Castello di Gorizia
The first time I visited Gorizia, it was a bitterly cold February morning, the sky overcast and gloomy with the threat of impending snow. Now that it was May, conditions…
Interview with Gianna Modotti
My second meeting with cooking instructor Gianna Modotti was scheduled for mid-afternoon, so I had the entire morning free. As I pondered my options over a late breakfast, I considered…
Cooking Class with Gianna Modotti and the Sorelle Simili
Around mid-afternoon on the following day, I took a long walk from my hotel to meet Gianna Bellina Modotti, who ran a cooking school out of her home on Via…
Food Shopping in Udine
Traveling to do research for a cookbook sounds like a dream job, but in fact, it can be hard to keep up the pace. With a limited schedule, I usually…
San Daniele: Ristorante Alle Vecchie Carceri
The morning after the Arta Terme festival, I returned to Udine. My bus pulled in promptly at noon, and my plan was to enjoy a leisurely lunch somewhere in the…
Arta Terme: Festa dell’Asparago di Bosco, del Radicchio di Montagna e dei Funghi di Primavera
The next morning it was apparent that I was no longer the only guest at Hotel Gortani. The breakfast room was crowded with visitors who had come for the Festa…
Arta Terme: Two Tasting Menus
I arrived on a gorgeous spring morning after a 50-minute bus ride from Udine and a quick change of buses in Tolmezzo. Not being terribly familiar with Arta Terme, I…
Pordenone and Sacile
It was now May—the type of sunny spring morning that soothes you with warm breezes and energizes you with the scent of anticipation. The previous evening, I had arrived in…
Carnevale in Muggia
There was to be no respite from the weather—it was still pouring rain on this final Sunday of Carnevale. My plans were to watch the famous mask parade in Muggia,…
Venezia: Cantine del Vino già Schiavi
Somehow or other, I always seemed to wind up in Italy during Carnevale season. The first time was coincidental, when I went to Friuli to visit the Ledragomma GymnastikBall factory.…