An interesting event called Rit o’Castidd (which in the local vernacular means behind the castle) will soon take place in the small town of Putignano, near Bari. Located just behind the Church of Saint Peter and the Balì Palace, the castle was built on the highest point in town. With this important event, the cultural association Trullando hopes to bring new life and interest to this appealing but often forgotten place which sadly today’s generation has tended to neglect in favour of far more fashionable spots. On 14 March from 18:00 to 24:00 makeshift kitchens will be set up along via Minzele, via Porticella, via Castello, via Palmento and via Ortenzio offering visitors delicious snacks from the traditional Putignano cuisine and superb wine from local winemakers! Artists and skilled artisans will also be there exhibiting their fine creations and products. In order to create an original atmosphere the organisers will also set up an old brothel (a theatrical one of course). But the surprises do not end there; at around 3:00 p.m. maps will be distributed and those of you with a passion for “ orienteering” will have the opportunity to explore the secret heart of Putignano. Altogether an exciting time is to be had by all so don’t forget to mark your calendar

Continue reading: Festivals in Italy: Putignano to host gastronomic festival "Rit o' Castidd"

Left alone in Milan (Victoria must be somewhere hounding fashion shows around the world), David Beckham has decided to attend one of those Classic Italian cuisine courses which are all the rage nowadays! Apparently the British football player fell wildly in love with pasta e pizza last year when he was playing for A C Milan team here in Italy!

Continue reading: Italian cuisine: David Beckham to take cooking lessons in Milan

Besides fabulous snow tracks, the Gardena Valley offers a cuisine which is second to none. Many of its restaurants such as Anna Stuben (Gardena hotel’s restaurant at Ortisei) are now promoting an interesting project called Fair cooking which is part of the global fair trade movement which aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. This year skiiers in the Gardena Valley will also have the opportunity to have their meals right there on the piste, enjoying hearty helpings of fish and other Val Gardena delicacies at such Mountain huts as Rifugio Comici, Baita Daniel (Seceda) and Miline (Selva) which has got a special mention in the prestigious Gambero Rosso guide!

Continue reading: Val Gardena: great skiing and good food

On the 18th of September, Parma’s via Cavour will be transformed into an exhibit with just one central theme: Prosciutto di Parma - raw ham.

The photographer Renato Cerisola has dedicated a large selection of his photo shoots to capturing the seasoning of the ham: a slow process, but not incapable of capturing the public’s attention.

Without going into too much detail, each Parma ham officially recognized as such by its consortium has a story behind it that usually is nothing short of a beautiful piece of literature set in Emilia, in the cold of winter and under the checkered sun, but always wrapped in the humid embrace of wisdom perfected and passed down through generations.

Continue reading: Parma ham on show in its hometown

Roma Gourmet is an Italian-English blog on the Italian culinary tradition in Rome, including recipes of Italian dishes and a guide to Rome restaurants. The aim is not only to present Italian cuisine, but to do so in a literary and historical context.

While gastronomy editor Maria Luisa won’t take out the prize of the fastest chef around, it’s a pleasure to follow her stories, quotes and anecdotes as one who really appreciates and loves the city of Rome and its culinary tradition.

Among the recipes, all rigorously from Rome’s cuisine, there are also posts dedicated to Rome cultural events and Italian life in Rome. The glossary of key words is particularly useful in anyone who wants to explore Italian cuisine and culture.

Continue reading: Roma Gourmet: an English guide to gourmet Italy and Italian cooking

While traditional Italian cooking is sacred in Italy and its rare for people to try crazy Italian recipes, sometimes some experimentation occurs like in the case of this pasta with clams and peppers. A happy marriage, if you’d like to try it yourself.

Ingredients for four people: 2kg of clams, one large red or yellow pepper, one garlic clove, extra virgin olive oil, parsley.

Method: clean the clams and then leave them to open in water. Filter but keep the clam water, an essential ingredient. Chop the peppers into large pieces, chop the garlic and fry it in a pan with oil.

Continue reading: Italian seafood recipes: pasta with clams and peppers

Now that we’ve arrived at mid-week the diet you were sticking to has probably lost its grip, especially as the weekend slowly comes around. Unfortunately, though, the word diet often means any way, healthy or not, to lose weight. When we talk about the mediterranean diet, however, we’re talking about healthy mediterranean cuisine that helps you live better and longer.

The positive things about mediterranean cuisine are often taken for granted or misunderstood. In Italy, the national cuisine is increasingly changing, involving more fatty foods, while some areas are still keeping to traditions. The mediterranean diet should involve using lots of olive oil, bread, fruit, vegetables, fish and complex carbohydrates, with less of meat, cheese and milk products.

A study recently published by the British Medical Journal and conducted by specialists at the University of Florence, reveals that the more you eat the fundamentals of the mediterranean diet, the healthier you are in terms of cardovascular system, life expectancy and diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers.

So the next time someone tries to tell you that Italian cuisine is all about pizza and pasta, know that there is plenty of variety and healthy options in the mediterranean diet. Which means that we will live longer and hopefully happier lives.

Photo | Flickr

Continue reading: Mediterranean diet: healthy Italian cuisine makes you live longer

Fergie loves Italian food and we all know that, but why then that sad looking salad for lunch? The answer is quite simple, she was on a diet!

The Black Eyed Peas singer was snapped eating at Luna Rossa, a famous Italian restaurant in Notting hill, London. She was not only on a diet but in a hurry too, as soon as she finished her low calorie dish, the glamorous diva hailed a cab and disappeared into the traffic!

Source | Celebslam

Continue reading: Fergie loves Italian Food

I arrived in Genoa on a cool but sunny day. My friend was waiting for me at the station. Actually the whole city seemed to be rattling with wind and the small twisting streets were so touchingly beautiful that I felt like a 19th century explorer must have felt before an unknown land. I also felt a little bit hungry so my friend took me to this fry-food shop called Carega in via Sottoripa 113 r. where they prepare scrumptious fish fries and farinata, one of the great culinary specialities of Genoa.

Farinata is an incredibly thin pie made from chickpea flour. My friend told me that there are other two famous fry-food shops worth stopping by in Genoa, Sciamadda in via Revecca and the Antica Sciamadda in piazza San Giorgio. Anyway after feasting on tons of delicious farinata we started our tour of the city. Columbus’ house, Porta Soprana and the astonishing Basilica of San Lorenzo, a gothic masterpiece that left me breathless.

I must confess that the beauty of the city left a deep mark in me. The magic atmosphere, the vestiges of a glorious past and those white ships sparkling mysteriously in the distance left me thirsty for more and that very night when the train pulled out of the station and started climbing the steep hills around Genoa I had tears in my eyes.

Foto | Flickr

Continue reading: Art and Gastronomy in Genoa

For anyone who thought Italian cuisine was about pasta and pizza, think again. At the latest “Mille Bollicine per un Vespaiolo” competition (a competition about sparkling wine and food matching), the best recipe with Vespaiolo extra dry was pot roasted eel on a bed of fried polenta, from chef Danilo Minuzzo (Trattoria Alla Baracca).

This is serious Italian gourmet cooking at its best and below we give you the recipe with a photo gallery of the competition.

Ingredients for four people: 1kg of eel, 700 cl of peanut oil, 250 gr of butter, 10 laurel leaves, 50 gr of grated parmesan cheese, 250 cl of Vespaiolo Extra Dry, salt, pepper and white flour.

Mille Bollicine per un Vespaiolo Competition

Continue reading: Italian gourmet recipes: pot roasted eel with laurel and polenta

Italy’s luxury hotel, the Westin Excelsior in Rome situated in the famous Via Veneto area, now has an exclusive wine tasting corner.

The 60 metre-square space, called Vin-Orvm, has been designed by architect Michael Stelea and is included in the Orvm restaurant bar. Having comfortable seats and parquet flooring, the space is perhaps more interesting for its access to the cellar: separated by a huge wrought iron gate, the cellar houses more than 150 renowned wine labels.

For who can afford it, this is an ideal space for wine tasting, combined with Italian cheeses and other gastronomic specialities. The Vin-Orvm is open to Westin Excelsior guests, and external visitors, for parties, lunch or dinner starting at ten people.

Continue reading: Rome: five-star wine tasting at the Westin Excelsior

Is this a publicity move? The coup de theatre from this celebrated chef certainly seems so. Gualtiero Marchesi was the first chef in Italy, in 1984, to receive three stars from Michelin, and over the years has created a circle of ambitious chefs such as Davide Oldani, Carlo Cracco, Paolo Lopriore, Andrea Berton, Paola Budel and Vittorio Beltramelli.

Now the culinary genius wants to give back his stars - those embroidered on aprons and earned over years of hard work. After the success of the opening of Il Marchesino restaurant at Milan’s La Scala opera house, the maestro decided to gather the media together and give them the shocking news.

According to Affari Italiani “the chef no longer wants to accept points awarded in guides because he believes that at 80 years, the time has finished to be judged like a student”. It could all be sour grapes though, as the relegation from three stars to one in the latest Michelin guide was a bitter pill to swallow for the famous Italian chef.

Continue reading: Italian chefs: Gualtiero Marchesi returns stars to Michelin