Flavor of Italy

Flavor of Italy

Food Tours and Vacations in Rome and Throughout Italy

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  • Rome is a wealth of fountains and you’ll find them just about everywhere throughout the city. One of the lesser known is the Fountain of the Jail (La Fontana della Prigione), on the corner of Via Manara and Via Goffredo Mameli in Trastevere, which takes its name from the central marble figure of a prisoner trying to free his tied hands. Unfortunately this marble figure was lost during the subsequent restorations and relocations of the fountain. The fountain dates back to 1587 when it was completed and located on the Esquiline Hill. It was dismantled when the original Termini station was built and relocated to Via Genoa, but it was again dismantled in the early 1900s and moved to its current location. Unfortunately the central marble figure that gives the fountain its name remains missing. This fountain is one of a group of fountains built to provide water to the Viminale and Quirinale areas of Rome tied to the underlying aqueduct for the area, the Acqua Felice. The fountain was recently restored in 2005 / 2006. #romeitaly #romeitaly🇮🇹 #rome🇮🇹 #romefountains #roma🇮🇹 #fontaneditalia #fountains #fountainsofrome #travelhacks #travelhack #travelhacker #flavorofitaly #italytravel #italy_hidden_gems #italy_ig #italylovers #italy_photolovers #italyphoto #photoitaly #italian_place #italiancity #italian_city
  • If you saw my Instagram post yesterday you know we had a mega-festa for the ferragosto holiday. I made enough Pasta alla Norma for over 30 people and by the time we got to the pasta course we had eaten so much else that I ended up with leftover pasta! Pasta alla Norma is one of my absolute favorite pasta dishes because the hero ingredient is eggplant and I adore eggplants! I decided on this pasta because we have an abundance of beautiful purple eggplants in our garden. I’ll be posting the recipe to this luscious pasta dish soon. The ingredients are classic: deep fried eggplant, a fresh tomato sauce, fresh basil and grated ricotta salata. Basically you slice up the eggplant, salt it and let drain for an hour or two. Once all the bitter liquids have purged out you rinse the eggplant to get rid of the saltiness and then squeeze it dry. Then deep fry the slices and set aside. In the meantime make a tomato sauce with extra-virgin olive oil, fresh or canned peeled tomatoes (In this dish canned peeled tomatoes work better) and a garlic clove. While the sauce is cooking roughly grate the ricotta salata. I set a few slices of eggplant aside to top the dish, but all the rest I slice into strips or slice into biggish squares. Penne pasta is ideal for this dish. Once it’s cooked I put it in the serving dish and toss in the tomato sauce. I then toss in the eggplant cubes and about 2/3 of the ricotta salata. The last step is to top the pasta dish with the remaining ricotta salata, the fresh basil and the reserved eggplant slices. If you’ve never had this pasta dish then go for it! It’s exquisitely delicious! Originally this is a Sicilian pasta dish. Supposedly the name comes from the Vincenzo Bellini Opera, Norma. Whatever its history it’s absolutely delicious! #pastaallanorma #vincenzobellini #pastanorma #eggplants #pastapasta #pastas #italianfood #italian_food #italians #italianholiday #italianholidays #ferragosto2019 #flavorofitaly #foodhacks #foodhack #partyfood #partyfoodideas
  • Our terrace is prepped and ready for our big party today to celebrate Ferragosto, perhaps the biggest Italian holiday of the year, a day to get together with friends and family to share fun times and great food!. It’s one of our favorites because we can celebrate outdoors and enjoy the pool. Our menu will be lots of pasta, a big grigliata, deep fried veggies, delicious cheese and salami, tons of fruit, dessert and ice cream. And lots of great wine of course!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But what is Ferragosto? Like most holidays in Italy it’s in part tied into Christian heritage. The word Ferragosto means August holiday and comes from the word Feriae Augusti, and was originally established by emperor Augustus in 18 B.C.E.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Also in mid August on the 15th is the major Catholic feast day celebrating the assumption of Mary. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But for almost every Italian it’s a day to share with friends and family, along with good food and wine! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ How do you celebrate Ferragosto?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #Italianfood #AssumptionOfMary #ChristianHolidays #ItalianHolidays #ferragosto #LifeItaly
  • There are two picking seasons for figs in Italy: mid July and then again in September. The September figs are known as settembrini, taking their name from the month they ripen. When the figs are ripe and ready to pick there are hundreds of them. Unlike other fruit if you place them together in a bowl they will bruise and ruin. The classic way to store them in Italy is on a fig leaf, but if you choose to refrigerate them this can be complicated. I place figs in egg cartons so each one is perfectly protected and if they’re small enough I can close the egg cartons and store them stacked in the refrigerator. A few years back I discovered freezing as an optimal way to preserve figs. I rinse them off, lay them out on a dish towel to dry and then freeze them on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen solid I place them in airtight plastic bags and use them all winter long. Of course they are not the same as when they are freshly picked but they are pretty darn amazing and work well in almost all recipes! Take a look at today’s story for some ideas or check out the recipe in my bio link. #figs #fig #figjam #figcake #foodhack #foodhacks #preservingfruit #orchard #orchards #recipe #italianfoodporn #italianfoodlover #italianfoods #lacucinaitaliana #flavorofitaly #veganfood
  • I can’t resist posting this picture that I took of a flyer posted all around my little town just north of Rome. If you look closely it’s advertising a cocomerata, or a mega watermelon feast along with music and dancing. The thing I love about this poster is the word cocomerata because it’s a completely made up word! But it’s a word that any Italian would understand the meaning of. And here’s the reason why… The first part is simple: cocomero, which is the word for watermelon. In Italian the word ending “ata” often signifies a lot, or big. So if someone says they had a spaghettata or a mangiata it means a big spaghetti party or eating party! I had a good laugh looking at this poster because by that word cocomerata you know right away that it’s a big watermelon eating fest! #watermelon #watermelonchallenge #watermelons #italianfoodporn #italianfoodlover #italianfoods #italianlanguage #italianexpressions #italianwords #italiantrip #italiansummer
  • CARROT CAKE 🥕 One of the best loved cakes worldwide is undoubtedly Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Beyond the fact that the flavor is divine it's simple to make as it can be done entirely in a food processor. And if a cake can be nutritional Carrot Cake is right up there as it's laden with carrots.Originally Carrot Cake was an American Cake but now it's also a favorite in Europe and Italians love it. You'll find it on the menu at tons of Italian restaurants nowadays. #carrotcake #carrotcakes #vegancarrotcake #cakeoftheday #cakelover #cakelovers #cakelover🍰 #carrotcupcakes #carrots🥕 #foodoholic #foodhacks #foodhack #flavorofitaly #italians #food52 #lacucinaitaliana #lacucina #dolcegusto #easyrecipes #recipeideas #recipeoftheweek #recipeoftheday
  • There are a million ways, and times of day, to view Saint Peters and each time you look at it it takes your breath away. I love this particular view which frames Saint Peters as if it were an exquisite work of art hanging on my wall! Fact is, it IS an exquisite work at art!❤️ What’s your favorite photograph of Saint Peters? Please share! #italian_places #travelrome #traveltips #travelitaly #flavorofitaly #romebucketlist #hiddenrome #romemonuments #romecityworld #bestofrome #travelhacks #italianchurches #romechurches #christianrome #visitrome #traveltips #travelhacks #beautifuldestinations #travelhack #vatican #saintpetersbasilica #saintpeterssquare #basilicadisanpietro #basilicasanpietro #sanpietrobasilica #bestofrome #romephotography #romephotowalk #saintpetersdome

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