I just thought I'd share this...

Look at this and try not to drool. Impossible huh?

It's a perfect example of a typical Italian breakfast. Most definitely not healthy (and it's a secret how the very same Italians often keep a Dolce & Gabbana runway silhouette) but so delicious!

Now imagine a foamy/creamy cappuccino with it and there you go with

 la dolce vita.

chocolate croissant

summer in Northern Italy

... is fresh fruit and vegetables. Tomatoes in all shapes and shades of red, herbs, juicy peaches, sweet and dark cherries - the assortment is vast and everything tastes like sunshine and summer rain

market in Bozen

... is taking it easy around lunchtime, it's simply too hot to move much!!

...is enjoying long summer nights outside, sitting on the piazze with some vino

...the smell of drying hay in the sunshine and the sound of ringing bells around the cows' necks on the mountain pastures

...long dinners with family and friends outside

... gelato

...empty, idyllic paradise beaches as much as party beach spots with malls and bars

Sardegna beaches

Rimini

...summer festivals, outdoor concerts, mountain parties and traditional festivities

...sticky and sweltering heat in the cities during daytime, leading to sticky and sweating people

...Italian summer fashion

...Italian eyewear

pretty patio

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piazza vs. patio

Sitting outside while enjoying your coffee, drink or meal in summertime is part of almost every country's culture. Italy and Canada are no exceptions and again, it's the "how" that differs a great deal.

Thanks to our industrious and a little megalomaniac ancestors in Italy, there's a romantic and beautiful piazza around every corner in Italian towns. Typically these piazze show glorious monuments of noble men, facades of the wealthy family's splendid recidences which overcame the centuries and opulent fountains. Tourists come from all over the world to snap pictures of every little detail and ornament so that the most famous ones are usually more than overcrowded. But, as said, there are umpteen in every city so you can always catch a free table and live la dolce vita.

Piazza Navona, Rome

Piazza San Marco, Venice

Piazza Erbe, Verona

 

But what does a folk without ancestral construction-mania do? Right, they create their own, brandnew places to meet friends and live the life called patios. Every house, restaurant and bar has its own outdoor area, furnished to attend the guests' needs of relaxation and party hunger.

private patio 

Toronto, Canada

What's your favourite piazza or patio?

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10 golden Italian coffee rules *

1. All the fabulous foamy forms of coffee are to be drunk in the morning.
2. After meals, Italians drink espresso, which is just called “caffè”, or “macchiato”. Careful:  
3. That doesn’t stand for the big latte macchiato but for espresso macchiato, which is caffè with some creamy milk foam on top. Literally translated that means “spotted coffee”. Latte macchiato is a warm glass of milk with foam on top in which the “barista” drowns a shot of espresso. 
4. Drink the classic kinds of coffee. The iced “café shakerato” is as exotic as it should get. “Venti quad shot, 1 pump Vanilla, 2 sugar in the raw, soy, non-fat, extra dry cappuccino” might be exactly your taste but has nothing to do with Italian coffee. What’s dry cappuccino anyways, I always thought it’s martini that you order “dry”?! 
5. Caffè deca stands for “decaffeinato” and is coffee without caffeine. You can order any kind of coffee in the “deca” version. 
6. Caffè orzo is barley coffee. Try it and judge for yourself. 
7. Many Italian bars adapted to the trend and offer coffee to go, but it’s definitely not part of the tradition as the size of a caffè is so small that you can drink it in two sips. 
8. If you want more or less water in your caffè order “lungo” for more water and “ristretto” for less water. 
9. Caffè corretto (“correct/proper coffee”) is caffè with a shot of liquor, usually grappa, sambuca or brandy is used. But don’t feel restricted, your taste is the limit… 
10. The quality of the coffee offered in a bar depends on the coffee brand, the machine used, with how much strength the coffee is pressed into the filter of the machine, the science of the milk foam and the expertise of the “barista”. Suppliers and coffee academies even offer courses just about “how to make the perfect coffee” in many different variations and with topics like “milk art”.

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morning thoughts

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5 souvenirs to bring from Italy

1. A bottle of wine – Of course! If you prefer red wine get a bottle of Tuscan Brunello di Montalcino (there is a vast selection: the producer Tenuta la Fuga offers a cheaper possibility to get a multi-award winning bottle) and if you like white wine better, a Pinot blanc from South Tyrol (Alois Lageder or Stroblhof are great producers) should do it.
2. Parmesan – Original, matured Parmesan is something wonderful – some flakes in the salad, pure with some chutney or grated over pasta, it's simply delicious. Never get the pre-grated stuff, it's normally made from the rind of the cheese.
3. Cured meats – Salami, Parma ham, Speck...yummy!! Careful though: customs wont let you take it into Canada if you declare it. So it might be better, if you just eat as much of it as you can get, while you're in Italy.
4. An original pasta recipe – Make sure you ask an Italian for a original pasta recipe. It's not only nice to have, but if you write it down on a nice piece of paper and combine it with an original bottle of olive oil, it makes a great, personal gift!
5. A tan – No matter what you're doing – hardcore sightseeing or a gastronomic tour, make sure you take the time to sit in the sun at least once a day and drink one of those wonderful coffees: a macchiato, a cappuccino or an espresso. Cause only then, you will be able to experience, what the Italian way of life is really about.

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10 random mashup challenges to begin with

challenge n° 5: Canadian breakfast - the real deal!

The first time I was served “real Canadian breakfast” I was full when I saw it. Eggs, bacon, home fries, ketchup, toast, jam, juice and coffee piled up on the table. For lunch or dinner I would have loved it but, hey, usually I had nothing, maybe a coffee and something small in the morning. Long story short, now I can’t wait until it’s Sunday, that being the day I usually get treated to this typical Canadian deliciousness.