In Via Manzoni in the Fashion District of Milan you will find an outstanding private museum, established by nobleman Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli, which was opened to the public in 1881. The museum, a singular example of a late 19th-century aristocratic Milanese residence, contains Poldi Pzzoli’s fine collection of...
Cézanne’s work is inextricably linked with the landscape of his native Provence, and above all the countryside around Aix-en-Provence. While still at school, the young Paul had drawing lessons, which helped him decide upon a career as an artist. In the 1860s and 70s he moved between Paris, L’Estaque...
The wonderful town of Pula lies near the tip of the Istria peninsula in Croatia and today is Istria’s largest port. Importantly, Pula’s Roman legacy can be seen throughout the town, with the most impressive and most obvious example being the 1st-century amphitheatre which is located just back from...
There are no written records from the people of northern Europe of 2,500 years ago so we are dependent on what they left behind to help us understand the society of early northern Europe. This is a little about a spectacular pair of wine jugs which give some...
No one really knows why the gleaming, metallic green beetle with the Latin name Cantharis vesicatoria ever came to be known as “Spanish fly”. It is assumed that the term goes back to the legendary hot-bloodedness of Spanish Latin lovers. At all events, the powered remains of the dried fly...
Paul Ricard, born in 1909 in the Sainte-Marthe district of Marseille and co-founder of the Pernod-Ricard Group, had a fascinating life, and next time you have a glass of the world famous anis spirit or one of the many other prestigious brands of this Group (such as Mumm, Martell, Perrier-Jouët, or...
Hello all friends of my blog medmeanderings.com.au/ Six weeks ago I had a fall which resulted in badly broken right arm, damaged shoulder and elbow, and yes, I am right-handed. Consequently my ability to do anything has been severely impeded which put many of my blog plans, as well...
I recently shared with you my review of Tessa Kiros’s sumptuous cookbook Venezia, so I thought I would let you in on one of my favourite risotto recipes from her cookbook. This is a delicious vegetable risotto, creamy but fresh, easy to make and the ‘crowning-glory’ is the use of...
Prints of Castel Nuovo up to the mid 19th century show a stuffed crocodile hanging above the main doorway. No historian has been able to provide a rational explanation of what this exotic animal was doing or when it was put there. A symbolic act, some say. But...
I was reorganizing my bookshelf recently and I admit I didn’t get far – as I ended up pouring through my many cookbooks and recalling some of my favourite dishes. As part of this process I found myself, once again, delighting in the recipes of Silvena Rowe in...
Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.
My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.
