Rome’s primi (first courses) tend to steal the dining thunder. Sometimes it is hard to see past the rich carbonara and impossibly creamy cacio e pepe to the succulent secondi (meat dishes) that await as a second course. In Rome, the true star of the cucina romana is abbacchio. More than mere lamb, abbacchio is […]
A year ago, all of Italy was under a national lockdown. I was 8 months pregnant and wrote a letter to friends and family that we were fine – but that the whole world might soon be in lockdown. And here we are, in March of 2021, with 48 million Italians under lockdown restrictions. It […]
Some Italian cities, such as Torino and Modica, are particularly well known for their sweet traditions. However, Rome also boasts its share of delicious chocolate shops. From carefully handcrafted candies that have been made in the same style for 170 years to edible shot glasses and dipped gelato cones, here is where to find the […]
I hope you gnocchi how much I enjoy a good joke. Hello? Anyone? But seriously, I need a break from the news and I love a good Dad joke. If you are looking for a little pick-me-up, these pasta jokes are (almost) so bad they are good. And if you have any more pasta puns, […]
The Euro is a common currency used across many EU countries and it can be fun to collect coins issued by different countries. The designs you will find on the coins are country-specific, though they can be spent across all Eurozone countries. Italy’s usual designs, for example, feature Dante and an image of the Campidoglio, […]
If you spend any time exploring Rome, you will eventually crisscross the Tiber. The river winds through Rome and takes wide sinuous turns. Walking along the river is never the fastest way to your destination, so you will find Rome’s bridges quite handy. Ponte Sant’Angelo is arguably the prettiest. While Ponte Sisto is one of […]
Many regions of Italy have distinct ceramic traditions. You can find entire towns dedicated to ceramics in Puglia, or purchase finely painted plates from Deruta, for example. But you can also find unique ceramics in Rome through the non-profit foundation La Stelletta. La Stelletta was created by a group of parents in the 1980s who […]
Learning Italian is no small feat. You might have to study for years, spend time in full immersion, read full-length novels, and then finally find yourself fluent. But even if your Italian is perfect, you will find that many people pepper their speech with dialect and local idioms that don’t appear in any textbook. So […]
