The Agro Pontino brand of taste: from history to the table
For Italians the Agro Pontino brand has always existed but maybe it needed a logo to make it recognizable abroad. The history of the Pontine Plain and the birth of the Agro Pontino seem recent but are rooted in the centuries past. As a particular fate, in the coasts of…
Rocca Priora: panorama over the eternal city
When for whatever reason I find myself going up to Rocca Priora, it shows me an undeniable panorama from the natural terrace, from the highest point of the Castelli Romani, that dominates the skyline. The landscape stretches away to all sides: from north to south, from east to west, the…
Tradition of Scottone Cheese from Rocca Priora
We are in a square in the town, with a copper pan, and a young shepherd are the focus of the ancient tradition of scottone cheese in Rocca Priora. The festival of the Scottone animates the cold Sunday in Rocca Priora, the town that occupies the highest peak of the…
Flowing down the Liri River, sports and culture unite all towns
The Liri river has separated the peoples of the two regions and today marks their revival with an event that involves 15 municipalities and their entire populations. That event, ‘Scorrendoconilliri’ combines sport and culture in an embrace that makes the event one of the most exciting and engaging in which…
Be cured with food? A Ferentino bakery is for you
The Internet is full of advice on how to be cured with food, how to eat healthy and on gluten problems. But finding someone in Ferentino making bread and pizza according to the principles of Nutraceutical (Nutrition + Pharmaceutical) was a surprise. At first glance Gusto Antico seemed like any…
Benny Hill and Angels bawdy and brilliant
As a percentage of the world’s population, there are not many of us who have been fortunate enough to be brought up on a diet of British comedy from the 1950s through to the end of the 20th century, and nearly all of us who have, and who are still…
George Burns in his own words
It is 20th January, just 121 years since Nathan Birnbaum was born. Since Jewish boys must become composers or violinists, Nathan (Nattie to his mum) at some stage decided to become George, George Burns. Just over 100 years later, in 1996, George left to spend eternity with Gracie. What better…
Edgar Allan Poe pithy sayings and more
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. “Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my…
Ceprano and Liri: when geography makes history
Water is life for man and all the ancient towns built by man were born on the shores of some lake or river. But in the past the river was also a barrier to overcome and so the story of the centres of civilization are also modelled on rivers: this…
Serrone Dreaming: paragliding near Rome
Monte Scalambra today, with Serrone resting across its slopes, is the centre of paragliding near Rome. The mountain was for many centuries the natural protector of Rome due to its incredible view stretching from the Eternal City to the valleys to the south. Today, the experience of free flight, paragliding…