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Italians Rediscover old ‘Wine Windows’ To Drink Safely
As the summer season goes on in Italy, the city of Florence has rediscovered one heritage from the past which is proving very useful to further protect tourists from the coronavirus. It is the so-called “buchette del vino” (wine windows), small openings carved in walls and doors, which were widely used during the 1600s plague. Nowadays, bar and restaurants owners have started using them again as an intriguing and safe way to serve drinks, coffees and ice cream to their customers, minimizing the risk of infection. “Buchette del vino” are just as big as a flask, and they started appearing in the second half of the 1500s to sell wine.…
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Turn Lemons into Limoncello this Summer
Limoncello is a vibrantly colored digestif that goes down easy on a hot summer’s day. Although the sweet liqueur is most often served, chilled, in a shot glass, it is meant to be sipped slowly after your meal. And although easy to make, limoncello has a complicated — and contested — history. Some people believe that Italian monks first made the spirit as early as the Middle Ages; others credit Southern Italian fishermen who were thought to drink it upon returning to shore to warm themselves and fight off colds. But most accounts attribute its creation to Maria Antonia Farace, who reportedly lived on a small island off Italy’s southern…
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The Top 7 World Heritage Sites in Tuscany
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, traditions, history, artistic legacy and its influence on high culture. It is regarded as the birthplace of the Renaissance and has been home to many figures influential in the history of art and science, and contain well-known museums such as the Uffizi and the Pitti Palace. Tuscany produces wines, including Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino. Having a strong linguistic and cultural identity, it is sometimes considered “a nation within a nation”. Seven Tuscan localities have been designated World Heritage Sites: the historic centre of Florence (1982); the historical centre of Siena (1995); the square of the Cathedral of…
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‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ author savors life and the people around her
Author Frances Mayes’ new book is a travel memoir that explores Italy from north to south On this dreary winter morning, Hillsborough author Frances Mayes already has picked out her recipe for dinner. Her copy of Joshua McFadden’s “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables” is open on the kitchen counter, revealing a colorful casserole dish of Roasted Fennel with Apples, Taleggio Cheese and Almonds. Mayes, the best-selling author of the 1996 novel “Under the Tuscan Sun,” knows how to make a cozy nest in any space. She lives in the historic Chatwood, originally built by Quakers as a dignified Federal farmhouse in the early 1800s as a commercial and…
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Culture of Italy
Italy is considered the birthplace of Western civilization and a cultural superpower. Italy has been the starting point of phenomena of international impact such as the Magna Graecia, the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, the Renaissance, the Risorgimento and the European integration. During its history, the nation gave birth to an enormous number of notable people. Both the internal and external faces of Western culture were born on the Italian peninsula, whether one looks at the history of the Christian faith, civil institutions (such as the Senate), philosophy, law, art, science, or social customs and culture. Italy was home to many well-known and influential civilizations, including the Etruscans, Samnites and the…
