Puglia

I’m happy to have connected with Cinzia Rascazzo, a native of Lecce, who with her sister Marika founded the Stile Mediterraneo Cooking School. The school celebrates southern Italian cuisine, that’s been handed down in their family from mother to daughter for generations (As Cinzia says: “No Italian men were ever admitted into the home kitchen!”). Cinzia has a beautiful blog, with great travel advice for the area and also recipes, for such classics as Orecchiette with Cime di Rapa , that was featured in La Cucina Italia magazine. And check out the ebook they wrote: The Cuisine of Southern Italian Women: Mediterranean Secrets for aRead More →

It’s a pleasure to connect with Catherine Faris, who turned a dream of living in Italy into a reality. Eighteen years ago she visited Puglia with her husband Brian and three children and they fell in love with it. Today the children have grown, Catherine and Brian have quit their jobs, moved to Italy, and immersed themselves into life in Martina Franca. Catherine beautifully chronicles their experiences on her Nuovastoria blog, bringing us an insider’s experience of the place, with posts such as a recent one about making a traditional Pugliese condiment: Plic e Plac.  In 2013, Catherine and Brian delved deeper into joining in with Puglia’s traditions, launching the Pascarosa company, thatRead More →

My dear friend Carol Malzone, a dedicated Italofile, author, and founder of Flavors of Rome, was singing the praises of her new Italian teacher, Sandra Sicolo. Sandra grew up in Bitonto-Bari, Puglia, moved to the USA in 1989 with her husband and two children, and immediately began teaching Italian and doing translation work. The family now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where Sandra has founded a popular cultural organization: All Italian Things, Inc., that promotes and preserves Italian culture, through entertaining events, cooking and language classes, AND group trips to Puglia that are designed and led by Sandra. I’m so grateful she has joined inRead More →

It was such a pleasure last spring to finally meet Rossella Rago, host of a web series I adore: Cooking With Nonna.   In each episode Rossella brings in a Nonna from a different region of Italy, who tells the story of how she learned to cook in the old country, and then demonstrates a specialty. In some episodes Rossella brings in her very own Nonna Romana, who along with Rossella’s parents, came from Mola di Bari, a tiny fishing village in the region of Puglia. My caffe date with Rossella at Lavazza in New York’s EATALY stretched into entertaining hours. Rossella regaled me withRead More →

I’m so grateful to have met so many fellow Italofiles through the Blogosphere. One of the most fascinating is Melissa Muldoon. Many know her as La Studentessa Matta=The Crazy Student, who writes a wonderful blog, in Italian, featuring her funny and passionate reportings about Italian current events and culture, including such goodies as a colorful recent post about La Festa della Bruna in Matera. It was great to finally meet Melissa in person last month when we joined in with Le Donne d’Italia in San Francisco for a Passport to Italy event at the Museo Italo Americano. She’s as charming in person as she appears inRead More →

I was enchanted and amazed when I came upon the blog, A New Life in Italy (Puglia in Fact). The posts are hilarious–from Isabelle Duranceau Jowett–a French Canadian who moved to the UK in 1997 to pursue a career in motorsport marketing, which lead to a career in event marketing and sponsorship (Formula One then Coca-Cola), a husband, and two children… As if that’s not enough for one life’s adventure, in 2006, Izzy and her family headed to Puglia for a better life and to build a dream: a glampsite in Castrignano del Capo, just up the hill from the seaside town of Leuca, inRead More →

I came to know Martha Bakerjian years ago through her Italy Travel Site on About.com–a Must Click for all travelers to Italy–packed with excellent information–from maps, to guidance for well known destinations and off-the-beaten path spots, and insider’s advice for such things as Going to the Beach in Italy. It was a thrill to meet her in person last fall, when we rendezvoused for lunch in Pisa. She is a passionate Italofile, who has been traveling extensively in Italy for 30 years, and now has a home in the Lunigiana region of northern Tuscany where she spends about five months a year, using it asRead More →

As summer is approaching, we move on to Puglia, the region in Italy’s heel, home to some of Italy’s best beaches. My first visit to Puglia was many years ago, in the month of May, when cherry season was at its peak… One Golden Day I’ll always treasure was in Savelletri di Fasano,  near the forests of Fasano, south of Bari.  I stayed with my gal friend Sheila at Torre Maizza, a masseria (former farm estate) from the 16th century, that’s been luxuriously renovated with beautiful guest accommodations, gorgeous grounds, a golf course, delicious restaurants, and a spa. Taking in all the beauty on theRead More →