Gala Placidia's activity

Questions Asked

We all have cooking tips and techniques learnt through personal experience or because someone else was kind enough to tell us.

Tue, 08/04/2009 - 05:07

 A fairly comprehensive list of words related to food and wine has been prepared by a few of us. It still needs revision, corrections, additions and you may be able to help as it is a Wiki.

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 04:31

 It is official, the old Casino in Bagni di Lucca is reopening its doors after many years; however, it is going to be a modern version, more "little Las Vegas" style than its elegant and exclusive predecessor.

Mon, 06/29/2009 - 09:04

A few weeks ago I started a thread in the old forum about this topic. I still think that it would be great if we could all share our favourite recipes which our families and friends enjoy.

Fri, 06/19/2009 - 05:29

 I think that there are quite a few members who have married overseas an Italian citizen; however, I am not quite certain whether they have registered their certificate of marriage before the nearest Italian Consulate.It is advisable to do this an

Tue, 06/16/2009 - 03:43

 It is most important, if you own a property, to have a clear description for it. That is possible through the "visura catastale" which gives you and confirms many facts regarding your title.

Sun, 06/14/2009 - 05:21

 Polenta is one of those Italian dishes that you either love or hate. Considered in the past as the poor people's staple diet it is nowadays served in the best restaurants. 

Sat, 06/13/2009 - 17:53

I have just seen on TV some images regarding the Treviso tornado. I sincerely hope that any members in the area have not suffered from this disaster.  

Sun, 06/07/2009 - 16:44

 The base for many Italian sauces and dishes is the "soffritto" (sofrit in French, sofrito in Spanish), a mixture of some diced vegetables which are cooked in a heavy pan with three tablespoons of olive oil (although some other kinds of oil and fa

Sat, 06/06/2009 - 05:37

 Hi everyone, this is a warm invitation to joint this group and discuss Italian food, wine, regional cooking, recipes, tips, cooking utensils, history of cooking and any related subject you may wish to talk about.And welcome, Mimosa, glad to see t

Fri, 06/05/2009 - 08:28

Comments posted

Tue, 05/07/2013 - 15:00

Absolute insanity! Each Comune in Italy needs that source of income. All in favour for paying a higher rate than "prima casa" and for special discounts for pensioners and low income families, but everybody should pay property taxes as they are a source of funding for local council.

Tue, 05/07/2013 - 04:25

I do not think that the fact that you are currently living overseas means that you are not affected by decisions made in your native country. This is what other countries think by allowing citizens who live overseas to maintain tneir voting rights. Furthermore, they have members of Parliament who are directly elected by overseas residents and who represent those constituents' interests. Politicians go campaigning overseas whenever there are general elections, visiting those countries that have a high concentration of potential voters.  So, I am sorry, but I think that the UK is out of tune and discriminating against a section of its citizens. France, Italy and Spain, to name the closest ones and the ones who have a large number of UK residents apply these rules regarding voting practices. And the UK-Australia social security bi-lateral agreement would not have been detroyed if the Uk residents in Australia had the right to vote in the UK elections and elect a representative to look after their interests. Now, it is up to you... 

Mon, 05/06/2013 - 03:33

Hilarious!!!smiley

Mon, 05/06/2013 - 03:28

Charlotte, it does not affect me because I am a Spanish national; however, I strongly believe that anyone should be entitled to have voting rights as long as you maintain your nationality and you are currently registered with the local Consulate as a national residing in that particular country. This is what many countries do, including Spain. And nobody should be told to relinquish his/her nationality after residing in another country. Citizenship is a basic right. I think that Harry Shindler should get the support from all British expats. 

Sat, 05/04/2013 - 05:21

Ram, I would agree that having lower rates of debt makes both countries and individuals less vulnerable and that this is good, also that the finance world are the ones who are currently setting up the rules while politicians seem to blindly follow what they say. On the other hand, there is another factor which cannot be ignored and that is that the job market has changed a lot in the past decade or so and that jobs, particularly the unqualified ones are becoming very scarce. I think that unemployment will tend to increase and there is nothing that will solve that problem. So, the outlook is not very bright. As for the financial system, they are playing "roulette" with our money. Let's hope that it will not turn into Russian roulette...

Answer to: travel insurance
Wed, 05/01/2013 - 07:40

I think that there is a bit of confusion here regarding the difference between EHIC entitlements, which cover 3 months only in any signatary country and for emergency treatment only and the possibility for 65 + year old pensioners to transfer their health entitlements to Italy. I understand that there is some type of insurance called EHICPlus that covers certain gaps; however, I do not know much about how it would suit your requirements. Also, keep in mnd that if you stay more than 3 months, you will have to register with the local "Questura" as "free circulation" for EU citizens only allows us to stay for up to 3 months in any country without having to justify that we have means of support and will not become a burden to the host nation. One of the main issues will be health cover. 

Answer to: Indian Spices
Fri, 04/26/2013 - 04:41

From time to time, Lidl has a week when they sell a small number of Indian products. They call it "A Taste of India" or something similar. Every few weeks, they have one of these themed events with a limited number of Thai, German, French, American, Latin American, etc products being offered. Check it on www.lidl.it

Answer to: Pappataci-Midges
Tue, 04/16/2013 - 16:03

Both Marmite (British) and Vegemite (Australian) spreads are yeast extracts which contain good doses of Vitamin B, including Thiamin or 1, the one that seems to have an effect on the little monsters. If you are already taking the supplement, you should be right.

Answer to: Palio di Siena
Fri, 04/12/2013 - 14:52

I do nt think that the children will enjoy it. Generally, it is hot and it is always crowded. An amazing experience, though!

Answer to: Pappataci-Midges
Fri, 04/12/2013 - 04:53

Citronella candles are also useful. I have not experienced any problem in Bagni di Lucca, but I light them whenever we are outdoors having a barbecue. They also smell very nice...