It's that time of year again...

Aglio Olio e Peperoncino is back.

It's like a tradition, it's become a yearly custom.
Come the end of May the domain name "aglioolioepeperoncino.com" expires without forewarning and I have to spend a ridiculous number of hours on the phone with evanescent Google representatives, and aggravated hosting company technicians, trying to reactivate it.

~ the dreaded screenshot - year 2 ~

This blog holds over 3 years of my life, along with several thousand photos of my city, my child, my kitchen; laced with successful recipes and epic intervals between posts; personal accounts relating to my culinary triumphs and romantic failures; it contains the loving and warm comments left by unknown followers and old friends, even friends who are no longer with us. I hold the contents of this blog very dear.

I don't know what will happen this time next year. You may find yourself here again, reading my post-reactivation rant. To avoid that, and break the annual tradition, I could switch to a new web hosting and publishing platform. Who knows, I may even change the damn domain name. I promise to warn you, whatever my decision will be.

One thing is sure, I won't ever take this site down. I care about this blog and its readers.

I hope you do too.

Buona notte,
Eleonora

Expat Writers Book and App Fair

It's happening in Rome, Saturday May 12 at 3pm! Hosting this great event are the delightful The Beehive Hotel and Michelle Fabio.

The program will be featuring expat writers in Italy of books, e-books and iPhone apps. This is a great opportunity to meet and chat with expat writers in the heart of Rome on what we hope will be a gorgeous spring day!

Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase.

The event will take place in the garden of The Beehive Hotel conveniently located near Rome's Termini train station, closest Metro stops Termini or Castro Pretorio.

The current list of writers is as follows:

Terry Bhola (Searching for Wild Asparagus in Umbria)
Flaminia Chapman (Rome Insider's Guide app)
Mary Jane Cryan (Etruria: Travel, History & Itineraries in Central Italy)
Erica Firpo (Rome Select)
Arlene Gibbs (The Rebirth of Mrs. Tracey Higgins; Jumping the Broom)
Linda Lappin (The Etruscan)
Mark Leslie (in absentia) (Beyond the Pasta)
Francesca Maggi (Burnt by the Tuscan Sun)
Gillian McGuire (Rome for Expats app)
Katie Parla (Rome for Foodies app and National Geographic Walking Rome)
Sara Rosso (How to Order an Italian Coffee in Italy; The Unofficial Guide to Nutella)
Pamela Sheldon Johns (Cucina Povera: Tuscan Peasant Cooking)
Barbara Zaragoza (in absentia) (The Espresso Break)
Eleonora Baldwin (Frommer's Rome Day by Day, 3rd Edition; Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide)

During the event we'll be raffling copies of books, promo codes to Apps, and the chance to win a lunch on May 19th with a creative writing instructor at a private home in Vetralla (a lovely town about an hour north of Rome). This is an exclusive chance for anyone interested in writing to enjoy local food specialties, and meet & exchange ideas with Teresa Cutler-Broyles, a published author and instructor of Creative Writing at the University of New Mexico.

I will be there talking about my experience in writing for major corporate editorial proprietors, focusing on the differences with smaller, independent publishing companies.

I look forward to seeing everyone there, finally meeting in person authors and friends I've only interacted with via web!

For details and RSVP - go HERE.

Favorite spring vegetables

Getting a taste of beloved deep-fried carciofi alla giudìa notoriously means taking advantage of the pesky February-to-May window in which the quintessential Roman artichokes are in season.

But with all the focus on supermodel artichokes, other versatile vegetables, also in season, tend to get short shrift.

Take agretti for example...

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