Turin is an old signora who wears silk scarves in spring, perfectly pressed linens in summer, and her 50s-era mink coat in autumn and winter. Her hair and makeup are perfectly done, and she lives in a splendid, high-ceilinged palazzo with chandeliers and art nouveau trimming. Continue reading “Exploring Campidoglio, Turin’s neighborhood of murals”
Every season in Italy is beautiful in its own way—panettone in winter! The seaside in summer, grape harvest in fall!—but come spring, this country comes alive like no other. And this coming from a die-hard autumn lover, at least when it comes to everywhere else in the world. Continue reading “Why spring is Italy’s best season”
All cities have been described, at one point, as “full of surprises.” After all, cities are inherently guaranteed to be diverse, made of different neighborhoods, hidden streets, and pockets of culture. But not many cities hide unexpected surprises with the same pedigree as Milan. Continue reading “A hidden surprise to visit in Milan”
I recently reviewed a great Piedmont book on Wine Pass: Piedmont – The Dream, the House, the Life, by Jesper Remo and Erik Bjorn. Continue reading “Wine Pass | Book review. So you want to move to Italy?”
My reading repertoire includes 80% fantasy and 19% nonfiction, to temper all that epic storytelling (and 1% other: I do enjoy other genres…yet inevitably feel like they’re lacking in something. Castles, or magic).
I recently finished The Culture Code by Clotaire Rapaille. And it got me thinking about the culture code for Italy. Continue reading “Italy’s Culture Code”
At the University of Gastronomic Sciences, some of my favorite classes were tasting classes. Not just because this meant eating chocolate for breakfast or drinking wine all afternoon, but because the lessons taught us what good quality means. Continue reading “Runaway cheese and tasting classes”
On October 1, it was the world’s second annual International Coffee Day. I’ve written about coffee previously on my blog (The differences between American coffee & Italian caffè, and the fun Blogger Exchange), but those don’t get into the intricacies of ordering a caffè at the bar, or the etiquette and “rules” of paying for one. And when you come to Italy, a caffè should be the first … Continue reading The Grand Wine Tour | Cheat sheet to Italian coffee culture
I have this thing for bitterness. I love bitter foods, I take my coffee black and my caffé without sugar (macchiato, please), and Italian after-dinner spirits, amari (bitters), are my thing. So it’s no surprise I love the Italians’ “national” soda, chinotto. Continue reading “The Grand Wine Tour | The cult of Chinotto, Italy’s national soda”
This past year, I’ve read three newly published books on wine, two of them Piemonte-specific. I was asked by the authors to write their reviews. Overall, if you’re into wine reading, I’d recommend each book. Continue reading “Wine Pass | 3 wine book reviews”
I’m often asked, “I’m coming into Turin for a day, what can I do when I’m there?” When I can’t convince them they should spend more time here, I hand over a list of sites they should see and where they should get gelato. I finally organized my top suggestions into a day guide for Turin, published on The Grand Wine Tour. It’s a pretty packed day, … Continue reading The Grand Wine Tour | Insider’s guide to a day in Turin
