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Buon Anno Amici! To begin the New Year, we’re traveling to the amazing Aeolians, a cluster of 7 diverse islands that lie off the northeast coast of Sicily. We’ll start off with the most dramatic of the group, Stromboli, that rises out of the sea like a huge black cone. Its famous, flamboyant volcano erupts about every 15 minutes. Last October, on a Country Walkers trip, I had the awesome experience of climbing up to the top of the island and watching the amazing show of fireworks. The wonderful Margaret Cowan (aka Mamma Margaret) is also a Stromboli fan. I met Mamma Margaret on-line throughRead More →

One of my favorite memories of Italy 2010 was spending time with Renée Restivo in the beautiful baroque town of Noto. Renée is Sicilian-American, and I loved hearing her stories of Sunday dinners at her Aunt Sadie’s in Astoria, Queens–which is where her passion for Sicilian cuisine was born. She went on to work as an assistant at top culinary schools in New York and Italy. Then, while visiting her Sicilian cousins, she became enchanted with Noto and decided to create her own company, Soul of Sicily, here. Last October, I showed up in Noto and got the chance to sample Soul of Sicily’s cooking classes (deliciousRead More →

We’re sticking around southeastern Sicily–home to those dreamy towns that showcase the Sicilian Baroque. Years ago, I was lucky to ride a bike into Modica, get wowed by the architecture and taste the town’s famous chocolate. The visit was all too brief. Which is why I am so grateful to have found Katia Amore online through her Love Sicily website and blog, which is full of great info about the area and mouth-watering recipes. Katia was born in Modica and grew up amidst  a family of great cooks. After years of working in the UK as a university researcher in ethnic relations, she returned with her husbandRead More →

GRAZIE TO ALL who shared with us your Golden Moments In Italy — Over 100 of You!    Have a look at the Comments on the Previous Post— Some also showed up on the What’s A Golden Day? Page and Golden Day 35 — ALL of them will inspire  nods, smiles, and goosebumps     TODAY My Husband Jon drew names out of a pasta bowl Each Name was Matched Up  At random with one of the books and the Dream of Italy  Newsletter    Allora…    100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go, goes to Lana   Flavors of Rome: How, What, and Where to Eat In theRead More →

As we approach Thanksgiving, there is much to be grateful for! To Celebrate,  We’re Giving To Commenters,  Selected in a RANDOM DRAWING   TEN BOOKS ABOUT ITALY AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO THE DREAM OF ITALY NEWSLETTER    TO PLAY: Complete This Sentence In The Comment Section Below: One Golden Moment in Italy for me was __________ OR One Golden Moment in Italy for me will be _________ Write the first thing that comes to your mind,  for example: –Tasting that panino–prosciutto and ripe fig–that morning in the Campo dei Fiori or –Seeing Titian’s Assumption for the first time or –Soaking in that outdoor thermal tub in Bormio, surrounded by the  snow-covered Dolomites, thatRead More →

I first encountered award-winning writer/photographer Jann Huizenga years ago when a friend mailed me one of her beautiful travel articles that was published in the New Mexican. Jann’s story was about the Val di Noto–an area of southeastern Sicily that’s been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I’d become enchanted with the place while on a Backroads biking trip–oohing and aahing over its fields of wildflowers and herbs, hills of almond and olive trees, and best of all its villages: Ragusa Ibla, Modica, and Noto–which are among Sicily’s many hidden treasures– fabulously adorned with stunning Sicilian baroque architecture. Jann first visited the area in 1990, when it was rundown and virtuallyRead More →

To get to the enchanting island of Ortygia, you cross over a bridge from Siracusa and enter what feels like a way-back machine. Traffic is limited here, so all is slowed down and peaceful. This was the land where the sea nymph Calypso lured Odysseus. A Golden Day here begins at the morning market, that’s not large, yet impressive with enthusiastic vendors and varieties of fish–from glistening sardines to gigantic tuna. It’s also a great place to buy capers or chocolate from Modica to take home. Ortygia’s masterpiece is the Piazza Duomo, rectangular-shaped, flanked by buildings that elegantly showcase the Sicilian baroqoe style. At the center of it all isRead More →

Andiamo…to the island of Sicilia. We’ll begin where I was a short time ago: Catania. It’s the perfect starting point (with an easy airport) to explore places like Siracusa, Taormina, and the Aeolian Islands (all of which I am heading to on a Country Walkers trip–so stay tuned). For many years guidebooks discouraged spending time in Catania, giving it the same treatment as Naples: “ a city in decay, depressing, dangerous, etc.”  It’s now actually a vibrant, youth-filled city  (with a prestigious university), and a Baroque-a-palooza historic center, that’s recently been scrubbed up and restored. Mount Etna rising in the distance provides a dramatic backdrop. And like Naples, Catania is absolutely theatrical–with lotsRead More →

Fate took me to Assisi for the first time in the early nineties. My husband and I were driving from Siena toward Montepulciano and a dense January fog descended. We got lost, argued about whether it was safe to head in the foggy direction (I SO wanted to keep going) and ended up turning towards clearer skies, with me pouting. We got lost again, heading towards Perugia, fought again, and then… there suddenly appeared a pink stone town on the hill, glowing like an oasis… Since we were living in San Francisco at the time, we imagined Saint Francis had lead us to our sister cityRead More →

Through the wonderful way that Italian connections happen,  my friend Carol Coviello-Malzone, (author of Flavors of Rome),  introduced me to Chef Andrea Tiberi, a young, super-talented gentleman who was born and grew up in Umbria–on a farm just outside of Assisi.  Andrea’s passion and gift  for cooking took him up the professional ladder (he’s cooked for The Pope!) and four years ago he moved to the USA to head  up Eatalian, a company that promotes the cuisine of Italy–through catered events and deliveries in the Connecticut Tri-State area. Eatalian also offers fun cooking classes (in collaboration with Select Italy) in a cool Soho Loft space. One of Andrea’s most beloved spotsRead More →