Cappuccino Experience

Coffee & Culture. Exploring Italy’s First Capital.

A couple of weeks ago my aunt and uncle came to Turin (Piedmont). It was their first time here and they had no idea what to expect. They were pleasantly surprised by the baroque architecture of many of the palazzi and the overall elegance of the city. Combining culture, coffee and ice cream: that was our goal. You’re invited to retrace our footsteps on this short tour. Enjoy with us the delights of Italy’s first capital.

To view the images at full size please click on the thumbnails. Take advantage also of the many links included throughout the article – they give more detail about the topic or show a 360 degree panorama.

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Caffè Mike… Again!

Last week I found an espresso cup with my name on it. This week, whilst on a day trip to Susa I discover that Caffè Mike is actually a brand of coffee from Alessandria, Piedmont. Obviously I had to try it – fortunately it passed my quality test.

Has anybody else heard of it? Now I am on a mission to a acquire a cappuccino cup to complement the espresso one I already have. I’m quite chuffed to have a coffee named after me!

Mike’s Espresso Cup

At the flea market in Nizza Monfferato last Sunday, I managed to find a little espresso coffee cup with my name on it. It only cost €1.50.

I am currently working on the Turin article I promised. It is taking longer than expected and I am also quite busy with work. It will be online as soon as possible though.

Word of the Week

This week the the word is…

punto di ancoraggio anchor point

Why such a strange word? Well, I am teaching a course all about InDesign, a page layout program, and today I am giving a lesson on the pen tool. It might not be so useful for everyday conversation, but there may be some graphic designers out there who appreciate it.

Coming soon is a report of the short break I took in Turin (it also happens to be where I live!). My aunt and uncle came to visit so I was able to be a tourist for a couple of days. I’ll also tell you if Turin is worth visiting or not (you can probably guess what I’ll say, especially if you follow Fabrizio’s blog).

When the “Mercatino” is Cancelled

This Sunday a nice trip with my in-laws to an antique mercatino in Moncalieri, Piedmont, was almost ruined. Despite being advertised in Torino Sette, the local “What’s On” paper, this wonderful flea market was cancelled due to the European Elections. What does one do in a crisis like this? Well, I managed to console myself with a Creme Caffè.

This Caramello and Nocciole Cold Cream was made with hazelnuts, caramel cream, cold coffee cream, ameretto drops and cocoa with sugar. Lovely and refreshing.

Note: a cappuccino could also have done the job. I seem to be able to drink one in any temperature!

European Elections

I see that the list of candidates for the election of 19 members to the European Parliament (North West Italy – Piedmont, Valle D’Aosta, Liguria, Lombardy) includes none other than the Dancing Prince (reigning champion of Ballando con le Stelle), Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Prince of Venice and Piedmont. Oh, and by the way, he’s also the grandson of the ex-king of Italy.

Turin Takes Flight

World Air Games / Giochi Mondiali dell’Aria 6 -14 June 2009

The most important Sport Aviation event in the world begins tomorrow and includes a team of skydivers landing in Piazza San Carlo, Turin. Other cities participating include Collegno, Avigliana, and Mondovi.

Events include: aerobatics, aeromodelling, hot-air ballooning, gliding, hang gliding, parachuting / skydiving, paragliding, helicopter and microlight flying. Download a competition schedule for more details.

Official site: www.wag2009.com

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Giovanni Falcone (May 18, 1939 – May 23, 1992)

Saturday marked the 17th anniversary of the death of the the Italian antimafia magistrate who specialised in prosecuting the Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia. He was killed in la strage di Capaci (near the town of Capaci, Sicily) along with his wife and three bodyguards, when the motorway on which he was travelling was blown up using 350kg of explosives. His good friend Paolo Borsellino, who was also an antimafia magistrate, was killed by a car bomb less than two months later in Palermo.
Both magistrates received the Medaglia d’oro al valorcivile, Golden medal for civil valour, and in 2006 Time Magazine honoured them by naming them as heroes of the last 60 years. In 2007, at the Festival di Sanremo (Sanremo Music Festival), Fabrizio Moro wrote about the two men with his winning entry Pensa.
An excellent TV film was recently broadcast by Rai. It follows Falcone’s life from the start of his mafia investigations in 1980, up to his assassination.
Photo source – Biografia: vita e morte di Giovanni Falcone

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Rules for the Perfect Coffee – Part 2

Here is part two of the tips for a perfect coffee as promoted by the Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano. A big thank you to Carlo Odello for allowing me to publish it.

As with part 1 a translation will follow soon for those who don’t speak or are learning Italian. However, it might be good practice to try and understand it yourself first.

Please let me know how you feel about these ‘rules’ and if you have any other tips add them in the comments below.