Wednesday 27 February 2013

See the latest BBC link below the Popes final appearance

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21598303#TWEET629964

Sunday 24 February 2013

Great Day

Spent yesterday at our favorite Italian Caffe Corretto at Gloucester Quays in Gloucester England.The coffee, cakes and savory dishes are the best outside Italy.The atmosphere is very continental with a lively buzz all day.Local Italians hang out with the family and all are made very welcome



Friday 22 February 2013

Sunday 17 February 2013

Monday 18th February Breakfast at Caffe Corretto

We are looking forward to a sunny day in Gloucester UK today visiting our favourite Italian Caffe Coffee shop at Gloucester Quays.Emily will be taking photographs for her portfolio I will be taking for fun.What shall I have for breakfast ???? Of course a caffe Frappe my favourite drink is a must.If you are looking for great Italian food delivered to your door let me know.

Tuesday 12 February 2013

A little piece of Italy in Gloucester UK

I am slightly reluctant to tell you about my favourite Italian Caffe Coffee in the UK but here goes.Firstly why am I reluctant well if I tell you all and you rightly go take a look I may not get a seat myself !!!!!!
Our minimum weekly visit to Caffe Corretto (Perfect Coffee) for breakfast or lunch in the Gloucester Quays area which is the historic docks location in this fine English town.
A touch of the Italian style and welcome at Caffe Corretto matched with excellent food a great welcome and staff who really care.The local Italian community gather here which adds an extra special vibe with chit chat and laughter in that Latin way.You don't feel rushed serving staff do not snarl at you like most retail locations in England but you are made to feel welcome.Perfect Italian cakes and sweets savoury meals warm and welcome linked with the best coffee outside of Milano what more could you ask for.Please go take a look and tell all at my favourite Caffe Mike sent you from @italyfresco
















 

Thursday 7 February 2013

Travel Italy

 CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW ITALIAN TRAVELLER



http://t.co/by4msxh1

ER

Wednesday 6 February 2013

Monday 4 February 2013

Fashion and Clothes


Why do the British, their wardrobes crammed with clothes, so often look a mess while the Italians, with generally fewer clothes, invariably look so elegant?
Italian image consultant Margherita Perico believes the reason we buy so many clothes is that we don't know what suits us. Consequently, we are continually going shopping, caught up in an eternal hunt for the magic something that will transform us. But because we don't really know what we should be looking for, we keep buying the wrong thing, or at least the not-good-enough thing. Well-dressed Italians, on the other hand, have a uniform and abide by certain sartorial rules, with the happy outcome we have all seen around us on our travels.
"You British are so… individual," sighs the small, pretty, deceptively unassuming Ms Perico, stirring her espresso at Pasticceria Cova on via Montenapoleone, in the heart of Italy's fashion capital. "But in London, everywhere I look I see the jacket too long, the trouser too short, the earring too small, the bag too big… It is a shame."
Once we know the rules and what we should be looking for, she says, we will buy less – but better. We might spend more than we did before as our taste becomes more refined, but it will be on clothes we actually wear rather than leave on a hanger until condemning them to eBay or a charity shop.
"So. The secret of Italian style is simple yet complex: fit, colour and fabric," she begins. "Every client, the first thing I tell them is 'Please, keep it easy, keep it clear, keep it simple'. The first rule is to know your body. Dressing well means time in front of a full-length mirror. Stand, turn, sit and lie like a Velasquez painting in front of a mirror. Analyse and accept yourself, good points and the bad. Otherwise, you will be dressing something you don't know. It will be like having a round table and buying a square cloth. It could be nice, but it also could not."
The second rule is to restrict the colours you wear. "Italians wear just two at a time," Perico advises. "They buy only four: black, blue, brown and white. In winter, black is king; in summer, white is black."
The third and most important rule is to pay close attention to fit. "Clothes should skim the body," Perico says. "Too tight, and it is as if you are exploding. Too big, especially if you are curvy, and people worry what is underneath."
So there you are. As we stand up – in front of a full-length mirror in the cafĂ© – she gently grasps the back of my jacket. "You see?" she says. As I look at my new, waisted silhouette, I feel as if my eyes have only just opened. It's my favourite jacket, but how could I have been so blind? It doesn't fit!

Italian Ragu


Ragu alla Bolognese – Authentic recipe

Bologna crestIn truth there probably isn’t one authentic recipe for Ragu alla Bolognese, but this one is close enough. There are however countless inauthentic ones. It bears little or no resemblance to the dish known as Bolognese or Bolognaise found outside of Italy. It is also never served with Spaghetti!
On October 17, 1982, the Bolognese chapter of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, “after having carried out long and laborious investigations and conducted studies and research”, announced the following recipe to be the official one. I’m sure that every family in Emilia Romagna has their own version though. Serves 4.
  • 400 grams fresh tagliatelle or fettucine
  • 300 grams minced beef – The recommended cut is thin flank aka skirt (finta cartella in Italian) but any good quality mince will do.
  • 150 grams unsmoked pancetta — minced very finely
  • 50 grams carrot — finely chopped or minced
  • 50 grams celery — finely chopped or minced
  • 50 grams onion — finely chopped or minced
  • 30 grams triple concentrated tomato puree(if using double concentrated, increase the quantity by about a third)
  • 1/2 glass red or white wine
  • 180 ml fresh milk
  • olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  1. Fry the pancetta gently in a little olive oil until it starts to release its fat. Be careful not to burn.
  2. Add the vegetables and fry until the onions are transparent, stirring from time to time.
  3. Add the beef and cook until it is lightly browned. When it starts to make popping noises, it’s done.
  4. Add the tomato puree and the wine and mix well.
  5. Add the milk, little by little until it is completely absorbed.
  6. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook very slowly for 3 to 4 hours.
  7. Stir occasionally and if it looks like drying out, add a little more milk.
  8. Serve with Fettuccine or Tagliatelle (NOT Spaghetti!)
  9. Serve with Parmesan cheese on the side. Alternatively toss the pasta first in a little butter and then in Parmesan before adding the meat sauce.

Sunday 3 February 2013