Soak Up the Romance of Puglia

English: Alberobello, Apulia, Italy. Français : Alberobello, Pouilles, Italie. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By []Helen Forbes

Valentine's Day comes but once a year, however, as real romantics know, romance does not follow a schedule. When it comes to true love, every day is Valentine's Day, and you certainly don't need a reason to book a romantic getaway! And when it comes to romantic getaways, nothing beats Southern Italy, specifically Puglia. Hotels in this gorgeous region are popular with couples for many reasons and, in fact, the area is one of the most popular wedding and honeymoon destinations in the country.

Favignana, an Enchanting Island in Sicily

English: The Sicilian countryside near Caltagirone. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By []Vincenzo Tavassi

A Brief Overview

If you plan on visiting Sicily you really cannot miss this island, featuring the most enchanting sea in the whole region. Favignana is the biggest island of the Egadi archipelago, which is also composed by Levanzo, Marettimo and the inlets of Maraone and Formica. The island itself is 19sm. but it is a rare natural paradise enjoying crystal waters and sunny weather most of the year. It is located in western Sicily, at 9 miles away from the Trapani coast. It may be reached by hydrofoil in 20 minutes or by ferry in an hour and all means depart from the port of Trapani, so it is fairly easy to reach and visit.

What Makes Sicilian Recipes Exceptional?

Sicilian buffet (Photo credit: stijn)

By []Sebastiano Accaputo

Recipes and food from Sicily are actually some of the world's most singled out cuisines and this comes with a perfectly good reason.

Due to the cultural heritage that is a mixture of several cultures, Sicilian cookery is something that has been formed from a lot of sources, offering assorted recipes intertwined with our very own ingredients.

Sicilian recipes were created from influences of the races which have conquered our island and when they left, they also left behind traces of their own cuisines and traditions.

Devouring the Unique Cuisine of Umbria

'Wine Break', Italy, Apennine Mountains, Umbria, Castelluccio di Norcia (Photo credit: WanderingtheWorld (www.LostManProject.com))

By []Giovanni Balboni

Ask people what their favourite food is and chances are pretty high they'll answer 'Italian'. From pizza, to pasta, to the most amazing entrees and desserts, everyone is sure to have a favourite Italian dish.

A holiday to Italy is the trip of a lifetime, and die-hard foodies agree one must-visit is Umbria. Villas in the midst of green rolling hills, medieval castles and churches, and crystal lakes are a certainly a feast for the eyes. The selling point for most foodies, however, is definitely the superb cuisine of Umbria. Villas offer the perfect holiday getaways, with beautiful scenery, casual and relaxed atmosphere, and the opportunity to explore the cuisine of the region at your leisure - much of which would rival the best in world-class restaurants and hotels. The Umbrians use centuries-old recipes and only the freshest ingredients, most from their own gardens, in the nearby farms, or fish caught fresh from nearby lakes to create the most amazing dishes. While characteristically rustic, dishes from this region are stunning in their simplicity, allowing the ingredients to speak for themselves. Listed below are some of the signature ingredients and dishes that definitely must be savoured when visiting the region.

Sicilian Food - A Guide to Food in Sicily

Image by joana hard via Flickr

By Orson Johnson


Sicily's varied climate produces crops that are intrinsically flavorful, particularly those grown in the rich soil fertilized by Mount Etna's eruptions. Due to the quality and natural flavor of Sicilian-grown vegetables, the local cuisine is usually simple so as not to overpower the taste buds with a combination of too many strong flavors.
Sicilian cooking generally centers around rich red tomatoes, lentils, meatballs, plenty of fish, olive oil, capers, tuna couscous dishes, and sweet pastries. Flavorful Sicilian cheeses are also used in many dishes. Ricotta is a local favorite for quite a few recipes. Marsala wine is also used in many dishes to enhance the flavor of the ingredients and a glass of Sicilian wine makes a terrific accompaniment to many Sicilian dishes.

Carnival Time in Venice

Image via Wikipedia
By Constance Grayson

Carnival - the very name excites the imagination. Carnival as celebrated in Venice, Italy is a six week pageant of costumed revelers wandering throughout the city, glimpsed crossing the picturesque bridges that traverse the canals. Masks, flowing costumes, characters from the Comedy of Arts, feathery hats, mysterious cloaks-all are part of carnival. It is, in essence, a six week party that takes place in many parts of Italy but most spectacularly in Venice.

Pasta - In Any Shape Still the Same

Image via Wikipedia
By Constance Grayson

One can hardly think of Italy without thinking of pasta. The two just go hand-in-hand like peanut butter and jelly or Lucy and Ethel. For years, I had heard the legend that the recipe and technique for making pasta had come back to Italy with Marco Polo after he had traveled to China.
Later research seems to disprove that. Evidence of pasta in Italy has been found in the Etruscan and Roman times. Nonetheless, pasta is truly the quintessential Italian food dish.
Pasta is essentially made from the same recipe regardless of shape-just flour and water, sometimes a pinch of salt or egg-easily mixed together and rolled out. The different shapes do, however, have a function. The shape of the pasta will control how much sauce will be retained with each bite. This affects the ultimate taste to the eater.

Retire to Italy

Image by Argenberg via Flickr

Ciao! That is the most common word that you will hear when you first set foot in Italy. As we, all know the capital of this country is Rome where you can find St. Peter's Basilica, located in the Vatican City. This is known as the biggest Catholic Church in the whole world.

The climate here will depend on your location. The northern part of the country has a semi tropical climate with humidity. In coastal regions they experience warm weather, arid summers and a mild winter.

If you want to retire in Italy, you must have an annual income of 8,000 Euros which is US$ 11,510, for each retiree. If you are a European Union citizen, you will not need a visa to live here. For EU citizens all you have to do is go to the police station and make yourself registered as an acknowledgment of your stay in the country and then apply a permit for residency. For those retirees who are not from the European Union you must apply for a residence visa, which means that you have plans to stay in the country for more than 3 months and you have to show a proof that you can sustain your financial needs without working since you are already considered a retiree.

Pizza, spaghetti, pasta! Those are the famous foods not only in Italy but in the whole world. Aside from these there are also different kinds of dishes from different regions of Italy and here are some tips on how to distinguish where the dishes come from.

You can distinguish the dish by the fat that was used. For instance, if the dish is cooked with butter then that dish is from the north, if they used the fat of the pork that means it is a dish from the middle part of the country, and if they used olive oil then that is from southern part. They also love to use herbs in cooking like parsley, rosemary, oregano and etc. One of the most important ingredients of their cuisine is of course cheese. Coffee with milk or café latte is one of the usual drinks especially with breakfast. Marsala, the most famous wine which originated in the southern part of the country is also used for cooking in the rest of the country.

Touring is one of the best options to keep yourself busy, should you choose to retire here or in a nearby country. The country is rich with beauty and history and if you are looking for a little bit of what they call La Dolce Vita (the sweet life) then Italy is one of the greatest places to choose.

Mitch Bowler is an avid traveler, having lived the majority of his adult life overseas exploring different cultures and learning about the best that each has to offer the expatriates who live there.

Visit http://www.retiring-overseas.com/retire-to-italy.html for more information on living abroad.

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