The in-box is full and I haven’t been doing a great job of getting back to everyone… it’s been a busy 2011 so far and I can’t wait for all this snow to melt away and enjoy some warmer weather!  I’m headed to Calabria in a few weeks so I’ll get a little reprieve from this brutal New England winter.

So what’s in the in-box?  Here are some highlights.

La Piazza di Carolina is organizing an amazing summer language program in Italy this summer for children and parents that includes learning Italian through singing, cooking, art, horseback riding and swimming! (there’s cooking and wine classes for parents too!)  Now that’s a great way to spend a summer vacation. Click here for details.

Borgo San Benedetto in Montaione (outside of Firenze) is the location of the summer language program

Colors Italiano: It’s here! It’s here!  Sonya Caruso followed-up her first Italian Baby book (ABC Italiano) with Colors Italiano. A wonderfully illustrated book for children that takes them through the names of colors in Italian.  A great way to help your child to learn Italian.  Great job Sonya!  We hope to have Sonya back on Italyville soon to talk about her new book but until then check out the Q&A post on her first book here.

BreakThru Radio in New York City recently had a performance from Andrea Parodi with Livia Ranalli that you need to check out called “La Ninna Nanna del Maggio”  Bravi Andrea e Livia! Check it out here.

The weather is steadily getting colder here in New England and with Thanksgiving around the corner there are different foods showing up at the grocery store.  The summer fruits and veggies are gone and have made room for autumn foods and for me that means castagne (chestnuts.)  In Calabria they still have plenty of chestnut orchards and when we were there this past summer the chestnuts from last year still littered the ground as we foraged for wild mushrooms.

Chestnut trees here in the US used to be plentiful once but many were decimated by a chestnut blight over the last 100 years… I always wondered why there wasn’t a single chestnut tree on  “Chestnut Street” here in town.

I have fond memories of the castagne vendors this time of year in Italy.  They roast the chestnuts right on the street and the wonderful smell combined with the shop-lined cobblestone streets is a page out of a Charles Dickens book.  For 3000 lire (which I’m sure has become 3 Euro) you could get a mini paper bag with 10 warm chestnuts and eat them as you walk.

Most of the chestnuts in our local grocery stores come from Italy and E and I usually make them a few times a week… did I mention they go GREAT with wine?  Many of my non-Italian friends have never had chestnuts… which makes me wonder who’s eating all the “chestnuts roasting by an open fire” during the holidays??? Italians? (Bingo Crosbino?)

If your looking to impress your holiday guests this year… pick-up some chestnuts.  They are easy to make and delicious! This is what you need to do:

• pre-heat your oven at 350-375 degrees
• put a slit in each chestnut with a knife (otherwise they will explode in the oven)
• place the chestnuts on a baking sheet or pan and cook them for 40-50 minutes
• Serve with wine by a fire

In Calabrese we also call roasted chestnuts – ruselle

October is Italian Heritage month…  Author, educator, and researcher Janice Therese Mancuso established Thirty-One Days of Italians to promote the significant contributions that those of Italian heritage have made to America. She was awarded a grant from the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), and has received support from the Italian Historical Society of America and others in the Italian American community.

Here’s Janice’s List.

October 1: The Italian Immigrant (A day to honor every Italian who journeyed to America from Italy.)

October 2: Amadeo Pietro Giannini (Established the branch banking system in America.)

October 3: Guglielmo Marconi (Known as the Father of Radio for his experiments with long distance wireless transmissions.)

October 4: Filippo Mazzei (Supporter of American freedom during American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson’s inclusion of “all men are created equal” into the Declaration of Independence is a paraphrase of Mazzei’s “All men are by nature equally free and independent.”)

October 5: Antonio Meucci (Original holder of the patent for the forerunner of today’s telephone.)

October 6: Joe DiMaggio (“The Yankee Clipper” led the NY Yankees to nine World Championships.)

October 7: Mario Lanza (Renowned tenor and film star in the mid-1950s.)

October 8: Gian Carlo Menotti (Opera composer, founded the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds.)

October 9: Father Pietro Bandini (Missionary for Native Americans. In 1898 established Tontitown, “a perfect example of colonization,” in Arkansas.)

October 10: Enrico Fermi (Discovered radioactive elements that heralded the nuclear age.)

October 11: Antonio Pasin (Created Radio Flyer wagon.)

October 12: Christopher Columbus (Navigator that changed the world, opening trade routes and immigration from Europe to the Americas.)

October 13: Maria Montessori, M.D. (Developed an educational method for teaching children.)

October 14: Henry Mancini (Awarded 20 Grammys and 4 Oscars for his film and television scores.)

October 15: Dean Martin (Popular 20th century entertainer of stage, screen, radio, and film.)

October 16: Vince Lombardi (Football icon.)

October 17: Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini (First American citizen to become a saint.)

October 18: Enrico Caruso (World’s most acclaimed tenor in the early 1900s.)

October 19: Luisa Tetrazzini (World known soprano opera singer of the early 20th century.)

October 20: Frank Capra (Acclaimed 20th century film director, best known for It’s a Wonderful Life.)

October 21: Arturo Toscanini (One of the world’s greatest orchestra conductors.)

October 22: Frank Frazetta (Legendary fantasy and science fiction artist.)

October 23: Robert Mondavi (Greatly influenced the wine industry in America.)

October 24: Fiorello La Guardia (First three-term Mayor of New York City, and credited for changing its landscape and building the foundation for the city’s growth after the Depression.)

October 25: Amerigo Vespucci (Namesake of America.)

October 26: Geraldine Ferraro (First woman to be nominated on a major party ticket as Vice President of the United States.)

October 27: Constantino Brumidi (Known as the “Michelangelo of the [U.S.] Capitol.”)

October 28: Rocky Marciano (The only Heavyweight World Champion to retire undefeated.)

October 29: Frank Sinatra (International entertainment icon.)

October 30: Andrea Palladio (“Father of Architecture,” wrote The Four Books on Architecture, the most famous and influential books on architecture of all time, and still in print.)

October 31: Your Favorite Italian (Celebrate someone not on the list, but greatly admired.)

To these and many more Italians that have made great contributions.  Grazie.

You can grow an apple tree with seeds from an apple, but don’t wait around for any apples from that tree…. because it won’t produce any unless you graft your apple tree.  WHAT? Have you ever wondered why the cherry tree you bought from your local garden center never produces any cherries?  It was probably never grafted.

grafting diagram from tutorvista.com

Grafting a fruit tree or Innestare in Italian is to add a branch of an existing fruiting tree to another tree in order for it to produce fruit.  There are many ways to graft a tree and for a few hours my Zio Gino gave me a crash course in tree grafting.  A walk around his garden with the bounty of various types of trees will soon convince you of his expertise.  He knows more than one way to graft a tree and why one way is better than another depending on the type of tree your grafting.  Many Italians are master tree grafters… there’s a reason why the fruit trees that Italians own actually bear fruit! Do any come to mind?

So the next time you see a fruit tree that doesn’t produces fruit… you’ll know why.

The sweetest Yellow Plums you'll ever taste

Mad Scientist - Half Lemon, Half Mandarin Orange

The half lemon, half manderin orange tree above actually produces lemons on one side and manderin oranges on the other!!

The only thing better than foraging for mushrooms here in the US is foraging for mushrooms in Italy!  I learned to forage for wild mushrooms from my grandfather, father and uncles so when we were in Calabria this summer, my brother, uncle, E and I hit the woods early in the morning to avoid the heat and try our luck. We walking through chestnut groves in the Calabrian mountains and brought home some porcinis and chantrelles… two of my favorites! Here are a few photos from our forage.

My brother and Uncle.. ready to go!

Yes, they were as good as they look...

I know many Italian Americans forage for mushrooms and a few days ago I received a few photos of some wild mushrooms from Don who recently went on a foraging expedition as well… thanks Don!  Who’s ready for a wild mushroom expedition in Italy??

The winners of the Tropea Onion Seeds are: Paula DeStefano, ItalyLovers and Chef Chuck… congrats and thanks to everyone for participating!

Escarole is a favorite green in many Italian families.  Some of the more popular ways to prepare escarole are in soup, with beans, and as a simple salad.   The escarole in our garden has been ready for a few weeks now and we have been enjoying it to the fullest!  One of my favorite ways to prepare escarole is cooked with bread.

Here’s what you need:

• Fresh escarole
• Extra virgin olive oil
• garlic
• day old bread or stuffing bread
• salt and pepper

Here’s what you need to do:

Add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a pot with some chopped garlic and let it simmer for a few minutes.  Wash your escarole and chop it into pieces, then add it to your pot making sure the escarole is still wet as the water will help steam the escarole.  Cover and stir occasionally until your escarole becomes tender, then add your bread or stuffing bread, salt and pepper (crushed red pepper if you like) and let it simmer for several minutes until the bread becomes soft.  Simple and delicious!  Drizzle a little fresh olive oil on top if you like. It makes a great side dish or main course with some fresh bread.

If you haven’t entered to win the $50 Venetian Mask gift certificate, you still have time (see post below.)  I have extended the deadline until tomorrow at 5pm EST.  Here’s what you need to do to win:

• You need to leave a comment on the Venetian Masks post
• And either retweet the post (upper right corner of the post) or mention the giveaway with a link on your blog or facebook page.

One of my all time favorite Italian songs… Ornella Vanoni singing l’appuntamento.  Classy, romantic and beautiful.  We played it during our cocktail hour at our wedding… you don’t need to understand Italian to appreciate this wonderful song.