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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Stresa: Carnevale -- Martedi Grasso Polenta



The second part of the Carnevale celebration in Stresa (the first part having been the procession of King Falcett and his court on Sunday) is the traditional meal served in the piazza on the Tuesday called martedi grasso, the day we call Mardi Gras. This Tuesday was a gloriously warm early spring day, which brought even more people outside to enjoy the festivity. In earlier times, the ragu prepared on this day would have been a tapelucco, which is a ragu prepared with donkey meat. It had been on the schedule of events for today, and I will admit a bit of disappointment that ultimately it was not offered. I had been curious to try this. However, the menu, shown above, was traditional, warm, and very filling nonetheless. 

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Stresa: Carnevale -- The Procession Of King Falcett

First, I heard the drums...
Although inside with windows closed, I heard the marching beat of the drums coming closer with each step. That's when I remembered, "Ah! It's Carnevale oggi, today!" So I rushed outside and followed the sound to the lakefront, luckily arriving in advance of the slow-moving procession. A good portion of the parking lot in front of the Stresa Imbarcadero had been kept empty for the ensuing show. Leading the parade were King Falcett and his queen, being chauffered in great style in a historic automobile very reminiscent of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, just without the wings.


Following them, in a carriage pulled by a pony, were five little princesses, who waved to the crowd and showered it with paper confetti.  ....  (continued)

Sunday, February 19, 2012

History: Napoleon And A Tree On Isola Bella



This is the view from my plane as we descended into Malpensa airport. A northern Italy still covered in snow. Although the temperatures have lifted now, there is still a bit of a feeling of hibernation. And so, on this sleepy winter day, I'll give you a little history and a poem for your Sunday reading. It is a story and a poem about Napoleon Bonaparte, and I came across this piece of trivia while researching the other Napoleon, Napoleon III, to write this blog post, about the Pedum, the "Head of Napoleon" mountain.

Monday, February 13, 2012

BIG NEWS!: The Stresa Italian Language School





My Big News!
Here's the bigger bite of news that I was promising:


So, this all began about a year ago, when a reader of this blog wrote to me, asking about Italian lessons. In finding information for the reader I found Simon, and I learned about the Italian classes he was holding. Long story short, I meet with Simon, we continue to talk, he introduces me to other great people, and here I am now, SO excited to say that I'm going to be involved with them in the Stresa Italian Language School!

This week we're doing a lot of organizing for the upcoming season. The classrooms have just been renovated and we're having a bunch of meetings to get everything ready. You'll be hearing more about this from me. I'll be introducing you to all the people involved, and showing you photos of the school. In the meantime, take a look at the brand new website:

I'm beyond excited about this! It's going to be so much fun for us all!



Wednesday, February 8, 2012

News Bites: Little Bits Of News From Stresa


Just enough news to enjoy with your cappuccino.

In this edition of News Bites we have some cold water, some hot water, some polenta and a 'crumb' of a teaser.


Carnevale Time! Stresa has published the official schedule of Carnevale events:
Sunday, 19 February:
10:30 AM:  The procession of King Falcett and his court will depart from the Palazzo dei Congressi, through the streets of Stresa, arriving at Piazza Cadorna to proclaim the opening of Carnevale and make greetings to the town's authorities. The procession will include musicians and flag wavers. 

11:00 AM:  Masked costume competition in Piazza Cadorna. There will be prizes for individuals, children, couples, and groups. To register for the competition please go to the tourist office in Piazza Marconi by Saturday 18 February at noon.

12:30 PM:  At Carciano, yum, there will be polenta, salami, and tapelucco. Tapelucco is a ragu made of very small pieces of donkey meat, a very traditional mountain food served at Carnevale here. The food is offered to eat there or to buy for takeaway. Possibly I will be reporting back to you with my review and photos of the tapelucco.

12:30  And also up in Levo, polenta, wild boar stew, and tapelucco.

Tuesday, 21 February:
12:30 to 14:30: In Piazza Cadorna, another serving of polenta, salami, and tapelucco, preceding the masked parade at 14:30. In case of inclement weather, the food will be served in the Liberty Villa.    (continued)

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