Tag: Italy

The Fragole (Strawberries) of Italy

The Fragole (Strawberries) of Italy

Did you know that as of about 10 years ago Italy was the 4th largest exporter of strawberries?  Areas like Campania, Basilicata, Veneto, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, and Lazio all grow strawberries but the most famous area is just outside of Roma in Lago di Nemi. Lago di Nemi is a crater lake located in the Alban hills and folks say that […]

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Best of Scordo.com 2010: Italian Recipes, Food, Products, and Advice,

Best of Scordo.com 2010: Italian Recipes, Food, Products, and Advice,

  (photo: The Scordo.com World Cup flag; unfortunately, we didn’t have a reason to bring it out this past World Cup) I wanted to wish our loyal Scordo.com readers a Happy New Year and Buon Anno! and also list our top ten articles of the year.  We posted over 200 articles this year but the following stories were deemed most […]

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Homemade Wine Making Weekend

Homemade Wine Making Weekend

(photo: grapes ready to be crushed) Late September is one of my favorite times of the year here in Northern New Jersey.  The temperature and humidity dip, leaves begin to change color, and I begin to relish my days spent outdoors in the sun and cool air (it’s amazing what happens to one’s sense of appreciation when certain things won’t […]

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Franca Franzoni’s Miele di Fiori Castagno or Chestnut Honey

Franca Franzoni’s Miele di Fiori Castagno or Chestnut Honey

Honey is one of the world’s “first foods” and it is produced in the deserts of Yemen, the jungles of Bormeo (Indonesia), and the drab factories of Beijing.  Honey, like wine, meat, coffee, etc., is a byproduct of terroir; namely, it tastes like the land and region it was grown in (one of my favorite examples of terroir <which has […]

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History of Calabria

History of Calabria

As many of you know, my parents (and extended family) were all born in the southern Italian province of Calabria (specifically in a tiny hilltop village called Pellegrina).  The region of Calabria is comprised of mountains, multiple seas, farms, small and large towns, and even a few urban centers.  The history of Calabria is tumultuous and is part of why […]

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The Italian Farmer’s Table Book Giveaway and Interview: Authentic Recipes from Agriturismi

The Italian Farmer’s Table Book Giveaway and Interview: Authentic Recipes from Agriturismi

(photo: via the Italian Farmer’s Table, rye bread) (UPDATE 1/10/09: Contest is closed.  The winner is SimplyForties!  Thanks to everyone for participating.) If you’ve read any of my articles focused on Italian living and lifestyle over the last 6 months, then you’ve probably come to the conclusion that my Italian roots (and those of my parent’s) are firmly situated in […]

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From the Archive: Feast of the Seven Fishes

From the Archive: Feast of the Seven Fishes

Here’s a goodie from the Scordo.com archive and a recently highlighted post in the What’s New Newsletter (sign up if you haven’t done so already): Material Satisfaction and the Feast of the Seven Fishes Have a great holiday! Best wishes, Vince

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Scordo’s Link Round Up: Italian Culture, Food, and LifeStyle

Scordo’s Link Round Up: Italian Culture, Food, and LifeStyle

(Photo: that’s my mother, grandmother, and aunts leaning on an Oxen in rural Calabria) If you haven’t noticed, Scordo.com has been posting on all things Italian as of late (salami, mushroom hunting, espresso, Italian cocktails/Amari, Italian immigrants and money, dry pasta, pesto, cheese, etc.) and I wanted to reassure my readers that while the editorial theme of Scordo.com will not […]

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Are We Well Off in the United States or Would You Rather Live Elsewhere?

Are We Well Off in the United States or Would You Rather Live Elsewhere?

Every once in a while I have a realization about how well, for the most part, we live as American citizens.  Sure, I understand that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer (with the income gap growing each year) and that wages adjusted for inflation haven’t grown in well over 30 years, but when compared to […]

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How Much Would You Pay People to Have Babies and the Great European Population Crisis

How Much Would You Pay People to Have Babies and the Great European Population Crisis

The New York Times ran an interesting Sunday Magazine cover story on the population crisis facing many European countries.  In Italy, for example, a small Southern Italian town has instituted a “baby bonus:” “…in 2003 Falivena let it be known he would pay 10,000 euros (about $15,000) for every woman — local or immigrant, married or single — who would give birth to and rear a […]

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