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Getting to Calitri - the Long Way AroundPosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 Well, we are getting closer to the time we leave for Italy again. This time we depart the Saturday before Easter. A little early in the year, sure, but it should insure we are some steps ahead of the annual crowds of tourists, although when you think about it, we are tourists ourselves. I can’t say that the Euro-Dollar exchange rate is inviting though. At 1€ per $1.33 I now know what it must feel like for all those Canadians who come to the States. By nature, I am a maker of lists... [ read more ]THERE’S A PLACE CALLED HOMEPosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 ... Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. “The Road Not Taken” - Robert Frost After visiting Italy a number of times, I began to develop a desire to be there more and more. I don’t know what this urge is called but there must be a name for it. I can’t even recall why we ever decided to visit Italy in the first place. Yes, I was a second generation American Italian yet I had an equal amount of French blood in... [ read more ]A ‘World is Flat’ AttitudePosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 Many of you have asked, since my earlier blog posted back on 12 Dec 06, for more information about our get-away place in Calitri (Avellino), Italy. Back then I mentioned that I’d write more about it “some other day” – so why not begin now? For openers, my hypothesis is that you have to be a special breed of person to run off and buy a little place in far away Italy. Some might say ‘nuts’, certifiable’ and ‘whacko’ and indeed, I wouldn’t blame them. We were on and off,... [ read more ]Hollywood on Lake ComoPosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 Have you seen the latest James Bond movie (“Casino Royal”) and the scenes where ‘007’ is recuperating (yes, he actually bleeds now!) or maybe the “Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones” scene where young Jedi Anakin marries beautiful Padme Amidala? The setting for these scenes is one and the same and is not the stuff of a Hollywood back-lot or green-screen technology. They were filmed on dazzling Lake Como, not far from Milan. An interesting aside is that the "holy... [ read more ]Sicilian Fishing HamletPosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 Sicilian Fishing Hamlet - to find it just take the funicular down from Taormina, turn left once you get out to the street. Now walk a ways past a few restaurants at road level there until you come to an alley on your right with an arrow pointing the direction to a restaurant further ahead. Follow this narrow alleyway down all those steps (remember, you'll have to make the climb back up later). You will be pleasently surprised!! [ read more ]Where Everyone Knows Your NamePosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 Well, we were not in Venice, Portofino, or Taormina - they were a continent away. I can say, however, that we were at least near the ocean. This time we found ourselves in Newport, Rhode Island for the weekend, visiting relatives. Our choice for breakfast that Saturday morning wasn’t in Italy’s greek neighbor to their east but the maps, wall accoutrements and the mosaic “Yasas” would lend you to think so. We were in a small, local, Greek-owned restaurant named Mel’s. I love this... [ read more ]Certaldo AltoPosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 In our ramblings through Tuscany, we once stayed at an agritourism wine farm just outside of San Gimignano (Pierluigi e Luciana Giachi, www.torciano.com). We could see the famous towers of San Gimignano, which define that ancient town, off in the distance. We were actually staying in the town of Ulignano – you can imagine it as one of those places where if you blinked, you miss it. Further on to the north and still heading farther away from San Gimignano is the city of Certaldo. No... [ read more ]What’s in a Face?Posted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 My wife and partner in this adventure, Maria Elena, enjoys the pictures I snap of streaming strings of laundry suspended from small balconies or stretching across some alleyway that we sometimes glimpse in our ramblings around Italy. These waving pendants of home-life must have something to do with a shared common bond or maybe some symbol of family and nurturing, I’m not sure. She also enjoys the pictures I take of Italians we meet and even of those we sometimes don’t really meet in... [ read more ]What's in a Name?Posted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 Some of you may have noticed that our blog page handle is “casacalitri”. Hard to spell and hard to get right when you attempt to access this yahoo page, huh? But there is reason behind it ... It stands for Casa Calitri and refers to a town in Campania called Calitri. There are about 6000 inhabitants in Calitri and we can claim to be a couple of them, that is, on those occasions when we can get over there. First, a little ancient history (the test will be later): In... [ read more ]Some of you may have noticed that our blog page h...Posted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 Some of you may have noticed that our blog page handle is “casacalitri”. Hard to spell and hard to get right when you attempt to access this yahoo page, huh? But there is reason behind it ... It stands for Casa Calitri and refers to a town in Campania called Calitri. There are about 6000 inhabitants in Calitri and we can claim to be a couple of them, that is, on those occasions when we can get over there. First, a little ancient history (the test will be later): In the first century... [ read more ]Campania Area WinesPosted by: Paolo Last updated: May 2, 2007 The South of Italy (the "Mezzogiorno") is emerging as an exciting wine producing region of the world. Campania is one of the regions in the southern realm that of late is producing some of the most exciting wines. The Campania sub-region of Irpinia, centered around Avellino (about an hour east of Naples), is one such hotspot. This is an area of hillside vineyards that is producing wines to compare and compete with the best in the world. This growing recognition of achievement is founded... [ read more ] |
