Maserati computer briefcase, made of high-tech materials, is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to look classy and make the right impression. A bag with an elegant and unique design that will help you create a style statement. Price: 176 euros.

Via | Maseratistore.com

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New Zealand’s Tv3 visited Andrea Bocelli at his home in Pisa to discuss his planned summer tours: check his video interview or download&donate at the official Dare To Live ‘Vivere’ campaign website by Andrea Bocelli and Laura Pausini for Actionaid.

Via Classical X

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In Umbria there’s this small town famous for its several springs and in today’s busy world there’s something magical about a place where the pace is slower. Located in the plain of the Nera, a river that runs through the whole region, Stifone is nestled among green hills and fresh water springs flowing from the hillside of Monte Santacroce.

Two of these water springs actually flow from a secret place in the heart of Sifone itself. Pure water people drink straight from the tap and also use to irrigate fields and kitchen gardens. An Idyllic place the Romans used as a fluvial port. An important trade route indeed. Anyhow many centuries have passed since then, now the small town has quieted down, quite happy with this change of pace. So if you are planning a getaway from your busy life this is the place to be.

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Pasta without cheese is like the cake without icing. Seriously - the Italians have a proverb that goes “come il cacio sui maccheroni” (like cheese on maccheroni) which is when you’ve reached the point of sublime perfection. There are various cheeses you can use on pasta, such as grana padano, pecorino or cacio (this also is a sheep or goat cheese). But whatever pasta you choose to make and whatever you throw in, without the cheese it’s just not pasta.

But overseas there are some experiments you can do, things that Italians would never ever permit, and one of them is using ketchup. No we’re not kidding, it has been done and here is a recipe from ketchupketchup.splinder.com on penne, ketchup and pecorino. So how do you start? Well first of all, you need your home-made ketchup, using fresh tomatoes and none of that canned stuff.

You obviously start with tomatoes, boiling them and letting them cool a little to remove the skins. Squeeze them to remove seeds and water, and then let them simmer in a pot adding onions, garlic, pepper, salt and sugar (one cup). Let it simmer for 30 minutes and add some vinegar. At the end of this process, running the mixture through a sieve will give you a smooth texture and reduce the mixture over low heat to thicken it.

You’re now ready to put the mixture into sterilised jars or if that’s all too difficult, pop down to the local supermarket to buy yourself a bottle. Now you’re ready for your pasta and ketchup and, of course, your pecorino cheese. This might be a scandalous recipe for the Italians but if you love ketchup, then it couldn’t be easier. You basically boil your pasta and after draining it, throw it in with some ketchup and pecorino. That’s it! Maybe a little Americanised but there you go, ketchup on your pasta (with cheese!).

Photo | Flickr

Via | ketchupketchup.splinder

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In Italy, especially on certain days of the week in towns throughout the country, you can find markets which sell fresh and local produce and they’re really great places to shop. You can mix it with the oldies who’ve been going for years and know all the secrets about who’s got the best cheese, or the freshest vegies or the crustiest bread.

Our colleagues at Gustoblog have done their homework for the month of May and discovered that the best dish around, especially in Liguria, is pesto. And the essential ingredient is basil, preferably from this region of Italy. So how do you make Genovese pesto?

First of all the traditional accompaniment is potatoes and beans, always bearing in mind though that the Italians are very serious about their cooking so don’t get too imaginative. To reinforce this, just last month the World Pesto Mortar Made Championships took place in Genoa, Liguria’s capital (hey why not get yourself a nice marble Mortar to get fit for next year Championsip?). Here’s how to prepare a good pesto.

Continue reading: May: pesto season in Liguria

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With Mooi one has the chance to step into Alice’s wonderland. A wonderland called The Unexpected Welcome. An innovative design-collection that seems to take one into a world peopled with fantastic creatures and magical objects.

Moooi: objects that seem to live suspended between two essences. Two different forms harmonically melting into one another. Some of you might find the collection a bit disquieting, I don’t know, to me it’s simply beautiful.

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The fluvial park of the Alcantara river is a rural area in Sicily. Beautiful in any season the park is famous for its river, woodlands and wild animals. An Idyllic place where the more traditional willows trees sit alongside trees imported from the Far East. The crystal blue waters of the Alcantara river flow across the region making the place a real heaven on earth.

Yes, the park is wild, romantic and steeped in history and legend. Moreover it offers an excellent range of outdoor activities, from horse riding to trekking and fishing. And if you are a foodie, there are lots of nice and cosy roadhouses in which you can relax, enjoy healthy food and drink very good wine.

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This could be a national disaster for Italy - while no formal statistics are yet available, it appears that given the high prices of wheat, flour and other products, pasta consumption in Italy has dipped, and prices have risen again.

Milan’s newspaper, the Corriere della Sera, reports that bread and pasta now cost nearly eight percent more than last year, and inflation in April for these products went up by one percent. While this confirms that Milan is Italy’s most expensive city (and why the Italians sometimes still lament the Euro), it also indicates a possible shift in Italians’ eating habits.

The Italian Agricultural Confederation (Confederazione Italian Agricoltori) has reported a drop in pasta sales in Italy of 2.6 percent in the last year alone. And that’s not all - right across the grocery spectrum here, products are costing more including fruit and vegetables, and pork and beef. Apparently chicken and eggs are on the way up though, as people look for less expensive, higher protein food.

So are Barilla’s days numbers? I should doubt it as my friends still love a great “spaghettata” when they get the chance (a party based on stuffing yourself with pasta), and as I heard an Italian say recently “without pasta, I would die”. We’ll just have to get used to paying more for it.

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At 15,000 euro and with clients such as Gianni Agnelli, Bill Gates, Jamiroquai and Nick Mason, you’d think they were real cars. But these tiny models at a scale of 1:10 are hand-made pieces of art from Conti.

While the price is out of reach for most of us, each model requires three months work and are among the few examples of reproductions at such small dimensions. The body is made from copper and brass and the upholstery is of real leather, with original Ferrari colours completing the package. Unfortunately though, as Italian cars are sought after the world over, you have to go all the way to the Museum of Modern Art in New York to admire a Conti model.

Via | Contimodels.com

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Italian cinema is famous for the spaghetti westerns of Segio Leone with Clint Eastwood. A sub-genre is that of comedy - parodies on the western and your typical b-movie listings. Don’t be deceived though, as Bud Spencer and Terence Hil are Italian actors. Bud Spencer, Roman by birth is called Carlo Pedersoli and was an olympic swimmer. Terence Hill, Venetian, is called Mario Girotti. The couple entered the history of cinema for the punches and hits thrown. In the Youtube video a Terence Hill classic where the hands are faster than any pistol.

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