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, 01/08/2013 - 12:34

And I heard on an American radio that Berlusconi is getting more and more popular as he is promising to lower taxes blush

Answer to: Fascism
Wed, 01/02/2013 - 23:44

An interesting article, Anne. Thank you. It is quite common, in times of crisis, to look at the past and compare. Populist movements always gain adepts at times of crisis. A typical example would be the victories of Peronist candidates in Argentina. And Peron was a confessed admirer of Il Duce. He also based his power on the workers... So modern voters, who were not alive at the time of these dictators, keep on cherishing their myths. 

Answer to: Happy New Year
Tue, 01/01/2013 - 23:21

Best wishes to everyone for a great 2013!

Sun, 12/30/2012 - 12:40

I agree with Badger, PVC windows and doors are expensive in Italy, particularly if we talknabout top-of-the-range, double-glazed ones. On the other hand, they are great and you will save lots of money on your energy bills. Try to get three different quotes to compare prices.

Answer to: Nuts
Thu, 12/27/2012 - 13:53

We have a great pet shop at the Brico Io store at Fornaci di Barga and they sell all kinds of seeds and food for birds. I always buy and give it to them. In our case, the birds are quite friendly, but my neighbour has been feeding them for years as well and they also have a few nests in the area, one right at the entrance of our loggiato. As Flip says, cats can be a problem.... upon our return from a short trip, we found a real carnage. Not a pleasant sight...

Tue, 12/25/2012 - 14:26

You are right, buttermilk is the big unknown in many EU countries. I add some lemon juice to milk...but it is not the same.  Anyway, I wish that everyone will be enjoying Christmas Day. Raining in San Franciso and I have to nurse a nasty cold 

Tue, 12/25/2012 - 07:56

Yummy, in San Francisco we had Roasted Tomatoes and Leek soup, boned leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary, braised Brussels sprouts with coppa, "gratin dauphinois" , red cabbage braised with balsamic vinegar and red wine and a Christmas compote with a variety of dried fruits cooked very slowly in red wine, sugar and spices. Delicious!

Answer to: Linda Vernon
Wed, 12/19/2012 - 20:28

Very sorry to hear the sad news. My condolences.

Wed, 12/12/2012 - 19:20

Great links. Thank you, Lisa.

Answer to: Who is andrea???
Wed, 12/12/2012 - 19:16

I have received 149 messages from "Andrea" and I am positive that it is spam/phishing or whatever. The link is very suspicious and some of the messages were saying that I had become a member of a group I had started.....surprise Do not open the link, it is a trap.