So here we are in Dubai

Our wonderful group of friends (from here on known as our family) met at the Brisbane airport to begin our food and wine adventure of Italy.  After a long flight...some of us did manage a 7 hour sleep (good one Leeanne!) we have arrived at the effervescent Dubai airport.  If you love people watching, this is the place to do it and we have enjoyed a few hours getting to know eachother and exchanging holiday anecdotes from past adventures.  Shortly, we will board our big silver birdie and head to Milan where the real fun will begin and we can't wait to taste the morsels awaiting us. Yummo...I must learn the Italian word for that!!

3 sleeps to go

As the big days draws nearer, I am suddenly very insecure about my ability to do justice to Italy through my blog. 
So, I make this promise...
I promise to do my very best to inspire you as you join our merry gang on our "trip of a lifetime" through the gorgeous northern reaches of Italy.  As we eat and drink our way through the magnificent countryside, I promise to add photos and anecdotes of our adventures and strive to 'paint a picture' of the sights we see.

So, to everyone out there who loves Italy and All things Italian, follow this blog, be inspired and plan to join us on our next adventure to La Bella Italia.

Festivals here we come.

Well folks, it looks like we are heading to Northern Italy at a brilliant time.  Of course it will be vintage in Italy and we will be there to see the beautiful wine grapes being picked and if we a lucky, we might be able to see some processing in the wineries.
Autumn is my favourite time of year in the Granite Belt and you can often hear me harping on about the bounty of Autumn fruits.  Well, we will be in Tuscany for the Truffle harvest, olive picking and my absolute favourite...chestnuts!!  I have checked out Google and I look forward to running into some of the festivals that are held all over the province, it will be a wonderfully unusual experience for us all and I can't wait to share it.

Vineyards as far as the eye can see!

Well, that's what Julia, our esteemed tour guide has told me so, once again,  I called upon my trusty pal Google and began my search.
Whilst in Chianti, we will be staying in a gorgeous medieval (boy that's hard to spell) town called Radda...well folks, it looks absolutely amazing and Julia was right....vineyards as far as the eye can see, so I should feel right at home.
I have attached a link so you can take a look at this most beautiful town and ponder the incredible sights we are about to see. http://www.chianti.com/radda-in-chianti/
I truly believe that by the time we return home, we will be experts about the beautiful towns of Chianti and I am sure we will have tasted enough of the wines to claim our place as the most knowledgeable Chianti wine afficionados in Queensland!!  A bold statement I know, but if we play our cards right, I reckon we will achieve it......are you with me?

Mmmm Chocolate!!

Daydreaming over the Tour itinerary...as I do with great regularity, I noticed the chocolate factory tour in Turin and thought I would do a little research on the topic.  I found a wonderful blog detailing a Chocolate Festival in Turin and all of the wonderful choclolatey delights of the City.  Here is a link to the site so that you too can drool and count calories right along with me http://foodloversodyssey.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/04/cioccolato-chocolate-festival-in-turin.html.  Lets hope that we can find some of these delicacies while on our visit!

Not long to go now!!

And it is time to start thinking about our family holiday to Northern Italy.

October is going to be a wonderful time to visit Italy, as it won't be too hot, or cold, Autumn is a spectacular time of the year.  If you need some help with what to pack, there are some great tips on Google and youtube.  I have checked some out and picked up a few new ideas on what to bring on our food and wine escapade!!  Probably the most important thing is to NOT OVERPACK!!  Yes girls, that means you!!!  I know it is hard, but really, who cares if you wear the same thing a couple of times over, I won't tell anyone.... and anyway, we need to keep our suitcase space for the great souvenirs we will be picking up.
A couple of pairs of shoes, some lovely scarves, a pashmina and some accessories will help to change any outfit.
So, not sure if you checked out the Italian Cousins Facebook page, but I did post a link to the the Tourist Association website of the beautiful town of Asolo, where we will be spending some time, here it is again if you missed it:  http://www.asolo.it/ENG/index.php.
I thought I would also attach a link to the beautiful and historical town of Radda http://www.bardotti.com/radda.htm  Vineyards as far as the eye can see!!
Take some time to check out these wonderful places and I will post again shortly.
L - your tour buddy!!!

Italian Traditions!

 “Hi, I’m Mario, meet my first cousins, Mario, Mario, Sandy, Santina,Tina & Tina”

‘We are all named after our grandparents.. and my sister Rita, well, she was born on St Ritas Day.’ 
Mario Gangemi, Production Manager, Ballandean Estate Wines

It true and fascinating!  Is it tradition, or possibly superstition?  For those intent on using Italian naming traditions, baby name books are quite unnecessary. To bring a new name into the family, you might find it necessary to have a fifth child, or 3 children of the same sex, even then, you will need a book on Saints Days handy.

Traditionalists will follow this naming pattern:

1. First male child is named after the paternal grandfather
2. Second male child is named after the maternal grandfather
3. First female child is named after the paternal grandmother
4. Second female child is named after the maternal grandmother

 

But, there are always exceptions to a rule, here are a few:

• ‘respect’ is more important than gender, allowing some families to name a first-born female after her grandfather eg. Giuseppa after Giuseppe. (Most  male Italian names have a female equivalent)
• If a child is born on an important feast day of a saint the child will probably be named after the saint.
• A child may be named after a deceased sibling, either in memory of  the deceased child or as continuing respect to the grandparent.