Image: ©iStock 1. It’s a pud that’s beloved both in Italy and beyond, usually made with savoiardi (sponge lady finger biscuits), coffee, mascarpone cheese and zabaglione custard – with cocoa powder to top it off. The name tiramisù literally means ‘pick-me-up’ and this refers to the dessert’s sugar-laden, energy-boosting ingredients! For a dessert so universally […]
Author: Italia Travel & Life
The Song of Dolomites
Sarah Rodrigues enjoys outdoor opera in the soaring Dolomites, where the dress code is hiking boots and walking gear. Hiking up a mountain is definitely not for everyone, but even the most reluctant of up-hillers (and there are a few of them around me, if the heavy panting and ragged gasping I can hear is […]
Taste of Naples
Mario Matassa explores the riches of the food of Naples, perhaps the most iconically Italian of all cuisine. Simply grilled vegetables, milky white balls of buffalo mozzarella, spaghetti with tomato sauce, pasta e fagioli (pasta with beans), clams with linguine, melanzane alla parmigiana, torta di ricotta, babà al rhum (just one in a long list […]
Exciting Italia! magazine update
Breaking news to share with all our readers! We’re delighted to announce that Italia! magazine will return to print publication with the October/November issue, on sale Thursday 3rd September (UK). A sincere thank you to everyone for your patience while we’ve had to take this Covid-enforced break, and we can’t wait to return to publication and […]
Ricotta Tart
Ricotta cake is hugely popular in Naples. This dish must be left to cool completely. I find it is better if you leave it to cool overnight in the fridge before eating. Add a spoonful of pine nuts for a different texture. Recipe and photo: Mario Matassa • MAKES One 24cm tart • PREPARATION 15 […]
Linguine with Clams
In the restaurants of Santa Lucia this recipe is a daily fixture. The clams are delivered by small fishing boats to the restaurants in the harbour. You can add mussels or shrimps too, or have a combination of all three. Recipe and photo: Mario Matassa • SERVES 4 • PREPARATION 10 minutes • COOKING 15 […]
Aubergine Parmigiana
Despite the name, this dish has nothing to do with Parma: it is as Neapolitan as Mount Vesuvius, but it does use Parmesan cheese. Few dishes better symbolise the cuisine of Naples. There are variations, including adding a few slices of cooked ham. Recipe and photo: Mario Matassa • SERVES 4 • PREPARATION 1 hour […]
Neapolitan Omelette
This frittata uses whatever is to hand, but always the Neapolitan staple of dried pasta. It is a great way to use up yesterday’s pasta and is often taken on Sunday picnics. Recipe and photo: Mario Matassa SERVES 4 PREPARATION 5 minutes BAKING 15 minutes Ingredients • 125g mozzarella • 100g cooked ham • 2-4 […]
Northern Lights: Cannaregio
Adrian Mourby uncovers the rich history of Cannaregio, the most northerly of Venice’s six districts Image: Bottega Tintoretto It’s a misty winter’s morning outside Tintoretto’s house in Cannaregio. Here at the tall, pink house on Rio della Sensa the great painter would kiss his wife goodbye and promise to account for the money she had […]
Viewpoint: La Gioconda
This Lego-style interpretation of La Gioconda appeared at the 2020 Grugliasco Fest – Mattoncini in Festa show held in Turin in January this year. You may remember that Spanish woman who took it upon herself to restore the fresco of Ecce Homo a few years ago. Well, that isn’t what happened here: this is perfectly […]