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

Fri, 09/16/2011 - 04:08

Casa Monal, the said forms - that the owner asked me to complete by myself while she was showing my husband how to control the air conditioning, etc - were from the Rome Chamber of Commerce and asked for full details about the occupants of the apartment during the rental period, including full names, passport or ID numbers, overseas address, phone numbers, email, etc. My Italian is good enough to fully understand that the forms were not a mere survey but a full record of occupancy of the premises. I have no problems regarding passports and ID cards, on the contrary, I wish that everyone could prove their identity anytime, anywhere. Nothing to do with a police state, just proving who you are and that should not present any problems to law abiding citizens. I know that this concept worries certain nationalities who are not used to ID cards (using a driver's licence to identify themselves.... which is another kind of ID control, although less effective). Have we become paranoid about security? Well, although security has been strengthened, many of these procedures were already in place a long time ago, the only difference is that they were not followed. And as long as terrorism is a worldwide threat, these measures will continue. In my opinion, it is always a good idea to carry some form of ID at all times. Even a photocopy could be of assistance.

Thu, 09/15/2011 - 03:58

The cognà or grape pickle is an interesting alternative: http://www.cathayway.it/italian-recipes/cogna-grape-pickle.php

Wed, 09/14/2011 - 04:03

Further to Ram's post, I think that identity controls are going to become tougher not only in Italy but throughout the world. Everyone should become aware of the need to have all your documents with you when you travel. By the way, the forms that we had to fill up with our document details were provided by the Rome Chamber of Commerce.

Tue, 09/13/2011 - 15:38

I think that the problems mentioned by Flip can be avoided if your property is duly registered as a rental one. We had to fill up special forms and show our passports when we rented the unit in Rome, so the Police can trace culprits very easily if they do anything wrong. Your letting agent should be able to inform you accordingly.

Tue, 09/13/2011 - 03:36

To have an Internet connection is becoming very important. I think that, within a few years, it will become a normal feature in any house, just as having a washer or a microwave oven. When we rented an apartment in Rome in May, it had Internet and I think that it is becoming increasingly popular. It is a feature that I always take into account when renting a property.

Mon, 09/05/2011 - 16:27

Seeing that you have been very successful with the sweet potatoes, perhaps you could consider growing purple potatoes. I have been reading a lot about their great properties, the only problem is that they are very difficult to find. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1318079/Sainsburys-healthy-purple-potatoes-taste-white-variety.html Just let us know how you go about this...          

Answer to: Elm Leaf Beetles
Mon, 09/05/2011 - 03:10

I agree with Alan, the UC paper is very comprehensive.

Mon, 09/05/2011 - 02:59

Everything you need to know about sweet potatoes, including storing and recipes. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/carver_sweetpotatoes.html

Fri, 09/02/2011 - 15:31

Fabbriche, you are not a cynical but a realistic person and there is a big difference between the two positions. Anyway, here is the list of the ten richest people in Italy: http://www.famouswhy.com/List/Top_10_Italy's_Richest_People/749.html Poor Silvio is only ranked second on the list...