Italy Travel Notes presents:

For those of you who love cooking and enjoy the Italian cuisine, here is our weekly pick from yellowsaffron – Spaghetti Carbonara.

For your Italy travel to discover
You do have to speak Italian to understand all the explanations, even if only watching you can get a lot of culinary inspiration.

The post Spaghetti Carbonara – Original Italian recipe appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents: By: LeviReiss

We interrupt our series on the wines of Italy’s twenty regions to present a very timely subject, Vino Novello, Italy’s version of New Wine. Once a year, starting in early November, Italy releases Vino Novello, to the delight of many, and to the eternal disappointment of many others. We describe New Wine, in particular the Italian version, and then taste locally available samples. Will you be delighted or disappointed with the 2006 offering? After reading this article, rush to your favorite wine store and sample the wines. Whether you are delighted or not, you probably will have fun.

What is exactly is new wine (vino novello in Italy; vin nouveau, often Beaujolais nouveau in France)? New wine is the first of the crop, released in early November. The exact date depends on the country. In 2006, Italy permitted the sale of Vino Novello on November 6th, beating France, the major player in the new wine market, by a full 10 days.

New wines are produced by a special method, carbonic maceration, in which whole grapes ferment in stainless steel tanks, often reaching a temperature of 25 to 30 degrees Centigrade (77 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit). This process lasts for about 5 to 20 days, and may be followed by crushing the grapes, which then undergo traditional fermentation for a few days. The exact procedure varies from one winemaker to another, but the ensuing wine is virtually tannin free. The lack of tannins implies a short shelf life. While you don’t have to drink the wine immediately, most people finish the season by Easter.

New wines are usually colored bright red or violet. They tend to be fruity, tasting of cherry, strawberry, raspberry, banana, and freshly squeezed grapes, depending on the grape variety used, the production method, and the area in which the grapes are grown. Detractors talk about bubble gum, lollipops, nail polish, and jello. Many feel that new wine tastes of grape juice with alcohol. One thing is certain, if you don’t like a given new wine, don’t store it away to try it again in two years. It won’t improve with time.

Italy is a major producer of new wine, bringing to market about 18 million bottles a year. About one third of its output is exported to Germany. The most important Italian new wine regions are Veneto and Tuscany, followed by Piedmont and Trentino-Alto Adige. Let’s take a closer look at two new wines.

Wines Reviewed Nosio Spa Novio Mezzacorona 2006 Vigneti Delle Dolomiti IGT 12% about $8.50 and
Cantina di Negrar Novello del Veneto IGT 12% about $8

I went to a small wine store and bought these two bottles on the day that the 2006 Beaujolais Nouveau was released (November 16, 2006). The following day I went to a major wine store, expecting additional offerings from Italy, but there were none. I did buy one bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau, which I will review in another article.

The Novio Mezzacorona is produced from Teroldego and Lagrein grapes native to the Trentino-Alto Adige region in northeastern Italy. Interestingly enough, the Teroldego grape is quite tannic. Furthermore, the Lagrein grape is known for meaty wines. Neither of these characteristics showed up in the final products.

The Novello del Veneto wine, with a designer label, is made from Corvina and Rondinella grapes native to the Veneto region in northeastern Italy. Interestingly enough, the Corvina grape is quite tannic, but you would never guess from tasting the final product. You may be familiar with these two grape varieties; they are the major components of Valpolicella and other well-known Veneto wines. I’ll spare you the gushing marketing materials that purported to describe these two wines.

I first tasted these wines with braised, slow-cooked beef ribs and potatoes. The Novio Mezzacorona was fruity, a nice complement to the food’s grease. It lingered in my mouth. In contrast, the Veneto tasted of bubble gum, both with the meal and on its own.

The next tasting involved bagels and smoked salmon, accompanied by a dainty grilled artichoke dip and caponata, a savory Italian-style salad composed of eggplants (including their skin), tomatoes, and onions. The Novio Mezzacorona was weak when paired with the smoked salmon but handled itself better with the caponata. The wine showed its strength with the artichoke dip, without overpowering it. The Veneto was a bit fruitier with the smoked salmon, the bubble gum flavor no longer dominated.

Then I moved on to the cheeses. Asiago is a semi-sharp cheese produced in both the Trentino Alto-Adige and Veneto regions. The Novio Mezzacorona was almost pleasant with this cheese. The Veneto did better, it came close to being a winner. Montasio Veneto is a sharper cheese, produced in the Veneto region. This cheese overpowered the Novio Mezzacorona and rendered the Veneto wine flat.

The final tasting involved an omelette containing non-imported Provolone cheese, and once again a side of caponata. The Novio Mezzacorona was round and tasted of dark fruits but was quite short. It was more complex when imbibed with the caponata. The Veneto wine still tasted of bubble gum. It also tasted of dark fruits and was short.

Final verdict. For many years I have not been a fan of new wines. I taste them every year, and am always willing to change my mind. These two bottles gave me no reason to budge an inch. Having said this, there still is the Beaujolais Nouveau to taste and review. I cheated a bit; I bought the most expensive bottle available. Let’s hope that it works out better than these two wines.

About the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com .

More about Italian food and wine:
For your Italy travel to discover even more about Italian food and wine and find out what your fellow travellers think recommend to try while in Italy here:
http://www.italytravelnotes.com/category/italian-food-and-wine/

The post I Love Italian Wine And Food- Vino Novello (new Wine) appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents: By: LeviReiss

I recently finished a wine tour of Italy’s twenty administrative regions, briefly describing each region prior to tasting a representative wine with food, and at least one imported Italian cheese. I enjoyed the experience so much that I plan to repeat it, but only after doing something similar for France and perhaps a few other countries. I am happy enough with Italian wine to continue to drink it for the rest of my days, but there are other wine-producing countries out there, and other wines to drink. I am going to give you a bit of a report on the white wines I encountered on this wine tour, but only after a quick summary of Italian white wines, as if such an endeavor was possible. Look for a similar article on Italian red wines.

You wouldn’t be alone if you immediately think red when the subject of Italian wine is raised. In spite of extreme variations in climate, soil, elevation, and other geographical conditions, every single one of Italy’s twenty regions produces white wine. Of course the percentage varies widely from 84% in the central region of Latium to 9% in the southern region of Calabria. Many of the best-known Italian white wines come from northern Italy.

But the reality of Italy wine is more complex than first meets the eye. Who would have thought that Sicily, a southern Italian region if ever there was one, produces almost as much white wine as red wine. Considering that Sicily holds first place for Italian wine production that’s a lot of white wine. In fact, Sicily’s annual white wine production is greater than the total wine production of all but five Italian regions. Not all of it is good. But not all of it is bad, and in fact some Sicilian white wine is excellent.

In chronological order we tasted a white wine from the northern region of Emilia-Romagna, the central region of Umbria, the southern region of Campagnia, the central region of Molise, the northern region of Friuli-Venezia Giuli, the southern region of Sicily, the northern region of Veneto, and finally the northern region of Tuscany while describing its neighboring region of Liguria. I was unable to find a Ligurian wine.

These eight wines varied in classification from basically unclassified table wines to IGT, DOC, and DOCG. In short all Italian wine classifications were represented. IGT stands for Indicazione Geografica Tipica, which may be translated as Typical Geographic Indication, in other words a wine that typifies its specific location. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin. DOCG stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Guarantita, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin.

The wines varied in price from $6 (actually $8 for a one-liter bottle) to $20. Interestingly enough they all contained from 12% to 12.5% alcohol. They were all 2004 or 2005 vintages. In contrast, the grapes used varied widely, including both international and strictly Italian varieties. Some wines included multiple grape varieties, others did not. And now for the question that you’ve been waiting for, what about the quality, and in particular the quality as a function of price? That too varied widely, there were both positive and negative surprises. We overpaid and there were definitely some bargains. Which was which? Read the articles.

About the Author

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His wine website is
http://www.theworldwidewine.com

More about Italian food and wine:
For your Italy travel to discover even more about Italian food and wine and find out what your fellow travellers think recommend to try while in Italy here:
http://www.italytravelnotes.com/category/italian-food-and-wine/

The post I Love Italian Wine And Food – Reviewing The Whites appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents:

For those of you who love cooking and enjoy the Italian cuisine, here is our weekly pick from yellowsaffron – Meringue bones recipe.

For your Italy travel to discover Italian to understand all the explanations, even if only watching you can get a lot of culinary inspiration.

The post Meringue bones recipe appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents:

For those of you who love cooking and enjoy the Italian cuisine, here is our weekly pick from yellowsaffron – Bechamel sauce ( besciamella ) simple recipe .

For your Italy travel to discover Italian to understand all the explanations, even if only watching you can get a lot of culinary inspiration.

The post Bechamel sauce ( besciamella ) simple recipe appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents:

For those of you who love cooking and enjoy the Italian cuisine, here is our weekly pick from yellowsaffron – Chocolate salami ( salame al cioccolato ) Italian recipe

For your Italy travel to discover Italian to understand all the explanations, even if only watching you can get a lot of culinary inspiration.

The post Chocolate salami ( salame al cioccolato ) Italian recipe appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents:

For those of you who love cooking and enjoy the Italian cuisine, here is our weekly pick from La Cucina Italiana – Involtini impanati alla siciliana.

For your Italy travel to discover Italian to understand all the explanations, even if only watching you can get a lot of culinary inspiration.

Buon appetito!

The post Recipe of the Week: Involtini alla siciliana appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents:

By Paul Symonds

The Island of Sicily is an autonomous region of Italy, on west of the southern end of the Italian peninsula. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, separated from the mainland Italy by the Strait of Messina. An island of great natural beauty, this is a great location for travel photography and this is discussed below.

The beautiful island of Sicily is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea on the west and south, by the Ionian Sea on the east, and by the Tyrrhenian Sea on the north. The island is almost entirely covered by hills and mountains (continuations of the Apennines). Mt. Etna (over 3,000 meters high), in the east, is the highest point on the island. Sicily also includes the Egadi Islands, the Lipari Islands, the Pelagie Islands, the Pantelleria Island, and Ustica Island. The land area of Sicily covers 25,000 km² and hosts a population in excess of five million Sicilians. The language of the natives of Sicily is also called Sicilian; Sicilian also the name of the language – a language whose origins originates from a number of other languages including Spanish, Catalan, Latin, French and Arabic.

The beauty of Sicily and what makes it an ideal location for travel photography is a combination of the climate, locations, history and deep culture. You can take photographs high up on the Etna Volcano with the snow black (black due to the affects of colourisation from the black lava) and on the same day you can take photographs in the sunshine on the coast. There are also many classy and cute villages and sites. Hisrotical sites include Roman Ruins, while more natural sites include the rocky coast and the man made vineyards and olive farms which you can easily find. Sicily is so rich in culture that for travel photography, this is an island which gives you so much to capture on camera. It is hard not to get good pictures on this stunning Mediterranean island.

Sicily has a number of tourist attractions that offer a opportunities for travel photography. Some of the major attractions of the island include Augusta (a town north of Syracuse), Cefalu (Sicily’s main beach resort), Eraclea Minoa (Greek ruins above an attractive beach), Gole dell’Alcantara (a deep impressive gorge), Milazzo (gateway to the Aeolian Islands), Monreale (impressive cathedral above Palermo), Mount Etna (impressive 3323m high active volcano), Piazza Armerina (home of impressive Roman mosaics), Ragusa (impressive baroque architecture), Segesta (greek temple and ruins), Sciacca (quite south coast port) and Selinunte (impressive greek temples).

Paul Symonds writes for Sicily Portal and the Travel photography & tips site.

More about Sicily:
For your Italy travel to discover even more about Sicily what your fellow travellers recommend to visit while in Sicily and what to do:
http://www.italytravelnotes.com/category/sicily/

The post Sicily, Italy – A Perfect Place For Travel Photography appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents: By Levi Reiss

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, consider the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Depending on your interests, this beautiful area might be an ideal vacation spot. You can get classic Italian food, and wash it down with fine local wine. There are even some parts of Piedmont that haven’t yet been discovered by tourists. This article presents Turin, the capital and largest city of the Piedmont. A companion article presents the rest of the Piedmont region.

Piedmont means foot of the mountains, and that describes the area perfectly. Turin, in the center of Piedmont, is pretty well surrounded by hills and by mountains such as the Alps. While the setting is beautiful, don’t expect a Mediterranean climate such as found in most of Italy. The Piedmont climate is continental, with cold winters and hot summers, especially in the plains.

Turin’s population is slightly over nine hundred thousand but the population of its metropolitan area is well over two million. About one half of the Piedmont residents live in the greater Turin area. In a sense the 2006 Winter Olympics have put Turin on the tourist map and played a major role in its continuing development. As you will see, Turin, center of Italy’s automobile manufacturing, is not just an industrial city.

This city was once a walled Roman military camp. Like so much of Italy, Turin and the entire Piedmont region was occupied again and again. What is unusual, however, is that the French House of Savoy ruled Piedmont for about five hundred years. They even returned to power after Napoleon’s defeat. Not surprisingly a lot of French influence remains. Piedmont played a major role in the Risorgimento (Italian Unity Movement). Turin was the first capital of the United Kingdom of Italy between 1861 and 1865 ruled by Victor Emmanuel II, a Savoyard.

We’ll start our tour of Turin downtown. The Duomo di San Giovanni (St. John’s Cathedral) dates back to the Fifteenth Century. Its chapel Cappella della Sacra Sindone (Chapel of the Holy Shroud) contained the famous Shroud of Turin, brought to Turin in the Sixteenth Century by a member of the Savoy royal family. In 1997 a fire damaged the chapel, which was closed until further notice. You can see a copy of this shroud near the Duomo’s altar. But the Shroud itself is next scheduled for public display in 2025.

Other downtown churches worth seeing include the Seventeenth Century San Lorenzo (St. Lawrence) and the twin baroque San Carlo and Santa Cristina Churches. Cross the Po River to see the Nineteenth Century Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio (Church of the Great Mother of God) said to be constructed over the Holy Grail and the Sixteenth Century Chiesa della Santa Maria del Monte (Church of St. Maria of the Mountain). Next door is a small but interesting museum devoted to mountains and mountain climbing, Museo Nazionale della Montagna (National Mountain Museum).

Talking about museums, a must see is the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum) considered to be one of the best in the world. For example, it contains hundreds of mummies and a burial chamber that’s so complete it includes drafting tools, a cosmetic case, and a contemporary board game. In fact Jean-François Champollion, the first person to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics, wrote “The road to Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin”. GAM, the Galleria Civic d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (Civic Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery) on the edge of downtown is devoted to Italian contemporary art covering much more than the last one hundred years.

It is fitting that Italy’s Detroit should host the Museo dell’Automobile (Automobile Museum). When they say antique cars, they mean antique cars, dating back to 1896. And what cars, the collection includes the first FIAT model, Bugattis, Ferraris, and actress Gloria Swanson’s Isotta Franchini from the movie Sunset Boulevard.

The Borgo Medioevale (Medieval Village), built on the banks of the Po River more than one hundred years ago, represents a Fifteenth Century Piedmont village. Most buildings in the Borgo are copies of medieval buildings that actually exist in the Piedmont. You’ll love the Rocca Medioevale (Medieval Castle) in the middle of the site.

Talking about castles, you won’t want to miss the Palazzo Madama (Madame’s Palace) situated in the Piazza Castello (Castle Plaza). This building, named for the Savoy Queen Maria Christina, once housed the Italian Senate. Do not confuse it with a building of the same name in Rome that houses the present Italian Senate. Like so many other Italian buildings the Turin Palazzo Madama houses temporary art exhibitions.

The nearby Seventeenth Century Palazzo Reale (Royal Palace) on the site of an ancient Roman city gate was the Savoy royal residence until 1865. You can visit some of the royal apartments and admire the tapestries, furniture, and royal gardens. A few blocks away is the birthplace of the first king of united Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II. Don’t expect a shack, it’s the majestic Palazzo Carignano that served as the seat of united Italy’s first parliament from 1860 to 1865. This Palazzo houses the Museo del Risorgimento (National Museum of the Italian Renaissance) devoted to the national unity movement.

While there are many, many other places of interest in Turin, we conclude by examining what is probably Turin’s best-known landmark, the Mole Antonelliana, the official emblem of the 2006 Winter Olympics. This building, once the world’s tallest brick structure, was originally supposed to be a synagogue but never served as such. It houses the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Cinema Museum) with a film library containing seven thousand films.

What about food? The Piedmont region is well known for all kinds of food, often with a French style. Don’t forget that it was ruled by the French House of Savoy for over five hundred years. Turin claims to have invented solid chocolate. Once upon a time, if you wanted a chocolate fix, you needed a cup or a glass. Of course, you still can get great chocolate drinks in Turin. For example, the house specialty of the world famous Al Bicerin, is a hot drink brimming with chocolate, coffee, and cream. They even sell chocolate-flavored pasta. La Dolce Vita. Grissini (Bread Sticks) were also invented in Turin. Turin’s real thing is quite different from the store-bought version thousands of miles away.

Let’s suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Risotto al Barbaresco (Risotto cooked in Barbaresco wine). Then try Vitello Tonnato (Veal in Tuna Sauce). For dessert indulge yourself with Grandiuto (Chocolate with Cocoa, Hazelnuts, and Sugar). Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We’ll conclude with a brief look at Piedmont wine. Well over half the region’s wine production is either DOC or DOCG wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. At last count there were 44 such wines coming from Piedmont. Add a G for Guarantita and there are seven such Piedmont wines, including Barolo, felt by many to be Italy’s finest red wine, and Barbaresco. But Piedmont also produces many fine DOC or unclassified wines.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His major wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com and his major article website is http://www.travelitalytravel.com .

More about Piedmont:
For your Italy travel to discover even more about what Piedmont has to offer and find out what your fellow travellers think of the city here:
http://www.italytravelnotes.com/category/piedmont/

The post I Love Touring Italy – Turin, Piedmont appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.

Italy Travel Notes presents:

For those of you who love cooking and enjoy the Italian cuisine, here is our weekly pick from La Cucina Italiana – How to prepare Pesto.

For your Italy travel to discover Italian, but it is presented in a very quick and simple way – enjoy and try it at home!

The post Recipe of the Week: How to prepare Pesto appeared first on Italy Travel Notes.