A Few Favorite Things

I love learning what brings joy to others lives. Whether it is music, art, books, movies, food, it doesn’t matter. This sharing of favorite things from others introduces me to new experiences and perhaps new interests and passions.

I want to share just a few of my favorite websites and blogs (in no particular order). This is just a short list, in no way complete. Just a “taste”.  FYI: I don’t have sponsors for this blog, so none of my favorite things are influenced by money or sponsorship.

Uproot Kitchen: I love this website. Not only does Marisa have great recipes, once a month she sends out a seasonal produce list so you can shop for the freshest in-season ingredients. I’ve been trying to take more advantage of seasonal foods. One of my favorite cookbooks Vegetables from an Italian Garden also focuses the recipes by season.

Everybody Loves Italians: Dominic and Frank are funny, entertaining, and informative about the Italy, traditions, Italian experiences, growing up Italian, etc. They share music, recipes, videos and so much more. They love the interaction with people, asking questions and encouraging participation in a dialog and/or comments on a video. I guarantee you will enjoy their Facebook site. 

Voomago: Voomago is one of the reasons our travel adventures have been so fabulous and fun. Antimo was born in Manduria, Italy and currently resides in Portland, Oregon. What he is able to arrange is unlike what most tour companies are able to do. He uses locals in your area of travel, and all his friends and relatives who love working with him and make you feel like family. His goal is to share the Italian culture in the most authentic way and to invite travelers to go beyond the tourist circuit and experience various aspect of living in Italy or other parts of the world. Interview by TreavelDew with Antimo. Interview.

L’Italo-Americano: This website is considered an Italian American bilingual news source and features Italian-American heritage, culture, food, and travel. I subscribe to their newsletter that always has interesting articles, events, and information not only globally, but also in areas around the U.S. You may find this article on Exploring Italian Culture and Body Language with Producer Luca Vullo interesting. 

Food52: I love their tagline: “Eat thoughtfully, live joyfully.” Just says it all for me. The website is a food community, contains recipes, kitchen and home products. They have good recipes and just their pictures of the food make my mouth water. The kitchen and home products are high end and the cost reflects that, but it doesn’t cost anything to look, drool, lust after…..

Books: I enjoy reading and have compiled a list of books with an Italian theme. Whenever I’m getting ready for a trip, I read a few more books to inspire me. When in between trips, reading is one way I can be transported to places I love to visit and experience.

Movies: Who doesn’t love a good movie? Whatever your tastes in movies, an Italian film can be heartwarming, dramatic, passionate, and funny. Check out a few of my favorites.

(Credit for featured graphic is from a card sent to us from our good friends Doug and Rose. I was trying to be a bit artistic framing it off center. Ok, so I know I should stick to food and forget photographic art.)