I've just returned from visiting my friends in They live in Siena, a town 65km from the city of Florence. Siena is the town in Italy, where the famous 'Palio horse race' is paraded around their town square. You can watch this spectacle from a bar overlooking this square, (its not square but round). Its covered with sand so the horses don't hurt themselves.

Florence is the 'City of Marble', used on main buildings, the city has a large catholic cathedral, it is covered in marble, it looks wonderful, the marble is quarried in the mountains around this city. Now, Green marble is no more so if you have some green marble, keep it, could be worth money in the future.

I've visited because of Italian Cooking. I love Italian cooking, so does my wife, it doesn't have to be fattening, there are lots of fine dishes which don't pile on the pounds, most are cooked in everyday and, this is the Italian cooking I want to learn about.

I bought from the internet an e Book on simple Italian cooking which contains this type of Italian cooking. The reason I bought this e Book was, I had fell in love with Italian cooking. Not the type used in films, ie 'stuffed mole', but the type used in Italian homes since before 'Rome', up to today.

My friends in Siena have a small farmhouse, with a large kitchen to help their students. Their farmhouse is in a small field just outside of Siena, in this field there are rows of olive tree's, which could earn them an income without the visiting students'

I'm a student and also their friend, when I first visited them in Siena last year, I was asked to cook them a meal, they were astonished in how much knowledge I had of Italian cooking. They didn't know I had my eBook on simple Italian cooking. I made

Canadian Organization Promotes Italian Language and Literature
<p>The <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://canadiansocietyforitalianstudies.camp7.org/">Societ?anadese per gli Studi d'Italianistica</a> (Canadian Society for Italian Studies in English, and Soci? canadienne pour les ?des italiennes in French) is an international organization composed mainly of academics or those who have a scholarly or professional interest in Italian Studies. Established in 1972, the society: <blockquote>"Aims to foster and advance Italian Studies in Canada by providing venues for the presentation and discussion of research dealing with Italian language, literature, film, politics and culture, and related fields, such as Italian-Canadian studies, and matters pertaining to the teaching of Italian as a second and third language."</blockquote></p><p>The official publication of the society, <a href="http://canadiansocietyforitalianstudies.camp7.org/Default.aspx?pageId=137851"><i>Quaderni d'Italianistica</i></a>, is a peer-reviewed journal published twice yearly in English, French, and Italian.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/09/02/canadian-organization-promotes-italian-language-and-literature.htm">Canadian Organization Promotes Italian Language and Literature</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 02:32:57.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/09/02/canadian-organization-promotes-italian-language-and-literature.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/09/02/canadian-organization-promotes-italian-language-and-literature.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/09/02/canadian-organization-promotes-italian-language-and-literature.htm&#038;zItl=Canadian Organization Promotes Italian Language and Literature">Email this</a></p>
La Burrasca di Ferragosto ?in Arrivo
<p>If historic weather patterns hold true to form, Italy will experience <i>la burrasca di Ferragosto</i> over the next few days. The storm typically occurs in the last week of August, after the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2009/08/15/ferragosto.htm">Ferragosto</a> holiday, during which an intense rainstorm that lasts a few days is followed by lower temperatures and fresh air, breaking the hot, humid days of summer. According to the Italian news agency ANSA, in: <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.ansa.it/web/notizie/rubriche/cronaca/2010/08/28/visualizza_new.html_1789758259.html">Caldo: la 'rottura' dell'estate, tra domenica e luned?t;/a>, this year's <i>burrasca di ferragosto</i> will affect all of Italy and result in a sharp drop of temperatures (between 10-12 degrees Celsius) and strong winds.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/29/burrasca-di-ferragosto.htm">La Burrasca di Ferragosto ?in Arrivo</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Sunday, August 29th, 2010 at 02:34:21.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/29/burrasca-di-ferragosto.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/29/burrasca-di-ferragosto.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/29/burrasca-di-ferragosto.htm&#038;zItl=La Burrasca di Ferragosto ?in Arrivo">Email this</a></p>
McLawyers Contro McPuddu's
<p>If you're looking for a Big Mac in Sardinia and order a <a href="http://www.sardegnaturismo.it/index.php?xsl=87&#038;s=4382&#038;v=2&#038;c=3164&#038;t=1"><i>culurgiones</i></a>, don't be surprised if there's no special sauce. For that matter, there won't be any beef patties either, because the dish is a Sardinian form of stuffed pasta filled with <i>pecorino sardo</i> (Sardinian cheese made from sheep's milk), potato, and mint.</p><p>The point is, there's nothing on the menu at McPuddu's restaurant that's likely to be confused with a Big Mac, yet McDonald's lawyers have ordered the tiny Sardinian pasta snack bar in Santa Maria Navarrese to <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.blitzquotidiano.it/gourme/mcdonalds-contro-mcpuddus-imprenditore-sardo-gastronomia-513708/">remove 'Mc' from its name</a>.<p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/28/mcpuddu.htm">McLawyers Contro McPuddu's</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Saturday, August 28th, 2010 at 02:01:07.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/28/mcpuddu.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/28/mcpuddu.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/28/mcpuddu.htm&#038;zItl=McLawyers Contro McPuddu's">Email this</a></p>
De Niro To Take Italian-Speaking Role?
<p>Robert De Niro might soon be dusting off his Italian language skills. According to <i>Variety</i>, the actor is in final negotiations to star in the film <i>Manuale d'Amore 3</i> (Manual of Love 3). In the film, the third in a series of Italian romantic comedies by the same name, De Niro would play a divorced American professor living in Rome. Some of his dialogue would be spoken in Italian.</p><p>Some people claimed <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/01/02/dustin-hoffman-needs-italian-lessons.htm">Dustin Hoffman needed Italian lessons</a> when he appeared in a television commercial to promote the Marche region of Italy; maybe he can give De Niro a few pronunciation tips before filming begins in September.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/25/de-niro-manual-of-love.htm">De Niro To Take Italian-Speaking Role?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 02:49:38.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/25/de-niro-manual-of-love.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/25/de-niro-manual-of-love.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/25/de-niro-manual-of-love.htm&#038;zItl=De Niro To Take Italian-Speaking Role?">Email this</a></p>
Study With Meucci and Garibaldi
<p>Looking for a historical setting to study Italian? <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://pub1.andyswebtools.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-custom.cgi?d=garibaldi-meucci-museum&#038;page=747">Register for the fall semester of Italian language classes</a> at the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.garibaldimeuccimuseum.org/">Garibaldi-Meucci Museum</a>, in Staten Island, New York. There are classes for both beginner and advanced students as well as classes taught primarily in Italian. The museum is a memorial to inventor Antonio Meucci and Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/24/garibaldi-meucci-museum.htm">Study With Meucci and Garibaldi</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 at 02:45:42.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/24/garibaldi-meucci-museum.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/24/garibaldi-meucci-museum.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/24/garibaldi-meucci-museum.htm&#038;zItl=Study With Meucci and Garibaldi">Email this</a></p>
Chatty in Illinois
<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2006/04/03/italian-language-meetup.htm">Italian language meetups</a> are fairly common nowadays and oftentimes have a specific theme, such as the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2009/10/09/extreme-italian-language-exchange.htm">extreme language exchange</a> held in Rome or the <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/07/05/cineforum-italiano-washington-dc.htm">Cineforum Italiano</a> in Washington, DC. One in particular, though, deserves mention if only for its name. <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://ichiacchieroni.tripod.com/">I Chiacchieroni</a> is an Italian-language conversation group in Illinois that meets for dinner every month for a casual evening of conversation in Italian. With a name like that, the group is sure to be talkative!</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/21/italian-language-conversation-group-illinois.htm">Chatty in Illinois</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 02:18:30.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/21/italian-language-conversation-group-illinois.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/21/italian-language-conversation-group-illinois.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/21/italian-language-conversation-group-illinois.htm&#038;zItl=Chatty in Illinois">Email this</a></p>
RIP Il Picconatore
<p>Francesco Cossiga, former interior minister, prime minister, and president of the Italian Republic, died in Rome on Tuesday, August 17. He was 82. According to The New York Times, "In later years, he developed a reputation for his outspoken criticism of the Italian political system and its players, gaining the nickname <i>Il Picconatore</i>, or the pickax."</p><p>Mr. Cossiga was a leading figure in the Christian Democrats, the party that dominated postwar Italy until it crumbled in a kickback scandal in the early 1990s.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/19/francesco-cossiga.htm">RIP Il Picconatore</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Thursday, August 19th, 2010 at 02:33:50.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/19/francesco-cossiga.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/19/francesco-cossiga.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/19/francesco-cossiga.htm&#038;zItl=RIP Il Picconatore">Email this</a></p>
Crema Ghiacciata
<p>According to <i>Corriere della Sera</i> in <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.corriere.it/cronache/10_luglio_06/serra-nuova-vita-caffe_1e1b06c4-88bf-11df-9548-00144f02aabe.shtml">Nuova Vita per il Caff?t;/a>, the latest coffee craze in Italy is <i>crema ghiacciata</i>. Halfway between a gelato and sorbet, the delicious summer concoction is a mix of milk, cream, and coffee combined in a slush machine (<i>granitore</i>).</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/15/crema-ghiacciata.htm">Crema Ghiacciata</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Sunday, August 15th, 2010 at 02:32:11.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/15/crema-ghiacciata.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/15/crema-ghiacciata.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/15/crema-ghiacciata.htm&#038;zItl=Crema Ghiacciata">Email this</a></p>
More Reasons To Study Italian
<p>Inflation is ever-present nowadays, <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/business/economy/30fed.html">regardless of what economists would have you believe</a>. Case in point: While there might be <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/od/grammar/a/aa082405a.htm">ten top reasons to learn Italian</a>, there seem to be <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.onlinecollege.org/2010/07/26/50-reasons-you-should-learn-a-new-language/">50 reasons you should learn a foreign language</a>.</p> <p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/14/why-study-italian-2.htm">More Reasons To Study Italian</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Saturday, August 14th, 2010 at 02:05:39.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/14/why-study-italian-2.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/14/why-study-italian-2.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/14/why-study-italian-2.htm&#038;zItl=More Reasons To Study Italian">Email this</a></p>
Rome the Streets of New York
<p>The title is not a misspelling. <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.illy.com/">illy</a>, the renowned purveyor of espresso coffee, has launched a new marketing campaign in New York City for their <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://www.illyissimo.com/">illy issimo</a> line of coffee-flavored energy drinks. The tongue-in-cheek advertising, which appears in subway stations and other heavily traveled locations, also includes the tag lines: "Travel New York in the espresso lane" and "Ciao New York! Try Illy coffee to go." illy issimo is available in three flavors: Caff?Cappuccino, and Latte Macchiato.</p><p style="background:#f5f3ef;border:1px solid #d5d0bf;clear:both;padding:.5em;"><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/12/rome-the-streets-of-new-york.htm">Rome the Streets of New York</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/">About.com Italian Language</a> on Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 02:18:50.</p><p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/12/rome-the-streets-of-new-york.htm">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/12/rome-the-streets-of-new-york.htm#gB3">Comment</a> | <a href="http://italian.about.com/gi/pages/shareurl.htm?PG=http://italian.about.com/b/2010/08/12/rome-the-streets-of-new-york.htm&#038;zItl=Rome the Streets of New York">Email this</a></p>


them a meal for them from my e Book, which has 104 recipes including, starters, main meals, desserts. So I made them a meal of,

Vegetable chowder, (minestrone alla Milanese).

Eggs, (Alla sciarmante),

Peaches with wine.

It took time to make this meal, but it was worth it. Next I had to bring them assorted wines, as I didn't know this area of Italy, so this was a guess, I must of got the right mix, because they didn't complain. They loved it, so we became good friends.

They would teach me how to prepare other meals, not just Lasagne. Meals that didn't put on the pounds. Meals their mother would show them how to cook.

When I returned to England, I showed my wife and my boss the recipes I've learnt. They were surprised at my knowledge, I've been congradulated many times. I love Italian cooking, I don't need to be told 'the meal was good'..

When the Italian inspectors came to our restaurant, we knew they were close by. When they arrived at our restaurant, I could only hope that I had the experience and knowledge to pass their test. They ordered their meal of three courses with wine. Then they told my boss who they were and wanted to commend our restaurant on our fine Italian cuisine. My boss was so happy we had passed, not like many in the USA or Europe.

The inspectors realised we knew how to cook Italian and were very happy to let us continue with our restaurant.

All because I bought an e Book.