In Memory of Anna Tasca Lanza

With a heavy heart I read last week of Anna's passing. If you are familiar with Anna Tasca Lanza, her cookbooks, or her cooking school, I know the news will sadden you as well. In the summer of 2007 I was fortunate to visit with her at Case Vecchie in Sicily with my good friend, and publisher, Kari Hock. At the time we had wondered if we would be her last 2 students. Thus, we were thrilled to discover in the fall of 2008 that Fabrizia, her daughter was on the scene and that the school was going no where, indeed, it was growing!

Fabrizia pens a wonderful monthly newsletter from Sicily. And although the news was heartbreaking, she shared a touching story of her mother's last days in the last issue. She recounts her mother's lack of appetite and fussiness when it came to eating.

"One day I decided I would dare something new,

since she had always had a love for fresh,

rather acidic and sweet flavors.

With the fresh citruses from the garden,

I made a lemon granita.

She ate it, and in a whisper she said, "Squisito."


This is the last comprehensible word I recall my mother saying.

I love her so much for this last present,

for being capable of appreciating quality

and pleasure up to her last moments...I will never forget it. "

Thank you, Fabrizia.

And Thank you, Anna.

You have given this world a gift. By sharing your way of life, the culture of Sicily lives on on the tables of not only Sicily, but around the globe. In memory of you, I pull down my much loved "The Heart of Sicily," flip to page 101, and start baking a crostata, jam tart. Although, I dare say, I no longer need the recipe I have made it so many times. But the book is lovely and the pictures hold my interest while my pastry rests.

Stuck on Italy: Italian Wall Decals

During one of my frequent Internet wanderings I clicked, clicked, clicked my way to an ETSY shop selling the Leaning Tower of Pisa as a wall decal. Ooohhh, I squealed with delight. And then I thought about it. Really, would I really put this on my wall? After a few moments pondering I decided the answer was no. I could not put it on my wall. The kids' walls? Well now, that's another story-- especially that scooter down below!

Here are a selection of wall decals I came across with Italian themes. Perhaps they'll find a home on your wall.

Leaning Tower of Pisa from OrqueShaw's Walldecor

Vino Vinyl Wall Art from WallStar Graphics

Roman Colosseum from Stickerbrand

Tuscany from ShaNickers

Cucina from Janey Mac

Italian Scooter from Slaps

Bon Appétit in Puglia

Che delicioso!

Bon Appétit magazine's annual travel issue (May 2010) dips down into the southern heel of Italy in "Less is More, Italian-Style" by Jack Turner.



Turner tastes his way through Puglia writing,"Puglia is to cucina povera what New Orleans is to jazz or Memphis is to the blues"-- nicely said, Mr. Turner! Sadly the article cannot be accessed online (quick, run out and get the May issue-- if it's not too late!!).


Fortunately BA kindly posted "Food of Puglia Menu for 6" from the same issue. In this mini post Donatella Arpaia, a New York restaurateur with familial ties to Puglia, reminisces about her southern Italian summers spent alongside her Grandmother and Aunts.

The Menu includes recipes for the following:

• Smoky Ricotta Fritters
• Toasted Bread with Burrata and Arugula
• Orecchiette with Cauliflower, Anchovies, and Fried Croutons
• Roasted Striped Bass with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Oil-Cured Olives
• Dried Fava and Potato Puree with Dandelion Greens
• Pastry Twists with Spiced Sugar-Honey Glaze

After sharing my Puglian meal in Martina Franca with you last week, you can bet I'll be making the Fava and Potato Puree dish sometime soon.

Do you think you'll give any of these dishes a try?

The Memory of the Meal: Martina Franca

Last Friday I shared a snapshot of Martina Franca and today I would like to share one of our most memorable Italian meals from the same city.

When I was still in High School my oldest brother and his girlfriend moved to southern Italy for her job. No one could ever remember the name of the city or had any clue on how to pronounce it. “Sounds like Karen’s Toes” was the trick I used- and shared- as a means to remember the name, Taranto. Now I know better and that’s not really how it’s pronounced but at the time none of our friends or family had much knowledge of Italy or Italian pronunciation.

Although Theresa (now my married to my brother, Bill for over 16 years!) worked in Taranto they lived in Martina Franca. I recall long letters home from Bill- not prone to being chatty, unlike moi- describing the passegiata, gelato, and the pizza. Boy, I think he spent two pages just describing Quattro Stagione!

Unfortunately, their time living abroad was cut short when my father unexpectedly died. Moments that have great impact on you have a tendency to become frozen in memory. Martina Franca, although a place my father never went, became intricately entwined with memories of my dad. Perhaps it was because we read my brothers letters together or spent so much time discussing their life in Italy in the weeks just before he died.

During this period that my brother was living in Italy, my father was also embarking on his own adventure: attending culinary school in anticipation of opening my family’s Bed & Breakfast (it opened a few months after he died). I've always thought of my father as a foodie, even though that term has only recently come into vogue. For me, trying new foods and being mindful or regional differences is a way I honor my father’s memory. And so it was last May when my family (whom my father never knew) sat down in a small piazza in Martina Franca.

Cucina rustica defines Ai Portici and it is fantastic. We sampled such Puglian specialties as homemade taralli, cozze gratinate, formaggi freschi locali (including scamorzine), orecchiette (plain for the kids!), and purea di fave con cicoria e peperoni (pureed fava beans with chicory and peppers). Of course this was all washed down with a local white wine (a few bottles made their way back Stateside with us!).

Ai Portici
6 Piazza Maria Immacolata
Martina Franca
39-080/480-1702

Related Article from Travel & Leisure

Photo Friday: Martina Franca

Where white washed simplicity marries baroque extravagance you'll find Martina Franca (Puglia).

Yet another reason to go south.

Read about Martina Franca here and here and here.

First-Time Highlights for a Trip to Calabria

Welcome Guest blogger Cherrye from My Bella Vita!

If you don't already follow her blog, what the heck are you waiting for! Get on over there for a healthy dose of southern Italian living. Cherrye has great insight and style, she is the go-to gal for travel in Calabria! Thanks for joining us on South of Rome, Cherrye!

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First-Time Highlights for a Trip to Calabria

written by Cherrye Moore

The Internet is full of bloggers and writers who have fallen in love with the bel paese. Many of these experts focus on the north … even the King of European Travel, Rick Steves, has never ventured farther south than Naples. Which is why I love Karen’s South of Rome blog so much.

Like Karen, I’m slightly obsessed with southern Italy travel, so when she volunteered her site as a platform for me to talk about Calabria, I couldn’t resist.

Many people who visit Calabria want to know a little about the “must see” sights and honestly, between the ruins, castles, beaches, mountains, villages and cities it’s hard to settle on just a few.
But I’ll try. Here is my pick of things to see on a first-time trip to Calabria.

1. Le Castella

Le Castella is an ancient Argonese fortress that is thought to be the castle where Calypso held Ulysses hostage in Homer’s The Odyssey. It is hands down my favorite attraction in Calabria, not only because it looks like a giant sand castle sitting on an islet in the Ionian Sea, but also for the sleepy little town the castle calls home.

The Micomare Restaurant is a nice choice for a seafood lunch and has some of the best castle views in the village.

You can read a bit more about Le Castella here.

2. Villaggio Mancuso

This tiny Alpine village is located inside La Sila National Park and is one of the most charming one-road, no stop light towns I’ve ever seen. Regardless of the season, the natural beauty that surrounds the village is alive, with either dancing snowflakes, black squirrels, summertime flowers or falling leaves.

Villa Marinella is located just outside of Villaggio Mancuso in Villaggio Racise and is one of my favorite restaurants in the region for their first-rate customer service, homemade antipasto dishes and spinach cannoli.

You can read more about Villaggio Mancuso and La Sila here.

3. Tropea and Pizzo

Ok, so technically I’m cheating here because Tropea and Pizzo are two different villages … but they are only 18 miles apart and many people visit them in one day.

Tropea is the most well-known beach resort in Calabria. From the historical center, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Tyrrhenian coast, while the bright emerald green waters are some of the most enticing in the Mediterranean.

Nearby, Pizzo is home to the nationally-famous Tartufo di Pizzo gelato and the Chiesetta di Piedigrotta . It is also one of the most quintessential southern Italian fishing villages and is the perfect place to wander the streets and get lost.

You can read more about Tropea and Pizzo here.

Cherrye Moore is a freelance writer and Calabria travel consultant living in southern Italy. She writes about expat life for AffordableCallingCards.net and about living and traveling in Calabria on her site My Bella Vita.

Cave Dining Over the Adriatic Sea, Puglia

Photo Credit: Grotta Pallazzese

During our southern Italian travels Polignano a Mare in Puglia would inevitably pop up on our radar for one excellent reason: Grotta Pallazzese. Although TripAdvisor reviews are a mixed bag, the very idea of dining in a limestone cavern suspended over the Adriatic sea was like a siren’s call to me. The Grotta Pallazzese website describes the summer cave as being … “naturally lit by the aqua marine reflection from the waters, the summer cavern has been the scene of many a romantic moment since local nobility held banquets there in the 1700s.”

sigh...
but alas we never made it.

The summer cave is open May-October.

go. go. go.

And then tell me about it.