Category Archives: ITALY

A new (old) love for the chocolate lover

Posted on February 16, 2011 by The Daily Cure

Chocolate-lovers must be made, not born. I never required chocolate fixes before coming to Europe. Now, alas, I’m a helpless (though relatively controlled) addict, and my addiction (alas again, because it sounds so snobby) seems to be for really “good” … Continue reading →

Posted in ITALY, SAVORING | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Gnocchi

Posted on February 15, 2011 by The Daily Cure

Ah, the humble potato—that earthy lump of satisfaction and possibility. About once a year, I study the potatoes waiting patiently in the bottom of the vegetable drawer, and I tell myself it’s Gnocchi Day. The kitchen becomes a laboratory of … Continue reading →

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Animal nature

Posted on February 14, 2011 by The Daily Cure

This weekend, we had to escape the city, our routine, and ourselves. It was time. We needed nature, animals—stuff that has nothing to do with our M-F everyday fare. And we found it, at the Fattoria Pasqué outside Varese, an … Continue reading →

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Torno subito

Posted on February 11, 2011 by The Daily Cure

For Janet. Here’s an Italian phrase worth knowing. Simple. Useful. Completely analogous to its English version. And constantly in fashion: Torno subito. “I’ll be right back.” I expect that in every culture in the world it means exactly two things. … Continue reading →

Posted in ITALY, THEY SAY | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

A little here, over there

Posted on February 9, 2011 by The Daily Cure

This is a lovely little video about surviving and emerging Italian food culture in San Francisco. Makes me wonder: if I did move back to the States, how would I carry this experience with me? How would it influence my … Continue reading →

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Fashion: the flip side

Posted on February 8, 2011 by The Daily Cure

Thank goodness the world of clothes is utterly bi-polar, if not schizophrenic. Where there is high fashion, there is low. Where there are designers, there are people who brilliantly mimic them. While there are the boutiques of Via Monte Napoleone, … Continue reading →

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Confession #2: Prison and flight

Posted on February 7, 2011 by The Daily Cure

On February 1, an article about Nabokov and his scientific work on butterflies appeared in the New York Times. “Nabokov inherited his passion for butterflies from his parents,” it said. “When his father was imprisoned by the Russian authorities for … Continue reading →

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When Toys really R Us

Posted on February 4, 2011 by The Daily Cure

If you’re like me, you’re sick to death of the proliferation of cheap stuff. And you’re even sicker of the way you get sucked into participating in the consumption of it, even when you’re philosophically and morally opposed to it. … Continue reading →

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Postcard #9: A world apart

Posted on February 3, 2011 by The Daily Cure

Imagine, if you will, one of those accordian-folded postcards with multiple images of the same place. This one is for you: [Brainchild of designer Carla Sozzani—sister of Vogue/Italia’s editor, Franca—10 Corso Como never fails to inspire me. It was worth … Continue reading →

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The newsstand

Posted on February 2, 2011 by The Daily Cure

Era una notte buia e tempestosa. Although this might as well be the continual, extra bold headline at the top of all our newspapers all the time, it is in fact that famous line—translated into Italian—from Snoopy’s novel in the … Continue reading →

Posted in ITALY, WHAT TO DO | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments