The Italian Writer Blog
The Befana
is Coming!
A witch-like old lady flying on a broom, La Befana is arguably more famous than Santa Clause in Italy, and certainly much older than the ol’ man dressed in red and white who shakes his belly like a bowl full of jelly.
Unlucky Number 17
“Grab the cornicello, it’s the 17th!” my mother told me over the phone, and since you can take the girl out of Italy but not Italy out of the girl, I went to my front door and grabbed the cornicello I have hanging right above it.
From Scratch: 5 Things Netflix Got Right
Much like you, I just finished drying my tears after watching From Scratch, the bittersweet love story between Lino, a Sicilian chef (Eugenio Mastrandrea), and Amy, a Texan artist (Zoe Saldaña).
Etruscan Cuisine:
Fried Honey
If you’re looking for a new dessert idea for this weekend, how about making one that will take you back to pre-Roman Empire Italy?
Ciao!
Welcome to The Italian Writer, a place where you can find stories of Italian culture, history, folklore, and food. Together, we will travel up and down the Italian peninsula, hopping on its islands from time to time, learning about the many legends and myths that have shaped my home country, reliving historical events, tasting delicious local cuisine, and listening to the many languages my fellow Italians speak.
Oops, where are my manners.
Piacere! Nice to meet you, I’m your storyteller, Brunella Costagliola (Kohs-ta-yo-la) and I am delighted that you’re here. I was born in Napoli (Naples), a sunny and friendly city in Southern Italy, and raised in Bacoli, a small coastal town to the west of Napoli.
Though I left my peninsula, I moved across the pond only to end up living on another one that offers me just as much sun and beach life as my hometown did. I now live in the sunshine state of Florida, with my Italian American children, Air Force veteran husband, and three dogs.
Well, I have to go now, I have ragú on the stove, and it’s bubbling, or Pippiare as we say in Neapolitan language. But more on what that means later.
A presto,
Brunella