Natale in Italia, blog on vacation

Our family is heading to Italy tomorrow for the Christmas holidays. During this time we plan to visit relatives and friends, and continue in our journey of capturing useful media footage to share on this blog. Despite the fact we'll be in Italy, I anticipate us being mostly offline and unable to keep up the regular rhythm of new postings until we come back home by mid January. That's not all bad news, because it means we'll be busy collecting new content for you to consume in New Year's time.
Buon Natale and Buone Vacanze!

Un gelato, please...

Gelato is a must have Italian experience. Many ice-cream shops pride themselves in making their own gelato by displaying a sign Produzione Propria. There are two categories of flavors: creme (e.g. chocolate, vanilla, creme caramel, pistacchio, hazelnut, etc.) and frutta (e.g. just every fruit). My suggestion? Ask for Misto Creme or Misto Frutta, a choice that will get you as many different flavors as possible for your money.

Law enforcement corps

In Italy, there are a variety of law enforcement corps that specialize (and often overlap) in several functions. The Carabinieri (dressing in light blue in the picture) are the Italian military police. The Polizia (dark blue shirts) patrols highways and railways. The Guardia di Finanza (usually dressed in elegant gray uniforms) goes after IRS and tax evasion violations. Finally, the Vigili Urbani are those officers who dispense parking tickets on the streets. In this regard, a friend of mine told me a word of wisdom: you don't want to be a Vigile Urbano in your own town...

Bruschetta: so simple and so good

Bruschetta is an extremely simple appetizer to make. Yet, every time my mom does it, it tastes so original and so good. The secret is all in the quality of the two key ingredients: ripe tomatoes and olive oil. This year for the first time I tried to grow my own tomatoes. The difference between the home grown fruits and those purchased at the store was like day and night. We only use imported extra virgin olive oil at home, often brought back from one of our trips overseas. Don't settle for an average bruschetta. Strive for quality of the few basic ingredients and avoid the temptation to add more ingredients in lieu of quality.

Watch out for that big P

In Italy, you can start driving at 18. Students in the process of getting their license, can drive dad's car (with daddy inside) if they display a big letter 'P' on the back of the car. P stands for principiante, that is beginner. The journey to graduate to 'crazy Italian driver' implies the following next steps:
- get the license
- get rid of the un-cool P sticker
- convince daddy that there is no need to come along anymore

A very personal encounter: the bidet

Bidets are extremely popular low-mounted plumbing fixtures that you'll find in almost any private house in Italy. Wikipedia can give you the full history of this very useful device, which I missed tremendously when I first moved to USA. You should consider giving it a try, if it's available in your hotel room. Upon your return, you may be tempted to consider installing one in you new remodeled bathroom (and that's exactly what I did in my house...).

The original Nutella

Nutella, the creamy chocolaty hazelnut spread, can be found in many US grocery stores. But, if you ever tried the original Italian Nutella, you'll notice right away that the Nutella made by Ferrero USA has a taste modified to please American consumers, with an emphasis on peanut butter. During your trip to Italy, make room in your suitcase for a small jar of the original Italian Nutella. Francesca, in her new ebook, is also talking about other 10 must-bring-home products from Italy.

Honey, I couldn't resist buying those shoes

Fashionable garments are available almost everywhere in Italy. These nice pair of patriotic Dolce Gabbana shoes come with a price tag of Euro 165 (or $194). I bet your friends will be able to tell where you went on vacation...

Sunday flea markets

In US, we call them Flea Markets, but in Italy they are known as Mercatini dell'antiquariato. Each town has it's own mercatino, usually happening on Sundays and on a monthly recurrence. It's a boon for tourists who want to bring home a piece of contemporary Italian history. Before you leave, try to Google for 'Mercati fiere' and add the name of the city you are going to visit. You'll likely end up with several relevant links to lists of local events you may be interested to attend. Of course, none of these information is in English :-(