Paul Cappelli

So, full warning, this is not a happy podcast.  But I just wanted to say a little about Paul and thank you all for your support.   For those of you that don’t know, Paul Cappelli passed away this year after a short battle with cancer.   From all of us at the Cappelli family — Steven, Connie, Nikki, Casey, and Logan — we want to thank you all of you so, so much for all your support.   His creative, amazing, loving, and bigger-than-life spirit and love for all things Italian will live on in everything we do at Villa Cappelli.  Forever.   Thank you.

So, full warning, this is not a happy podcast.  But I just wanted to say a little about Paul and thank you all for your support. For those of you that don’t know, Paul Cappelli passed away this year after a short battle with cancer. From all of us at the Cappelli family — Steven, Connie, Nikki, Casey, and Logan — we want to thank you all of you so, so much for all your support. His creative, amazing, loving, and bigger-than-life spirit and love for all things Italian will live on in everything we do at Villa Cappelli.  Forever. Thank you.

065: Paul Cappelli

We take a lot of pasta names for granted.  Sure, we all enjoy “spaghetti,” but do you know what it means?  How about “penne” or “fusilli”? In this podcast, we talk about the names of various pastas.  And in many cases how the name describes the shape. If you want to see actual pictures of the various pastas, check out all the pics in the show notes. Also, at the end the podcast, we give you a few cooking tips on pasta.

We take a lot of pasta names for granted.  Sure, we all enjoy “spaghetti,” but do you know what it means?  How about “penne” or “fusilli”? In this podcast, we talk about the names of various pastas.  And in many cases how the name describes the shape. If you want to see actual pictures of the various pastas, check out all the pics in the show notes. Also, at the end the podcast, we give you a few cooking tips on pasta.

064: Translating Pasta

The title pretty much says it all.  We talk a little more about the coronavirus in Puglia and how Italians are dealing with things.  Luckily the medical system here is very good. We talk Caremongering.  A wonderful movement started in Canada.  Essentially, it is a movement encouraging acts of kindness or assistance, especially to help vulnerable people, during tough times, like the COVID-19 pandemic. And while it’s not an Italian expression, the sentiment is totally Italian. Typically Caremongering revolves about starting your own local Facebook group.  The more local, the better, like smaller towns or regions or neighborhoods in big cities. Typically, posts are divided between two main topics: #iso and #offer. #iso posts are for people "in search of" help, whereas #offer posts are for people offering help. For example, someone posts they are #iso toilet paper, and a neighbor can drop some off on their porch. So, since we are spread wide and far in this group, feel free to start your own local Caremongering group! Not sure how?  Here are step-by-step instructions: https://www.facebook.com/help/167970719931213 Then we talk a bit about what we are harvesting from the garden as well as planting. I’m not sure how we got on the top of canned bread, but I promised pictures in the show notes.  So here it is.

The title pretty much says it all.  We talk a little more about the coronavirus in Puglia and how Italians are dealing with things.  Luckily the medical system here is very good. We talk Caremongering.  A wonderful movement started in Canada.  Essentially, it is a movement encouraging acts of kindness or assistance, especially to help vulnerable people, during tough times, like the COVID-19 pandemic. And while it’s not an Italian expression, the sentiment is totally Italian. Typically Caremongering revolves about starting your own local Facebook group.  The more local, the better, like smaller towns or regions or neighborhoods in big cities. Typically, posts are divided between two main topics: #iso and #offer. #iso posts are for people "in search of" help, whereas #offer posts are for people offering help. For example, someone posts they are #iso toilet paper, and a neighbor can drop some off on their porch. So, since we are spread wide and far in this group, feel free to start your own local Caremongering group! Not sure how?  Here are step-by-step instructions: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/167970719931213" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/help/167970719931213</a> Then we talk a bit about what we are harvesting from the garden as well as planting. I’m not sure how we got on the top of canned bread, but I promised pictures in the show notes.  So here it is.

063: Caremongering, the virus, and gardening — oh my!

Not much in the way of show notes for this episode guys. And this might be a trend as we focus more on putting out good audio, and not so much on the show notes, so we can do more podcasts.   This episode, we catch you up with what life has been like with the coronavirus here in Italy, and more specifically, Puglia. It is definitely a strange time, but very manageable and fine from our perspective.   Do you have a question you'd like answered? Anything we didn't cover? Let us know in the comments. And we'll give you updates very soon in the next podcast.   Stay safe everyone! Wash and sanitize those hands!

Not much in the way of show notes for this episode guys. And this might be a trend as we focus more on putting out good audio, and not so much on the show notes, so we can do more podcasts. This episode, we catch you up with what life has been like with the coronavirus here in Italy, and more specifically, Puglia. It is definitely a strange time, but very manageable and fine from our perspective. Do you have a question you'd like answered? Anything we didn't cover? Let us know in the comments. And we'll give you updates very soon in the next podcast. Stay safe everyone! Wash and sanitize those hands!

062: Our experience with the coronavirus in Italy.

In this episode, we try to give you a bit of behind the scenes look at what it’s like to run a villa, especially from the tour and vacation rental aspect. We cover all sorts of topics, including: •  Breakfasts, as far as what we serve and why a simple breakfast is never a simple breakfast •  Laundry.  Again, while for most a load of laundry here and there during their week is a normal chore.  There’s nothing normal about it when you have 10 bedrooms of sheets and towels to wash each week.  Plus, you have to head down to hang them up to dry, which is another trip in and of itself. •  Meals.  How we design meals and cook them, with and without guests.  If you’ve ever made a big holiday meal for your family, you probably have some idea the amount of work that goes into that.  So when are cooking for say 15 to 20 people each day, the chopping, cooking, and cleaning all add up. • Touring.  Paul is the man who drives everyone around on tours.  So after breakfast, he’s driving everyone to the next site and leading the tour at that location.  He also sticks with everyone to order everything for each meal, and make sure everyone is taken care of at the restaurant. • Shopping.  This is never a quick task when food shopping in Italy. You could just go to a supermarket, but we never do.  So you head to your butcher.  Then the local produce vendor (aka farm stand essentially).  The baker/breadman.  The local cheesemaker.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  We, of course, have our favorites spread all over town.  So Paul is either driving guests around to visit each store during our tour.  Or if we are making meals for guests, he is doing the shopping for that. •  Cleaning.  This isn’t just about a turnover day, which is always a very long day, but also about during the week.  On the turnover day, you have to clean up the whole villa. Which meals cleaning 10 bedrooms, 2 common rooms, the kitchen, and all the outside spaces.  During the week, there’s just normal everyday cleaning, but also clean up after a meal with guests. Which if you are serving a four-course meal to 20 people means 80 plates alone, not counting pots, glasses, etc. •  Entertaining.  Probably the most fun, but this would include handling happy hour drinks, taking guests on special outings, and at as a concierge.  • Product work.  So when we don’t have guests, we switch to making products to sell to mainly the U.S.  So this includes, of course, harvesting olives, taking them to the mill, etc.  It includes catching up on inventory and making other products like our conserves.  It’s putting labels on all the packaging and making sure everything is ready to ship the states.  All the stuff you might think of with a business like that.   So, that’s just a bit of our excuse for being so tardy with doing more podcasts, but we do hope to do more very soon!

In this episode, we try to give you a bit of behind the scenes look at what it’s like to run a villa, especially from the tour and vacation rental aspect. We cover all sorts of topics, including: •  Breakfasts, as far as what we serve and why a simple breakfast is never a simple breakfast •  Laundry.  Again, while for most a load of laundry here and there during their week is a normal chore.  There’s nothing normal about it when you have 10 bedrooms of sheets and towels to wash each week.  Plus, you have to head down to hang them up to dry, which is another trip in and of itself. •  Meals.  How we design meals and cook them, with and without guests.  If you’ve ever made a big holiday meal for your family, you probably have some idea the amount of work that goes into that.  So when are cooking for say 15 to 20 people each day, the chopping, cooking, and cleaning all add up. • Touring.  Paul is the man who drives everyone around on tours.  So after breakfast, he’s driving everyone to the next site and leading the tour at that location.  He also sticks with everyone to order everything for each meal, and make sure everyone is taken care of at the restaurant. • Shopping.  This is never a quick task when food shopping in Italy. You could just go to a supermarket, but we never do.  So you head to your butcher.  Then the local produce vendor (aka farm stand essentially).  The baker/breadman.  The local cheesemaker.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  We, of course, have our favorites spread all over town.  So Paul is either driving guests around to visit each store during our tour.  Or if we are making meals for guests, he is doing the shopping for that. •  Cleaning.  This isn’t just about a turnover day, which is always a very long day, but also about during the week.  On the turnover day, you have to clean up the whole villa. Which meals cleaning 10 bedrooms, 2 common rooms, the kitchen, and all the outside spaces.  During the week, there’s just normal everyday cleaning, but also clean up after a meal with guests. Which if you are serving a four-course meal to 20 people means 80 plates alone, not counting pots, glasses, etc. •  Entertaining.  Probably the most fun, but this would include handling happy hour drinks, taking guests on special outings, and at as a concierge.  • Product work.  So when we don’t have guests, we switch to making products to sell to mainly the U.S.  So this includes, of course, harvesting olives, taking them to the mill, etc.  It includes catching up on inventory and making other products like our conserves.  It’s putting labels on all the packaging and making sure everything is ready to ship the states.  All the stuff you might think of with a business like that. So, that’s just a bit of our excuse for being so tardy with doing more podcasts, but we do hope to do more very soon!

061: Day in the life of running an Italian Villa

In this podcast, we catch you up on the projects we’ve been doing at the villa during our “off time” without guests.  From major new interviews to unexpected construction, we’ve had a lot going on.   Topics we cover:   • Paul’s interview on CBS Sunday Morning about olive blight in southern Puglia that is destroying a lot of olive trees   •  Here are some excerpts from the written story: Olive trees don't just dot the landscape in Puglia, Italy; they define it.  They are so important here, in the heel of Italy's boot, that locals use words like "patrimony" and "cultural heritage" when describing them. But what is worrying olive growers here is a disease that's killing olive trees by the millions. Paul Cappelli, who'd been an advertising executive in New York City until a few years ago, left his job and moved to a home on the ancient Appian Way surrounded by olive trees, and entered the oil business. "Not the Texas oil business; I'm in the real oil business!" he said. It's a dream come true, with a nightmare behind me," he said. "That's what it feels like, a nightmare?" asked correspondent Seth Doane. "Yeah. I'm always looking over my shoulder." Paul Cappelli has tested his trees, and there's no sign of xylella – yet.  "It's like the Black Death is coming," he said. "It feels like if I look over my shoulder and I see dark clouds, it's the Bubonic Plague coming towards the town."   •  While the story itself is sad, if was a nice bit of PR for us •  How we have been working on making the garden much more organized and pretty •  From a raised bed vegetable garden to new walls and planters •  We are also are building a storage room next to the pool for all the pool equipment •  The new land of olive grooves that we bought that we’d love to do a huge dinner in, like in Out Standing in the Field • The complete story of our leaky roof and and how we had to redo a whole section of roof that we just put on three years ago •  The discovery of the problem through to the new construction •  How the problem developed in the first place •  What the contractors claimed the brown water was •  Are plans to move the laundry room •  Our big question of whether or not to get a clothes dryer •  We cleaned out our wine cellar •  One side of the wine cellar will still be a rec room from guests, while another side will be a small antiques store for guests at the villa •  The hard water in Italy •  Thus why we put in a water softener, to help with everything from washing dishes to saving appliances •  How the hard water broke down the ice machine twice •  Paul got a good 20-30 lithographs and he is buying up old frames to put them up at the villa •  How the artwork comes from friends up in Parma who had a long connection to Paul’s family, including Paul’s uncle being the chauffeur to a count from Parma •  Paul’s olive tree and olive wood projects

In this podcast, we catch you up on the projects we’ve been doing at the villa during our “off time” without guests.  From major new interviews to unexpected construction, we’ve had a lot going on. Topics we cover: • Paul’s interview on CBS Sunday Morning about olive blight in southern Puglia that is destroying a lot of olive trees •  Here are some excerpts from the written story: Olive trees don't just dot the landscape in Puglia, Italy; they define it.  They are so important here, in the heel of Italy's boot, that locals use words like "patrimony" and "cultural heritage" when describing them. But what is worrying olive growers here is a disease that's killing olive trees by the millions. Paul Cappelli, who'd been an advertising executive in New York City until a few years ago, left his job and moved to a home on the ancient Appian Way surrounded by olive trees, and entered the oil business. "Not the Texas oil business; I'm in the real oil business!" he said. It's a dream come true, with a nightmare behind me," he said. "That's what it feels like, a nightmare?" asked correspondent Seth Doane. "Yeah. I'm always looking over my shoulder." Paul Cappelli has tested his trees, and there's no sign of xylella – yet.  "It's like the Black Death is coming," he said. "It feels like if I look over my shoulder and I see dark clouds, it's the Bubonic Plague coming towards the town." •  While the story itself is sad, if was a nice bit of PR for us •  How we have been working on making the garden much more organized and pretty •  From a raised bed vegetable garden to new walls and planters •  We are also are building a storage room next to the pool for all the pool equipment •  The new land of olive grooves that we bought that we’d love to do a huge dinner in, like in Out Standing in the Field • The complete story of our leaky roof and and how we had to redo a whole section of roof that we just put on three years ago •  The discovery of the problem through to the new construction •  How the problem developed in the first place •  What the contractors claimed the brown water was •  Are plans to move the laundry room •  Our big question of whether or not to get a clothes dryer •  We cleaned out our wine cellar •  One side of the wine cellar will still be a rec room from guests, while another side will be a small antiques store for guests at the villa •  The hard water in Italy •  Thus why we put in a water softener, to help with everything from washing dishes to saving appliances •  How the hard water broke down the ice machine twice •  Paul got a good 20-30 lithographs and he is buying up old frames to put them up at the villa •  How the artwork comes from friends up in Parma who had a long connection to Paul’s family, including Paul’s uncle being the chauffeur to a count from Parma •  Paul’s olive tree and olive wood projects

060: Italian Villa Projects

Have a big milestone birthday coming up?  Or perhaps an anniversary?  Perhaps you’re just looking to travel with a large group of family and friends.  Then booking a villa in Italy might is the perfect way to celebrate with family and friends.  Here are just a few of the reasons you should book an Italian villa now!   1. It’s more affordable than you think When you stay in a villa in Italy, it will feel like you’re living in luxury, but it’s very affordable.  Definitely more affordable than a hotel or resort. According to Lonely Planet travel site, even a midrange hotel room in Italy will cost you upwards of 200 Euro a night.  At a four or five star hotel, it will be 250 Euro or more.  A villa rental however usually averages to 99 Euro a night per room.  That’s a 60% savings!  • Meals • alcohol • Parking, etc. Bonus tip:  It’s not uncommon to ask guests to chip in when joining you for this amazing celebration.  They will also have an amazing holiday, you are just arranging it all. You don’t have to pay for it all on top of that!  Renting a villa makes it a lot easier to split costs that deciding who had the salad and who at the pasta at dinner.   2.  You can bring along a ton of friends and family Space, it’s not the final frontier.  It’s what you get when you rent a villa!  Ever tried to squeeze your family into a hotel room when traveling?   Especially once you get to five or more kids?  It’s not only uncomfortable, but a hassle.  A hotel room can average around 400 square feet A villa can average 2000 square feet! Or 20000 sq. Feet total   •  full kitchen, multiple bathrooms, multiple living spaces, and probably a game room or two is an amazing option for larger groups.  • get away from everyone for a couple of hours?  There’s always some corner free.  Want to play a board game? Set up your area over there while others lounge by the pool.  There are always options when you rented a villa.   3. You’ll find a variety of entertainment If you’re traveling with a large group for your birthday or anniversary (or other big event), that usually means you’ll have a range of ages, from parents with kids to elderly relatives.  An Italian villa rental allows you all to be together, yet still have your own space to find something fun to do.  A hotel just isn’t geared for families or groups of friends traveling together. Between the expenses mentioned above, it’s also not conducive for a lot of together time.  Just gathering by the hotel pool or a nearby restaurant isn’t all the different from other get-togethers at home. A villa allows you to cook together. Play games together.  Take a walk or run together.  Go see the sights and more. Plus, while kids do love hotels, they do get bored easily.  With a villa, you can comfortably let them explore and play without worrying about other guests.  Plus, most villa rentals have a DVD library, board games, and pool to keep kids occupied. Double plus, if you can get an Italian villa centrally located, you can take a lot of fun day trips.  Italy, and especially Puglia, have a lot of great sites that both young and old enjoy seeing.  From castles like Castel del Monte, to amazing seaside towns like Polignano a Mare, and to beautiful Unesco World Heritage sights like Matera.  4.  Your celebration will be YOUR celebration When renting a villa for your getaway, you get a higher level of privacy that you could never get at a hotel or condo.  No sharing the pool.  No dealing with dining with strangers or hotel staff asking to clean your room early in the morning. It also works in the opposite direction.  No one likes to go to a restaurant with a toddler that could have a meltdown or that crazy loud uncle that tends to embarrass you.  Hotel guests can include everyone from adventurous newlyweds, rowdy teens, crying babies and even creepy guys poolside.  A villa rental really is a lot more private. That beautiful space is YOUR space. 5.  You’ll celebrate in style From your own kitchen to a private pool, a villa rental has so many extra amenities you probably never even realized you wanted.   Pack lighter and do a load of laundry midweek with an onsite washer Keep in touch with free WiFi Keep the kiddos entertained with cocomplimentary board games and DVDs Enjoy walks in the surrounding countryside Park your car easily and quickly Enjoy cleaning and meal preparation for a small extra cost  Extra hint:  Look for a vacation rental with caretakers that also live on the property.  It’s like having an amazing concierge at no extra cost. They can directly to the best local sights, help make any reservations, and are always on hand if you need anything at all.   6.  You’ll enjoy all the comforts of home A villa isn’t just a bedroom and tiny bathroom.  It is a home.  And comes with all the comforts of home.   A big kitchen to cook family meals Full-sized appliances like a dishwasher for easy cleanup Glasses and an ice machine for cocktail hour Furniture, indoor and out, to lounge in  Those are just a few of the things that come with some Italian villa rentals.    You also have to advantage of being on your own schedule.   Want to sleep in?  Fine.  Breakfast is whenever you want.  Want a midnight snack?  Go for it.  Want to jump in the pool at 2AM?  No one is stopping you.  Want to start happy hour at 4PM?  The bar is open 24/7.    7. Nights out can be nights in Dinners can be complicated with your on holiday.  Who has to be designated driver?  Who wants to deal with any kids late into the night?  Who wants to navigate unfamiliar roads in the dark?  With a villa rental, you can have fun, relaxing meals at home without all those worries.  Whether you prepare the meal yourself or get the villa staff to do it for you, life is so much easier. Everyone can drink. The kids can easily be put to bed early.  And there’s no driving to worry about.   8.  You’ll have totally one-of-a-kind experience  A villa is so much more than just a room with a view. Want a truly unique getaway? •  Stay in a historic villa overlooking ancient olive grooves •  Pick fresh vegetables and herbs right from the garden, farm to table indeed •  Feel like your being spoiled rotten — in a good way •  Open up your windows and let the view take your breath away It’s all possible with a villa rental in Italy.     9.  You’ll get to escape and immerse yourself in Italian culture This goes hand-in-hand with the one-of-a-kind experience, but really deserves it’s own bullet point. Renting an Italian villa really allows you to live like a local.  It’s an experience something like a hotel or resort could just never offer. You’ll get to really immerse yourself in the wonder Italian culture.  From shopping to cooking to exploring the area, it's an exciting part of any holiday. Usuall,y cooking lessons are also available, so you dive in and learn the local cuisine even more! Again, having onsite caretakers really helps here.  They can point you to the best local shops, recommend the local cafes and restaurants, give you tips for any day trips, and even show you the local customs or recipes. If you really want to feel like a local, this is the way to go.   10.  You’ll make your special event truly special! With everything from breathtaking views to relaxing downtime to unbelievable meals with family and friends, renting an Italian villa can be a fun and affordable way to make your celebration truly amazing.

Have a big milestone birthday coming up?  Or perhaps an anniversary?  Perhaps you’re just looking to travel with a large group of family and friends.  Then booking a villa in Italy might is the perfect way to celebrate with family and friends.  Here are just a few of the reasons you should book an Italian villa now! 1. It’s more affordable than you think When you stay in a villa in Italy, it will feel like you’re living in luxury, but it’s very affordable.  Definitely more affordable than a hotel or resort. According to Lonely Planet travel site, even a midrange hotel room in Italy will cost you upwards of 200 Euro a night.  At a four or five star hotel, it will be 250 Euro or more.  A villa rental however usually averages to 99 Euro a night per room.  That’s a 60% savings!  • Meals • alcohol • Parking, etc. Bonus tip:  It’s not uncommon to ask guests to chip in when joining you for this amazing celebration.  They will also have an amazing holiday, you are just arranging it all. You don’t have to pay for it all on top of that!  Renting a villa makes it a lot easier to split costs that deciding who had the salad and who at the pasta at dinner. 2.  You can bring along a ton of friends and family Space, it’s not the final frontier.  It’s what you get when you rent a villa!  Ever tried to squeeze your family into a hotel room when traveling?   Especially once you get to five or more kids?  It’s not only uncomfortable, but a hassle.  A hotel room can average around 400 square feet A villa can average 2000 square feet! Or 20000 sq. Feet total •  full kitchen, multiple bathrooms, multiple living spaces, and probably a game room or two is an amazing option for larger groups.  • get away from everyone for a couple of hours?  There’s always some corner free.  Want to play a board game? Set up your area over there while others lounge by the pool.  There are always options when you rented a villa. 3. You’ll find a variety of entertainment If you’re traveling with a large group for your birthday or anniversary (or other big event), that usually means you’ll have a range of ages, from parents with kids to elderly relatives.  An Italian villa rental allows you all to be together, yet still have your own space to find something fun to do.  A hotel just isn’t geared for families or groups of friends traveling together. Between the expenses mentioned above, it’s also not conducive for a lot of together time.  Just gathering by the hotel pool or a nearby restaurant isn’t all the different from other get-togethers at home. A villa allows you to cook together. Play games together.  Take a walk or run together.  Go see the sights and more. Plus, while kids do love hotels, they do get bored easily.  With a villa, you can comfortably let them explore and play without worrying about other guests.  Plus, most villa rentals have a DVD library, board games, and pool to keep kids occupied. Double plus, if you can get an Italian villa centrally located, you can take a lot of fun day trips.  Italy, and especially Puglia, have a lot of great sites that both young and old enjoy seeing.  From castles like Castel del Monte, to amazing seaside towns like Polignano a Mare, and to beautiful Unesco World Heritage sights like Matera. 4.  Your celebration will be YOUR celebration When renting a villa for your getaway, you get a higher level of privacy that you could never get at a hotel or condo.  No sharing the pool.  No dealing with dining with strangers or hotel staff asking to clean your room early in the morning. It also works in the opposite direction.  No one likes to go to a restaurant with a toddler that could have a meltdown or that crazy loud uncle that tends to embarrass you.  Hotel guests can include everyone from adventurous newlyweds, rowdy teens, crying babies and even creepy guys poolside.  A villa rental really is a lot more private. That beautiful space is YOUR space. 5.  You’ll celebrate in style From your own kitchen to a private pool, a villa rental has so many extra amenities you probably never even realized you wanted.  <ul> <li>Pack lighter and do a load of laundry midweek with an onsite washer</li> <li>Keep in touch with free WiFi</li> <li>Keep the kiddos entertained with cocomplimentary board games and DVDs</li> <li>Enjoy walks in the surrounding countryside</li> <li>Park your car easily and quickly</li> <li>Enjoy cleaning and meal preparation for a small extra cost</li> </ul> Extra hint:  Look for a vacation rental with caretakers that also live on the property.  It’s like having an amazing concierge at no extra cost. They can directly to the best local sights, help make any reservations, and are always on hand if you need anything at all. 6.  You’ll enjoy all the comforts of home A villa isn’t just a bedroom and tiny bathroom.  It is a home.  And comes with all the comforts of home.  <ul> <li>A big kitchen to cook family meals</li> <li>Full-sized appliances like a dishwasher for easy cleanup</li> <li>Glasses and an ice machine for cocktail hour</li> <li>Furniture, indoor and out, to lounge in</li> </ul> Those are just a few of the things that come with some Italian villa rentals.  You also have to advantage of being on your own schedule.  <ul> <li>Want to sleep in?  Fine.  Breakfast is whenever you want. </li> <li>Want a midnight snack?  Go for it. </li> <li>Want to jump in the pool at 2AM?  No one is stopping you. </li> <li>Want to start happy hour at 4PM?  The bar is open 24/7.</li> </ul> 7. Nights out can be nights in Dinners can be complicated with your on holiday.  Who has to be designated driver?  Who wants to deal with any kids late into the night?  Who wants to navigate unfamiliar roads in the dark?  With a villa rental, you can have fun, relaxing meals at home without all those worries.  Whether you prepare the meal yourself or get the villa staff to do it for you, life is so much easier. Everyone can drink. The kids can easily be put to bed early.  And there’s no driving to worry about. 8.  You’ll have totally one-of-a-kind experience  A villa is so much more than just a room with a view. Want a truly unique getaway? •  Stay in a historic villa overlooking ancient olive grooves •  Pick fresh vegetables and herbs right from the garden, farm to table indeed •  Feel like your being spoiled rotten — in a good way •  Open up your windows and let the view take your breath away It’s all possible with a villa rental in Italy. 9.  You’ll get to escape and immerse yourself in Italian culture This goes hand-in-hand with the one-of-a-kind experience, but really deserves it’s own bullet point. Renting an Italian villa really allows you to live like a local.  It’s an experience something like a hotel or resort could just never offer. You’ll get to really immerse yourself in the wonder Italian culture.  From shopping to cooking to exploring the area, it's an exciting part of any holiday. Usuall,y cooking lessons are also available, so you dive in and learn the local cuisine even more! Again, having onsite caretakers really helps here.  They can point you to the best local shops, recommend the local cafes and restaurants, give you tips for any day trips, and even show you the local customs or recipes. If you really want to feel like a local, this is the way to go. 10.  You’ll make your special event truly special! With everything from breathtaking views to relaxing downtime to unbelievable meals with family and friends, renting an Italian villa can be a fun and affordable way to make your celebration truly amazing.

The Top 10 reasons to book an Italian villa for your next celebration

In this podcast, we take a dive into the culinary world and explore where there is a lot of “fake food” out there. From doctored extra virgin olive oils and grated cheese to wine and balsamic vinegar, we give you the real news on fake food. Topics we cover: •  How we’ve had a few podcast fans visit this year, including Kendra and her new business:   www.vida.wine •  How often we don’t realize the wool is being pulled over our eyes in regards to food. Here’s a list.  Do you have others?  Let us know in the comments. Extra Virgin Olive Oil •  The corrupt world of extra virgin olive oil and the struggles we face with that. It is definitely a fake food most times. •  This book covers this topic extensively.  Check it out: Extra Virginity •  How by Italian law that even if the olives come from a different country, as long as the oil is bottled in Italy it is allowed to be called “Italian Olive Oil” •  How producers from Tuscany come down to Puglia and buy Puglia olives, then bottle extra virgin olive oil in Tuscany and call it Tuscan olive oil •  How our extra virgin olive oil is really just freshly squeezed olives •  We’ve covered this subject a couple of times in past episodes.  Check out: — Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Everything you always wanted to know and never knew to ask — How to tell if your extra virgin oil is really extra virgin — Why your Italian "food" may not be real food   And click here to sign up for our email course explaining more on how to tell if your extra virgin olive oil is really extra virgin.   Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.  There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.   Email Address      Subscribe   Coffee •  Paul wonders why whole bean coffee costs less than ground coffee •  Paul believes there must be other additives to make it cost less •  After doing a little research, I think there may be other reasons:  Namely, inferior beans.  Here's what one site had to say: "Whole bean coffees come from better lots, because it’s impossible to hide negative qualities in a bag of whole bean coffee. Much of the coffee’s aromas and flavors are released when it’s ground. Therefore, customers who purchase whole bean coffee and grind it at home will notice the coffee’s nuanced qualities — regardless of whether they are good or bad. In comparison, coffee that’s pre-ground has already lost many of its aromatics and flavors by the time the customer purchases it. Thus, it’s not as important to use beans that are highly flavorful and aromatic when selling pre-ground coffee. Roasters that offer ground selections can get away with using lower-quality beans." •  Does anyone have any insight?  Let us know in the comments! •  How Paul had a work colleague was bragging about how he makes coffee pods that have 75% pure coffee grounds in the pods Parmesan Cheese  •  We did a whole podcast on this here: Why your Italian "food" may not be real food •  How Parmesan actually is legally allowed to have cellulose (wood pulp) in every jar. Supposedly it is a safe anti-clumping additive when it is only 2-4% of a product. But FDA investigations found 8.8% in some! In some cases ,the cheese was less than 40% of the product! Wal-Mart has now be slapped with a lawsuit over selling a product labeled as 100% Grated Parmesan but had 7.8% wood pulp! Truffle oil •  How Paul bought some fresh truffles a few years ago and we made truffle oil •  But then we discovered this can be very very dangerous, and only last 2-3 days •  This sight https://www.idratherbeachef.com/how-to-make-truffle-oil/ goes into it a bit more: "When you make fresh truffle oil as demonstrated in this post, it has a VERY limited shelf life of two, maybe three days maximum. I suggest making it in small batches to ensure all the oil may be used quickly. Fresh truffle oil has a limited shelf life due to the oil not being brought and held 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature that kills botulism and other bacteria which thrive in an anaerobic environment. Learn more about botulism from homemade canned, preserved or fermented foods. The truffle oil isn’t brought to 212 degrees because the truffle would start to toast and produce strange flavors. We want truffle oil to embody the essence of the truffle itself, not taste like burnt mushrooms." •  In other words, the extra virgin olive oil you are using to make your truffle oil is only brought up so a low heat to infuse the oil.  This low heat infuses the oil but it not hot enough to kill botulism.  If it was brought up to that heat it would burn the truffles. • So unless a chef is making truffle oil as a special for a few nights meals, don't think any Truffle Oil has any real truffles in it.  Making it a real fake food. Wine •  You can find really cheap wines sometimes •  So when you see something labeled as "Red Wine" is there a rule that says it has to be made with grapes? •  Well, according to the legal definitely, wine's legal definition is according to https://definitions.uslegal.com/w/wine-trade/ is: "Wine refers to any fermented alcoholic beverage and is generally made from grapes or other fruit. It is mainly used for nonindustrial use." •  Also, wines if they are below 11% alcohol content, you do no have to specify what is in the wine on the label. Chili Peppers •  We talk a little about our chili crop this year •  Paul talks about he believes they put red dye in chili flakes •  You also have no idea how long the chili flakes have been sitting in the bag Balsamic Vinegar •  What real balsamic vinegar is all about •  How regular vinegars are made versus balsamic vinegars •  This is one of what our vendor explained about IGP for balsamic vinegars •  Why it's only made in Modena There is 2 different types of IGP. -          Industrial IGP produce in Steel silos in maximum 2 month. And in This balsamic vinegar is a mix of vinegar, strong balsamic vinegar, caramel to thicken and colored the balsamic vinegar. And in this silos is put this mix for 2 month to Repose.  In the bottom of this silos is “easy found” wood sawdust, to give the effect of the olded balsamic vinegar and the taste of wood. See the steel silos  in the pic(this is industrial) Is to easy and quick to obtain the product but is not the original. Is easy to found in all store and supermarket. Especially abroad -          Artigianal IGP (MY BALSAMIC VINEGAR)  produce, respect the product specification, and the old process of production. Is put in different  wooden barrel  of different wood (oak, chestnut, mulberry, juniper, cherry, locust, ash). This is the barrel use also for DOP (after I explain the DOP ), but there isn’t a battery set (you chose of two different type of barrel) and put the vinegar, with cooked must,  to grow old in this barrel, for minimum 5/6 years. And my grandfather  They taught  to me, “Is impossible buy the time”. You see the picture with wood barrel. -          The DOP is the best of Balsamic vinegar. The product specification, is very strong like Artigianal IGP. You have a wooden barrel, composed to minimum 5 bottle( Example my battery barrel is composed to 5 bottle, you see in 3 pic.) and is possible arrive to the maximum with 12 barrel.  Is possible compose your battery with this wood(oak, chestnut, mulberry, juniper, cherry, locust, ash). There is long process to obtain the certification of your wooden Battery, by competent persons and public authority,. And you obtain the first Balsamic vinegar, in 2 step . Step 1 is 12 year old,  is called “Affinato” you take a maximum 10 % to the  bottle (the little one) which composed your Wooden battery, and after you bring this balsamic vinegar in a special place  (Consortium Balsamic Vinegar D.O.P.) when the people check it (see in database when you are register your wooden battery). And in this place The competent person  put  your balsamic vinegar, in  the “Giuggiaro bottle”. Step 2 is 25 year old, is called “extravecchio” “extraold” the process is the same of the 12 year old balsamic vinegar, but you attend 25 years to take it.    Vitamins •  If you don't know, most vitamins are filled with fillers, like silica (sand) •  Check the inactive ingredients on any vitamins and you will see they filled with tons of things that are not vitamins •  And for their Vitamin D, they use our extra virgin olive oil as a carrier inside the vitamin •  You can check out Pure Vitamin Club here.   Skim Milk •  We argue a bit about is if really fake or not for consideration in this episode •  To Paul's point, they have taken all the good stuff out and now it's really just colored water •  How we only buy whole milk here at the villa •  The podcast Steven mentioned: Food: A Cultural Culinary History Podcast •  Also, how white bread is so over processed that it losses all it's vitamins, so they have to add the vitamins back in.  But how if they just didn't over process it, they would have all those vitamins to begin with. Ham &amp; Turkey •  How most of the ham and turkey you use to make cold cuts is all the remnants of the original animals "glued" back together •  That's also called a pressed ham •  The different between prosciutto and and prosciutto crudo Baby Carrots •  How these are just deformed carrots that are cut down and treated to make baby carrots •  About the guy who invented them, and his other products Bunny Balls •  Paul argues that they are "fake" because they lead you to believe they are grown to be small •  The multicolored carrots we get here in Puglia •  Why carrots are mostly orange •  And why the Irish hate the color orange on St. Patrick's Day     Juice •  How you really have to check the labels, especially if doesn't say 100% of whatever fruit you are buying. •  Most might say 100% juice, but it's a mix of all kinds of different juices, not just the "orange juice" you think you are buying Tea Bags •  Paul has seen a lot in the news lately about all the bad thing being found in tea bags. Scallops •  Most scallops are not real scallops, but pressed together fish This is the shellac picture I was talking about. •  How I used to add wax to chocolate when making peanut butter balls with my mother.  I assumed it was to skip the tempering process.  Does anyone know?  Let us know in the comments. •  Why eggs are sold non-refrigerated in Italy but sold refrigerated in the states.   And here's our spicy products we talked about.  To sum up our Real New, Fake Food podcast.  Look for real food from the fresh food aisle, not processed food. And be sure to read your labels. What do you think?  Did we miss a fake food?  Let us know in the comments!

In this podcast, we take a dive into the culinary world and explore where there is a lot of “fake food” out there. From doctored extra virgin olive oils and grated cheese to wine and balsamic vinegar, we give you the real news on fake food. Topics we cover: •  How we’ve had a few podcast fans visit this year, including Kendra and her new business:  <a href="http://www.vida.wine/?fbclid=IwAR1QKp563SCizVsbB4YhDkvE4dyVh4syR0tsxtVYffV9aOOXRlVAZc6HMtY" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> www.vida.wine</a> •  How often we don’t realize the wool is being pulled over our eyes in regards to food. Here’s a list.  Do you have others?  Let us know in the comments. Extra Virgin Olive Oil •  The corrupt world of extra virgin olive oil and the struggles we face with that. It is definitely a fake food most times. •  This book covers this topic extensively.  Check it out: <a href="http://geni.us/45r" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Extra Virginity</a> •  How by Italian law that even if the olives come from a different country, as long as the oil is bottled in Italy it is allowed to be called “Italian Olive Oil” •  How producers from Tuscany come down to Puglia and buy Puglia olives, then bottle extra virgin olive oil in Tuscany and call it Tuscan olive oil •  How our extra virgin olive oil is really just freshly squeezed olives •  We’ve covered this subject a couple of times in past episodes.  Check out: <a href="https://www.livingvillacappelli.com/how-to-make-olive-oil/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">— Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Everything you always wanted to know and never knew to ask</a> <a href="https://www.livingvillacappelli.com/022-how-to-tell-if-your-extra-virgin-olive-oil-is-really-extra-virgin/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">— How to tell if your extra virgin oil is really extra virgin</a> <a href="https://www.livingvillacappelli.com/031-why-your-italian-food-is-probably-not-real-food/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">— Why your Italian "food" may not be real food</a> And click here to sign up for our email course explaining more on how to tell if your extra virgin olive oil is really extra virgin. Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email Address Subscribe   Coffee •  Paul wonders why whole bean coffee costs less than ground coffee •  Paul believes there must be other additives to make it cost less •  After doing a little research, I think there may be other reasons:  Namely, inferior beans.  Here's what one site had to say: "Whole bean coffees come from better lots, because it’s impossible to hide negative qualities in a bag of whole bean coffee. Much of the coffee’s aromas and flavors are released when it’s ground. Therefore, customers who purchase whole bean coffee and grind it at home will notice the coffee’s nuanced qualities — regardless of whether they are good or bad. In comparison, coffee that’s pre-ground has already lost many of its aromatics and flavors by the time the customer purchases it. Thus, it’s not as important to use beans that are highly flavorful and aromatic when selling pre-ground coffee. Roasters that offer ground selections can get away with using lower-quality beans." •  Does anyone have any insight?  Let us know in the comments! •  How Paul had a work colleague was bragging about how he makes coffee pods that have 75% pure coffee grounds in the pods Parmesan Cheese  •  We did a whole podcast on this here:<a href="https://www.livingvillacappelli.com/031-why-your-italian-food-is-probably-not-real-food/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Why your Italian "food" may not be real food</a> •  How Parmesan actually is legally allowed to have cellulose (wood pulp) in every jar. Supposedly it is a safe anti-clumping additive when it is only 2-4% of a product. But FDA investigations found 8.8% in some! In some cases ,the cheese was less than 40% of the product! Wal-Mart has now be slapped with a lawsuit over selling a product labeled as 100% Grated Parmesan but had 7.8% wood pulp! Truffle oil •  How Paul bought some fresh truffles a few years ago and we made truffle oil •  But then we discovered this can be very very dangerous, and only last 2-3 days •  This sight <a href="https://www.idratherbeachef.com/how-to-make-truffle-oil/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.idratherbeachef.com/how-to-make-truffle-oil/</a> goes into it a bit more: "When you make fresh truffle oil as demonstrated in this post, it has a VERY limited shelf life of two, maybe three days maximum. I suggest making it in small batches to ensure all the oil may be used quickly. Fresh truffle oil has a limited shelf life due to the oil not being brought and held 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the temperature that kills botulism and other bacteria which thrive in an anaerobic environment. Learn more about <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs270/en/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">botulism from homemade canned, preserved or fermented foods</a>. The truffle oil isn’t brought to 212 degrees because the truffle would start to toast and produce strange flavors. We want truffle oil to embody the essence of the truffle itself, not taste like burnt mushrooms." •  In other words, the extra virgin olive oil you are using to make your truffle oil is only brought up so a low heat to infuse the oil.  This low heat infuses the oil but it not hot enough to kill botulism.  If it was brought up to that heat it would burn the truffles. • So unless a chef is making truffle oil as a special for a few nights meals, don't think any Truffle Oil has any real truffles in it.  Making it a real fake food. Wine •  You can find really cheap wines sometimes •  So when you see something labeled as "Red Wine" is there a rule that says it has to be made with grapes? •  Well, according to the legal definitely, wine's legal definition is according to <a href="https://definitions.uslegal.com/w/wine-trade/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://definitions.uslegal.com/w/wine-trade/</a> is: "Wine refers to any fermented alcoholic beverage and is generally made from grapes or other fruit. It is mainly used for nonindustrial use." •  Also, wines if they are below 11% alcohol content, you do no have to specify what is in the wine on the label. Chili Peppers •  We talk a little about our chili crop this year •  Paul talks about he believes they put red dye in chili flakes •  You also have no idea how long the chili flakes have been sitting in the bag Balsamic Vinegar •  What real balsamic vinegar is all about •  How regular vinegars are made versus balsamic vinegars •  This is one of what our vendor explained about IGP for balsamic vinegars •  Why it's only made in Modena There is 2 different types of IGP. -          Industrial IGP produce in Steel silos in maximum 2 month. And in This balsamic vinegar is a mix of vinegar, strong balsamic vinegar, caramel to thicken and colored the balsamic vinegar. And in this silos is put this mix for 2 month to Repose.  In the bottom of this silos is “easy found” wood sawdust, to give the effect of the olded balsamic vinegar and the taste of wood. See the steel silos  in the pic(this is industrial) Is to easy and quick to obtain the product but is not the original. Is easy to found in all store and supermarket. Especially abroad -          Artigianal IGP (MY BALSAMIC VINEGAR)  produce, respect the product specification, and the old process of production. Is put in different  wooden barrel  of different wood (oak, chestnut, mulberry, juniper, cherry, locust, ash). This is the barrel use also for DOP (after I explain the DOP ), but there isn’t a battery set (you chose of two different type of barrel) and put the vinegar, with cooked must,  to grow old in this barrel, for minimum 5/6 years. And my grandfather  They taught  to me, “Is impossible buy the time”. You see the picture with wood barrel. -          The DOP is the best of Balsamic vinegar. The product specification, is very strong like Artigianal IGP. You have a wooden barrel, composed to minimum 5 bottle( Example my battery barrel is composed to 5 bottle, you see in 3 pic.) and is possible arrive to the maximum with 12 barrel.  Is possible compose your battery with this wood(oak, chestnut, mulberry, juniper, cherry, locust, ash). There is long process to obtain the certification of your wooden Battery, by competent persons and public authority,. And you obtain the first Balsamic vinegar, in 2 step . Step 1 is 12 year old,  is called “Affinato” you take a maximum 10 % to the  bottle (the little one) which composed your Wooden battery, and after you bring this balsamic vinegar in a special place  (Consortium Balsamic Vinegar D.O.P.) when the people check it (see in database when you are register your wooden battery). And in this place The competent person  put  your balsamic vinegar, in  the “Giuggiaro bottle”. Step 2 is 25 year old, is called “extravecchio” “extraold” the process is the same of the 12 year old balsamic vinegar, but you attend 25 years to take it.   Vitamins •  If you don't know, most vitamins are filled with fillers, like silica (sand) •  Check the inactive ingredients on any vitamins and you will see they filled with tons of things that are not vitamins •  And for their Vitamin D, they use our extra virgin olive oil as a carrier inside the vitamin •  You can check out <a href="https://purevitaminclub.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Pure Vitamin Club here</a>.   Skim Milk •  We argue a bit about is if really fake or not for consideration in this episode •  To Paul's point, they have taken all the good stuff out and now it's really just colored water •  How we only buy whole milk here at the villa •  The podcast Steven mentioned: <a href="http://geni.us/FoodPodcast" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Food: A Cultural Culinary History Podcast</a> •  Also, how white bread is so over processed that it losses all it's vitamins, so they have to add the vitamins back in.  But how if they just didn't over process it, they would have all those vitamins to begin with. Ham &amp; Turkey •  How most of the ham and turkey you use to make cold cuts is all the remnants of the original animals "glued" back together •  That's also called a pressed ham •  The different between prosciutto and and prosciutto crudo Baby Carrots •  How these are just deformed carrots that are cut down and treated to make baby carrots •  About the guy who invented them, and his other products Bunny Balls •  Paul argues that they are "fake" because they lead you to believe they are grown to be small •  The multicolored carrots we get here in Puglia •  Why carrots are mostly orange •  And why the Irish hate the color orange on St. Patrick's Day     Juice •  How you really have to check the labels, especially if doesn't say 100% of whatever fruit you are buying. •  Most might say 100% juice, but it's a mix of all kinds of different juices, not just the "orange juice" you think you are buying Tea Bags •  Paul has seen a lot in the news lately about all the bad thing being found in tea bags. Scallops •  Most scallops are not real scallops, but pressed together fish This is the shellac picture I was talking about. •  How I used to add wax to chocolate when making peanut butter balls with my mother.  I assumed it was to skip the tempering process.  Does anyone know?  Let us know in the comments. •  Why eggs are sold non-refrigerated in Italy but sold refrigerated in the states. <ul> <li> And <a href="https://villacappelli.com/collections/hot-spicy" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">here's our spicy products</a> we talked about.</li> </ul> To sum up our Real New, Fake Food podcast.  Look for real food from the fresh food aisle, not processed food. And be sure to read your labels. What do you think?  Did we miss a fake food?  Let us know in the comments!

058: Real News, Fake Food

We move outdoors to sit among the olive trees for our second part of our interview with rock ’n’ roll royalty Jenny Boyd.  We talk music, creativity, and her book It’s Not Only Rock ’n’ Roll. Topics we cover: •  We talk about Jenny’s second husband •  The British invasion •  How Brits saw America a land of opportunity •  What musicians drive was during the creative process, what they experience when writing a son •  What part drugs and alcohol played in the creative process •  If they believed everyone has the potential to be creative and how to express yourself •  How they musicians are just like normal folks •  How the Beatles never knew their music would live on and be so popular for so long •  How they came from very simple lives in Liverpool •  How Jenny’s new book is a memoir of her life growing up in the 60s and 70s with all these musicians •  How George Harrison was most influenced by their experience in India •  Carpool Karaoke with Corbin •  The reason some groups have stayed together or come back together •  How Jenny interviewed Keith Richards for the book •  Keith’s take on creativity •  How all the artists were willing to talk about their muse •  How they all had a sense of destiny and knew they were going to be famous •  Paul’s breakfast with Pete Townsend •  Pete’s take on people feeling he was selling out by using his music in advertising •  How people feel they have ownership over of the music and even the artists •  The most interesting Don Hendly, Joni Mitchel, David Crosby, Graham Nash •  How all of the artists were really encouraged by someone when they were young •  How you have to be you to be creativity •  How Paul hated seeing work that was imitating other work in advertising •  How you need to find your own voice and find the courage to use it. •  A book on the subject:  The Courage to Create •  Paul’s description of showing creative work to clients and how it feels like you are exposing yourself to them •  How Eric Clapton described it as looking into the face of God •  How Ringo described presenting songs to the rest of the group •  One of Paul’s favorite quotes about creativity:  “Big ideas are so hard to find, so fragile, and so easy to kill. Don’t forget that, all of you that don’t have them.” •  How Jenny was inspired by her stay at Villa Cappelli •  How she stayed “in the now” while here and enjoying •  How she was inspired by the food and cooking at Villa Cappelli •  Steven’s take on cooking and how there are no rules •  Jenny’s take on our creative expression at Villa Cappelli •  Steven’s appreciation of Italian’s “living in the now” and definitely enjoying each moment and each day •  Italians don’t just each to nourish, but sit down, relax and each with the family •  Paul really wants to create a sign that says, “Just calm down!” for guests that come to the villa •  How tours have changed here at the villa from guests really interacting with each other to everyone sitting on their phone posting pics to Facebook •  How one of our guests did something amazing while staying here.  She wouldn’t take a camera with her when she went out.  She instead took her sketch pad and would sketch whatever she saw and then watercolor it. •  Jenny said she was inspired to draw while staying here •  The famous picture of everyone “enjoying” the Pope’s visit •  How we hope to do an unplugged tour at some point •  This great Nature Valley commercial [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er5IijMC24A[/embed] •  Again, enjoy Jenny’s book. Check it out here. •  Again, you can follow Jenny here at her website.

We move outdoors to sit among the olive trees for our second part of our interview with rock ’n’ roll royalty Jenny Boyd.  We talk music, creativity, and her book <a href="http://geni.us/ItsNotOnlyRocknRoll" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">It’s Not Only Rock ’n’ Roll</a>. Topics we cover: •  We talk about Jenny’s second husband •  The British invasion •  How Brits saw America a land of opportunity •  What musicians drive was during the creative process, what they experience when writing a son •  What part drugs and alcohol played in the creative process •  If they believed everyone has the potential to be creative and how to express yourself •  How they musicians are just like normal folks •  How the Beatles never knew their music would live on and be so popular for so long •  How they came from very simple lives in Liverpool •  How Jenny’s new book is a memoir of her life growing up in the 60s and 70s with all these musicians •  How George Harrison was most influenced by their experience in India •  Carpool Karaoke with Corbin •  The reason some groups have stayed together or come back together •  How Jenny interviewed Keith Richards for the book •  Keith’s take on creativity •  How all the artists were willing to talk about their muse •  How they all had a sense of destiny and knew they were going to be famous •  Paul’s breakfast with Pete Townsend •  Pete’s take on people feeling he was selling out by using his music in advertising •  How people feel they have ownership over of the music and even the artists •  The most interesting Don Hendly, Joni Mitchel, David Crosby, Graham Nash •  How all of the artists were really encouraged by someone when they were young •  How you have to be you to be creativity •  How Paul hated seeing work that was imitating other work in advertising •  How you need to find your own voice and find the courage to use it. •  A book on the subject:  <a href="http://geni.us/TheCouragetoCreate" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Courage to Create</a> •  Paul’s description of showing creative work to clients and how it feels like you are exposing yourself to them •  How Eric Clapton described it as looking into the face of God •  How Ringo described presenting songs to the rest of the group •  One of Paul’s favorite quotes about creativity:  “Big ideas are so hard to find, so fragile, and so easy to kill. Don’t forget that, all of you that don’t have them.” •  How Jenny was inspired by her stay at Villa Cappelli •  How she stayed “in the now” while here and enjoying •  How she was inspired by the food and cooking at Villa Cappelli •  Steven’s take on cooking and how there are no rules •  Jenny’s take on our creative expression at Villa Cappelli •  Steven’s appreciation of Italian’s “living in the now” and definitely enjoying each moment and each day •  Italians don’t just each to nourish, but sit down, relax and each with the family •  Paul really wants to create a sign that says, “Just calm down!” for guests that come to the villa •  How tours have changed here at the villa from guests really interacting with each other to everyone sitting on their phone posting pics to Facebook •  How one of our guests did something amazing while staying here.  She wouldn’t take a camera with her when she went out.  She instead took her sketch pad and would sketch whatever she saw and then watercolor it. •  Jenny said she was inspired to draw while staying here •  The famous picture of everyone “enjoying” the Pope’s visit •  How we hope to do an unplugged tour at some point •  This great Nature Valley commercial [embed]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er5IijMC24A" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er5IijMC24A</a>[/embed] •  Again, enjoy Jenny’s book. <a href="http://geni.us/ItsNotOnlyRocknRoll" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Check it out here.</a> •  Again, you can follow Jenny <a href="http://www.thejennyboyd.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">here at her website</a>.

057: It's Not Only Rock 'n' Roll

Jenny Boyd

We are finally back after a very very very busy summer.  But we couldn't resist making some time to sit down with one of our guests, Jenny Boyd, and talk to her about creative and music and her book It's Not Only Rock 'n' Roll. Topics we cover: •  We introduce Jenny Boyd, a recent guest at Villa Cappelli •  She wrote the book It’s Not Only Rock and Roll  Click here to get a copy. •  How Paul grew up with the music Jenny had a first-hand account of this music •  How Jenny is a part of rock and roll nobility if you will •  How music today doesn’t have the same social relevance as it did in the 60s and 70s •  We wonder what has changed, why aren’t artist tapping into the zeitgeist like that used to •  They really had no idea that it was going to be such an important time and that music would be such a big part of it. •  The Beatles were like the first boy band •  Jenny was married to Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac •  How Jenny and Mick meet •  Pattie Boyd is Jenny’s sister, who was married to George Harrison of the Beatles and later Eric Clapton •  Jenny talks about how Pattie and George met •  How Eric Clapton wooed Jenny away from George, writing Layla for her while Pattie and George were still together Here's the song on iTunes and below are the lyrics: [Verse 1] What will you do when you get lonely And nobody is waiting by your side? You have been running and hiding much too long You know it is just your foolish pride [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Verse 2] I tried to give you consolation When your old man had let you down Like a fool, I fell in love with you You turned my whole world upside down [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Verse 3] Let us make the best of the situation Before I finally go insane Please, don’t say we will never find a way And tell me all my love in vain [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? •  How Paul likes Bell Bottom Blues from the same album •  The drive is very key for all the artists Jenny interviewed •  They also had a sense of destiny.  For example, Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills &amp; Nash said he just knew they were going to be famous •  Jenny went to San Fransisco in the 60s and had an “ah-ha” moment •  When she moved to San Fransisco, they were all tapping into the zeitgeist •  How the musicians hung out with royals and everyone was just equal •  How Paul thinks pot had something to do with it •  Paul’s memory of disc eaters •  Paul’s story of when Rumors came out and smoking when his Mom was visiting •  How the song Jennifer Juniper was written about Jenny by Donovan [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtcXDCxh7w[/embed] "Jennifer Juniper" Jennifer Juniper, lives upon the hill Jennifer Juniper, sitting very still Is she sleeping? I don't think so Is she breathing? Yes, very low Whatcha doing, Jennifer, my love? Jennifer Juniper, rides a dappled mare Jennifer Juniper, lilacs in her hair Is she dreaming? Yes, I think so Is she pretty? Yes, ever so Whatcha doing, Jennifer, my love? I'm thinking of what it would be like if she loved me How just lately this happy song, it came along And I like to somehow try and tell you Jennifer Juniper, hair of golden flax Jennifer Juniper, longs for what she lacks Do you like her? Yes, I do, sir Would you love her? Yes, I would, sir Whatcha doing, Jennifer, my love? Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper, vit sur la colline Jennifer Juniper, assise très tranquille Dort-elle? Je ne crois pas Respire-t-elle? Oui, mais tout bas Qu'est-ce que tu fais, Jenny, mon amour? Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper   •  Jenny went to India with the Beatles •  How the Beatles influenced people to start meditating •  How they were met at the airport by Mia Farrow •  How the Beatles would come up with songs on the roof of where they were staying and a lot of those songs ended up on The White Album •  What the book is about, which is that we all have a creative potential •  One common thread explored in the book is the “muse” •  Abraham Maslow coined the term “peak experience” •  How many of the artist had never talked about before where their creativity comes from •  How some of the artists said if they didn’t write the inspiration down when they had it, say in bed, then they would later hear it and someone else had actually “picked it up” and written it down •  How when the inspiration visits, it visits, and you have to answer the call at that moment •  How Paul creates starting with a visual, and that is the middle of the story, then you create by writing going back to the start and then the end •  How the artists see themselves as just the messengers •  How Jenny interviewed 75 artists •  How it sounds like a great Netflix series •  How it would be hard to do a book like this now •  How Jenny had a calling card when contacting the artists •  How the bands would get so connected to each other that they would all start on the same wrong verse together •  How runners can tap into the peak experience as well •  Jenny was in love with Buddy Holly when she was young •  Jenny talks about her experience when John Lennon died •  We talk a little about Catcher in the Rye, a book Paul has never finished •  How artistic expression can move us in so many ways •  Jenny’s website is:  http://www.thejennyboyd.com/ •  Paul asks for some of Jenny’s favorite songs: “Things we said today” by the Beatles [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NItAlTsPuQg[/embed] "Things We Said Today" You say you will love me If I have to go You'll be thinking of me Somehow I will know Someday when I'm lonely Wishing you weren't so far away Then I will remember Things we said today You say you'll be mine, girl Till the end of time These days such a kind girl Seems so hard to find Someday when we're dreaming Deep in love, not a lot to say Then we will remember Things we said today Me, I'm just the lucky kind Love to hear you say that love is luck And though we may be blind Love is here to stay and that's enough To make you mine, girl Be the only one Love me all the time, girl We'll go on and on Someday when we're dreaming Deep in love, not a lot to say Then we will remember Things we said today Me, I'm just the lucky kind Love to hear you say that love is luck Though we may be blind Love is here to stay and that's enough To make you mine, girl Be the only one Love me all the time, girl We'll go on and on Someday when we're dreaming Deep in love, not a lot to say Then we will remember Things we said today     “I put a spell on you” by Nina Simone [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2k52n_Bvw[/embed]   "I Put A Spell On You" I put a spell on you 'Cause you're mine You better stop the things you do I ain't lyin' No I ain't lyin' You know I can't stand it You're runnin' around You know better daddy I can't stand it cause you put me down Yeah, Yeah I put a spell on you Because you're mine You're mine I love ya I love you I love you I love you anyhow And I don't care If you don't want me I'm yours right now You hear me I put a spell on you Because you're mine   “Further on up the road” by Bobby Bland [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRZCdJ4n60Q[/embed] Further on up the road, someone gonna hurt you like you hurt me Further on up the road, someone gonna hurt you like you hurt me Further on up the road, baby you just wait and see You got to reap just what you sow, that old saying is true You got to reap just what you sow, that old saying is true Like you mistreat someone, someone's gonna mistreat you Now you're laughing pretty baby, someday you're gonna be crying Now you're laughing pretty baby, some, someday you're gonna be crying Further on up the road, you'll find out I wasn't lying Yeah, baby, further on up the road, baby, hmmm, you'll find out I wasn't lying Further on up the road, when you're all alone and blue Further on up the road, when you're all alone and blue You're gonna ask me to take you back baby, but I'll have somebody new Hmmm, baby, further on up the road Hmmm, baby, further on up the road Hmmm, you'll get yours “Landslide” by Stevie Nix [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sQ7cuYgjzw[/embed]"Landslide" I took my love, I took it down I climbed a mountain and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills 'Till the landslide brought me down Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life? Well, I've been afraid of changing 'Cause I've built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I'm getting older too Well, I've been afraid of changing 'Cause I've built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I'm getting older too Oh, I'm getting older too Oh, take my love, take it down Oh, climb a mountain and turn around And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills Well the landslide will bring it down And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills Well the landslide will bring it down, oh oh The landslide will bring it down   •  How Paul appreciates The Beatles’ songs more as he gets older •  Paul tells his story about George Michael and The Beatles •  One of Paul’s favorite Beatles’ songs at the time was Hey Jude, and he explains why •  Paul talks about preferring Christine McVie over Stevie Nicks •  Jenny talks about how Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mack •  How when Stevie joined the band it totally changed their sound •  Jenny talks just a bit about her time at Villa Cappelli If you liked this podcast, we do a second recap podcast with Jenny in the next one.  What do you think?  Did we miss out on asking Jenny a question?  What would you ask her?  Let us know in the comments (and she just may respond herself!).

We are finally back after a very very very busy summer.  But we couldn't resist making some time to sit down with one of our guests, Jenny Boyd, and talk to her about creative and music and her book <a href="http://geni.us/ItsNotOnlyRocknRoll" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">It's Not Only Rock 'n' Roll</a>. Topics we cover: •  We introduce Jenny Boyd, a recent guest at Villa Cappelli <a href="http://geni.us/ItsNotOnlyRocknRoll" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>•  She wrote the book It’s Not Only Rock and Roll  <a href="http://geni.us/ItsNotOnlyRocknRoll" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to get a copy</a>. •  How Paul grew up with the music Jenny had a first-hand account of this music •  How Jenny is a part of rock and roll nobility if you will •  How music today doesn’t have the same social relevance as it did in the 60s and 70s •  We wonder what has changed, why aren’t artist tapping into the zeitgeist like that used to •  They really had no idea that it was going to be such an important time and that music would be such a big part of it. •  The Beatles were like the first boy band •  Jenny was married to Mick Fleetwood of <a href="http://geni.us/FleetwoodMacGeneral" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fleetwood Mac</a> •  How Jenny and Mick meet •  Pattie Boyd is Jenny’s sister, who was married to George Harrison of the <a href="http://geni.us/TheBeatlesGeneral" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Beatles</a> and later Eric Clapton •  Jenny talks about how Pattie and George met •  How Eric Clapton wooed Jenny away from George, writing Layla for her while Pattie and George were still together <a href="http://geni.us/ClaptonLayla" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Here's the song on iTunes</a> and below are the lyrics: [Verse 1] What will you do when you get lonely And nobody is waiting by your side? You have been running and hiding much too long You know it is just your foolish pride [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Verse 2] I tried to give you consolation When your old man had let you down Like a fool, I fell in love with you You turned my whole world upside down [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Verse 3] Let us make the best of the situation Before I finally go insane Please, don’t say we will never find a way And tell me all my love in vain [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? [Chorus] Layla, you’ve got me on my knees Layla, I am begging, darling, please Layla Darling, won't you ease my worried mind? •  How Paul likes <a href="http://geni.us/BellBottomBlues" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Bell Bottom Blues</a> from the same album •  The drive is very key for all the artists Jenny interviewed •  They also had a sense of destiny.  For example, Graham Nash of <a href="http://geni.us/CrosbyStillsAndNash" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Crosby, Stills &amp; Nash</a> said he just knew they were going to be famous •  Jenny went to San Fransisco in the 60s and had an “ah-ha” moment •  When she moved to San Fransisco, they were all tapping into the zeitgeist •  How the musicians hung out with royals and everyone was just equal •  How Paul thinks pot had something to do with it •  Paul’s memory of disc eaters •  Paul’s story of when <a href="http://geni.us/RumoursFleetwoodMac" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Rumors</a> came out and smoking when his Mom was visiting •  How the song <a href="http://geni.us/JenniferJuniper" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Jennifer Juniper</a> was written about Jenny by Donovan [embed]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtcXDCxh7w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCtcXDCxh7w</a>[/embed] "Jennifer Juniper" Jennifer Juniper, lives upon the hill Jennifer Juniper, sitting very still Is she sleeping? I don't think so Is she breathing? Yes, very low Whatcha doing, Jennifer, my love? Jennifer Juniper, rides a dappled mare Jennifer Juniper, lilacs in her hair Is she dreaming? Yes, I think so Is she pretty? Yes, ever so Whatcha doing, Jennifer, my love? I'm thinking of what it would be like if she loved me How just lately this happy song, it came along And I like to somehow try and tell you Jennifer Juniper, hair of golden flax Jennifer Juniper, longs for what she lacks Do you like her? Yes, I do, sir Would you love her? Yes, I would, sir Whatcha doing, Jennifer, my love? Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper, vit sur la colline Jennifer Juniper, assise très tranquille Dort-elle? Je ne crois pas Respire-t-elle? Oui, mais tout bas Qu'est-ce que tu fais, Jenny, mon amour? Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper Jennifer Juniper •  Jenny went to India with the Beatles •  How the Beatles influenced people to start meditating •  How they were met at the airport by Mia Farrow •  How the Beatles would come up with songs on the roof of where they were staying and a lot of those songs ended up on <a href="http://geni.us/TheWhiteAlbum" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The White Album</a> •  What the book is about, which is that we all have a creative potential •  One common thread explored in the book is the “muse” •  Abraham Maslow coined the term “peak experience” •  How many of the artist had never talked about before where their creativity comes from •  How some of the artists said if they didn’t write the inspiration down when they had it, say in bed, then they would later hear it and someone else had actually “picked it up” and written it down •  How when the inspiration visits, it visits, and you have to answer the call at that moment •  How Paul creates starting with a visual, and that is the middle of the story, then you create by writing going back to the start and then the end •  How the artists see themselves as just the messengers •  How Jenny interviewed 75 artists •  How it sounds like a great Netflix series •  How it would be hard to do a book like this now •  How Jenny had a calling card when contacting the artists •  How the bands would get so connected to each other that they would all start on the same wrong verse together •  How runners can tap into the peak experience as well •  Jenny was in love with <a href="http://geni.us/BuddyHolly" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Buddy Holly</a> when she was young •  Jenny talks about her experience when John Lennon died •  We talk a little about <a href="http://geni.us/CatcherinTheRye" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Catcher in the Rye</a>, a book Paul has never finished •  How artistic expression can move us in so many ways •  Jenny’s website is:  <a href="http://www.thejennyboyd.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.thejennyboyd.com/</a> •  Paul asks for some of Jenny’s favorite songs: “<a href="http://geni.us/ThingsWeSaidToday" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Things we said today</a>” by the Beatles [embed]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NItAlTsPuQg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NItAlTsPuQg</a>[/embed] "Things We Said Today" You say you will love me If I have to go You'll be thinking of me Somehow I will know Someday when I'm lonely Wishing you weren't so far away Then I will remember Things we said today You say you'll be mine, girl Till the end of time These days such a kind girl Seems so hard to find Someday when we're dreaming Deep in love, not a lot to say Then we will remember Things we said today Me, I'm just the lucky kind Love to hear you say that love is luck And though we may be blind Love is here to stay and that's enough To make you mine, girl Be the only one Love me all the time, girl We'll go on and on Someday when we're dreaming Deep in love, not a lot to say Then we will remember Things we said today Me, I'm just the lucky kind Love to hear you say that love is luck Though we may be blind Love is here to stay and that's enough To make you mine, girl Be the only one Love me all the time, girl We'll go on and on Someday when we're dreaming Deep in love, not a lot to say Then we will remember Things we said today “<a href="http://geni.us/IPutASpellOnYou" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">I put a spell on you</a>” by Nina Simone [embed]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2k52n_Bvw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua2k52n_Bvw</a>[/embed] "I Put A Spell On You" I put a spell on you 'Cause you're mine You better stop the things you do I ain't lyin' No I ain't lyin' You know I can't stand it You're runnin' around You know better daddy I can't stand it cause you put me down Yeah, Yeah I put a spell on you Because you're mine You're mine I love ya I love you I love you I love you anyhow And I don't care If you don't want me I'm yours right now You hear me I put a spell on you Because you're mine “<a href="http://geni.us/FurtherOnUpTheRoad" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Further on up the road</a>” by Bobby Bland [embed]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRZCdJ4n60Q" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRZCdJ4n60Q</a>[/embed] Further on up the road, someone gonna hurt you like you hurt me Further on up the road, someone gonna hurt you like you hurt me Further on up the road, baby you just wait and see You got to reap just what you sow, that old saying is true You got to reap just what you sow, that old saying is true Like you mistreat someone, someone's gonna mistreat you Now you're laughing pretty baby, someday you're gonna be crying Now you're laughing pretty baby, some, someday you're gonna be crying Further on up the road, you'll find out I wasn't lying Yeah, baby, further on up the road, baby, hmmm, you'll find out I wasn't lying Further on up the road, when you're all alone and blue Further on up the road, when you're all alone and blue You're gonna ask me to take you back baby, but I'll have somebody new Hmmm, baby, further on up the road Hmmm, baby, further on up the road Hmmm, you'll get yours “<a href="http://geni.us/Landslide" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Landslide</a>” by Stevie Nix [embed]<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sQ7cuYgjzw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sQ7cuYgjzw</a>[/embed]"Landslide" I took my love, I took it down I climbed a mountain and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills 'Till the landslide brought me down Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life? Well, I've been afraid of changing 'Cause I've built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I'm getting older too Well, I've been afraid of changing 'Cause I've built my life around you But time makes you bolder Even children get older And I'm getting older too Oh, I'm getting older too Oh, take my love, take it down Oh, climb a mountain and turn around And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills Well the landslide will bring it down And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills Well the landslide will bring it down, oh oh The landslide will bring it down •  How Paul appreciates The Beatles’ songs more as he gets older •  Paul tells his story about George Michael and The Beatles •  One of Paul’s favorite Beatles’ songs at the time was <a href="http://geni.us/HeyJude" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Hey Jude</a>, and he explains why •  Paul talks about preferring Christine McVie over Stevie Nicks •  Jenny talks about how Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mack •  How when Stevie joined the band it totally changed their sound •  Jenny talks just a bit about her time at Villa Cappelli If you liked this podcast, we do a second recap podcast with Jenny in the next one.  What do you think?  Did we miss out on asking Jenny a question?  What would you ask her?  Let us know in the comments (and she just may respond herself!).

056: Jenny Boyd "Rock 'n' Roll Nobility"

Direct from Italy!  Follow the adventures of two Americans running a villa in Puglia, Italy, and learn all about Italian the culture, people, food and fun.  Every week, we’ll share our lives with you and what life in Italy is really like especially for two Americans. From Italian recipes to travel in Italy to interviews with others who share the same Italian spirit, we’ll cover it all.  So come along for the ride and discover that life is better when you put a little Italian into it.

Love the duo&#39;s dynamic insight! Makes me miss Italy and want to see Puglia thru their eyes.

Awesome

Super fun but also inspired me to do more with life! Great content and fun!

How fun!

Living Villa Cappelli

The ol' country is an amazing place to visit, but there's a lot to see and do. So we wanted to provide these easy Italy travel tips for you. While this is not an extensive list by any means, it will give you some basics to help save you time and money when traveling to Italy, and maybe avoid some headaches as well. Topics we cover:  First, our new sponsor Audible.com. Sign up and get a free book AND a free 30 day trial membership. Just go to audiletrial.com/cappelli How our last podcast really touched a nerve on the Internet. Listen to that here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/032-traditional-italian-food-what-not-to-do-when-it-comes-to-cooking-eating-italy/ Now, the all important travel tips for Italy1. Come in the "off-season" Obviously this tip is harder to follow if you're traveling with kids, who are traditionally off in the summer months, but if you can make it during April, May, September, and October, Italy can be a little easier to navigate for a few reasons.  It's a lot cooler. July and August can be brutal in Italy. So if you can make it during the late spring or early fall, you're more likely to find much nicer weather. Tons of great fresh fruits and vegetables. Fall is almost like a second spring in Puglia, and a lot of amazing produce comes back into season after a hot summer. You'll avoid the crowds of the high season. If you're traveling to any of the major destinations like Rome or Venice, the crowds can be overwhelming at times. But during the off-season, the city takes on a whole new life. My first time in Venice was in January, and I thought it was amazing. Mainly because Paul and I were about the only tourist on the street. So it felt like we had the city all to ourselves. 2. Plan to come more than once — or for an extended period of timeThere is sooo much to see in Italy. And if you are coming for the first time, you'll want to hit the major hot spots first. A lot people have a very specific idea of what Italy is like based on what they've seen in movies or on television. And a lot of that based on Rome or Tuscany or Venice. So you might want to plan on hitting at least one of two of these areas so you won't be disappointed in Italy not living up to what you have in mind. And we definitely recommend visiting those places, as they are iconic for a reason. But after that, whether it's after your first week or your first trip, try and visit places like Puglia, Calabria, and Sicily. You'll get a bit more the feeling of what it's like to really live in Italy. A more "authentic" and "old world" tour if you will. Plus, since you're "off the beaten path," i.e. not the major, major tourist sites, you can avoid the crowds.3. Skip the big bus tour packagesWhile these kinds of tours have their place, they probably aren't in Italy. Italy is meant to be savored like a fine wine. These trips try to cram as much into each day as possible, starting with having your luggage outside your hotel door by 5:30 AM. So don't be afraid to "go it alone." Italians love tourists and are always willing to help you, even if it's only through sign language because you don't speak the same language. If still want a guide, so for something smaller.  We work with an agency called HETravel who puts together some nice small tours usually of no more than 15-20 people.  Here the culinary tour that do with us as an example: http://hetravel.com/tour/gay-travel-italy-puglia-villa-culinary-experience/ We've also worked with tons of travelers to design personal tours for them while staying at the villa. If interested, you can click the tab above that says Stay at the Villa. Full disclosure: I have not experienced one of these trips myself in Italy, but I have heard nothing but bad accounts from others who have done them here. If you know differently, just let us know in the comments. 4. Travel with friends and family and use sites like VRBO, Homeaway and FlipkeyIf you are not familiar with these sites, these are sites that allow you to rent homes, like our villa, directly from the owner. VRBO stands for Vacation Rental By Owner. One of Homeaway's newest ad campaign says, "Whole House. Whole Family. Whole Vacation." Which pretty much sums up the idea. While you all still get the privacy of your own room, your family gets the privacy of an entire home. You don't have to share your vacation with anyone! And the savings can be phenomenal. This Homeaway info graphic does an amazing job describing the advantage. 5. Don't eat at restaurants that have pictures of the food on the menuWhile you might be afraid of getting something wrong ordering in a language you aren't familiar with, these restaurants usually cater to the masses and are just pumping out food...just food, not necessarily good food.Trust your waiter to bring you the best in the house.Ask locals, like a cop or garbage man, yes, the workers, and they'll send you to the local places that will give you great food at a great price. If language is an issue, but sure to check out a site like TripAdvisor before you leave. Be aware, most hotel concierge people are going to send you to a restaurant that has cut a deal with the hotel to send them customers. Paul recommends going somewhere where you don't have to order off a menu. While this sounds strange, just sit down, ask the waiter what they are making that day or what is good that day. This will usually ensure you are getting fresh, amazing food that is a specialty of the chef.6. Try to fly as close to your final destination as possible, forgetting the train or carUnless you are a large family, this will save you a lot of time, energy and headaches. So what do we mean? Say you are flying from in from the states and you are landing in Italy in Rome or Milan, but your final destination is Puglia. Book a flight that takes you to Bari. Don't get off at Rome, then attempt to drive or train the final leg of the trip. When driving, you have to figure in the cost of the rental, the cost of gas (NOT cheap in Italy) and the cost of tolls (also not cheap). So at the end of the day, it won't save you much money at all and take you easily twice as long if not longer. The train isn't much better. You have to deal with getting your bags in Rome, lugging them to the train, and paying for a ticket, which is usually the same amount as a plane ticket. Plus, again, it takes a lot longer. When you fly from the major hubs into the smaller airports, customs is almost non-existent, so you'll fly right through and there's a lot less waiting time for your bags as well. 7. When taking a flight inside of Italy, use the company's .it siteThis goes mainly for Alitalia.it: https://www.alitalia.com/it_it/ You can easily save a hundred Euro or more booking a ticket through this site. Use Google translate if you're nervous about booking anything in the foreign language, but it's all pretty basic at the end of the day. NOTE: This is for INTERNAL flights while your staying in Italy. So if landed in Rome, spent a few days in Rome,and now want to fly to Venice. This in what this is for. You do not want to use this if you are flying into Rome and want to then fly to Venice that same day (your final destination). You want to book your flight all they way through to final destination then (see tip above), otherwise you might get a airline attendant who refuses to book your luggage all the way through to your final destination, saying you bought to separate tickets so it's impossible. This is not true, but it just depends on who you get. This would mean you'd have to get you bags in Rome and then recheck in, go through security again, and spend a lot of time waiting in lines, which you don't want to do.  So use this only if you are flying around within Italy after being here awhile. Also, don't forget Alitalia is not the only airline to choose from. Look at Ryan Air or EasyJet as well. 8. Bring a portable luggage scaleAirlines are getting more and more strict about luggage weight. So if you plan on picking up some souvenirs while in Italy, be sure you're not overweight and spending a lot of extra money just to get them home. This especially true if you are traveling via one of the discount airlines I mentioned above like RyanAir or EasyJet. They don't charge you much for a ticket, so they are trying to make money anyway they can and can be very strict when it comes to weight. Here's a link to one on Amazon: http://geni.us/1OcJ9. Watch your bags &amp; do NOT trust a stranger to watch your bagsThis goes for whether you're taking a car, bus, train or plane. Crime is not rampant here by any means, but it happens. You get off a train and start looking at your map or guidebook.  The thief easy grabs your back and jumps on the train. And before you know, it the doors have closed and the thief and your bag are off to the next destination. We actually had a friend who stay with us recently who asked the bus driver to watch his bag while he went inside. When he came back out, the bus and his bag were gone. Listen to the podcast for the full story on that one.10. Get going earlyYes, you are on vacation. Yes, you'd love to sleep in. But, I can't recommend the mornings enough in Italy. 1. You'll avoid a lot of the tourist crowds. Especially if you are in the major cities like Rome or Venice, this can be especially magical as you really do see the city in a whole new way. 2. Italy is just so gorgeous in the morning. The light and the silence seem to transport you right into the old world. 3. You'll get a lot of sight seeing in, then you can just relax, have a long lunch and live like an Italian. Plus, you might find a lot of places closed in the afternoon, so you can't do a lot anyway. And, come summer, you might not want to be walking around the Italian sun during those hours anyway!11.  Sleep on the flight overTake a sleeping pill or a couple big glasses of wine, whatever it takes! Even if you just get 5 hours or so on that flight, you'll wake up and be in Italy and can enjoy a full day in Italy rather than taking a whole day (or two or three) to recover in your hotel room. In other words, you hit the ground running and get a lot more into your vacation starting from day one!11B. If you need alcohol to get your sleep in, buy it at Duty Free before you leaveGet a small bottle, open it on the plane and have a much more affordable drink that you would buying your alcohol from the airlines. Remember, however, if you are connecting to another flight in Italy that same day, you will need to leave ther remaining alcohol behind on the plane. You have to go through security again when you land in Rome or Milan before making your connection, and you won't be able to take an open bottle through security.12. Use an ATM to get your cashDo NOT exchange your money at the currency exchange booth at the airport! You will be spending WAY more money than necessary. Plus, then what do you do with all that cash? Carry it around with you? Leave it in the hotel? You're also going to get the best exchange rate this way as well. Hands down.13. Be prepared to pay in cashSome places will not take credit cards. They may say their phone line is down or the credit card machine is not working, but really, they just want you to pay in cash. See #12 above on tips about getting this cash. Also, many will not take American Express or Discover. Bring your Visa or Mastercard. 14. Use Skype and WhatsApp to communicate back homeThink about when you will be using your phone to call home. Mostly back at your hotel or rental home. Which usually have WiFi nowdays. Both of these applications work over the Internet. Skype is more for calling, WhatsApp is for texting. Both are free to download to your phone. Here are the links: Click here for Skype. Click here to get WhatsApp. Have whoever you want to call in the states download Skype to their phone or computer, set up an account, and you can call them for FREE. If that's too much work, you can also add $10 to your Skype account, and make international calls for pennies. WhatsApp is the same principal, except its mostly for texts. Just have whoever you are wanting to text download WhatsApp to their phone. 15. Let your bank or credit card company know you are leaving the countryYour bank or credit card company is always trying to protect you from identity theft. So if they see a charge from Italy and they don't know you are traveling there, they could easy freeze your account.16. When renting a car, use the local Italian sites just like the airlinesPaul threw this tip on the podcast. He says put you are a resident of Italy, but you can still put in your American information. Basically, tell them you are coming from Italy, and you'll get a much better rate.17. Be aware of everything closing between 1PM and 4PMWe've talked about this before, unless you are in major cities, a lot of times you'll find shop owners go home from lunch. So they go home, eat their pasta, and then take a nap. Now they will stay open later, until 8 or 9 PM, but if you are traveling in and around smaller towns, be aware you could be stuck not even finding a restaurant open. So plan accordingly.18. You have to call a taxi — if there's even one aroundAt places like Rome or Milan, you will find them at the airports or at a taxi stand. But they are not so common otherwise. If you need one, be sure to ask your hotel, rental home owner or restaurant to call one for you.19. If you order a martini, you will not get an American martiniNormally, if you just say you want a martini, they will serve a drink called Martini Bianco. A sweet drink served over ice. Even if you use terms like James Bond to get them to understand what you want, be careful in that a lot of people want to make you a mixed drink. So they will put two parts vodka to one part vermouth, and they'll use a sweet vermouth instead of dry vermouth. It's just all wrong. Try and head off this problem and explain what you really want if you can. Or stick to vodka on the rocks or wine!   So that's it for our Italy travel tips. Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to sign up for our newsletter below to get tips, trick, recipes and more every Thursday.

The ol' country is an amazing place to visit, but there's a lot to see and do. So we wanted to provide these easy Italy travel tips for you. While this is not an extensive list by any means, it will give you some basics to help save you time and money when traveling to Italy, and maybe avoid some headaches as well. Topics we cover: <ul> <li>First, our new sponsor <a href="http://Audible.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audible.com</a>. Sign up and get a free book AND a free 30 day trial membership. Just go to <a href="http://www.audiletrial.com/cappelli" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">audiletrial.com/cappelli</a></li> <li>How our last podcast really touched a nerve on the Internet. Listen to that here: <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/032-traditional-italian-food-what-not-to-do-when-it-comes-to-cooking-eating-italy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/032-traditional-italian-food-what-not-to-do-when-it-comes-to-cooking-eating-italy/</a></li></ul>  Now, the all important travel tips for Italy 1. Come in the "off-season" Obviously this tip is harder to follow if you're traveling with kids, who are traditionally off in the summer months, but if you can make it during April, May, September, and October, Italy can be a little easier to navigate for a few reasons. <ol> <li>It's a lot cooler. July and August can be brutal in Italy. So if you can make it during the late spring or early fall, you're more likely to find much nicer weather.</li> <li>Tons of great fresh fruits and vegetables. Fall is almost like a second spring in Puglia, and a lot of amazing produce comes back into season after a hot summer.</li> <li>You'll avoid the crowds of the high season. If you're traveling to any of the major destinations like Rome or Venice, the crowds can be overwhelming at times. But during the off-season, the city takes on a whole new life. My first time in Venice was in January, and I thought it was amazing. Mainly because Paul and I were about the only tourist on the street. So it felt like we had the city all to ourselves.</li></ol> 2. Plan to come more than once — or for an extended period of time There is sooo much to see in Italy. And if you are coming for the first time, you'll want to hit the major hot spots first. A lot people have a very specific idea of what Italy is like based on what they've seen in movies or on television. And a lot of that based on Rome or Tuscany or Venice. So you might want to plan on hitting at least one of two of these areas so you won't be disappointed in Italy not living up to what you have in mind. And we definitely recommend visiting those places, as they are iconic for a reason. But after that, whether it's after your first week or your first trip, try and visit places like Puglia, Calabria, and Sicily. You'll get a bit more the feeling of what it's like to really live in Italy. A more "authentic" and "old world" tour if you will. Plus, since you're "off the beaten path," i.e. not the major, major tourist sites, you can avoid the crowds.3. Skip the big bus tour packages While these kinds of tours have their place, they probably aren't in Italy. Italy is meant to be savored like a fine wine. These trips try to cram as much into each day as possible, starting with having your luggage outside your hotel door by 5:30 AM. So don't be afraid to "go it alone." Italians love tourists and are always willing to help you, even if it's only through sign language because you don't speak the same language. If still want a guide, so for something smaller.  We work with an agency called HETravel who puts together some nice small tours usually of no more than 15-20 people.  Here the culinary tour that do with us as an example: <a href="http://hetravel.com/tour/gay-travel-italy-puglia-villa-culinary-experience/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://hetravel.com/tour/gay-travel-italy-puglia-villa-culinary-experience/</a> We've also worked with tons of travelers to design personal tours for them while staying at the villa. If interested, you can click the tab above that says <a href="http://www.vcvilla.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stay at the Villa</a>. Full disclosure: I have not experienced one of these trips myself in Italy, but I have heard nothing but bad accounts from others who have done them here. If you know differently, just let us know in the comments. 4. Travel with friends and family and use sites like VRBO, Homeaway and Flipkey If you are not familiar with these sites, these are sites that allow you to rent homes, like our villa, directly from the owner. VRBO stands for Vacation Rental By Owner. One of Homeaway's newest ad campaign says, "Whole House. Whole Family. Whole Vacation." Which pretty much sums up the idea. While you all still get the privacy of your own room, your family gets the privacy of an entire home. You don't have to share your vacation with anyone! And the savings can be phenomenal. This Homeaway info graphic does an amazing job describing the advantage. 5. Don't eat at restaurants that have pictures of the food on the menu While you might be afraid of getting something wrong ordering in a language you aren't familiar with, these restaurants usually cater to the masses and are just pumping out food...just food, not necessarily good food.Trust your waiter to bring you the best in the house. Ask locals, like a cop or garbage man, yes, the workers, and they'll send you to the local places that will give you great food at a great price. If language is an issue, but sure to check out a site like TripAdvisor before you leave. Be aware, most hotel concierge people are going to send you to a restaurant that has cut a deal with the hotel to send them customers. Paul recommends going somewhere where you don't have to order off a menu. While this sounds strange, just sit down, ask the waiter what they are making that day or what is good that day. This will usually ensure you are getting fresh, amazing food that is a specialty of the chef.6. Try to fly as close to your final destination as possible, forgetting the train or car Unless you are a large family, this will save you a lot of time, energy and headaches. So what do we mean? Say you are flying from in from the states and you are landing in Italy in Rome or Milan, but your final destination is Puglia. Book a flight that takes you to Bari. Don't get off at Rome, then attempt to drive or train the final leg of the trip. When driving, you have to figure in the cost of the rental, the cost of gas (NOT cheap in Italy) and the cost of tolls (also not cheap). So at the end of the day, it won't save you much money at all and take you easily twice as long if not longer. The train isn't much better. You have to deal with getting your bags in Rome, lugging them to the train, and paying for a ticket, which is usually the same amount as a plane ticket. Plus, again, it takes a lot longer. When you fly from the major hubs into the smaller airports, customs is almost non-existent, so you'll fly right through and there's a lot less waiting time for your bags as well. 7. When taking a flight inside of Italy, use the company's .it site This goes mainly for <a href="http://Alitalia.it" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Alitalia.it</a>: <a href="https://www.alitalia.com/it_it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.alitalia.com/it_it/</a> You can easily save a hundred Euro or more booking a ticket through this site. Use Google translate if you're nervous about booking anything in the foreign language, but it's all pretty basic at the end of the day. NOTE: This is for INTERNAL flights while your staying in Italy. So if landed in Rome, spent a few days in Rome,and now want to fly to Venice. This in what this is for. You do not want to use this if you are flying into Rome and want to then fly to Venice that same day (your final destination). You want to book your flight all they way through to final destination then (see tip above), otherwise you might get a airline attendant who refuses to book your luggage all the way through to your final destination, saying you bought to separate tickets so it's impossible. This is not true, but it just depends on who you get. This would mean you'd have to get you bags in Rome and then recheck in, go through security again, and spend a lot of time waiting in lines, which you don't want to do.  So use this only if you are flying around within Italy after being here awhile. Also, don't forget Alitalia is not the only airline to choose from. Look at Ryan Air or EasyJet as well. 8. Bring a portable luggage scale Airlines are getting more and more strict about luggage weight. So if you plan on picking up some souvenirs while in Italy, be sure you're not overweight and spending a lot of extra money just to get them home. This especially true if you are traveling via one of the discount airlines I mentioned above like RyanAir or EasyJet. They don't charge you much for a ticket, so they are trying to make money anyway they can and can be very strict when it comes to weight. Here's a link to one on Amazon: <a href="http://geni.us/1OcJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://geni.us/1OcJ</a>9. Watch your bags &amp; do NOT trust a stranger to watch your bags This goes for whether you're taking a car, bus, train or plane. Crime is not rampant here by any means, but it happens. You get off a train and start looking at your map or guidebook.  The thief easy grabs your back and jumps on the train. And before you know, it the doors have closed and the thief and your bag are off to the next destination. We actually had a friend who stay with us recently who asked the bus driver to watch his bag while he went inside. When he came back out, the bus and his bag were gone. Listen to the podcast for the full story on that one.10. Get going early Yes, you are on vacation. Yes, you'd love to sleep in. But, I can't recommend the mornings enough in Italy. 1. You'll avoid a lot of the tourist crowds. Especially if you are in the major cities like Rome or Venice, this can be especially magical as you really do see the city in a whole new way. 2. Italy is just so gorgeous in the morning. The light and the silence seem to transport you right into the old world. 3. You'll get a lot of sight seeing in, then you can just relax, have a long lunch and live like an Italian. Plus, you might find a lot of places closed in the afternoon, so you can't do a lot anyway. And, come summer, you might not want to be walking around the Italian sun during those hours anyway!11.  Sleep on the flight over Take a sleeping pill or a couple big glasses of wine, whatever it takes! Even if you just get 5 hours or so on that flight, you'll wake up and be in Italy and can enjoy a full day in Italy rather than taking a whole day (or two or three) to recover in your hotel room. In other words, you hit the ground running and get a lot more into your vacation starting from day one!11B. If you need alcohol to get your sleep in, buy it at Duty Free before you leave Get a small bottle, open it on the plane and have a much more affordable drink that you would buying your alcohol from the airlines. Remember, however, if you are connecting to another flight in Italy that same day, you will need to leave ther remaining alcohol behind on the plane. You have to go through security again when you land in Rome or Milan before making your connection, and you won't be able to take an open bottle through security.12. Use an ATM to get your cash Do NOT exchange your money at the currency exchange booth at the airport! You will be spending WAY more money than necessary. Plus, then what do you do with all that cash? Carry it around with you? Leave it in the hotel? You're also going to get the best exchange rate this way as well. Hands down.13. Be prepared to pay in cash Some places will not take credit cards. They may say their phone line is down or the credit card machine is not working, but really, they just want you to pay in cash. See #12 above on tips about getting this cash. Also, many will not take American Express or Discover. Bring your Visa or Mastercard.  14. Use Skype and WhatsApp to communicate back home Think about when you will be using your phone to call home. Mostly back at your hotel or rental home. Which usually have WiFi nowdays. Both of these applications work over the Internet. Skype is more for calling, WhatsApp is for texting. Both are free to download to your phone. Here are the links: <a href="http://geni.us/46E0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here for Skype.</a> <a href="http://geni.us/2ahm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to get WhatsApp</a>. Have whoever you want to call in the states download Skype to their phone or computer, set up an account, and you can call them for FREE. If that's too much work, you can also add $10 to your Skype account, and make international calls for pennies. WhatsApp is the same principal, except its mostly for texts. Just have whoever you are wanting to text download WhatsApp to their phone. 15. Let your bank or credit card company know you are leaving the country Your bank or credit card company is always trying to protect you from identity theft. So if they see a charge from Italy and they don't know you are traveling there, they could easy freeze your account.16. When renting a car, use the local Italian sites just like the airlines Paul threw this tip on the podcast. He says put you are a resident of Italy, but you can still put in your American information. Basically, tell them you are coming from Italy, and you'll get a much better rate.17. Be aware of everything closing between 1PM and 4PM We've talked about this before, unless you are in major cities, a lot of times you'll find shop owners go home from lunch. So they go home, eat their pasta, and then take a nap. Now they will stay open later, until 8 or 9 PM, but if you are traveling in and around smaller towns, be aware you could be stuck not even finding a restaurant open. So plan accordingly.18. You have to call a taxi — if there's even one around At places like Rome or Milan, you will find them at the airports or at a taxi stand. But they are not so common otherwise. If you need one, be sure to ask your hotel, rental home owner or restaurant to call one for you.19. If you order a martini, you will not get an American martini Normally, if you just say you want a martini, they will serve a drink called Martini Bianco. A sweet drink served over ice. Even if you use terms like James Bond to get them to understand what you want, be careful in that a lot of people want to make you a mixed drink. So they will put two parts vodka to one part vermouth, and they'll use a sweet vermouth instead of dry vermouth. It's just all wrong. Try and head off this problem and explain what you really want if you can. Or stick to vodka on the rocks or wine! So that's it for our Italy travel tips. Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments below. And be sure to sign up for our newsletter below to get tips, trick, recipes and more every Thursday.

033: 19 Great Italian Travel Tips

What do we think Italians do better than anyone?  Find out in our list below.  But first, a couple of notes. While some of you finding this post will read through this as a blog post, please note these are podcast show notes where Paul and Steven discuss their thoughts on the 21 Things Italians Do Better.  So hopefully you’ll listen to the podcast as well, so any nuances come through. Also note, when we say Italians, we mean Italians living in Italy.  Not Italian-Americans.  While a lot of these apply to both, this is meant to be our observations of Italians living in Italy. So without further ado, here are 21Things Italians Do Better. 1. Food and Cooking Food is so personal and subjective, steeped in tradition.  So while I’m sure many might argue that there are other amazing national cuisines out there, many would agree Italian food is amazing. The secret could be a couple of things.  Most notably, the fact that they eat very seasonally.  Thus the flavors are all very fresh and delicious, at the height of their flavor if you will. So with Italian cooking, dishes can actually be very simple. It’s about highlighting the fresh ingredients, not covering up something with a heavy sauce to hide a flavor. [Note: In the interest of getting these show notes up, I will follow up on the Caterina d’ Medici information we talked about in the podcast.] 2.  Fashion This can be divided into two parts, one part being the actual designers and one being the fashion of Italians every day. So the designer part is easy, as there are lots of big names in the fashion industry, including Versace, Gucci, Valentino, Prada, and Dolce &amp; Gabbana. However, the populous as a whole always ascribes to La Bella Figura, or “The Beautiful Figure.”  Meaning that one is always looks and composes oneself to make the best possible impression. In our experience, this is very much ingrained in a lot of the Italian people, especially older generations, who will not leave the house without dressing up. It’s nice to see so many people with such a sense of style. Paul’s mother is a prime example of this. While most of the time she’s sitting around in old clothes in her room watching TV, if company is coming over or we are going out, she definitely gets her bling on.     3.  They make family a top priority There are many examples of this. They will dote over any kid in the room. They will never leave a kid with a babysitter, like a neighbor or family friend. They feel that’s just not right to leave them like that. Every day (at least in the south), they go home at noon to have lunch with the family. And every Sunday, you must eat with all your family. They have multigenerational families living together, where the grandparents take care of the kids. These are just a few examples, but anyone who’s ever been to any Italians home for Sunday lunch or any special event, sees right away how important family is to every Italian. 4. Italians are great at showing affection Some cultures, well a lot of cultures, have a hard time showing any kind of affection, to family, much less to friends or acquaintances. Italians are much more, shall we say, “touchy-feely.” While they won’t run up and give you a kiss or bear hug on a first greeting, after one or two meetings they will expect the kiss-on-the-cheek greeting. NOTE:  If you’re coming to Italy always remember, go to the right first!  You will touch your left cheek to their left cheek, then reverse and touch your right to cheek to their right cheek.  Actual kissing or kissing sounds are optional, depending on personal preference. Another interesting note for us is how men here have no problem showing affection.  Male fFriends will easily walk arm in arm or put their arm around their male friend at the table.  They have no problem showing affection and don’t think of it as “gay” as say someone might in the states. 5.  Italian really know how to “take it easy” Different but similar to La Dolce Vita, Dolce Far Niente is the “sweet do-nothing”  or the art of doing nothing. La Dolce Vita is enjoying the life around you — the food, the sunsets, riding on the back of the Vespa with your loved one, etc. Dolce Far Niente is defined by Merriam-Webster as “pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness.”  Really, it’s just enjoying doing nothing.  Indulging in relaxation and blissful laziness. The fact that Italians even have a phrase for this concept shows you just how good they are at doing it. Eat Pray Love explains it a bit more:  6.  No one speaks with passion like Italians Maybe it’s because they are so passionate about life, but Italians are very passionate when they are communicating. Doesn’t matter if it’s about politics or the correct driving directions, Italians are very animated when communicating.  7. Italians are amazing designers Pick up any Italian interior design magazine and you’ll be blown away by the beauty and innovation you see on every page.  It really is breathtaking sometimes. Perhaps it comes from a population who truly loves fine art and culture. But from wherever it comes from, Italians do amazing design.  It can be argued when it comes to cars, this had dropped off a bit in recent years. But in other areas, especially home design, I think they still do amazing stuff.  We have a tray, a simple kitchen tray to carry dishes on, that is amazingly simple, beautiful and totally useful.  As Paul says, “It should be form meets function, not form over function.” 8.  Italians enjoy meals like no one else Especially in the south, you’ll find a lot of Italians head home every day for lunch and enjoy a big meal with the family. But it’s really not just about time with the family or getting out of the midday sun —which are also important. For Italians, it really is about enjoying the meal.  Unlike say in the states, where most of the time you are eating for sustenance, because you have to.  Italians sit down and enjoy every single thing on the table. You’ll even notice this even with the way a lot of Italians eat.  They won’t load up a plate full of every different item.  Instead, they eat put one item at a time on their plate, enjoy it, then move on to another item. It’s all about savoring everything.  Buon appetito! 9. Italians rule when it comes to coffee Coffee is almost so ingrained into the Italian lifestyle that when most people think of Italy, they picture sitting at an Italian cafe having an espresso. Here’s it’s a ritual.  There are “rules.” (No cappuccino after noon. Drink it at the counter or table, not on the go. Etc). Many business meetings start with a cup of espresso.  Just about every meal ends with one.  And anytime company comes over, day or night, you always offer them espresso. But perhaps it is such a part of their culture because it’s so good.  They might not be grown their own beans, but they certainly know how to roast it and prepare it. 10.  Nobody cleans house like Italians They hate dust.  They hate dirty clothes.  They hate clutter. We have never seen any dust in any home we visit here in Italy. If they saw a dirty piece of clothing on the ground, they would pick it up, wash it, iron it, and give it back to you. I only wish I had an ounce of the energy they do for housecleaning. 11.  They appreciate fine art like no one else They study art.  They live in it.  It gives them a deeper understanding and appreciation for it that a lot of other cultures just don’t have. This harkens back a bit to the fashion and design points as well.  They just love life and making it beautiful and appreciating it all. 12.  They are very respectful When you first meet a woman, you never refer to her by her first name until she says you can.  Until then, it’s “Signora.” As another example, when we were doing reconstruction here and the architect or engineer would show up on-site, the contractors (who honestly probably knew as much about all the engineering stuff as they did) would always address them with their formal titles.  Not by name. They are always very very respectful of their elders.  As they should be.  But here, they are the leaders of the family.  They are listened to, respected, and obeyed if necessary. 13.  Italians are great politicians It really comes down to the art of the deal.  Italians are great at working the system. When it comes to actually governing, it can easily be debated they are probably not the best.  But if you need to find away to get something done, they can usually find a way around something or work through a friend to help you out. As a good Italian friend once told Paul, “You Americans are great a marketing and sales, but when it comes to politics, you don’t know s***.” I do believe the multi-party system in government tends to exasperate this trait.  Italians have to compromise to get things done.  With a two party system, things tend to be black and white.  Either you are for this or against it. Italians have to navigate the subtleties to get anywhere. 14.  Italians are also very good about personal hygiene Perhaps the biggest example of this is the bidet.  While Paul states the bidet was invented by Italians in the podcast, a lot of people believe it was an invention of the French in the 17th century.   However, the earliest written reference is in Italy in 1710. Either way, Italians are obsessed with them.  I’m actually surprised they can even travel to other countries where you’d be hard-pressed to find one anywhere.   15.  Italians are passionate lovers Not only are the passionate when they speak, Italians love to love.  Whether being classically romantic or lustfully sexual, they are passionate about love and making love. I’ll just leave that one at that.   16.   Italians know about anatomy like no one else When Italians aren't feeling well, they can tell you where they are hurting and what is probably wrong internally. They can name you all the body parts and how they function. Not sure why.  Not sure how.  But Italy is a country full of anatomy loving people. 17. Italians are great drivers Some of you are probably thinking, “What?  They are CRAZY drivers!” While they can drive a little “wild,” Italians do know how to drive very well. You rarely see or hear of many accidents. They obey the passing lane rule on the highway to a fault, never driving in the left-hand lane and only using it for passing. While Paul disagrees with me, I believe they are good at parking. They might not always park in the lines so well, but they can parallel park like nobody's business. They are also very aware of pedestrians in towns, as people are keen on walking out into the middle of the street, so they have to stop on a dime all the time. 18.  No one travels and vacations like Italians They usually are traveling at least two or three times a year and are always planning their next trip. Paul believes they might not be very adventurous on their trips. For example, they might go to Egypt but stay in a resort the entire time.  So they really aren’t seeing Egypt per se. But they do love to explore the world.  I think this still goes back to the deep root of all their culture, where it's all about enjoying life. 19.  Italians are great about keeping it in the family When you talk about stuff that has to with the family, it stays within the family. Family secrets remain family secrets. Which, on a lighter note, is really troublesome when it comes to getting recipes from some of the ladies in town. 20. Italians fish like there’s no one’s business This goes along with our #1 point above food, but specifically, Italians really do seafood very very well, especially in the south. It’s probably not the first thing you think of when you think of Italian food. I’m sure pizza, pasta, and gelato are first on many people’s minds.  But when it comes to catching and preparing fresh seafood, Italians are amazing at it. 21.  No one does drama like Italians Just look at Italian mothers.  Or any famous scene around an Italian dinner table. Or any famous Italian opera. Paul uses the example of the Addolorata.  The Pained Madonna, who is always dressed in black and has a dagger through her heart.  Because of course that’s how every grieving mother feels when her child passes away before her.  “Like a dagger through her heart.”   BONUS:  22. Nobody does extra virgin olive oil like Italians While Spain might produce more volume, Italian extra virgin olive oil is known all over the world over as being amazing, delicious, and nutritious — the best.  Obviously, we are biased in this one, but we honestly do believe that.  And if you want to sign up for our free 4 part email course on how to tell if your extra virgin olive oil is really extra virgin, just click here. Or to try some of the world’s best extra virgin olive oil, you can always head to our site here.       What do you think?  Did we miss something that Italians do better?  Let us know in the comments below.

What do we think Italians do better than anyone?  Find out in our list below.  But first, a couple of notes. While some of you finding this post will read through this as a blog post, please note these are podcast show notes where Paul and Steven discuss their thoughts on the 21 Things Italians Do Better.  So hopefully you’ll listen to the podcast as well, so any nuances come through. Also note, when we say Italians, we mean Italians living in Italy.  Not Italian-Americans.  While a lot of these apply to both, this is meant to be our observations of Italians living in Italy. So without further ado, here are 21Things Italians Do Better. 1. Food and Cooking Food is so personal and subjective, steeped in tradition.  So while I’m sure many might argue that there are other amazing national cuisines out there, many would agree Italian food is amazing. The secret could be a couple of things.  Most notably, the fact that they eat very seasonally.  Thus the flavors are all very fresh and delicious, at the height of their flavor if you will. So with Italian cooking, dishes can actually be very simple. It’s about highlighting the fresh ingredients, not covering up something with a heavy sauce to hide a flavor. [Note: In the interest of getting these show notes up, I will follow up on the Caterina d’ Medici information we talked about in the podcast.] 2.  Fashion This can be divided into two parts, one part being the actual designers and one being the fashion of Italians every day. So the designer part is easy, as there are lots of big names in the fashion industry, including Versace, Gucci, Valentino, Prada, and Dolce &amp; Gabbana. However, the populous as a whole always ascribes to La Bella Figura, or “The Beautiful Figure.”  Meaning that one is always looks and composes oneself to make the best possible impression. In our experience, this is very much ingrained in a lot of the Italian people, especially older generations, who will not leave the house without dressing up. It’s nice to see so many people with such a sense of style. Paul’s mother is a prime example of this. While most of the time she’s sitting around in old clothes in her room watching TV, if company is coming over or we are going out, she definitely gets her bling on.     3.  They make family a top priority There are many examples of this. They will dote over any kid in the room. They will never leave a kid with a babysitter, like a neighbor or family friend. They feel that’s just not right to leave them like that. Every day (at least in the south), they go home at noon to have lunch with the family. And every Sunday, you must eat with all your family. They have multigenerational families living together, where the grandparents take care of the kids. These are just a few examples, but anyone who’s ever been to any Italians home for Sunday lunch or any special event, sees right away how important family is to every Italian. 4. Italians are great at showing affection Some cultures, well a lot of cultures, have a hard time showing any kind of affection, to family, much less to friends or acquaintances. Italians are much more, shall we say, “touchy-feely.” While they won’t run up and give you a kiss or bear hug on a first greeting, after one or two meetings they will expect the kiss-on-the-cheek greeting. NOTE:  If you’re coming to Italy always remember, go to the right first!  You will touch your left cheek to their left cheek, then reverse and touch your right to cheek to their right cheek.  Actual kissing or kissing sounds are optional, depending on personal preference. Another interesting note for us is how men here have no problem showing affection.  Male fFriends will easily walk arm in arm or put their arm around their male friend at the table.  They have no problem showing affection and don’t think of it as “gay” as say someone might in the states. 5.  Italian really know how to “take it easy” Different but similar to La Dolce Vita, Dolce Far Niente is the “sweet do-nothing”  or the art of doing nothing. La Dolce Vita is enjoying the life around you — the food, the sunsets, riding on the back of the Vespa with your loved one, etc. Dolce Far Niente is defined by Merriam-Webster as “pleasant relaxation in carefree idleness.”  Really, it’s just enjoying doing nothing.  Indulging in relaxation and blissful laziness. The fact that Italians even have a phrase for this concept shows you just how good they are at doing it. Eat Pray Love explains it a bit more: 6.  No one speaks with passion like Italians Maybe it’s because they are so passionate about life, but Italians are very passionate when they are communicating. Doesn’t matter if it’s about politics or the correct driving directions, Italians are very animated when communicating.  7. Italians are amazing designers Pick up any Italian interior design magazine and you’ll be blown away by the beauty and innovation you see on every page.  It really is breathtaking sometimes. Perhaps it comes from a population who truly loves fine art and culture. But from wherever it comes from, Italians do amazing design.  It can be argued when it comes to cars, this had dropped off a bit in recent years. But in other areas, especially home design, I think they still do amazing stuff.  We have a tray, a simple kitchen tray to carry dishes on, that is amazingly simple, beautiful and totally useful.  As Paul says, “It should be form meets function, not form over function.” 8.  Italians enjoy meals like no one else Especially in the south, you’ll find a lot of Italians head home every day for lunch and enjoy a big meal with the family. But it’s really not just about time with the family or getting out of the midday sun —which are also important. For Italians, it really is about enjoying the meal.  Unlike say in the states, where most of the time you are eating for sustenance, because you have to.  Italians sit down and enjoy every single thing on the table. You’ll even notice this even with the way a lot of Italians eat.  They won’t load up a plate full of every different item.  Instead, they eat put one item at a time on their plate, enjoy it, then move on to another item. It’s all about savoring everything.  Buon appetito! 9. Italians rule when it comes to coffee Coffee is almost so ingrained into the Italian lifestyle that when most people think of Italy, they picture sitting at an Italian cafe having an espresso. Here’s it’s a ritual.  There are “rules.” (No cappuccino after noon. Drink it at the counter or table, not on the go. Etc). Many business meetings start with a cup of espresso.  Just about every meal ends with one.  And anytime company comes over, day or night, you always offer them espresso. But perhaps it is such a part of their culture because it’s so good.  They might not be grown their own beans, but they certainly know how to roast it and prepare it. 10.  Nobody cleans house like Italians They hate dust.  They hate dirty clothes.  They hate clutter. We have never seen any dust in any home we visit here in Italy. If they saw a dirty piece of clothing on the ground, they would pick it up, wash it, iron it, and give it back to you. I only wish I had an ounce of the energy they do for housecleaning. 11.  They appreciate fine art like no one else They study art.  They live in it.  It gives them a deeper understanding and appreciation for it that a lot of other cultures just don’t have. This harkens back a bit to the fashion and design points as well.  They just love life and making it beautiful and appreciating it all. 12.  They are very respectful When you first meet a woman, you never refer to her by her first name until she says you can.  Until then, it’s “Signora.” As another example, when we were doing reconstruction here and the architect or engineer would show up on-site, the contractors (who honestly probably knew as much about all the engineering stuff as they did) would always address them with their formal titles.  Not by name. They are always very very respectful of their elders.  As they should be.  But here, they are the leaders of the family.  They are listened to, respected, and obeyed if necessary. 13.  Italians are great politicians It really comes down to the art of the deal.  Italians are great at working the system. When it comes to actually governing, it can easily be debated they are probably not the best.  But if you need to find away to get something done, they can usually find a way around something or work through a friend to help you out. As a good Italian friend once told Paul, “You Americans are great a marketing and sales, but when it comes to politics, you don’t know s***.” I do believe the multi-party system in government tends to exasperate this trait.  Italians have to compromise to get things done.  With a two party system, things tend to be black and white.  Either you are for this or against it. Italians have to navigate the subtleties to get anywhere. 14.  Italians are also very good about personal hygiene Perhaps the biggest example of this is the bidet.  While Paul states the bidet was invented by Italians in the podcast, a lot of people believe it was an invention of the French in the 17th century.   However, the earliest written reference is in Italy in 1710. Either way, Italians are obsessed with them.  I’m actually surprised they can even travel to other countries where you’d be hard-pressed to find one anywhere.   15.  Italians are passionate lovers Not only are the passionate when they speak, Italians love to love.  Whether being classically romantic or lustfully sexual, they are passionate about love and making love. I’ll just leave that one at that.   16.   Italians know about anatomy like no one else When Italians aren't feeling well, they can tell you where they are hurting and what is probably wrong internally. They can name you all the body parts and how they function. Not sure why.  Not sure how.  But Italy is a country full of anatomy loving people. 17. Italians are great drivers Some of you are probably thinking, “What?  They are CRAZY drivers!” While they can drive a little “wild,” Italians do know how to drive very well. You rarely see or hear of many accidents. They obey the passing lane rule on the highway to a fault, never driving in the left-hand lane and only using it for passing. While Paul disagrees with me, I believe they are good at parking. They might not always park in the lines so well, but they can parallel park like nobody's business. They are also very aware of pedestrians in towns, as people are keen on walking out into the middle of the street, so they have to stop on a dime all the time. 18.  No one travels and vacations like Italians They usually are traveling at least two or three times a year and are always planning their next trip. Paul believes they might not be very adventurous on their trips. For example, they might go to Egypt but stay in a resort the entire time.  So they really aren’t seeing Egypt per se. But they do love to explore the world.  I think this still goes back to the deep root of all their culture, where it's all about enjoying life. 19.  Italians are great about keeping it in the family When you talk about stuff that has to with the family, it stays within the family. Family secrets remain family secrets. Which, on a lighter note, is really troublesome when it comes to getting recipes from some of the ladies in town. 20. Italians fish like there’s no one’s business This goes along with our #1 point above food, but specifically, Italians really do seafood very very well, especially in the south. It’s probably not the first thing you think of when you think of Italian food. I’m sure pizza, pasta, and gelato are first on many people’s minds.  But when it comes to catching and preparing fresh seafood, Italians are amazing at it. 21.  No one does drama like Italians Just look at Italian mothers.  Or any famous scene around an Italian dinner table. Or any famous Italian opera. Paul uses the example of the Addolorata.  The Pained Madonna, who is always dressed in black and has a dagger through her heart.  Because of course that’s how every grieving mother feels when her child passes away before her.  “Like a dagger through her heart.”   BONUS:  22. Nobody does extra virgin olive oil like Italians While Spain might produce more volume, Italian extra virgin olive oil is known all over the world over as being amazing, delicious, and nutritious — the best. Obviously, we are biased in this one, but we honestly do believe that.  And if you want to sign up for our free 4 part email course on how to tell if your extra virgin olive oil is really extra virgin, <a href="http://upvir.al/30075/lp30075" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">just click here.</a> Or to try some of the world’s best extra virgin olive oil, <a href="https://villacappelli.com/collections/extra-virigin-olive-oil/products/villa-cappelli-extra-virgin-olive-oil" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">you can always head to our site here</a>.       What do you think?  Did we miss something that Italians do better?  Let us know in the comments below.

053: 21 Things Italians Do Better

Join us on a trip to the Amalfi Coastline, arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. Learn what we think were definitely the highlights you shouldn't miss. Topics we cover:  It was Paul's birthday recently. So we talk about how you used to not be able to sing Happy Birthday on any television show or movie without paying royalties. Though we are not sure that is true any more. Anyone know for sure? Let us know in the comments. How we made very good time traveling from Villa Cappelli to Amafi, even taking a scenic tour How inexpensive it can be to rent a car in Italy, especially if you are an Italian citizen AutoEurope is the site Paul used to rent the car Paul thinks you should get an international license when coming to Italy and renting a car. Here's one site for that. How we met our friend ???? there to took us all around. It always helps to find a local who can show you around. The driving conditions in Amafi The Emerald Grotto The amazing ceramics shop we visited right across from the caves The big beautiful tables and other vases Our lunch in Priaino, a big beautiful cove where you can eat right on the water The restaurants we ate at in Amafi were good even though it was touristy places How the kid next to us at lunch was eating spaghetti and meatballs which we talk about  this in another podcast and how it is a bit "don't" in Italy How the restaurants there will cater to the tastes of their clientele without really teaching them about the Italian culture The large buses on the winding roads How there are a lot fewer cars on the road at night That night we went to see the procession of Saint Andrew  This link will give your more info on him, but here's the gist: He was probably the brother of Simon Peter. They were both fishermen (so I did see him holding a fishing net), thus the tradition that when Jesus called them to be his disciples, he said he would make them "fisher of men"     How Amafi is a member of the four Maritime Republics — Pisa, Genoa, Venice, Amafi The size of the procession compared to ours in August How the priests had to carry down the statute down the steep stairs Why the saints are only the busts How they set off cannon shots during the procession which can be pretty dang surprising Our dinner of fried fish, Neapolitan pizza, and vodka — the vodka being half the cost of the meal The fireworks of the festival Furore where our hotel La Locanda del Furore was How we feel we compare to the tourism in Amafi How the Amafi coast is probably not for the physically challenged Renting a boat and seeing the coast from a boat and just how beautiful it is We highly recommending renting a boat when you are there to see the coast from the water How you steer away from Amafi during July and August Ravello, one of the most beautiful and amazing spots How Paul realizes he actually was in Amafi years ago The Villa Cimbrone gardens with a terrace 390m or 1,300 ft. high with amazing views How the gardens are so beautiful in Amafi How beautiful the town of Ravello was The amazing horizon pools in Amafi How a trip like this can inspire you to improve your own space The restaurant where we ate lunch on our final day which you can only get to by boat How the Amafi coast reminded of us mix of the south of France and the Greek islands The Monastero Santa Rosa.  I mentioned in the podcast I would scan some photos, but actually their website does an amazing job with a photo tour here. Where the nuns would get mummified back in the day How Steven forgets that outside of Puglia, especially in touristy places like Amafi, others speak English How the radio actually had a segment called "English is the future" and taught listeners English through the song Killing Me Softly  Steven enjoying the boat ride  Paul relaxing in the boat    Paul taking a dip in the blue water   The church in Amalfi  The procession of Saint Andrew  The view from Ravello  Villa Cimbrone gardens    Getting cheeky in the gardens  Our final lunch right on the water   [td_smart_list_end] Here's Paul going Facebook Live during the podcast:   So what'd you think of our trip to the Amalfi Coastline?  What did we miss?  Anything you really want to see?  Let us know in the comments.

Join us on a trip to the Amalfi Coastline, arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. Learn what we think were definitely the highlights you shouldn't miss. Topics we cover: <ul> <li>It was Paul's birthday recently. So we talk about how you used to not be able to sing Happy Birthday on any television show or movie without paying royalties. Though we are not sure that is true any more. Anyone know for sure? Let us know in the comments.</li> <li>How we made very good time traveling from Villa Cappelli to Amafi, even taking a scenic tour</li> <li>How inexpensive it can be to rent a car in Italy, especially if you are an Italian citizen</li> <li>AutoEurope is the site Paul used to rent the car</li> <li>Paul thinks you should get an international license when coming to Italy and renting a car. <a href="http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here's one site for that</a>.</li> <li>How we met our friend ???? there to took us all around. It always helps to find a local who can show you around.</li> <li>The driving conditions in Amafi</li> <li><a href="http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Emerald Grotto</a></li> <li>The amazing ceramics shop we visited right across from the caves</li> <li>The big beautiful tables and other vases</li> <li>Our lunch in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praiano" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Priaino</a>, a big beautiful cove where you can eat right on the water</li> <li>The restaurants we ate at in Amafi were good even though it was touristy places</li> <li>How the kid next to us at lunch was eating spaghetti and meatballs which we talk about  this in <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/032-traditional-italian-food-what-not-to-do-when-it-comes-to-cooking-eating-italy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">another podcast</a> and how it is a bit "don't" in Italy</li> <li>How the restaurants there will cater to the tastes of their clientele without really teaching them about the Italian culture</li> <li>The large buses on the winding roads</li> <li>How there are a lot fewer cars on the road at night</li> <li>That night we went to see the procession of Saint Andrew <ul> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_the_Apostle#Relics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">This link will give your more info on him</a>, but here's the gist: He was probably the brother of Simon Peter. They were both fishermen (so I did see him holding a fishing net), thus the tradition that when Jesus called them to be his disciples, he said he would make them "fisher of men"</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul> <li>How Amafi is a member of the four Maritime Republics — Pisa, Genoa, Venice, Amafi</li> <li>The size of the procession compared to ours in August</li> <li>How the priests had to carry down the statute down the steep stairs</li> <li>Why the saints are only the busts</li> <li>How they set off cannon shots during the procession which can be pretty dang surprising</li> <li>Our dinner of fried fish, Neapolitan pizza, and vodka — the vodka being half the cost of the meal</li> <li>The fireworks of the festival</li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furore" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Furore</a> where our hotel <a href="http://www.lalocandadelfiordo.it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">La Locanda del Furore</a> was</li> <li>How we feel we compare to the tourism in Amafi</li> <li>How the Amafi coast is probably not for the physically challenged</li> <li>Renting a boat and seeing the coast from a boat and just how beautiful it is</li> <li>We highly recommending renting a boat when you are there to see the coast from the water</li> <li>How you steer away from Amafi during July and August</li> <li><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g194873-Ravello_Amalfi_Coast_Campania-Vacations.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ravello</a>, one of the most beautiful and amazing spots</li> <li>How Paul realizes he actually was in Amafi years ago</li> <li>The <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g194873-d243307-Reviews-Villa_Cimbrone_Gardens-Ravello_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Villa Cimbrone</a> gardens with a terrace 390m or 1,300 ft. high with amazing views</li> <li>How the gardens are so beautiful in Amafi</li> <li>How beautiful the town of Ravello was</li> <li>The amazing horizon pools in Amafi</li> <li>How a trip like this can inspire you to improve your own space</li> <li>The restaurant where we ate lunch on our final day which you can only get to by boat</li> <li>How the Amafi coast reminded of us mix of the south of France and the Greek islands</li> <li>The Monastero Santa Rosa.  I mentioned in the podcast I would scan some photos, but actually their website does an amazing job with <a href="http://monasterosantarosa.com/property-photos/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a photo tour here</a>.</li> <li>Where the nuns would get mummified back in the day</li> <li>How Steven forgets that outside of Puglia, especially in touristy places like Amafi, others speak English</li> <li>How the radio actually had a segment called "English is the future" and taught listeners English through the song <a href="http://geni.us/ZXWJU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Killing Me Softly</a></li> </ul> Steven enjoying the boat ride <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_2.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>Paul relaxing in the boat <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_3.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a> <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_4.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Paul taking a dip in the blue water</a> <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_4.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a> The church in Amalfi <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_5.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>The procession of Saint Andrew <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_6.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>The view from Ravello <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_7.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g194873-d243307-Reviews-Villa_Cimbrone_Gardens-Ravello_Amalfi_Coast_Campania.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Villa Cimbrone</a> gardens <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_8.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a> <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_9.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>Getting cheeky in the gardens <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_10.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>Our final lunch right on the water <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Amalfi_Coastline_11.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a> [td_smart_list_end] Here's Paul going Facebook Live during the podcast: So what'd you think of our trip to the Amalfi Coastline?  What did we miss?  Anything you really want to see?  Let us know in the comments.

044: The Amalfi Coastline

Paul and Steven talk about all things extra virgin olive oil, a subject obviously close to their hearts.       You’ll discover:    •  How old olive trees are   •  When olives are harvested and how   •  Why Puglia extra virgin olive oil, NOT Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, is the best      •  What exactly “extra virgin” means   •  Why pungent and bitter extra virgin olive oil is a good thing   •  Why extra virgin olive oil is a fruit oil, not a vegetable oil   •  Why the old farmers used to pick olives barefoot   •  How the olives are milled   •  Why yield is important when harvesting olive and making extra virgin olive oil   •  Why we stay at the mill during the entire process   •  How many olive trees there are in Puglia — it’s probably a lot more than you think

Paul and Steven talk about all things extra virgin olive oil, a subject obviously close to their hearts. You’ll discover:  •  How old olive trees are •  When olives are harvested and how •  Why Puglia extra virgin olive oil, NOT Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, is the best   •  What exactly “extra virgin” means •  Why pungent and bitter extra virgin olive oil is a good thing •  Why extra virgin olive oil is a fruit oil, not a vegetable oil •  Why the old farmers used to pick olives barefoot •  How the olives are milled •  Why yield is important when harvesting olive and making extra virgin olive oil •  Why we stay at the mill during the entire process •  How many olive trees there are in Puglia — it’s probably a lot more than you think

002: Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Everything you always wanted to know and never knew to ask

To start with, this should probably have a major subhead: "15 Strange Things Italians Do that are strange to Americans." Because I'm sure they are not strange to any Italian or even other parts of the world. But to two Americans, these are a few of the weird things we've noticed Italians do. Know any others?  Let us know in the comments.  And don't forget to share this with family and friends who might get a kick out of it. 1. They don't wear seatbelts or use baby seats  Not sure if this is a macho thing? Or they believe it's safer because you can, I don't know, throw yourself from the car? Whatever the reason, they almost refuse to do it. To keep the car from beeping at them, they will either buckle the seatbelt behind them in the car. Or, they will actually carry around an extra buckle, just a buckle with maybe a little strap on it, so they can put that in the latch to stop the car from beeping. It is against the law and you will get a ticket if you are stopped, so don't try this when visiting. Is this only a southern thing? Small town thing? Let us know in the comments. When it comes to the kids, the children will actually sit in mom or dad's lap while they are driving. Sometimes while the parent is also on the phone driving a stick shift. We have no rationale for this one. It's just crazy. 2. They throw litter out of the window of their car This is definitely more a southern thing I think than northern. But littering here is just not looked at as a terrible thing like it is in the states. I have watched someone literally clean out their car while driving down the road. Reaching down to throw out a plastic bottle, then some papers, etc. When was the last time you EVER saw that in the states?    3. They peel their fruit and vegetables You will never see an Italian bite into an apple or pear unpeeled, even if it is washed.  That sucker has to be peeled before it passes those lips! The new rule in Italy is that when purchasing fruit in a market, the display has to say if the peel is edible. If it is organic, the peel is edible. I bet they still peel the organic.  4. Italians will not "drive" in the passing lane This is strange to us but it is CORRECT. The passing lane should only be for passing. And while Italians do drive fast and like maniacs, they do strictly adhere to this rule. So if you are driving in Italy, don't stick around in the left lane. Pass someone and get back into the right-hand lane. Otherwise, you'll have a lot of Italian drivers honking and flashing their lights at you.     5. They never go outside with wet hair It goes back to colpo d'aria, the thought that a hit of cold air will cause sudden death. OK. Not sudden death, but pretty much every other malady out there. It's also why they won't drive with a window down, hate fans blowing directly on them, and wear scarves in the summer (see #10 below).   6. When entering a room in someone else's home or a store, they have to say "hello" You might have already greeted them at the gate. Or the room they are entering could be empty with the lights off. And there doesn't have to another person even around. But when they enter the room, they will say, "Buon Giorno" or " Or the room they are entering could be empty, with the lights of and not another person even around. But when they enter the room, they will say, "Buon Giorno" or "Permisso." Polite? I don't know. To an American, it's just weird.    7. They never eat eggs for breakfast Today, most Americans probably have more in common with Italians in this regard. Today, American's will grab a bowl of cereal or a cereal bar before running out the door and aren't usually cooking up a batch of eggs. However, you will never see an Italian scrambling up some eggs and bacon for breakfast, even on the weekend. Italians are pretty consistent in their concept of breakfast, which usually consists of a coffee and a pastry. That's it. Italians are pretty consistent in their concept of breakfast, which usually consists of a coffee and a pastry. That's it.     8. Non-gay Italians of the same sex will walk arm in arm or hand in hand Italians are very affectionate and not afraid of physical contact. Male friends will even horse around grabbing each other by the groin. It sort of goes back to the whole phrase "Are they gay or just European?" Sometimes, honestly, it can be hard to tell, even with good gaydar.      9. They kiss hello and goodbye Strangers, no. But after meeting someone once or twice, you almost always greet them with a kiss. Remember, always start on the left cheek. So your left cheek against theirs. Then, move to right cheek against their right cheek. A little crisscross dance if you will. Whether you actually touch cheeks, making kissing sounds, or actually kiss each other's cheek is all sort of a personal preference.    10. They wear scarves all the time This goes back a bit to the colpo d'aira thing, as Italians seem to get afflicted all the time with cervicale. As near as we can tell, it's sort of a stiff neck. Or some sort of neck ailment. Paul also thinks it's part of national pride thing for them. They must accessorize and be stylish. It's just part of being Italian.    11. They always dress to go out You will never, ever see a "people of Walmart" post in Italy. Mainly because there are no Walmarts, but also because they would never be caught dead outside the house in pajamas, torn shirt, sweats, workout clothes, or even a slightly worn t-shirt. For the women, this is especially true. The guys are obsessive about their shoes, though. Even sneakers. If they buy a new pair of tennis shoes and they come to visit us in the country, if you want to go for a walk they must change their shoes first. A scuff would be a mortal sin.       12. They cross themselves when they pass a church or anything religious Even in the car when driving by a religious spot, you'll see them make the sign of the cross (head, stomach, shoulder, shoulder) in the car. It almost becomes a habitual thing. Like looking both ways before crossing the street. Even the atheists. For those, I guess it's a superstitious thing. This also goes hand in hand with men having to touch their balls when passing a cemetery or hearse. 13. They have weird store hours Want a 24/7 deli or gas station? Good luck with that. Want to pick something up at the store on your way home for lunch? If it's after 1 PM, good luck with that. As I've talked about in the past, especially in small towns, everyone goes home for lunch. So from 1-4 PM you won't find much open except the big huge supermarkets or department stores. But they also have weird days where everything in town is closed. It's part of a guild system. For example, no restaurant in Terlizzi is open 7 days a week. Not a one. And I believe all but one are closed on Monday, and then that restaurant is closed on Tuesday when the rest reopen. Also, on Thursday night, every fruit and vegetable vendor in closed. Why doesn't someone break ranks and open on Thursday? They'd make a killing! Maybe that's the greedy American talking, but it is strange to me. NOTE: I'm sure this is mostly only in very small towns. Paul believes some of the reason for this, besides the guild rules, is that a lot of these shops are Mom and Pop stores and they don't trust anyone else at the register. Some of it also a way to protect their way of life. Everyone wants some time off.  14. They will not eat or drink anything to go You will never see an Italian walking down the street with a cup of coffee. You will also never see them driving while eating a sandwich. You will never see an Italian walking down the street with a cup of coffee. You will also never see them driving while eating a sandwich. Even at a rest stop. They will order their sandwich, then eat it at either the counter or a table in the rest stop. 15. They always ask you what you had for lunch It always comes back to food, doesn't it? When a friend stops by for coffee in the afternoon, invariably after a nice "hello" and "how are you doing," they will ask you what you had for lunch. It's the strangest thing. Except when someone is talking about an amazing meal they had a restaurant, when have you ever in your life asked someone what they had for lunch? Good thing we always take a picture of what we're eating so we can show them! So, how'd we do?  Any other strange things Italians do that we missed?  Let us know below in the comments.  And don't forget to share this post with family and friends with the share buttons below.

To start with, this should probably have a major subhead: "15 Strange Things Italians Do that are strange to Americans." Because I'm sure they are not strange to any Italian or even other parts of the world. But to two Americans, these are a few of the weird things we've noticed Italians do. Know any others?  Let us know in the comments.  And don't forget to share this with family and friends who might get a kick out of it. 1. They don't wear seatbelts or use baby seats <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-9.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>Not sure if this is a macho thing? Or they believe it's safer because you can, I don't know, throw yourself from the car? Whatever the reason, they almost refuse to do it. To keep the car from beeping at them, they will either buckle the seatbelt behind them in the car. Or, they will actually carry around an extra buckle, just a buckle with maybe a little strap on it, so they can put that in the latch to stop the car from beeping. It is against the law and you will get a ticket if you are stopped, so don't try this when visiting. Is this only a southern thing? Small town thing? Let us know in the comments. When it comes to the kids, the children will actually sit in mom or dad's lap while they are driving. Sometimes while the parent is also on the phone driving a stick shift. We have no rationale for this one. It's just crazy. 2. They throw litter out of the window of their car<a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-7.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> This is definitely more a southern thing I think than northern. But littering here is just not looked at as a terrible thing like it is in the states. I have watched someone literally clean out their car while driving down the road. Reaching down to throw out a plastic bottle, then some papers, etc. When was the last time you EVER saw that in the states? <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 3. They peel their fruit and vegetables</a> You will never see an Italian bite into an apple or pear unpeeled, even if it is washed.  That sucker has to be peeled before it passes those lips! The new rule in Italy is that when purchasing fruit in a market, the display has to say if the peel is edible. If it is organic, the peel is edible. I bet they still peel the organic.  4. Italians will not "drive" in the passing lane<a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-2.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> This is strange to us but it is CORRECT. The passing lane should only be for passing. And while Italians do drive fast and like maniacs, they do strictly adhere to this rule. So if you are driving in Italy, don't stick around in the left lane. Pass someone and get back into the right-hand lane. Otherwise, you'll have a lot of Italian drivers honking and flashing their lights at you.     5. They never go outside with wet hair It goes back to colpo d'aria, the thought that a hit of cold air will cause sudden death. OK. Not sudden death, but pretty much every other malady out there. It's also why they won't drive with a window down, hate fans blowing directly on them, and wear scarves in the summer (see #10 below).   6. When entering a room in someone else's home or a store, they have to say "hello"<a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-6.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> You might have already greeted them at the gate. Or the room they are entering could be empty with the lights off. And there doesn't have to another person even around. But when they enter the room, they will say, "Buon Giorno" or " Or the room they are entering could be empty, with the lights of and not another person even around. But when they enter the room, they will say, "Buon Giorno" or "Permisso." Polite? I don't know. To an American, it's just weird. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-11.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>7. They never eat eggs for breakfast Today, most Americans probably have more in common with Italians in this regard. Today, American's will grab a bowl of cereal or a cereal bar before running out the door and aren't usually cooking up a batch of eggs. However, you will never see an Italian scrambling up some eggs and bacon for breakfast, even on the weekend. Italians are pretty consistent in their concept of breakfast, which usually consists of a coffee and a pastry. That's it. Italians are pretty consistent in their concept of breakfast, which usually consists of a coffee and a pastry. That's it. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-12.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a> 8. Non-gay Italians of the same sex will walk arm in arm or hand in hand Italians are very affectionate and not afraid of physical contact. Male friends will even horse around grabbing each other by the groin. It sort of goes back to the whole phrase "Are they gay or just European?" Sometimes, honestly, it can be hard to tell, even with good gaydar. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-5.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>9. They kiss hello and goodbye Strangers, no. But after meeting someone once or twice, you almost always greet them with a kiss. Remember, always start on the left cheek. So your left cheek against theirs. Then, move to right cheek against their right cheek. A little crisscross dance if you will. Whether you actually touch cheeks, making kissing sounds, or actually kiss each other's cheek is all sort of a personal preference. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-10.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>10. They wear scarves all the time This goes back a bit to the colpo d'aira thing, as Italians seem to get afflicted all the time with cervicale. As near as we can tell, it's sort of a stiff neck. Or some sort of neck ailment. Paul also thinks it's part of national pride thing for them. They must accessorize and be stylish. It's just part of being Italian. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-3.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>11. They always dress to go out You will never, ever see a "people of Walmart" post in Italy. Mainly because there are no Walmarts, but also because they would never be caught dead outside the house in pajamas, torn shirt, sweats, workout clothes, or even a slightly worn t-shirt. For the women, this is especially true. The guys are obsessive about their shoes, though. Even sneakers. If they buy a new pair of tennis shoes and they come to visit us in the country, if you want to go for a walk they must change their shoes first. A scuff would be a mortal sin.       12. They cross themselves when they pass a church or anything religious<a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-8.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a> Even in the car when driving by a religious spot, you'll see them make the sign of the cross (head, stomach, shoulder, shoulder) in the car. It almost becomes a habitual thing. Like looking both ways before crossing the street. Even the atheists. For those, I guess it's a superstitious thing. This also goes hand in hand with men having to touch their balls when passing a cemetery or hearse. 13. They have weird store hours Want a 24/7 deli or gas station? Good luck with that. Want to pick something up at the store on your way home for lunch? If it's after 1 PM, good luck with that. As I've talked about in the past, especially in small towns, everyone goes home for lunch. So from 1-4 PM you won't find much open except the big huge supermarkets or department stores. But they also have weird days where everything in town is closed. It's part of a guild system. For example, no restaurant in Terlizzi is open 7 days a week. Not a one. And I believe all but one are closed on Monday, and then that restaurant is closed on Tuesday when the rest reopen. Also, on Thursday night, every fruit and vegetable vendor in closed. Why doesn't someone break ranks and open on Thursday? They'd make a killing! Maybe that's the greedy American talking, but it is strange to me. NOTE: I'm sure this is mostly only in very small towns. Paul believes some of the reason for this, besides the guild rules, is that a lot of these shops are Mom and Pop stores and they don't trust anyone else at the register. Some of it also a way to protect their way of life. Everyone wants some time off. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Italian-Travel-Culture-Strange-things-italians-do-4.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a>14. They will not eat or drink anything to go You will never see an Italian walking down the street with a cup of coffee. You will also never see them driving while eating a sandwich. You will never see an Italian walking down the street with a cup of coffee. You will also never see them driving while eating a sandwich. Even at a rest stop. They will order their sandwich, then eat it at either the counter or a table in the rest stop. 15. They always ask you what you had for lunch It always comes back to food, doesn't it? When a friend stops by for coffee in the afternoon, invariably after a nice "hello" and "how are you doing," they will ask you what you had for lunch. It's the strangest thing. Except when someone is talking about an amazing meal they had a restaurant, when have you ever in your life asked someone what they had for lunch? Good thing we always take a picture of what we're eating so we can show them! So, how'd we do?  Any other strange things Italians do that we missed?  Let us know below in the comments.  And don't forget to share this post with family and friends with the share buttons below.

049: 15 Strange Things Italians Do

Learn some of the advantages southern Italy has over the northern sections. While most people have visited the northern cities like Rome, Pisa, and Milan, they might not realize what they are missing in the south. Paul and Steven discuss a blog post about this and whether they agree with every point. Topics covered:  Paul’s Uncle Guy listening to boxer Nino Binvinito on the radio We discuss why southern Italy is better than northern Italy according to this blog post Why the “economic crisis” of the south is good news for any travelers coming to Puglia Why Paul thinks the “economic crisis” isn’t much of a crisis That the beaches in the south are better than the north It’s hard to find a lot of sandy beaches, but the beaches are spectacular This mind-blowing fact: Even though it is the smaller island, Sardinia's jagged coastline (1849km) is almost twice as long as Sicily's (1000km). Which mainland state in the U.S. Paul thought had the longest coastline, that being Rhode Island. This is actually incorrect, and from I can see, it actually has the most coastline per square mile of land. Why we do think the food in the south is better than the north Why some people in the south don’t eat a lot of meat Why we don’t necessarily agree that the people in the south are friendlier than those in the north People complaining about the attitude of Romans Green energy in southern Italy The air “pollution” at Villa Cappelli (jasmine, olive oil and grapes) The passeggiata (evening stroll) tradition in southern Italy How Italians dress up to leave the house How Italian men are very metrosexual and carry man purses (murses) Why the cargo short trend really should be over, even this BuzzFeed article agrees The il riposo (the afternoon nap) or control'ora The reasons for the nap in the afternoon Southern Italians living longer than northern Italians How the shops shut down from 1 to 4 every day and why you should plan for this when traveling

Learn some of the advantages southern Italy has over the northern sections. While most people have visited the northern cities like Rome, Pisa, and Milan, they might not realize what they are missing in the south. Paul and Steven discuss a blog post about this and whether they agree with every point. Topics covered: <ul> <li>Paul’s Uncle Guy listening to boxer Nino Binvinito on the radio</li> <li>We discuss why southern Italy is better than northern Italy according to <a href="http://www.thelocal.it/20150804/why-italys-south-is-far-better-than-the-north" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this blog post</a></li> <li>Why the “economic crisis” of the south is good news for any travelers coming to Puglia</li> <li>Why Paul thinks the “economic crisis” isn’t much of a crisis</li> <li>That the beaches in the south are better than the north</li> <li>It’s hard to find a lot of sandy beaches, but the beaches are spectacular</li> <li>This mind-blowing fact: Even though it is the smaller island, Sardinia's jagged coastline (1849km) is almost twice as long as Sicily's (1000km).</li> <li>Which mainland state in the U.S. Paul thought had the longest coastline, that being Rhode Island. This is actually incorrect, and from I can see, it actually has the most coastline per square mile of land.</li> <li>Why we do think the food in the south is better than the north</li> <li>Why some people in the south don’t eat a lot of meat</li> <li>Why we don’t necessarily agree that the people in the south are friendlier than those in the north</li> <li>People complaining about the attitude of Romans</li> <li>Green energy in southern Italy</li> <li>The air “pollution” at Villa Cappelli (jasmine, olive oil and grapes)</li> <li>The passeggiata (evening stroll) tradition in southern Italy</li> <li>How Italians dress up to leave the house</li> <li>How Italian men are very metrosexual and carry man purses (murses)</li> <li>Why the cargo short trend really should be over, even <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/pablovaldivia/we-need-to-talk-about-cargo-shorts#.gyMxm3D93" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this BuzzFeed article agrees</a></li> <li>The il riposo (the afternoon nap) or control'ora</li> <li>The reasons for the nap in the afternoon</li> <li>Southern Italians living longer than northern Italians</li> <li>How the shops shut down from 1 to 4 every day and why you should plan for this when traveling</li></ul>

018: Why southern Italy is better than northern Italy

There are lots of "rules" when it comes to traditional Italian food. And what you may think would be the same for Italian food in the states can be very different than what you'll find in Italy. Here are 14 things to never do when cooking or eating in Italy. Note: We base our conversation a lot off this original blog post: http://www.retale.com/blog/culinary-sins-according-proper-italian-chefs/ Topics we cover:  First, our new sponsor Audible.com. Sign up and get a free book AND a free 30 day trial membership. Just go to www.audiletrial.com/cappelli The differences between jams and conserves And more on Colpo D'Aria (where I talked about it in this episode):  http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/030-italian-cures-for-the-common-cold-fact-v-fiction/   Now, the all important "don'ts" when it comes to traditional Italian food in Italy.1. Don't add oil to pasta waterPaul and I agree with this one. It's totally not necessary. While your pasta should have salt to flavor the pasta, the oil doesn't serve any purpose while you're boiling it. It will help as a sauce afterward, and maybe slightly as a non-sticking agent, though you should be tossing your pasta with your sauce right away after removing from your boiling water. Stir your pasta occasionally while it's cooking and your should be OK.  Be sure to stir spaghetti and other fine pasta right away when adding to your water to keep it from forming a large spaghetti log. And have plenty of water in the pot so the pasta can move around. Paul believes you should add the salt after the water has come to a boil. Steven doesn't necessarily agree. Find out why.2. Don't ever mix cheese and seafoodThis is another one right on the money, except for a key recipe shown below. Never ever add grated cheese to a seafood pasta dish. The restaurant will give you grated cheese if you ask for it, but they'll look at you as barbarian tourist. The one except I point out for this is Mussels Genovese. Recipe below. NOTE: This is the name the people here in our region of Puglia call this recipe.  I'm sure every region is different. Essentially, as Paul points out, this is like making a frittata, however it's still breaking the rule.Mussels Genovese Recipe Type: MainCuisine: ItalianAuthor: Villa CappelliPrep time: 20 minsCook time: 10 minsTotal time: 30 minsA delicious, simple way to enjoy mussels. The amounts and the ingredients here are more estimations. Use your judgement when making.Ingredients 2 lbs. of mussels, halved 6 Eggs 2 Tablespoons grated cheese 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley PepperInstructions Place the mussels (you only need the half with the actual mussel in it) in a flat bottomed frying pan so the mussels are facing up. Add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook about 5 minutes. Meanwhile mix your eggs, cheese and parsley in a bowl. Add pepper to taste, but don't add an salt. The cheese and mussels will have enough. When the mussels are ready, pour the eggs over them in the pan, recover, and let cook until the eggs are cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Here is where you would need to used your judgement. You want a thin coasting of the eggs on top of the mussels, but not so much egg that they are completely submerged in a big egg frittata. If you need more, add some more eggs and cheese. And hold back if it looks like you have too much. Use the leftovers for an omelet the next day. Serve and enjoy. A lot of adding the cheese to a pasta is a habit we've all formed, just wanting to add cheese to pasta before we've even tasted it. However, in this case, the cheese just overpowers the flavor of most delicate seafood and Paul says it's just not "kosher." There are other exceptions here, but as Paul points out, they really aren't Italian dishes. Do you know an exception we missed? Let us know in the comments!3. Don't top pasta with chickenThis one's totally right. Those dishes you see being passed off as Italian at the big Italian restaurant chain, well, they aren't very Italian. We couldn't think of a single pasta dish that even includes chicken. In fact, Italians aren't really big on chicken in general. And, by the way, there is no such thing as Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Parmigiana here. It doesn't exist.4. Don't serve bread and butterVery very true. They may cook with butter up north, but they really don't do the bread and butter thing. Bread is set at the table so you have it to act as a scarpetta — the little shoe — to scoop or mop up any remains on your plate. So don't go eating all the bread before your meal is even served! Also, as we've said before, there is no dipping your bread in extra virgin olive oil here. Just wait until you get home and enjoy some of our oil with some good crusty bread.5. Don't order ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ or ‘Fettuccine Alfredo’Well, you might find them in touristy locations, like Rome and Milan, who make Italian American dishes for the tourist, but they aren't traditional Italian food. To be honest, I did not know this about Spaghetti Bolognese. And, maybe I'm still too American, but I see no problem with it. There are certain pastas that do go with certain sauces, as they help carry the sauce better, but in this case I think you are OK. Traditionally, the blogger said tagliatelle is served with the Bolognese, but I've always done rigatoni (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigatoni). I like how the thick meaty sauce can get trapped more inside the pasta. And we agree that Fettuccine Alfredo, the most famous “Italian” dish in the U.S., is pretty much unknown in Italy.  In the words of Madeline Kahn, "It's trew. It's trew."6. Don't ever order or eat spaghetti with meatballsThis combination just does not exist in Italian cuisine in Italy. Meatballs can be found in a pasta forno or a ragu, but it's not something you serve with spaghetti. Ever. Oh, and here we mention Paul's Mother's Ragu recipe. You'll find that here: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/connie-cappellis-ragu/7. Don't put ketchup on pasta. Never. Ever.This one happened to us when we had some Swedes visit. I still can't believe it happened. Who does this? If YOU do, leave us a comment below, but beware our wrath! Oh, and here's a link to our Sun-Dried Tomato Spread we talk about: http://villacappelli.com/collections/antipasta-aka-appetizers-1/products/sun-dried-tomato-spread8. Don't treat pasta as a side dishPasta is a primi (first course after anti-pasti) or MAYBE a main dish, but it is never, ever just a side dish. That big ol' Italian food chain restaurant in the states serves pasta as a side dish if you order something other than a pasta as your main course.  At least it used to. I haven't been there is over 20 years. Paul also talks here about how we eat things separately here in Italy. You usually have only one part of your meal on your plate at a time. I grew up never letting any food on my plate touch each other and only ate one thing at time.  So I'd eat my meat, then my green beans, then my mashed potatoes. And they could not touch!  Maybe I really am Italian. Paul also talks about other guests we had that mixed their salad with pasta. Enough said on that.9. Don't consume a cappuccino at any time except for breakfastWe've talked about this many times before. Italians just think the milk is too heavy to have after a meal. It won't aid in your digestions. Now, for breakfast, it's a whole meal in itself. Especially up north.10. Don't ever disrespect tradition"Nonna knows best. She learned the recipes from her nonna, who learned from her nonna, who learned from her nonna and so on and so forth." This might as well be written in stone.11. Don't use true balsamic vinegar on your saladsWe talked about this more in depth in that last episode: http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/031-why-your-italian-food-is-probably-not-real-food/ Also, check out our balsamic here: http://villacappelli.com/collections/italian-conserves/products/5-year-aged-balsamic-vinegar12. Don't make or eat thick crust pizzaThick crust pizza is really more a focaccia. Here, the pizza is more marriage of the thin dough, tomato sauce, cheese and toppings. It's not all about the bread. And you can really taste every ingredient. Most of the pizzas in the states are there to fill you up with a bunch of bread, as it's cheaper than the toppings. Here's our pizza crust recipe.  Try it and discover the difference.Villa Cappelli Pizza Dough Cuisine: ItalianAuthor: Villa CappelliPrep time: 2 hours 30 minsCook time: 10 minsTotal time: 2 hours 40 minsA very simple, light pizza dough. The crust will be crisp when cooked in a really hot oven. The recipe can be doubled or more without any problems.Ingredients 3/4 Cup Warm Water 1 teaspoon yeast (or one packet of 7g quick rising yeast) 2 Cups Flour 1/2 teaspoon saltInstructions Mix the warm water and yeast in a bowl. Let sit for a few minutes. Then add your flour and salt to the bowl. Mix until comes together and is forming a ball. Turn the dough onto a well floured surface. Wood is best. Just not something cold, like a cold marble counter. Kneed the dough for roughly 3-5 minutes until it very elastic and springy. Add more flour or water during this time if need be. But you rarely need more water. If it seems dry, just keep mixing. It will eventually come together. Turn the bowl over on the dough and let rise for 1.5 hours. Break into four equal parts and roll into smaller balls. Let these rise another hour under and warm dish towel or the like. When ready, roll into a very thin crust, about a 1/4 inch thick and about 8 to 9 inches in diameter. Top lightly with sauce, cheese and toppings. Do NOT add too many toppings or the crust won't be able to hold it when you are eating. Cook in an extremely hot oven. At least 500°F or more. For our wood-burning pizza oven, this cooks in about 3 minutes. For home ovens, it will probably take you 5 to 10 minutes. To bake your pizza, slide it on top of a baking stone or upside-down sheet pan. Bake until the cheese is melted, the crust is golden, and there is some charred bits on the top and edges. 13. Don't eat your salad BEFORE a mealThe salad, and the roughage you find in the salad, helps you digest after a big meal. It's all about digestion in Italy, and this is no exception. You won't even find many places that will give you a side salad during your meal. 14. Don't put any dressing on your salad other than extra virgin olive oil and vinegarRanch. Thousand Island. French. You just can't find it here. This probably goes back to the fact that you are eating the salad at the end of the meal. To add a bunch of heavy dairy or sugar after eating a big meal would just fill you up., where as the vinegar almost acts as a pallet cleanser. What do you think? Did we miss a don't when it comes to traditional Italian food? Let us know in the comments or leave us a voice mail.

There are lots of "rules" when it comes to traditional Italian food. And what you may think would be the same for Italian food in the states can be very different than what you'll find in Italy. Here are 14 things to never do when cooking or eating in Italy. Note: We base our conversation a lot off this original blog post: <a href="http://www.retale.com/blog/culinary-sins-according-proper-italian-chefs/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.retale.com/blog/culinary-sins-according-proper-italian-chefs/</a> Topics we cover: <ul> <li>First, our new sponsor <a href="http://Audible.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Audible.com</a>. Sign up and get a free book AND a free 30 day trial membership. Just go to <a href="http://www.audiletrial.com/cappelli" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.audiletrial.com/cappelli</a></li> <li>The differences between jams and conserves</li> <li>And more on Colpo D'Aria (where I talked about it in this episode):  <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/030-italian-cures-for-the-common-cold-fact-v-fiction/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/030-italian-cures-for-the-common-cold-fact-v-fiction/</a></li> </ul>  Now, the all important "don'ts" when it comes to traditional Italian food in Italy. 1. Don't add oil to pasta water Paul and I agree with this one. It's totally not necessary. While your pasta should have salt to flavor the pasta, the oil doesn't serve any purpose while you're boiling it. It will help as a sauce afterward, and maybe slightly as a non-sticking agent, though you should be tossing your pasta with your sauce right away after removing from your boiling water. Stir your pasta occasionally while it's cooking and your should be OK.  Be sure to stir spaghetti and other fine pasta right away when adding to your water to keep it from forming a large spaghetti log. And have plenty of water in the pot so the pasta can move around. Paul believes you should add the salt after the water has come to a boil. Steven doesn't necessarily agree. Find out why.2. Don't ever mix cheese and seafood This is another one right on the money, except for a key recipe shown below. Never ever add grated cheese to a seafood pasta dish. The restaurant will give you grated cheese if you ask for it, but they'll look at you as barbarian tourist. The one except I point out for this is Mussels Genovese. Recipe below. NOTE: This is the name the people here in our region of Puglia call this recipe.  I'm sure every region is different. Essentially, as Paul points out, this is like making a frittata, however it's still breaking the rule.Mussels Genovese   Recipe Type: Main Cuisine: Italian Author: Villa Cappelli Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 30 mins A delicious, simple way to enjoy mussels. The amounts and the ingredients here are more estimations. Use your judgement when making. Ingredients <ul> <li>2 lbs. of mussels, halved</li> <li>6 Eggs</li> <li>2 Tablespoons grated cheese</li> <li>2 Tablespoons chopped parsley</li> <li>Pepper</li></ul>Instructions <ol> <li>Place the mussels (you only need the half with the actual mussel in it) in a flat bottomed frying pan so the mussels are facing up. Add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook about 5 minutes.</li> <li>Meanwhile mix your eggs, cheese and parsley in a bowl. Add pepper to taste, but don't add an salt. The cheese and mussels will have enough. When the mussels are ready, pour the eggs over them in the pan, recover, and let cook until the eggs are cooked, about 4-5 minutes.</li> <li>Here is where you would need to used your judgement. You want a thin coasting of the eggs on top of the mussels, but not so much egg that they are completely submerged in a big egg frittata. If you need more, add some more eggs and cheese. And hold back if it looks like you have too much. Use the leftovers for an omelet the next day.</li> <li>Serve and enjoy.</li> </ol>A lot of adding the cheese to a pasta is a habit we've all formed, just wanting to add cheese to pasta before we've even tasted it. However, in this case, the cheese just overpowers the flavor of most delicate seafood and Paul says it's just not "kosher." There are other exceptions here, but as Paul points out, they really aren't Italian dishes. Do you know an exception we missed? Let us know in the comments!3. Don't top pasta with chicken This one's totally right. Those dishes you see being passed off as Italian at the big Italian restaurant chain, well, they aren't very Italian. We couldn't think of a single pasta dish that even includes chicken. In fact, Italians aren't really big on chicken in general. And, by the way, there is no such thing as Chicken Parmesan or Chicken Parmigiana here. It doesn't exist.4. Don't serve bread and butter Very very true. They may cook with butter up north, but they really don't do the bread and butter thing. Bread is set at the table so you have it to act as a scarpetta — the little shoe — to scoop or mop up any remains on your plate. So don't go eating all the bread before your meal is even served! Also, as we've said before, there is no dipping your bread in extra virgin olive oil here. Just wait until you get home and enjoy some of our oil with some good crusty bread.5. Don't order ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ or ‘Fettuccine Alfredo’ Well, you might find them in touristy locations, like Rome and Milan, who make Italian American dishes for the tourist, but they aren't traditional Italian food. To be honest, I did not know this about Spaghetti Bolognese. And, maybe I'm still too American, but I see no problem with it. There are certain pastas that do go with certain sauces, as they help carry the sauce better, but in this case I think you are OK. Traditionally, the blogger said tagliatelle is served with the Bolognese, but I've always done rigatoni (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigatoni" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigatoni</a>). I like how the thick meaty sauce can get trapped more inside the pasta. And we agree that Fettuccine Alfredo, the most famous “Italian” dish in the U.S., is pretty much unknown in Italy.  In the words of Madeline Kahn, "It's trew. It's trew."6. Don't ever order or eat spaghetti with meatballs This combination just does not exist in Italian cuisine in Italy. Meatballs can be found in a pasta forno or a ragu, but it's not something you serve with spaghetti. Ever. Oh, and here we mention Paul's Mother's Ragu recipe. You'll find that here: <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/connie-cappellis-ragu/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/connie-cappellis-ragu/</a>7. Don't put ketchup on pasta. Never. Ever. This one happened to us when we had some Swedes visit. I still can't believe it happened. Who does this? If YOU do, leave us a comment below, but beware our wrath! Oh, and here's a link to our Sun-Dried Tomato Spread we talk about: <a href="http://villacappelli.com/collections/antipasta-aka-appetizers-1/products/sun-dried-tomato-spread" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://villacappelli.com/collections/antipasta-aka-appetizers-1/products/sun-dried-tomato-spread</a>8. Don't treat pasta as a side dish Pasta is a primi (first course after anti-pasti) or MAYBE a main dish, but it is never, ever just a side dish. That big ol' Italian food chain restaurant in the states serves pasta as a side dish if you order something other than a pasta as your main course.  At least it used to. I haven't been there is over 20 years. Paul also talks here about how we eat things separately here in Italy. You usually have only one part of your meal on your plate at a time. I grew up never letting any food on my plate touch each other and only ate one thing at time.  So I'd eat my meat, then my green beans, then my mashed potatoes. And they could not touch!  Maybe I really am Italian. Paul also talks about other guests we had that mixed their salad with pasta. Enough said on that.9. Don't consume a cappuccino at any time except for breakfast We've talked about this many times before. Italians just think the milk is too heavy to have after a meal. It won't aid in your digestions. Now, for breakfast, it's a whole meal in itself. Especially up north.10. Don't ever disrespect tradition "Nonna knows best. She learned the recipes from her nonna, who learned from her nonna, who learned from her nonna and so on and so forth." This might as well be written in stone.11. Don't use true balsamic vinegar on your salads We talked about this more in depth in that last episode: <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/031-why-your-italian-food-is-probably-not-real-food/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/031-why-your-italian-food-is-probably-not-real-food/</a> Also, check out our balsamic here: <a href="http://villacappelli.com/collections/italian-conserves/products/5-year-aged-balsamic-vinegar" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://villacappelli.com/collections/italian-conserves/products/5-year-aged-balsamic-vinegar</a>12. Don't make or eat thick crust pizza Thick crust pizza is really more a focaccia. Here, the pizza is more marriage of the thin dough, tomato sauce, cheese and toppings. It's not all about the bread. And you can really taste every ingredient. Most of the pizzas in the states are there to fill you up with a bunch of bread, as it's cheaper than the toppings. Here's our pizza crust recipe.  Try it and discover the difference.Villa Cappelli Pizza Dough   Cuisine: Italian Author: Villa Cappelli Prep time: 2 hours 30 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 2 hours 40 mins A very simple, light pizza dough. The crust will be crisp when cooked in a really hot oven. The recipe can be doubled or more without any problems. Ingredients <ul> <li>3/4 Cup Warm Water</li> <li>1 teaspoon yeast (or one packet of 7g quick rising yeast)</li> <li>2 Cups Flour</li> <li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li></ul>Instructions <ol> <li>Mix the warm water and yeast in a bowl. Let sit for a few minutes. Then add your flour and salt to the bowl. Mix until comes together and is forming a ball.</li> <li>Turn the dough onto a well floured surface. Wood is best. Just not something cold, like a cold marble counter.</li> <li>Kneed the dough for roughly 3-5 minutes until it very elastic and springy. Add more flour or water during this time if need be. But you rarely need more water. If it seems dry, just keep mixing. It will eventually come together.</li> <li>Turn the bowl over on the dough and let rise for 1.5 hours.</li> <li>Break into four equal parts and roll into smaller balls. Let these rise another hour under and warm dish towel or the like.</li> <li>When ready, roll into a very thin crust, about a 1/4 inch thick and about 8 to 9 inches in diameter. Top lightly with sauce, cheese and toppings. Do NOT add too many toppings or the crust won't be able to hold it when you are eating.</li> <li>Cook in an extremely hot oven. At least 500°F or more. For our wood-burning pizza oven, this cooks in about 3 minutes. For home ovens, it will probably take you 5 to 10 minutes.</li> <li>To bake your pizza, slide it on top of a baking stone or upside-down sheet pan. Bake until the cheese is melted, the crust is golden, and there is some charred bits on the top and edges.</li></ol>  13. Don't eat your salad BEFORE a meal The salad, and the roughage you find in the salad, helps you digest after a big meal. It's all about digestion in Italy, and this is no exception. You won't even find many places that will give you a side salad during your meal.  14. Don't put any dressing on your salad other than extra virgin olive oil and vinegar Ranch. Thousand Island. French. You just can't find it here. This probably goes back to the fact that you are eating the salad at the end of the meal. To add a bunch of heavy dairy or sugar after eating a big meal would just fill you up., where as the vinegar almost acts as a pallet cleanser. What do you think? Did we miss a don't when it comes to traditional Italian food? Let us know in the comments or leave us a voice mail.

032: Traditional Italian Food — what NOT to do when it comes to Italian food in Italy

In the first part of a two part podcast, you’ll learn all about the northern coastal towns of Puglia and why they are some of the best in the world, including Peschici, Vieste, Margherita di Savoia, Barletta, and Trani. So put on your sunscreen and join us for amazing ports, beaches, seafood and more. Topics we cover  Our impression of Peschici and Vieste in the Gargano Why the drives are worth the visit to these towns Why Monte Sant’Angelo is one of the two most important religious sites dedicated to the archangel Michael And what makes Monte Sant’Angelo’s archangel appearances are so special The beautiful drive around Margherita di Savoia The fact that our sea salts come from the flats of Margherita di Savoia, in three varieties: Sea Salt Lemon Sea Salt Italian Herb Sea Salt   Where we got the name Erbe di Puglia Barletta and it’s giant legend, no, really a legend about a giant and the statue in Barletta Trani a cute port town in Puglia [link] The funny thing about Trani weddings How it’s tourist friendly without being touristy The boat at Trani we hope guests rent at some point, which includes sailing, fishing, grilled fish and karaoke A culinary tour that is staying with us now lead by Michael Howell His food film festival in Canada called Devour! Why we love the cathedral so much in Trani What famous person’s bones you can find in the Trani cathedral (Hint: he comes around every Christmas, and it’s not Jesus) Trani’s Jewish Ghetto

In the first part of a two part podcast, you’ll learn all about the northern coastal towns of Puglia and why they are some of the best in the world, including Peschici, Vieste, Margherita di Savoia, Barletta, and Trani. So put on your sunscreen and join us for amazing ports, beaches, seafood and more. Topics we cover <ul> <li>Our impression of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peschici" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peschici</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vieste" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vieste</a> in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargano" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gargano</a></li> <li>Why the drives are worth the visit to these towns</li> <li>Why <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Sant'Angelo" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Monte Sant’Angelo</a> is one of the two most important religious sites dedicated to the archangel Michael</li> <li>And what makes Monte Sant’Angelo’s archangel appearances are so special</li> <li>The beautiful drive around Margherita di Savoia</li> <li>The fact that our sea salts come from the flats of Margherita di Savoia, in three varieties: <ul> <li><a href="http://villacappelli.com/collections/italian-conserves/products/100-italian-sea-salts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sea Salt</a></li> <li><a href="http://villacappelli.com/collections/italian-conserves/products/copy-of-100-italian-sea-salts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lemon Sea Salt</a></li> <li><a href="http://villacappelli.com/collections/italian-conserves/products/copy-of-copy-of-100-italian-sea-salts" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Italian Herb Sea Salt</a></li> </ul> </li> <li>Where we got the name <a href="http://villacappelli.com/collections/italian-conserves/products/erbe-di-puglia" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Erbe di Puglia</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barletta" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Barletta</a> and it’s giant legend, no, really a legend about a giant and the statue in Barletta</li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trani" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Trani</a> a cute port town in Puglia [link]</li> <li>The funny thing about Trani weddings</li> <li>How it’s tourist friendly without being touristy</li> <li>The boat at Trani we hope guests rent at some point, which includes sailing, fishing, grilled fish and karaoke</li> <li>A culinary tour that is staying with us now lead by Michael Howell</li> <li><a href="http://devourfest.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">His food film festival in Canada called Devour!</a></li> <li>Why we love the cathedral so much in Trani</li> <li>What famous person’s bones you can find in the Trani cathedral (Hint: he comes around every Christmas, and it’s not Jesus)</li> <li>Trani’s Jewish Ghetto</li></ul>

020: Why the coast of Puglia, Italy, is the best

You’ll discover:       ·      Why you shouldn’t buy alcohol at Duty Free at the airport   ·      What construction is like in Italy   ·      Updates on our project that includes a cooking school, restaurant, bar, and store   ·      Just how many house Paul has renovated (Hint, it’s enough that if you need any advice, just send him an email!)   ·      The weird challenges that you face when basically renovating a huge stone structure   ·      What recycling really means to us now in Italy   ·      How guilds control some aspects of business in Italy   ·      Older Italians view of older buildings like ours, and why they want modern and new homes   ·      The cost of antiques here (due to the point above)   ·      What borage is and why Paul and Casey went hunting for it   ·      A recipe for a local Puglia specialty: Favetta   ·      What kind of trees you’ll find along the country roads in Puglia and why (NOT the olive trees in this case)   ·      Why the cuisine of Puglia is la cucina povera   ·      Our take on Italian restaurants and why they are so popular throughout the world   ·      Paul’s shopping routine   ·      Some surprises we found during construction

You’ll discover: ·      Why you shouldn’t buy alcohol at Duty Free at the airport ·      What construction is like in Italy ·      Updates on our project that includes a cooking school, restaurant, bar, and store ·      Just how many house Paul has renovated (Hint, it’s enough that if you need any advice, just send him an email!) ·      The weird challenges that you face when basically renovating a huge stone structure ·      What recycling really means to us now in Italy ·      How guilds control some aspects of business in Italy ·      Older Italians view of older buildings like ours, and why they want modern and new homes ·      The cost of antiques here (due to the point above) ·      What borage is and why Paul and Casey went hunting for it ·      A recipe for a local Puglia specialty: Favetta ·      What kind of trees you’ll find along the country roads in Puglia and why (NOT the olive trees in this case) ·      Why the cuisine of Puglia is la cucina povera ·      Our take on Italian restaurants and why they are so popular throughout the world ·      Paul’s shopping routine ·      Some surprises we found during construction

004:  Renovating an ancient villa in Italy

Italian meat! Paul and Steven talk about Paul’s trip to Tuscany to visit family and the wonders of prosciutto, pancetta and sausage from Italy. Hopefully you’re not too hungry after listening to this episode.   Topics covered include:  Paul’s problem with the Tuscan airport Paul’s arrival in America and a peek at why his ego is so big Why Paul can literally say “That prosciutto has my name on it.” What is unusual about Tuscan bread (hint: it has no salt) One theory of why the bread is unsalted Raw sausage and why we love it How to eat raw sausage How to freeze the sausage if you need to Why his cousin’s pancetta is so amazing Why people call the pancetta “the baby” How we were able to get some pancetta back to the U.S. one trip How women play a big part in the prosciutto and pancetta production How Paul’s trip brought on a wave of nostalgia Our advice on buying your own prosciutto or pancetta And what to serve with your prosciutto

Italian meat! Paul and Steven talk about Paul’s trip to Tuscany to visit family and the wonders of prosciutto, pancetta and sausage from Italy. Hopefully you’re not too hungry after listening to this episode. Topics covered include: <ul> <li>Paul’s problem with the Tuscan airport</li> <li>Paul’s arrival in America and a peek at why his ego is so big</li> <li>Why Paul can literally say “That prosciutto has my name on it.”</li> <li>What is unusual about Tuscan bread (hint: it has no salt)</li> <li>One theory of why the bread is unsalted</li> <li>Raw sausage and why we love it</li> <li>How to eat raw sausage</li> <li>How to freeze the sausage if you need to</li> <li>Why his cousin’s pancetta is so amazing</li> <li>Why people call the pancetta “the baby”</li> <li>How we were able to get some pancetta back to the U.S. one trip</li> <li>How women play a big part in the prosciutto and pancetta production</li> <li>How Paul’s trip brought on a wave of nostalgia</li> <li>Our advice on buying your own prosciutto or pancetta</li> <li>And what to serve with your prosciutto</li></ul>

011: Prosciutto, pancetta, and sausage from Tuscany

Another quick catchup episode, talking about spring in Puglia, our new dogs, our spring projects, and other odds and ends of life in our villa in Puglia, Italy. Topics we cover: •  How we lost our dog Orso recently •  And how we decided to get some new puppies •  Mina came to us from a farm in the Mugia •  Mina is a girl, which is what Paul wanted •  Mina is also a Maremmano, here’s a little about that breed: - An Abruzzo sheepdog - Used for centuries by Italian shepherds to guard sheep from wolves - They have a solid, muscular build, a thick white coat, a large head and a black nose - The coat is thick and long and forms a thick collar (or mane) around the neck •  How Mina was terrorizing the casts, so we had to get Mina a playmate •  He is half Maremmano and half Dogo Argentino, though he looks all Dogo Argentino •  He has very distinct markings, and after a lot of suggestions from our Instagram friends (link), Logan came up with the name Duke •  A little about his breed: - A large, white, muscular dog developed in Argentina - Their primary purpose was for big game hunting, like wild boar -  Some say they look similar to American Pit Bull Terrier -  While breed as big game hunters, they are also trained for search and rescue, police assistance, service dogs, military work, and more •  Here are some pictures of them:Un post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli) in data: Mar 4, 2018 at 10:00 PST  Un post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli) in data: Gen 29, 2018 at 1:06 PST  Un post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli) in data: Gen 4, 2018 at 10:01 PST   •  Our off-season projects •  How we replaced our wooden raised beds with some beautiful stone raised beds •  The walls of the beds are drywall, meaning they don’t use any mortar •  The artistry of constructing these walls.  Here is a video:    •  Then we constructed a beautiful shed in the back corner of our garden •  Here are some pictures of the shed as well •  All the materials we used to build the shed •  Paul’s other project, making olive wood cutting boards •  Here are some pictures of his work    •  Here’s his holy cutting boards as wellUn post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli) in data: Mag 31, 2017 at 9:36 PDT     • Here’s a link to the story about the Virgin Mary Apparition appearing in a window: http://www.tampabayskeptics.org/v9n4rpt.html •  Our winter weather here in Puglia •  We had a very good olive harvest this year, but it was a very late harvest •  Our new 3L tins •  We have a few new products: - Some anchovy fillets - Colatura di Alici, like an anchovy fish sauce • The Colatura is sort of like Garum, which was a fermented fish sauce used as a condiment in the cuisines of ancient Greece, Rome, and later Byzantium •  Paul helped come up with the name of company who makes the products in Amalfi, and the company’s name is Amalfin •  If anyone is interested in us carrying their line of tun products, let us know. •  It is high-quality tuna packed in oil •  Paul wants to know what it is called “Tuna fish”?  Why not just “Tuna”?  Is it a marketing thing?  Does anyone know?  Please let us know in the comments! •  Our new ceramic jugs to decant our 3L into a pouring jug •  How olives are drupes, making extra virgin olive oil essentially fruit juice •  Drupes include coffee, jujube, mango, olive, dates, coconut, cashew, almond, apricot, cherry, damson, nectarine, peach, and plum. •  Anyone interested in our culinary tour, there is still room. Click here for more information. • Michael’s podcast that we mention is here, so you can enjoy his playing on our out of tune piano. •  Our hashtag promotion. Just snap a dish you made with our products or you with our products, and hashtag #villacappelli on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  We will be choosing at random, one lucky winner each month to get a free bottle of our extra virgin olive oil. •  Sign up for our 3-Point Thursday emails below! •  How Saint Joseph’s Day is Father’s Day in Italy.

Another quick catchup episode, talking about spring in Puglia, our new dogs, our spring projects, and other odds and ends of life in our villa in Puglia, Italy. Topics we cover: •  How we lost our dog Orso recently •  And how we decided to get some new puppies •  Mina came to us from a farm in the Mugia •  Mina is a girl, which is what Paul wanted •  Mina is also a Maremmano, here’s a little about that breed: - An Abruzzo sheepdog - Used for centuries by Italian shepherds to guard sheep from wolves - They have a solid, muscular build, a thick white coat, a large head and a black nose - The coat is thick and long and forms a thick collar (or mane) around the neck •  How Mina was terrorizing the casts, so we had to get Mina a playmate •  He is half Maremmano and half Dogo Argentino, though he looks all Dogo Argentino •  He has very distinct markings, and after a lot of suggestions from our Instagram friends (link), Logan came up with the name Duke •  A little about his breed: - A large, white, muscular dog developed in Argentina - Their primary purpose was for big game hunting, like wild boar -  Some say they look similar to American Pit Bull Terrier -  While breed as big game hunters, they are also trained for search and rescue, police assistance, service dogs, military work, and more •  Here are some pictures of them:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf6RutSFoeW/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Un post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli)</a> in data: Mar 4, 2018 at 10:00 PST <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BehxndLlxz3/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Un post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli)</a> in data: Gen 29, 2018 at 1:06 PST <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BdiW9FKFR2a/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Un post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli)</a> in data: Gen 4, 2018 at 10:01 PST •  Our off-season projects •  How we replaced our wooden raised beds with some beautiful stone raised beds •  The walls of the beds are drywall, meaning they don’t use any mortar •  The artistry of constructing these walls.  Here is a video: •  Then we constructed a beautiful shed in the back corner of our garden •  Here are some pictures of the shed as well •  All the materials we used to build the shed •  Paul’s other project, making olive wood cutting boards •  Here are some pictures of his work •  Here’s his holy cutting boards as well<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BUw35O2hgaL/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Un post condiviso da Italian Villa Rental &amp; Food (@villacappelli)</a> in data: Mag 31, 2017 at 9:36 PDT • Here’s a link to the story about the Virgin Mary Apparition appearing in a window: <a href="http://www.tampabayskeptics.org/v9n4rpt.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.tampabayskeptics.org/v9n4rpt.html</a> •  Our winter weather here in Puglia •  We had a very good olive harvest this year, but it was a very late harvest •  Our new 3L tins •  We have a few new products: - Some anchovy fillets - Colatura di Alici, like an anchovy fish sauce • The Colatura is sort of like Garum, which was a fermented fish sauce used as a condiment in the cuisines of ancient Greece, Rome, and later Byzantium •  Paul helped come up with the name of company who makes the products in Amalfi, and the company’s name is Amalfin •  If anyone is interested in us carrying their line of tun products, let us know. •  It is high-quality tuna packed in oil •  Paul wants to know what it is called “Tuna fish”?  Why not just “Tuna”?  Is it a marketing thing?  Does anyone know?  Please let us know in the comments! •  Our new ceramic jugs to decant our 3L into a pouring jug •  How olives are drupes, making extra virgin olive oil essentially fruit juice •  Drupes include coffee, jujube, mango, olive, dates, coconut, cashew, almond, apricot, cherry, damson, nectarine, peach, and plum. •  Anyone interested in our culinary tour, there is still room. <a href="http://www.vcvillarental.com/culinary-culture-tour/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Click here for more information.</a> • Michael’s podcast that we mention is here, so you can enjoy his playing on our out of tune piano. •  Our hashtag promotion. Just snap a dish you made with our products or you with our products, and hashtag #villacappelli on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  We will be choosing at random, one lucky winner each month to get a free bottle of our extra virgin olive oil. •  Sign up for our 3-Point Thursday emails below! •  How Saint Joseph’s Day is Father’s Day in Italy.

055: Spring in Puglia

After a short catch up on life at the villa, including a couple of culinary tours and our harvest of peppers, you'll learn about our PLUS method (Price. Label. Understanding. Source) which you can use to help ensure the extra virgin olive oil you are buying is truly extra virgin olive oil. Topics we cover:  Why you should always back up your hard drive with an external drive like this one or a cloud based system Our two culinary tours and one bike tour we just had The first culinary tour with chefs Michael Howell and Michael Blackie Canada's premiere food film festival Devour! Michael Blackie's restaurant Next The fun with have with HETravel tours at Villa Cappelli Some of our favorite restaurants in the area, including Grotta Palazzese and Antichi Sapori Why most Italian restaurants don't like serving kids Why it's hard for Italian restaurants here in Italy, from the number of seatings to alcohol consumption Why you shouldn't order off the menu in an Italian restaurant Paul's long lost cousins from California that recently visited us Our Facebook group, Terlizzi USA Our shipment we're preparing for the US Paul and his peppers, from Habaneros to the hottest pepper in the world, the Carolina Reaper Why we called our spicy products, KTM, Kit a Mut or Curse the Dead The Scoville Scale for rating peppers and what it means, which essential the Smithsonian Magazine explains better than me: The idea was to dilute an alcohol-based extract made with the given pepper until it no longer tasted hot to a group of taste testers. The degree of dilution translates to the SHU. In other words, according to the Scoville scale, you would need as many as 5,000 cups of water to dilute 1 cup of tobacco sauce enough to no longer taste the heat. Some of the health benefits of peppers, including lowering blood pressure, thinning blood and helping HEAL ulcers Some of our other conserves like our Plum Conserves A video series on Italian television about the fraud in the olive oil industry Why the politicians are one of the biggest problems, including laws that confiscated oil has to be proven bad within three days time and customs officials are held personally responsible for any losses a company may experience if the company fights the charges brought against them The economics of extra virgin olive oil and how it's impossible to sell extra virgin olive oil for as little amount of money that big companies do Our PLUS method to insure you what are buying is truly extra virgin olive oil Price. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Label. Look for seals like DOP and the origin of olives. Understanding. Know that terms like "light" and "pure" olive oil are just marketing terms. Source. Know where your extra virgin olive oil comes from. Trust a farm, not a factory.   Why you shouldn't be fooled by green oil

After a short catch up on life at the villa, including a couple of culinary tours and our harvest of peppers, you'll learn about our PLUS method (Price. Label. Understanding. Source) which you can use to help ensure the extra virgin olive oil you are buying is truly extra virgin olive oil. Topics we cover: <ul> <li>Why you should always back up your hard drive with an external drive <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H4XH5FY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=211189&amp;creative=373489&amp;creativeASIN=B00H4XH5FY&amp;link_code=as3&amp;tag=livivillcapp-20&amp;linkId=VF24GKQTXEVRYDDE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">like this one</a> or a cloud based system</li> <li>Our two culinary tours and one bike tour we just had</li> <li>The first culinary tour with chefs Michael Howell and Michael Blackie</li> <li>Canada's premiere food film festival <a href="http://devourfest.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Devour!</a></li> <li>Michael Blackie's restaurant <a href="http://www.nextfood.ca/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Next</a></li> <li>The fun with have with <a href="http://hetravel.com/tour/gay-travel-italy-puglia-villa-culinary-experience/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HETravel</a> tours at Villa Cappelli</li> <li>Some of our favorite restaurants in the area, including <a href="http://www.grottapalazzese.it/en/i-ristoranti/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grotta Palazzese</a> and <a href="http://antichisapori.pietrozito.it/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Antichi Sapori</a></li> <li>Why most Italian restaurants don't like serving kids</li> <li>Why it's hard for Italian restaurants here in Italy, from the number of seatings to alcohol consumption</li> <li>Why you shouldn't order off the menu in an Italian restaurant</li> <li>Paul's long lost cousins from California that recently visited us</li> <li>Our Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/396485553855638/?ref=br_rs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Terlizzi USA</a></li> <li>Our shipment we're preparing for the US</li> <li>Paul and his peppers, from Habaneros to the hottest pepper in the world, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Reaper" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carolina Reaper</a></li> <li>Why we called our spicy products, <a href="http://villacappelli.com/products/ktm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">KTM</a>, Kit a Mut or Curse the Dead</li> <li>The Scoville Scale for rating peppers and what it means, which essential the <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-hot-is-that-pepper-how-scientists-measure-spiciness-884380/?no-ist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Smithsonian Magazine</a> explains better than me: The idea was to dilute an alcohol-based extract made with the given pepper until it no longer tasted hot to a group of taste testers. The degree of dilution translates to the SHU. In other words, according to the Scoville scale, you would need as many as 5,000 cups of water to dilute 1 cup of tobacco sauce enough to no longer taste the heat. Some of the health benefits of peppers, including lowering blood pressure, thinning blood and helping HEAL ulcers</li> <li>Some of our other conserves like our <a href="http://villacappelli.com/products/plum-conserves" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Plum Conserves</a></li> <li><a href="http://lastella.altervista.org/non-comprate-olio-doliva-a-3e-non-e-olio-ecco-tre-video-choc-per-capire/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A video series on Italian television about the fraud in the olive oil industry</a></li> <li>Why the politicians are one of the biggest problems, including laws that confiscated oil has to be proven bad within three days time and customs officials are held personally responsible for any losses a company may experience if the company fights the charges brought against them</li> <li>The economics of extra virgin olive oil and how it's impossible to sell extra virgin olive oil for as little amount of money that big companies do</li> <li>Our PLUS method to insure you what are buying is truly extra virgin olive oil <ul> <li>Price. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.</li> <li>Label. Look for seals like DOP and the origin of olives.</li> <li>Understanding. Know that terms like "light" and "pure" olive oil are just marketing terms.</li> <li>Source. Know where your extra virgin olive oil comes from. Trust a farm, not a factory.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Why you shouldn't be fooled by green oil</li></ul>

022: How to tell if your extra virgin olive oil is really extra virgin

It’s the Italian name game.  Paul and Steven start the episode talking about Paul’s trip to Florida, but then quickly progress into a conversation all about names in Italy.  You’ll learn all about the funny nicknames in small towns, why married women here don’t take their husband’s last name, and why there are no juniors in Italy.       You’ll learn:    ·      About Paul’s trip to Florida to surprise his mother for her birthday   ·      How the surprise got ruined   ·      Why Paul suddenly likes Florida   ·      How Italian last names can indicate the region of your family’s heritage: if it ends in an “i” they are usually from the north and if it ends in an “o” they are from the south.   ·      What it means when a person has the last name of a town in Italy   ·      A bit about the Jewish ghettos in Italy   ·      Where the words “ghetto” and “graffiti” come from   ·      How some of the orphans got their names in Italy   ·      Why the families here in Italy all have family nicknames   ·      What Paul’s family’s nickname — the Dirt Eaters — exactly means   ·      Why women here do not take their husband’s last name   ·      Why there are no juniors here in Italy   ·      Why all a lot of first cousins have the same name, first AND last   ·      Why there are so many guys named Nicola in the Bari area   ·      What the heck Santa Claus has to do with Bari and Puglia   ·      Paul’s friend David Lucas’s association to Blue Oyster Cult’s song Don’t Fear the Reaper and the famous Saturday Night Live skit about the song and the cowbell   ·      How Paul feels Miami is very up and coming   ·      Our big pig experiment

It’s the Italian name game.  Paul and Steven start the episode talking about Paul’s trip to Florida, but then quickly progress into a conversation all about names in Italy.  You’ll learn all about the funny nicknames in small towns, why married women here don’t take their husband’s last name, and why there are no juniors in Italy. You’ll learn:  ·      About Paul’s trip to Florida to surprise his mother for her birthday ·      How the surprise got ruined ·      Why Paul suddenly likes Florida ·      How Italian last names can indicate the region of your family’s heritage: if it ends in an “i” they are usually from the north and if it ends in an “o” they are from the south. ·      What it means when a person has the last name of a town in Italy ·      A bit about the Jewish ghettos in Italy ·      Where the words “ghetto” and “graffiti” come from ·      How some of the orphans got their names in Italy ·      Why the families here in Italy all have family nicknames ·      What Paul’s family’s nickname — the Dirt Eaters — exactly means ·      Why women here do not take their husband’s last name ·      Why there are no juniors here in Italy ·      Why all a lot of first cousins have the same name, first AND last ·      Why there are so many guys named Nicola in the Bari area ·      What the heck Santa Claus has to do with Bari and Puglia ·      Paul’s friend David Lucas’s association to Blue Oyster Cult’s song Don’t Fear the Reaper and the famous Saturday Night Live skit about the song and the cowbell ·      How Paul feels Miami is very up and coming ·      Our big pig experiment

005: Italian names: nicknames, family names, married names and more

It’s all about Easter and Holy Week in Italy.  Our experiences, some of which are straight out of the Godfather, and just how different and mysterious the celebrations are here in Puglia, Italy.           You’ll discover:   ·      Our experiences with the local passion play in Terlizzi, Italy   ·      The progression of the play and how they used the charming old town of Terlizzi to put on an amazing show   ·      How we, as Americans, snuck to the front of the line for the show   ·      How similar the architecture around our area is similar to Jerusalem   ·      How typical Italian communication played a part in our experience of the play   ·      The mysteries parade on Good Friday in Terlizzi, Italy   ·      Why the carrying of the statues is so cool to Steven   ·      What we cooked for Easter lunch in our wood burning pizza oven   ·      All the different celebrations in the area and our idea for an Easter tour   ·      Why we have eggs at Easter   ·      Some traditional holiday dishes from our area, including a local Easter dish and a spicy ricotta spread 

It’s all about Easter and Holy Week in Italy.  Our experiences, some of which are straight out of the Godfather, and just how different and mysterious the celebrations are here in Puglia, Italy. You’ll discover: ·      Our experiences with the local passion play in Terlizzi, Italy ·      The progression of the play and how they used the charming old town of Terlizzi to put on an amazing show ·      How we, as Americans, snuck to the front of the line for the show ·      How similar the architecture around our area is similar to Jerusalem ·      How typical Italian communication played a part in our experience of the play ·      The mysteries parade on Good Friday in Terlizzi, Italy ·      Why the carrying of the statues is so cool to Steven ·      What we cooked for Easter lunch in our wood burning pizza oven ·      All the different celebrations in the area and our idea for an Easter tour ·      Why we have eggs at Easter ·      Some traditional holiday dishes from our area, including a local Easter dish and a spicy ricotta spread

003: Easter in Italy

Not ketchup. Not mayo. Not even mustard. We think the world's best sandwich and hamburger topper is our Red Onion Jam (Cipolon'). After a few shout outs to some fans, we tell you just what goes into making this amazing product and what else you can do with it. Topics we cover:  Some help from our fans: Susan W. who let me know the last couple of podcasts were in mono. Sorry guys! Michele who had his own story the Italian last name Esposito and from Episode 005: Italian names: nicknames, family names, married names and more, and a correction about the coastline of Rhode Island from Episode 18: Why southern Italy is better than northern Italy.   Paul's mother living with us now and the one tool that helps us a ton at the villa. Check it out here. How we added 700 sq meters to the villa (7534 sq. feet) Red Tropea Onions — what they are and where the come from Why British and French Red Onion Jam It does sound strange, but why it's so good Our questions about what the difference is between jams, conserves, preserves and marmalades. If you know the official answer, let us know at info@villacappelli.com What we make our fruit conserves with Why Paul hates to see fruit on a tree that is not going to be picked Paul's idea for a new product line. What do you think? Let us know. The ingredients in our red onion jam (also known as Cipolon') How to use the red tropea onion jam On a sharp piece of cheese (the salty sweet combination is amazing) On a piece of bread with lardo On a piece of salami As the world's best sandwich or hamburger topper On a nice piece of steak In place of onions or caramelized onions to your sauces and other dishes   How it lasts a long time in the fridge after opening Why Paul believes it's one of our most flavorful products, while I believe the Bell Pepper is

<a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Italian-Villa-Rental-Italy-Italian-food-red-onion-jam-F.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Not ketchup. Not mayo. Not even mustard. We think the world's best sandwich and hamburger topper is our <a href="http://Not ketchup. Not mayo. Not even mustard. We think the world's best sandwich and hamburger topper is our Red Onion Jam (Cipolon'). After a few shout outs to some fans, we tell you just want goes into making this amazing product and what else you can do with it. Topics we cover: • Some help from our fans: o Susan W. who let me know the last couple of podcasts were in mono. Sorry guys! o Michele who had his own story the Italian last name Esposito and from episode 005, Italian names: nicknames, family names, married names and more, http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/5 and a correction about the coastline of Rhode Island from episode 18, Why southern Italy is better than northern Italy. http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/18 • Paul's mother living with us now and the one tool that helps us a ton at the villa. Check it out here. • How we added 700 sq meters to the villa (7534 sq. feet) • Red Tropea Onions — what they are and where the come from • Why British and French Red Onion Jam • It does sound strange, but why it's so good • Our questions about what the difference is between jams, conserves, preserves and marmalades. If you know the official answer, let us know at info@villacappelli.com • What we make our fruit conserves with • Why Paul hates to see fruit on a tree that is not going to be picked • Paul's idea for a new product line. What do you think? Let us know. • The ingredients in our red onion jam (also known as Cipolon) • How to use the red tropea onion jam o On a sharp piece of cheese (the salty sweet combination is amazing) o On a piece of bread with lardo o On a piece of salami o As the world's best sandwich or hamburger topper o On a nice piece of steak o In place of onions or caramelized onions to your sauces and other dishes • How it lasts a long time in the fridge after opening • Why Paul believes it's one of our most flavorful products, while I believe the Bell Pepper is" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Red Onion Jam</a> (Cipolon'). After a few shout outs to some fans, we tell you just what goes into making this amazing product and what else you can do with it. Topics we cover: <ul> <li>Some help from our fans: <ul> <li>Susan W. who let me know the last couple of podcasts were in mono. Sorry guys!</li> <li>Michele who had his own story the Italian last name Esposito and from <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Episode 005: Italian names: nicknames, family names, married names and more</a>, and a correction about the coastline of Rhode Island from E<a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/18" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">pisode 18: Why southern Italy is better than northern Italy</a>.</li> </ul> </li> <li>Paul's mother living with us now and the one tool that helps us a ton at the villa. Check it out here.</li> <li>How we added 700 sq meters to the villa (7534 sq. feet)</li> <li>Red Tropea Onions — what they are and where the come from</li> <li>Why British and French Red Onion Jam</li> <li>It does sound strange, but why it's so good</li> <li>Our questions about what the difference is between jams, conserves, preserves and marmalades. If you know the official answer, let us know at info@villacappelli.com</li> <li>What we make our fruit conserves with</li> <li>Why Paul hates to see fruit on a tree that is not going to be picked</li> <li>Paul's idea for a new product line. What do you think? Let us know.</li> <li>The ingredients in our red onion jam (also known as Cipolon')</li> <li>How to use the red tropea onion jam <ul> <li>On a sharp piece of cheese (the salty sweet combination is amazing)</li> <li>On a piece of bread with lardo</li> <li>On a piece of salami</li> <li>As the world's best sandwich or hamburger topper</li> <li>On a nice piece of steak</li> <li>In place of onions or caramelized onions to your sauces and other dishes</li> </ul> </li> <li>How it lasts a long time in the fridge after opening</li> <li>Why Paul believes it's one of our most flavorful products, while I believe the Bell Pepper is</li></ul>

023: Italy has the world's best sandwich topper (and it's not ketchup!)

Learn all about the feast of the Madonna of Sovereto in Terlizzi and Sovereto in Puglia, Italy. From carts several stories tall to shepherd boys, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the celebration. So pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the festivities! Topics we cover:  The change in Italian clothing in August The difference between a feast and a festival The story of the Madonna of Sovereto The Knights Templars’ frescos in Sovereto What is a “black Madonna” How oxen played an important part in determining where the Madonna now lives Why the bloody ox still has a prominent place in the feast The difference between a triumphal cart and a float The construction of this massive (5 story tall) cart for the festival How the cart is manually pushed through the town by a group of men Why throwing candy at the kids in the cart isn’t such a nice thing Why they have to put gravel down on one corner How the cart is steered through the town The meat of the feast A special delicacy everyone eats during the feast The other part of the ceremony that takes place on April 23 Why the Madonna is also known as the Madonna of the Water Why Steven likes this part of the feast as it’s one giant block party for the whole town of Terlizzi How people refer to their apartments as houses and their stand-alone houses as villas The World War II frescos that were the highlight of this year’s feast for us Popeye, Oliveoil and more that were on the frescos   Click here to join the fun in our Facebook group: Italian Food &amp; Travel, Tips and Tricks  Photos of the festivalA special thanks to Maria Pansini. All the black and white photos are hers. The cart coming down the street.The Madonna making her way to the cart.The shepherd who leads the procession.Getting ready.Chaos in the streets.The honor guard steering the cart.The cart entering the square.The oxen.Pushing the cart.The other part of the festival in April that is one giant block party.The World War II frescos we saw.Oliveoil. So fitting to be found in Puglia.The names on the wall. Anyone know anyone here?

<a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Featured-2.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Learn all about the feast of the Madonna of Sovereto in Terlizzi and Sovereto in Puglia, Italy. From carts several stories tall to shepherd boys, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the celebration. So pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the festivities! Topics we cover: <ul> <li>The change in Italian clothing in August</li> <li>The difference between a feast and a festival</li> <li>The story of the Madonna of Sovereto</li> <li>The Knights Templars’ frescos in Sovereto</li> <li>What is a “black Madonna”</li> <li>How oxen played an important part in determining where the Madonna now lives</li> <li>Why the bloody ox still has a prominent place in the feast</li> <li>The difference between a triumphal cart and a float</li> <li>The construction of this massive (5 story tall) cart for the festival</li> <li>How the cart is manually pushed through the town by a group of men</li> <li>Why throwing candy at the kids in the cart isn’t such a nice thing</li> <li>Why they have to put gravel down on one corner</li> <li>How the cart is steered through the town</li> <li>The meat of the feast</li> <li>A special delicacy everyone eats during the feast</li> <li>The other part of the ceremony that takes place on April 23</li> <li>Why the Madonna is also known as the Madonna of the Water</li> <li>Why Steven likes this part of the feast as it’s one giant block party for the whole town of Terlizzi</li> <li>How people refer to their apartments as houses and their stand-alone houses as villas</li> <li>The World War II frescos that were the highlight of this year’s feast for us</li> <li>Popeye, Oliveoil and more that were on the frescos</li> <li></li> </ul> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/921247654579952/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here to join the fun in our Facebook group: Italian Food &amp; Travel, Tips and Tricks</a>  Photos of the festival A special thanks to Maria Pansini. All the black and white photos are hers. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest20.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The cart coming down the street. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest9.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The Madonna making her way to the cart. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest10.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The shepherd who leads the procession. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest12.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Getting ready. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest8.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Chaos in the streets. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest6.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The honor guard steering the cart. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest7.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The cart entering the square. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest3.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The oxen. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest11.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Pushing the cart. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest18.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The other part of the festival in April that is one giant block party. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest15.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The World War II frescos we saw. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest17.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>Oliveoil. So fitting to be found in Puglia. <a href="http://www.livingvillacappelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Villa-Rental-Italy-Puglia-Fest16.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a>The names on the wall. Anyone know anyone here?

017: An Italian feast you have to see (or hear) to believe

What's Christmas like in Italy? Well, some traditions are the same and some are very different. We'll take through our experience with this amazing season in Italy. Topics we cover  Paul's memories of his family drinking Manhattans in Boston The Italians start celebrating the season on Saint Nicolas day in early December The fact that Saint Nicolas is actually buried here in Bari How the kids get gifts on Saint Nicolas day, Christmas day and on the Epiphany How kids put their shoes out during Saint Nicolas day to get presents How everyone makes their own homemade nativity scene every year with bark, moss, twigs and more A moving nativity in Terlizzi that as 40 moving parts that move 1000 pieces Steven's childhood memory of a children's book that explained how he got into home that didn't have fireplaces. We are still looking for the name of this book, but this one does mention fairies traveling with Santa to help him get into homes: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus How old Steven was when he stopped believing and what kept Steven believing for a long time The tradition of the Bafana for the Epiphany. She is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to St Nicholas or Santa Claus, also delivering a a lump of coal if they are bad. A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany or in Italian La Festa dell'Epifania. Epiphania. In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their stockings with candy and presents if they are good. Or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney (again, like another guy we know). Why we believe we have the song The Twelve Days of Christmas How the wise mean were zoroastrians  The traditional Panatone (here's an image and recipe if you feel so inclined, we have NOT tried this recipe, you'll understand why from the episode) Vincotto (or dried fig molasses) Calzoncelli cookies, Cartellate and Susamielli  Feast of the Seven Fishes How the Bari area likes raw fish more The eel the locals eat here on Christmas Eve Paul's memory of his Aunt cleaning eels in Boston Paul believes most people don't take down their Christmas decorations until after the Epiphany in America, Steven thinks they come down as soon as December 25th is over. What do you think? How you can leave us voice mail (check out the banner to the right)  Any traditions we missed? What does your family do to celebrate? Let us know.  Some pictures of Christmas from years past in Italy and the Villa.Cartellate Cookies with VincottoThe wine cellar decorated for a Christmas party at Villa Cappelli.A close up of a homemade nativity.Some nativity actors.Orso looking out at the snow at Villa Cappelli.Wreaths caught in the snow storm of 2014.Calzoncelli, one of Paul's favorites.

What's Christmas like in Italy? Well, some traditions are the same and some are very different. We'll take through our experience with this amazing season in Italy. Topics we cover <ul> <li>Paul's memories of his family drinking Manhattans in Boston</li> <li>The Italians start celebrating the season on Saint Nicolas day in early December</li> <li>The fact that Saint Nicolas is actually buried here in Bari</li> <li>How the kids get gifts on Saint Nicolas day, Christmas day and on the Epiphany</li> <li>How kids put their shoes out during Saint Nicolas day to get presents</li> <li>How everyone makes their own homemade nativity scene every year with bark, moss, twigs and more</li> <li>A moving nativity in Terlizzi that as 40 moving parts that move 1000 pieces</li> <li>Steven's childhood memory of a children's book that explained how he got into home that didn't have fireplaces. We are still looking for the name of this book, but this one does mention fairies traveling with Santa to help him get into homes: <a href="http://geni.us/3l3p" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus</a></li> <li>How old Steven was when he stopped believing and what kept Steven believing for a long time</li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The tradition of the Bafana for the Epiphany.</a> She is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to St Nicholas or Santa Claus, also delivering a a lump of coal if they are bad. A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany or in Italian La Festa dell'Epifania. Epiphania. In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their stockings with candy and presents if they are good. Or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney (again, like another guy we know).</li> <li>Why we believe we have the song <a href="http://geni.us/267o" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Twelve Days of Christmas</a></li> <li>How the wise mean were <a href="http://members.efn.org/~opal/therealmagi.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">zoroastrians </a></li> <li>The traditional Panatone (<a href="http://www.painlesscooking.com/panatone.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here's an image and recipe if you feel so inclined</a>, we have NOT tried this recipe, you'll understand why from the episode)</li> <li>Vincotto (or dried fig molasses)</li> <li>Calzoncelli cookies, Cartellate and <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susamielli" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Susamielli </a></li> <li>Feast of the Seven Fishes</li> <li>How the Bari area likes raw fish more</li> <li>The eel the locals eat here on Christmas Eve</li> <li>Paul's memory of his Aunt cleaning eels in Boston</li> <li>Paul believes most people don't take down their Christmas decorations until after the Epiphany in America, Steven thinks they come down as soon as December 25th is over. What do you think?</li> <li>How you can leave us voice mail (check out the banner to the right)</li> </ul> Any traditions we missed? What does your family do to celebrate? Let us know.  Some pictures of Christmas from years past in Italy and the Villa. Cartellate Cookies with Vincotto The wine cellar decorated for a Christmas party at Villa Cappelli. A close up of a homemade nativity. Some nativity actors. Orso looking out at the snow at Villa Cappelli. Wreaths caught in the snow storm of 2014. Calzoncelli, one of Paul's favorites.

025: Christmas in Italy

In this episode, we catch up with some renovations happening at the villa and Paul’s adventure in local small town Italian politics. Topics we cover: •  How we added three new bathrooms upstairs •  How we saved a lot of time and money by using existing sewer pipes instead of adding in new ones and new construction to our first floor •  How Paul loves using Farrow &amp; Ball paints •  Paul’s explanation between dyes and pigments •  Impressionist paintings •  One villa guest who stayed with us, Natvar Bhavsar who used pigments in his painting •  Paul’s adventure in politics •  Three strange rules (strange to us) that exist in Italian elections •  First off there were 290 candidates for 17 city council seats •  One reason is each of the parties, of which there are many, they have to nominate a certain number of people in order to be considered a “list” or a “party” •  All these parties then form coalitions, there were three this election nominating three men for mayor •  The next rule that was strange was the fact that you have two votes for city council, and if you want to use both votes, one has to be for a man and one for a woman •  While understanding the thinking behind this, it seems like a strange law •  In a national election, you are voting for a party, not for a person •  In Italy, people always lament about how people here get jobs not so much based on merit, but on who they know, etc. •  However, when it comes to politics, most people don’t seem to be voting based on merits, but on the fact they are voting for their cousin, or their brother-in-law, or their neighbor, etc. •  The election outcome •  Why the one left wing coalition is not throwing his support behind the other left-wing coalition •  What it will take for Paul’s party to win in the runoff election •  Paul’s speech during the election •  Steven’s surprise in the passion and dedication people showed for a small town election, holding debates and getting very fired up •  How some of the people during the debates were spitting on the other candidates •  How the whole town almost shuts down a few days before the election •  There is a 48 media blackout before the election •  What the incumbents did to win the election •  The results of the election for Paul •  How because there are so many candidates running, a guy who got 2% of the vote got elected to city council •  Why this seems so confusing for us coming from a two party system •  NOTE/UPDATE:  Paul’s party did not win in the runoff election •  Why Paul decided to run •  How Paul uses Facebook to influence the government here Some more about Italian politics • Italy is run through a Parliamentary Republic with a multi-party system. • Italy has been a Parliamentary Republic since June 2, 1946 when the monarchy was abolished •  Executive power is held by the Council of Ministers which is led by a Prime Minister •  Legislative power is held by two house of parliament primarily, and secondarily by the Council of Ministers which can introduce bills and holds the majority of the parliament •  The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative and headed by the High Council of the Judiciary Paul's Speech:

In this episode, we catch up with some renovations happening at the villa and Paul’s adventure in local small town Italian politics. Topics we cover: •  How we added three new bathrooms upstairs •  How we saved a lot of time and money by using existing sewer pipes instead of adding in new ones and new construction to our first floor •  How Paul loves using <a href="http://eu.farrow-ball.com/?lng=&amp;ctry=IT" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Farrow &amp; Ball</a> paints •  Paul’s explanation between dyes and pigments •  Impressionist paintings •  One villa guest who stayed with us, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natvar_Bhavsar" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Natvar Bhavsar</a> who used pigments in his painting •  Paul’s adventure in politics •  Three strange rules (strange to us) that exist in Italian elections •  First off there were 290 candidates for 17 city council seats •  One reason is each of the parties, of which there are many, they have to nominate a certain number of people in order to be considered a “list” or a “party” •  All these parties then form coalitions, there were three this election nominating three men for mayor •  The next rule that was strange was the fact that you have two votes for city council, and if you want to use both votes, one has to be for a man and one for a woman •  While understanding the thinking behind this, it seems like a strange law •  In a national election, you are voting for a party, not for a person •  In Italy, people always lament about how people here get jobs not so much based on merit, but on who they know, etc. •  However, when it comes to politics, most people don’t seem to be voting based on merits, but on the fact they are voting for their cousin, or their brother-in-law, or their neighbor, etc. •  The election outcome •  Why the one left wing coalition is not throwing his support behind the other left-wing coalition •  What it will take for Paul’s party to win in the runoff election •  Paul’s speech during the election •  Steven’s surprise in the passion and dedication people showed for a small town election, holding debates and getting very fired up •  How some of the people during the debates were spitting on the other candidates •  How the whole town almost shuts down a few days before the election •  There is a 48 media blackout before the election •  What the incumbents did to win the election •  The results of the election for Paul •  How because there are so many candidates running, a guy who got 2% of the vote got elected to city council •  Why this seems so confusing for us coming from a two party system •  NOTE/UPDATE:  Paul’s party did not win in the runoff election •  Why Paul decided to run •  How Paul uses Facebook to influence the government here Some more about Italian politics • Italy is run through a Parliamentary Republic with a multi-party system. • Italy has been a Parliamentary Republic since June 2, 1946 when the monarchy was abolished •  Executive power is held by the Council of Ministers which is led by a Prime Minister •  Legislative power is held by two house of parliament primarily, and secondarily by the Council of Ministers which can introduce bills and holds the majority of the parliament •  The judiciary is independent of the executive and legislative and headed by the High Council of the Judiciary Paul's Speech:

052: Small Town Italian Politics

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