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

Answer to: byeee !
Sun, 10/28/2012 - 17:18

At imes, we all wander why we bother....

Sun, 10/28/2012 - 17:13

Tomorrow I am going to the Betti Pharmacy in Bagni to get the Arnica preparation recommended by Flip (thanks) as my ankles and wrists are still inbad shape after my week on the Costiera. No problems at home in Bagni, but I was massacred in the south...

Sat, 10/27/2012 - 08:44

Raining in Bagni di Lucca, but the river is looking great and mighty with so much water. About 14C outside. I can see smoke coming out of most chimneys. Baked a "castagnaccio" and I have prepared a lovely lentil stew. It is nice to spend time at home, relaxing.

Sat, 10/27/2012 - 02:35

Thank you all for solving my enigma. I was perplexed by the fact that the mozzies were leaving me alone here, keeping in mind that we are literally hanging on one of the river banks; however, opposite our place, there are two spots which are official fishing competition sites and there are plenty of trouts of all sizes there. My husband is the one who ventures into the area as there are too many rocks for me to walk, but he says that he regularly sees the trouts feeding on insects. I can see them from my windows, but not in so much detail. So that is my maintenance-free fish pond. Thank you for letting me know.

Fri, 10/26/2012 - 11:45

We spent last week on the Costiera Amalfitana and the mozzies ate me alive. I bought al kinds of expensive citronella candles, etc, and ended up buying "Autan". It was the only thing that worked. Back in Bagni di Lucca and even if we are on the river, I do not have any problems. I keep the Autan bottle nearby, just in case...

Fri, 10/26/2012 - 04:04

Panner, thank you so much for all your enlightenment on such a difficult topic. Your wealth of knowledge and experience is a great contribution to this community. It is a privilege to have you on board. 

Thu, 10/25/2012 - 09:12

I guess that it also depends on where or into which account this pension is paid, meaning that pension monies could be paid into a UK bank account or transfered to an overseas bank account, in this case Italy. If monies are paid into a bank account in the UK and the relevant authorities have not been informed that the beneficiary is now a resident in Italy or any other countries, tax will keep on being deducted at source. Otherwise, the UK will transfer the gross pension amount overseas and leave it up to the beneficiary to sort out the tax bit according to the rules and regulations of the country of residency...enlightened

Answer to: glazed doors
Wed, 10/24/2012 - 02:59

Cannot help you with Umbria; however, I can say that our local fallegnameria took care of everything, and they were quite a few double-glazed PVC windows (an excellent wood imitation) and they had to fit them into a 17th century stone building, which is also qualified. walls are about 70 cm thick and very irregular. We are very happy with them as they insulate the place. Expensive, but worth every cent. My advice would be to contact local trades people. 

Mon, 10/22/2012 - 03:00

THe celebration of Halloween is becoming increasingly popular throughout most of Italy. You can see it through the amount of articles related to this festivity that you see everywhere, including supermarkets. Yesterday, I bought a large bag of special lollies and party favours to be prepared... In Ponte a Serraglio (Bagni di Lucca) there will be a dinner on the piazza... I guess that you will have the same sort of events practically everywhere...

Answer to: byeee !
Mon, 10/22/2012 - 02:53

Never say never again... We shall see you after your break wink