Making Limoncello

Jar.

In the past, I’d had a few more DIY photologs (Making LinguiniMaking a ServerMaking a ClosetMaking a PatioMaking a Genovese) and thought it was about time that I put a new one online.

Limoncello with Donato Fioretti and Family
Limoncello with Donato Fioretti and Family
Anywhere you go in Campania, you’ll see Limoncello. And after having spent a month in Italy with my extended family, my love of the digestif led me to seek it out upon returning to NYC. While my Italian comprehension skills were quite bad back then, and I’d already consumed a number of glasses of the 32% alcohol, I seem to remember my cousin, Donato, telling me it was a family tradition to make their own.  It’s the second most popular liqueur in Italy and infused rampantly throughout the Amalfi Coast—where my family original settled.

So, naturally, I thought it’d be fun to make my own. Read more

Category: Pix

Travel Map

TripAdvisor Travel Map

As I wait in jittery, excited anticipation of my big trip back to the old country to see the rustic villa where my grandfather was born in 1909, I have been asking a number of friends about their recommended off-the-beaten-path must-dos in Italy.

I was initially quite proud of this until I visited some of the travel maps of friends, which look like glitteringly decadent Christmas trees. My lowly map, if you notice, has no dots west of the Mississippi—which will change for Todd’s wedding this July—and only sparse locations in Eastern Europe. I’ve been to less than half of the world’s continents and have predominantly traded in dollars, pounds and euros (and pre-euro currencies). And while I’m struggling to become less sedentary, I’m merely posting this pitiful map to show to the friends who’ve asked about my previous travel experiences.

That said, if you find yourself in any of the following locations this June, let’s get a Prosecco and Peroni:

– Rome
– Naples
– Siena
– Florence
– Chianti
– Anywhere in Tuscany
– Anywhere on the Amalfi Coast
– Anywhere on the Ligurian Sea

And, if you’ve been there before, let me know of some things you recommend!