Festa della Mamma - Mother's Day

Italian families stick together through thick and thin. It's not uncommon for extended families to live together even after the children are married with families of their own. With family such acting as such an integral part of every day life, no wonder there are so many Italian quotes about family.

From proverbs to folk sayings, here are some of the best Italian quotes about family:

Amor di madre, amore senza limiti. - Italian saying.
Translation: A mother's love has no limits.

L'affetto verso i genitori e fondamento di ogni virtu. - Italian saying.
Translation: Loving one's parents is fundamentally the greatest virtue.

Una buona mamma vale cento maestre. - Italian saying
Translation: A good mother is worth a hundred teachers.

Chi si prede cura dei bambini deve accettare il bene ed il male. - Italian saying
Translation: Those whose job it is to take care of children have to accept the good with the bad.

Un bimbo che non gioca, felicita ne ha poca. -Italian saying.
Translation: A child that doesn't play, has little happiness.

Le piante vogliono essera annaffiate, ma non affogate. - Italian saying
Translation: (Literally) Plants want to be taken care of, not suffocated, but it can be translated into something along the lines of "Over-protection does more harm than good"

Gatti e bambini -- piu belli da piccini. -Italian saying.
Translation: Cats and children -- the younger they are the lovelier they are.

Chi si volta, e chi si gira, sempre a casa va finire.- Italian saying.
Translation: No matter where you go or turn, you will always end up at home.

Il sangue non e acqua. - Italian saying
Translation: (Literally) Blood is not water, so "Blood is thicker than water."

A padre avaro, figliolo prodigo. - Italian saying
Translation: (Literally) A miserly father, a prodigal son. (Equivalent) While the father saves his money, his son spends it.

- See more at: http://www.italymagazine.com/news/italian-quotes-about-family#sthash.9dilCKzW.dpuf

Italian Gelato Flavors

 

The Chocolates- (Yes - there are many different chocolate flavors in Italy!)

• cioccolato fondente (cho-koh-LAH-toh fawn-DEN-teh) – Dark chocolate lovers, this is the label to look for. And if you see cioccolato fondente extra noir, I think you’ll understand that we’re talking about the darkest of the dark chocolates here. Dark chocolate haters (what’s wrong with you?!?), look for cioccolato al latte (cho-koh-LAH-toh ahl LAH-tay), or milk chocolate.
• bacio (BAH-cho) – Named for the famous chocolate candies that come from Perugia, this is a chocolate hazelnut combination not unlike Nutella (which is another common gelato flavor), often with bits of hazelnuts in the mix.
• gianduja or gianduia (jahn-DOO-yah) – Either way it’s spelled, it means the same thing – a creamy combination of milk chocolate and hazelnut. This flavor comes primarily from the Piedmont region, but it can be found throughout Italy.
• cioccolato all’arancia (cho-koh-LAH-toh ahl-ah-RAHN-cha) – This is chocolate orange, and is a personal favorite. It’s most often a dark chocolate, not a milk chocolate, and may have either just an orange flavor or may also include candied bits of orange peel.
• cioccolato con peperoncini (cho-koh-LAH-toh kohn pep-pehr-ohn-CHEE-nee) – Another trendy chocolate addition, besides orange, is pepper – and this is often how you’ll see it on the flavor placards. It’s basically a hot pepper infused chocolate (usually dark chocolate), and can vary in terms of heat. A friend also reports having seencioccolato all’azteca (cho-koh-LAH-toh ahl-az-TEH-kah), which had both cinnamon and hot pepper.

The Nuts

• pistacchio (pee-STAHK-yoh) – I’m not going to define this one, because if you read English you’ll know what it is. The important thing here it to learn that the “ch” in the middle of this word has a “k” sound (not an “sh” sound). Also good to know – it’s a very popular flavor.
• mandorla (mahn-DOOR-lah) – Almond
• nocciola (noh-CHO-lah) – This is hazelnut all by itself (not combined with chocolate, as listed above).
• castagna (kahs-TAHN-yah) – This is chestnut, and isn’t nearly as common as some of the other nut flavors. It could be a seasonal specialty, I’m not sure.

The Creams

Here’s a flavor tip – if your first flavor choice is something particularly strong or difficult to match with something else, getting a cream flavor for a second scoop is a good option because it generally won’t fight with the first flavor, but will add a muted backdrop.

• fior di latte (FYOR dee LAH-tay) – Perhaps the base flavor for all cream (or even chocolate) flavors, this is literally “flower of milk” and it’s a wonderfully subtle sweet cream flavor. Some people I know think it’s boring, but I adore it.
• crema (KREH-mah) – This is a kind of egg custard flavor, and shouldn’t be confused with vanilla.
• zabaione (zah-bah-YOH-nay) – This is based on a dessert of the same name, made from (among other things) egg yolks and sweet Marsala wine. So it’s an eggy and custardy flavor, with an overtone of Marsala.
• cocco (KOH-koh) – Coconut
• caffè (kah-FAY) – Just in case you aren’t getting enough coffee flavor in your daily morning espresso, here’s the gelato version.
• amarena (ah-mah-RAY-nah) – Though it has fruit in it, it’s a cream base, so I’m sticking it in this category. This is another personal favorite – it’s basically fior di latte with a sauce of sour cherries kind of mixed in. The cherries have been stewed in something, and I have no idea what it is, but they’re chewy and delicious, and you’re likely to get at least one whole cherry (without the pit, of course) in your scoop.

The Fruits

Technically, these aren’t really considered gelati – instead, they’re sorbetti (sorbetto in the singular) because they’re made without milk. The fruit flavors are some of my favorites – they’re so intense, you’ll be amazed at how like the real thing they taste.

• fragola (FRAH-go-lah) – Strawberry 
• lampone (lahm-POH-nay) – Raspberry (oh-so good with a dark chocolate flavor)
• limone (lee-MOH-nay) – Lemon (lime is really rare, but it’s lime, or LEE-may)
• mandarino (mahn-dah-REE-noh) – Mandarin orange
• melone (meh-LOH-nay) – Melon (usually cantaloupe)
• albicocca (al-bee-KOH-kah) – Apricot
• fico (FEE-koh) – Fig
• tarocco (tah-ROH-koh) – Blood orange (not very common)
• frutti di bosco (FROO-tee dee BOHS-koh) – These aren’t fruits belonging to some guy named Bosco, this means “fruits of the forest,” generally things like blueberries and blackberries.
• mela (MEH-lah) – Apple (also look for mela verde (MEH-lah VEHR-day), or green apple)
• pera (PEH-rah) – This is pear, and one of my favorite fruit flavors. It’s a really subtle flavor, but one of the best features of well-made pear gelato is the texture. You really feel like you’re eating a pear.
• pesca (PEHS-kah) – Peach

The Oddballs

• zuppa inglese (TSOO-pah een-GLAY-zay) – Literally this is “English soup,” but it’s referring to that popular English dessert called “trifle.” It’s a custardy flavored base with bits of cookies (instead of sponge cake) and often a sweet wine like madeira or sherry.
• riso (REE-zoh) – This is literally rice, but is more akin to the gelato version of rice pudding. And yes, there are bits of rice in it.
• malaga (mah-LAH-gah) – Rum raisin
• stracciatella (strah-cha-TEL-lah) – If you think of this kind of like the Italian gelato equivalent of chocolate chip ice cream, you’re in the ballpark. It’s a fior di latte base with chocolate bits in it. The chocolate has usually been drizzled over the top of the just-made gelato and then mixed in after it’s hardened, so rather than uniform chocolate bits you end up with pieces that look like needles. This is a very common flavor.
• liquirizia (lee-kwee-REE-tzee-ah) – You may have been able to guess this one (it’s licorice), but the pronunciation can be a bit tricky if you’re caught unawares. Personally, I’m a fan of black licorice, so I like this gelato flavor – but it’s one of those flavors that’s nigh to impossible to pair with something else, save for one of the unobtrusive cream flavors listed above.
• cannella (kah-NEL-lah) – This is cinnamon, and although it’s not that common it’s really a delight. It’s not like a super-hot cinnamon, but just a nice representation of the spice. Consider pairing this with fruit flavors like pear or apple, or with chocolate.

Rome Fun Facts

1. Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus. Roman legend says that Romulus had a twin brother called Remus. As babies they were abandoned in the area which later became Rome. A she-wolf found and raised them, but when they grew up Romulus fought and killed Remus and became the first ruler of Rome!

2.The word “palace” comes from the Palatine Hill, where Augustus established the emperors’ tradition of building their palaces.

3. Every night at the Trevi Fountain about 3,000 Euros are swept up from the bottom of the basin. The money is donated to Caritas, a catholic charity, who uses the money to provide services for needy families in Rome. 

4. Modern Rome has 280 fountains and more than 900 churches.

5. Concrete was a Roman invention used on many structures such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which are still standing today thanks to the development of Roman cement and concrete.

6.SPQR stands for "Senatus Populusque Romanus" and means "The senate and the people of Rome." The symbol is still seen all over the city today.

7.Rome was built on the seven hills, a term coined to describe the Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, Aventine and Palatine hills surrounding the old community.

8. The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums has the same dimensions, as described in the Old Testament, as the Temple of Solomon on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

9.Julius Ceaser was the one who introduced the modern 12 month calendar. Before that Lunar or Arabic calendars were used. It was known as the Julian calendar and was introduced in 46 BC.

10. Romans soldiers were paid in salt, know as a salarium. The modern word salary is said to derive from this latin word. 

ROMAN STREET FOOD

Suppli

Bitten Suppli

Pizza al taglio

Panino

Tramezzino

To say Rome is a city attached to its traditional street foods would be an understatement.

That idea is no more true in the Italian capital than it is with supplì, the ubiquitous rice croquettes of Rome, are a deep fried snack that have been prepared with little variation for a century. You'd think that in 10 decades of production, the recipe would have radically changed. But until recently, Romans have been entirely devoted to a single formula: rice and a tomato-based meat ragu are cooked, cooled, formed around bits of mozzarella, shaped into rounded off cylinders, breaded and deep fried.

Pizza al taglio - Italian for pizza "by the slice"- is a varity of pizza baked in large rectangular trays and generally sold in square slices by weight. This type of pizza was invented in Rome and is now common throughout Italy.  The types of pizza change according to season - mushroom, potatoes, zucchini, salami and much, much more