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Sunday feasting on gnocchi con spezzatino with my friends in Umbria the weekend of Valentine’s Day Read more…

ABOUT

Curious Appetite is a Gourmet Blog by Coral Sisk, Italian-American writer, certified Italian sommelier & culinary tourism specialist from Seattle living in Florence, Italy

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Pardon the lighting, but the riverside snacks from

Pardon the lighting, but the riverside snacks from @lungarnodining’s Caffè dell’Oro Nikkei-themed fusion menu and spritz are worth a holler and a fancy weekend evening Aperitivo.
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Fried avocado sando, Peruvian pork mini panini, salsa’d scallops and amberjack sashimi 🐟 tiradito in aji amarillo yellow chili are delights and proof Florence is not a boring city to eat in.

If you can’t be in Florence eating all the fun things and drinking all the drinks, please support your local restaurant by ordering take-out if outdoor/indoor dining isn’t possible especially if you’re on the US’s West Coast as 2020 has been beyond demoralizing for restaurants everywhere who fight tooth and nail to hang on. Thinking of my home coast (best coast, sorry not sorry) and hoping the air quality cleans up soon and everyone is staying well- big hug! Buon weekend a tutti 🍹🍴#curiousappetite

Did you know gelato is considered to have been bor

Did you know gelato is considered to have been born in Florence, thanks to the Medici?
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Legend says the Medici court held a competition for the most unusual food, and a chicken farmer (pollaiolo in Italian) Ruggieri presented something icy, sugared and with a tempting perfume. Caterina de’ Medici (who like us, quickly found gelato an essential food group) was instantly hooked.
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So much so that after she was shipped off to France to marry, she brought this pollaiolo with her so this creation could be served at her wedding to Henry II. Other accounts cite Florentine architect Bernando Buontalenti and Sicilian Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli. Curious to learn more about Caterina and chat all the historic gelato gossip? Join one of our tours!
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Tickets to all our in-person and online events can be found via the linktree in bio or visiting our website!

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#gelato #gelatolovers #icecreamaroundtheworld #icecream #caterinademedici #florence #firenze #foodhistory #virtualexperiences #virtualtours #visititaly #armchairtravel #florenceitaly #iloveitaly #italymagazine #foodtours #nytfood #travelandleisure #foodandwine #gastroobscura #nytcooking #culturetrip #italiangelato #lovetheworld #tasteofitaly #theflorentine #cntraveler #theculturetrip

More favorite finds from the last weekend in Bolog

More favorite finds from the last weekend in Bologna I wanted to share with you: raw almond, dark chocolate and lemon ginger gelato @la_sorbetteria_castiglione and vintage cookbooks from Bologna’s second weekend antique market in Piazza Santo Stefano, home to the seven churches complex. Ever been? 🍨 📚 #curiousappetite #bolognaitaly

Italy isn’t all about pasta, in fact, one of my

Italy isn’t all about pasta, in fact, one of my favorite specialties is a good risotto. And in the Fall this carb-rich dish goes perfectly with porcini mushrooms.
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Rice is grown in Italy both in the northern region of Piedmont, Lombardia and also right here in Tuscany. The main risotto rices are Arborio and Canaroli, both named for the little towns in Piedmont they call their home. But Carnaroli is considered the creme of risotto rice varieties!
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Both of these rices have a special starch called “amylopectin starch” which gives the rice that creamy texture we all love in our risotto.
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You’ll find a bag of Carnaroli rice in our latest Gourmet Food Club boxes along with foraged dried porcini mushrooms, with a handy recipe to cook up a delicious risotto.
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Check out this seasons box via our website link in bio!

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#italianfood #risotto #tuscany #italianfoodclub #italyeats #EatItalian #gourmetdelivery #giftboxes #giftideas #onlinefood #florenceitaly #iloveitaly #italymagazine #porcinimushrooms #foodbizwhiz #bbcgoodfood #chowhound #allrecipes #eatingwell #nytcooking #thekitchn #LPfood #foodandwine #lovetheworld #eattheworld #antipasti #yourflorence #theflorentine #f52grams #epicurious

Freshly ground and served, as espresso should be.

Freshly ground and served, as espresso should be. These days not so many bars roast their own coffee or put care into provenance, but sometimes you are lucky to find gems like Caffe Piansa, Melaleuca, Coffee Mantra and middle ground Chiaroscuro.

I didn’t used to put much thought into making a moka. Then I sat down with our barista @johnsy_jessica and learned there was way more to coffee than we think.

She also broke my 1 euro espresso bubble when she taught me the real cost of coffee production. Plus taught me how to make a better coffee at home.

If you consider yourself a coffee lover and are looking to learn more about this caffeinated gold we sip everyday, join Curious Appetite’s Virtual Barista and Coffee Workshop. Hosted by our coffee expert and Barista you are sure to learn a thing or two, and never think about your 1 euro espresso the same.

Tickets and info to our online workshops via link in bio!

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#culturetrip #virtualexperiences #virtualtasting #baristaworkshop #coffeeinitaly #morningcoffee #coffeeculture #italiancoffee #coffeeshop #coffeebar #coffeelovers #visititaly
#dreamingofitaly #florence #firenze #florencefood #foodtours #cntraveler #bbctravel #eater #vinepair #italymagazine
#takemetoitaly
#italytravel #iloveitaly #lifeinitaly
#italygram
#italianlifestyle

Did you know we do half-day culinary tours of Bolo

Did you know we do half-day culinary tours of Bologna? I spent the last weekend in Bologna which included time visiting our partnering stops on this indulgent circuit.
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When we were developing this tour, there had to be a fresh pasta aspect, not only tasting but going behind the curtains and meeting the sfogline (pasta makers) behind this earnest trade.
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While many of you may not be able to travel, we do offer online cooking classes to perfect your at-home fresh pasta game and when you are able to visit Bologna- we hope you keep our #lagrassatour in mind!
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Anyone been to Bologna or taken our tour? What did you love the most? 🍝🍾🥂 We sorely miss hosting food lovers on our tours but looking forward to twirling pasta either online or in-person! Buona domenica a tutti #curiousappetite #foodtours

Noticed a rooster around Tuscany a few times? Il G

Noticed a rooster around Tuscany a few times? Il Gallo Nero (The Black Rooster) is the official symbol of Chianti Classico.
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Legend has it that when Siena and Florence were fighting over territory, they agreed to a competition to determine the city-state limits. A knight of each city would choose a rooster, at dawn, upon the roosters crow, they would begin riding. Wherever they met determined the borders.
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The Florentine knight won the race and the entire territory of Chianti (and all its wine) came under the control of Florence.
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The symbol of Il Gallo Nero was adopted by the Consorzio del Gallo Nero in 1924, the first attempt to combat Chianti fraud. Now it is required to be present on all Chianti Classico wine bottles.
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If you are interested to learn more about Italy’s long wine history, including legends over nefarious cheats by the Florentines for winning Chianti, join us for a little Sommelier-led wine and cheese tasting every Saturday at 8pm Italy time.
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Reserve tickets at the link in bio or by searching "Curious Appetite Travel" on @eventbrite!
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#TuscanyItaly #italiancheese #florenceitaly #iloveitaly #remoteteambuilding #onlinetasting #italymagazine #drinkitalian #bbcgoodfood #atlasobscura #LPfood #foodandwine #destinationflorence #lovetheworld #eattheworld #seetoshare #guardianfeast #TLpicks #onlinewine #theflorentine #forbestravel #epicurious #cheeseandwine #italianwinescholar #italianwine #chianticlassico #chiantiwine #tuscany #visittuscany #winestories

Curious what’s shaking and stirring around Tusca

Curious what’s shaking and stirring around Tuscany? A couple cocktail weeks are on the horizon as are favored Fall flavors.
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In our e-newsletter sent yesterday, I shared a bit about pasta travels, a gourmet food combo box deal, martini love and how to experience Florence and Tuscany Cocktail week whether you’re here or not!
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Did you receive it? If not make sure you’re subscribed via link in bio!
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I’ll also share the link to our e-letter in stories- as thanks to all y’all, this feed has reached 10K which means I can do that whole swipe up thing! Grazie mille- and cin cin to everyone 🍸#curiousappetite #10K

Summer is starting to ‘fall’ away for Autunno

Summer is starting to ‘fall’ away for Autunno (though in Italy it still is quite hot!) and with new seasons, come new seasonal treats.
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Which also means it’s time to change up our gourmet club food boxes!
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With our upcoming Fall-themed culinary gold box, you’ll get all the best ingredients to cook up a delicious porcini mushroom risotto (minus butter and fresh odori,) plus some other tasty surprises.
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How does the Gourmet Club Work?
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We offer various artisanal Italian food baskets filled with authentic Italian products plus personally written fact sheets, anecdotes and advice on how to enjoy each product. It’s just like a personal food tour in a box! Plus each box comes with tickets to attend our virtual events.
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Find out more about our upcoming Fall Culinary Gold box in our next newsletter! Subscribe via link in bio

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#italianfood #risotto #tuscany #italianfoodclub #italyeats #EatItalian #gourmetdelivery #giftboxes #giftideas #onlinefood #florenceitaly #iloveitaly #italymagazine #porcinimushrooms #foodbizwhiz #bbcgoodfood #chowhound #allrecipes #eatingwell #nytcooking #thekitchn #LPfood #foodandwine #lovetheworld #eattheworld #antipasti #yourflorence #theflorentine #f52grams #epicurious

It feels weird to not be tasting cheese and drinki

It feels weird to not be tasting cheese and drinking wine with curious travelers on one of our food tours in Florence or Bologna- September is one of our busiest months!
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If you can’t be here, we’re determined to bring our gourmet Italian experiences in your home with our online events!
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Every Saturday at 8pm Italy time, sommelier and food historian Adrienne guides a super fun Italian cheese and wine matching class on Zoom. We chat soft cheeses like taleggio with light Italian white wines with honeydew notes like Soave to aged cheeses with bold red Super Tuscan wines.
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When you book, we send you a list of easy to find cheeses and wines no matter where you are! This event makes for a tasty remote team building, too.
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Wanna join us? Contact for a team event quote or snag tickets on our @eventbrite page via linktree in bio!
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By the way that dollop is onion compote “mostarda” and it really is dangerous because it makes cheese even more devour-worthy. We’ll explain more risqué Italian cheese habits on the call 💻 🧀 #curiousappetite #onlinetours