(Read in Italian) How does one spend a perfect evening with friends? Taking a hot bath with them, of course! But, I’m not talking about spending the evening in a hot tub. While that might have its merits on some occasions…I am talking about making “bagno cauda”. The name  “bagno caude” literally “hot bath” in the Piemontese dialect means “hot sauce” / ”salsa calda“, is a dish which consists of garlic, olive oil and sardines that is served with vegetables cooked or crude. But it isn’t just a simple sauce to be served with veggies and as such its rich qualities shouldn’t be diminished, because fare un bagno cauda is a real and proper ritual, a symbol of happiness, friendship and conviviality.

Bagna cauda was first “born” in medieval times as a poor man’s dish, that the peasants used to prepare to protect themselves from the cold and which the nobles abhorred because of the intense amounts of garlic that made one’s breath stink, which one has to admit in a time when dental floss didn’t exist  was kind of a downer. In accordance to historical testimony it is said that the “birth” of bagno cauda was first developed in southern Piemonte, in the areas of dell’Astigiano, del Monferrato, delle Langhe e del Roero, where the vintners celebrated the first tipping of the new wines in November. At this time they joined together with their friends and families and ate vegetables with a nice hot bagna cauda. Since then the ritual of sitting down together around a table, that has placed in its center ““il fojot”, the terracotta container that holds the hot sauce, survives to this day and is not a stranger to taverns and trattorie in Piemonte as they have made sure that this “pietanza” is included in the menu. First delegated as traditional poor man’s food, now today elevated  and celebrated in all it’s many variations.

But, why in the world would one of the main ingredients of bagna caude be sardines, a fish!, as Piemonte is not bordered by the sea and has never been a land of fisherman? But actually Piemonte has been long considered a land of fish, especially in the middle ages when the price of sale was astronomical and many mountain people as well as farmers travelled what we know of today as the “le vie del sale” the “salt road” from Ligura to the mouth of the Rhone river where that acquired salt at more reasonable prices and transported it in barrels hidden under layers of sardines so as to deceive potential robbers. Once they arrived home they raised the price of the salt at higher prices and the anchovies at more reasonable prices, which having been saturated in the salt during transit had become extremely delicatable and well preserved.

There is an Italian idiom that goes like this: The anchovies want to swim three times: in water, in oil, in wine – which means the sardines swim in sea water, in the oil that goes into the pan for cooking and in the wine that also fills the stomach. I can’t disagree with this, especially after our wonderful bagno caudo, that I share with friends the other night!

There are numerous variations on the traditional bagna cauda recipe, but the most simple consists of only three ingredients: olive oil, garlic and anchovies.

1/2 cup serves 4 as appetizer or a nice party dip.
1/2 cup butter 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 can anchovy fillets
3 garlic cloves chili flakes (optional)

Puree the anchovies and garlic cloves: or, just chop both really finely to make a paste.

Heat on low: In saucepan on low heat, add all ingredients. Keep the flame on low so that the butter/oil gets totally infused with the anchovy and garlic. Once the butter melts, just let it continue to sit on the low flame for another 5 minutes. Serve warm. If you use a fondue pot – double or triple the recipe. The little candle fondue bowl pictured above was purchased for $5 at Marshalls.

Vegetables & Stuff to Dip Assortment of raw, steamed or roasted vegetables. I used broccoli, french green beans, radishes (all raw). I also had fresh bread and a few sauteed shrimp. Other ideas include: baby carrots, steamed artichoke hearts, red bell pepper slices, asparagus, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, endive.

(Leggere in inglese) There is a very romantic leggend that concerns the painter Botticelli and one of his favorite models – Simona Vespuci. In the late 14th century, Guiliano di Piero de Medici was very much in love with Simonetta and commissioned Botticelli to paint “The Birth of Venus“. Simonetta’s beauty was very well known by the people of Florence, to such a degree that they gave her the nickname “the lovely Simonetta“. Some maintain that Botticelli himself was in love with Simonetta, a love which he never declared publicly, but expresses only through the numerous portraits that he made. Other than the famous painting hanging in the Uffizi Gallery, many of the women in the paintings that Botticelli created looked very much like Simonetta. Unfortunately the young Simonetta died tragically of tuberculosis at the tender age of 22. ”The Birth of Venus” was completed in 1485 about nine years after her death, but Botticelli was able to capture her beauty by his memories of her. By request of the famous painter, now Sandro and Simonetta lie in peace side by side in the Ognissanti Church in Florence. To me in the end Botticelli indeed declared in a very big way his love for his beautiful Simonetta. Wanting to lie beside someone for all of eternity is a very big way to say “I love you!”

To celebrate Simonetta’s beauty and to pay homage to Botticelli, a favorite Florentine painter, I created the design at the top of the page. You can fine this design and others on my Matta Designs on Facebook, a new page that I have created dedicated to my designs that are available and for sale in my on-line Zazzle store. If you have a design in mind and wish for me to create something special for an event or party or simply to have a unique memory of Italy, I have happy to do so. I am adding new designs every week and these graphics I refer to as “livable art for your love of Italy and the designs can be applied to cups, mugs, aprons, bags, cell phone covers, t-shirt etc., etc. If you have a special request for a group, party or for any old reason, be sure to contact me!

Don’t forget to join me on my Studentessa Matta Facebook page as well and join in the topic of the week: Pensiero del Giorno. Each week Ylenia Sambati of YL Tour and I post a new discussion topic in which you can weigh in! Come join us!

(Read in Italian) According to Darius Arya, director of the American Institute for Roman Culture in Italy, Rome isn’t a subject to be studied in a classroom, but rather a fascinating and vibrant city that should be lived and touched with the hands. It is a city filled teaming with history; a city that has impacted civilization greatly and which continues to have relevance today.

Darius has the desire to film a documentary called “Digging History” that will explore many aspects of Rome and her history that will be used by everyone as an on-line free resource. At the moment he is trying to raise $10,000 to finance his  educational production.

In Darius words: I am a Roman archaeologist, and I fell in love with Rome for obvious reasons. Living  in Rome, I see it as an important launch pad to talk about many related issues of cultural heritage and the relevance of past societies in our contemporary realities. Working in Rome and directing a US non profit (American Institute for Roman Culture), I’ve had the privilege to gain access to many of Rome’s hidden and inaccessible treasures and stories.   Now it’s time to give those sites and stories a voice, which can be used to excite people about history and cultural heritage!

Digging History will be a one hour engaging, educational video (broken up into 5-10 minute podcast segments) that discovers and explains  many aspects of Rome’s rich heritage. Hosted by Darius Arya, an archaeologist and frequent historian tv presenter, his colleagues (historians, archaeologists, videographers, historical and cultural experts) of the American Institute for Roman Culture (a non-profit 501(c)3 educational organization) and photographer and Instagrammer Nicolee Drake (cucinadigitale), the show will bring viewers behind the scenes and learn about topics in art, archaeology, history, architecture, sustainability, conservation, religion and politics, from experts (archaeologists, conservators, historians, architects and engineers) as they conduct their work, giving fun, accessible insights on the city and the people and events that shaped it, and continue to shape it.

Darius and his team of experts have almost reached their objective and with our assistance we can help them hit their target. With a small monetary donation through the Kickstarter website, we can also roll up our sleeves and jump into the archeological trenches, so to speak, and help Dario make his documentary which will tell the great stories of Rome. I just did. Now it is your turn to get involved in Rome’s history!

Learn more about Digging History on the Kickstarter website:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dariusarya/digging-history-getting-dirty-has-never-been-so-ed

Read in Italian. I am happy to introduce to you my friend Diego Cattaneo, the director of Venice Italian School. Diego was born in Venice, he graduated from Bologna and has been teaching Italian since 2000. He is as passionate about teaching the language, as I am about learning it. As a result, we decided to join forces to support and promote the idea of learning Italian in his city of birth – Venice. In April 2013, for 10 days we will share a language and cultural immersion experience in which students of the language and those who are intrigued with the city can participate. In his first guest blog, Diego tells us about the pride a new generation of Venetians and explains the current situation in Venice.

Venezia under water? San Marco, a big swimming pool, where tourist amuse themselves taking a swim in November? Or still: Venezia is sinking, sinking and just waiting for an Adriatic tsunami to finish her off?

I, as a Venetian, think that the international media are a little too “apocalyptic”. The high tides are not going to submerge Venice and Venice is not sinking. Certainly the acqua alta (high water) is a very serious problem. I remember years ago, when the “sirens” sounded in the middle of the night; they were the ones used during the second World War; what fear for a child to waken to this alarm in the dead of night.

And I remember the fatigue and the frustration of my father, a merchant with two clothing stores at risk, how he had to begin his day, to the sound of that alarm. First he was off and running to place the barriers at the front doors of the house and then on to the stores to save the store’s merchandise, elevating all the merchandise five feet from the ground. And then there was the waiting there for the tide to pass (six hours up, six hours down) in order to clean, rinse and put everything back in place. At that point, and only then could he begin a “normal” work day. What a hassle!

Yet, despite what the media says, Venice is NOT a second Atlantis waiting to be submerged! L’acqua alta comes during a short period of the year — usually between November and February — and mainly affects some of the low lying areas of the city (primarily the famous Piazza San Marco) and those who live or work on the ground floor of buildings in those areas.

However, the high water is NOT the main problem of the city in recent years.

What really worries the Venetians is not so much the high tide but rather, the low population. What does this mean? It means that the population of Venice in the last 30 years has decreased by 25,000 residents and the number of people leaving the city continues to increase.

The problem is not sinking, but rather the shrinking of the population.

Why are Venetians leaving their beautiful city? There are some several factors. Among the first: “Venice is an expensive city in which to live”. The cost to buy a home is out of reach for a vast number of young people and those who remain have been lucky enough to have a house they have inherited from grandparents or bought by parents.

Other reason people are leaving the city is that many say “Venezia is uncomfortable” there are no cars and you have to walk everywhere, even with shopping bags. “Venezia is too touristy” There are too many tourists about and there are mask and souvenir shops everywhere. “Where can one go to buy a regular old carton of milk? In general, it is all true.

And yet…and yet there is a new generation of Venetians that is resisting all this. They are the young entrepreneurs and Venetian artisans who are not abandoning their city, but choosing instead to stay, live and work in Venice despite all these difficulties. This is a new generation who want to work to innovate the city and renew its image, while at the same time keeping alive the old traditions and the rich Venetian culture.

Alberto, decided to stay to teach the craft of Venetian rowing to to new residents of the city, including our students. There is also Stephen, who organizes bicycle tours in the Lido and then of course myself along with my sister Lucia, who together have opened the Venice Italian School to teach Italy, with the profound desire to introduce to students the real Venice, its language, food, wines and traditions.

Are you interested in discovering this side of Venice? Then we suggest you come along with Venice Italian School & Melissa Muldoon for the 2013 Cultural Immersion Tour. For ten days we will bring students in contact with the Venice “away from mass tourism”. In addition to our traditional language classes our students will have the opportunity to escape the classroom and meet, interview and converse with these professionals, tradesmen, craftsmen, artists and entrepreneurs. Our students will hear their stories and interact with them using the Italian language.

This is more than a language holiday: this is learning Italian and living in Venice like a local Join us in April!

Diego with students preparing for gondola rowing lessons