Blog Entries tagged 'Personal'

This Blog about Italy is about to go into Video Blogging Overdrive

admin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Let's face it... when I am in the US, this blog runs pretty dry. After all, a blog about Italy doesn't do too well when you are sitting at a computer in Florida. Well, that is soon to change.

On May 12, I'll be heading over again, and this time I will be there for 5 months straight. No back and [...]

The Blindfolded Chef - Ceci Soup Challenge

admin — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0100

Last week Paola wanted to teach Alyssa, our 18 year old daughter, how to make Ceci Soup. She was saying it was so easy that she could do it blindfolded. As we laughed at her, she insisted that she could, so I ended up betting her $100 that she couldn’t. What started out as a stupid little bet turned into an evening of intense laughter and family fun.

We found a sock, blindfolded Paola and she went to task as I film [...]

Italian... So lost in translation

admin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 01:00:00 +0100

“My daughter speaks perfect English. After all, she spent a month in England with a native family”. That was the quote that caused me to simply give up, and it speaks volumes about Italian culture and the denial so many of them live in.

It happened this past October. I was in a local barber shop in Soriano nel Cimino. The barber was telling me of the frustrations he had been experiencing as he tried to communicate with the American tourists that t=started coming over the p [...]

Florida Italophiles Unite!

admin — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 09:47:31 +0100

Wow… I’ve been away from Italy now for a total of 3 and a half months. That is the longest stretch in more than 2 years. When I am in the states, I’m not immersed in the wonders of Italian culture, so material for the blog is hard to come by.

Anyhow, the other day Paola and I had the great pleasure of meeting a group of Floridians with whom I [...]

Would you have a second home in Italy?

admin — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 05:23:46 +0100

It used to be that when I would come to Italy, for the first few days, people would see me and give me a huge ‘welcome back’. That was then. I would come here once a year in the summer and spend a month to six weeks here. Michael and Paola are here… it must be summer, right? Big hugs, dinner invites, the whole nine yards.

But now things are different. I got here yesterday and there was no fanfare. Not a single dinner invite, not eve [...]

Another summer in Soriano ends

admin — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:34:04 +0100

This has perhaps been my busiest summer ever here in Soriano. So much so, that I have had no time to blog… how typical of me! That said, I’ll try to do a series of posts over the next few weeks to recap the highlights of this awesome ‘Summer Sorianese’-

Olive Garden cooking school in Tuscany?

admin — Sat, 26 May 2007 09:20:54 +0100

Olive Garden is one of those places that really sets my blood to boil. Every time I hear the word 'Hospitaliano' I begin to cringe and twitch. When I hear them say 'When you're here, you're family', I can't help but visualize the corporate offices of a chain with nearly 700 cookie-cutter restaurants. I'd just love to show up there one day waving my hands saying 'Ciao!!! It's cousin Michael'. I wonder what kind of Hospitaliano I will receive when I h [...]

Finding Italy through London Fog this XMas

admin — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 01:00:00 +0100

On Tuesday, December 19th at around 4:30 PM we sat at the departure gate in Los Angeles waiting to board our flight. It had already been a very long day for us, and we were looking forward to a 10 hour flight to London with a connection that would take us to Rome. It was me, Paola, our 17 year old daughter, and our 7 year old son.

I remember thinking and commenting at that time that if all went well, we would be getting in our rental car at Rome in about 16 hours, then make [...]

Heading back to Italy for the holidays

admin — Thu, 23 Nov 2006 01:00:00 +0100

As if I haven’t been there enough this year, I am on my way back. I’ve barely been back a month, and now we have yet another trip planned for December 19th. This will be the first time we have been there for the holidays in 12 years. On this trip, Paola and the kids will be coming, and this will be Andrei’s first Christmas in Italy. Besides spending Christmas wtith Paola’s family, we will be having a New Years Eve party at the villa with a bunch [...]

How do they get the flavor out of the food in the states?

admin — Sun, 05 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0100

I’ve been back in Los Angeles for a week now, and last night we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner for the first time since I got back. This may not seem like a big deal, but for us it is always a tragedy.

The restaurant was Pomodoro in Woodland Hills. I don’t want to say it is a bad place by American standards. Actually, it is one of the better chains. It is just that I was in Italy having the real thing a week ago, and by those standards, even [...]

Heading back to Hell-A (LA)

admin — Thu, 26 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

This is my last day in Soriano for this trip. Things didn’t happen as quickly as I had hoped, so I extended my stay 3 days. In about an hour I will close up the house one more time and say goodbye until my next trip (which is looking like Christmas).

In these two weeks, much has been accomplished, however. The homes are fully outfitted, with the exception of a few small things that can be done while I am away. The satellite service is up and running, but the [...]

Cattle Call in Rome versus an Italian country sunrise

admin — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 01:00:00 +0100

I’ve been here for 5 days now and have had no time to write as I have been so busy working on our apartments. However, yesterday I took my cousin to see Rome. After all, she has never been to Italy and it is less than an hour away from our house. It’s late october… we are pressing hard on low season here, but Ro [...]