Please Help the Expats in Italy Website and Forum!

Everyone,

If you are thinking of living in Italy one day, or are lucky enough to have already moved or lived there from anywhere else in the world, you may be familiar with the spectacularly helpful website and forum, Expats in Italy.

As a passionate Italophile still trying to find a way to move my family's life over there, I have found this website to be extraordinarily valuable. By the number of people who participate in the forum, I have a lot of company.

However, a forum this huge and useful requires a tremendous amount of resources to maintain. If you're a fan like I am, and have used (or plan to use) their vast storehouse of information on moving to and living in Italy, I urge you to support this website.

The support that is needed is not only donations and memberships, but also your respectful and enthusiastic participation. Become part of the passionate and fun community at Expats in Italy. Please reach out and pledge your support today.

Italian Language Study Recommendation: Acquerello Italiano

I received my latest packet from Acquerello Italiano - Audio CDs last Friday. This is, by far, my favorite way to study Italian.

Each time Acquerello Italiano creates an edition of this innovative subscription, they use native Italian speakers doing audio news stories about current events and cultural information. I opted in to get all of the bells and whistles - the audio CD, the word-for-word written transcript booklet of the CD (which includes definitions of current phrases that Italians use), the pre-listening exercises, and the audio flash cards CD that brings together the Italian and English versions of all of the current phrases and slang from the main CD in one easy-to-study tool.

I can listen to the CDs over and over in my car, using my commute time in a constructive way. I can play the CDs on my lunch hour and follow along with the word-for-word guide so that I can see the words - I personally retain the new information better when I can see it as well as hear it. Using the Acquerello Italiano CDs and guides, I almost feel like I am listening to the news in Milano. Also, it is a much better way to listen to real Italians talking about subjects that they are talking about right now, without trying to stream video or audio through an internet connection, which can be slow and take up lots of bandwidth for anyone else trying to use my network at the same time.

The packet I received last Friday is the last one from my original subscription, but I can't let this one lapse - it is far too entertaining and educational. Acquerello Italiano has moved my Italian Language study ahead faster than anything else I have tried. It is information that I can use now to help me read other Italian texts like the Corriere della Sera newspaper, since the new phrases I am learning are being used in news stories that are happening now.

Learn by listening - learn by doing.
Treat yourself to the gift of audio immersion from the comfort of home.
Subscribe to Acquerello Italiano at your first opportunity.

Prosciutto, Parmiggiano, Balsamico – Italian Gourmet Treasures from Emilia–Romangna, Italy

A non-Italian person aspiring to be an Italian Gourmet spends a significant amount of time learning about the foods, flavors and cooking techniques of particular regions of Italy. As you study this appetizing topic, you might be surprised at the regional groupings of famous foods.

These days, most Americans have at least heard of prosciutto, Parmiggiano-Reggiano (or it’s domestic nickname, “parmesan” cheese), and balsamic vinegar. But, did you know that that the most famous renditions of these traditional foods all come from the same region?

That region is Emilia-Romangna. You may not have heard of the region by its proper name, but Emilia-Romangna is famous for the university town of Bologna and for its food capitals of Parma and Modena.

Like so many European foods, products that are made from local ingredients and prepared in a particular style tend to have names that reflect where they are from.

For instance:

Parmiggiano-Reggiano – the king of cheeses. Parmiggiano-Reggiano is made in Parma from local cow’s milk, using a traditional method. Wheels of authentic Parmiggiano-Reggiano are stamped with an identifiable brand on the outside of the rind. Only authentic Parmiggiano-Reggiano is allowed to call itself by that name – everything else is “parmesan”. The most accessible Parmiggiano-Reggiano available in the states is aged just over a year. But if you can find some that is aged two to three years or more, you should be prepared to focus on this treasured cheese while you eat it and allow time for savoring.

Prosciutto di Parma – the legendary dry-cured ham that is only made in Parma. Prosciutto di Parma is referred to as a “prosciutto crudo”, meaning “ham un-cooked”. “Prosciutto cotto” is cooked ham. There are other regions in Italy that make prosciutto crudo. For instance, Prosciutto di San Daniele is made in an Italian region farther north and Prosciutto Toscano is made in Tuscany. Each prosciutto crudo tastes different because local pigs are used, the local pigs only eat local feed, and only local, traditional seasonings are used.

Balsamic Vinegar – the thick, sweet/tangy Italian condiment that Italians use in so much more than salads. True balsamic vinegar – Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena – is made from the syrup of sweet wine grapes and aged a minimum of 12 years. You may at first be amused by the tiny bottles that traditional balsamic vinegar comes in, until you realize how long it takes to make and how precious and mind-blowing the end result really is.

If you are trying to create an authentic Italian gourmet experience for an Italy-lover in your life, and they say they love “prosciutto and Parmiggiano”, look for the products that are made in Emilia-Romangna:
Prosciutto di Parma, Parmiggiano-Reggiano, and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. Add some rustic bread and a glass of wine, if you like, and you can almost feel the lush Italian breeze.

Italian Gourmet: Learn to Make Italian Meals or Send the Right Italian Gift Basket to the Italy Fan in Your Life

In the United States, with its rich Italian-American culture, it can be difficult to distinguish between Italian-style meals, Italian-style food products, and Italian-American traditions that you might see on television and movies, and real Italian gourmet foods that are used in real Italian meal traditions.

The origins of Italian gourmet flavors, foods, and traditions are rooted in simplicity and natural availability. Italian cooks have always used the plants that grew where they lived and the animal products from the animals that thrived where they lived. Food has been – and still is – made by hand from local ingredients that are in season. Nowadays in the land of pre-processed foods that are available year-round, that can be considered “gourmet”. In fact, it is just the real Italian way.

If there is a person in your life that is a fan of Italy and pines for a taste of traditional Italian flavors in an Italian meal, there are ways to impress even if you have never set foot in Italy yourself.

The first consideration to please your fan of Italian cuisine is to determine what part of Italy they like best. Italy is made up of several regions, each with its own agriculture and traditions, that have only been unified as a country since the 1800s. Each region – such as Tuscany (the region that includes Florence and Siena), Lombardy (the region that includes Milan), Lazio (the region that includes Rome), or the Veneto (the region that includes Venice) – has its own food traditions based on the plants and animals that have been nurtured there in the past.

In the north, corn and rice are more plentiful than wheat. Therefore, they were more likely to use polenta or Arborio rice (risotto) than pasta in their meals. Beef is more plentiful in the regions in the center of Italy, such as Tuscany and Umbria. Garlic is used more in the foods from the regions of central and southern Italy (such as Rome and Naples) than in the north. Seafood is used primarily in the cuisines of seaside (and lakeside) towns, such as Venice, Como, Rimini, Cinque Terre, Sorrento, and Rome.

Learning which food types are typical of the city that your Italy fan loves, is a big step toward making a memorable Italian meal experience.

If your Italy fan is far away, or if she or he has more fun making their own Italian meals, an Italian gift basket is a very thoughtful gift. A basket that includes products made in Italy, or a gift of an aged balsamic vinegar or cheese imported from the region of their favorite Italy city would be cherished and well-used.

A little bit of research to find out the part of Italy that your loved one is missing is the ticket to re-creating the magic that they crave. Bravo and brava to all of you who wish to create the authentic Italian experience for the Italy fans in your life.

Cortona, Italy - Tuscan Sun Festival

Like so many Americani e Ingelsi, Cortona, Italy is idyllic to me.

It's romatic hilltop location, dreamy olive groves and vineyards, ristoranti incantevoli (charming restaurants), and ancient stone architecture lend themselves to fantasies of days that could be spent in the leisurely pursuit of nothing in particular.

I came across this article today from the intoscana.it website about the Tuscan Sun Festival in Cortona that is scheduled to happen tomorrow, August 7th. When I found it, I had to try to read it. My Italian is not yet up to the task to get every morsel out of the article, but my imagination could fill in the blanks. Besides, how interesting that famed actor Anthony Hopkins should be participating this year.

I hope you enjoy the article.
And, if you should be one of the obscenely lucky ones to be there, I hope you'll come back to this blog to tell me how wonderful the day was.

The Wines of the Province of Florence

I was having a nice chat at the 2009 Italian Style Expo at Navy Pier a couple weeks ago with a representative from the Camera di Commercio Firenze (Florence Chamber of Commerce). She had so many lovely features to show me about the offerings of the area, and I hope to show you each and every one. Of course, if I had my preference, I'd be showing you pictures and writing blog posts directly from Firenze on each tour and in each splendid accommodation, but you can't have everything, I guess.

One of things she gave to me at the end of our talk was a brochure called Wine in Florence: Discovering an "Ancient" Food. Upon reading it, it turns out that I didn't know as much about the wine of the province of Florence as I thought I did.

I turns out that there are only two DOCG (controlled and guaranteed designation of origin) wines from the province:

1. Chianti
2. Chianti Classico

There are five (5) DOC (controlled designation of origin) wines:

1. Bianco dell'empolese
2. Colli dell'Etruria centrale
3. Pomino
4. Vinsanto del Chianti
5. Vinsanto del Chianti Classico

And, three (3) IGT (typical geographical indication) wines:

1. Alta valle della Greve
2. Colli della Toscana centrale
3. Toscano o Toscana

I was under the impression that there were more from this region, but I must have been blending in some wines from the neighboring provinces. And, I must admit, I am not yet familiar with some of the DOC wines. I think getting to know these wines better sounds like a fun project for the last few weeks of summer.

In the meantime, if you are interested in more about the wines of the province of Florence (Firenze), or are interested in the most recent offerings of this glorious region, please visit the website of the Camera di Commercio Firenze . In the upper left of the home page you can select to view the site in English. I don't think the whole site is viewable in English yet, but you can certainly take advantage of what is available already. The rest will only help me improve my Italian language studies.

Enjoy!

Can I Ship Things to Italy for My Vacation?

When staring at the bulging suitcase to prepare for a trip to Italy – or even just staring at the huge packing list – it might cross your mind to ship some things to Italy so that you don’t need to schlep them on the plane with you.

It sounds easy enough, but it isn’t.
Depending on what is written on the customs form that you fill out when you mail your box to your Italian hotel or apartment, the Dogana (customs) will likely charge duty and customs fees.

One of the amusing idiosyncrasies of Italy is that it can be difficult to find a finite list of rules that can be followed or relied-upon for any part of the Italian Government bureaucracy. So, instead of hard-and-fast rules, I have a few observations about what usually happens when shipping items from the US to Italy:

* Items in boxes will usually get charged customs fees (typically equivalent to $20 - $30 per box). Items arriving in padded envelopes do not seem to incur fees as often.

* Items shipped via US Post Office incur fewer fees upon delivery in Italy than items shipped via Fedex, UPS, or other carriers.

* Packages shipped with a significant claimed value ($50 or more) will usually arrive with a duty tax that needs to be paid – sometimes upwards of 50% of the claimed value.

* All of these fees that I mentioned would need to be paid directly to the delivery person who brings your package to your door, and there is no negotiation about the amount of the fees.

* The classifications” on customs forms that seem least likely to incur these customs charges are Used Personal Items or Used Clothing. Since you are sending a box of items to Italy for your vacation, the contents of that box could quite likely be used personal items and/or clothing, so if the box gets opened, it should pass inspection.

* Always register and insure anything you send to Italy. Do not ship anything that is irreplaceable, if it can be avoided.

* When packages are shipped to Italy, the shipping containers may be “gassed” to kill any bugs. Make sure any food or medicine items you ship are well-protected in food storage bags or other lightweight storage containers.

Shipping can be slow. It can take 7 – 10 days for a small box to arrive and clear customs before it is delivered. If you have friends in Italy that can receive the package for you and cover any costs, that is a good plan to put in place. Alternately, services like American Express can sometimes receive packages for you if you are a member, and costs can easily be settled on your account with them.

The decision to ship items to Italy for vacation should not be made lightly, or at the last minute, if it can be avoided. But these days, with new baggage fees on the airlines and the hassle of carrying extra bags on planes and trains to get to your destination, the option of shipping things to Italy for vacation can be very attractive.