Persimmon and walnut cake
There is nothing romantic about the summer heat in a densely populated inland city like Turin. Respite in the form of a breeze (and air-conditioning, as Italians generally don’t like colpi d’aria or ‘hits of…
A Morning at the Markets
If you have to do your shopping here on a Saturday, it is best to get in early. The often huge throngs of people surrounding the bancarelle (stalls) at the local markets can be quite…
Italy’s Day of the Dead
The urns of strong men stimulate strong minds To deeds of great distinction O Pindemonte And these urns make sacred for the traveller that earth which holds them – Ugo Foscolo, Of the Sepulchres, 1807…
Borlotti bean soup and the cult of cucina povera
I am an incurable mangiafagioli or ‘beaneater’. Really though, what is wrong with admitting your passion for one of healthiest, most nutritionally dense foods on the planet? Fibre, protein, folate and iron are just a…