Slow Food’s Story Hits the Big Screen
July 11, 2013A new documentary recounts the first quarter-century of the Slow Food movement.
Poppy Time
May 27, 2011Photo by Rick Gush I love the orange poppies from my home state of California, but the red poppies of Italy are striking and exotic to me. One of the reasons I really like living in Italy is that so much of ordinary, everyday existence is exotic to me. For example, I get a big […]
Wisteria Frenzy
April 15, 2011Photo by Rick Gush The cascading purple wisteria reigns here in Italy. It’s full-blown spring now in Italy, and things are blooming like crazy. I helped my friend use a weed eater on his olive groves this week, and though I cut down a lot of grass, I mostly mowed down fields of full blooming […]
Lamborghini Tractors
March 29, 2011Trusted by farmers for more than 50 years, Lamborghini tractors have made their mark on Italian agriculture.
Artichoke Season
March 11, 2011Artichoke season has started and cases full of the flower buds are showing up in the markets. Yummy!
Charming, Nonetheless
February 11, 2011I’ll admit that I feel lousy at the moment. It’s been years since I was ill, and now I remember how much I dislike it.
Farmers in Mink Coats
February 4, 2011Last weekend was the big annual fair in Rapallo, and as usual, two of the streets down by the water were filled with agricultural vendors.
Rock Walls
January 28, 2011Photo by Rick Gush Because of the abundance of rock in the soil, Italy is covered with rock terraces, like this one found next door to my studio. One thing that Italian agriculture has in abundance, particularly here in Liguria, is rocks. Except for the big flood plain called the Po river valley in the area […]
Italian Agriculture
January 21, 2011Most people might think all those Roman ruins and medieval castles and paintings are the most notable historical artifacts in Italy. Personally, I think the thriving small-farmer culture that still dominates Italy is the most important gift from the past.
It Was a Merry Christmas!
December 31, 2010This Christmas Eve, I was finally able to write my blog from my new office. This move has been a long, arduous and expensive enterprise, but I think it’s all been worth the trouble.
