Published on Thursday, July 2, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Looking to bring some Italian inspiration to your summer dining or July 4th BBQ or picnic? Do as the Tuscans do and make panzanella salad. Like all Italian cuisine it is fresh, simple and oh so delicious! Panzanella comes from the tradition of cucina povera - the simple dishes of the poor peasants. They wanted a way to utilize day-old bread and panzanella was born! ...

Published on Thursday, June 25, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Fellini. Rossellini. Zeffirelli. Those celebrated names of Italian cinema whose careers flourished at Cinecitta Studios during the post-war 1950s and 1960s may soon find themselves joined by a newer crop. Although the 22-stage facility’s luster dimmed in the 1980s, a 2014 Italian tax rebate of 25% on movie production has lured some big movies and big stars back to C...

Published on Thursday, March 5, 2015 by Kathy McCabe It isn’t often that a school lunch threatens diplomatic discord, but when a group of chefs designing menus in Rome for students (from nursery to middle-school ages) chose fish and chips as an “EU menu item” representing “Britain,” they unwittingly found themselves at the center of international furore. It turns out that the Italians think fish and chips are....

Published on Friday, January 23, 2015 by Steve I’m Steve Perillo of Perillo Tours. I have a video series called Steve's Travel Tips to share all the insider Italy travel tips I have learned over a lifetime of travel to Italy. In this video, I'm talking about enjoying cooking classes in Italy. Is there any better place in the world to learn to cook than Italy? I don't think so. I share my tips for picking the ...

Published on Tuesday, December 23, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web. Here are our top picks for this week: Traditional Christmas Dishes: Each Italian region has a favorite Christmas food, from seafood to soups to pasta. Tour the regions and learn about Christmas foods. (The Huffington Post) Buy Olive Oi...

Published on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The small silver plaques posted on the sides of buildings in Florence are inconspicuous, but their significance isn’t lost on Florentines. These rectangular flood markers all around the city, dating from medieval times, have inscriptions with the date of each flood and a line indicating how high the water rose that year. Florence is prone to flooding due to t...

Published on Friday, July 18, 2014 by Kathy McCabe A country in never-ending economic trouble. Crumbling national treasures and monuments. What's the answer? For the Italian government, it has come in the form of private companies willing to foot the bill to save the country's national heritage.  Rome is a great example of this. The Colosseum is being renovated through funds from Tod's, Bulgari is sprucing up the...

Published on Friday, July 11, 2014 by Kathy McCabe A staff member at the United States Consulate in Milan has put together an hilarious rap video to help Americans and other foreigners to learn the mysterious world of Italian hand gestures. Intern Brian Griffin put together the two and a half minute video that teaches, among other things, how to order a glass of wine with the flick of a wrist. Flamboyant Italians...

Published on Friday, June 20, 2014 by Kathy McCabe Italy is playing in the World Cup again today! The team plays in blue (azzurro) so fans shout "Forza Azzurri" roughly translated as Blue Power! Buona fortuna (good luck) to the team....

Published on Tuesday, June 17, 2014 by Steve I’m Steve Perillo of Perillo Tours. I have a video series called Steve's Travel Tips to share all the insider Italy travel tips I have learned over a lifetime of travel to Italy. I don’t know about you, but I’m a big believer that breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day.Maybe it is because they know that there are so many delicious culinary delights t...