How Italian people celebrate New Year's Eve (Capodanno) in Italy?
Every country has its own customs. In Italy New Year's Eve is the time of sumptuous fun and ceremonial meetings with people. Welcome the new year always is with delicacies such as the goulash of lentils (lenticchie). Every resident of Italy has to eat a portion of this dish before midnight. Like in Poland everybody has to drink a glass of champagne to new year will be successful and happy! An inseparable part of New Year's Eve are also dances until dawn in the homes or in the clubs. In Italy is known New Year's appetizer in italian- cotechino- the sausage of raw pork and backfat. The italian custom of New Year's Eve is throw old things out of the window to get rid of bad luck in the next year. At midnight the Italian people eat balls grapes appropriately to strikes the clock. Sharing of pomegranate with the loved person will make a coming of happiness and love in the new year. The Italians believe that the New Year should welcome in red underwear- it will guarantee the luck. Outside the window is evident the colorful lights of fireworks and is heard their vast explosion. In the morning all people meet in the restaurants to eat together croissant drink the first cappuccino in this New Year.
How do you spend the New Year's Eve?
J.
The Christmas in Italy is the time to be in a home with the joyful people who you love, loud conversations, laugh and smell of the dishes in the air. The italian people celebrate the Christmas- decorating the Christmas tree, sitting at the table fool of various food with a family, singing carols and enjoying every moment! In Italy The Christmas Eve is a fasting day and at it modest. Usually the Italians eat a spaghetti with anchovy and nuts, drink plum liqueur, which is preparing specially for this occasion. The main traditions of Italian Christmas is cooking a turkey, decorating the Christmas tree, opening the presents and going at midnight Mass. The Italians going very often after the night mass at the restaurants and city places with their families. That day everyone is opener and happier. All people express good wishes each other, even with the passersby.
The tipes of food are dependent on italian regions. In every house is preferred any other tipe of the dishes. However, very known is panettone cakes and pandoro cakes (the yeast dough with raisins). The Panettone is used as a christmas gift. Many italians like walking and watching the cribs, to take a rest from eating. The streets are decorating of strings of coloured lights and a lot of christmas decorations. The end of the Christmas is the Day of 6 January in Italy is called Befana Day, whose the symbol is a witch on a broomstick, who gives away the presents...
J.
The Pizza is one of my favourite dishes of italian cuisine. This dish is widespread all over the world. Pizza consists of pasta or yeast dough (focaccia), which smeared with tomato sauce, is dusted with mozzarella (di bufala campana) and herbs and very often is drizzled with olive oil. Depending on your tastes, everyone can choose individual composition of ingredients of own pizza. Pizza is baked in a preheated oven.
In my opinion the story of pizza is very interesting. In ancient Rome were popular focaccias spiced with cheese and basil. In the 18th century in the restaurants of the Naples the pizza appeared for the first time. A pizza with mozzarella cheese tasted the most of Queen Margherita of Savoy, so today is called 'margherita'. Pizza became popular even in the United States. The original neapolitan pizza should be a dough about 2 cm of thick and browned edges. However a different kind of italian pizza- known as roman pizza is very thin, about 4 mm and hasn't so much thick edges.
I prepare very often a pizza for dinner with my favourite ingredients: olives and salami or Prosciutto di Parma and rocket.
During the preparation of this dish, always is a lot of laugh and fun!
I recommend it to everyone for dinner!!!
J.
Matera is a city and province of the region Basilicata in Italy. This place has a magic power and a pinch of mystery, which is charming for everybody. This city is known as "la città sotterranea" means the Subterranean City. Very famous are "Sassi" as ancient town of Matera belonging to list of UNESCO since 1993. Sassi di Matera- in english Stones of Matera constitute a historical center of this city and come from prehistory. Sassi was considered an area of poverty and now there is more and more developing tourism. Today in Matera are many famous restaurants, pubs and hotels. There is a lot of precious monuments for example Church of San Agostino, Matera Cathedral and The Tramontano Castle. In Matera was produced a film "The Passion of Christ" of Mel Gibson and many others masterpiece movies. This summer I'm going to go there for walk around the curving corner of stone alley, to visit "Sassi di Matera" on the background of burning sunset.
J.
