giving grazie: italian recipes for thanksgiving
Although there is no Thanksgiving holiday in Italy, that does not exclude Italian food. Here are some Italian recipes you can use for your Thanksgiving meal.
ansedonia: rub shoulders with the rich & famous
Directly across the harbor from Porto Ercole lies Ansedonia, a sleepy town with some of the best beach front in Tuscany. This is where some of the wealthiest families in Italy have their summer retreats.
california vs. italian wines: where they differ
Americans visiting Italy are surprised when sampling Italian wines - they discover that Italian wines actually taste different. Wines in Italy are often lighter, less oaky and more crisp and acidic than the California wines many of us are used to.
mt. vesuvius and i
My driver took me up the volcano to a point from where one had to walk the rest of the way. I looked toward the top and knew that my body was never going to agree to take me there... but, fate had other plans.
plan ahead: 2005 italian calendars
Planning things for next year with nowhere to pencil them in? Grab an Italian calendar to hang in the office, one to hang at home and one to carry with you -- grab a couple for your family and friends - that way, you'll be surrounded by Italy no matter where you are.
no tricks or treats for italys' all saints day
While Americans spent the last day of October trick or treating, Italians were preparing for first day of November All Saints Day. Italians go in droves to clean, and adorn new flowers on the graves of their loved ones.But the long traditional weekend of All Saints' is about to end. The Milan Observatory predicted that about 6 million Italians would travel during this weekend. One Italian out of two has visited his relatives at the cemeteries of their own city or in the city of origin. "The tradition has been respected," explained the director of the Milan Observatory, Massimo Todisco, "also because the bad weather and the economic crisis stopped those who had planned a long holiday. All Saints day is celebrated diffetnly in north and in the south of Italy: the attendance at the cemeteries in cities like Naples and Bari was of more than 70 per cent, while it barely reached 30 per cent in Milan and Turin. This doesn't necessarily mean that people in Milan and Turin feel the
cult of the dead less, but maybe, Todisco comments, they prefer visiting the cemeteries during the whole year when they feel the need and desire to do so. According to the Observatory, the Italians spent about 100 million euros to buy flowers, primarily chrysanthemums, for the tombs of their families. The most expensive city is Milan, where a bunch of chrysanthemums costs between 2 and 4 euros while the cheapest cities are Catania and Palermo, where a chrysanthemum buquet costs about 1 euro.
fda approves health claims for olive oil
Dow Jones newswire reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that olive-oil manufacturers can claim that consuming two tablespoons of olive oil daily might reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease.
The FDA said it was allowing olive-oil makers and food manufacturers of products containing olive oil to make a so-called "qualified health claim" based on "limited but not conclusive evidence" that suggests consuming monounsaturated fat from olive oil in place of foods high in saturated fat might could reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
"With this claim, consumers can make more informed decisions about maintaining healthy dietary practices," said Dr. Lester M. Crawford, acting FDA Commissioner, in a press release, noting that coronary heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the U.S.
The FDA said food labels can state that consuming about two tablespoons or 23 grams of olive oil daily may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease due to the monounsaturated fat in olive oil. The label also must state that in order to achieve the benefit, that olive oil consumption must replace a similar amount of saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories eaten each day.
italian woman banned from army for being too fat
A young woman volunteer has been banned from the Italian army for being too fat, media reported on Monday.
The 5.4-foot tall 21-year-old, identified only by her first name, Francesca, was considered unsuitable for the army as her 173 pounds was "incompatible with the parametres of physical aptitude of military service", it said.
She had argued before an administrative tribunal in the central coastal city of Ancona that she had passed her first army medical, but then put on weight during her first 10 months of training due to the stodgy food served.
But her argument did not hold weight with the court, which said that she had failed to lose her surplus kilos during a convalescence period given her by the military go to on a diet.
However, her lawyer said on Tuesday she was not going to take the matter lightly, and that she would appeal the ruling.
He said that for Francesca, who hails from Catania in Sicily, "the army was her choice of lifestyle and a work opportunity.
"I don't think that all the military you come across in Italy have perfect figures," he said.
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