marini L'angelo della città Guggenheim museum Venezia

Peggy Guggenheim was born in New York in 1898.  Her father, Benjamin Guggenheim, one of 7 brothers who made a fortune in mining, died heroically on the SS Titanic in 1912.  He and his valet helped women and children into lifeboats, then changed into their best clothes to ‘prepare to go down like gentlemen’.  They were last seen on deck chairs by the grand staircase sipping brandy and smoking cigars.

Peggy came into her inheritance in 1919 and devoted her time and fortune to collecting and promoting modern art.  She married Dadaist Laurence Vail and they had 2 children.  The family travelled to Europe in 1921, embracing the Parisian Bohemian and American expat scene, then moved to London in the 1930’s fleeing Nazi occupation.

A self-proclaimed ‘art addict’ and a rebel, Peggy wanted to distinguish herself from her business focused family. In 1938, she began a career which would affect the course of postwar art.  In London, she opened an art gallery called ‘Guggenheim Jeune’, focusing on contemporary art. The gallery lost a lot of money and was closed after a year, then Peggy moved back to France.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection On the Beach Picasso

On the Beach. Pablo Picasso 1937

From 1939-40, with the motto ‘buy a picture a day’, she started buying art in Paris and London like a madwoman. She purchased Cubist and Surrealist works of art when they were not yet popular or held in high regard. Purchases included masterpieces by Brancusi, Braque, Dali, Ernst, Picasso, Mondrian and others.  The Germans approached Paris just as Peggy was preparing to open a museum for her collection. In 1941 Peggy fled Nazi occupied France for New York with her ex-husband, their children and her future husband, Surrealist Max Ernst.

The Collection followed them to New York.  The Louvre was asked to shelter Peggy’s collection from the war, but the request was denied.  The now priceless artwork was crated up with ‘household goods’ written on the customs declaration, and a non-Jewish name replacing Guggenheim, then shipped across the Atlantic. Miraculously, everything arrived safely.  Peggy’s actions protected the collection, and also supported artists who were in exile and among those branded ‘degenerates’ by Hitler.

Upward 1929 Vasily Kandinsky Peggy Guggenheim Collection Venice

Upward. Vasily Kandinsky 1929

‘Art of this Century’ was the Manhattan gallery Peggy opened in 1942 to exhibit her growing collection of Cubist, Abstract and Surrealist art.  She also exhibited the work of a new generation of young American artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Robert De Niro Sr. In 1943 the exhibit ’31 Women’ was the first documented all female exhibit in the US

Peggy closed the gallery in 1947 and decided Venezia would be her permanent home.  She was invited to exhibit her collection at the 1948 Biennale di Venezia. The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was purchased in 1949, and Peggy lived there for 30 years.  Her art collection moved in with her, and the beautiful setting is as much a work of art as the works inside.

Marino Marini L'angelo della città Peggy Guggenheim museum Venezia

L’angelo della Città. Marino Marini Bronze 1948

The Venier family was one of the noblest Venetian families. In 1749 they ran out of money and had family issues which prevented completion of the palazzo.  Only the 1st of 5 planned stories was completed. Lion heads decorating the façade at water level give the palazzo its name. Made of Istrian stone, it is often mistaken for a modern building because of its low, wide façade.  In the late 19th century, the abandoned construction site and garden were purchased by the Levi family and began to take on their present look.  There were various other owners and renters until 1949.Venezia Peggy Guggenheim Collection Facade

From 1951 until her death in 1979, Peggy opened her home and collection to the public for free 3 afternoons a week from March to November. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection opened in 1980, managed by the Guggenheim Foundation as stipulated in her will. In 2017, Peggy’s granddaughter Karole Vail was appointed Director of the Collection.Peggy Guggenheim Collection garden sculpture Venice

The Collection has 400,000 visitors per year and includes 326 paintings and sculptures.  These include masterpieces of Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract expressionism as well as the works of prominent Italian Futurists and American modernists.  Artists represented include Giorgio de Chirico, Gino Severini, Georges Braque, Marcel Duchamp, Joan Miró, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, Alberto Giacometti, Arshile Gorky, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Rene Magritte, Piet Mondrian, Max Ernst, Marino Marini, Jackson Pollock and others.  It is a 20th Century art history textbook come to life.Entrance, Peggy Guggenheim Collection Venice

Peggy Guggenheim Collection is located in the Dorsoduro area, across the Grand Canal from Piazza San Marco.  It is between the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and Ponte dell’Accademia.  To get there take a ‘group gondola’ across to Santa Maria della Salute for €2 then head right or cross the Ponte Rialto and head left.  Admission is €16 for adults. Hours 10-18 Closed Tuesdays and December 25th.

Ciao, Cristina

In my Kitchen in Puglia, 2023

12 Tuesday Sep 2023

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

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I recently returned from 6 weeks at our little casa in Orsara di Puglia.  As usual, there was a lot of activity in the kitchen. Cucina povera, literally ‘food of the poor’, is what you will 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. Since I have so much material to write about, I have kept it to gifts of food received from amici, parenti e vicini di casa -friends, relatives and neighbours.

About the space, the whole place is only 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. There is even the face of a Madonnina on one of the stones.We had a lot of visitors, many who came bearing gifts.  This lovely cestino, filled with locally grown vegetables was dropped off by one of our neighbours.

The melanzane (eggplant, or aubergine for the Brits) were stuffed and baked. The pulp was fried up with a bit of ground beef and pork, garlic, breadcrumbs and parmigiano, then stuffed and topped with tomato sauce and mozzarella. They were soooo yummy, but we only made them once, as it was so hot that having the oven on was painful!The long green and red peperoni or peppers in the cestino are called friarill’. They are sweet tasting, and as the name implies, are usually fried. Friarill’ on fresh bread taste heavenly!The gift of fresh eggs is amazing.  I used half of them to make fresh egg pasta for ravioli di ricotta e spinaci.  I froze them for the festa della Madonna della Neve Aug 5th. Freezing them was hard, as the freezer is so tiny. I make these often in Vancouver, and they are good-but the goat milk ricotta here is so incredibly good that they taste better.I was happy to use my spianatoia one more time.  That is the wooden pasta rolling board. It has a lip on one end so it stays put on the table and a handy carrying handle, just like the chair.

Mamma and I used the rest of the eggs to make Torta di mela, an apple cake.  We made it to bring to our family grigliata -BBQ- at the olive grove that was my Nonno’s. It had to be baked at 1 am as it was just too painful to turn the oven on during the day.La torta looked a bit plain, so I placed a clean crochet doily over the top and sprinkled icing sugar all over. The fancy shmancy design was left on the cake. I often have to do this to my Torta Caprese because the top always collapses a bit. Fiori di zucca are one of my favourite summer foods-and my favourite bouquet of flowers. My Zio brought over a LOT of them one day, an hour before we were going to be eating.  I stuffed some of them with what I had available. There were a few trecce-fresh, braided mozzarella, in the fridge and basilico growing out on the tiny terrazza. Once they were stuffed, I battered them in flour and mineral water with a few bonus ingredients like parmigiano and basilico, and then fried them.

They were crunchy and delicious, but I only had time to use up less than half of my precious fiori.  Fiori di zucca are extremely delicate.  They only last a day 2 and do not freeze well.  Not wanting to waste them, once I finished the dishes, I drizzled olive oil on a baking pan, borrowed some caciocavallo from my neighbour, and stuffed a bunch more.  The stuffed fiori were placed in the pan, which went straight into the freezer to use a 4 days later.  Great idea, no?  Well-yes and no.  They had to be baked, since attempting to fry these beauties after freezing would turn them into mush. Baking them at 1am was not an option. We had to endure the heat but they were worth the sweat!A few fiori were saved to make risotto the next day.  This was a new thing for me, as I have never had so many fiori that I could make risotto.  More recipe ideas and harvesting tips can be found in the post Fiori di zucca. My amico Peppe Zullo gave me a few bottles of his vino rosato Amarosa.  Apparently the name Amarosa has been trademarked by someone else, so the vino is getting a name change.  It will now be named after Orsara’s women’s soccer (or football for the Brits) team….Orsarosa!Mercoledi/Wednesday is mozzarella di bufala day.  I came home from Procida on a Thursday and a friend had left me these melt in your mouth ones. They are from Masseria Li Gatti near Torremaggiore, SanSevero (FG). The mozzarella are in the new Pugliese serving bowls my sister brought from Polignano a Mare. The piattaia is full so I will need to find somewhere to display them.I hope this post has made you either hungry and drooling or wishing you could visit Puglia yourself.  Perhaps 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 this month. Buon appetito, Cristina

Procida

31 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by in Italia, Photography, Travel

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When I mentioned to anyone that i was going to Procida, the response was ‘Where is that?’  It was the 2022 Italian Capital of Culture, but still not well known outside of Italia.  Procida (pronounced PRO·cheedah) is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Napoli and is part of the city of Napoli.  It was created by the eruption of 4 volcanoes, which are now submerged and dormant.   Overshadowed by its sexier neighbours Capri and Ischia, Procida is the least visited of the 3 islands.  It has a tiny area of 4.1 km², but with a population of 11,000, Procida is one of the most populated Italian islands. It is still mainly a fisherman’s island, a living, working place where real people live.  The main industries on the island are the port and fishing. Tourism is #3.

Procida has a laid-back, slow travel vibe-even in the most popular areas. You will not find any resorts, fancy spas or tour groups and the shops cater more to locals, closing for ‘la pausa pranzo’ from 1-5 pm.  Even finding somewhere to buy a few souvenirs was hard! In the summer and on weekends, many of the visitors to Procida are Napoletani going to the beach.

Procida has been featured in movies, most notably the beautiful, multi award winning 1994 film Il Postino and the 1999 psychological thriller The Talented Mr Ripley. Both films were set in the 1950’s-60’s.  In the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton film Cleopatra, Procida -with the baroque duomo clearly in the background-was briefly featured as the ancient city of Tarsus where Cleo’s barge arrived to meet Marc Antony.  There are signs posted at various filming locations on the island.

Marina Grande is the main port where ferries (traghetti) and hydrofoils (aliscafi) arrive. Here you will find sorbetto coloured buildings, the main bus stop and ferry terminal, several restaurants and bars, a gluten free bakery Il Piccolo Forno Senza Glutine, and ONE gift/souvenir shop.

A 20 minute uphill walk from Marina Grande to the other side of the island (~20 min) brings you to the most visited area.  Walking uphill towards Terra Murata is the spectacular view of Marina di Corricella with its limoncello and pink grapefruit coloured 17th century fisherman’s houses and the duomo of Santa Maria delle Grazie Incoronata.  I found Marina Grande colourful and cute, but nothing compared to this view.  The walk is steep, but if mobility is an issue the C2 bus stops here.

Terra Murata (walled land) the highest and oldest part of Procida, is a fortified medieval village at the top of the island.  Abbazia San Michele Archangelo is an 11th Century Benedictine Abbey turned into a church.  Palazzo d’Avalos built in 1563 became a prison in the 1800’s until it closed down in 1988.  Tours of the prison (€13,) need to be booked at least 2 days in advance so I was not able to go. The roof has sweeping views of the entire Bay of Napoli, including Ischia, Capri and the Amalfi coast.  Check out John’s blog post about the prison  for more information.  The 15th Century Santa Margherita Nuova monastery was under renovation, so I was not able to see that either.  The postcard views from up here are absolutely mozzafiato-breathtaking!  A friend asked me how I took the cover photo over Marina di Corricella. ‘Hai volato?’  Did you fly over it?

The walk down to Marina di Corricella (Kor·ree·CHEL·lah) with houses built on top of each other, is steep and looks lived in with plants and laundry hanging out to dry.  Some typical features of Procidano architecture, besides the pastel colours, include exterior staircases and arched windows.  This area is completely vehicle free.

The marina is a full working harbour with colourful fishing boats, and fishermen with their nets.  There are several restaurants, bars and gelaterie.  I enjoyed a limoncello spritz and taralli while watching the fishing boats.  La Locanda del Postino is a restaurant where Mario, il Postino, sat to write poetry to Beatrice in the movie.  Some fishing boats offer a ‘giro dell’isola’ from here.  Terra Murata can be seen from  the Marina below.Chiaiolella (Kyay·oh·LEL·lah) on the West tip of the island is the area where I stayed.  Spiaggia Chiaiolella is a dark volcanic sand beach with warm, shallow water and amazing sunsets.  At the end of the beach is a long walking bridge to Vivara, a tiny green satellite island and nature reserve. Ischia is seen past Vivara in the photo.Around the corner is Marina di Chiaiolella, full of boats and seafood restaurants.  I enjoyed a delicious, reasonably priced seafood meal with a glass of Falanghina at Crescenzo.  The walk back up to the hotel is up a narrow street lined with useful stuff like small supermercati, shops carrying   beach essentials, a Tabacchino and a few takeout restaurants.  There is also a gorgeous jewellery store and a linen shop where I bought Franco a coppola.

There are 4 other beaches on Procida.  Spiaggia Cala del Pozzo Vecchio is the one where Il Postino was filmed.  I will have to go there on my next visit.  The beaches   all have black volcanic sand, except for the small beach by the port, La Lingua which is rocky.

Procida can only be accessed by sea. Unless you have a private boat, that means by ferry or hydrofoil from Napoli, Pozzuoli or Ischia. Napoli to Procida is 1 hour by ferry and 40 min by hydrofoil.  Ischia is 20 min away by hydrofoil-the same boat stops at both islands.  From Napoli the hydrofoil cost me €19 to go and €18 to return.  The ferry is about €15.
Procida can be a daytrip from Napoli or Ischia, but I would recommend staying overnight if you can.  The sunsets are worth it! **Note that from November to March there are less ferries running and some restaurants and hotels are closed.

From April until October, only residents of Procida are allowed to bring cars onto the island.  Scooters, bicycles and ebikes are available for rent.  4 minibuses cross the island; from the port to Chiaiolella (L1 and L2), Corricella (C2) and Il Postino Beach (C1).  Tickets are €1.60 each, or get a daypass and use it like a ‘hop on/hop off’ bus.  These buses go fast and the streets are only about 8 inches wider than the bus!  In the mornings, you may have to wait for a few buses, as they are full of people going to the beach and going to work.  Even the motorini and bikes go fast, so crossing the narrow streets can be a challenge.  Everyone is in a hurry to get to the beach and drives like they are in Napoli!

A bit about my trip….. I was in Procida with my cugina Maria from Ontario August 8th and 9th.  It was not a weekend.  We took the 7 am bus from Orsara di Puglia to Foggia, then the bus from Foggia to Napoli.  In Napoli, we took the metro from Stazione Garibaldi to Municipio and walked the short distance to Porto Molo Beverello where we took the hydrofoil to Procida.  Quite the trek to get there!  We did not book the ferry in advance.  We arrived at our hotel at about 2:30 pm. I booked the hotel only 2 weeks in advance.  Ideally, we wanted to stay 2 nights at Hotel La Casa sul Mare which is near Santa Maria delle Grazie in Marina Corricella, but they only accept summer reservations for a 3 night minimum stay.  I booked Hotel Riviera which was only available for 1 night, so we spent the second night in Napoli.  Hotel Riviera was absolutely lovely-right at the bus stop and walking distance to Spiaggia Chiaiolella.  We were pleasantly surprised that our room had a balcony with a view of Marina Chiaiolella, Vivara and Ischia!  This is where I sat to write all of these notes while drinking €1.60 red wine and watching the sunset!

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Polpo e patate

20 Tuesday Jun 2023

Posted by in Italia, Mangiamo!, Photography, Puglia, Recipes, Travel

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Polpo is one of the joys of visiting the Adriatic in summer.  Polpo or polipo is octopus, from the ancient Greek polypous, meaning ‘many footed.’  In Italiano, polpo and polipo are both correct terms for octopus! It is one of my favourite foods…I love it grilled, or in a summer salad, especially polpo e patate, a cold potato and octopus salad.  Last year, between camping on the beach in Mattinata, a family wedding, a side trip to Santorini, and mamma’s kitchen, there was a lot of polpo in my life.  In this post, I will share some of my polpo photos, instructions for cooking, and how to make polpo e patate.

I had polpo each of the 5 days I was in Santorini.  There it is called Octapodi χταπόδι, meaning ‘eight footed’. The view from the landing outside my hotel room in Thira was the perfect place to sketch.  When I finished sketching, it was too nice to leave.  Instead of going out to dinner, I walked to a restaurant and got takeout octapodi with couscous.  I brought my feast back and ate it at my sketching spot while watching the sunset.  Yiasou!

In Imerovigli, I had this orgasmic fava bean puree with grilled polpo, caramelized onions and capers. I have to try making this some time. Also in Imerovigli, I had a late night dinner of grilled octopodi on potatoes.

Santorini’s small port has a few seafood restaurants, where I had this very Greek grilled octopodi with oregano.

This photo was taken at the outlet mall in Molfetta.  Yes, polpo is mall food in Puglia!

The day after the matrimonio in Puglia we had a long table dinner in an olive grove by the beach in Mattinata.  This is the gorgeous polpo e patate!  #cookinggoals!

When camping on the beach with my cugini, we often grill polpo and then make a salad with it. The mobile fishmonger il pescivendolo  (pesh·ee·ven·DOH·loh) drives around to the different campsites selling fresh seafood. More about this in Campeggio sul Gargano.  We also have polpo on the grill when we go to my nonno’s olive grove for a grigliata.

This photo of mamma washing polpo in our tiny kitchen in Orsara di Puglia was popular on Instagram.  She made a salad, without potatoes but still yummy! The second one was cooked in a tomato sauce the following day.washing octopus

Octopus saladPeople apparently do all sorts of crazy things to tenderize polpo.  It does not need to be beaten against rocks, bashed with a meat tenderizer, or hung on the clothesline!  It just needs to cook in water long enough to tenderize the tough chewy collagen, which is about 1 hour per kg.  Once cooked, it can be eaten, grilled, pan seared in olive oil or saved to use later.  Freezing also helps tenderize, so previously frozen polpo does not need to cook for as long.

Polpo is hard to find in Canada!  I bought a pack of 4 legs/tentacles from Spain, but then had to freeze it as I could not use it right away.  Here is my ‘measurements optional’, flexible recipe for polpo e patate.  It is made with the legs only, as I am not as adventurous as mamma!

Ingredients:      1 kg (2.2 lbs) polpo

                         500 g (1.1 lb) potatoes

                         Good quality extra virgin olive oil

                         10 ml (2 tsp) lemon juice, freshly squeezed

                         10 ml (2 tsp) chopped prezzemolo-Italian parsley

                         2-3 cherry tomatoes

                         1 bay leaf

                         Splash of vinegar

                         100g chopped celery and/or carrots

                         15 ml (1 tsp) capers

                         1 garlic clove, finely chopped (optional)

                         Peperoncino (optional)

                         sale, black pepper

Instructions:

  • Wash and rinse the polpo. I had already done this before freezing it.
  • In a pan, add salt, bay leaf, cherry tomatoes, lemon slices and a splash of vinegar. Cover with water
  • Bring to boil, then lower heat and cook 1 hour. It should be tender enough so that a knife can pierce the polpo with little resistance.
  • Turn off heat and let sit in the cooking water to cool
  • Pick up and immerse 3 times in the hot water if you want the tentacles to curl.
  • When cooled, polpo can either be grilled, pan seared, made into a salad, or stored in the fridge for up to 3 days
  • While cooling, cook potatoes in boiling salted water. Peel and cut into pieces
  • Cut cooled polpo into rounds or pieces. Add to a bowl with potatoes, olive oil, pepper, lemon juice and prezzemolo. You can also add finely chopped garlic and capers, or peperoncino for a little spice.  Add celery, carrots and cherry tomatoes and mix. Add extra prezzemolo and lemon slices for garnish

I didn’t have any celery and was out of capers.  Use whichever of these ingredients you have at the time.  The photos weren’t taken in the best light, but it was delicious! My next one will look like the one I had in Mattinata!

Are you a polpo fan too?  Have you ever cooked it yourself? Let me know in the comments.  Buon appetito, Cristina

Pantheon update

28 Sunday May 2023

Posted by in Architecture, Photography, Roma, Travel

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Roma is full of amazing buildings. The most amazing and best-preserved of all is the Pantheon.  Imagine Michelangelo entering the Pantheon 500 years ago, looking up and saying “this looks more like the work of angels than humans’-that is how amazing it is! The perfect mathematical proportions of the Pantheon have provided inspiration for architects for almost 2,000 years. Check out the post Il Pantheon for more details on the history and structure.Admission has always been free, and there has been talk of charging an entry fee for many years…in fact, it has been ‘announced’ several times.  Well….purtroppo, the time has come.  Starting July 1st 2023, there will be a €5 admission fee for entry for tourists/visitors.  Admission will still be free for residents of Roma, those under 18 years old and those attending Mass. Until then, admission remains free, with booking required at least 1 day in advance only on weekends and holidays.

The Pantheon is a classical masterpiece and a monument that requires expensive upkeep, so the need for a modest admission fee is understandable. Since the 7th century it also functions as the Church of Santa Maria ad Martyres.  In Roma entry into churches is free-so that is why there has been so much effort to not charge an admission fee.

Mass is at 5 pm Saturdays, 10:30 am Sundays and public holidays, and midnight on Christmas Eve.  Shoulders, midriff and knees need to be covered, although this is not as strictly enforced as the Vatican.

‘La Pioggia delle Rose al Pantheon’ (the rain of roses) is on my list of things to see in my lifetime. This takes place on Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter.  At noon, right after Mass, Roma’s Vigili del Fuoco (fire fighters) climb to the top of the dome and drop thousands of rose petals through the oculus as choirs sing.  The rose petals symbolize the Holy Spirit coming down to earth.  Pentecost Sunday happens to be today! I saw a video of the event this morning, and even Michelangelo would be impressed! Tickets or advance booking are not available for this event.  Arriving by 7am for the 10:30 Mass is apparently necessary to get a spot inside! The ladder used by the vigili to get to the oculus is visible in the foto:

The dome and oculus, viewed from the roof of Grande Hotel de la Minerve

Visiting the Pantheon takes about 45 minutes. It is open daily 0900-1700 Sun 09-1800 with last entry at 18:30. The Pantheon is closed Jan 1, May 1, Aug 15 and Dec 25.  An audio guide with an App can be prebooked for ~€8.50, or a 45 minute guided tour for ~€20.

Details are not yet available on how to book admission, but they should be available soon on the website. Roma is a popular weekend destination for European and Italian travelers, so I imagine tickets will easier to book during the week.  There is really no ‘off season’ except for possibly the period from January 7 until the end of February.

The Pantheon is centrally located, in Piazza della Rotonda.  I walk slower than most people, but it is about a 20 minute walk to Piazza di Spagna, the closest Metro stop.  It is about a 20 minute walk to the Fontana di Trevi, 10 minutes to Piazza Navona and 40 minutes to Colosseo.

Read more about the Pantheon in Caffè con Caravaggio a Roma, Un Giorno a Roma  and Autunno in Italia.

Buon Viaggio, Cristina