Piedmont is home to many luscious and decadent cheeses, making it almost a disservice to make a quick guide of it. Piedmont, is the food capital of Italy, in my opinion. It is home to the Slow Food Movement (although whose current operations I question), the annual cheese festival in Bra, the most prestigious truffles from Alba (Sorry, Tuscany. Not sorry, France.) Barolo wine for pete’s sake, the wonderful Nebbiolo grape, and fine heritage breeds of cattle to make typical plates like Vitello Tonnato (sliced veal with a tuna mayo cream). Piedmont seems to get a lot of countryside tourism, but the capital Turin seems to get very little exposure compared to other major Northern Italian cities like Milan or Venice. Turin has lots of craft cocktail bars, abundant aperitivo buffet lounges and groundbreaking restaurants. When I get to thinking about Piedmont, it is the next best place to Tuscany where I am foolishly loyal to. Continue Reading →
Italian Food and Wine Travel
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo vs Vino Nobile/Rosso di Montepulciano
I have noticed that a lot of people who travel to Tuscany note that they really like Montepulciano and want to do Montepulciano Wine Tours. Which surprises me because that is a pretty specific wine area and yet when I mention Brunello, they don’t seem to know what that is. Which makes me have a sneaking suspicion that people are thinking of the red wine that is one of the most common table red wines served in Italian restaurants across America: Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. While I hope they are talking about Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, this post is a general explanation of the 2 wines since even when I have been with clients in the Montepulciano wine country, I get this question: Is this wine made with Montepulciano grapes?
Quick Cheese Guide to the Veneto
I am starting a theme with quick food guides (like Tuscany) to each region so that my readers who travel to Italy, can actually know what the heck is in the deli cases when they inevitably visit a food market. And if you go to Italy without interest in visiting a food market, then there is something wrong and you should please leave my blog. Oscar Wilde said it best: “I can’t stand people who don’t take food seriously.”
Unique flavors for any palate to discover in Florence
My life revolves around 3 things: Italy, food and hooch. Food being my first love, Italy second and Hooch the last but not least! I knew one day I would move to Italy but I didn’t have any clue I would have been this lucky. In a country as paradoxical as Italy, I somehow managed to make a way for myself without knowing anyone. In exactly what I wanted to be doing. Believe me, I took odd jobs, had my patience tested and I did whatever I needed to do to. So now that I’ve bored you all to tears with my Dr. Phil Opera book club ego stroke fest, I will tell you that I do plan on writing a book about this experience, it will include of course the token romantic scandal. Stay tuned!