Well, it’s almost Easter and time to break free of the restrictions of Lent and celebrate with all the wonderful Easter food we’ve been dreaming of. Here in the Tuscan Valtiberina, Easter is of particular importance, especially in the town of Sansepolcro, whose name means Holy Sepulchre, referring to the tomb of Christ. In …
I remember it coming as quite a shock, a few years ago,  when discussing what to have for lunch with my English partner that my suggestion of pasta was met with an incredulous, ‘but we ate that yesterday. We can’t have it every day. It will get boring.’ For me, having been brought up on an …
Last week was the fifth anniversary of my friend Steph’s wine shop, Ottimi Vini. It’s an excellent achievement bearing in mind the economic situation in the last five years and the challenges of being an English girl, in Italy, selling Italian wine. However, through hard work, determination, and an encyclopedic knowledge of wine, she’s made …
Summer in Italy is a time for festivals. Up and down the peninsula, the sun brings communities out of their houses to join together in celebration of the many fine things Italian culture has to offer. How and what they celebrate is as varied as Italian cuisine, and just as regional. In the south …
The queue outside the butcher’s in Sansepolcro never seems longer than when he has a simple sign in the window: Porchetta oggi! Roast pork today! For Italians porchetta means party. In Tuscany at least, a village fête, market, or other festive gathering is incomplete without the porchetta van. These catering trucks have whole spit-roast pigs, …
