Pasta is quick and easy to prepare. It comes in a limitless number of sizes and shapes, and can be accompanied by all types of sauces. But beware – key to making Italian-style pasts is also cooking the sauce. This is obligatory!
Cooking pasta is quite simple, as it involves boiling water and throwing the pasta in. The secret lies in the cooking time of the pasta. Each type of pasta has a set cooking time that ensures it is “al dente” – the correct consistency. This will be indicated in the packaging. The pasta needs to be slightly hard to be perfect. Cooking overtime makes the pasta soft and squelchy – unacceptable by Italian standards.

Take a cooking pot, add water and turn the cooker on. Heat it until the water boils. At this point, add “sale grosso” – the coarse nugget salt that is available for purchase in any food shop in Italy. The amount you need to add depends on personal taste. A suggestion – experiment with the salt until you get it just right.

After adding the salt, put the pasta in. Never, ever add the pasta into the water before it reaches boiling point. Otherwise you will have to throw it away.

Let the pasta boil for the time indicated on the package, all the time mixing it to avoid the pasta sticking together and to the side of the cooking pot. A minute prior to the end of the cooking time, drain the pasta and pour it into the saucepan of sauce that you are also cooking (for more information, see below). Cook it in the saucepan for the last minute. This is an Italian cooking trick. Pasta is like a sponge, and it absorbs the liquids it is surrounded by. This action of “mantecare” the pasta will make it all the more tasty.

When ready, remove the saucepan from the fire and serve immediately.

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Seen a few little religious icons dotted around the village you are visiting? These are little statues of catholic saints or Madonnas, and the custom for Italians it so walk by and stop for a minute whilst crossing themselves. It’s not only a little sign of faith, less time-consuming than the formal visit to an austere church, but also a tradition that is passed down through the years.

Italian Fast Food

If you are rushing for time, or want a quick snack whilst shopping in the market in L’Aquila, try out some Italian fast food.

“Pizza al taglio” shops are where Italians go for a quick bite during week days when leisurely lunches are out of the question.

There is one such outlet in Pizza Duomo, a few doors to the left of the Sorelle Nurzia Bar (in front of the glass tourist office). Try out some pizza slices with truffle, or suppli’ (buttered and breadcrumb-fried rice balls) and arancine (suppli’ with warm mozzarella centers).

The Sunday passeggiata is an Italian ritual that no local could go without. It involves a gentle stroll up and down the town central street – generally called the Corso – in order to see and be seen. The passeggiata is a pleasurable moment to catch up with friends and acquaintances on the week’s goings on. The It is when not only new clothes but also new romances get shown off.
 
In some towns, the main street becomes pedestrian for the morning, making the short stops at the café’s for an espresso all the more pleasurable, and letting the small groups linger together amidst peals of laughter and intense chatter.
 
To be tried.

You can keep an eye on the ski slopes via webcam from remote.

Click on this link, and it will connect you with the Monte Magnolia ski slopes.

http://www.ovindolimagnola.it/webcam.php

This one is for Campo Felice:

http://www.campofelice.it/webcam.html

March 17^th 2009

Italian January Industrial Production Declines 0.2% From Previous Month - Corriere della Sera

Rome Students Clash With Police Amid Protests Against University Expenditure Cuts – Il Giornale

January 15th 2009

Italian 2009 Gross Domestic Product to Contract By 2%, Bank of Italy Chief Says – Corriere della Sera

January 12th 2009

Italian Mafia Film Gomorra Not Shortlisted For Best Foreign Film Oscar – Corriere della Sera

Standard & Poors Confirms Italy’s A+ Rating, Says Debt to GDP To Rise to 109% – Il Sole 24 Ore

Small Hurricane Sweeps Through Calabria and Sicily, Crotone, Lamezia and Enna Suffer – il Messaggero

January 11th 2009
Two Thousand Four Hundred and Four Italian Families Live in Castles – Il Sole 24 Ore

New Alitalia to Start Flying on January 13 With New Flight Routes – Il Sole 24 Ore

Building Collapses Following Gas Explosion in Bari, Killing Three and Injuring Four – il Giornale

January 10th 2009

Three Dead in Northern Italy Following Unexpectedly Harsh Snow Storms – Corriere della Sera

January 9th 2009
Italian Lega Nord Party Asks For Immigrants To Pay 50 euros For Entrance Permission – Ansa

January 8th 2009

Italy’s Rome Fiumicino Airport Suffers 70 Flight Cancellations – La Repubblica

Italian Introduces Much-Disputer Educational Reform Law, Il Sole 24 Ore

January 7th 2009

Fan Linking to Mafia Bosses’ Postings on Facebook Cannot Be Considered a Crime, Police Say – Il Giornale
Crime Rates Fall 20% in Italy’s Capital Rome in the Last Year, Mayor Alemanno Says – Il Messaggero

Air France Reaches Agreement to Purchase 25% of Alitalia, Beating Rival Lufthansa – Il Sole 24 ore

January 6th 2009

Italian Motorways Under 600 Kilometers of Snow – La Repubblica

Pope Calls For Hope To Overcome War, Hate and Crisis – La Repubblica

Tuscan Town Santa Maria a Monte Puts 279-Meter Christmas Stocking on Display – Ansa

Milan Restaurateur On Trial For Mistreating Lobsters – Ansa Says

January 5th 2009
Italian Inflation in 2008 Highest Since 1996, Year-End Decline to 2.2% in December – Corriere della Sera Cites Italian National Statistics Office

Italian State Television RAI Says Beckham’s Request for 500,000 euros For Guest Appearance is Too High – Corriere della Sera

Pescara Former Mayor Retrieves Resignation Made in December Amid Kick-Back Scandal and Arrest – Corriere della Sera

Napolitan Mafia Film Gomorrah Receives Backing of Martin Scorsese for Oscar Candidature – Il Messaggero

Italian Bureaucracy Means that 102-Year Old Amalia Cucioletti Still Has to Wait for Tribunal Decision on Great-Grandfather’s Inheritance – Il Messaggero

Heavy Snowfall Alert For Northern Italy From Government Civil Proertection Unit – il Messaggero
January 4th 2009

Central-Southern Italy Covered in Snow, Rain and Ice – La Stampa

One in Three Adults in Southern Italy Don’t Have Job Stability, Repubblica Cites Cgia Poll

January 3rd 2009

Italian Deficit Rises A Higher-Than-Expected 99% in 2008 to 52.9 Billion Euros, Highest Since 2005 – Corriere della Sera

Naples Tribunal Confirms 9 Arrests Including Those of Two Former Local City Councilors in Kicks Scandal – La Repubblica

47% of Italians Interviewed Say They Are Pessimists For 2009, Less Than the 52% in U.K., Corriere della Sera Cites Gallup Poll

Italian Antitrust Sanctions Utility Companies 1.3 Billion Euros For Incorrect Price Advertising – Il Sole 24 Ore
January 2nd 2009

Italian Car Sales Drop 10%  in December, Following 29.5% Drop in October and 18.5% Decline in November – Sole 24 Ore

Italian Lottery Betting Increases 11% in 2008 to 47 Billion Euro, Equals Nation’s New Car Expenditure – Corriere della Sera
January 1st 2009

New Year’s Fireworks Result in One Dead, 382 Injured Across Italy – Corriere della Sera

Italian President Napolitano Calls For a More “Just” Nation To Emerge From Current Crisis – Corriere della Sera

Prime Minister Berlusconi Says 2009 Focus To Be On Federalism, Judicial System Reform, and Tax Evasion Fight – Il Giornale

December 31st 2008

Vatican To Stop Applying Italian Laws From Jan 1st,  Citing Complexity, Volume, and Constant Changes – La Stampa

Air France – KLM To Agree to Buy 25% of Italian Flagship Carrier Alitalia in January – Corriere della Sera

Forty-Three Year Old Sardinian Mother Finds 160,000 Euros in Cash and Gives Them To Police – Corriere della Sera
Italian Stock Market Halves its Value in 2008, Only Seven Shares Post Increases – La Stampa

The New Alitalia will start flying on the 13th of January.

Below you will find all Alitalia’s new routes.

To get further information, please go to www.alitalia.it. Capital cities are spelled out in Italian, as per route schedules.

NATIONAL ROUTES
Roma Fiumicino
Alghero, Ancona, Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Firenze, Genova, Lamezia Terme, Milano Linate, Milano Malpensa, Napoli, Palermo, Pisa, Reggio Calabria, Torino, Trieste, Venezia, Verona

Milano Linate
Alghero, Brindisi, Cagliari, Lamezia Terme, Pescara, Reggio Calabria

Milano Linate e Milano Malpensa
Bari, Catania, Napoli,Palermo, Roma Fiumicino

INTERNATIONAL
From Roma Fiumicino
Algeri, Amsterdam, Atene, Barcellona, Beirut, Belgrado, Bruxelles, Bucarest, Budapest, Il Cairo, Casablanca, Damasco, Francoforte, Ginevra, Istanbul, Kiev, Londra Heathrow, Madrid, Malta, Monaco, Mosca, Nizza, Parigi CDG, Praga, S. Pietroburgo, Sofia, Teheran, Tel Aviv, Tirana, Tripoli, Tunisi, Varsavia

Milano Linate
Amsterdam, Barcellona, Bruxelles, Francoforte, London City, Londra Heathrow, Madrid

Milano Linate and Milano Malpensa
Parigi CDG

INTERCONTINENTALS
Roma Fiumicino
Accra, Boston, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Chicago, Lagos, Miami, New York JFK, Newark, Osaka, San Paolo, Tokio, Toronto

Milan Malpensa
New York JFK, San Paolo, Tokio

ROUTES WITHIN ITALY:
Torino
Alghero, Bari, Lamezia Terme, Napoli, Palermo, Roma

Venezia
Bari, Napoli, Roma

Napoli
Atene, Bologna, Catania, Genova, Milano Linate, Milano Malpensa, Palermo, Roma, Torino, Venezia

Catania
Milano Linate, Milano Malpensa, Napoli, Roma

Bologna
Alghero, Bari, Lamezia Terme, Napoli, Roma

The Epiphany festivities in Italy are a moment to celebrate well-behaved children.

A sweet old witch called the “Befana” comes laden with toys and gifts for them on January 6 – and black coal for those that misbehaved.

According to legend, the Three Kings stopped to ask the Befana for directions on their way to Bethlehem after the birth of Christ. They asked her to join them on their trip. She declined the offer, but then thought twice about it.

In a rush, she gathered toys for Christ, and tried to catch up with the Three Kings. She never managed to, and to date trawls the world on January 6^th looking for the Christ Child.

She leaves gifts for well-behaved children, filling their stockings with treats and presents. Children that misbehaved in the past 12 months receive a piece of coal.

On January 6^th, you can buy sugar candy painted black in lumps, made to resemble coal, in Italian sweetshops.

Ponte Holiday 

Italians will often say they are taking a “ponte” holiday.

Literally translated, “ponte” means bridge.

What happens is this: if there is a national holiday on a Thursday or on a Tuesday, the holiday-maker will “bridge” the weekend to the national holiday. In other words, they will take off Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, even if Friday isn’t officially a holiday. Or Saturday through  Tuesday, even if Monday isn’t a national holiday.

Whilst these holidays aren’t official, it has become so commonplace to “bridge” the vacation that when there is a national holiday on the Tuesday or on the Thursday, people will refer to the holiday as “il ponte.”

Perhaps this is the right attitude to holidays and work?

Left confused when an Italian has invited you for a coffee?

In Italy, “let’s go and have a coffee” equates into a quick thirty-second drink standing up at the bar. The focus is on the dark, rich espresso coffee. Not the conversation.

In the Anglo-Saxon world, “let’s go and have a coffee” is associated with sitting down and getting a chance to talk and catch up. The drink itself reflects this, as more oft than not, the large hot mug it is served in make it impossible to drink in less than fifteen minutes.

If you want a more relaxing drink, invite your Italian friends for an “aperitivo”, a leisurely pre-dinner drink. Local favorites include prosecco, house wine or “vino della casa” and negroni cocktails.

Last but not least, remember that in Italy a cappuccino is a breakfast drink, never to be drunk after midday.