Simple Italy

Celebrating Your Inner Italian

Italian White Wines for Summer

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Here’s a fresh look at some ancient grape types that are worthy of your summertime quaffing consideration.

The parameters for this collection are:

  • Italian whites
  • Widely available
  • Under $15.00 per bottle
  • No Pinot Grigio (not that there’s anything wrong with Pinot Grigio!)

Garganega

From the Veneto, long a mainstay (blended with Trebbiano) for Soave, this grape can bring a lush, pear, melon and apricot experience.

Ferdi, Bianco Veronese, 2006, IGT, Sartori, $14.99

Mass maker Sartori delivers value and juicy fruit with this winner. Sharon says “Wow, I even get some honey in here!”

Vermentino

Victor Hazan thinks the Vermentino arrived from Spain to Liguria…then migrated to Sardinia.  Others believe in the Spanish origin, but see it arriving in Sardinia via Corsica. It thrives in heat and dryness and is grown successfully in Sardinia, Liguria and coastal Tuscany. Aromatic fireworks…sometimes with deep piney herbs, other times more plump, rounded and melony.

Costamolino, Vermentino di Sardegna, 2008, DOC, Agriolas $14.99

This classic is tightly structured, firm, spirited and bright to the taste.

Prelius, Vermentino Maremma, 2008, IGT,Volpaia, $9.99

This is a wonderful example of the Tuscan coastal success with Vermentino. Nice grip, piney nose, breezy.

Catarratto

It’s the most planted white wine grape and the second-most planted grape (behind Sangiovese) in Italy. Long a blending wine, it can be a refreshing party or picnic pleaser, when handled by a caring producer.

La Piazza, Catarratto, 2007, IGT, Cantine Calatrasi, $10.99

Simple, just a hint of pear…like a soft wind blowing into Trapani.

Donnafugata 2007, IGT, Anthili, $14.99

This pleasurable blend of Catarratto and Ansonica (Inzolia) symbolizes the growth of the Sicilian wine industry. Crisp, delicate fruit hints of peach. You’ll get some attention with this one.

Falanghina

I’ve come to enjoy this grape over the years….and especially since our visit to Campania. It’s a beachside natural.

Falanghina Sannio, 2007, DOC, Fuedi Di San Gregorio, $16.99

I pushed the $15.00 envelope with this beauty…but it still represents great value. Bracing, in a sea breeze manner, with crisp fruit and a waft of pine.

Do you have a special Italian summer white? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

Frank & Fred on the Road

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Starring Francesco Maria Talò, Consul General of Italy in New York and Fred Plotkin “Pleasure Activist,” Frank & Fred on the Road: Crusin’ New York, produced by Italian/American Digital Project, is a charming homage to la cultura italiana, cinema neorealisma and the iconic Fiat 500.

Bello!

Winner of “100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go”

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Best wishes to Tiffany Wells of Macon, Georgia, the winner of a free copy of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go by Susan Van Allen.

“I just love Italy-–learning about the culture, food and richness of the land! Hopefully, one day I will get to go,” wrote Tiffany in her comment to the original post.

We hope so, too, Tiffany!

Have you gotten in touch with your Inner Italian today?

100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go

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“Golden Days are easy to come by when you’re in Italy. They’re those days when Italy’s sensual pleasures harmonize, and you just bask in the golden glow of it all.”

—Susan Van Allen

I feel as if I know—and really like—Susan Van Allen, even though we’ve never met. Our lopsided relationship began the moment I opened her book 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go.

Skimming through each enticing destination with Susan is like traveling to Italy with a friend who’s funny, smart, adventurous and incredibly informed. Her ardor comes naturally, born at her Nana and Papa’s dining table Papa in Newark, New Jersey.

Susan—who lives in Los Angeles and writes for travel media as well as television— approaches Italy actively (and not only in her section on biking, hiking, boating and other get-a-move-on recreations.) She leads readers beyond passive tourism into engagement in the culture and with the people.

Author Susan Van Allen

Entries are grouped by special interest sections such as “The Divine: Goddesses, Saints, and The Blessed Virgin Mary,” “Gardens,” “Beaches,” and “Learn Italian Crafts and Culture.”

If you’re in Naples, you’ll be sure not to miss the Venus of the Beautiful Buttocks in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale.

When you’re in Tuscany, you’ll go out of your way to experience the magical Tarot Garden in Capalbio, designed by artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

If you crave secret coves, you’ll find a way to Scopello on the western coast of Sicily. A free horseshoe-shaped expanse of white pebbles and fine sand is hugged by limestone towers and turquoise water. Oh, and Lo Zingaro National Park with its rocky hiking trails and panoramic vistas is next door.

And if hands-on is thumbs-up for you, choose a craft. Making masks or mosaics in Venice . . . weaving and embroidery in Perugia . . . cooking in the shadow of Greek temples in Paestum.

With the destinations, Susan includes tips on lodging and dining to make the experience a “Golden Day.” Recommended books, Web sites, Resources, and Advice from Other Writers are included to amplify the information.

I’ll be savoring the book in a cozy reading chair but when I do pack my bags for bel’italia, I just might want to download the 100 Places in Italy iPhone app. Just hope the olive oil massage at Masseria Torre Maizza in Puglia doesn’t smear the screen.

For a chance to win a free copy of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, leave a comment. Please include your e-mail address in the comment box so we can contact you. The winner will be randomly selected on June 1, 2010.

Market to Table

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Berks County, PA farmers Charis and Michael, opening day of the Emmaus Farmers Market 2010.

How do I get in touch with my Inner Italian when I’m not in Italy? For seven months of the year, I purchase just-picked produce at my local farmers’ market. It’s one of the best ways I know of to eat “Italian.”

Dinner possibilities sprouted before me.

Walter grilled onions and asparagus coated in olive oil while I cooked rigatoni.

I tossed in some cooked cannellini beans and sage for the first of many simple, satisfying summer meals to come.

Sprinkle on freshly grated Parmesan or breadcrumbs crisped in olive oil for a vegan dish.

How does seasonal produce inspire your meals? Share your story.

Enchanted Wisteria

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All my gardenista friends assured me that wisteria cannot, actually will not, die.

“Sharon,” they warned, “it will take over your pergola. . . your roof. . .then your entire house. Eventually you will be trapped in a maximum security wisteria prison.”

Boy, were they wrong! The newly constructed pergola behind our sub-division home was sitting on a slab of soil as hard as concrete. Several wisteria plantings succumbed. After I had the brilliant idea to construct planter boxes for new attempts, the voles moved in to pig-out on the all-you-can-eat roots buffet.

Now, 10 years later, I am triumphant. I have not one, but two, wisteria that bloom. How I appreciate them.

Every spring when I gaze at these impossibly gorgeous pendulous blooms, I’m reminded of the film Enchanted April. It starts as Lottie the frumpy post WW I English housewife reads a newspaper advert for vacations in Italy:  “To Those Who Appreciate Wisteria and Sunshine.”

This flick is quintessential posh Brit production.  Lush settings and costumes showcase a tale of British hot house flowers—Lottie and three new acquaintances who  share the villa rental—blossoming under the Mediterranean sun.

Italy works its fatal magic on the quartet, of course.  We’d expect nothing less for those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine.

Directed by Mike Newell, this 1992 film features a stellar ensemble cast including Jim Broadbent, Miranda Richardson, Josie Lawrence, Polly Walker, Joan Plowright, Alfred Molina, and Michael Kitchen. Set in London and the Ligurian coast of Italy in 1922, this gentle comedy is love-and-life affirming.  Rent the film on Netflix or purchase a copy at amazon.