Archive for 'Products & Specialities'

Italy is famed for its food and one of the most iconic products is the Balsamic Vinegar. Most people have a bottle in their cupboard and consume it on a regular basis. Used as a condiment on salads, bruschetta and the like, it is made from a reduction of cooked white Trebbiano grape juice. It has been produced in the cities of Modena and Reggio Emilia in the Emilia-Romagna region since the Middle Ages, with written records going back to the 11th century.

Just one of the many, many reasons to visit Modena, it is, however, a particularly tasty one!

Why not find a villa with pool in Emilia-Romagna and explore the city and its cuisine for yourself?

Regional breads abound across the length and breadth of Italy, however, the most famous of these is probably the bread of Matera in Basilicata, Italy. A stunning southern Italian town, Matera is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and its historic centre, the “Sassi” (ancient cave dwellings), is a UNESCO Heritage Site. The town is within a canyon carved out by the Gravina and is extraordinarily beautiful and unique. If not for the town itself, you must make sure to visit in order to taste the local cuisine!

Find a holiday rental in Basilicata and spend time exploring the town, both old and new, and eating all the regional treats.

Modica is a city and comune in Ragusa, Sicily. Combined with other towns in the Val di Noto, it is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site for its astounding Baroque architecture in the historic centre of the city. One of the most beautiful cities you could ever hope to visit, it is all arranged on a hillside with amazing views across the surrounding landscape. However, one of the things that the city is most famous for is actually some of its local cuisine. Modica's chocolate has a fascinating history going back to the Aztecs and even has a festival dedicated to chocolate in December.

Have you ever tasted polenta? As well as the popular staples of pasta, pizza and risotto, polenta is an extremely popular food in northern Italy. The original recipe was extremely nutritious as it was made by grinding down mixed grains like farro, millet and sometimes chickpeas before mixing with water to make a paste.

It’s then cooked in a pot as a type of porridge but it was commonly poured onto a hot slap of stone and cooked on the side of a fire to make a type of cake. It’s believed that this method may have even pre-dated the making of leavened bread.

Have you ever tasted Prosecco, a delicious sparkling white wine from Italy? Prosecco has grown massively in popularity in recent decades to become a staple celebratory drink along with its French and Spanish counterparts; Champagne and Cava.

Choose from a delightful array of villas in Veneto where you could easily drive to visit the Prosecco producing district.

Like Champagne, Prosecco sparkling wine can only be called so if it's produced following a strict process from a grape called Glera or ‘Prosecco’ and grown in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in the hills north of Treviso.