ITALIAN NEWS - Issue # 17, May 2009

Italian News
Periodical On-Line that Promotes, Supports, Spreads ITALY,
and ITALIAN Language, History, Culture, Tradition, Genealogy,
Articles, Products, Services, Every Aspect of ITALIAN Life Style
by THE ITALIAN PROJECT

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian Regions

TRENTINO - ALTO ADIGE
Official Website: www.regione.taa.it

Territory
Trentino - Alto Adige is one of the few Italian region not
touched by the sea, its territory is mountainous and includes
the majestically beautiful Dolomite group, and a great
number of small lakes. Historically under the domain of
Austria for long centuries, in the Northern part of the region
as a consequence the German language is spoken, and the
region is officially bilingual. Famous for its production of
apples and wines, the region has a greatly developed tourist
industry, famous for its winter resorts, such as Madonna di
Campiglio.

The Provinces of Trentino - Alto Adige
Province of Trento (TN), Province of Bolzano - Bozen (BZ).

History
According to a number of archeological findings around the
city of Trento, in antiquity the region was inhabited since
very ancient times, being the valley of the Adige river a
transit center between central Europe and Italy. And as a
matter of fact the region always was a meeting point of the
German and the Latin cultures. About 40 BC the region was
conquered by the Romans and included in the Undecima
Regio of the Empire with capital Truentum.

At the fall of Rome in 476 AD it was first occupied by the
Goths, then by the Lombards, and in the late 8th century by
the Franks, who united it administratively with Friuli. Then in
935 AD Trentino was separated from Friuli and entrusted by
the Emperor ro the Bishop of Trento. In the 12th and 13th
century the rise of the Communes engendered factions and
intestine wars, so that Emperor Federico II of Swabia
established an absolute, ruthless control on the region.

In the 16th century there took place a remarkable cultural
and economic development, thanks to the enlightened rule
of Bernardo Clesio and Cristoforo Madruzzo, and between
1545 and 1563 the region was the theater of the most
important and famous Council of the Catholic Church,
becoming the center of the conflict between Protestant and
reform currents, that changed the face of the church
completely. In the 16th and 17th century there was a decline,
caused by the turmoil and wars in central Europe, to be
finally included under Austria in 1777. During the Napoleonic
wars Trentino was united to Tyrol and was for a time under
Bayern, then with the Congress of Vienna was returned to
Austria. Only after the First World War the region, at the time
consisting of only one province, Trento, was finally united to
Italy. Later on the Province of Bolzano was also established.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian Genealogy

What is Genealogy Research?
Genealogy, the research of our roots, both genetical and
cultural. From the dusty, crumbling papers of documents
people who belong to what we now are come out of the
mist of time and look at us silently, affectionately, waiting
for someone to decipher their stories, rescue them from
oblivion and pass their as yet forgotten names and stories
on to the next generations.

HOW TO START
Genealogy Research in Italy

You want to go backwards and find ancestors
To start any serious attempt of this kind, you need the
earliest possible name with place and date (death, birth or
marriage). From there you'll proceed through births,
marriages etc, according to the availability of resources -
municipalities certificates, civil records, onciari, parish
books, notary records and still other possible sources. As
you proceed backward in time, resources will become
scantier, and research longer and more expensive.

You want to go forward and find relatives
You can try writing a letter to all those families bearing the
surname of your ancestor in his/her municipality of origin.

You want to know more
You want to know more about the places, traditions,
customs of your ancestral land, the recipes and economy,
you want to reconstruct the real life of your ancestors, to
preserve the heritage that you had from your forefathers
through thousands of years of Italian history .

We can Help you
If you would like to do Italian Genealogcal Research by
yourselves, here are our step-by-step, detailed and useful
suggestions on:
How to Find Places of Birth and Residence of your
Ancestors and Living Relatives in ITALY

How to Obtain Information and Documents of your
Ancestors in ITALY

How to Contact your Living Relatives in ITALY

We can Assist you
If you would like us to Italian Genealogy Research for you,
we can Assist you. Here are our easy instructions to use
our Assistance:
ITALIAN Genealogical Research
ITALIAN Translation

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian Recipes

Perciatelli
with Meat Sauce and Fontina

Ingredients
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup red wine
1 (16 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 pound perciatelli
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cooking Directions
In a large stainless-steel frying pan, heat the oil over
moderate heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to
soften, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until
the meat is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in the wine
and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Add
the tomatoes, oregano, and the salt and pepper. Reduce the
heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. In a large pot of
boiling, salted water, cook the perciatelli until just done,
about 15 minutes. Drain and toss with the meat sauce,
vinegar, Fontina, Parmesan, and parsley. Serve with
additional Parmesan.

Yield
4 servings

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian Recipes

Garlic Bread

Ingredients
4 garlic cloves
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 baguette (24 inches long), halved crosswise, then
lengthwise

Nutrition Info Per Serving
Calories: 208 kcal
Carbohydrates: 29 g
Dietary Fiber: 1 g
Fat: 7 g
Protein: 5 g
Sugars: 0 g

Cooking Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make garlic paste: Coarsely
chop garlic, and gather into a pile. Sprinkle generously with
coarse salt. Place flat side of knife blade on top of garlic,
with sharp side of blade away from you; press down firmly
while pulling knife toward you. Repeat until a paste forms.
Combine garlic paste, butter, and 1/8 teaspoon each salt
and pepper in a small bowl. Brush butter mixture on cut
sides of bread; sandwich together. Place on a baking sheet,
and bake until heated through and crispy, about 12 minutes.
Slice and serve.

Yield
8 servings

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian Language

Time Expressions

Italian uses present tense + da + time expressions to
indicate an action that began in the past and is still going on
in the present. English, by contrast, uses the present perfect
tense (I have spoken, I have been working) + for + time
expressions.

verb in the present tense + da + length of time

Scio da un anno. (I've been skiing for a year.)
Prendi lezioni di karatè da molti mesi. (You've been taking
karate lessons for many months.)

To ask how long something has been going on, use da
quanto tempo + verb in the present.

Da quanto tempo leggi questa rivista? —Leggo questa
rivista da molto tempo.
(How long have you been reading this magazine? —I've
been reading this magazine for a long time.)

Telling Time in Italian

What time is it? is expressed in Italian by Che ora è? or Che
ore sono? The answer is È + mezzogiorno (noon),
mezzanotte (midnight), l'una (one o'clock), or Sono le +
number of the hour for all other times.

Fractions of an hour are expressed by e + minutes elapsed.
From the half hour to the next hour, time can also be
expressed by giving the next hour meno (minus) the number
of minutes before the coming hour. Un quarto (A quarter) and
mezzo a half often replace quindici and trenta. Un quarto
d'ora and mezz'ora mean a quarter of an hour and half an
hour.

To indicate A.M., add di mattina to the hour; to indicate P.M.,
add del pomeriggio (12 P.M. to 5 P.M.), di sera (5 P.M. to
midnight), or di notte (midnight to early morning) to the hour.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian History

Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans)

Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans) is the term to describe people of fully or partially descending from Italy or Italian parents,
but living in Germany.

Over time most Italians moved home to Germany for reasons of work. Some also left for personal relations, study or
political reasons. There is also a substantial number of Italian Swiss taking benefit of their bi-lingual identity.

History
Germany was counting a number of Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-German) immigrants since the early Middle Ages, particularly
architects, craftsmen and traders. During the late Middle Ages and early Modern times many Italians came to Germany for
business and relations between the two countries developed prosperous. Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-German) cooperation
found a questionable connection in the World War II Axis Powers but with Germany's post-war Wirtschaftswunder it
experienced a tremendous wave of immigrants from Italy. Since 1952 Italy and Germany are joint EU members and since
1961 they share a free movement of workers. Since then more than 500,000 left mainly Southern Italy for work in Germany.

Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans) in German Society

Politics
Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans) are actively involved both in regional and federal German politics; Areas of concern are
European integration and assimilation.

Arts and Science
Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans) have a substantial influence on the development of Fine Arts in Germany from
Romanesque and Gothic architecture to contemporary fashion and design.

Business
Today, many Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans) are employed just like any other but also have various spezialised fields of
work. Italians and Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans) in Germany run many businesses in the following areas:
food related such as restaurants, coffee shops and food markets.
retail and fashion related.
art and media related.

Italian-run Assicurazioni Generali and Unicredit are some Germany's largest Insurance and Finance Companies and
Employers.

Famous Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans)
Mario Adorf, Angelo Barletta, Lujo Brentano, Leo von Caprivi, Rudolf Caracciola, Luigi Colani, Johann Maria Farina, De
Reto Francioni, Vittorio Gassman, Mario Girotti (also known as Terence Hill), De Vittorio Hösle, Bruno Maderna, Oliver
Neuville, Franka Potente, De Beatrice Weder Di Mauro, Leonardo DiCaprio (American), Nicolas Cage (American).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CIAO! Hello Dear Friends of ITALY!

Enjoy This Issue of ITALIAN NEWS, Periodical On-Line that Promotes, Supports, Spreads ITALY,
and ITALIAN Language, History, Culture, Tradition, Genealogy, Articles, Products, Services, with Very Useful
Information to Make you MORE and MORE Familiar with Every Aspect of ITALIAN Life Style!

Learn MORE and MORE about ITALY, and ITALIAN Language, History, Culture, Tradition, Genealogy, Articles,
Products, Services, Every Aspect of ITALIAN Life Style, by Collecting All The Issues of ITALIAN NEWS!

All your Comments, Opinions, Suggestions, and Ideas to Improve ITALIAN NEWS are Most Welcome!

Many Thanks! Best Regards!

Your ITALIAN Friends,

Carlo Tognoni, founder, and Davide Tognoni, administrator
THE ITALIAN PROJECT www.theitalianproject.com

ITALIAN LANGUAGE: Lessons of Italian Grammar, Spelling, and Usage: Time
Expressions - Telling Time in Italian
ITALIAN GENEALOGY: What is, and How to Start Genealogy Research in Italy
ITALIAN REGIONS: Trentino - Alto Adige
ITALIAN PROVINCES: Trento - Bolzano
ITALIAN RECIPES: Perciatelli with Meat Sauce and Fontina - Garlic Bread
ITALIAN HISTORY: Italo-Tedeschi (Italian-Germans)
FAMOUS ITALIANS: Amerigo Vespucci
ITALIAN COMPANIES: Buitoni
ITALIAN PRODUCTS: Caffe' (Italian Coffe)
ITALIAN LATEST NEWS: Life in Italy

In This Issue:

Issue # 17, May 2009

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Famous Italians

Amerigo Vespucci

Statue at the Uffizi, Firenze (Florence).

Born March 9, 1454 (1454-03-09)
Firenze (Florence), Italy
Died February 22, 1512 (aged 57)
Seville, Spain
Nationality: Italian
Other names: Américo Vespucio [esp] Americus Vespucius [lat]
Occupation: Merchant, Explorer, Cartographer
Known for Demonstrating that the New World was not Asia but a previously-unknown fourth continent.

The explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci (March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was the first person to demonstrate
that the New World discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 was not the eastern appendage of Asia, but rather a
previously-unknown "fourth" continent. The continents of North and South America (and, by extension, the United States)
derive their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.

He played a senior role in two voyages which explored the east coast of South America between 1499 and 1502. On the
first of these voyages he discovered that South America extended much further south than believed by other European
explorers crossing the Atlantic, who thought they were reaching Asia (the Indies). Vespucci's voyages became widely
known in Europe after two accounts attributed to him were published between 1502 and 1504. In 1507, Martin
Waldseemüller produced a world map on which he named the new continent America after Vespucci's first name,
Amerigo. In an accompanying book, Waldseemüller published one of the Vespucci accounts, which led to criticism that
Vespucci was trying to usurp Christopher Columbus' glory. However, the rediscovery in the 18th century of other letters by
Vespucci, primarily the Soderini Letter, has led to the view that the early published accounts were fabrications, not by
Vespucci, but by others.

Biography
Amerigo Vespucci was born in 1454 in Firenze (Florence), Italy. Amerigo Vespucci worked for Lorenzo de' Medici and his
brother, Giovanni. In 1492 they sent him to work at their agency in Seville, Spain.

Illustration of the birthplace of Amerigo Vespucci.

In 1508, after only two voyages to the Americas, the position of chief of navigation of Spain (piloto mayor de Indias) was
created for Vespucci, with the responsibility of planning navigation for ocean voyages. He died of malaria on February 22,
1512 in Seville, Spain.

Two letters attributed to Vespucci were published during his lifetime. Mundus Novus (New World) was a Latin translation
of a lost Italian letter sent from Lisbon to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici. It describes a voyage to South America in
1501-1502. Mundus Novus was published in late 1502 or early 1503 and soon reprinted and distributed in numerous
European countries. Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci delle isole nuovamente trovate in quattro suoi viaggi (Letter of Amerigo
Vespucci concerning the isles newly discovered on his four voyages), known as Lettera al Soderini or just Lettera, was a
letter in Italian addressed to Piero Soderini. Printed in 1504 or 1505, it claimed to be an account of four voyages to the
Americas made by Vespucci between 1497 and 1504. A Latin translation was published by the German Martin
Waldseemüller in 1507 in Cosmographiae Introductio, a book on cosmography and geography, as Quattuor Americi
Vespuccij navigationes (Four Voyages of Amerigo Vespucci). In 1508, King Ferdinand made Vespucci Pilot Major of Spain
at a huge salary and commissioned him to start a school for navigators out of his home to standardize and modernize
navigation techniques used by Spanish sea captains exploring the world. Future luminaries such as Magellan learned at
his knee, and Vespucci even developed a rudimentary method of determining a fairly accurate determinant for finding
longitude (which only more accurate chronometers could later improve upon).

In the 18th century three unpublished familiar letters from Vespucci to Lorenzo de' Medici were rediscovered. One
describes a voyage made in 1499-1500 which corresponds with the second of the "four voyages". Another was written
from Cape Verde in 1501 in the early part of the third of the four voyages, before crossing the Atlantic. The third letter was
sent from Lisbon after the completion of that voyage.`

Some have suggested that Vespucci, in the two letters published in his lifetime, was exaggerating his role and
constructed deliberate fabrications. However, many scholars now believe that the two letters were not written by him but
were fabrications by others based in part on genuine letters by Vespucci. It was the publication and widespread
circulation of the letters that led Martin Waldseemüller to name the new continent America on his world map of 1507 in
Lorraine. Vespucci used a Latinised form of his name, Americus Vespucius, in his Latin writings, which Waldseemüller
used as a base for the new name, taking the feminine form America. (See also Naming of America.) Amerigo itself is an
Italian form of the medieval Latin Emericus (see also Saint Emeric of Hungary), which through the German form Heinrich
(in English, Henry) derived from the Germanic name Haimirich.[citation needed]

The two disputed letters claim that Vespucci made four voyages to America, while at most two can be verified from other
sources. At the moment there is a dispute between historians on when Vespucci visited mainland the first time. Some
great historians like German Arciniegas and Gabriel Camargo Perez think that his first voyage was done in June 1497
with the Spanish Juan de la Cosa. Little is known of his last voyage in 1503–1504 or even whether it actually took place.
Vespucci's real historical importance may well be more in his letters, whether he wrote them all or not, than in his
discoveries. From these letters, the European public learned about the newly discovered continent of the Americas for the
first time; its existence became generally known throughout Europe within a few years of the letters' publication.

Voyages

Portrait of Americo Vespucci, part of the Madonna della Misericordia
by Domenico Ghirlandaio at the Oggnissanti church in Florence

According to historians such as Martín Fernández de Navarrete, Germán Arciniegas and Gabriel Camargo Pérez, the first
voyage of Amerigo Vespucci took place in 1497, probably in a trip organized by King Ferdinand, who wanted to clarify if
the mainland of the landmass was far away from the island of Hispaniola, which had been discovered by Columbus.

The captain of this company, which set sail in May 1497 was Vicente Yañez Pinzón, captain of the Niña on Columbus's first
voyage, and may have included Juan Diaz de Solis. Accompanying Vespucci was pilot and cartographer Juan de la Cosa
(the then-famous captain who had sailed with Columbus in 1492). According to the first letter of Vespucci, they reached
land at 16 degrees latitude, probably on the coast of La Guajira peninsula in present-day Colombia or the coast of
Nicaragua. They then followed the coastal land mass of central America before returning to the Atlantic Ocean via the
Straits of Florida between Florida and Cuba.

In his letters, Vespucci described this trip, and once Juan de la Cosa returned to Spain, a famous world map, depicting
Cuba as an island, was produced. About 1499–1500, Vespucci joined an expedition in the service of Spain, with Alonso
de Ojeda (or Hojeda) as the fleet commander. The intention was to sail around the southern end of the African mainland
into the Indian Ocean. After hitting land at the coast of what is now Guyana, the two seem to have separated. Vespucci
sailed southward, discovering the mouth of the Amazon River and reaching 6°S, before turning around and seeing Trinidad
and the Orinoco River and returning to Spain by way of Hispaniola. The letter, to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici,
claims that Vespucci determined his longitude celestially on August 23, 1499, while on this voyage. However, that claim
may be fraudulent, which could cast doubt on the letter's credibility.

The last certain voyage of Vespucci was led by Gonçalo Coelho in 1501–1502 in the service of Portugal. Departing from
Lisbon, the fleet sailed first to Cape Verde where they met two of Pedro Álvares Cabral's ships returning from India. In a
letter from Cape Verde, Vespucci says that he hopes to visit the same lands that Álvares Cabral had explored, suggesting
that the intention is to sail west to Asia, as on the 1499-1500 voyage. On reaching the coast of Brazil, they sailed south
along the coast of South America to Rio de Janeiro's bay. If his own account is to be believed, he reached the latitude of
Patagonia before turning back, although this also seems doubtful, since his account does not mention the broad estuary of
the Río de la Plata, which he must have seen if he had gotten that far south. Portuguese maps of South America, created
after the voyage of Coelho and Vespucci, do not show any land south of present-day Cananéia at 25° S, so this may
represent the southernmost extent of their voyages.

After the first half of the expedition, Vespucci mapped Alpha and Beta Centauri, as well as the constellation Crux, the
Southern Cross. Although these stars had been known to the ancient Greeks, gradual precession had lowered them below
the European skyline so that they were forgotten.

On his return to Lisbon, Vespucci wrote in a letter to de' Medici that the land masses they explored were much larger than
anticipated and different from the Asia described by earlier Europeans and, therefore, must be a New World, that is, a
previously unknown fourth continent, after Europe, Asia, and Africa.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Italian Companies

Bertolli

Official Website: www.bertolli.com

Bertolli History
In 1865, in the town of Lucca, in the Tuscan heart of Italy's olive growing region, Francesco Bertolli opened a small
storefront business selling regional foods such as olive oil, wine, cheese and olives. In the late 1800s, the Bertolli
business grew from its Italian roots when Italian emigrants to America, unable to find the products to which they were
accustomed, wrote to Bertolli asking for crates of olive oil. In reply, Bertolli sent orders to America and thus became the
first exporter of olive oil. By the 1890s, Bertolli was sold in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago. From there, business
gradually expanded west and eventually found export markets beyond the United States.

From its beginnings in olive oil, Bertolli today has grown to include a broad range of restaurant-quality pasta sauce and
skillet meals. While the Bertolli portfolio of products is constantly evolving to meet changing consumer needs, it continues
to stay true to its Italian origins of culinary craftsmanship and trademark values of guaranteed quality, consistency and
authenticity.

Today, more than 140 years since Francesco Bertolli began selling his olive oil in Lucca, Italy, the original "Villa Bertolli"
at piazza S. Donato still stands, just as Bertolli remains at the heart of the authentic Italian cuisine enjoyed at home by
millions of families around the world.

Bertolli Products

Classic Dinners
A complete menu of skillet dinners for two that deliver a restaurant-quality at-home Italian quality dining experience in just
minutes.

Pasta & Sauce
A menu of restaurant-quality pasta and sauce dishes, each inspired by a region of Italy. Each dish is a perfect union of
gourmet pasta and authentic Italian sauce, imported from Italy to your grocer's freezer, and ready to cook to perfection in
just 10 minutes.

Mediterranean Style Frozen Dinners
A complete line of frozen pasta dinners inspired by the naturally lighter-tasting cusine of the Mediterranean. Like the
traditional fare foundin the sun kissed coast of Soutern Italy, each dish is prepared with ingredients like extra virgin olive
oil and wholesomesun-ripened vegetables. Delectable, restaurant quality meals ready to serve just in minutes.

Premium Pasta Sauce in a Microwavable Pouch
Ripe, signature ingredients nestled in a thick base of favorful crushed tomatoes, finished off with sauteed onions, garlic
and Berolli Olive Oil. Bertolli Premium Pasta Sauces are restaurant inspired sauces that come to you in a convenient
microwavable pouch. Just clip the corner, heat and serve. In just 90 seconds, you can create those special moments you
crave with unique tastes you will really savor.

Olive Oil
Bertolli is the No. 1 olive oil brand worldwide. As the world's leading brand of olive oil, Bertolli is sold in 57 countries, and
enjoyed by more than 30 million families, worldwide. Only the best olive oil becomes Bertolli Olive Oil. In fact, more than
80% of the olive olil evaluated by Bertolli panel of tasting experts is rejected. Bertolli blends only the finest olive oil, using
their own proprietary taste profiles and quality specifications stricter than those required by the E.U. and other Internayiona
laws. 140 years of committment to the highest quality. Francesco Bertolli started making olive oil in Lucca, Italy, back in
1865. Today, Bertolli olive oil is still bottled in Italy, under extensive quality controls, which ensures the uncompromising
quality of all Bertolli olive oil.

Pasta Sauce
Bertolli sauce is made with some of the finest ingredients available anywhere, from vine-ripenede tomatoes and 100%
Bertolli olive oil to fresh dairy cream and aged Parmesan cheese. Bertolli Sauce is an easy way to get together over a
restaurant quality meal, anytime.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Italian Products

Caffe' (Italian Coffee)

Caffè is the Italian word for coffee, (likely from "Kaffa", the region in Ethiopia where coffee originated) and may indicate
either the Italian way of preparing this beverage at home or espresso, which is prepared instead with electrical steam
machines. Notably, a coffee house in Italy is termed a bar, not a caffè.

Italians, and especially Neapolitans, pay special attention to the preparation, the selection of the blends and the use of
accessories, all part of a special culture focused on the drink.

Caffè Espresso
Normally, within the coffeeshop environment, the term caffè denotes straight espresso. When one orders 'un caffè' it is
normally enjoyed at the bar, either with friends or alone or chatting with the barman (Italian: barista). The espresso is
always served with a saucer and demitasse spoon, and sometimes with a complimentary wrapped chocolate and a small
glass of water. While Caffè Espresso is normally drunk quickly, often with the elbow of the arm holding the glass resting
on the bar counter, it may also be enjoyed for the duration of the afternoon, which is often a community custom for retired
seniors. In some regions of Italy, the ultimate compliment to a barista is to turn the cup upside-down onto the saucer, as to
indicate you enjoyed the drink thoroughly, and there is no liquid left in the cup.

Caffettiera
The necessary instrument, the caffettiera, is essentially a steam machine made of a bottom boiler, a central filter which
contains the coffee grounds, and an upper cup. In the traditional Moka, water is put in the boiler and the resulting boiling
water passes through the coffee grounds, then reaches the cup. The Neapolitan caffettiera has instead a different working
function, and needs to be turned upside down when the drink is ready. Its boiler and cup are therefore interchangeable.

The quantity of coffee to be put in the filter determines the richness of the final beverage, but special care is needed in
order not to block the water from crossing it, in case of an excess of grounds. Some hints prescribe that some small
vertical holes are left in the powder by using a fork.

A small fire has to be used, in order to have the appropriate water pressure: a high pressure makes the water run too
quickly, resulting in coffee with little flavour. The fire under the caffettiera has to be turned off ten seconds after the first
characteristic noise is heard, and eventually lit again in case the cup was not filled.

Some claim that the more coffees the machine makes without being cleaned, the more tasty the final drink is. A good
compromise between hygiene and taste, is having the caffettiera cleaned once every two days, before the coffee remains
begin to turn bad.

Italians usually add sugar, often quite a fair amount.

The "caffetteria" is the public service in which caffè was traditionally made with Moka, and in the 19th century it was the
specialized place for enjoying it, while the domestic habit started at the beginning of the 20th century, when caffettiere
became available to the general public.

In elder caffetterie, art and culture events were held, being places in which the upper classes used to spend relevant
parts of their days. So many of these places became important sites (like, for instance, the famous Caffé Greco at 84, Via
Condotti, Rome; established in 1760) and became famous for being the usual meeting points of artists, intellectuals,
politicians, etc. It was mainly enjoyed by men, while women organised their tea meetings.

For an appropriate formal afternoon service, the caffè is always brought with a silver pot, porcelain cups (which should
be the thinner and the less decorated as possible) are always on a small dish and have their small silver spoon on the
right (on the dish). Sugar is brought apart, in porcelain pots, with a separate silver spoon. After the consumption, smokers
are usually allowed to light their cigarettes (the service typically includes a porcelain ashtray) if not in the presence of
women (who usually invite them to do it, if they wish). Pastry is not properly indicated to accompany this ceremony, but an
exception can be made in case there are women at the table. The coffee pot has to be left on the table, for a second cup.
After-lunch coffee is enjoyed in separate smaller tables, not at the main one, and children are obviously not welcome to
join the team.

Cappuccino is not related to the traditional domestic coffee, being made with an espresso machine. However, caffelatte
(also known as a latte in the U.S. and Café au lait in France) is made with a simple mixture of hot coffee and hot milk, and
served in cups that are larger than tea cups. Caffetterie usually serve caffelatte too.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Italian Latest News

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|