This month's Italian saying:
To drink or drown!
In English, you leave someone
to sink or swim; in Italian, you allow someone
to drink or drown. Both the English and the Italian may seem a bit harsh. The expression in both cases is used to push someone to do better work;for example, they would say it to a student who is showing a lack of effort or discipline.
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Unusual Things They Eat in Italy
Calf testicles for sale in the Mercato Centrale in Florence. I don't have any idea how they eat them. Grilled?? Sauteed?? Probably with sage and rosemary!
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2017 & 2018
Food
& Wine Tours
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Tuscany:
Oct 7-14
Oct 14-21
May 26-June 1, 2018
June 8 - 15, 2018
September 29-October 6, 2018
October 6-13, 2018
October 5 - 7
Piedmont
June 1 - 7, 2018
Join us for a fun, full immersion to the regions of Tuscany, Piedmont and Emilia Romagna - great food, wine, history and culture!
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Ciao amici!
We hope everyone is enjoying the summer time! Too bad the kids are heading back to school already. Doesn't it seems like summer just started?!
Some of you have plans to visit Italy this fall, so read on to get insight on the coffee scene in Italy and what is a "bar" exactly?
Our recipe joins our favorite treats -
espresso and
gelato.
Buon appetito!
Gina and Mary
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Bars in Italy and Coffee
We've been asked where's the best place to get a coffee in Italy? The answer: at a bar! In Italy, a bar acts as a café where people can purchase coffee, wine and liquor, soft drinks, morning pastries and sandwiches (panini) and ice cream bars. In larger bars, they may offer house made gelato during the warm months. In other words, just about anything you need from water to a bathroom can be gotten at the bar! 
An Italian bar is the center of social life in Italy, in the neighborhood or a small village. It is not like the bars in the US. People of all ages can go to the bar
-there are no age restrictions
. They stop in for a quick coffee or juice and you'll see people hanging out talking to their friends, watching TV or reading the newspaper. Italians may visit their local bar several times during the day - in the morning for coffee and again in the early evening for an aperitivo or cocktail before dinner. The local bar is hopping in the morning with everyone getting their coffee and pastry. The typical Italian breakfast is a cappuccino or espresso and a pastry. They'll serve you the cornetto while they are making your coffee.
Some places you pay first and move to the coffee bar where you'll hand the barista your receipt and they'll prepare your drink.
At bars in larger cities, and especially ones near touristy
areas, it will cost more to sit at a table and often even more if the table is outside, than it will be to
stand at the bar because you will also pay for
service. Prices are sometimes posted-- al banco means the price for consuming a beverage at the bar and al tavolo means the price at the table. Small town bars often do not charge to sit at a table.
In some areas they give you a tiny glass of water with your caffe, but the jury is out on whether you drink it before or after the caffe. (We believe before your coffee to cleanse the palette.) Italians are famous for each person having a very specific way they want their coffee and the barista will happily accommodate each order - macchiato, in a glass, extra hot, not too hot, extra foam, no foam, decaf - but the coffee drink you order at home is different from what you'll get in Italy.
Here are some of the most common coffee drinks to order while in Italy: 
Caffè
- We might call it espresso but in Italy it's always called un caffe- a small cup of very strong coffee with a caramel-colored foam called "crema".
It's acceptable to order an espresso, any time of night or day.
Cappuccino
- a shot of espresso in a large(er) cup with steamed milk and foam. Not ordered by Italians right before lunch or after a meal. Ever. It's called a cappuccino because the tan coffee was the color of the habits worn by Cappuccin monks! 
Caffè lungo
- a long coffee. An espresso made with a little extra water.
Caffè Americano
is a shot of espresso put into a large cup and filled with hot water.
Caffè latte
- Espresso with hot milk, a cappuccino without the foam, served in a glass. In the US we call this a "latte". In Italy if you just say "latte" you will get what you asked for - milk. Be sure to say caffe latte!
Caffè corretto
- coffee "corrected" with a shot of liquor, grappa or whiskey.
Caffè macchiato
- espresso "stained" with a little milk; sometimes the macchiato is requested as just a bit of foam on top of the espresso.
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Affogato is a light dessert mixing rich vanilla ice cream with a shot of espresso. Meaning "drowned", you pour a shot of espresso over a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and serve it. Simple and delicious and no recipe needed! Buy your favorite natural vanilla ice cream, or make your own. Make an espresso and Ecco!
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Coffee on the move! They deliver to businesses or friends and colleagues.
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