Save L’Aquila!

Hi Everybody,

Been out of touch breaking…..

Continued promoting my cookbook Breaking Bread in L’Aquila and glad to be back!

I wanted to share an article about the state of the earthquake devastation of L’Aquila and the region of Abruzzo.

Please read this article and support me with the purchase of my book Breaking Bread in L’Aquila.

FT.com/House & Home – Model Village

I was very honored in May when I was invited at Santo Stefano to present my book at Albergo Sextantio. The owner, Daniele Kihlgren restored the character of the village in Santo Stefano. I share the same passion as Kihlgren and look forward to seeing him in February!

a presto,

maria

The net proceeds of this book will be donated to the restoration efforts of the earthquake of L’Aquila.

Time Flies! Il Tempo Vola!

Time Flies! Il Tempo Vola!

I can’t believe a month has passed since our trip to Santo Stefano di Sessanio and L’Aquila on May 15th.

Our Media Director and dear friend, David Nudo took a couple of videos of my talk in Santo Stefano. I smile when I think about our visit….Not only did we eat and drink non stop, we broke break with new friends in Celebration of the region, food, wine and my book! In fact, I mentioned before my talk how much we ate during the day and felt a little uncomfortable, but a good feeling!

The videos are now embedded on the Media/Events page on the Food and Fate site at www.foodandfate.com. They appear under the listing for the Santo Stefano event.

I hope you enjoy them! Would love to hear from you!

maria

Photos Taken in Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to share some photos from the event in Santo Stefano di Sessanio, May 18th. Gorgeous photos taken by Peter Austin, who came all the way from the UK with his lovely wife.

Peter was the winner of a copy of my cookbook, a photography contest that was run by good friend Sammy Dunham.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53366513@N00/4635934701/

cheers!

maria !

Come Celebrate on Saturday Night in Beautiful Santo Stefano di Sessanio

Hi Everybody,

Just finished packing and leaving for Italy in a few hours. I am heading to Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Abruzzo to help celebrate food, wine, music and my book: Breaking Bread in L’Aquila.

Special thanks to Daniele Elow Kihlgren, owner of Albergo Diffuso Santo Stefano di Sessanio for hosting this special event. Also a special thank you to Giovanni Pacificio, General Manager for organizing the event. We look forward to breaking bread with him on Friday afternoon! Here’s the link to beautiful Sextantio Albergo Diffuso http://sextantio.it.

Here’s some information about Santo Stefano di Sessanio:

Preservationists, historians, sybarites rejoice. The boutique Albergo Diffuso Santo Stefano di Sessanio is Italian living at its finest, in an absolutely stunning setting. An abandoned medieval hill town and castle in Italy’s Abruzzi region, a former ghost village, has been restored and guests can book a stay at the magnificent hotel. The entire town’s renovation project– a $5.1 million price tag– has been sponsored by the Italian-Swedish philosopher-preservationist Daniele Elow Kihlgren. During the restoration, the attention to detail was staggering: the exclusive use of material found in the surrounding area, interiors furnished in the Arte Povera tradition (folk arts and crafts from the Abruzzo mountains), imperceptible modern amenities (like heating beneath the floors). The press has gone wild. Gourmet magazine described it as “pretty enough to be in the movies.” Enjoy the fairy-tale of this Italian Renaissance.

I promise to take lots of photos and share this Cinderella experience!

Why Santo Stefano?

On February 3rd, during the final copyediting phase of my book, at approximately 1:30am, I was very tired and ready to go to sleep. I stopped for a moment while I reading the “pasta and lentil” recipe page. I began to reminisce about the time that Paul and I visited Santo Stefano. I felt his presence as I remembered the day that we walked to the Medici Tower and the church of the Madonna del Lago. We ended that beautiful day with a hearty bowl of lentil soup with sausage, bread, and a few glasses of wine. It was an experience that I would treasure for a lifetime—not to mention the incredible food and wine!

In a moment, it was 2:30am. I began to make more changes to my book. I wanted to include the variation on the recipe that we enjoyed eating in Santo Stefano, and to share more about Santo Stefano di Sessanio with my readers.

These are experiences you can’t make up ! !

ciao,

maria