It should be noted that women who drink real, true stiff cocktails are always given a bit of a stare. I started at it when I lived in Italy. I'd order my grandfather's favorite summertime drink, a Campari and Soda and my Italian friends joked that I must be an old man at heart because of my ince...
Let's discuss this Grilled Piadina with Balsamic Eggplant and Spicy Greens. Because all things flat and bread are my jam yet I plain forgot about its existence until my last trip to Italy. A piadina is a flatbread that you see all over the Emilia-Romagna region, where it's from. I've seen them served folded in half and others rolled up, but I prefer them open face because I usually require a fork and knife to get through the loads of ingredients I've thrown on top. Though its nowhere near traditional, I load it with spicy greens, creamy mozzarella, and salty prosciutto so that its more of a meal.
Top of my travel bucket list was seeing my namesake opera in the famous Verona amphitheater. Here is my advice on where to go and what to eat in Verona.
Here it is – one of our favorite summertime refreshers, the Aperol Spritz. This is a cocktail you find served throughout the Northeast part of Italy with all sorts of variations, but, at it's most simple, it's some sort of white wine mixed with an Italian aperitivo such as Campari or Aperol.
This is a recipe that screams summer in Italy. We're talking happy hour (aka aperitivo) time when you're sipping on Prosecco or Spritzs and noshing on olives, potato chips, pistachios, and little crostini. This recipe is inspired by one of our favorite places of all-time to do aperitivo – we're talking the rooftop of the Principe Hotel in Forte dei Marmi.
There are a few things you should know about the Italian drink, Caffe Shakerato: first, it’s pronounced “shake” with a “-rate” then an "o" at the end. (You know, it's one of those bastardizations of an English word that makes for an awesome word in a foreign language.) Also, it’s a drink that sort of shows up out of nowhere once the weather gets warm. Oh, and, if you see it, definitely order it because it's amazing.
There is nothing that transports me to Italy faster than a really well done pasta alla checca. At its most simple, it's just marinated tomatoes tossed with fresh pasta but I've learned how to make it amazing.
A super simple twist on classic Italian panzanella salad made with peaches, crusty bread, and loads of herbs.
