ReadingFrances Mayes

andTravelling

In Italy

Italian Speaking CountriesITALYPolitical system: Republic Capital city: Rome Total area: 301 263 km² Population: 58.8 million Currency: euro Language: Italian

SWITZERLANDPolitical system: Swiss Confederation Capital city: Berne Total area: 41 284 km² Population: 7.3 million Currency: Swiss franc Language: Italian is one of the 4 official languages

SAN MARINOPolitical system: Republic Capital city: San Marino Total area: 61.2 km² Population: 0.02 million Currency: euro Language: Italian

VATICAN CITY STATEPolitical system: Ecclesiastical state Capital city: Vatican City Total area: 0.4 km² Population: 0.0009 million Currency: euro Language: Italian is spoken although Latin is the official language

Swiss Langage Map

There are 4 official languages in Switzerland.

Italian is spoken in the Canton of TICINO. Ticino is at the Italian border. By car there is less than one hour from Milan to the Swiss border (Chiasso).

Short Term: TIState Capital: BellinzonaMember of the Swiss Federation since: 1803Administrative language: ItalianSize: 2812 km²

Italy is divided into 20 regions

Frances Mayes’house is situated in the east side of Tuscany.

Tuscany is notorious for its Renaissance art. Florence, Pisa and Sienna are the most famous cities. Dante (1265-1321) established the Tuscan dialect as the literary language of Italy, this is why Italian is also called “Dante’s language”.

With the book we will travel to other regions such as Sicily, Veneto and Umbria .

LA TOSCANA (Tuscany)

Frances Mayes’ house, Bramasole, is situated in CORTONA, a little city in the Arezzo area.

Cortona is right on the border with the Umbria region and known for its Etruscan past.

Pecorino: Deeper into the country 93, 94, 96; Spring Kitchen 141, 143; Bagno Vignoni and Pienza 160•Pecorino toscano (cheese) with recipes, wines, maps (in English)http://www.italianmade.com/foods/subcat23018.cfmFave e Pecorino: Recipe (in English)http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff/news.asp?id=122

Florentine beefsteak: Deeper into the country 98•This is the Italian Porterhouse (in Italian, with photo)http://www.valdichiana.it/gastronomia/bistecca.htm•What is chianina beef ? (in English)http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/chianina/

Ribollita: A Loog Around Lago Trasimeno 164; AP 182All about this typical Tuscan soup (in Italian and English)http://www.ribollita.com/index.htm

Fried Zucchini flowers (recipe in Italian): Primavera 11, Bagno Vignoni and Pienza 160; Mad July 212http://cucina.intrage.it/contorni/46/

Bramasole, Frances Mayes’s house

Travelling Around Cortona with Bella TuscanySee with Google mapThe numbers refere to the pages of the edition presented at the beginning of this presentation.

Cortona (red pin): 1, 65, 68, 169, 199, 202, 203

In Tuscany (blu pins)Firenze (Florence): 5 , 7, 19, 213, 271 Sansepolcro: 68, 70 (Piero della Francesca)Montepulciano: 23, 27 (vino)Arezzo: 17, 181 (market)

In Umbria (yellow pins)Lago Trasimeno: xiii, 125, 161, 166, 168Assisi: 248 (Giotto)Città della Pieve: 172Orvieto: 195

Il Veneto Veneto is the name of the region. The city of Venezia is the capital of the region.

The gondole, the Canal Grande, the piazza San Marco, the Caffè Florian and Cipriani, the 4 horses, the Danieli hotel, Murano glass …

BENVENUTI A VENEZIA !

Risi e bisi: The Watery Veneto 86•Typical venetian dish, recipe in Italianhttp://www.italianrecipes.ws/veneto/ricette_recipes/veneto_002_risi_e_bisi.shtml•Recipe in Englishhttp://www.e-rcps.com/pasta/rcp/soup/rice_pea.shtml

I vini (wines from Veneto region)•Amarone: The Watery Veneto 80 Everything about the famous wine (in English)http://www.ehow.com/how_2064194_pick-amarone-wine.html•Tutto sull’amarone, in Italianohttp://www.vinit.net/press/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2960• Ombra: The Watery Veneto 86 “un’ombra” is a typical Venetian expression meaning by metonym “a glass of wine” (“ombra” means shadow in Italian) Read the story here, at the end of the page:http://dobianchi.wordpress.com/category/de-nominibus/page/2/

La Sicilia (Sicily)Sicily is a region. The island is separated from southern Italy by the Straits of Messina. So far, no bridge is linking the island to the mainland. To build or not a bridge is a sensitive and recurrent topic in Italy. People use the ferry or the plane to reach the island.

Arancina / arancine: The Palms of Sicily 31, 32•Video recipe (in italian)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvP1AionSs4•Recipe in Englishhttp://www.mangiabenepasta.com/arancine.html•Recipe in Italian with lots of pictureshttp://www.cookaround.com/yabbse1/showthread.php?t=18108Caponata: A Sicilian Menu 58•Recipe in English and videohttp://cucina-italiana.net/ricette_ice/recipe_caponata_siciliana.htm•Recipe in Italianhttp://www.cucinaericette.it/ricetta-caponata-di-melanzane.aspCannoli: The Palms of Sicily 35•Video recipe in Italianhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkF6vmFiW8E•Recipe in Englishhttp://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/232015Involtini: The Palms of Sicily 383 typical Sicilian recipes (in English and in Italian)http://www.coloridisicilia.it/vinisiciliani/Ricetteevini/index.htm

I vini siciliani (Sicilian wines)•Marsala: The Palms of Sicily 35, 45Marsala e moscato di Pantelleria (in English and in Italian)http://www.coloridisicilia.it/vinisiciliani/stradedelvino/marsala.HTM•Moscato: The Palms of Sicily 35, 56; A Sicilian menu 57, 61Moscato di Noto e di Siracusa (in English and in Italian)http://www.coloridisicilia.it/vinisiciliani/stradedelvino/moscato.HTM