48 hours in Cilento

My friends in Positano report that this summer the town is so crowded that it's barely possible to move around. Hotels are fully booked, ferries and hydrofoils pour out hundreds of people several times a day. Restaurants cannot fill tables fast enough. The recent earthquake that hit Ischia has forced many to leave the island and flock to Positano, only adding to the chaos.

If you want to enjoy the beauty and unique character of that enchanted coastline, but have a hard time with crowds and noise, you may want to read further, to learn about one of Italy's best kept travel secrets.

The Cilento coast is a portion of the region that extends from the bottom of the Gulf of Salerno to the border of Basilicata. If you're the kind of traveler who is OK with total absence of designer boutiques and yacht slips, you'll find yourself in a part of southern Italy that has retained its authentic charm through low profile, yet is replete with historical and archeological destinations, wildly untamed nature and gorgeous beaches.

Ready for a dream weekend discovering the untamed beauty of Cilento?
Continue Reading → Weekend Escape to Cilento as appeared on Casa Mia Italy Food & Wine

Food writer on a diet

Working as a food professional, whether be it a home cook, food guide, journalist or food show host – coincidentally, my job description – poses nutrition challenges.

The anatomy of a food writer is always put up against a grumbling stomach. The occupational hazard has to do with constantly testing recipes, cooking many dishes and visiting restaurants (for research!), plates upon plates that need to be described, photographed and ultimately eaten. All this concurs to an ever-expanding waistline.

Personally, the weight was always an issue. Even before I worked in the food world. Even before pregnancy. I was overweight before I stopped smoking, imagine after. 

I blame the quantity of gelato I downed to overcome broken hearts. 

I blame having been educated to clean my plate. 

I blame my slow metabolism. 

I now can blame pre-menopause.

What I never did was take responsibility and blame myself. My sublime ability to procrastinate was never the problem, it was something else.

Continue Reading → Food writer on a diet as appeared on The American Magazine in Italia.