I usually use the FestivalBar CDs as a bit of a barometer for the Italian hits of the summer. They must be hard up for money, as they are also shameless enough to have the FestivalBar site hosted by MSN and they are taking a “year off” of doing the FestivalBar tour.
By now the compilations are pretty predictable: almost half “foreign” bands: Duffy, Amy Winehouse (a mere two years after her album came out), Coldplay, Leona Lewis, James Blunt; the usual “Italian standby’s” : Zucchero, Vasco Rossi, Max Pezzali, Ligabue mixed in with some new(er) blood.
The biggest phenomenon this summer is of course Giusy Ferreri, who is not on the FestivalBar CD. She is the runner-up to X-Factor show in Italy (Leona Lewis was a winner in the UK version of X-Factor)
Giusy is extraordinarily popular not only because she sings well, but because she was “just a cashier” in a supermarket before being discovered on X-Factor, and this is usually the first phrase out of someone’s mouth when speaking about her. I would call her the “Italian Amy Winehouse” without, of course, all the drugs and crack-house features. Yet.
So, who won X-Factor, you might ask? An acapella group called the Aram Quartet who now have their single “Per Elisa” making the rounds heavily on radio and TV. They have pretty good voices, though this is a remake of an old hit, but the melodramatic tone of the video kind of makes me chuckle and the various outfit changes (with sunglasses, without glasses) makes me wonder how many of them are really in the group.
Negramaro, mentioned in my post about Italian Summer Music 2007 with “Parlami d’Amore” (and who were quite good live at FestivalBar) are back with another song this summer, Via Le Mani Dagli Occhi (Take (Your) Hands Off Your Eyes). [Buy Negramaro's La Finestra album]
This next song came out before the summer break (and Michelle from Michellanea talked about this song in June), but I think it’s worth noting as it combines two interesting Italian artists: Fabri Fibra (a rapper from Le Marche) and Gianna Nannini (the Italian “Melissa Ethridge”) in a song called “In Italia” about the dichotomy of the reality of the beautiful and dysfunctional sides of Italy - I recommend taking a look at the Italian lyrics. From the chorus:
“There are things no one will tell you
There are things no one will give you
You were born and will die here
You were born and will die here
Born in the country of the half-truths”
Above all, I really like some of the images that the director included in the black and white video, these little slices of Italy and the people who live there. [Buy Fabri Fibra's Bugiardo or Tradimento albums]
Caparezza is noted for his crazy hair, his catchy music (Sono Fuori dal Tunnel, Vengo dalla Luna), but of course his beats are usually wrapped around a social commentary. “Vieni a ballare in Puglia” (Come dance in Puglia) is another song that is undeniably catchy (our 5-year-old cousin sings it often) but I suggest reading the original lyrics while watching the video as you’ll see “Turista tu balli e canti, io conto i defunti di questo paese” Tourist, you dance and sing, I count the dead of this country.
An “oldie” but a goodie is Jovanotti who has been around for a while and whose “A Te” single from the album Safari is popular right now but I would suggest listening to “L’ombelico del Mondo” below for a fun, drum-filled dancing song from the 90s. [Buy Jovanotti's Safari or 1990-1995 Raccolta with the single below]
Elisa is one of the first Italian artists I discovered in 2000, and though she sings mainly in English, she’s finally making her debut in the US with “Dancing” (available on iTunes and Amazon) - many songs are from her previous albums. Below is Elisa’s song “Dancing” featured on “So You Think You Can Dance” (US) and the full-length song of Dancing mixed with clips of Elisa’s other videos.
And what about the quintessential “latin” hit of the summer? Well, it looks like this summer we’re to be spared from overkill on one particular song, though I’ve heard Cinema2’s Ah Ah Ah a few times. Maybe next year!
If you’re not familiar with the Tour del Gelato, it’s your favorite bloggers going to their favorite gelaterias in and out of Italy and telling the world about it! They link back to the Tour del Gelato blogroll, and I add the entry to the list!
Yep, I know it’s hard.
If you’re out this summer eating lots of gelato like I know you are, make sure to snap a few photos, grab a napkin with the address, and then blog about it for the Tour del Gelato!
Just this week a bunch of Tour del Gelato posts have come in from some of my favorite bloggers:
€uro Bar 2000 [Bleeding Espresso] in Badolato, Calabria
You don’t need to be in Italy to participate but just follow one simple rule: sharing a place that serves gelato and not ice cream! Make sure you share a picture or two, and the address of your stop on the Tour del Gelato!
Note: I’m a bit closer to the Internet, but still not back in my own kitchen in Milan. I’ll be doing a giveaway in September when I’m back, but in the meantime, enjoy some non-giveaway posts…
I get mail. Lots of it. Most of the information I send back I’ve already talked about in my post Help! How to Live and Work in Italy, but of course, everyone’s situation is different. Therefore I’m going to answer a lot of these questions here on the blog so that everyone may benefit. If you have a question, send it to me via my Contact page with the subject “Ask Ms. Adventures.”Please do NOT leave your questions in the comments here, though you are welcome to expand/add to any of my answers I’ll try to collect some questions and answer them in a compilation post like this often. (Note: some emails were shortened but all spelling and grammar errors are original to the inquirer.)
Ms. Adventures,
I have been contemplating on moving to Italy for many reasons. The major one is not being fluent in the language. In Italy, is english their second language usually? If so, that should help but I have been told that if I don’t know the language fluently, it will be hard to get around for daily use and possibly finding a job (for my wife).
My other stipulations is my family. What is your advice on bringing over my wife (speaks spanish), who doesn’t work right now(company lay off) and my 2 yr. old son, over to Roma? He will probably be 4+ years old when we move there. Is it difficult to find a quality place to live, around Roma? What are your thoughts on my situation?
Thanks for your ears, Looking for fluency
Ciao Looking for Fluency - my ears thank you for the mention,
English is not the second language of Italians. It’s pretty dangerous to use that as a crutch while living in Italy. Depending on the region/city, you may find a lot of people that speak English or no one at all. I really encourage you to learn the language – I believe Italians are more helpful when they feel you’re trying to acclimate and are trying to speak Italian!
I can’t tell you what to do about your wife – it depends on if you’ll need her salary to live, what her skills are and how adventurous you are as a family. The short rule is that the job market in Italy is much more difficult than in the US, but it depends on the industry (and city!). As for finding places to live, I don’t think it will be a big problem, though I would try to arrange for a week or two (or a month) in temporary housing if you can to find a place you really like. Check my Milan & Italy Links page for some links to classifieds and helpful sites.
Good luck, Ms. Adventures in Italy
Hi,
Anyway, I am actual Italian citizen & will be recieving my Italian passport in 30 days. I was able to get it through my acenestry at the Italian consulate…I guess I am looking for an opinion, on how much “easier” if at all it will be for me to find work since im italian. There is almost nothing on english only speakers who are actually italian, and i suppose rightly so. Id perfer to be in big city but can be flexible, I’ve been to Italy before & feel pretty comfortable with Rome, but have not counted out Turin, Bologna & Florence. I understand salaries are typically higher in the north, but so is the cost of lliving in general. I guess im just looking for even more thoughts and ideas
My goal is to work some crap job, weather its cleaning, assembly line/manufacturing, id even consider agriculture. I can just live minimally for a year BUT, i have to be able to support myself, have a room, be able to eat, and of course be able go out on occasion. After a year or so I’d like to try searching for a better job once i have a better command of italian.
Sincerely, Italian not in Italy
Ciao Italian not in Italy,
I do think it will be easier to find work since you’re “Italian” but really the biggest advantage you have is that you’ll have working papers (the famed “permesso di soggiorno“) and/or an Italian passport. I think the biggest challenge many English native speakers face in Italy is not having the permission to work and therefore many employers refuse to work with them for skilled jobs or sometimes even any job. I don’t think you should limit yourself to working a “crap” job as you put it, but I think it’s a great idea to try to get fluent as soon as possible to find other opportunities later. Why not try to find a “crap” job where you’ll be speaking Italian, and not English, to speed up the process? Ms. Adventures in Italy
Hi,
Thank you for putting together a very interesting, amusing, and informative website! If you have a moment, can you please let me know of any:
1) - specific recommendation for simple lodgings in Segesta, or;
2) - any suggestions you have for finding an inexpensive place to stay in general in Sicily? Budget is always a nagging concern, but we are not interested in the “hilton” experience at all anyway, and we gravitate towards the “clever”, or “steeped in history/local ambiance” kind of locale whenever possible.
I look forward to my first visit to Sicily, your website will make it way easier, thanks! Seeking Segesta
Ciao Seeking Segesta,
Here’s two things that might help:
1. Segesta is not a town! They are the name of the Greek ancient ruins in Sicily and there is no place to stay there. The closest town is Calatafimi and I don’t think it has a hotel, either. In any case, I suggest staying somewhere else (perhaps closer to the sea like Castellamare or a bigger city like Trapani or Palermo) and going to Segesta for a day trip.
2. I stayed with friends so I don’t know any hotels in that area, sorry. I suggest looking for a “pensione” which have less amenities than a hotel and are usually cheaper. Enjoy your trip! Ms. A
Hello mate,
I would like to work and live in italy. i need help finding myself a job and a place to live in. My intrest is working in a warehouse as a logistic cause that is what i am learning. I have one year left in school then i want to go. Can you help me find a job.
Ciao mate,
The short answer is no. I can’t help you find a job. You need to find a way to get a work permit so you can work in Italy. Then I suggest starting with Monster.it to find a job.
Sorry, mate. Ms. Adventures in Italy
Hello, I’m very interested in any information that I can get my hands on about living/working in Italy. I am studying Marine Environmental technology and I will be graduating in a year, or perhaps a little more, and I dream of working in Italy. However, I’ve been having a lot of trouble finding english speaking career opportunities. I would certainly appreciate any suggestions you may have for finding work in my field, or if you could redirect me to anyone else who could help. Thank you very much. Marined Abroad
Hello Marined Abroad,
Congrats on having an ambitious dream! There are English-speaking career opportunities in every field, but if you’re looking for your particular field, why not try to find out which of those companies are present in Italy, and email them your interest? Try starting with the English websites of these companies and see if they can direct you to someone. A good understanding of Italian will probably be necessary anyway, so I encourage you to start learning it as soon as possible. I also suggest using a site like wordreference.com to help you start deciphering Italian websites for universities, research grants, etc. The easiest way to find contact information is to look for the “Contatti” or “Chi Siamo” pages. Ms. Adventures in Italy
Hi,
My name is Christine and I’m 21 years old. I’m currently unemployed and desperately looking for a job in Italy!!! I think more than finding a job, the problem is finding accommodation. And lets face it, one needs to have a rather high income to be able to rent even the tiniest of flats!!
I would like to hear from you and if you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me by sending emails. If I could I would leave my country even in a few days time, but without having any certainties of where I’m going and what I’m going to do, this is obviously not possible. Please get back to me whenever you can, it would be much appreciated!!!!
Ciao Christine,
I will not hesitate to contact you by sending you emails. But, I think you should hesitate before making the move ‘in a few days time”: finding accommodation will be infinitely easier than finding a job, since it appears you have no permit to work here. Since you’re young enough, why not consider studying in Italy and applying to a program here? I wrote an article for Matador Travel about Where to Study Abroad in Italy with some good links to the English versions of Italian university websites. Ms. Adventures in Italy
Good afternoon,
I have to say that I absolutely love your website. So far it has been extremely informative. Currently im living in the US but looking to move to Italy next year. It has always been a dream of mine to visit there. I don’t think I should have a hard time getting a visa. My grandfather is from italy & I am in the process of gathering all of his documents. I just ordered the book living studying & working in italy, & I am purchasing the level 1 rosetta stone after new years to learn the language. Can you offer me any advice on finding a really cheap studio apartment & finding work. I have a strong sales background. Thanks so much! Vis a vis1
Hi, i am planning on moving from the US to Italy for a few months. It will be a personal trip, but i want to be able to get a job there to support myself. How should I go about doing this with the whole Visa thing? Vis a vis2
Dear Vis a vis1 and Vis a vis2,
If you have the possibility of getting citizenship, I suggest putting all your efforts into finishing it as soon as possible. Note that it can take several years to complete this even after collecting all the documents, and they will only give you a visa to reside in Italy after a certain point in the process. This is the major hurdle in finding work in Italy – having the permit to actually work here. Ms. Adventures in Italy
hi there,
just browsing your blog…. my girlfriend will be in milan for a week for work (some fashion thing) but shes too lazy to do research on good food or interesting cultural sites. i was wondering if you could recommend a restaurant or culture blog besides your own. or favorite places to eat…Lazy’s Lover
Dear Lazy’s Lover,
I’m sorry, you lost me at ‘she’s too lazy.’ I suggest Google - it’s what we call a “search engine”, or perhaps, check my archives or blogroll for inspiration. Ms. Adventures in Italy
Hello Ms. Adventures,
I hope to move with my boyfriend to Torino in January08. He is a microbiologist and will be doing research at the University of Torino for 2 years. I’m 26, a professional in Seattle . I work in for a stock photography company managing media partner content, and I speak no Italian, so I don’t think my career will directly translate. I have some experience in graphics and web design, so I’m hoping to cobble together some work for myself when I arrive.
The main problem is I’m not sure how I can stay longer than 3 months, without either a work or student visa. I’m just taking a beginning Italian class now, so I won’t have enough language skills to actually attend university. Do you have any suggestions?
Also, do you have any suggestions for finding an apartment?, so far we’ve gotten as far as posting an ad on craigslist (which would make sense in Seattle), but I’m wondering if you know of any specifically Italian sites or perhaps something for the Milan/Torino region? Shuttered in Seattle
Dear Shuttered in Seattle,
I think a career in web design and graphics could translate but you really do need to speak Italian to work in most companies in Italy. More importantly, since you’re not married to your boyfriend (since you could piggyback on his visa in that case) you will need to find a way to get a work or student visa.
Note that most student visas are usually given for full-time study programs, and not for an occasional language class as you might hope. In fact, most private language schools will not be able to get you any permits for their courses. There are, though, many courses for English speakers (I think Bocconi has some English courses in management, for example) so it’s best to check each university to see if they have something available. Prepare yourself for a time commitment and desire to complete the program, though. Check out that article I mentioned above.
As for apartments, I suggest starting with my Italy & Milan links Page as Craigslist and Kijiji all have city-specific sites. Ms. Adventures in Italy
Legal talk: I am not an immigration lawyer or official. Please make sure to check your country’s regulations and rules for working and living in Italy.
I’m in the States right now, and one of the things I’m happy to do is be at the 2008 BlogHer conference here in San Francisco. And, not only am I going to be there, I’m working it! If you see a volunteer running around with dark, curly hair and a T-shirt with the logo in the sidebar of my site, it’s me! Stop and say hello!
In addition to my duties, I’ll be at the cocktail parties and lunches and I’ll try to stop by the Birds of a Feather sessions for food bloggers and travel, so I’ll get a chance to mix as well. I already had a taste last night at the Newbie and People’s parties!
You all know how much I love giving things away and I want to give the new people I meet a way to let me know they found my website as well as give those of you that can’t come to the event a way to participate, too!
I’ll be posting details soon, but for now, I hope to meet you!
My mom enjoyed showing me “her” New Mexico and we took a short trip up to Santa Fe for a few days since it’s a hot spot and the state’s capital.
I enjoyed Santa Fe: there are a ton of art galleries and it actually has a historic center much like a “centro” in an Italian town that is quaint and fun to walk around. Wikipedia says it’s actually the 3rd largest art market in the US after New York, and L.A. but, since I have limited luggage space, and perhaps even a more limited budget, shopping for art wasn’t very appealing to me. The Santa Fe Opera opened its season on Friday evening and though we had an opportunity to buy tickets, they were the last pair at $170 each and since we were lucky enough to go to the Palais Garnier in Paris last September for cheaper than that, we felt we should pass.
What I really enjoyed was the trip we took to Taos, a city about 1 hour northeast of Santa Fe. The highlight for me was visiting the Taos Pueblo, a Native American reservation and World Heritage site.
I am sharing these pictures with you because I encourage you to visit it, and I thought it was a special place. Please note that these pictures are for personal use and will not be published or sold commercially, in accordance with the request of the Taos Pueblo.
We spent quite a long time talking to the inhabitants and families of the pueblo which, though they are not pictured here, are definitely the most interesting part of the pueblo. Each one had a different story to tell about their family, what they do, or something to impart on their Native American heritage.
I spent some time talking with one of the inhabitants about their history and how I felt the Europeans might be more interested and informed about Native American history than some Americans (myself included). I was sad that S couldn’t be there with us, since he’s really interested and educated about it.
I did my part, though, and at a certain point I gave one of the jewelers some photography tips so that he could photograph his work and show his customers on days when he was all sold out (the day we were there). We also took home a CD of “Totemic Flute Chants” by Johnny Whitehorse (pseudonym of Pueblo native Robert Mirabal) which has some relaxing flute compositions and chanting (and it won a Grammy!).
I mentioned the “faux” adobe phenomenon in New Mexico, in which houses are stylized after traditional adobe made of mud and straw. At the Taos Pueblo, this is the real thing. The main buildings are purported to have been constructed between 1000 and 1450 AD, making them the longest continuously inhabited dwellings in the US.
Here’s some detail of the adobe. What I really loved was how every once and a while, some color would pop out at you from the earth-colored adobe. You can clearly see the straw that is mixed in with the mud and clay. Being inside these buildings was remarkably cool when compared to the hot temperatures outside!
One of most interesting parts about the Taos Pueblo is their cemetery. The old bell tower stands at attention in the distance, watching over the myriad of different colors and materials that make up the headstones in this cemetery.
And you know that even on an Native American reservation, I manage to find food. We tried the traditional Indian Frybread / Fry Bread, which was strikingly similar to the Pettole I eat in Puglia at Christmas. They told us that traditionally the frybread was fried in the buffalo lard remaining and that it was eaten during feast days, but now they make it often for us tourists. It was delicious!
This was an apple, prune and pine nut turnover pastry, and it was good, too! It’s nice to enjoy something else handmade other than the traditional jewelry and pottery widely available at the Pueblo.
Have you been to Taos Pueblo, or another Native American reservation?
Not sure if any of you missed me, but two weeks from my last post, I find myself in a completely different situation.
Here, I find scorpions floating in the toilet, I chase cottontail rabbits with my camera and never get close enough, a roadrunner perches on the dividing wall in the backyard, and I am surrounded by masses and masses of chiles.
I float in a cloud of air conditioning until I notice the dash says 108F outside. Water aerobics in the morning with mom and her chatting buddies almost kicks my butt but I come back a lighter shade of pale. I have a few more months to go before I can have a deep, much-to-be-envied tan that my mother has.
I am in New Mexico.
My mother bought a house here a few years ago and finally I was able to come out for a visit. Being in Las Cruces, and so close to El Paso, Texas, I feel that I am in familiar territory. I have driven from Texas to California twice and loved the drive. I am just one of those people that inherited the “driving gene.” A weekend trip to San Diego from San Francisco, by car, was fun for me. Some stretches of road in New Mexico you don’t see another sign of life other than the occasional car you pass.
New Mexico is growing. It’s becoming the new Arizona, after Arizona was the new Florida. Retirement communities abound here, and houses are reasonable and the weather is better than Florida. And who can resist a faux-Adobe house?
The weather turned a bit since I got here, which means I can still enjoy sunrises like this one without scorching my body but I haven’t seen as many sun-soaked rocky horizons as I’d like to.
The “magic” hours in New Mexico are easy to spot. The light filters in warm and golden and turns everything it shines onto into something photo-worthy. You should have seen what it did to some 3-day-old bananas!
People hang a “Ristra” of chili peppers, and sometimes garlic and blue corn on their front doors for good luck. It reminds of me of Italy quite a bit. I love chili peppers, using hot pepper chili oil on everything. I was surprised to note that the New Mexico chiles are not as spicy as the ones from Calabria. But they make a great enchilada sauce!
Little stores sell sacks of peppers and more interesting to me, big bags of powdered chiles - chipotle, green, red - I couldn’t resist picking up a few bags to take back to Italy.
Do you have favorite ways to use chiles? Do you prefer red or green?
So last time I told you that the scaldatelli weren’t ready for the oven yet. That’s because they need to get boiled first! The scaldatelli are loaded onto racks and dipped into boiling water for a few minutes.
After being removed from the water, they are set in wooden trays and set to dry out. These are set by one of the doorways of the tarallificio. Sometimes when I walk by randomly I see this cart through the drapes and I know that there will be some fresh scaldatelli in a few hours!
Here’s a close-up of the scaldatelli after being boiled.
After drying out enough, they are laid onto baking trays, and then the trays are slid into a mobile rack holder (ok, this is my scientific baking term) which is moved directly into the oven and the tower of racks is rotated by the oven during baking.
Fresh, golden scaldatelli fresh out of the oven.
Before we leave the tarallificio, I’m going to share a local specialty with you! A domani!
Dolciaria Monti is a family-run tarallificio, like most small businesses in Italy are. Their products are mainly consumed locally but they ship about 30% to other parts of Italy. Nepotism is something that is usually criticized but when it’s seen from a different point of view, it feels absolutely necessary. I find that nepotism is viewed as “unfair” only when it’s jobs that other people want! But what if you have something to give your children that they don’t want?
In Salvatore’s case, he entered into the taralli-making business through a side door. The grandparents of his wife started making taralli and other pastries from their home in Monte Sant’Angelo for weddings and special occasions, using the family’s wood-burning oven. Soon, they started selling taralli at the weekly market in Manfredonia, as taralli weren’t yet common to be found there.
They were selling so many taralli they stopped the pasticceria pastry-making side of their business and concentrated on just taralli, opening a store in Manfredonia.
Salvatore and his wife have three sons, none of which are interested in continuing to work for Dolciaria Monti, much like the case of the forno Pugliese I mentioned months ago (though he has daughters). Luckily, his nephew has expressed an interest in the tarallificio. He started at an early age, 13, and now works alongside his wife, who he met while she was also working there.
Luckily their children also seem interested and spent the afternoon there. Before you start talking about child labor laws, their children were on summer vacation (yes, I’ve been sitting on these pictures a while) and it was refreshing to see how much they enjoyed being with their parents and concentrated on actually making the taralli. Hopefully they will be able to pass the store directly on to their children.
Scaldatelli are a form of taralli, and the name means something as scalda is from the verb scaldare “to heat/warm up” and they are quite large, thick circles a bit larger than your palm.
The raw ingredients: flour, olive oil, some other special ingredients like semi di finocchio fennel seeds, are mixed in a large mixer. They are sometimes made with hot pepper, as well (my favorite).
The dough is then turned out onto a table to rest.
When the family is ready, they slice huge chunks of the dough off and feed it into the dough cutter, which cuts them into lengthwise strips.
The soldiers coming out of the dough cutting machine, ready for the next step.
Number 5 is alive? The sight of the dough being fed into the dough-cutter had a familiar look to it.
Salvatore demonstrates how they used to cut pieces and hand-roll the dough. Now the machine does this for them but they still have to form the scaldatelli by hand. The strips of dough are then formed into a circle and “signed” by the thumbprint that seals the two ends together. They used to do the entire process by hand and they were able to make about 25 kilos of product every day. Now that they’ve automated the mixing and cutting, they’ve been able to make about 150-200 kilos of scaldatelli every day (in addition to other products).
I see this little girl, the same one admiring the taralli allo zucchero, as the future boss of this taralli empire. She was diligent and interested in everything about it! (Or maybe she’ll just be a food blogger, like me)
Next up…the scaldatelli are not ready to go into the oven…yet! I’ll show you what happens next.
