If Fionn McCool was the giant of legend said to have built the “Giant’s Causeway” in Ireland, I think Dario Cecchini might be the giant of legend that put Panzano in Chianti on the map. How else can you explain the daily pilgrimage of foodies […]

In the Veneto region of Italy, there sits a little town called Rubano. It lies 40 km (25 miles) west of Venice and about 7 km (4 miles) northwest of Padua. The population is around 16,000 and the town itself is only about 15 square kilometres […]

With the weather getting slightly cooler and fall upon us, it’s time to warm up to some comfort food, Italian style! This is one of the classics! Osso Bucco means “bone hole” in Italian, which is appropriate as this dish from the Piedmont region is traditionally […]

I love cauliflower. Even though people have been eating it since 6 BC, it seems like all of a sudden it has become super popular this year. I don’t know if it’s because people started to eat it as a gluten-free option (cauliflower can be used […]

Opera season in Toronto starts this month. My sister, Deinah, and I have Canadian Opera Company season tickets. We have gone for the last few years and enjoy the music, the singing and a night out together. The first opera I ever saw was in […]

  Back in the summer, Pete and I were lucky enough to have dinner at Osteria dal Capo one evening when we were in Padova. We had a wonderful dinner and both the meal and service were lovely. At the end of the evening, we chatted […]

There is some argument on the origins of Spaghetti alla Carbonara. One school has the classic Roman dish created during the war, using military rations from American soldiers. Another side argues that the name comes from “alla carbonara”, a dish eaten by coal workers. (The heavy […]