It’s olive picking season! And like every other year I get asked ‘how do you do your olives’? So this year I thought I’d write a short blog and include the recipe.

This time each year, we usually have an olive picking day with friends. I’ll make a delicious ragù and some fresh pasta so we can sit and enjoy lunch, a glass of wine and a few laughs together after the job is done.

Our wonderful, kind and very healthy 95 year old neighbour Signor Gangemi, who migrated from Calabria around the same time as my parents, has an olive tree that is over 70 years old, and boasts some enormous and the most wonderfully smelling olives I have ever seen. We also have two olive trees on our verge, much younger than our neighbours, but with equally delicious olives on them.

It just so happens that our trees fruit on alternative years, so it’s olive harvesting every year for us, because Signor Gangemi has an abundance of them when his tree fruits and he loves to share. Infact we spend a lot of time heading over to each other’s houses to share some sort of produce from our yard. He especially loves our fresh eggs, and when my children run them over, they never return home empty handed. It’s just one of those ‘Italian things’.

Now the olive conserving is my husband’s job. He’s responsible for changing the water each day leading up to the day we jar them, so here is a very rough explanation of how you can make your olives if you happen to be picking some this year. I’d be the worst cookbook writer ever, because I don’t measure ingredients (another one of those ‘Italian things’), but here goes in point form, and you can also email me with any questions tania@thelittleitalianschool.com.au

STEP 1

-Pick the olives !
- slit each olive with a knife – or – lightly bash each one with a hammer

STEP 2

-place the olives in a bucket of fresh water (make sure they are covered)
-change the water each day with some fresh water for at least 2 weeks. This may need to be done a little longer depending on the size of your olives. The best way to tell if they have lost their bitterness is to taste them.

STEP 3

-prepare the brine by melting 200gr of salt per 1 litre of water  and bring to boil (you’ll have to work out youself how much brine you may need depending on the quantity of olives you’ve picked. You can always make more if you need it so it’s best to start small and work it out from there.

Once boiling,  and for about 10 litres of water you’ll need to add

-a handful of peppercorns

-4 or 5 bayleaves

-lemon rind

-a clove of garlic (or more if you prefer more)

-a handful of rosemary twigs

STEP 4

-Using your sterilised jars, place the olives in them, poor in some vinegar (we use our own homemade red wine vinegar) maybe to a quarter of the jar, and top up with the brine.

Enjoy your labour of love!    

Picture credit Emiko Davies

1) How did you end up in Italy ?

The first time I lived in Florence was during my third year of art school; I decided to leave my school in Providence, Rhode Island, for the damp Florentine autumn season – and I fell in love with it. I came back a few years later with an idea just to spend a year there and get it out of my system but I ended up staying and meeting the man who became my husband. It's been 13 years since then!

2) How much of the Italian culture were you familiar with before you moved there?

Being an art student and history lover, what I knew of Florence was the Renaissance. It was my favourite subject at university so in a way when I arrived in Florence – a city that very much lives in its past – it felt so familiar and like all my books had come to life! I knew something of the food (who doesn't these days? Italian food is so iconic) but really didn't understand the regional differences until I lived in Florence.

Picture credit Emiko Davies

3) What were the biggest cultural differences you experienced ? Are there any you dislike? Which one is your favourite?

I mainly noticed the cultural differences when we had kids. The way children are treated and brought up is so different to Australia! I'm a bit over the hypochondriac reaction to the cold, like not playing outside if it's cold or wet, not blow drying your child's hair or drinking chilled drinks even on a hot day! Let's not talk about the unsolicited advice on how your children are dressed from complete strangers! But I DO love that family culture is so respected and that children are welcome everywhere you go, that breastfeeding in public you get cheered and how strangers (often the ones telling you they should be wearing socks) gush over your babies.

4) Is Italy all roses and as romantic as people like to portray it is?

Ha, it is and it isn't. It's a land of contrasts really. There are often frustrating moments – mainly to do with politics, red tape and getting things done or things like lack of opportunities. But they are by far made up for by a certain way of life – the food, the food habits, even yes, the view! Yes, there's something about coming home after a hard day, stopping at your favourite wine bar with the beautiful Renaissance buildings silouhetted against the pink sky and the glittering lights in the river and you remember why you live in Italy.

Picture credit Emiko Davies

5) What were the biggest challenges you faced when you moved there?

Finding a steady job. That still hasn't happened! And navigating the impossibly complicated system of setting yourself up (that eventually happened, albeit with lots of confusion and so much frustration). The language happened easily for me but I've grown up learning and speaking different languages though I think for some my expat friends that has been a hurdle in itself too.

6)Would you recommend moving to Italy? And why?

It depends. It's not for everyone. I'd recommend it if you're willing to learn a new language and to jump into an adventure. I spent 8 years growing up in China and I feel that really prepared me for any situation (there really are so many surprising similarities between the two cultures actually)! As long as you know that living there is definitely not like having a holiday there and are prepared for the annoying bits too. That, and you need to be prepared for long, unrelenting, humid summers without air conditioning and a very active mosquito population! People love the idea of “Under the Tuscan Sun” but to be honest the summer is my least favourite part of living in Italy.

Picture credit Emiko Davies

7) How does it feel being foreign but wanting to embrace and feel part of a culture that is not yours? Do the Italians treat you like an Italian or do you always feel a little foreign or more like a visitor than a local?

I have been lucky in that I have never felt like a tourist or a foreigner in Italy and maybe it's because I learned the language quickly and made Italian friends or because I have dark hair and maybe look the part. One of my best friends is a blonde Scottish woman who speaks better Italian than I could dream of and yet in a shop or restaurant she will always be treated like a tourist first. I feel like even though Florence is a small city and its inhabitants are known as being a little gruff, there is a large international community here and so I've always found I fit in with that – I've been an “international” person more than half of my life now. I think that's partly what drew me to Florence in the first place.

Picture credit Emiko Davies

8) Is the saying ‘home is where the heart is’ true for you? Do you think of your birthplace often and your family and friends back home?

It's true. I miss my family in Australia more than I ever have, even though I've lived out of home since I was 17 – and for decades have lived on the other side of the world. I think it's been having a family of my own that makes me miss my own family more and consider Canberra, my birthplace, home even though I haven't lived there in so long.

9) Do you think you will reside there forever or will you return home one day?

I've spent my whole life moving from one country to the other and have called Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Beijing, Tianjin, Providence and Tuscany home for significant portions of my life. So staying put in one place isn't something I'm used to – but I would love to give my daughters the opportunity to experience their two cultures, Australian and Italian, equally. So we will see!

Picture credit Emiko Davies

You can find photographer /cookbook author Emiko Davies on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/emikodavies/ to view her stunning feed or visit her website http://www.emikodavies.com/ and be inspired by some of her delicious recipes!

Pictured : some of the strongest women I know. Family & friends of the heart - location: Farmhouse Italy

L-R Silvana, Adriana, Myself, Fausta, Rachel

We Italians love a good ‘festa’.

For those of you who have lived in Italy, you'll know that the Festa della Donna (International Women’s Day) is celebrated with blooming mimosa flowers that can be found on almost every street corner ready to gift to a wonderful ‘donna’ (woman) in your life.

La Festa della Donna is celebrated each year on the 8th of March and is a significant day because it reminds us of the importance of women all around the world. Once upon a time women were suppressed and discriminated against, but on the 8th of March in 1917 in San Petersburg, after the 1st World War, women marched the streets to fight for womens rights. 

Pictured: The most important woman, friend & role model in my life: Mamma

The mimosa is the chosen plant to give women on this special day. There are a few different reasons why it is thought that this bright yellow bloom was chosen.

Some say the flowers of the mimosa are a reflection of what a woman is, being bright, cheerful, delicate and strong all at the same time.

Others say that the flower was chosen just after the war, when there wasn’t much money around, so it was economic and easily found in the fields, blooming every year in March.

Picture Pinterest

Buona Festa della Donna a tutti!

Have fun celebrating all of the strong, beautiful, sensitive, caring, loving women in your lives!

Pictured: the other most important woman in my life - Nonna 95 years old

Pic credit - Girl in Florence

1) How did you end up in Italy ?

I first came to Italy as a study abroad student in 2005, at the time I was living in Los Angeles for university but I am originally from San Antonio, Texas. My program lasted a full calendar year which really helped to give me time to get to know Florence a little better than most study abroad programs that only last for a semester. After finishing my degree in Los Angeles, I returned to Italy in the Fall of 2007 and haven’t really left ever since. Now it’s been over 10 years that I’ve called the city of Florence my home. They can’t get rid of me.

2) How much of the Italian culture were you familiar with before you moved there?

I have to admit, almost nothing! My original plan was to study in London as my degree was in political science at the time. Florence was a happy accident but one that I felt in no way prepared for. In fact, most people in my program were well versed in Italian or held some sort of Italian heritage and I could barely pronounce cappuccino properly. I felt later though, that this worked to my advantage, as I didn’t hold any sort of fantasies on what life might actually be like on the boot. I took everything as it came, the good, the bad and my awkward butchering of the beautiful Italian language.

Pic credit - Girl in Florence

3) What were the biggest cultural differences you experienced ? Are there any you dislike? Which one is your favourite?

I suppose like most people, there were plenty. I had a very American approach to life and efficiency and I had to learn that the phrase “time is money” doesn’t really apply in Italy. The country moves at a slower pace that can be infuriating if you yourself are the one being worked through a bureaucratic game of mind craft. I disliked what I felt to be total apathy by public sector employees and by locals who accepted things or looked the other way for things that I felt were “not ok” like insisting on being paid in cash/al nero, making clear traffic violations or general rudeness/line jumping. Also, the work situation has been always quite tenuous for most people when I first arrived. However, what I have gained from living here is far more important and valuable. Italians value their sit-down mealtime with loved ones and so do I, I know how to whip up any type of dish with relative ease and I don’t stress about the small stuff as much as I used to. I was able to build a career and thrive here by almost not having any other options, I’m not to sure that would have happened if I didn’t live here. I know everything will be ok and that I need to enjoy my life as best I can. I don’t mind living in a small apartment and haven’t cared about owning a dryer or car in 10 years. It’s amazing how life can be totally different from that of your friends where you grew up but how utterly happy you can be with less.

4) Is Italy all roses and as romantic as people like to portray it is?

I might not be the person you want to ask this question haha, because I will tell you that I am a pragmatic person who doesn’t hold stars in her eyes, unless you are waving a pizza or rum babà under my nose! I find the people that tend to idolize Italy are the ones who don’t live here or haven’t really spent time having to jump through life’s many hurdles to get where they are. It’s perfect for me, and I love and appreciate this country like no other, but I have seen many a person arrive with dreams and goals only to slink back home a few years later after becoming isolated, playing the “compare” game and realizing that it takes years and decades to get settled in a place (by the way this applies anywhere, not just Italy).

Pic credit - Girl on Florence

5) What were the biggest challenges you faced when you moved there?

You name the challenge, I had to deal with it. Honestly everything, getting a visa to stay here, changing that visa to be able to work, finding a stable job, realizing that I had to work multiple jobs, not having opportunities to grow in a career at the same pace as what I felt other people in other places were experiencing, dealing with casual apathy and dismissiveness from locals, finding true and lasting friendships. Luckily things are a lot easier now but we have to keep in mind that it’s been eleven years here. It took me a lot of time to find my way, even with the added help of living with an Italian family for the first 7 years of that time.

6)Would you recommend moving to Italy? And why?

You have to ask yourself why you want to. If it’s because you are missing something in your life back home or think Italy is the best place ever after one vacation, consider making a change that isn’t as dramatic as legally moving to another country first. Try to create that community, embrace learning how to cook, forage, visit farmer’s markets, plan trips and come to Italy every year for a month or two, that might be the better option. If you really want to make a go of it it here, make sure to have your legal game lined up as far as getting a visa and enroll in an Italian language school. You need to learn the language even if you think you don’t. It’s important to try and integrate as much as possible and the key to that is learning the language.

Pic credit - Girl in Florence

7) How does it feel being foreign but wanting to embrace and feel part of a culture that is not yours? Do the Italians treat you like an Italian or do you always feel a little foreign or more like a visitor than a local?

I think I touch on this subject best in one of my blog posts here, but I can say that it can be complicated at times. I’ll give you an example. My husband is French but speaks without an accent in Italian (keep in mind, we both speak fluently) when people meet him they think he is Italian so his “Frenchness” is almost always forgotten. However, the fact that you can tell I’m an American both my accent and physique, kind of puts me in that “place” when someone gets to know me for the first time. Many people come and go in Florence so naturally someone doesn’t know me, they may assume I am a transient too.  Someone might ask me for directions in Italian and as I am describing the route, they are already scanning the street to ask someone they deem “more local.” I’ve tried to rid myself of the accent but alas it is more powerful than me! That being said, despite the fact that Florence is known for being well rather cold to people, I do feel accepted by forcing my way into the conversation and community. YOU have to be the one to make that effort, people are not going to come to you unless they want you to teach their kids English. Once again, I think this applies anywhere, not just Italy. Personally, I feel like what I am, a person who was born in the USA; raised there but who identifies more with the European cultural mindset. Home is here.

8) Is the saying ‘home is where the heart is’ true for you? Do you think of your birthplace often and your family and friends back home?

Yes, but I believe that the concept of “home” is wherever you feel most like you. For me, that’s here, not San Antonio, Texas where I feel more like an alien. I do miss my family and friends back home and I try to visit as much as possible, especially as my parents get older, but the itch to get back to Europe is pretty strong. They know that and appreciate that I am always going to be their “Georgette” who loves Mexican food and snow cones but who has chosen a life elsewhere, inclusive of their visits of course. I wouldn’t be the same person I am without having grown up where I did and making various life choices that were different than the “norm.”

Pic credit - Girl in Florence

9) Do you think you will reside there forever or will you return home one day?

I do believe that my home is here and that also means that I may need to leave one day for my husband’s job for a few years. I do think that we will always come back to Florence and that for us, this is where we see ourselves growing old and raising a family. I have a great support system here and while I love visiting Texas and California, I can’t really see myself living there ever again.

Pic credit - Girl in Florence

You can find the beautiful Georgette Jupe 'Girl In Florence' on instagram https://www.instagram.com/girlinflorence/ or click here http://girlinflorence.com/ to read some of her wonderful blogs and tips on travel in Italy.

Natalie Kennedy - Picture credit - An American in Rome

1) How did you end up in Italy ?
I moved to Rome for graduate school. I did my master’s degree in economics (with a focus on international policy) at an Italian university. That led to an internship and eventually a job. Though, a few weeks after I arrived, I also met the man I would later marry – so there were many reasons to stay.

2) How much of the Italian culture were you familiar with before you moved there?
Oh god. I wish I could say that I knew a lot but I have learned something new about Italian culture every day for the last eight years and I can only imagine how much there is left to learn. I was familiar with the Hollywood version of Italian culture and Italian-American culture but neither are a great reflection of real day-to-day life in Italy.  

3) What were the biggest cultural differences you experienced ? Are there any you dislike? Which one is your favourite?

Personal space. In America, we have a lot of space and we leave a lot of space. This applies in all public places – from the bus to a restaurant. But in Italy, even if the metro is nearly empty, you can almost be sure that someone is going to sit near you. And if it’s not empty – someone is likely to be right up against you.

Coming from a workaholic culture, I actually love the work-life balance and the insistence that Italians have on taking their holidays. If they are away, the business is closed and they will not be responding to your email, phone call or text. I love that this “break-taking” is built into the expectations of the way life is lived. I also like that this singular focus stretches to other pleasurable parts of life like meals – it is about taking the time to really enjoy.

Picture credit - Natalie Kennedy

4) Is Italy all roses and as romantic as people like to portray it is?
Not when you are waiting for the bus that never comes, or paying taxes, or trying to achieve one of the countless bureaucratic tasks that life in Italy is made up of. However, I think that the good outweighs the bad and I really enjoy the kind of things that we can do, places we can see, and delicious foods we can eat without ever stepping foot outside of Italy.

5) What were the biggest challenges you faced when you moved there?
Understanding all of the unwritten rules about how things are done that locals understand innately. I didn’t know how and where to pay for things, how to ask for what I needed, or how to insist when I was indeed right. A part of it has to do with language, but it is also really about the ways things work (which you take for granted in your own country of birth).  

Picture credit - An American In Rom

6) Would you recommend moving to Italy and why?

Moving to Italy was the most difficult and the best decision that I ever made. Living here can make complete sense and make your wildest dreams come true, or it can be 100% the wrong move. It depends entirely on your priorities. If you want to make money: Italy is not the place for you. If you are a planner who likes things to work a certain way – Italy might frustrate you. If you want a life that makes do with what you have, but is filled with friends, family, food, and wonderful places and people – then you might want to think about moving to Italy.

7) How does it feel being foreign but wanting to embrace and feel part of a culture that is not yours? Do the Italians treat you like an Italian or do you always feel a little foreign or more like a visitor than a local?
I am very comfortable with being a foreigner in Italy. I’m not Italian, but I absolutely feel like a local. Rome is my city and I have spent nearly a decade researching and exploring it, but mainly I simply live here. I shop at the market, visit my neighbours, take my coffee at the bar, and am a part of the community. And I have a true curiosity and appreciation for Italian culture.  I don’t have any shyness about asking Italians to explain something to me so that I can have the chance to understand it better. I will always be American but it does not diminish how much I embrace Italian culture while maintaining my own traditions. But one of my favorite things about watching my son grow up here is how Italian my neighbors consider him. He may have an Irish father and an American mother but he will always be “Testaccino” in their eyes.

Picture credit - An American in Rome

8) Is the saying 'home is where the heart is' true for you? Do you think of your birthplace often and your family and friends back home?

Living in Italy is amazing but I miss my friends and family immensely. I hate living 14 hours flying and 9 time zones away. Especially now that we have a child of our own, I feel very far away. I miss California a lot, so living in Italy is often bittersweet.

9) Do you think you will reside there forever or will you return home one day?
I always say that I am from San Diego but Italy is home. Italy has been the place where I have spent most of my adult life. It is where I finished my education, where I lived when I got engaged and then married, and where my son was born.

If moving to a new country has taught me anything, it is that I can’t say what forever will bring. I would like to find a way to spend more time in California (I usually go back once a year for a few weeks), but I honestly cannot imagine leaving Rome.

Picture credit - An American in Rome

You can find Natalie Kennedy 'An American in Rome' on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anamericaninrome/
and click here https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/ to read her amazing blog where she shares local tips on how to travel in Rome, Italy, and beyond.

Italian Christmas Traditions

This week I have been asking my students if they are familiar with some of Italy’s Christmas traditions. Surprisingly the majority said they aren't, so for our last week of Italian language classes we will be reading about Italian Christmas traditions while we enjoy a sip of caffe` or limoncello with a little bit of traditional Italian Christmas cake ‘il Pandoro.’ Excuse the lack of photo's in this blog...it’s a little hard to find any when the last Christmas you spent with la famiglia (family) in Italy was in 2004 and photos were taken with a camera that had a roll of film you’d have to get processed. Before the kids came along we used to alternate between my family and my husband’s, so every second Natale (Christmas) was in Italy.

If there’s one season I am not too fond of, it’s winter. The long Italian winter was one of the reasons I swore I’d never be able to live there for good, hence our annual return always being during the summer months. But there is that one thing I miss dearly about Italy during the freezing cold months and that is Christmas with all of it’s traditions, and spending those wonderful moments with our family and friends. There have been many laughs and fun games of tombola on an overly full belly following a Christmas feast. Luckily my nonni (grandparents) continued the traditions when they migrated to Australia like most other Italian families did... but out on the streets & in the shops. there's always that little something missing. 

Christmas in Italy doesn’t show it’s face in the streets, shops or homes until the 8th of December, the day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. In Italy the festive season is more about family than it is about consumerism, and you can really ‘feel’ it all around you. I know that sounds so cliche, but it really is like that. Of course this would be different if you were holidaying there, but for those who have family, it really is the best!

What can you do on holiday in Italy during the Christmas Season?

In pretty much every citta` (city) and paese (town), you will be able to lose yourself in the many little markets that take place. You'll no doubt find a religious event here and there, various little concerts, and you’ll also be able to enjoy the Christmas lights and decorations that veil the towns and cities. Italian Christmas traditions are heavily based on religion, so there are many pretty churches to visit where you will be able to see the stunning Nativity Scenes (il presepio). Italians are huge on Nativity Scenes, but take note… you won’t be seeing any sign of ‘bambino Gesu`’ (baby Jesus) in his crib until la Vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve)! Some of the most beautiful Nativity Scenes can be found in the stunning city of Naples and are a must see. Some people dedicate a whole room in their home to creating one, and you might even find a live presentation of a Nativity Scene if you are lucky. When it’s freezing cold outside, it’s a great activity to give the kids to do, but I can’t imagine my kids getting out of the pool to stay inside to build a nativity scene!

Picture from Pinterest

Traditional Christmas ‘cibi’ (meals)

Traditionally on Christmas Eve, Italians get together with the family to indulge in a feast of fish before heading off to midnight mass. No meat is eaten on the day before Christmas.

Instead, on Christmas day the family get together again to enjoy a feast of everything! Each region in Italy has their own traditional dishes. Generally we begin with an antipasto, then onto some sort of pasta dish, a meat dish, a side dishes and then most families all over Italy will enjoy either panettone or pandoro, and perhaps some torrone (noughat), along with some other type of desert.

Dov'e` Babbo Natale? (Where’s Father Christmas?)

In Italy, our Father Christmas is known as La Befana. She is an old kind witch who takes presents to well behaved children during the night and leaves coals in the stockings of those who have been naughty!

La befana is celebrated on the 6th of January, the day of the Epifany, which is the day the 3 wise men arrived at baby Jesus’ crib.

Apparently, 3 wise men were following the star in the sky to find the Son of God and passed her house to ask for directions. La Befana wasn’t sure of how to get there, but took them in for the night so they could rest. The next day they took off and asked La Befana if she’d like to join them but she was too busy, only to find later on she had a change of heart, and went off searching for the 3 wise men to catch up with them to bring baby Jesus a gift. She was not able to find them, so to this day she is still searching and takes presents to all the little children in the world on her way on the the night of the 5th of January.

We have promised our children we will brace the cold and snow for them one year and spend a Christmas in Italy very soon. I know I’ll probably curse the cold weather the whole time, but I also know the novelty of the snow will be a great experience for them and there will be some fond memories made with the only ‘cugini’ (cousins) they have, which is definitely worth shivering for!

Our Befana (bought from the markets in Italy many years ago)

I often wake early in the morning and love to bake when it's quiet and the kids are still asleep. I usually always make the same Ciambella al Limone, which the family love for 'la colazione' (breakfast), unless there is something in the fridge like ricotta, cream or yoghurt that may be close to it's use by date. If so, then I'll usually use 'un po` di fantasia' (a little imagination) and add something different to the ciambella. I hate waste, and this is such a great way to waste less. I often create our evening meals like this too, but that's another blog...

now back to la ciambella...

Another thing I find hard to do is follow methods. I find that if ever I have tried to read a method while cooking, the dish loses my attention and often lacks something. Since I was a young girl I have watched my mamma & nonna cook, and realised that preparing food is about using all of the senses, so if you put the recipe book down, you'll magically be able to connect to your dish through 'touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste' and your meal is sure to taste delicious! Give me the ingredients and I'll create the dish. Because cooking really is that simple, as long as you've been taught, or taught yourself, the basics. If it's too complicated, I don't care for it. Simple is key.

So this morning I woke up to check what may be going out of date in the fridge, and it was the good old plain greek style yoghurt. Here are the ingredients, step by step and quite roughly for you to recreate this really easy Ciambella with a twist:

You'll need...

a whisk and a bowl

3 eggs

12 tablespoons of sugar (or less if you prefer)

12 tablespoons of sunflower oil

3 tablespoons of plain greek style yoghurt

12 tablespoons of self raising flour

a handful of dates (or more if you like them)

a handful of walnuts (or more if you like them)

some vanilla (either from a pod, or essence or whatever you have or usually use)

** greese your tin and put the oven on to a moderate heat

Crack your eggs and add the sugar and whisk

add the yoghurt and whisk a little more

Add the sunflower oil, and then add your flour and vanilla and whisk again.
Then add the dates and walnuts and mix with a spoon gently at this stage.

Pop in the greased baking tin, then into the heated oven.

Bake until it's golden and smells delicious! Poke a knife in if you're unsure and if it comes out dry you're good to go. Serve with some thickened cream or with some breakfast caffe` e latte (milk and coffee)...

When do we change the ending of the word 'Molto' in Italian?

This week in one of our Italian language classes, we stumbled on the word 'Molto' with a different ending, which led to the question of 'why' and 'when' does the word change. So I decided to write a quick blog about it...

Wouldn’t it be great and much easier if the endings of Italian words were all the same?! But if they were, then the saying ‘la dolce lingua’ would no longer be. The sweet sound of the Italian language is partly made of just that. Almost everything rhymes!

The word ‘molto’ means ‘very’, ‘a lot’, ‘very much’, ‘ a great deal’ and so on. This blog is to explain, very basically, why the ending of the word ‘molto’ changes sometimes and when we need to change it.

Location: Campobasso, Italy

If we are using the word ‘molto’ as an adverb then it doesn’t change.

Here are some examples:

La ragazza e` molto bella.

The girl is very beautiful.

Il bicchiere e` molto pieno.

The glass is very full.

Queste mele sono molto buone.

These apples are really good.

Questi occhiali sono molto carini.

These glasses are very nice.

If the word ‘molto’ is used as an adjective then changes like so:

C’e` molta neve.

There is lots of snow.

C’e` molta gente.

There are a lot of people.

Ci sono molte mele.

There are a lot of apples.

Ci sono molti libri.

There are a lot of books.

Hopefully this helps Italian language learners a little!

Here are the ingredients and very rough method of how I put together a couple of crostata's this morning because I had dozens of eggs from our wonderful chooks to use and my nonna handed me some sweet red ripe strawberries yesterday she got from a farm she went to with her friends on the community bus. (Her social life at 94 years of age is more full on than mine!)

First of all : make some custard! and let it cool. 

Pasta Frolla Ingredients:

250gr butter

approx 250 grams (half packet of) La Molisana Flour 00 

5 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of lievito per dolci

1 small satchel of vanilla powder

Lemon rind from 1 lemon

2 eggs (whipped by fork and poured in at the end)

Mix, knead and let rest in fridge for half an hour

Strawberry Mixture

Cut up a 2-3 punnets of strawberries, add a few tablespoons of brown sugar and a tablespoon of plain flour. Stir through and let sit.

Roll out your pastry wider than the pie dish you are cooking it in. Fill it with custard on the bottom layer and then top it with the strawberries. Don't use all of the juice they have made while soaking in the sugar, but a little bit is ok. Flap the pasta frolla hanging over the dish on top of your pie as shown below. Cook it in a really hot oven (mine was on fan forced 220 degrees but it's old and almost had it's day I think). When it's nice and brown take it out. You'll should be able to smell when it's cooked.

Ecco la crostata! Let it cool to set. Don't worry if the juices flow out while it's cooking. They add a nice sticky sweetness to the edges. We don't mind imperfections in our home!  

Enjoy :)

Pictured Paola's parents just arrived in Australia

Tell me a bit about yourself and where in Italy your parents were born?

When asked what I do, my first response is that I am a cookbook author, a photographer and a home cook who runs an Italian cooking school at home. But there are many who know me as a public health dentist and manager, as over the years I ran a number of clinics.  The urge to write, cook and take photos came to me quite late in life; some 10 years ago. My parents came from the northeast corner of Italy; mamma from a town just out of Treviso in Veneto, and papa from Istria, a region that became Yugoslavia as part of the Paris Treaty after WWII. However they met and married in Monfalcone, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia. If asked, I say I am a Giuliana.

How old were they when they came to Australia? Which suburb did you grow up in?

My mother was 22 and my father had just turned 27. They had been married for just under two years when they migrated.

They came to Australia as war refugees; they had to work for 2 years in exchange for the passage over from Italy. They ended up in the suburb of Box Hill South, which at the time was on the outskirts of Melbourne. My mother’s two brothers were sponsored by my parents and moved out here and the three families formed a community of houses built on neighbouring blocks. This is where I grew up until I was six, when we sold the house and moved back to Italy (only to return to Australia disappointed some two years later as my father could not find work).

Pictured Nello Bacchia, Livia Bacchia e Zio Fidenzio Carli (Paola's mum's brother)

What is your favourite memory about growing up in your childhood home?

As I moved out of my childhood home at 6, the memories are not that distinct. The memories I do have involve different spaces within the house: the backyard where my father grew vegetables and the garage in which he made wine and grappa; and the kitchen where mamma used to cook. My fondest memory is probably the musty smell of fermenting grapes emanating from the garage when papà was making wine. He used to get the grapes with his friend Signor Silvano (which is what I called him). I remember him pouring the dark red liquid into giant 4 litre glass bottles and sealing them with a cork. And seeing the bottles all lined up in a cool corner of the garage to be used through the year.

What school did you go to and were the other students predominantly Italo-Australians? Did you feel different or did you fit?

I went to Catholic schools for both primary and secondary school. My parents were very conscious of my sister and I fitting in with the country they had migrated to and so went to great lengths for us to fit in with all the Australians. Many of their friends were Australian and what Italian friends they had were from Istria and Venezia Giulia. My sister went to school knowing no English but because I am ten years younger than her, I spoke English with her at home (out of earshot of my father who insisted we speak dialetto in front of him).

At school I was known as Paula, though to my parents I have always been Paola. I was always the tallest girl in the class and with blonde hair; so I did not look obviously Italian compared to most of the other Italian-Australians at school. My friendship group was all Australian girls until the later years of school when I bonded with two other girls whose parents were from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Istria. My school lunches were much like the other kid’s lunches – white bread sandwiches with vegemite or Strasbourg; Monte-Carlo or Mint Slice biscuits for play-lunch. I saved the mortadella and salame for meals at home. When friends came over they LOVED the food my mother made; it was like another side of me that was revealed to my friends but not obvious in the school yard.  

Thinking back on it now, I went to great lengths to fit in and it is only when I was in high school that I really felt my Italian-ness.

Pictured zio Mario, zio Livio, zia Clara, Paola, zia Dina Taken in Monfalcone about 12 years ago

What was it like growing up as an Italo-Australian? Were you proud or embarrassed of your culture?

Interestingly I viewed my parents as being Italian “new” Australians (the term that was used a lot in the 1970s). I was proud of my parents; my father was quite intellectual and had studied in Italy until the war broke out; and my mother was incredibly supportive of her daughters to make sure we were loved, well-fed and well-clothed. I felt at one with the Australian culture especially at school but had Italian traditions at home – we spoke only Italian at home and ate Italian food. I was never embarrassed of my Italian-ness.

Growing up did your parents take you back to Italy to visit relatives? Do you return to Italy often now? How often and how important is it for you?

We went to Italy a couple of times when I was of primary school age: once when I had just turned six. We then returned back to Australia to sell our house and then migrated to Italy. I therefore did grade one (la prima elementare) in Monfalcone, where I was teased for being an Australian and for only speaking dialect. The Australians had never teased me.

When I met my husband (who is Maltese) some ten years back, I started wanting to connect with the Italian heritage as he wanted to connect with his Maltese heritage. So we went back a few times together and in more recent times my work has taken me over there more often. I have run a couple of workshops at the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking school in Sicily, and researched both my cookbooks in Italy. In September I will be returning to run a food tour of Trieste and the surrounds; and in April 2019 I will be running one in Puglia with Southern Visions Travel.

Did you speak Italian at home growing up?

We spoke dialect at home, a type of Venetian dialect that is spoken in Trieste and in coastal Istria. My father insisted we only speak Italian at home when he was present. My sister and I would get into trouble otherwise. He would tell us that we had plenty of time to speak English at school and we were lucky enough to know a second language, so we had to practice it or else we would lose it. I am forever grateful to him for this.

My Italian language skills were excellent when I was 15 and lived in Monfalcone for a year and completed my junior high school certificate (Scuole Medie). It was pre-internet days so I spoke and read no English whatsoever as I lived with my nonna and aunt and uncle.  These days I find it difficult to write creatively in Italian though I watch TV shows in Italian on RAI a couple of times a week and have at least one Italian novel on the go. I listen to the Italian show on SBS radio most mornings.  

Pictured Paola and her mamma Livia

How important is it for you to teach your children the Italian way of life and culture even though they are growing up in Australia, and how do you do it?            

My daughter learnt the Italian way of life from her grand-parents. She spent a lot of time with them when she was younger as I was a young single mother and worked full-time from when she was two. More so than the language, she learnt the Italian way of life from spending time with her nonni and being involved in the activities that were at the heart of their culture: growing produce in the garden, cooking from scratch and shared meal times. She went to Italian social clubs with them on weekends, playing card games and helping the women cook a feast to share at the club.

These days it is pretty cool to have an Italian background; Italy is held in high regard for its design, food and fashion. Also if you want to practice Italian, it is so much easier than it was; everything is online; travel to Italy is comparatively cheap (an economy airfare from Australia is not that different in price then it was in the late 80s) so you can get a good dose of Italy often. But it is difficult to immerse yourself in Italian culture in Italy when you are bombarded by advertising and social media in English. In many ways I think it is harder now to maintain that Italian cultural immersion, even when in Italy.    

Do you have an Italian passport? Is it important to you and why?

I do have an Italian passport and have had since we migrated there when I was six. It was personally important to me when I was in my 20s to somehow prove my Italian-ness. These days it is less important to me; I book all my travel tickets with my Australian passport. I have been caught switching between passports mid-trip (in Germany actually) and officials at passport control were not impressed! So I carry it with me when I travel, just in case. If I ever live there or decide to work there, then it will be important, I carry my Italian identity in me; I do not need my passport for that. 

How do you identify? Do you feel more Italian or Australian and why?

That is a difficult question! I am an Australian, I was born here and live here. My parents are of Italian heritage but chose to live in Australia; I grew up in an Italian home and I have learnt so much about Italy through travelling there, living there and researching the food traditions for my two cookbooks, “Italian Street Food” and “Adriatico”.  Italy is also my passion. I am therefore going to fence-sit and say I am an Italian-Australian.

Pictured 2011 - Nello, Paola, Barbara e Livia Bacchia - the whole family the year before papà passed away

How much do you know of the Italy of today? Has it changed significantly in your eyes? Would you want to go and live there or keep it as a holiday destination and why?

I keep up to date with the Italian news so know quite a bit about Italy of modern times. I lived and went to school there during the terrible days of the Aldo Moro kidnapping, of the endless strikes and of the terrible problem with organised crime. It has changed since when my parents lived there (under the fascist regime of Mussolini) and left (aftermath of World War II) but I do not think it is an easy place to live.

I see the current employment difficulties especially for young people and the continued political problems. It has a wealth of history, beauty, culture and food but has a lot of bureaucracy; a difficult marriage of trying to do modern business with an old way of doing things. It is not consistently that way across the country but there is enough of it to leave you an impression of it being that way in general. I love Italy very much but as a place where I could spend up to 3 months a year happily; however I could not live there. Several Italian friends who live in Australia say the same – they love Italy even more now that they are in Australia, and miss it terribly, but do not see it as a place that is easy to live in, and frankly would prefer to live here.       

You can find Paola on the following:
website:      www.italyonmymind.com
email:          italyonmymind@gmail.com
instagram:  italyonmymind
facebook:   Italy on my mind