A while back I was sat in a bar at 9am destroying a chocolate croissant (In case you’re worried about why I was in a bar at that time of the morning don’t worry that’s the Italian word for café). While contemplating my addiction to sweet, […]
Whether you live by the sea or are simply dreaming of a summer holiday, any parent can tell you that going to the beach with kids can require a lot of forward planning! Here in Calabria I spend most days on the beach as it […]
On an average diving trip most people are delighted to spot a particularly colourful fish or perhaps even an octopus lurking under the rocks. So imagine how Stefano Mariottini felt when whilst diving for fish 200m off the coast of Riace, he came across a bronzed arm emerging from the sand. This turned out to be one of the Riace Bronzes and one of the most important archaeological discoveries for Italy in the last century.
Weddings are big business the world over but in Calabria weddings are huge. Literally, some have 500 guests! So as wedding season is upon us I’ve put together a list of what NOT to do at an Italian wedding.
The first few months of my beautiful bambina’s life was quite tough on everyone, as I imagine most first time parents would admit. She suffered from colic and spent a large part of most days screaming her little lungs out as me and my husband […]
If you visit a Calabrese family for lunch, the chances are that Calabrese stuffed peppers (or pipi chini as they are called in Calabrese dialect) will also make an appearance. They are both cheap and easy to make and the fact that they can be adapted to include whatever ingredients you have left over in your fridge make it easy to see why they are so prominent at Sunday Lunch. They are in fact so popular here that you’ll even see people tucking into them on the beach, now that’s what I call picnic food. The recipe below is the classic recipe alla Calabrese but as I’ve already mentioned you can change the ingredients to suit any preference, just adjust the cooking time accordingly. Buon appetito (more…)
I'm Olivia, a thirty something English girl who came to Calabria, fell in love and now spend my time scribbling about the place while teaching English and running after an enthusiastic toddler. I am a fully fledged Italophile and believe I live in Italy's best kept secret.
