When I was first met Rita at Castello Gropparello we visited over Piacenza cuisine, castles, Celtic legends and Italian ghosts. General conversation for a woman who together with her family have transformed a medieval castle and surrounding wood into one of Italy's top gastro-historical sites with food festivals and evocative events. Rita's esthetic is for …
My Italian Ghost
I tend to avoid the paranormal and I'm not fascinated by things that go bump in the night but there is one apparition I get excited about and of course it has to do with Italy, in the Italy of my Italian friends at Castello Gropparello. A few years ago I was on a road …
Alpha Italy
There are some things in Italy that are over the top, the star of the group, the best investment, the cherry on the sundae, the most dominant person, place or thing you can see in Italy. I get asked ‘What is your favorite thing to do in Italy?” all the time and I tend to …
La Credenza
You cannot see and savor Italy without bumping into a familiar piece of furniture found in many Italian homes and restaurants, la credenza. Sometimes referred to as a sideboard, the history of the credenza begins with an act of faith. In 16th century Italy the word "credenza" referred to the tasting of food and drink by a servant for a …
