Author Archive
Happy Christmas (War is Over)
Wishing everyone who celebrates a wonderful Christmas season full of love, joy, and, most of all, peace.
Download your own WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It!) poster in your language now.
Merry Christmas Eve from Calvin & Hobbes
As is tradition, here is the most adorable Christmas Eve poem of all time:
Happiest of holidays to you and yours!
What to Do in Milan
The title of this post, “What to do in Milan,” is the exact search I typed into Google several weeks ago. I was planning a trip north to see Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy and Diana of A Certain Simplicity and Piemontescapes and would have one day in Milan — and I didn’t want to miss anything huge.
Castello Sforzesco, Milano
It turns out that the best online resource for what to do in Milan can be found on fellow Eye on Italy podcast host’s Jessica’s Why Go Italy, so do have a look there if you’re headed to Milan yourself. You can also find and book Milan hotels through EasytoBook.com if you’re not lucky enough to score a spot on Sara’s pull-out couch. But back to the sightseeing.
Pinacoteca di Brera, Milano
Snowy rooftop of Pinacoteca di Brera, Milano
I’m sorry to say I did miss out on The Last Supper (you need to book ahead, and although it’s often booked for months in advance there were actually available spots for the day *after* I was leaving Milan), but I think I packed a lot into my day in Milan thanks to Sara, including a luncheon at the Obikà mozzarella bar next to the Duomo with several people I hadn’t yet met in person.
It was truly a wonderful 10 or so hours in Milan despite the snow and rain, which did subside for some golden sunshine later in the day.
Il Duomo, Milano
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milano
All in all, an action-packed jaunt around this bustling northern Italy city, which to be honest felt more American than any Italian location I’ve been. Visiting cities is always sensory overload for me, so I’d love to go back with more time to just soak in more of the atmosphere and see if my first impressions hold true. For now, though, there are more photos in my Milano Flickr set — and lots more tales to tell behind the photos as well. Stay tuned!
Have you been to Milan? What do you recommend first-time visitors see and do?
Seasons Greetings at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.
When my mom and I went to Washington, D.C. last year at this time, we went on a bus tour through a local company; part of the scheduled day was to be spent at the United States Botanic Garden.
US Botanic Garden
To be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled about it — how interesting could that possibly be when there was so much else in D.C. that I wanted to see? But it was a rainy, cold, gloomy day, so a little inside time was rather welcome.
Rainy day at Botanic Garden
As it turned out, this was one of the most impressive, awe-inspiring, festive, gorgeous parts of our day. The annual Seasons Greetings exhibit features “Washington landmark buildings all created with plant materials set amidst pathways and pools of blooming poinsettias and other holiday plants (emphasis added).” ALL of what you are about to see was created with plant materials. Simply amazing.
The White House
Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool, & Washington Monument
US Supreme Court; check out detail on this photo on my Flickr set
US Capitol
There was also a special section for children and the young at heart; the exhibit had a decidedly different feel, but again, everything was made with plant materials.
Castle and hot air balloon
One…unique ornament
See lots more photos of the Botanical Garden on my Washington, D.C. Flickr set.
This year’s exhibit will be up until January 2,
so there’s something else you can do in D.C. besides just visiting Union Station.
Beyond the Pasta by Mark Leslie
Beyond the Pasta by Mark Leslie on Amazon
Our most recent guest on the Eye on Italy podcast was Mark Leslie,* author of Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family, published by Gemelli Press.
I received a copy of Mark’s book last Thursday afternoon, just in time to do a little interview prep for Monday evening’s taping. I was hoping to get at least most of it read by the time we’d be speaking with Mark — and that turned out to be no problem at all. I flew threw this book in just a couple days. To be honest, I wish I could have savored it a bit more but the approaching interview gave me an excuse to keep picking it up. And believe me, no one had to twist my arm to do so.
Beyond the Pasta is about Mark’s month with an Italian family in Viterbo, learning both the Italian language and Italian cuisine. The book is Mark’s journal of experiences during that time, each curiosity and peculiarity noted and explored, with mysteries often left to be answered in subsequent chapters. I particularly enjoyed how we live through Mark’s time in Viterbo without misunderstandings corrected until they were done so in real time, even something so basic as the nickname of one of his hosts — I think many of us can identify with mishearing/mispronouncing/misunderstanding Italian names you’ve never heard before!
Mark Leslie, Author of Beyond the Pasta
Oh, and as an added bonus, you get nearly 30 of Nonna’s authentic Italian recipes, including a previously secret ricetta for what looks to be a delicious yogurt cake Mark calls “Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa” because the ingredients are measured out using the empty yogurt cup.
Mark’s love for both Italian culture and his adopted family shines through his writing; his enthusiasm is contagious and kept me turning pages. I was truly sad when Mark’s time with his adopted family was over and even shed a tear or two. I remember very clearly what it was like to leave Italy reluctantly, and all that came flooding back to me with Mark’s words.
Even as someone who has lived in Italy for seven-plus years, I found Mark’s story lively and engaging — and believe me, that doesn’t always happen for me with books in this genre. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves Italy and all things Italian; of course it would make a perfect holiday gift for the Italophile on your list.
You can keep up with Mark at his website BeyondThePasta.com, follow him on Twitter @beyondthepasta, and like his book on Facebook at Beyond the Pasta.
*
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Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
