Blog: Discover Italy

Italian Carrara Marble: The Preferred Stone of Michelangelo What is it about Italian Carrara marble that makes it so special? Carrara marble is quarried in Tuscany, in the Apuan Alps region. It is known for its distinctive white or blue-grey background with soft, feathery grey veining. This natural stone has been used for centuries in art and architecture due to its beauty and durability.  Carrara's marble quarries have a history spanning over two millennia, with large-scale exploitati …

How To Identify Authentic Hand-Crafted Italian Pottery I don’t know about you, but I love shopping at HomeGoods. You never know what treasures you will come upon. Quite often I find Italian ceramic tableware and the prices appear too good to be true. However, buyers beware!! These Italian ceramic plates, bowls and other items for sale at HomeGoods are NOT handcrafted, artisan pottery, but mass-produced industrial pottery. What is the difference between artisan pottery and mass-produced ind …

What Does the "Made in Italy" Mark Signify Handcrafted pottery has been a hallmark of the Italian peninsula for a very long time – The Greeks, The Etruscans and the Romans – but it was during the Renaissance in the 15th-16th century, that Italy gained fame for her exception pottery known as majolica – a tin-glazed earthenware decorated with colorful designs. As trade developed and expanded, towns such as Deruta and Castelli began inscribing their pottery with distinctive symbol …

GNOCCHi – Making Gnocchi with your Kids I wanted to make homemade pasta with my kids, but I didn’t have a pasta machine. What’s a mom to do? I will make GNOCCHI!!! Making gnocchi is extremely easy and it was so delicious. This was a really fun activity to do with my children. They had a blast and little did they know that they were taking the task of making dinner off my hands. GNOCCHI RECIPE: (6 servings) 4 – Russet Potatoes (the large ones you would use for baked potat …

Church of San Donato (Chiesa di San Donato) in Castelli, Italy - "The Sistine Chapel of Majolica" The Church of San Donato, located near the Italian town of Castelli, is renowned for its ancient and precious tradition of ceramic art. The Church of San Donato (Chiesa di San Donato) in Castelli, Italy owes its fame to the beautiful majolica ceiling which earned her the nickname "The Sistine Chapel of Majolica". The approximately 800 bricks that make up the ceiling, bearing the dates 1615, 161 …

Aperol Spritz Per Favore I can not wait for my summer trip to Italy! All winter I have dreamed of sitting in an Italian cafe sipping on an Aperol Spritz. If you have been to Italy in the Summertime you can’t miss the vibrant orange drink everyone is sipping in all the cafes. That refreshing looking drink is an Aperol Spritz! The Aperol Spritz is a quintessential Italian cocktail, particularly popular during the summer months as a refreshing aperitivo though people, especially tourists, dri …

What? There were no tomatoes in Italy. Imagine that you have time traveled back to Italy to the year 1425. After such a stressful trip, you are absolutely famished. You crave a big bowl of homemade Italian pasta covered in fresh tomato sauce or a pizza covered in Margherita tomato sauce with fresh mozzarella. You decide to enter the first establishment that you see and satisfy this crazing. You sit down and inquire as to what is on the menu. There is pasta but it is served with either sweet and …

Pompeii's Ancient Fast Food Restaurants Americans love their McDonald’s fries and Chick-fil-A nuggets, but did you know the Ancient Romans loved their fast food too? Fast food restaurants were as prolific in Ancient Rome as they are in America today! This is evident as seen in the ancient ruins of Pompeii as well as other ancient cities of Rome. A trip to Pompeii should be on everyone’s bucket list. Pompeii is preserved just how it was on the day of its destruction on August 24, 79 A …

Mamertino - Julius Caesar's Favorite Wine Tradition states that Julius Caesar claimed that Mamertino was his absolute favorite wine and it truly must have been since this wine was served at the feast in Rome to mark Caesar’s third consulship (46BC). So, what made Mamertino wine so remarkable that one of the most famous men who ever lived revered it so highly? Mamertino wine takes its name from the Mamertini, a group of ancient mercenary warriors from Campania, Italy who settled in the …

"Emily in Rome" – Sylvie, Princess Jane: You Can’t Wear That in An Italian Church! Every Italophilia had to be absolutely in love with Season 5 of Emily in Paris or shall we say Emily in Rome. La Dolce Vita was seen in all her glory as the setting changed from Paris to Rome’s most iconic settings – the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Jewish Quarter and the surrounding countryside - as we saw Emily and her friends decked out in the most glorious fashions living a life w …