I didn’t think I’d end up going to Spain 3 times in the last 12 months, after having waited to visit it until I moved to Europe in 2003, and then not again until last year, but there you have it. I have a soft spot in particular for Barcelona, but when I was able [...]

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His name is Tonino. He has two bicycles in his garage: one he’s ready to lend you with a moment’s notice, and one he says is “personal” and hangs on the wall. You know it’s that second bike which holds his memories. He used to ride 100km a day, but now he doesn’t ride as [...]

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I love lists and favorites, so I’m going to share a few which have caught my eye now in July. Are you a subscriber to my newsletter? There will be a few favorites in there which aren’t in this post, so sign up now! I’m also on Twitter @rosso. See past favorites. Favorite Italy moment:  Gina [...]

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One of the things I look for during summer is big platters of raw vegetables at parties, barbecues, and in supermarkets. They’re not super popular here in Italy (though I sometimes see them at aperitivo), and when I see pinzimonio (raw vegetable appetizer with a dipping sauce of oil, salt, and pepper, and sometimes vinegar) [...]

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I’ve been living in Italy for 9 years. Every year I’ve further blended the culture I was born into with the one I now live in. One of the things I miss the most about living in the United States is barbecue. Italians do do barbecue (check out what makes a great Italian barbecue here) [...]

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