Published on Sunday, March 1, 2020 by Kathy McCabe Rome’s Palatine Hill is now producing honey and olive oil from ingredients grown on its grounds. Italy owes its culinary brilliance to fresh, local products – and it doesn’t get more local than this. Parco Colosseo, the archaeological park comprising Palatine Hill, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, is conducting a pilot project to produce the organic wildflo...

Published on Wednesday, December 4, 2019 by Kathy McCabe On Tuesday, Italy encouraged its parliament to nominate espresso for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. The bid was put forth by the Consortium for the Safeguarding of Traditional Italian Espresso Coffee. The tiny cups of undiluted black coffee topped with tan foam are the country’s lifeblood, traditionally drank standing up at bars and cafés throughout...

Published on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 by Kathy McCabe As a young, female Italian chef, Martina Caruso has racked up accolades – including a Michelin star – that have given her a platform to talk about being a woman in the restaurant industry. Caruso has the passion and experience to back up these accolades, and the tattoos to match: an octopus, garlic, oil, and hot pepper, her favorite ingredients to cook with. Ca...

Published on Wednesday, July 10, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Geppy Sferra’s new gelato-themed restaurant stands out from the 1,400 other gelaterias in Rome: It is the only one to serve a full dinner menu, with gelato incorporated into each dish. Gelateria d’Essai, in Rome’s Centocelle neighborhood, employs chef Marco Mezzaroma to invent creative dishes and spin traditional favorites that include gelato. “My goal is t...

Published on Monday, April 15, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Easter - this year on April 21st - is just around the corner! No Italian Easter is complete without Pane di Pasqua (Easter Bread) made in the form of baskets! Our favorite Italian nonna, Gisa Ferro who is originally from Calabria, shares her special recipe for this Easter tradition. Let us know how it is if you make it! Pane di Pasqua Bread Basket Recipe Ingr...

Published on Monday, September 3, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Everyone knows Italian grandmothers make the best handmade pasta, and if you’re lucky, your nonna passed down her recipes and techniques. For the rest of us, there’s Pasta Grannies, a YouTube channel that films Italian nonne making pasta by hand, the old-fashioned way. Food writer Vicky Bennison, who is based in Le Marche and London, launched Pasta Grannies fou...

Published on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Every holiday in Italy is celebrated with food. Easter is no exception. One of the most delicious Easter foods is Pizza Rustica- pie filled with all kinds of goodness, perfect to break the Lenten fast. Diana from Perillo Tours shares her family recipe: Dough: Purchase ready-made pizza dough at the supermarket or use your favorite dough recipe. Ingredients for F...

Published on Friday, September 29, 2017 by Kathy McCabe The best gelato flavor in the world is pistachio made by Gelateria Crispini in Spoleto, Umbria, according to a panel of judges in the Gelato World Tour. Gelato maker Alessandro Crispini concocted the winning flavor, made from three kinds of Sicilian pistachios roasted for 24 hours. Judges from the Gelato World Tour spent three years searching the globe for the bes...

Published on Monday, August 28, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Pepe in Grani, in the town of Caiazzo in the region of Campania, has won the title of best pizza in Italy for 2017 according to online Italian pizzeria guide 50 Top Pizza. The restaurant received top marks not only for the quality of its food, but also for its beer and wine list, service, and furnishings. Pepe in Grani owner and third-generation pizzaiolo Franco Pe...

Published on Thursday, August 17, 2017 by Kathy McCabe When the Gelato Festival returns to Florence for the eighth time in September, it will unite Europe’s best ice cream makers – and ice cream lovers – to crown the continent’s best ice cream. Sixteen ice cream makers will compete in Florence and present flavors designed especially for the festival. A panel of journalists and gelato experts, along with a popular ...