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Fior di Latte Cheese

Posted October 2, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

During our stay in Campobasso, the capital of Molise, our B&B host Luciano Viola treated us to some local food specialties, including a fresh cheese ball that resembled mozzarella di bufala but was called fior di latte (flower of milk). It tasted sweet and pure — like gently solidified fresh milk.

We were intrigued, so Luciano offered to take us to the cheese producer the following morning.

Walter (right) with our host Luciano Viola of Bed & Breakfast Luciano and Son in Campobasso.

It’s a good thing Luciano guided us. Although the shop was close to the B&B, it was located in a courtyard with no business signage whatsoever. Guess if you don’t know where Zio Pasquale cheese shop is located, you’re out of luck.

Luciano introduced us to owner Antonio Tromba who has worked in dairy and cheese production since the age of 10. At the age of 81, he had arisen that morning at 5 a.m.

One half of the operation was devoted to production space; the other half to retail.

As Tromba and his two assistants worked the cheese vats, he explained fior di latte.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Artisans, Culture, Food, Italy Artisans, Miscellany, Molise, Travel Tagged With: Campobasso, fior di latte cheese, Italy cheese, Italy travel, mozzarella di bufala, transumanza

Marionette Museum in Palermo

Posted May 23, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

By Walter Sanders

At first I balked at paying 5 Euro for a ticket to see what … a marionette museum? But Sharon said, “We have to experience this. UNESCO lists the Sicilian puppet theater on its Intangible Heritage site.”

Now I think that the ticket is a bargain.

Located in the ancient Moorish La Kalsa district of Palermo, the Museum is housed on a narrow side street between Piazza Marina and Via Butera. If you miss the modest signage, you may very well miss the museum.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Art, Artisans, Culture, History, Italy Artisans, Miscellany, Palermo, Sicily, Travel Tagged With: children and puppets, italian culture, Italy, Italy travel, marionette images, marionettes, puppet shows, puppets, Sicilia, Sicilian marionettes, Sicilian puppet opera, Sicily, UNESCO

Ferdinando Scianna Exhibit in Palermo

Posted May 8, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

Ferdinando Scianna: Viaggio, Racconto, Memoria (Travel, Story, Memory) is currently showing at the Modern Art Museum in Palermo.

I had never seen Scianna’s work prior to this show. Now, I can’t imagine a world without it. His eye is keen and empathetic.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, Palermo, Photography, Sicily, Travel Tagged With: Italy, Italy travel, Palermo museums, photography, Sicilia, Sicily

Milis in Sardinia

Posted May 3, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

By Walter Sanders

Sardinia tour guide Paola Loi connected us with the mayor of Milis Sergio Vacca.

In 2018, when Sharon was studying Italian in Bergamo, and I caught up with her in Cremona, we met up with old pals James Martin and Martha Bakerjian. 

These renowned Italy bloggers split their time between northern California and a small town in the wild and wooly Lunigiana section of Tuscany near Massa Carrarra.


The pair met in the mid-1980s when they both worked on an archeological dig in Sardinia. They share an avid interest in Italy and blog at Martha’s Italy, Wandering Sardinia, and Wandering Italy

Over lunch we decided to meet again in 2019 to explore Sardinia together. In April, 2019 we boarded a Corsica Ferries boat in Livorno for an overnight crossing to Porto Aranci in Sardinia. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Archeology, Culture, Food, Guides, History, Mediterranean diet, Miscellany, Sardinia, Travel Tagged With: Grazia Deledda, Italian tour guides, Italy travel, Mediterranean islands, nuraghi, Romanesque, Sardegna, Sardinia

Bosa in Sardinia

Posted April 29, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

The banks of the Temo River in Bosa, Sardinia. The Malaspina Castle is on the hill (above left).

Driving south from Alghero on the northwest coast of Sardinia, it’s a scenic hour-long drive south to the ancient town of Bosa. On a fine sunny April morning, with tapestries of wildflowers cascading down the mountains to the Mediterranean Sea, you might think you were in Paradise.

L’Unione Sarda, founded in 1889, is “the” daily newspaper for the island.
Piazza Constituzione
Gallette di Bosa are crisp hollow bread rolls.

Inside the castle walls is the Nostra Signora de sos Regnos Altos Church (14th-15th century), embellished with Spanish frescoes.
A detail from the entrance to the Malaspina Castle.
A pastoral view from Serravalle Hill.

Color splashed are everywhere in Bosa.
This sweet travel agency can probably get you to the wild blue yonder.
The clever sign on this dressmaker’s shop is fashioned from buttons.

Two Waterways

The old town of Bosa has two water outlets: the sea port and the Temo River which is said to be the only navigable river on the island.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Architecture, Culture, History, Sardinia Tagged With: bucket list, castle hikes, Italy culture, Italy history, Italy travel, medieval towns, Mediterranean islands, Sardegna, Sardinia

They Sure Make a Big Deal Out of a Peach

Posted August 7, 2012 by Sharon 1 Comment

Italians wait patiently until the moment is ripe for perfect peaches.

My daughter Tess used to think she didn’t like peaches. But when she was nine and visited Italy, she changed her mind. We bought some lush peaches at the most charming frutta e verdura, “fruit and vegetable shop,” I had ever seen. The shop exterior was, appropriately, painted exactly the rosy blush color of a ripe peach. Folk art paintings of fruits and vegetables graced the windowpanes.

As we strolled by, the scent of peaches beckoned us, like those visible aromas that tickle the characters’ noses in cartoons. Inside the shop, the lettuces, radicchio, scallions, strawberries, cherries, onions, and peaches were arranged in an edible tapestry that would have impressed Martha Stewart.

Within moments Tess was in heaven, sweet golden juice dripping down her chin, eating a wondrous peach out of hand.

A day or two later, as we finished our midday meal at a family-run trattoria—not a fancy place at all—I wasn’t surprised when Tess ordered a fresh peach for dessert.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Culture, Food, Markets, Mediterranean diet, Travel Tagged With: Italy, Italy travel, locavore, peach, summer fruit

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