What We’re Reading: Italy No. 1 Travel Destination, Italian American Population, Fancy Food Show, NY Little Italy, Gelato University, 36 Hours in Naples

What We’re Reading: Italy No. 1 Travel Destination, Italian American Population, Fancy Food Show, NY Little Italy, Gelato University, 36 Hours in Naples

Italy Ranks No. 1 on America’s 2013 Travel Wish List.  No surprise here (at least from this blogger) that Americans are craving to see Rome, Florence, and Venice and have put Italy at the top of their travel dreams, at least according to a survey conducted by Fly.com (an airfare search engine).

The Italian Ambassador to the United States, Claudio Bisogniero, recently tweeted that there are17.7 million Italian Americans living in the United States, according two the us census bureau. The figure rises to 25-26 million, according two main Italian-American organizations. We suppose the big question is how do you define an Italian-American?

Most people will be surprised to hear that the real Little Italy in New York City isn’t to be found on the Island of Manhattan, but rather in the Bronx.

Italy at the Fancy Food Show. The Fancy Food Show happens annually in the cities of NY and San Francisco and about Forty thousand attendees bring over 260,000 different kinds of food from over 80 countries. The Italian Trade Commission helped promote Italian foods at the Show.

The Economist reports that Carpigiani, an Italian company that makes gelato equipment, has set up a Gelato University to teach foreigners how to make gelato. A week long course costs about $1200 and given that the company believes most foreigners have no idea how to make a proper gelato, it may not be a bad idea to attend if you’re thinking of getting into the gelato business.

The NY Times Travel section featured “36 Hours in Naples” and now may be the best time to visit Campania given a thriving art scene, a much cleaner city center, and a constant effort to rid the region of organized crime