Italy is a beautifull country and the perfect set for magical movies.
I propose here a list of movies where Italy is not only a beautiful scene on the back of the story but it is also one of the main characters!
Please let me know if I forgot any film!

Gladiator
Historical film about the Roman Empire. A great view on Rome and how it use to be

Il Postino
The man selected to deliver letters to Pablo Neruda, exiled on an island off the coast of Italy, has his worldview changed by the poet, who returns to Chile, leaving the postman with dreams and aspirations he can’t figure out how to achieve

The Italian Job
A breezy reworking of the 1969 favorite boasts Mark Wahlberg as a master thief looking for revenge from Edward Norton, a former ally who killed mentor Donald Sutherland, then duped him by taking millions in gold bars from a Venice heist. Italian settings include such towns as: Canazei, Genoa, Trento, and Venice

La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita follows Marcello Mastroianni as a journalist who descends into “the sweet life of debauchery” as he chronicles the rich and famous in Rome.

The Talented Mr. Ripley
Lush, involving thriller based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel stars Matt Damon as Tom Ripley, a young New Yorker hired by a tycoon to persuade wastrel son Jude Law to leave his Italian villa and return to America. After befriending Law and girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow, Damon’s devious nature – and his knack for forgery and imitation – come into play. Italian settings include such towns as: Ischia Island, Naples, Palermo, Positano, Procida, Rome, Salerno, and Venice.

Under the Tuscan Sun
In this lovely adaptation of Frances Mayes’ bestseller, Diane Lane is a recently divorced writer urged by pal Sandra Oh to get away from her dreary existence in San Francisco by taking a trip to Italy. Once in gorgeous Tuscany, Lane decides to radically change her life by buying and renovating a villa in the countryside, hoping her luck at love changes in the process. Italian settings include such towns as: Arezzo, Cortona, Florence, Montepulciano, Positano, and Salerno.

Angels and Demons

The plot follows Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, as he tries to stop what seems to be the Illuminati, a legendary secret society, from destroying Vatican City with the newly-discovered power of antimatter.

Star wars – The attack of the clones
Lucas uses Italy as set of the fifth episode of his legendary series.
The reggia di caserta and the lake of Como are the set of some of the most spectacular scenes of the movie!

Life is beautiful
It is a 1997 Italian movie which tells the story of a Jewish Italian who must employ his fertile imagination to help his son survive their internment in a Nazi concentration camp? This four Oscar winner movie tells a sad story about an Italy that we hope not to see again anymore.

The English Patient
The story deals with the gradually revealed histories of a critically burned English man, his Canadian nurse, a Canadian thief, and an Indian sapper in the British Army as they live out the end of World War II in an Italian villa.

As you may know every tradition in Italy is closely influencing Food!
We propose here a list of ten recipes to celebrate your Halloween in Italian Style!

1)Ossa dei morti (Dead Man’s Bones) Recipe

2) Fave dei Morti (Beans of the Dead) Recipe

3) Pumpkin Soup Recipe

4)Pane dei morti (Bread of the Dead) Recipe

5) Tortelli di zucca (Pumpkin Tortelli) Recipe

6) Pumpkin Bread Recipe

7) Italian Pumpkins Strata Recipe

8 ) Pumpkin timbale with walnut and herb sauce Recipe

9) Venetian Pumpkin Gnocchi recipe

10) Fried Pumpkin Recipe

Cervinia >>

Courmayeur >>

Gressoney>>

Check out more!

Moreover in the same period in Italy it takes place the Christian Celebration of the All Souls’ Day.

In Western Christianity, All Souls’ Day commemorates the faithful departed. This day is principally observed in the Catholic Church, although some churches of the Anglican Communion and the Old Catholic Churches also celebrate it.

A lot of traditions linked to this festivity takes place in different regions of Italy and it looks like they are influenced from the celtic orignated Halloween celebration.

In the days between 31st October and 11th November, St. Martin’s Day, in many Italian regions children or poor people would pass from house to house asking for food and gifts; sometimes they were masked as ghosts or spirits. In some Sicilian villages, on the night between 1st and 2nd November the Dead would bring presents to children. In the Veneto and Lombardia regions people would carve pumpkins into a skull’s face and put candles inside. These carved heads were then positioned on graves, bushes, walls and windowsills, in order to frighten the spirits.
In Southern Italy families prepare a special feast for the souls of the departed on All Souls’ Day. The families would set the table with a bountiful meal. Then they would all go to church to pray for the souls of the deceased. They stayed there all day, leaving their home open so that the spirits could enter and enjoy the feast.

When the family came home to find that their offerings hadn’t been consumed it meant that the spirits disapproved of their home and would work evil against them during the coming year

You can find the same tradition with small variations in other regions: for example in Valle D’Aosta they used to prepapre big fires in the night between the 1st and 2nd of November and prepare food for the dead and leave them close to the fire; In Piemonte people prepared food for an additional person and an extra seat was added to the table during dinner for the soul of a friend that is going to visit during the same night.

Every tradition in Italy involves food! the All Souls’ Day includes typical dishes prepared during this time and handed down from generation to generation. In Romagna, a region well known for its cooking, the “piada dei morti”, a very tasty round flatbread filled with nuts, almonds, raisins and the red wine of Romagna, the Sangiovese, is prepared. Another sweet prepared during this time in Romagna is the “fava dei morti”, a little biscuit made of almonds.

In Sicily the typical dishes for this time of year is the “pupi ‘i zuccuru”, a sweet bread shaped like little dolls, and the “dead bones”, biscuits having the shape of bones that are particularly hard to bite. Very peculiar is the “frutta marturana”, which is marzipan shaped into real fruits with an inviting scent.

How many different kind of Coffee can you order in an Italian Bar? Too Many!!!!
We try to put together for you the best 10 choice you have! Let us know if we miss something!
 


 

1. Caffè espresso

Caffè espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee.

Characteristics of properly made espresso, which distinguish it from coffee brewed by drip and most other processes, include a thicker consistency, higher concentration of dissolved solids, and crema, a reddish-brown foam that floats on the surface and is composed of vegetable oils, proteins and sugars.

As a result of the pressurized brewing process, all of the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of coffee are very concentrated. For this reason, espresso is the base for other drinks, such as lattes, cappuccino, macchiato and mochas.

2.Caffe’ Lungo

Lungo is Italian for ‘long’ and it is made by using an espresso machine to make an espresso with much more water (generally twice as much), resulting in a stretched espresso, a lungo.
A normal espresso takes from 18 up to 30 seconds to pull, and fills 25 to 30 millilitres, while a lungo may take up to a minute to pull, and might fill 50 to 60 millilitres.
As the amount of water is increased or decreased relative to a normal shot, the composition of the shot changes, because not all flavor components of coffee dissolve at the same rate. For this reason, a long or short shot will not contain the same ratio of components that a normal shot contains. Therefore, aristretto is not simply twice as “strong” as a regular shot, nor is a lungo simply twice as weak. Moreover, since espresso is brewed under pressure, a lungo does not have the same taste or composition as coffee produced by other methods, even when made with the same ratio of water and ground coffee.

3. Caffè ristretto

Ristretto (also called a “corto”) is a very “short” shot of espresso coffee. The shot could be described as bolder, fuller, with more body and less bitterness.
All of these flavors are usually attributed to espresso in general, but are more pronounced in ristretto.

4. Caffè freddo

Caffè freddo generally refers to coffee brewed beforehand and chilled.It’s usually served cold but without ice.

5. Caffè macchiato

Caffè macchiato sometimes called espresso macchiato is espresso with a small amount of hot, foamed milk. Macchiato” simply means “marked” or “stained,” and in the case of caffè macchiato, this means literally “espresso stained/marked with milk.”

6. Caffe’ corretto

Caffè corretto, consists of a shot of espresso “corrected” with a shot of liquor, usually grappa, brandy or sambuca; “corrected” in this sense being the Italian expression corresponding to English “spiked” (with alcohol). It is widely consumed in Italy and usually taken after lunch or dinner. It is ordered as “un caffè corretto a grappa”, “[…] corretto a cognac”, “[…] corretto a sambuca” or “[…] corretto a prugna”, depending on the liquor the customer would like to have added to the coffee.

7. Cappuccino

Cappuccino is prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed-milk foam. A cappuccino as such differs from a caffè latte in that it is prepared with much less steamed or textured milk than the caffè latte.
A cappuccino is traditionally served in a porcelain cup, which has far better heat-retention characteristics than glass or paper. The foam on top of the cappuccino acts as an insulator and helps retain the heat of the liquid, allowing it to stay hotter longer.
The name Cappuccino comes from the Capuchin friars, who traditionally wore habits of similar colours.

Marocchino

8.Marocchino is prepared with coffee, pure chocolate and cream.It can’t be considered just a small cappucino since the preparation and the taste is different.

9. Caffelatte

Caffelatte is a type of coffee drink made with hot milk. Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as chai, mate or matcha.

10. Caffè americano

Caffè Americano is a style of coffee prepared by adding hot water to espresso, giving a similar strength but different flavor from regular drip coffee. The strength of an Americano varies with the number of shots of espresso and the amount of water added.

Naples/Napoli >>

Amalfi >>

Capri>>

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The good thing about pasta is that it’s an easy and fast food to be cooked!It is healthy and can be prepared even by the worst cook in the world (almost)!!!

Find our basic rules on how to prepare a perfect Pasta!

To Do

1. Cook your pasta in a big pot with plenty of water(1 liter every 100g of Pasta). Keep in mind that when you add the pasta the volume of the water will increase almost 3 times.

2.Add the salt only when the water is boiling(10g of salt every liter of water)!

3.When the salty water is boiling you can add the pasta.If the water start boiling again reduce the fire under the pot.

4.Let the pasta cook.It’s important to cook the pasta al dente.If you overcook it, the water will be adsorbed by the pasta and it will the digestion of the food will harder.

Not to do

Since I lived abroad for long time I could see some basic mistakes people does preparing Pasta.They could look silly, but I can tell you I saw people doing them!

1. don’t add any oil to the boiling water!!

2. In the pot you should definitely have more water than pasta!!

3. Do not overcook!!if you are not sure follow the instruction you’ll find on the box!!!

4.Pasta is fast to prepare!!But it should be eaten as soon as it is ready!!! Don’t prepare it in advance and warm it up in the microwave!!when the pasta is cooked and you have taken away the water add immediately the sauce or oil!!the more you wait the more your pasta will be sticky!!!!!

Buon Appetito!

Italy Food and Wine are varied in nature and is world famous for its cultural difference and diversity.Stay tuned with us, we will bring you all the best posts, articles and news from Internet!

"food" via Italy_revealed in Google Reader

Book of the Week: Vino Italiano
3 Dec 2009 at 3:20am

Words by Carla Passino - Pictures by Alessandro Puccinelli

Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch produced a comprehensive guide that really helps laymen make sense of Italian wines, grapes a...

(ANSA) - New York, November 2 - Exports of sparkling Italian spumante and prosecco wines have overtaken those of French champagne by as much as 30%, according to the Italian Wine & food Institute (IWFI).

Italian bubbly exports surpassed those ...

(ANSA) - Verona, November 3 - Everything is ready for the premiere of this year's Vino Novello, the Italian cousin of the better known French Beaujolais Nouveau, which takes place Thursday and Friday at the Verona trade fair grounds.

While the ...

Ten years old and still going strong. First made in 1997 and released in 1999, Le Serre Nuove is a complex aromatic red by the acclaimed Tenuta dell’Ornellaia winery in Tuscany.

The tent...

A few weeks ago, when I went to the Naples area to visit family, I made sure we spent a few hours in the center of Naples looking at presepe, saints, and of course, eating delicious napoletana pizza.

I’ll try not to turn this post into a rant, but...

Castello Banfi is a family-owned vineyard estate and winery in the Brunello region of Tuscany which over the past 20 years has played a fundamental role in the succes

Legend has it that ...

(ANSA) - Florence, October 27 - This year should be a good vintage for Chianti Classico wine, according to the consortium of producers who make the famed Italian red wine.

''We were already very optimistic before and during harvest but now w...

“Excellent quality but a fall in quantity and prices”: that is the verdict of Assoenologi, Italy’s Association of Enologists and Enotechnicians, on the 2009 harvest. Prices are in fact down by 40%, the Association reported on Saturday.

A few days ago Carla posted a wonderful story on the Crescenza, a near extinct breed of cheese from Lombardy. Katia picked up the lead and produced a nice little recipe using that cheese (and plenty others). Enjoy...

Sometimes, listening to the pundits and ponderers, I get the feeling that cooking is my duty.

Siena >>

Pisa >>

San Gimignano >>

Check out more!

"moda" via Italy_revealed in Google Reader

Happy Birthday Gianni
2 Dec 2009 at 2:45pm
Today Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace would have been 63 years old. He was murdered 13 years ago outside his home in Miami. His family currently runs the international company he founded, Gianni Versace SpA. His brother Santo serves as ...


Elisabetta Canalis STRIPS For FHM: George Clooney's Girlfriend In A Thong (PH...
2 Dec 2009 at 3:23pm

Daily Mail
Elisabetta Canalis STRIPS For FHM: George Clooney's Girlfriend In A Thong (PHOTOS)
Huffington Post (blog)
The television host has modeled in her native Italy and may be landing more magazine covers if her high-profile relationship continue...


Ferragamo's museum goes online - GenX News
8 Nov 2009 at 10:53am
Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo has taken a museum detailing its history and culture online (www.museofferragamo.com). The website is dedicated to its shoemaker to the stars founder. It includes picture, vintage films relating to the Fl...


Zegna’s First Mainland Concept Store To Open In Shanghai
28 Oct 2009 at 2:30pm
Ermenegildo Zegna, a leading multinational in men's luxury clothing and one of the oldest business families in Italy, has located its first Chinese mainland global concept store at Lippo Plaza, Luwan district, Shanghai. This new store in Shanghai ...


The World's First Hotel Missoni
29 Oct 2009 at 1:25am
The first hotel of the planned international chain of Italian fashion houses Missoni opened in Edinburgh (United Kingdom). Six-storied building in the Royal Mile is square in shape and fits nicely in the city of ancient architecture.


Versace to cut 350 jobs, take other measures in bid to turn profit in 2010 - ...
28 Oct 2009 at 3:21pm

BBC News
Versace to cut 350 jobs, take other measures in bid to turn profit in 2010
The Canadian Press
MILAN, Italy — Versace's new CEO said in an interview Wednesday that the fashion house must move quickly on its restructuring plan, including 350 j...


Megan Fox to Pose for Emporio Armani Underwear
29 Oct 2009 at 8:17am
Beckhams are now not a part of Armani Family. After replacing David Beckham from Christiano Ronaldo for endorsement of men underwear now Italian fashion house


Designer Coca-Cola Bottles
23 Oct 2009 at 7:37am
8 Italian designers: Donatella Versace, Consuelo Castiglioni (Marni), Anna Molinari (Blumarine), Veronica Etro, Angela Missoni, Rossella Jardini (Moschino), Alberta Ferretti, and Silvia Venturini (Fendi) have teamed up with Coca-Cola to design Lig...


Breaking News Angelina Jolie in Gucci Film? Vidal Sa
21 Oct 2009 at 2:19pm
Filed under: Style in the NewsDYNASTY, ANGELINA STYLE! Three years after Maurizio Gucci, the former head of the lux label was found murdered in his apartment, his widow was found guilty of hiring a hit-man. The famed Italian fashion house's scanda...


Salvatore Ferragamo Goes Green With Eco Ferragamo
21 Oct 2009 at 1:52pm
With the strong emphasis placed on healing the planet these days, even fast food restaurants are attempting to green.?This watching of one’s carbon footprint is a direct result of a heating planet – or global warming. As mankind is faced with the ...


The film plot you couldn't make up
23 Oct 2009 at 4:21am

It will be the film plot that has everything: love, fashion, an ill-starred marriage, wealth, power, betrayal, family infighting and murder, all set against the glamorous Florentine background of the Gucci fashion house in its late 1970s and 198...

" who is a member of the Italian Parliament with the People of Freedom party - " wrote to Giorgio Napolitano, president of the Italian republic, on Monday asking him to consider Armani's appointment.