Vinegar of Spilamberto And Other Italian Adventures With Food, Places, And People

In 1958, Doris Muscatine's husband, a medieval scholar, got a Fulbright for a year of research in Italy. They lived in Rome and almost immediately became hopeless Italophiles. "The Vinegar of Spilamberto" is the enchanting story of their experiences. The couple returned often, staying in various apartments -- a house in Venice, a medieval tower in Tuscany, and a villa on the Appia Antica with its own catacombs. From such small places as Populonia and Rovescala to bigger ones like Riace and Dozza, the family immersed themselves in the Italy off the typical tourist tracks. Muscatine describes the extreme cultural differences everywhere, but most notable in Sicily, and delights in various foods -- including "Il Ranocchio, dall'antipasto al dolce "(The Frog, from antipasto to dessert) -- and the wines that went with them. Chapters are devoted to the Italian appreciation of slow food and of special products such as truffles and balsamic vinegar.Muscatine, Doris is the author of 'Vinegar of Spilamberto And Other Italian Adventures With Food, Places, And People', published 2005 under ISBN 9781593760816 and ISBN 1593760817.