Grass

“The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
Henry Miller

Il Palazzo della civiltà italiana

Comprensione orale: livello medio
Indicare le affermazioni vere

Il fascismo impulsò l'uso del travertino nell'architettura
Usò il travertino per sottolineare il legame d'Italia con l'impero romano
Nello Stadio dei Marmi le statue sono costruite in travertino
Prima della guerra si costruì un'intera città con il travertino
Il Palazzo della Civiltà italiana si trova ad Eur.
È un

Lunch in the sun

Unsettled weather, but if sunny, people take possession of the tables outside the restaurants.

A Day in Venice

An average quiet day, in a working-class Venetian area...

Visiting Buonconvento (Siena)

This weekend we decided to take the scenic and longer route to Siena from Chiusi. Actually it is all scenic but this is via the old Cassia instead of the Highway. Along the way we stopped at a wonderful little town called Buonconvento and took a glimpse at the handcrafts on sale as well as the antique open air market. This past weekend was the "Cose del Passato" or Things of the Past market with

Glenn Miller

Comprensione orale: livello medio
Indicare le affermazioni vere
Glenn Miller morì l'8 dicembre 1944 su un aereo abatuto dai caccia nazisti.
Nel gennaio 1940 Miller lanciò In the Mood.
Miller compose la canzone nell'agosto dell'anno precedente.
Miller è uno dei più famosi suonatori di sassofono di tutti i tempi.
Nel giorno del suo compleanno, nel 1938, dirisse la sua prima orchestra a New York.

Clothes Lines

A nice and quiet place, off the beaten tracks...

The Mighty Asparagus!

Even though the weather here hasn't been so great I know it's really spring because asparagus is everywhere, I can't get enough of the stuff and I'm always looking for new ways to make it, so today I'm giving you two recipes that I've recently been addicted to. The one above is the perfect appetizer or side dish, I actually brought this to our Easter brunch. Think prosciutto smeared with goat cheese then place a basil leaf, asparagus, roasted red pepper, shredded carrots and a quick drizzle of balsamic glaze, now roll it up! Oh my, the flavors are amazing, it's sort of like an Italian Style Sushi!
Inspired by Food Jimoto

You can roast or grill your asparagus, I roasted mine, tossed it in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 400F until al dente.

Here's the ingredients you'll need, some of which can be used for the next recipe as well. Prosciutto, goat cheese, shredded carrots, fresh basil, roasted red pepper strips,(not seen here, they were roasting in the oven when I took the photo) and balsamic glaze, the glaze is a key ingredient, it's thick and so flavorful and it stays inside the roll very nicely. You can make your own glaze by reducing down some balsamic vinegar or you can buy some, I got mine at Whole Foods, you can drink the stuff it's so good! (not really, but I love it!) I always keep a bottle in my fridge, I use it all the time, just a little goes a very long way.

I tried cutting the prosciutto lengthwise at first but I didn't like the way it held the asparagus in, it wasn't tight enough within the roll so I cut it in half as you see above and that worked out perfect. If you don't like goat cheese, maybe some mascarpone? or even cream cheese. You can use 1 or 2 asparagus depending on their size and your preference.

I used one large red pepper cut into small strips and roasted them, That one pepper was enough for a huge pan that I made.

A quick drizzle of olive oil on the tips and they were all ready to go, place them on a beautiful platter and people will be drawn to them, I promise.

Put your balsamic glaze in a squeezy bottle and you can get all fancy with it, swirrels, drops, zig zags, you'll look like a professional!

Now on to recipe number two, this is so good you'll want to make this salad over and over again! Take some of that prosciutto you have and crisp it up in your oven, these are going to be prosciutto chips that will garnish and be added to the salad for crunchy and oh so flavorful goodness! Place 4 - 6 slices on a piece of parchment keeping them flat by weighing them down with another baking sheet on top, Cook until crisp at 400F for around 10 -15 minutes, keep checking it.

This Asparagus Salad was inspired by a chef at a farmers market, the components are:

** 1 Pound of grilled or roasted asparagus halved lengthwise

** A spicy green like arugula or frisee ( I couldn't find either that day, so I used a mix that had both)

** 2 radish that are thinly sliced

** 4 oz. of Chevre goats cheese

** 3 Tablespoons of toasted and chopped hazelnuts

** Salt and pepper

Lemon Vinaigrette:

** 2 Tbl fresh lemon juice

** 6 Tbl good olive oil

** Salt and pepper

** Prosciutto chips

In a bowl add your Chevre cheese, 1 Tbl of the vinaigrette and toss gently all your asparagus until well coated. Add your greens and hazelnuts, radishes and more vinaigrette to taste, toss it all gently until coated. Garnish with the prosciutto chips on top. This should serve 4 or 2 very happy people!

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!

Benvenuti a Castellabate

Comprensione orale: livello medio
Indicare le affermazioni vere
Castellabate si trova nel Salento.
Questo piccolo borgo è reso famoso dal film Benvenuti al sud.
Castellabate è un borgo medievale che ricorda l'entroterra siciliano.
I vicoli di Castellabate sono curatissimi.
I turisti si recano in pullman a Castellabate per vedere il set del film.
A Castellabate non ci sono le poste.
Gli

Giorgio Almirante

Comprensione orale: livello medioIndicare le affermazioni vereGiorgio Almirante morì nel 1968.Ai suoi funerali c'era la Presidente della Camera dei Deputati.Franco Servello ha scritto una biografia di Almirante.Almirante fondò l'MSI. Mantenne i valori fascisti, però condusse la destra italiana verso la democrazia.Gianfranco Fini ha ricordato che Almirante fu un uomo che insegnava a non

Farming with Nature - A Case Study of Successful Temperate Permaculture (2000)

Farming with Nature - A Case Study of Successful Temperate Permaculture (2000)

INFO:
Malcolm St.Julian Bown, Heidi Snel, english, 2000, 37 min.
http://www.krameterhof.at/en/
More on permaculture: http://permaculture-media-download.blogspot.com

(en) How an Austrian farmer simply observes nature and survives without depending on subsidies, chemical fertilisers or pesticides of any kind.

Sepp Holzer created an edible landscape at 1500 metres above sea level - one of the few perfectly working permaculture systems in Europe.

Between the pinetree monocultures of Austria he built a fishpond system with his own water power station, planted 9000 fruit trees of the most various kinds in connection with many other plants to support each other (plant families). Thirty different types of potatoes, many different grains, fruits, vegetables, herbs and wildflowers are growing just about everywhere - in the forest, on extremely steep hills, on rocky soil, on pathways, around ponds, as well as raised beds. All of this he grows without the use of any pesticides, herbicides or fertilizer. Holzer says: "I couldn't understand that still everybody at the agricultural schools told you these chemicals are useful. They drowned us in brochures of the chemical fertilizers with the latest information on how many kilos of which stuff you should get. But if you follow their instructions you only have trouble, your purse is empty, you have a lot of hard work to do, and you're destroying all this important life in your ground, and your own health with it. Sorry, but I really don't want to spoil my own land with this poison!"

Instead of using chemicals, he simply observes nature and finds out which plants support each other. In autumn he collects many seeds and stores them, and whenever he can, he throws this seed mixture on his ground. Along pathways, on new patches of terraces, anywhere. There is no square meter of ground with only one type of plant. All plants grow together and support each other. No plant or insect is unwanted. Diversity is a key word for Holzer, not only on the level of plants but also on the economic level. Holzer now has a lot of different sources of income. He sells all the products of his land; fruit trees, fruits, grains, vegetables, fish, and mushrooms, all guaranteed biological. Further, he sells seeds of many of these plants including very rare ones. Next to that, Holzer gives advice to farmers who want to change their farms into permaculture places or people who want to build up a permaculture garden. Sepp also gives guided tours over his own property to interested people, who have a growing interest in permaculture. He also gives seminars on old techniques such as grinding your own grains, making your own bread and butter etc. He also rents out his mountain huts for people who want to spend time in nature as a holiday. So it looks like Holzer will never be short of ideas, his economic success is an exception in the whole area.

Most farmers in Europe are completely dependent on subsidies. The EU supports farmers, especially in disadvantaged regions in order to keep the cultivation of the land alive. The price is high: 54.3 % of the EU expenses (=41 billion ECU) are flowing into agriculture! 1997 it was 80 billion DM (even though the farmers are only 4.4 % of the working population).

Sepp Holzer: "I find it painful to watch all these farmers going broke and selling their land for next to nothing, mostly to rich academic people who know even less what to do with the land. If these farmers only knew what they could do with their land! Nature has so much to offer, so many possibilities!"

Watch online:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN_57-eCKas



Download:
https://rapidshare.com/files/458426157/Farming.with.Nature-A.Case.Study.of.Successful.Temperate.Permaculture.part1.rar
https://rapidshare.com/files/458426158/Farming.with.Nature-A.Case.Study.of.Successful.Temperate.Permaculture.part2.rar
---or---
http://www.mediafire.com/file/mjmvcrzvm7qd8vl/Farming.with.Nature-A.Case.Study.of.Successful.Temperate.Permaculture.part1.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/86v8nbb6p9lsizz/Farming.with.Nature-A.Case.Study.of.Successful.Temperate.Permaculture.part2.rar
NO PASSWORD / ŽIADNE HESLO
Links are interchangeable / Linky môžete kombinovať!

Torrent:
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/3897961/Farming_with_Nature_-_Successful_Temperate_Permaculture

Subtitles:
http://www.podnapisi.net/en/ppodnapisi/podnapis/i/1177405/showRelease/1/showYear/0/shortFormat/0/translateTitle/1
Titulky:
Nenašiel som. Pomôžte preložiť tento film!

Dark Water

The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book- a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.
Mark Twain

Playing Soccer

A ball game on a beautiful Venetian campo. A little break for those foreign students visiting Venice.

Serenity

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter - a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.
Henri Matisse

Time for a Spritz

Campari... Aperol... Due Spritz per favore!

A River Runs Through Us (2011)

A River Runs Through Us (2011)

INFO:
International Rivers, Mexico/USA, english, 2011, 22 min.
http://www.internationalrivers.org/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1882031/

(en) A personal and hopeful introduction to one of the biggest threats facing our world's lifelines, as told by the people at the forefront of the global movement. Filmed at Rivers for Life 3 -- a 2010 gathering of 350 river activists from 50 countries, held in rural Mexico -- this documentary touches on issues such as how climate change will affect rivers and dams; what happens to communities displaced by or living downstream of large dams; and what kinds of solutions exist that both preserve our life-giving waterways while meeting our needs for energy and water.

Watch online:
http://youtu.be/WxereGwgJyU



Download:
http://www.fileserve.com/file/Tk29bJK/A.River.Runs.Through.Us.2011.DVDRip.XviD-ANTI.avi
---or--
http://www.archive.org/details/ARiverRunsThroughUs
---or---
https://rapidshare.com/files/457881792/A.River.Runs.Through.Us.2011.DVDRip.XviD-ANTI.part1.rar
https://rapidshare.com/files/457881795/A.River.Runs.Through.Us.2011.DVDRip.XviD-ANTI.part2.rar
---or---
http://www.mediafire.com/file/xgdk7dc005td6dj/A.River.Runs.Through.Us.2011.DVDRip.XviD-ANTI.part1.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/12h3u91g1yic1a3/A.River.Runs.Through.Us.2011.DVDRip.XviD-ANTI.part2.rar
NO PASSWORD / ŽIADNE HESLO
Links are interchangeable / Linky môžete kombinovať!

Download DVD:
http://www.archive.org/download/ARiverRunsThroughUs/ARiverRunsThroughUsDVD.zip
# Download the DVD version (zipped ISO file courtesy of the Internet Archive).
# To download, right-click on the linked file above and select, "Save link as"

Torrent DVD:
http://onebigtorrent.org/torrents/11049/A-River-Runs-Through-Us-DVD

Torrent:
http://onebigtorrent.org/torrents/11060/A-River-Runs-Through-Us-C--Pataky-2011aNaRCHo

Subtitles:
Not found. Help transcribe/translate this documentary! (spanish subs available-see archive.org or DVD)

Titulky:
Nenašiel som. Pomôžte preložiť tento film!

Humphrey Bogart

Comprensione orale: livello medioIndicare le affermazioni vereHumphrey Bogart si ritirò dal cinema il 30 luglio 1956. Morì di cancro al polmone. Nacque a New York da una famiglia agiata. Suo padre era disegnatore pubblicitario. Bogart si arruolò volontario in marina durante la II Guerrra Mondiale. Incontrò Harold Lloyd nel film "La foresta pietrificata". Interpretò il personaggio di John

Laurea

Many large posters, with a humorous biography of the newly graduate, decorate the walls around Campo Santa Margherita. "Dottore..."

Raffaello Sanzio

Comprensione orale: livello medio
Indicare le affermazioni vere

Raffaello nacque ad Urbino alla fine del XV secolo
Suo padre era un illustre pittore
Da ragazzino lavorò a bottega con Pietro Perugino
In quegli anni dipinse "Lo sposalizio della Vergine" per una chiesa di Urbino
Nei primi anni del '500 si trasferì a Firenze, dove lavoravano il cinquantenne Michelangelo ed il giovane Leonardo

Not dark yet

Shadows are falling and I’ve been here all day...
Bob Dylan

Baked Rigatoni

My neighbors just welcomed a new baby boy into their home. Poor thing, shes been having serious back issues so the other day I walked over and brought some dinner for them. I decided to make a pan of baked rigatoni, because lets be honest there aren't many things as comforting as a pan of baked pasta, are there? It takes less time than making a lasagne, without any sacrifice of flavor. I made this version meatless with 3 different cheese, mozzarella, ricotta with spinach and grated romano cheese, I've also made a meat version many many times in my life adding tiny meatballs between the layers, a big hit for a party because it all can be put together a day ahead of time and then heated right before serving. A big pan of baked rigatoni would also be a great addition to your Easter dinner, because you always need to have a little pasta, no?

I love the large ridged rigatoni it holds the sauce perfectly and visually it looks so good. The box says to cook the pasta for 14 minutes but you'll want to under cook it since it will be baking in the oven. I cooked the one pound box for 10 minutes then drained the water and tossed the rigatoni into a bowl and gave it a quick drizzle of olive oil with a couple of ladles of marinara. Be sure to have enough marinara made because you don't want the pasta to dry out in the baking process. If you're buying your marinara in a jar I would buy two, but please try and make your own if you don't normally do so, it's such a difference!

I make my marinara very quickly using 6-8 cloves of chopped garlic sauteed in about 1/4 cup of olive oil, sometimes I add a small onion, sometimes I don't, to that I add two 28oz cans of San Marzano whole tomatoes that have been squished beforehand, and my favorite ingredient of all time, fresh basil, lots of it! Let it simmer for 20 minutes or so.

I buttered the inside of a 13 x 9 disposable pan, ( since I was giving this dish away) spread homemade marinara sauce on the bottom and then 1/3 of the rigatoni, then with a make shift piping bag I added dollops of ricotta all around the layer of pasta as well as good sprinkling of shredded mozzarella, next added the grated romano cheese all over. Repeat 2 more times starting all over with the sauce again.

The ricotta mixture was made by folding a good handful of chopped spinach (squeezed and drained of all liquid) into a pound of fresh ricotta along with one egg, a healthy dose of grated cheese, salt and pepper.

I like to keep my baked rigatoni a little lighter by not covering the top with a layer of mozzarella, I think there's plenty inside, but that's just my preference.

Ready for the oven, lay a piece of foil on top and bake around 25 minutes at 360F, last 15 minutes remove the foil.

I found this bottle of wine, Rigatoni Red, I sure hope it was good because I strictly bought it for the label which I just loved, it was the perfect compliment to my dish don't you think?

Have a great weekend, and Buon appetito!

Thomas A. Edison

Comprensione scritta: livello medio

Indicare le affermazioni vere

T. A. Edison nacque nel 1847 a Milano
Il suo primo brevetto fu il telefono
Brevettò anche l'antenata della telescrivente
Grazie al suo fonografo fu possibile ascoltare le voci registrate
La sua invenzione più innovativa fu la lampadina
Negli anni successivi inventò anche la locomotiva a carbone
Fu uno dei padri della

A Tribute to Hugo Pratt

A great Venetian shop for the Corto Maltese's fans at the Venezia Foto Factory which opened in 2010. Being a Hugo Pratt's fan I've loved the reproductions on canvas of some of the most beautiful drawings of the master...
Next time you'll be in Castello, it's on Barbaria delle Tolle, right near campo San Giovanni e Paolo.

I Walk Alone

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a..
Green Day

Television in Italy- The Ugly

One of my greatest disappointments after moving to Italy was television in Italy. I was never an avid television watcher and now I can pretty much say I don't watch any television at all in Italy.  Normal television in Italy is a disgrace. The few channels that are available do not offer anything of quality for anyone and you have to pay a state yearly tax for it. Unbelievable since the

Lunch break

Some good friends, a day off school, a hearty meal... and Venice! Pure happiness!

(Upcoming) Aurora (2011) - Il Sogno Della Liberazione

(Upcoming) Aurora (2011)

Il Sogno Della Liberazione

INFO: - Upcoming this spring-
Piercarlo Paderno, Italy, italian, 2011, 72 min.
http://www.auroramovie.com
http://www.facebook.com/Auroramovie

(en) "Aurora", the debut of director Piercarlo Paderno, tells the story of a girl who becomes part of an animal rights group whose aim is to free animals used as guinea pigs in laboratories. So begins the journey of Aurora in a world where justice has nothing to do with the law, and where the struggle for freedom comes before anything.
A delicate and intense film that involves the strong social issue on which we are all obliged to think.

(it) “Aurora” , opera prima del regista bresciano Piercarlo Paderno, racconta la storia di una ragazza che entra a far parte di un gruppo animalista il cui intento è liberare gli animali usati come cavie nei laboratori. Comincerà cosi il viaggio di Aurora all’interno di un mondo dove la giustizia non ha niente a che fare con la legge, e dove la lotta per la libertá viene prima di qualsiasi cosa.
Un film delicato ed intenso che coinvolge per la forte tematica sociale su cui tutti siamo tenuti a riflettere.

(sk) "Aurora", debut režiséra Piercarlo Paderno, rozpráva príbeh dievčaťa, ktoré sa stane súčasťou skupiny za záchranu zvierat, ktorých cieľom je oslobodiť zvieratá používané ako pokusné králiky v laboratóriách. Tak sa začína cesta Aurory vo svete, kde spravodlivosť nemá nič spoločné so zákonom, a tam, kde boj za slobodu je to najdôležitejšie.
Jemný a intenzívny film, ktorý zahŕňa silný sociálny problém, na ktorý sú všetci povinní myslieť.

Trailer:
http://youtu.be/-FZTOCMZFgo?hd=1
(for english subtitles - turn on CC in the youtube player)



Titulky:
Pomôžte preložiť tento film!

La battaglia di Guadalajara

Comprensione orale: livello medio-avanzato
Indicare le affermazioni vere

Alcune divisioni di fascisti italiani combatterono contro F. Franco durante la guerra di Spagna
I repubblicani sconfissero i franchisti a Guadalajara
Tra i repubblicani militavano anche gli antifascisti italiani della brigata Garibaldi
Li comandava Carlo Pacciardi
La vittoria repubblicana non determinò alcuna conseguenza

Sun Umbrellas

A terrace, sun umbrellas, young leaves on the trees... Spring seems to be here for real!

Green Leaves of Spring

Such a pleasure to see green leaves again on the Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi trees...

Cauliflower "Steaks"

This is an amazing first course or side dish. Roasted slabs of cauliflower topped off with a tomato olive type salsa. I read about this technique in an older issue of Bon Appetit. Taking a whole head of cauliflower, peel off the outer leaves, standing it on its core end and cutting slabs from it's thickest part, a good half inch or a more keeping everything intact resembling a little tree. I decided to roast my "steaks" so I drizzled each side with olive oil, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of romano or parmesan cheese of course!

Bake in a 400F oven until tender and golden on each side gently flipping each "steak" over with a spatula. Don't worry about the stem and core being attached you're going to eat it all!

The end result gives you the perfect surface for a topping of your choice, think about it for a minute, the possibilities are endless! I might even stick a fried egg on top for some "steak" and eggs next time!

The topping I made had quartered grape tomatoes, sliced green and kalamata olives, finely diced red onion, fresh basil, parsley and olive oil, if I had a jar of artichokes I would have chopped a few in there and maybe even a couple sun dried tomatoes.

It was the perfect compliment to the creamy roasted slabs of cauliflower, and a definite WOW factor! I hope you give it a try.

Buon Appetito!

World on Fire

World on Fire

http://youtu.be/9OqXqa64Y0c

Download Video
Download Audio

This week:

1. Tsunagasaki
2. Green Party uber alles
3. VerMutants
4. The E.N.D. of the U.K.
5. Conspiracy Rap
6. Squaddafi

Masks

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
Oscar Wilde

I sandali

Comprensione orale: livello avanzatoSegna con una crocetta solo la risposta vera:Il servizio è stato girato a Napoli.
Il signore intervistato si chiama Di Meo.
Il processo di produzione dei sandali inizia col disegno del prodotto.
L'orlatura viene realizzata da uno stabilimento esterno.
La tomaia è tagliata con un coltello speciale.
Nonostante l'uso del computer, una parte del processo di

Paths through utopias (2011)

Les Sentiers de l'Utopie / Paths Through Utopias (2011)

INFO:
John Jordan, Isabelle Fremeaux, France, french, 2011, 109 min.
www.utopias.eu
http://www.justseeds.org/blog/2011/02/paths_through_utopias.html

(en) Paths Through Utopias takes us on a 6 month journey through Europe in search of ways of living despite capitalism. Out of the journey will arise a blog, a book, a Utopian Road movie (more fiction than documentary) and a series of workshops & performances. Paths Through Utopias are trails drawn by realist dreamers, lucid idealists whose vision of a better world is not projected into an unreachable future but created every day, in the here and now. These paths are not motorways destroying forests to get to a pre-decided destination as fast and as straight as possible… they are trails following the valleys' contours, tracing the rivers and desires of those who build them.

Trailer:
http://vimeo.com/18815492



Download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/455561251/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455561252/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455580118/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455580119/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455593484/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/455593485/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part6.rar
---or---
http://www.mediafire.com/file/j2ibre3whvn11v4/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part1.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/hrdeldmrzdgrmfo/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part2.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/gj182xd9kkg741i/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part3.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/lbnyeb2i12sfnbd/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part4.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/o0luttg0g13g5vg/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part5.rar
http://www.mediafire.com/file/x5uotye9lz0d9pp/Paths.through.Utopias.2011.part6.rar
NO PASSWORD / ŽIADNE HESLO
Links are interchangeable / Linky môžete kombinovať!

Torrent:
http://onebigtorrent.org/torrents/11046/Paths-through-Utopias

Subtitles:
Not found. Help transcribe/translate this documentary!

Titulky:
Nenašiel som. Pomôžte preložiť tento film!

Enjoying Casa Fabbrini

We were greeted Friday evening by Giorgio and Paola, the owners of Casa Fabbrini who welcomed us into their home as if we had known them for years. It was literally like being "at home" only this home was an amazing Tuscan villa that opens its doors to guests year round and lavishes them with every detailed comfort.

Giorgio and Paola are not only the best cooks, make their own jams, cookies,

Awakening City

The first morning steps in the heart of the city are always a treat. Workers, students, joggers, maybe some late and quiet reveller... Very soon will come the parties of tourists, following their guide, microphone in one hand and in the other one a flashy flag to be seen by the group.

Malati di Facebook

Comprensione orale: livello medioSegna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:
Facebook può essere una droga.
Facebook ha 325 milioni di iscritti.
La signora intervistata si collegava a Fb appena alzata.
La signora dormiva meno per restare su Fb.
La signora aveva anche un'applicazione sul telefonino per collegarsi su Fb.
Il medico afferma che se si sospende l'uso di Fb, "il paziente" non ha

Shadows on the Piazetta

Such a timeless city, so similar to what it was in the 17th, 18th or 19th centuries.

Living Italy: Slow Food: La Pera Cocomerina

Living Italy: Slow Food: La Pera Cocomerina: "Every once in awhile it happens. You run into something amazing that only a few people know about and want to share it with everyone. O..."

Slow Food: La Pera Cocomerina

Every once in awhile it happens. You run into something amazing that only a few people know about and want to share it with everyone. On our way home from the beach this weekend, we stopped in the tiniest town called Le Ville di Montecoronaro di Verghereto in the province of Forli-Cesena. My husband insisted that we go off the beaten path so I can get my hands on the most amazing jam called Pera

Big Flavors, Small Bites

Have you seen these sweet mini peppers in the stores? Colorful and bright, I couldn't resist picking up a bag, they sat in my fridge for a couple of days while I was deciding what to do with them, I knew I wanted to keep them whole, I couldn't bare to chop them up, so after searching the web I decided to stuff them.

This is the perfect appetizer or side dish with no fuss to put together and they look gorgeous on a platter! I roasted mine in a 400F. oven tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper, until tender and slightly golden.

Next, I sliced them open on one side to make a pocket and stuffed them with a mixture of herbed goat cheese and mascarpone, put them back in the oven for a few seconds just to get the cheese warm and then drizzled a flavored lemon olive oil and herb dressing over the top. The sweetness of the peppers balances perfectly with the tangy creaminess from the cheese and the dressing just highlights the whole dish!

Really the possibilities are endless as to what you can stuff them with, think of all the different cheese you can use, mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola, feta, asiago, I could go on and on!

While my oven was still hot I decided to roast these tiny zucchini I found at Whole Foods as well as some onion and tomato slices, just as I did with the peppers above I drizzled my flavored lemon olive oil and herb dressing all over the top. This is the perfect side dish to accompany any meat of your choice, oh and they taste phenominal!

The dressing I used for both the peppers and zucchini were a mixture of minced fresh parsley and basil, a pinch of salt and black pepper all whisked together with lemon flavored olive oil, or as a substitute you can certainly use fresh lemon with olive oil.

This last dish has to be one of my favorite flavor combinations of late, ask my husband, I've been making it almost every other day, roasted asparagus, salty feta, and sweet roasted grape tomatoes, but what takes this over the top and I truly mean it, is this wonderful lemon olive oil from Olio2go, I covet this stuff! It enhances food to another level and worth every single penny in my opinion! Straight from the bottle drizzle over the warm roasted asparagus or any roasted vegetable, grilled chicken or fish, outstanding in salads. I can't get enough of it, and a little goes a long way, it's packed with flavor as the pulp of the lemons are actually pressed with the olives, a match made in heaven!

As stated above, you can certainly substitute fresh lemon with olive oil whisked together if you so desire. Hey, some people get excited over new shoes, me, I go for the olive oil!

Have a great week, and Buon Appetito!

Marble Lace

Facing the Grand Canal, the chiselled facade of one of the most beautiful palaces in Venice.

Ecocucina

Comprensione orale: livello avanzato
Segna con una crocetta solo le affermazioni vere:La signora che cucina con il vapore della lavatrice fa l'insegnante.
La signora ha il pallino della cucina al vapore.
Con il vapore cucina anche le verdure.
Le analisi realizzate sui prodotti cucinati in questo modo non hanno rilevato nessun problema negli alimenti.
La signora ha scritto un libro di ricette.
Ha

Love at First Sniff

Bath perfumes and salts, displayed like cheeses in a shop window...

Our Lives of Burning Vision – About the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire & more

Our Lives of Burning Vision – About the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire & more

Source:

http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=el&article_id=1278609

Actforfreedomnow – Bourbouras present a 68 page publication about the most recent situations and events connected with the Revolutionary Organisation Conspiracy of Cells of Fire and their 17 January International Solidarity Call for an International Revolutionary Front / Informal Anarchist Federation (Global).
http://325.nostate.net/

Our Lives of Burning Vision – About the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire & more

Actforfreedomnow – Bourbouras present a 68 page publication about the most recent situations and events connected with the Revolutionary Organisation Conspiracy of Cells of Fire and their 17 January International Solidarity Call for an International Revolutionary Front / Informal Anarchist Federation (Global).

Download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/455494284/ccf.rar

Free PDF – Paper copies available in single copies or bundles (10x = £20 + postage) from 325.nostate.net or from the radical distros which carry 325 magazine. Benefit for CCF prisoners and accused of the same case – Nonprofit.

“In the chaos of our own existence we are a part of the imponderable element which organizes subversion, plans mutinies, that leave even ourselves dazed. The translation of texts, letters, communiqués, etc. so that comrades in other countries around the world can read about the desires and ideas and projectuality of the comrades in Greece, is one more weapon at our disposal. What began as a simple desire and a challenge, has brought us into a new field of experiences, acquaintances and responsibilities. Now that we’re here, they will not get rid of us easily.
We have become another aspect of the asymmetric threat. The war to the end, has already begun. …”
From the introduction by Actforfreedomnow – Bourbouras.
A huge storm of revolt raged through the streets of Greece in December 2008. After the 15 year-old Alexis Grigoropoulos was murdered in coldblood by a cop, riots spread throughout the whole country for several weeks. Hundreds of corporate and government targets were attacked, plundered and set on fire. Although it was anarchists and anti-authoritarians who took the lead in this storm during the first week after the murder, it spread itself fast and many people got involved in this revolt against miserable living conditions, against the authorities and against the hopelessness offered by this world to the exploited and oppressed. But the revolt didn’t cease at the end of 2008, neither did it start on the day of the murder. The attacks against the structures of State and Capital went on and spread to several smaller towns in Greece.
About 180 fire attacks and, since a couple of months, artisan [‘homemade’] bombing attacks were carried out under the name of ‘Conspiracy of Cells of Fire’. The attacks targeted banks, car dealers, shopping centres, governmental institutions, police stations, offices of political parties, houses of politicians, judges, criminologists, journalists, private security firms and companies building prisons,… and always accompanied by elegantly critical and nihilistic claims of anarchist responsibility.
The claims did not only criticize Capital, State and Authority (in all of their aspects), but also the resignation of the exploited, their herd mentality, their collaboration with the system. The Conspiracy of Cells of Fire (CCF) refuse to regard oppression and exploitation as simply being imposed by batons and blackmail, but understand it as a social relation in which all have their responsibility –and make or don’t make the choice to fight against it.
In September 2009 extensive anti-terror raids attempted to strike the CCF, these raids became one more political tool to attack the wider anarchist & anti-authoritarian movement, a situation which intensified when two members of the CCF were captured during an operation in November 2010, Athens. Against the ongoing legalistic kidnapping of our comrades and for the escalation of struggle for total liberation, the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire : Illegal Sector called for an informal global project based on anarchist subversion, direct action and international solidarity. These papers document some of the many communiques, letters and legal & court updates concerning the Conspiracy of Cells of Fire, the accused comrades of the same case, plus solidarity actions resulting from the call for a formation of an Informal Anarchist Federation / International Revolutionary Front.
Whilst this publication can of course only offer a partial view upon the situation and topics, it is produced in the spirit of rebellion which fuels the total war against domination. It is an unfinished document that seeks collaboration through acts of refusal. The international call which has been circulated for the subversive formation of an International Revolutionary Front / Informal Anarchist Federation (Global), which is based on the principles of international solidarity, permanent subversion and constant conflict should be discussed, debated and acted upon without delay.
Dedicated to:
CONSPIRACY OF CELLS OF FIRE: IMPRISONED MEMBERS CELL + THE ACCUSED OF THE SAME CASE
14 AUGUST CHILEAN PRISONERS
ALL FIGHTERS & HOSTAGES OF THE TOTAL WAR AGAINST ALL EXPLOITATION & HIERARCHY.
FOR A GLOBAL INSURRECTIONAL NETWORK & INFORMAL COORDINATION
——
Anonymous Editions / Anti-Copyright Network
March 2011 / NET-DIY
——
PLEASE SPREAD – REPLICATE – RE-POST
——

Praise the Bridge

“Let every man praise the bridge that carries him over”

Massimo Franco sulla guerra in Libia

Comprensione scritta: livello avanzatoIndicare le affermazioni vereM. Franco pensa che Gheddafi sia un problema dell'Italia, non solo di BerlusconiLui ricorda come nel '86 il governo di Andreotti informò Gheddafi del vicino bombardamento USALa Gran Bretagna ha messo in carcere pochi mesi fa uno dei libici accusati dell'attentato di LockerbeeFranco ritiene che ci sia molta incertezza sul futuro

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of Living In A Small Town In Tuscany

I get so accustomed of living in the small town of Chiusi that things that occur have almost become common place. I forget that those who don't live in a small town may have no idea of how it is like. As with anything else, there are the pro's and con's but you have to decide for yourself. ...

1.  Be prepared that if you wear the same clothing more than two days in a row people will comment on