The city of Lucca has always been my favourite. Not only because it is only 25 minutes away from our home and I go there at least two or three times a week, but also because you do not feel like a "tourist" there.
Gala Placidia's activity
Questions Asked
In this icy cold weather, hot drinks and comfort foods are a must. Preparing and consuming them are good ways to spend time when we cannot venture outdoors.
Wed, 02/08/2012 - 06:10
The cold weather is affecting most of Italy and creating difficulties concerning energy supplies. Russia, the most important supplier, has been reducing the provision of gas up to 30% due to increasing demand in their area.
Tue, 02/07/2012 - 02:22
The San Francisco Chronicle publishes today this most interesting article:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/
Sun, 02/05/2012 - 12:45
Whenever we are in Italy, we love to visit antique and vintage markets and fairs, looking for that special piece that we would love to have. Sometimes, we find it...
Wed, 02/01/2012 - 02:47
One of my favourite activities in Italy is to visit those markets that sell antique and vintage items.
Tue, 01/31/2012 - 06:38
Some members may have noticed that I have been fairly quiet for the past month and a half. The reason for this was that we have been visiting our daughters who live in San Francisco (CA).
Fri, 01/20/2012 - 02:59
The new Italian government has been announced and it is obvious that we will have a fight between technocrats and politicians.
Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:24
A lot has been written about the dangers of overheating Teflon coated cookware. Toxic fumes can be extremely dangerous for our health. Personally, I have never liked that type of cookware and I do not buy it anymore.
Sat, 10/29/2011 - 06:24
In another thread, we were discussing Tuscan herbs and "funghi porcini". Tuscany is a paradise for herb lovers and many varieties, such as rosemary, sage and "nipitella" grow wild.
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:23
Comments posted
I find sardines a bit smelly and sometimes the bones can be a bit big... I must confess that I get a bit scared with fish bones. Although I must say that I have had some delicious barbecued sardines in both Spain and Greece. Anchovy fillets marinated in garlic, herbs and vinegar are fabulous. Another Mediterranean delicacy. The addition of matchstick courgettes and thinly sliced red pepper sounds delicious.
Because we only come to Bagni di Lucca twice a year and we stay in Italy for about 1-2 months at any time, we do not have a land line. Up to now, I used to bring my laptop and I purchased a TIM chiavetta or dongle and my friendly TIM dealer used to advise me to purchase the relevant SIM card offer. All this changed when my daughters decided that I had to move with the times and gave me a tablet as a present. The chiavetta was no longer a solution so my friendly and knowledgeable TIM dealer advisede to purchase (or hire) a TIM MODEM 3G WI-FI E5331 HUAWEI Mobile WiFi and a 5GB SIM card valid 1 month (you can have it for as long as you want) . Damage was as follows: Modem purchase 79€ (the cost of hiring it for 1 month was 20€) plus SIM card 24€ Total 103 €. Very happy with the purchase as I travel quite a bit. I am currently on the Costiera Amalfitana and using the Modem.
We love to prepare "branzino" on the grill. I usually marinate it for 1/2 hour in a mixture of chopped garlic, herbs, olive oil, lemon juice and white wine.We make a couple of diagonal cuts on each side and keep on basting them with the marinade. Another great way to cook sea bass is to cover it with a thick layer of sea salt mixed with egg white and bake it. this is a traditional Mediterranean recipe used in Spain, France, Italy and Greece and it is great as a method of cooking not only fish but also poultry, lamb, beef, pork... whatever you wish.
Flip... what can I say. Just another flippant comment not worth an answer...
I would say a bland flavour... the condiments and seasonings are the important part of the dish. Actually, they make two types of mock baby eels, one is "surimi" based and the other one is plain pasta, but they take the trouble of painting the eyes to the "baby eels".They are boiled in fish stock to give a bit of extra genuine taste. But I do not like them. I guess that it is the same with snails...
Baby eels are considered a delicacy in the North of Spain. They cost a fortune, about 1000 € a kilogram and even more at Christmas time. I do not find them particularly nice. They are eaten sauteed in olive oil nd with plenty of garlic... In my opinion, they taste like spaghetti... but I would be excommunicated if I dare to say that...
And I just heard on the RAI that a politician from Lombardy called Zametti, paid to the N'dranghetta some 200,000€ for 4,000 votes in the 2010 elections. As Penny says... they are everywhere.
I agree with Ugo, translation, particularly in the field of legal texts can be very tricky. The chances of misinterpreting the contents can be very high. Even amongst the translation professionals there are specialist in legal texts. The best advice is to get a commercialista to guide you. Money well spent.
I agree with you, Penny. It sounds as if this decision was a quick way for the Italian government to raise a quick extra revenue; however, I have the feeling that they may soon discover that it can have some nasty consequences. It does not affect me as I am not a resident and my feeling has always been that the old ICI and the new IMU are necessary. On the other hand, this type of taxes will make people twice before taking up residence in Italy and that the government will loose money in the process.
Angie, she must make a proper denuncia with the carabinieri. It is stalking and harassment and it may be the prelude of domestic violence. The partner is obviously having a problem and should be stopped.