Don't EVER Get in Trouble in Italy

  In another insane move (see Amanda Knox), Italian courts convicted seven scientists of manslaughter (yes MANSLAUGHTER) today for failing to adequately warn citizens before an 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit  L'Aquila, Italy in 2009, killing 308 people and destroying much of the city.  And in other news, a tarot card reader wrongly predicted that I would get the last job that I applied for, giving me false hope. Lock them up and throw away the key!

This is the Exact Spot Where Julius Caesar was Killed

Archaeologists working in Rome believe they have found the first actual evidence of the spot where Julius Caesar died on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. They have recently unearthed a concrete structure that they are positive was a monument erected by Augustus to commemorate his uncle's death. This spot, as you can see, is in the city center and open to the public so I say go there and say : 
" Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?  Speak, hands for me!   Et tu, Brute!

Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead! Run hence, proclaim, cry it about the streets."

One of my favorite dipctions of Caesar from the HBO series Rome:

The City's Gone Apples

 The entire city of Torino went nuts, or should I say went apples, for the new Mac store on Via Roma that opened today. Brilliant and just in time for Christmas. It's less than a 1 minute walk from our house so we'll wait for the lines to go down before we venture into the chaos.

A Touch of Italian Color

Just a touch makes all the difference.

Just a Little Rain

  This was the worst rain I have ever seen in Italy. This is also when I taught Pier what the english expression "raining cats and dogs" means.

Seen Around Torino

How many balloons does one guy need?

Hay, Gondoliers Need a Drink Too!

  I took this picture at a bar in Venice while my friend and I were enjoying a pizza. I'm sure these friends meet up at the end of a day and exchange stories of their day. While in Venice I learned that a Gondolier must have been born in Venice to qualify for the job. You must provide proof of you birth and family lineage.

Fun Italian Stuff on Pinterest

  Follow these fun Italian themed boards on Pinterest. And tell me about your boads too!

Doors and Details: here

Food: here
 

Style and Living: here

Beautiful Travel and Places: here

Did You Know...

  The Secret about Palazzo Madama is that admission is free on the first Tuesday of every month! (normal ticket price is 10 euros). One of the 4 towers is open and if you climb to the top, you will be treated to my favorite panoramic view of Torino. You are allowed to take pictures inside this royal residence that now is a museum, as long as there is NO flash. Here are a few pics I took on my last free Tuesday visit.

For the Love of Fiori di Zucca

  I love many of Italian dishes, but ricotta stuffed zucchini flowers are always on the top of my list of favorites. Making them is a delicate task that I have always left to the professionals, but when someone gave me a basket full of squash flowers, I couldn't resist trying to make them at home. 

My tools: I put the ricotta mixture on a plastic baggie and then cut off the tip to easily get it inside the delicate flowers.

These are the stuffed flowers with twisted ends just before I dip them in tempura and fry them in vegatable oil.

Finished flowers warm, cheesy and ready for devouring.

Ultimate Gelato

  Ottimo! gelateria in Torino is know for it's unique flavors. As I am known for the same reason, I thought I might like it. The 2 flavors I tried here were: salted chocolate with saffron and sweet cream ricotta with pine nuts. I am fully on board with the sweet and salty combo in all forms so I was delighted with these flavors. Add this to the long list of gelateria I have given you to try in Torino!

Did You Know?

  Italian women often drive their scooters wearing heels.

What Would Pay for the Colosseum?

From The Huffington Post:

  "Most travelers would say that major world monuments like the Eiffel Tower or the Duomo are priceless. But, a new Italian study shows that you can put a price tag on just about anything. The chamber of commerce of Monza and Brianza calculated a list of the brand values of major European monuments using 10 different "economical, cultural and business parameters" that included the economic value of the land, the monument's reputation, number of visitors and tourism employees, multimodal accessibility, number of foreign visits and the value of exports."

So which monuments made the list and which ones were Italian? Did you guess the Colosseum? It's the #2 most valuable at a price tag of $114,259 billion. Italy had a second list maker in the Duomo of Milan ranked #4 valued at $102,959 billion. See the whole list here. Which mounment do you think made #1?

Welcome to America Nutella!

  You know you've made it in the US when you get sued. You might have heard that American mom's sued the Nutella company for falsely advertising that the delicious chocolate hazelnut and sugar spread, is good for you. Hay, Italian kids grow up on it and Italian are considered healthy, right?!

Here is one of the US ads:


In contrast, this Italian Nutella ad is all about amore. So Italian.

Postcards From Dublin

More to come...

On Vacay Teaser

  Sorry it's been a few days but I have a good excuse. We've been staying at this little shabby country cottage in County Kildare, Ireland.

Stories and more pictures to come soon.......

Something You Don't See Everyday

 What do you do when you have so many Roman artifacts you just can't fit them all  in your giant castle museum? Just chuck them on the side of the building so they are out of the way, just like Palazzo Madama did. Where do you keep your extra Roman ruin bits and pieces?

Happy Ferragosto Everybody AND What the Hell is Ferragosto?

Today is an Italian holiday, Ferragosto.

According toWikipedia, who explains it better than me:

Ferragosto is an Italian holiday celebrated on August 15. Originally, it may have related to a celebration of the middle of the summer and the end of the hard labour in the fields.
The Catholic Church celebrates this date as a Holy Day of Obligation to commemorate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary the real physical elevation of her sinless soul and incorrupt body, into Heaven. Before the Roman Catholic Church came into existence, however, this holiday was celebrated in theRoman Empire to honor the gods—in particular Diana and the cycle of fertility and ripening.
The present Italian name of the holiday derives from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti ("Festivals [Holidays] of theEmperor Augustus.
In the past it was common that businesses closed, and the entire month of August was taken as a holiday and leisure time in Italy in honor of this feast day. In present days, Ferragosto is mainly a short holiday (for the ones who are not on longer holiday) when most of Italians take brief vacations at the beach, and enjoy big meals. People celebrate on the streets in many cities of Italy.
The holiday often coincides with peak activity of the Perseid meteor shower, leaving Italians at a particular advantage to view the astral event seen best at pre-dawn hours.

When Was the Last Time You Watched...

Roman Holiday? Who even comes close to Gregory Peck today?

A Mix of Italian and American Humor

Before & After Torino: Fontana Angelica

Just Finished Reading: InterRail

  I decided to get into the sprit of this novel, about the adventures of one man's InterRailing travel, by reading it on a train. The Italian intercity no. 504 from Liguria to Torino to be exact. Every time author Alessandro Gallenzi described his travel companions as he went from place to place, I secretly looked around to see if I was riding with any similar characters.

The book starts out with a smack in the face literary as the main character Francisco gets shoved stepping off a train and falls flat on his face. Little did he know that the one person who came to his rescue (Pierre) would end up involving him in international scandals involving multiple wives, multiple countries, and multiple private detectives.

Pierre is one of those rare shady people who can pull of living a luxury lifestyle without having any money. His motto is "Intelligent animals don't pay. Noodleheads pay." Brilliant words to live by in my opinion. It's the out of control and impulsive Pierre that's the interesting character in this book. Pushover Francisco is merely the slightly boring storyteller. Think of a Nick Carraway/ Jay Gatsby type of relationship.

I won't say any more and leave the rest as a surprise but if you have ever euro-passed your way through Europe, or just wanted to, you will find this book a fun read.

Favorite quote p.42: "Everything is beautiful in this country, he thought. "I could fall in love with a lamp-post here."

Find out which city he was talking about!: InterRail by Alessandro Gallenzi 

Only in Italy

  File this under things you don't see everyday. A modern car parked in front of a medieval village.So Italian.

What's So Cool About the Euro?

  Art. That's what's cool. Each country in the European Union has designed their own 1 euro coin with an image that best represents their country. Some are guessed easily. Some you have to read to find out where it's from. It's a fun game to look at the image and to break down symbolism. Italy is pretty easy. Greece is my very favorite. The owl reminds me of Bubo the owl from Clash of the Titans.

Flavor of the Month

  The flavor of the month at Grom for August is Mango. It tastes just like eating a mango. It's not creamy. It's not sweeter. If you love eating mango you will love this flavor. If you don't, it won't change your mind. I am of the later.

Museo di Antichità

  One of the most admired museums in Torino is the Museo di Antichità. It houses artifacts from the area dating from ancient civilazations up until the Roman city. As modern Torino was built on top of a Roman fort and settlement, many fine artifacts have been uncovered over the years. Some of my favorite items are the everyday things, the pile of oil lamps, the jewlery, the cutlery, the tombstones for loved ones.

Museo di Antichità
http://museoarcheologico.piemonte.beniculturali.it/
Via XX Settembre, 88 - Torino

A Tourist's Take On Torino

  I love finding blogs and videos with other peoples experiences of Torino. I found this one recently and her enthusiasm is adorable.

Before & After Torino: Church of Don Bosco

Flavor of the Month

  The flavor of the month at Grom for July is: Peach Gelato with Toasted Amaretto Cookies. It's refreshing and it's not to sweet. The only downside is that the peach flavor is slightly weak. Would love some real fruit chunks to peach it up even more.