Arcobaleno

Is it odd that 'baleno' means flash of lightning in Italian? When a rainbow has nothing to do with lightning? And when 'balena' means whale? A photo never seems to do justice to a rainbow, but you don't get many opportunities like this, so I just did the best I could - with a point-and-shoot camera set on 'auto'. No prizes for saying where the photo was taken from.

Pink Palazzo

This might look like an ordinary reflection shot, taken in Venice. You've seen hundreds, many better than this, I'm sure. But I have put a little bit of extra work into this - see if you can figure out what I did.
It's in Castello

La nascita dell'URSS

Comprensione orale: livello medio
Indicare le affermazioni vere

L'URSS è nata nel 1923
Nel novembre 1917 Pietrogrado era caduta nelle mani dei bolscevichi
Il Primo Ministro Kerenski fu deposto dai comunisti e fucilato
Il primo capo del governo comunista fu Trotzki
Stalin aveva la responsabilità delle minoranze nazionali
Il nuovo governo privatizzò le banche

Nell'estate del '18 scoppiò la

Well, I managed to get them side-by-side this time. These are the last numbers in Cannaregio and Castello that Randy mentioned. Since these were taken I 'm pretty sure there has been a bit of a clean up of the graffiti - that was the reason I was not not going to post them.

Antepenultimate

I wasn't going to post this, but Randy's last comment on Last (Number in San Polo) has forced my hand. [You can see two examples of the difference between Venetian and Italian on this nizioletto - Sestier, not Sestiere, and Crose, not Croce.] But the point is that the last number in Santa Croce is 2359. (It's hard to see behind the wisteria, but it is 2359.) I'm afraid that this is another of the rare examples of ombra.net getting it wrong. Ombra says this number is on Ponte de la Chiesa o Galliccioli, on the Rio de San Cassan (Rio di San Cassiano), but it's actually on (or, rather, next to) Ponte Giovanni Andrea della Croce o de la Malvasia. I don't know where Randy found the last number in Santa Croce recorded as 2347B, but ombra only finds 2347A (in Campiello Giovanni Andrea de la Croce) (and 2348 - 2358 on Ponte de l'Anguria, the Ponte Privato del Civico, which is between the two bridges already mentioned). Another thing I have not figured out is that houses are not generally on bridges, but may be next to bridges.
Randy is quite right about the last numbers in Cannaregio and Castello, but the name of the bridge between them is Ponte Rosso. I'll post a couple of photos shortly.
Btw, 'antepenultimate' is just a word I like - it has no real connection to the photo or to the discussion.

The View from the Other Side

I thought you might like to have the full picture.

The Invisible Refuse Disposal Operative

Just for a laugh. This might have been taken anywhere, but I promise it was taken in Venice.

Anniversary, and Off to Italy!

At this time last year, DoBianchi and I headed off to California to get married. Our first year together as husband and wife has been joyful and full of excitement about our future. Now we are embarking on another adventure, to the Veneto and Friuli. I'll meet some of Jeremy's old friends and see bits of his life as a student, but we'll also see an old friend of mine from high school. Italian Wine Guy will even be joining us for a bit! What a treat!

On the agenda: Quintarelli, Angiolino Maule, some Prosecco colfondo, Venice for anniversary dinner, Giampaolo Venica, and a place I've always wanted to visit--Trieste.

There's more to it than that, but you'll have to stay tuned! DoBianchi will certainly be blogging and, depending on our WiFi access, I might be blogging too.

Happy Anniversary, 2B! I am thrilled to have such a fun travel partner, I couldn't have been luckier than to have found you. I look forward to a lifetime of adventure by your side.

Now let's go!

Last

Each sestiere, apart from one, has a sign like this on the building with the highest, or last, number in that sestiere. You must have seen the one on the side of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, with the last number in the sestiere of San Marco. The sestiere that doesn't have such a sign (so far as I know) is Dorsoduro. [In white, in case you want to find the answer for yourself.]

Il gatto nero

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Comprensione orale: livello avanzato.Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:Il 17 novembre si è tenuta la giornata di riabilitazione del gatto nero.
Nel Medioevo si credeva che il gatto nero ospitasse uno spirito maligno.
Il gatto nero, in questo periodo, era considerato amico delle streghe.
La signora Brilli afferma che una serata ha dovuto fare la 6 del

La Partigiana Veneta

La Partigiana, by Augusto Murer. The original statue, by Leoncillo Leonardi, (in the Giardini Pubblici) was destroyed by a fascist bomb in 1961, four years after its installation. This was installed in 1964 on a setting designed by Carlo Scarpa. It was supposed to float, but the mechanism failed after a few months. The area had been under restoration for a long time. It was re-opened on 6 June 2009.

Pears for Dessert, 3 Ways!

Here's a few simple desserts using fresh pears which I happen to have an abundance of!
Marsala Baked Pears, doesn't that sound good to you? Believe me when I tell you, it was!

The flavor is out of this world because what happens here is while the pears are baking their continually soaking up butter and Marsala to the point where they become beautifully caramelized, when finished and still warm they become the perfect companion to ice cream,
whipped cream, or luscious mascarpone! You can garnish with something crunchy like nuts or crumbled biscotti, need I say more?

Not really a recipe, here's what you do;

Peel and slice pears lengthwise, place them in a baking dish, pour in sweet Marsala wine half way up the side of the pears, place dabs of butter all around and sprinkle wine with sugar or you can even use honey just to sweeten everything up a bit. Place in a 350F oven for around a good hour basting them often, you'll know their done when the liquid becomes caramelized.
Pear and Ricotta Tart, This is a standard recipe I use whenever I want to bake a fruit of any sort with ricotta. I use a 9" tart pan with a removable bottom then place a good pre made pie dough into the bottom, ( I told you it was simple!) of course you can make your own if you like. To insure the dough being crusty and cooked on the bottom I like to blind bake the dough for a five minutes in a 425F oven by placing a piece of parchment paper on top and then adding some beans or pie weights, then remove, take off the weights and reduce oven to 375F.

For the filling;

1lb ricotta cheese

6 0r 7 ripe pear halves, sliced lengthwise and cored

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

Fresh orange zest or 1 heaping tablespoon of apricot preserves

Pinch of cinnamon

Mix everything together in a bowl until well blended, (except the pears of course). Place filling into pie shell and position pears all around. ( optional, sprinkle and swirl more cinnamon on top) Bake at 375F for around 30 minutes. While still warm brush apricot preserves on top of pears. Let it cool down while you put on a pot of espresso!

And last but not least, Chocolate Ricotta Filled Pears. Turning creamy white ricotta into chocolate is so quick using cocoa powder and then pairing it with orange is a match made in heaven! I can't wait to try this with strawberries, because we all know how good chocolate and strawberries are!

Poach 3 whole peeled pears in 3 cups of water and 1/4 cup of orange juice, cook around 10 minutes in a covered pan , when pears are tender remove and cool down.When cooled, slice them lengthwise and remove cores.

Ricotta Filling:

1 cup ricotta

1/3 cup of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mini chocolate chips, ( as many as you like)

Combine everything into a bowl then spoon the mixture into the center of the pears. Garnish with orange zest and more chocolate chips.

Recipe adapted from BHG

Note: For a real quickie, use purchased bottled pears, I tried it, it's good too!

Buon Appetito!

La pizza

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Comprensione orale: livello avanzato.Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:
La pizza alta e soffice fa bene alla salute.
Quella bassa ha molti zuccheri.
La pizza Margherita si può trovare nei supermercati inglesi.
La pizza Margherita che si vende nei suddetti supermercati ha tre volte la quantità di grassi rispetto a quella che si può mangiare in pizzeria.

Tomb at the top

The tomb of Doge Francesco Morosini, who died in 1694, is covered by the largest funeral slab in Venice (18 ft by 15 ft or 5.5 m by 4.6 m). He was doge from 1688 until his death. Some hold him responsible for destroying the Parthenon, but I think it was the Turks' fault for using it as a powder magazine. He brought back two of the lions now outside the Arsenale from Greece as war booty. The tomb is in the Church of Santo Stefano.
Have you sometimes come across 'San Stefano' as well as 'Santo Stefano'? As far as I can make out, San Stefano is Venetian, and Santo Stefano is Italian. The reason for 'Santo' is that 'Stefano' begins with 's-impura', i.e. 's' followed by a consonant, which also calls for slight differences in the definite article in Italian. I don't know how a letter can be impure.
On the subject of saints, have you ever thought it odd that they seem to have a Saint Cross (Santa Croce), a Saint Trinity (Santa Ternità or Trinità), or a Saint Moses (San Moisè) in Venice (and elsewhere in Italy, I would suppose). When we use the word 'Saint' in English we think of it as applying to a person who died after the time of Christ. But if you think of 'San', Santa' and 'Santo' as meaning 'holy' or 'sacred', then Holy Cross and Holy Trinity and even Holy Moses do not seem so strange.
P.S. Did you notice the previous two photos were posted exactly 12 hours apart?

For Good Luck

You should have no problem finding this attractive bridge. It you enlarge the image you will be able to read the nizioletto on the wall. You will also be able to see more easily the pair of hooks hanging near the corner. Venetians touch the hooks as they walk by for good luck - obviously, not all Venetians, but some Venetians do. That's not just something I've read in a book, I've actually seen a couple of people touch them in the very short time I was standing nearby.
What are, or were, the hooks for? One of the streets nearby is called Calle del Traghetto, and I've read that there used to be a ferry (traghetto) from near here to Murano. Many years ago, people used to ride horses (or mules) in Venice, before all the humpback bridges were built. If they were taking the ferry, they would need to tie the reins of their mounts to something, so that they would be there when they got back. That's what the hooks were for. I cannot say whether it's true, but that's what I've read.
I have no idea why it might be considered good luck to touch them - perhaps one of you can help me out.

What a corker!

Today's photo is a little unusual, I hope. This tombstone is in one of the cloisters of San Francesco della Vigna. It is the grave of the gastaldo, or leader, of the calafai (ship-caulkers) of the Arsenale. The bas-relief shows a ship of the time, shored up in dry-dock. I think the fact that this man was worthy of such a tomb shows the respect that was accorded to workers in the Arsenale.

Il PCI

Comprensione orale: livello medio/avanzato
Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:

Il Partito Comunista Italiano è stato fondato nel febbraio del 1921.
La fondazione è avvenuta a Livorno.
Il congresso che vide la fondazione di questo partito si tenne al Teatro Goldoni.
Il congresso durò sette giorni.
In quel periodo ci furono dei grandi scioperi.
Il Gruppo che fondò il PCI si

Galluccio DOC

Galluccio is one of those DOCs that doesn't get much attention, and doesn't do much to garner any either. According to this text, there are grumblings of a new DOC for the long-forgotten grape varieties, Pallagrello (nero and bianco) and Casavecchia. They are currently produced under the Terre del Volturno IGT. This could definitely create some interest.

The two Pallagrello varieties were favored by the Bourbons, but were all but wiped out by phylloxera. Casavecchia, however, has much more ancient origins with possible connections to the Oscans. The legend goes that an old vine was found in the ruins of a garden with an unusually large trunk. Cuttings were taken (or maybe even seeds), and the variety was reborn. There is a lot of information out there about these historic varieties, but this is the short version, and is based on the stories that I heard back in 2004 when I was introduced to these wines while living in Ischia

And if the producers can keep themselves from tarting up the end product with barrique to make them "important," we might actually be able to enjoy them.

Text below adapted from: Del Canuto, Francesco et al., Il vino italiano, panorama vitivinicolo attraverso le denominazioni di origine, Associazione Italiana Sommeliers (Bertani & C.), Milano, 2010 (2002), fourth edition.

Recognized as a DOC in 8/4/97

Production Zone: includes the townships of Conca della Campania, Galluccio, Mignano Monte Lungo, Rocca d'Evandro and Tora e Piccilli, all in the province of Caserta.

Yield: Whites, 12 tons per hectare; Reds, 11 tons per hectare

Aging Potential: Whites and Rose, about 1 year; Reds, 1-2 years.

Grape Varieties: WHITE: Falanghina, min 70%, alcohol min 11%; ROSSO: Aglianico min 70%, alcohol min 11.5%; ROSATO: same as rosso but with a min alcohol of 11%

Other types: Riserva, must have a minimum of 12% alcohol with at least 24 months of aging

Galluccio, set in the hills of the volcanic Roccamonfina, is the newest appellation in the province of Caserta. This region, though for now unremarkable, has the potential to make good wine. In recent years some pioneering wineries in the the province are looking to reclaim land for vineyard sites that had long gone to ruin. There is also a movement to reclaim and cultivate some ancient grape varieties like Pallagrello (nero and bianco) and Casavecchia in limited production, and to create a new DOC for them.**

**VERY exciting, in my opinion.

I turn to stone

I told you I wasn't very computerate, didn't I? I thought I would delete the photos I had put onto VDP from ImageShack, since they didn't need to be there any longer. Wrong! Well, they are back now, though some are smaller than before - I think because I took them straight off my computer, rather than going through ImageShack. I have put a better photo of the electrical shop window in place of the original one.
Now, you should all know where today's photo is. So I don't think the first person to comment will spoil it for anyone. But can anyone name the cat that died?

How to find a place in Venice

The two photos above (I'd like to have put them side by side, but I don't know how) are of Campiello del Remer. There is a bar/trattoria here that has many recommendations. But how do you find it? If you use Googlemaps, you will be taken to one Campiello del Remer in San Polo, just south of the Church of San Polo. It's not that one. If you use ombra.net, [go to Venice Street Guide and enter 'campiello' in 'Type', and 'remer' in 'Name'; click 'submit'] you will find that there are at least three campielli of that name. Unfortunately, ombra cannot find more than one feature of a given name in each sestiere, whereas those familiar with Venice will know that you can find several features with the same name - e.g. pestrin, pistor, mezzo - in each sestiere. You may know that the one we want is in Cannaregio. [If not, this will take longer.] So you will click on the campiello in Cannaregio, and the map that appears will show you a spot near San Marcuola. This is not the one we want! [You could check on veniceconnected.] You will see that the search found 15 street numbers listed as being in 'Campiello del Remer'. If you click on the arrow to get the drop-down list of numbers, you will see that they are in three groups - 1574-1580, 5694-5698 and 5714-5716. The first set corresponds to the campiello near San Marcuola. The second set happens to be the one we want. Click on any number in that set and 'Submit'. The map shows you the Campiello del Remer near the Rialto Bridge, which is where the above photos were taken. The third set of numbers is in the same campiello. But that's Venice for you!
This is what Jude was referring to in her comment.

Don't Look Now

This is the view I was trying to re-create with yesterday's photo. The bridge is not the 'Pont of Duretto' as the subtitles tell me Laura Baxter (Julie Christie) says. It is Ponte Storto, over Rio San Zaninovo. There are at least eight bridges in Venice called 'Ponte Storto'. It simply means 'Crooked Bridge' (as in 'distorted'), and is often used when a bridge does not cross a canal at right-angles.

Scacciadiavoli

I'm not 100% sure of the title - it means 'drives out devils' - and it is (supposedly) placed over doorways etc to keep bad luck, devils, hobgoblins, Derek Acorah (q.v.) etc out of a house. But I don't know if it should be 'scacciadiavolo'. If one is called a scacciadiavoli, how do you say two of them? Perhaps it's invariable.
Anyway, Jude suggested I reveal my secrets on how to find a place in Venice. This is the easiest type. You know the number - 2483. So go to ombra.net [which is the same as venicexplorer.net but quicker to type] and click on 'Venice Civic Number' - about halfway down the list on the left. A screen will appear with four boxes. In the top one you select the sestiere. You don't know which one it is, but there are only six to try. In this case, the number is higher than the highest number in Santa Croce, so that leaves five. But they are in alphabetical order (Venice first, then Giudecca etc), so Cannaregio comes first. Ignore the next two boxes and put the number in the last box. Click 'submit'. You will get the calle (or fondamenta etc) where this number is. You may get more than one answer if there is 2483A, 2483B etc in a sestiere. At least they will be adjacent to each other. Click on the result, and a map will appear with a blinking red dot at the address you clicked on. Make a note of where it is. Then go to veniceconnected (maps.veniceconnected.it) and put your pointer on the map as near as you can to where the red dot was on ombra. Have a look around till you find the number. Bingo! [ombra.net is not always correct, as in this case, but it only makes life more interesting, don't you think?]

Comfort Food

It's cold here today! Chicago is in the single digits and that requires some comfort food and I can't think of a more fitting dish than Chicken with Fennel and Olives, and to make it even more comforting it's served on top of Creamy Warm Polenta.

This is a simple rustic dish, nothing fancy, cooked in one pan and packed with flavor, I guarantee it will make you all warm and cozy inside.

I used chicken thighs but you can use whatever chicken parts you like.

Here's the recipe.

Chicken with Fennel and Olives

6 chicken thighs

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 onion, sliced

8 cloves of chopped garlic

1 14 oz can of cherry tomatoes ( or diced)

Jumbo green pitted olives

Parsley, thyme, oregano and basil

White wine
In a large oven proof skillet brown up your chicken which has been seasoned with salt and pepper until it has a nice deep golden color, remove and drain the fat. Drizzle in some olive oil and saute the garlic, onion and fennel and then deglaze with a healthy splash of white wine. Add in your herbs, salt and pepper then place the chicken back in. Spread your olives all around then place the pan in a preheated 375F oven for around 45 minutes uncovered.

Creamy Polenta

1 1/2 cups of half and half, cream or milk

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

3/4 cup of polenta, I used the instant kind

1 tablespoon butter

Grated parmesan ( a nice size handful) and chopped basil

In a deep sauce pan heat your milk and broth until boiling then whisk in the polenta until it starts to bubble and splatter, be careful! Take it off the stove add in butter, cheese, snipped basil, salt and pepper to taste. Tastes best when served immediately, if it thickens up just add more liquid to loosen it up.

Enjoy your weekend, we'll be home Sunday rooting for the Bears! Go Bears!

A nice place to eat

I have so many photos I want to share with you, I can't wait. Tell me if I'm spoiling the whole concept by double-posting. Some of you have eaten here. It's in Cannaregio.

I was lost

Sorry! I'm a bit late with this. In response to a couple of suggestions, this is the first mystery photo. I can give one helpful piece of information - it's in Castello. The problem with this is that the first person who answers correctly sort of spoils it for the rest. If you are able to change the text colour to white, you could write the answer in white, so people would only see the answer if they click over it. If you know where it is, then you could email me, but what's the point? - there are no prizes. If you think you know where it is, you could check with veniceconnected. If you have no idea where it is, I'll try to remember to give the answer in a couple of days.
It should be easy to guess which film this was from, given the limited choice I told you about in my earlier post.

How much is that socket in the window?

This is the window of a shop that sells electrical items and door-knockers. I first saw it in "Italian for Beginners". It's a lovely film, even though the Venice section is only the last ten minutes. It is my hobby to find film locations (if they are in Venice). It started with "Don't Look Now", and has extended to "Brideshead Revisited", "Death in Venice", "The Wings of the Dove", and the aforementioned "Italian for Beginners".
The shop may be found on the Fondamenta de la Misericordia, Cannaregio.

Venice's winter casino

This is my first attempt at posting a photo on VDP, so please forgive any mistakes. My words will not be as erudite or poetic as Pierre's, but I'll do my best. My digital photos of Venice have been taken since about 2007. Since then I have only been to Venice in April/May, July and September/October, so I will not be able to post photos appropriate to the day.
So, here goes! This is the Palazzo Vendramin-Calergi. Richard Wagner died here in 1883. I hope you like photos taken at night.

I fratelli Lumière

Comprensione orale: livello medio
Indicare le affermazioni vere

La prima proiezione cinematografica della storia avvenne a Parigi nel 1895
Il filmato mostrava un treno in partenza da una stazione ferroviaria
I fratelli Lumière utilizzarono la cinepresa che era stata inventata qualche anno prima da T.A. Edison
Edison aveva inventato anche la pellicola
La pellicola di Edison era di scarsa

Birds in Tuscany!

Fred Astaire e Fellini

Comprensione orale: livello medio.
Indicare le affermazioni vere.

Nel '85 F. Fellini girò "Ginger & Fred"
E' la storia di due artisti italiani di scarso valore che imitano i grandi Ginger Rogers e Fred Astaire
I protagonisti del film sono Marcello Mastroianni e la moglie di questi, Giulietta Masina

F. Astaire cominciò a danzare da ragazzo
Con G. Rogers, girò diversi film a partire dagli anni '

Spaghetti Squash "Pasta"

This is a simple and healthy meal I served to my spaghetti loving husband the other day, it's packed with flavor and so good for you. A nice Italian salad on the side, maybe some warm crusty bread and you have dinner on the table in no time.

Once you roast your spaghetti squash this dish comes together in minutes, in fact I roasted mine the day before and had it for dinner the next day.

I cut my squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and then place cut side down on parchment paper in a preheated 350F oven for 40-45 minutes depending on size. I test mine by piercing the skin with the tip of a knife, when it goes through easy, it's done!

I used just a few ingredients; garlic** red onion slices** red pepper** fresh spinach** grated parmesan or romano cheese** fresh basil and parsley.

Saute garlic, onions and red pepper, at the time I made this I had a few of those sweet red thin skinned long peppers so I just cut them into rings and used them.

Next you need to shred all those glorious strands from your squash, a fork works perfectly, it's amazing how much I got from just one squash, enough to feed us twice, talk about "budget friendly!"

Combine your squash with your veggie mix right into the saute pan, on medium heat add in some fresh torn spinach leaves, your grated cheese, the fresh herbs, more olive oil, salt and pepper, tossing as you go along and tasting for just the right amount of everything to your liking.

I'm sorry but I never have an exact recipe for things like this.

Taste as you go, that's my motto and I'm sticking to it!

Buon Appetito!

Carlo Levi

Esercizio di comprensione orale - Livello intermedio
Guarda il video e decidi se le seguenti affermazioni sono corrette:

Carlo Levi è nato a Milano il 29 novembre 1902.
Levi era un pittore, un politico e uno scrittore.
Levi era un artista filo-fascista.
Levi si laureò in medicina e chirurgia nel 1923, quando già esibiva i propri quadri in varie mostre.
Dal '35 al '37 rimase due anni al

(Upcoming) Anarchism: A Documentary

(Upcoming) Anarchism: A Documentary

INFO:

http://anarchismdocumentary.net/
You can also find us at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anarchism-A-Documentary/113880171992624
and http://www.indiegogo.com/Anarchism-A-Documentary

(en) To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive documentary about anarchism has ever been made.
Of the often very dated films on anarchist themes that are available, most either misrepresent anarchism (1981’s pro anarcho-capitalist ‘Anarchism in America’), are focused on specific moments in anarchist history (‘Living Utopia’, ‘The Angry Brigade’, ‘Lucio the Anarchist’, etc), or discuss the wider social justice / alter-globalisation movements (‘Fourth World War’).
Such an absence is unfortunate, for we think that now, more than ever, a broad, accessible documentary introduction to anarchism would be of tremendous value to those of us who wish to share the history, ideas and promise of our diverse, protean movement with a general audience.
Instead of complaining though, we’re just going to knuckle down and make it ourselves!
We envisage creating, over the next year or so, an engaging, entertaining, relatively mainstream film that will cover – via interviews with prominent anarchists mixed with archival footage, narration, person-on-the-street discussions and explanatory animations – a historical overview of anarchism, an explanation of the core principles (anti-authoritarianism, anti-capitalism, mutual aid…you know the stuff!) and an exploration of all the contrasting but ultimately complementary views held by contemporary anarchists from around the world.
We’d also like to deliver a message of realistic hope and a call for action in this time of social and ecological crisis.
Being long-time anarchists ourselves, we recognize the importance of a supportive community in ensuring our project succeeds in fairly portraying both contemporary and historical anarchism and does not fall prey to personal biases or prejudices. We will thus be communicating openly and honestly with the broad anarchist community about our progress and underlying vision.
More pressingly though, we also recognize the importance of mutual aid and so, even though we’re soliciting it through capitalist channels, we humbly request your modest donations. These will help us with our frugal travel, eating and living expenses, as well as with editing and post-production costs. Those who cannot help financially are more than welcome to offer couches for the night. Shared dinners and good company will also be essential to the completion of this ambitious task we’ve set ourselves, and if you donate some music to the soundtrack we’d be eternally grateful :-)
We eagerly await your participation, your suggestions and your constructive criticisms. We promise to weigh them up fairly as long as you promise not to pepper pie us if, in some cases, we respectfully disagree.
With love and hope,
Steffi, Aragorn and friends

Let me introduce you...

Dear Friends,
Some changes and good news in Venice Daily Photo: my friend Bert, whom most of you have known for years for his witty and learned comments on the blog, has agreed to stand in for me for a while.

Bert, as you have noticed, has a huge knowledge of Venice and is keen on sharing it. I'm sure that you'll love to follow him in the calli or campi of la Serenissima.

I'm glad to let him be your guide for a while.

The reason for my momentary absence is, as some of you know, that I have to dedicate more and more of my time to my main website and my passion, USA-Decouverte.com which is more and more demanding.

So let us follow Bert and let's resume our wanderings in Venice

A Presto.
Pierre

PS : And, by the way, if some of you have sites or blogs, I'll feel extremely gratified if you honour me with a link towards USA-Decouverte in your pages.
And did you know? In USA-Decouverte, everyone can post their own pictures about the USA. Don't hesitate if you feel like doing it.

La Roma della Dolce vita

Comprensione orale: livello medio/avanzato.Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:È stato pubblicato una guida che parla dei posti in cui le star del cinema mangiavano a Roma.
La Dolce vita riguarda il decennio che va dal 1950 al 1960.
Di giorno si dormiva.
Di sera i paparazzi inseguivano le star per le vie del centro.
Nel 1951 arrivò a Roma Liz Taylor.
La Taylor, a Cinecittà,

VALDORCIA & VALDICHIANA TUSCANY JANUARY 2011

Il pane di una volta

Comprensione orale: livello avanzato.
Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:
Il pane di una volta era a lunga conservazione.
Per fare il pane era fondamentale il lievito madre.
Fare il lievito è come suonare il rock.
Il segreto di un buon pane sta nella qualità della farina.
La farina va macinata a mano.
Il fornaio intervistato afferma che telefona ogni giorno al suo mugnaio.
Per fare

Anelletti and Corzetti Pasta

I received an awesome book for review a while back called, The Geometry of Pasta, (Quirk Books) I'm embarrassed to say how long ago it was. This a book I wouldn't normally gravitate to because it has no pictures, the cover is black and white and I convinced myself I wouldn't like it, but once I started reading it I couldn't put it down, I read it from beginning to end in one afternoon.

The book in great detail covers every shape of pasta you can think of, fresh, dry, stuffed you name it, plus all the history behind each shape, where and how they originated, how they're used, plus recipes all throughout. If you're a pasta freak like me I would highly recommend this book.

I love using different shapes of pasta in my cooking, I get bored with the same old thing all the time so when I saw a recipe for Anelletti Al Forno I knew I was going to try it. Little loops of pasta baked together in a sauce filled with cheese, peas and crumbled Italian sausage, placed in a ring mold or in my case a springform pan. You might even want to call this grown up spaghettiO's!

This is the perfect dish to bring to a party or to put out on a buffet, it doesn't have to be steaming hot, great at room temperature and it has a nice presentation. This is also great for a picnic but unfortunately that's not happening here for a while, but I will keep it in mind for the summer.
It doesn't take long to put this dish together either, after you make a quick marinara sauce or quicker yet purchase a really good one, then you cook your pasta until it's very al dente.

Then it's time to mix up your filling and place it into a buttered springform pan dusted with toasted breadcrumbs.

The nice thing is you can do a meat or a vegetarian version. The first one I ever made was with out meat using ricotta, fresh mozzarella, grated parmesan and asiago cheese.

Here's what I used for the filling;

Totally adapted from The Geometry of Pasta

Marinara sauce, around 3 cups or so made with basil and garlic

3/4 lb of cooked and crumbled Italian sausage, casings removed

1 lb of anelletti cooked very al dente

1 cup of frozen peas

4 oz of diced fontinella cheese or provolone

1/2 cup of grated pecorino

1 egg

Basil, parsley, salt and pepper

Get a big bowl and add everything inside together if you have some leftover put it in a ramekin or a smaller mold.

Butter a springform pan, I used a 10 inch and dusted it with toasted breadcrumbs. Pour in the pasta mixture pressing down with the back of a spoon. Top with more grated cheese and then bake at 425F between 35 and 45 minutes. The important thing is to let it cool for at least a good hour or so, then unmold, it could then be cut into wedges or scooped out, whichever you prefer.

I recently received a bag of corzetti pasta as a gift and was waiting for a special occasion to make it. Corzetti ( spelled a couple of different ways) are large coins of pasta cut into discs and embossed on both sides using a hand carved stamp originating from Liguria. The stamps are hard to find here but I'm confident I will get my hands on one soon.

If you want to see a beautiful post on homemade hand stamped corzetti please check out my friend Elaine's post here. I'm in awe of this pasta with it's understated elegance!

The brand I received as a gift was absolutely delicious, I used Elaine's sauce and it was quite a hit on our holiday table!

Buon Appetito!

SUBMEDIA.TV - Riot 2010! Part I

Submedia.tv - Riot 2010! Part I

This week:

1. Olympic Resistance in Vancouver
2. RBC gets torched
3. They few, we many
4. Talkin’ bout a revolution
5. Matthew Morgan-Brown speaks to subMedia
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Current situation of Anticopyright Library

Current situation of Anticopyright Library

(en) As you may have noticed, I haven't posted much in some time now. This is because of some personal time, money and technology issues. I intend to fully recover at the end of january. So keep on looking for good stuff in this amazing video collection and be prepared for some new stuff really soon. Thank you for your support! ANTI

(sk) Ako ste si už asi aj všimli, už dlhšiu dobu sme vám nič nové nepriniesli. Dôvodom sú určité osobné časové, finančné a technické problémy. Avšak koncom januára by sa to malo zmeniť. Takže prehľadávajte dobré veci v tejto úžasnej zbierke a pripravte sa na nové filmy už čoskoro. Vďaka za podporu! ANTI

Lo stress sul lavoro

Comprensione orale: livello avanzato.
Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:
I datori di lavoro che non controllano lo stress dei propri dipendenti rischiano grosse multe.
Il primo signore intervistato fa il poliziotto.
Afferma che ciò che lo stressa sono gli orari di lavoro.
 Una signora intervistata ritiene che lo stress sul posto di lavoro viene provocato dal traffico.
Un'altra

Half fairy tale

"This was Venice, the flattering and suspect beauty this city, half fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism."
Thomas Mann

Pasta

Multicoloured hearts...

Hunchback

A famous sculpture in Venice. Where is it? What is it? Well I'll let you tell us what you know (and I'm sure you know a lot) about it.

Written by Bert about this picture : this is the famous Gobbo (hunchback) di Rialto, in Campo San Giacomo di Rialto. A wider view would show steps behind him leading up to a low platform above his head from where decrees were read. In this respect it was similar to the Pietra del Bando at the corner of San Marco. It was carved by Pietro da Salò in 1541 (da Salò, fl 1535-61).
The interesting thing is that, if you look closely at this gobbo and at others that support holy water stoups in churches (in Verona, at least), you will see that his torso is not deformed in any way. He is not actually a hunchback!

Looking for the Sun

In winter, people are always keen on going for a walk and make the most of the few rays of sunshine of the season. That's why the Zattere is so busy in the afternoon.

Vegetable and Barley Stuffed Peppers

A New Years resolution is a goal that someone sets out to accomplish in the coming year.
I have many goals for 2011 food related and otherwise which I won't bore you with right now but one thing I will continue to do is to eat more meatless meals. I have to admit I really enjoy cooking with vegetables the possibilities are endless and besides all that color on my plate just makes me happy!
Mixing vegetables with your favorite grains and pastas result in a very hearty and satisfying meal, such is the case with my vegetable and barley stuffed peppers.

Roasted artichoke hearts and portobello mushrooms are the two key ingredients here tossed into the barley, and then of course all that goodness gets stuffed into an edible sweet roasted red pepper. Yes, you could use rice, but I urge you make this with barley, it's a welcome change. Oh, and did I mention that barley is a nutritional powerhouse? It's packed with fiber and it even helps lower cholesterol so it's a win win situation all around!

I served a nice Italian salad along side my stuffed peppers and the husband and myself were very happy and contented!

Prepare your barley just like you do rice using three times as much water as barley. When it's finished I like to cool it down on a sheet pan so it doesn't keep cooking and become mushy, you want to retain that nice chewy texture that barley is know for.

The vegetables I used and tossed into my barley were;

Frozen artichoke hearts drizzled with olive oil and roasted in a 400F oven as well as large diced portobello mushroom pieces, diced zucchini is another option as well.

Chopped red onion

Sliced cherry tomatoes

Feta cheese

Fresh basil and parsley

Lemon zest and juice

Olive oil, salt and pepper

Toss all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste

To prepare the peppers slice the top off, scoop out the seeds, brush inside and out with olive oil and roast in oven or under the broiler just until knife tender but watch so they do not colapse, the pepper will be your vessel for the stuffing.

This can be served room temperature or slightly warmed.

Buon Appetito!