Author Archives: chasingcappuccinos

Cranberries abroad?

Posted on January 16, 2011 by chasingcappuccinos

I had some cranberry panettone for breakfast and was amused that the box (purchased in New Jersey) called it an authentic recipe from Italy. Cranberries aren’t indigenous to Italy, and I’ve never been able to find them in any store. … Continue reading →

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The good witch visits again

Posted on January 8, 2011 by chasingcappuccinos

Felice Anno Nuovo! I’ve been lax in my entries lately due to holidays and work, but it’s 2011 and a new year to write. Yesterday was the Epiphany, which celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings bearing gifts to Jesus, … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Italy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

2010 in review

Posted on January 3, 2011 by chasingcappuccinos

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow. Crunchy numbers A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. … Continue reading →

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Some hometown flavor in NYC

Posted on December 5, 2010 by chasingcappuccinos

As the first real snowfall of the season blankets Chicago, it’s a great morning to drink a cup of coffee, watch the flurries coat the trees, and reminisce about another cup of coffee. Over Thanksgiving, we were in New Jersey … Continue reading →

Posted in America, cappuccinos, coffee, culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Home for the holidays

Posted on November 20, 2010 by chasingcappuccinos

We’ve headed home to the U.S. for the holidays and I’m in Chicago now. Talk about some reverse culture shock! Big SUVs, big supermarkets, big everything. Even the toilet bowls have more water in them than the ones in Italy … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Italy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Round 1: Bar Astra vs. Nerocaffè

Posted on November 3, 2010 by chasingcappuccinos

My two favorite bars in Pesaro for drinking a cappuccino are Nerocaffè, located in the main piazza, and Bar Astra, located at the entrance to the centro storico. Nerocaffè opened last December and has since become a very popular hangout. … Continue reading →

Posted in cappuccinos, coffee, Italy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L’ora dell’aperitivo

Posted on October 15, 2010 by chasingcappuccinos

Ah, the aperitivo hour in Italy, like happy hour in the U.S. but so much better.  I love bitters and Italy is full of bitter aperitif options: Aperol is a spritzer favorite in Italy and is very refreshing, combining the … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, food, Italy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The power of wind

Posted on October 10, 2010 by chasingcappuccinos

Italians like to talk about wind. Many Italians (the older generation in particular) think that too much air can be unhealthy and can cause mal di gola (a sore throat) or cervicale (cervical syndrome, which affects the neck). I’ve often … Continue reading →

Posted in American, culture, Italians, Italy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Grazie!

Posted on October 9, 2010 by chasingcappuccinos

Yesterday, I received the nice surprise of having my post on “the culture of driving” featured in WordPress.com’s Freshly Pressed section. I was a little overwhelmed with the sudden spike in traffic, but it was nice to see. I wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, Italy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The culture of driving

Posted on October 8, 2010 by chasingcappuccinos

Something I appreciate about Italian drivers is that they rarely honk their horns. In America, drivers honk anytime someone is going too slow, or pulls out in front of them, or when they’re stuck in traffic (as if that will … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, driving, Italians, Italy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 79 Comments