Category: Culture
Puglia’s “dysfunctional” vaccine rollout
The cartoon featured on the front of the Saturday edition of Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper. “Respect the queue” orders the official. “I’m the cousin of Big Pharma” is the response. An article in Friday’s London Financial Times cited Puglia as “the most vivid example of the dysfunctional vaccination rollout that has plagued [Italy]”, with thousands […]
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Puglia by cake | the Easter trinity
Puglia by cake | the Easter trinity Life in Puglia is seasonal. What we do, what we eat – and that includes cakes and pastries. We can tell where we are in the calendar year with a trip to the baker. Holy Week starts with messages on our phone from family and friends wishing us […]
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Easter in Puglia | La Processione dei Misteri
Easter in Puglia | the procession of the Mysteries Pasqua (Easter) is probably the most celebrated religious festival in Italy. During Holy Week the church abandons any semblance of modernity to embrace symbolic religious ritual and tradition. Settimana Santa starts on Domenica delle Palme (Palm Sunday) and ends on Easter Sunday. Solemn events celebrating the […]
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Ornellechiette – Puglia’s pasta tribute to Italian music legend
Ornellechiette – Puglia’s pasta tribute to Italian music legend In an exciting initiative Regione Puglia’s department for tourism and culture have announced the launch of a limited edition range of regional food products for 2021. In a statement issued this morning Michele Emiliano the region’s President announced: “Food is an integral part of Puglia’s identity. […]
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Legends of Puglia | Cristalda and Pizzomunno
Beauty and the Beast. Sleeping Beauty. Beauty and legend often coincide, the former inspiring the latter. Puglia is steeped in both. We are in Vieste, where beauty and nature come together. Here the soft white sand is kissed by crystal clear waters. Here the blue of the sea melts into the horizon and beyond, into big blue […]
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Puglia by cake | Zeppole di San Giuseppe
Father’s Day in Italy always falls on la festa di San Guiseppe – St. Joseph’s Day – 19 March. We celebrate with cakes of course. Zeppole di San Giuseppe. Made using a soft choux pastry, baked and then fried according to the original recipe although you can just bake them. Once cool they are filled with crema pasticciera (crème […]
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Grecale | I muri di casa
Puglia has a rich and ancient musical heritage. The musical legacy of the Salento and its Greek origins are particularly strong (in the Grecia Salentina southern part of Salento ancient Greek is still spoken). This is the pizzica, named after the pizzicata – meaning the woman bitten by the spider. The obsessive rhythm of the taranta […]
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Bari and Lecce as seen by City Breaks Podcast
In Episode 9 of their City Break Ideas podcast, language teacher Marilyn Jones (with a wonderful voice) provides some inspiration for visiting Dubai, Kiev, Siena, Bari and Lecce. Given the Covid19 travel restrictions around the world in this episode she reviews “three great travel websites” for her own inspiration – including the Big Gay Podcast […]
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Christmas in Puglia | La Festa dell’Immacolata
Today is an Italian public holiday in celebration of the “Immacolata” – the Immaculate Conception. If you are scratching your head over the maths, fear not. Confusingly this isn’t the conception of the baby Jesus – that’s the feast of the Annunciation celebrated on March 25th. Rather its the conception of Mary, born without original […]
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LGBT rights in Italy progress
The slow creep towards equality The Italian lower Chamber – by 265 votes for, 193 against and one abstention – has approved a bill to combat hate crimes and discrimination relating to homophobia, misogyny and disability. Whilst the majority have welcomed the approval of the law as “an important step” – Italy is one of […]
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