Author: gigisimeone

I tried it. Those who have done Italian road trips are well familiar with Autogrill, the series of highway rest stops. Known for their fantastic food, they are also known for the shopping area one must pass on the way to the exit. You can buy toys to keep the kiddies from fighting in the … Continue reading 36. Hot Tuna

I was surprised to see the article on Grottaglie in today's New York Times. Grottaglie is a town in very southern Puglia that is known for its ceramics. The town is cram-packed with ceramics shops, which are themselves cram-packed with their wares. The whole thing can make you dizzy. I am reminded of our day … Continue reading 35. Crockery

Going back to Pompeii, Italians are as dog crazy as Americans are. 22% of Italians are dog-owners, which translates into nearly 7 million dogs, both working and pets. The sheep farm we visited had at least ten shepherding dogs that I counted, although some seemed to be working harder than others. This included a month-old … Continue reading 34. Dog Days

Stopping for an espressino every morning after my run, the only woman in the bar. "My" barista would prepare my coffee and glass of acqua frizzante as soon as I walked in. Does that make me a regular? Man beautifully singing "What a wonderful world" in accented English at a karaoke night at a local … Continue reading 33. I will never forget…

I think Italy is the most beautiful place in the world. It might not have the show-offy wow factor of the American West, or the "OMG was that a kangaroo?" of Australia. But the sea, the hills, the countryside are just right. The sea at San Teodoro, Basilicata: The farms: The Amalfi Coast: The ravine … Continue reading 32. The Vistas

Italians are known for their close-knit extended families. And surely our Messors workshop was living proof of that. Tonio' wife Jennifer Bell, a painter and former actress and set designer, handled most of the arrangements and administrative details, while also making sure that breakfast was on the table by 7:30. Nine-year-old August made charming conversation … Continue reading 31. Family Values

Tonio, who has harvested olives on his family's land every year since he was five, led us through an olive oil tasting (after first serenading us, including his musical signature - a verse of just whistling.) We learned that 75% of olive oil, especially that sold in supermarkets, is fraudulent, and that most of the … Continue reading 30. Olive oil

Of course, all Americans are familiar with Italian food, to the point where we consider things like pizza part of our own native cuisine. But Italians simply wouldn't tolerate Italian food in the way we think of and eat it. Their food, in even the humblest trattoria or beach-side stand, is fresh, local, seasonal, particular … Continue reading 29. Mangia!

I have been on a forty-eight-year quest to learn Italian. Putting aside the fact that I grew up with a native speaker that I never took advantage of, I started by taking two full years in college. Since then, I have done Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, Mango, an on-line intensive college Italian course (twice), taken adult … Continue reading 28. Language Lab

Men playing cards. Women (and a few daring male souls) doing a Zumba-lite-style exercise class.