Espresso, caffè normale, cappuccino, macchiato, lungo; sometimes it seems that there are as many types of coffee in Italy as there are pastas.

In Italy we say that make a good coffee is like an art and it changes from north to south and has its traditions.

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Thinking about Italian food, the first things coming to your mind are pasta, pizza, prosciutto and Tiramisù.

Not many of travellers and “food-lovers” know about some Italian culinary traditions that can sound a little unusual or even disgusting to most (even for me!). Here is a short selection of 5 Italian weird foods.

Enjoy your reading and ….buon appetito!

#1 LAMPREDOTTO

An institution of the street food in Florence is lampredotto; it is a part of the cow’s stomach slowly cooked in vegetable broth and flavored with herbs and aromas before being served in a bread roll accompanied by a green or hot sauce. Nencioni at the Porcellino market and La Trippaia in Via dell’Ariento are two of the most famous of Florence’s “lampredottai”.

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So you’re planning a trip to Rome and you’ve done a lot of researches: how to get from the airport to your accommodation, create a list of recommended restaurants and locals, museums and other places you want to check out during your trip.

But how much do you really think you know Rome? Here some fun facts about Rome that maybe you didn’t know yet.

1. She-Wolf

Shakira isn’t the only one who knows something about she-wolves. Did you know that Rome’s mascot is a she-wolf that suckles for the brothers Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome)?

Legend has it that the brothers were abandoned in the wild. The twins were later discovered by a she-wolf who nursed them. Romulus and Remus eventually found a new city. Hence, Rome was born.

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Ay ay, today is Friday the 13th… Stay well away from black cats, step ladders and mirrors, because you might get really unlucky! Throughout Western society we are told it’s a day of bad luck.

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Last time we wrote about the culinary highlights of the northern regions, but we left out Emilia-Romagna – and for a good reason… if Italians love food, the ones in this region are absolutely crazy about it. More than elsewhere, food is central to their everyday lives, especially in Emilia. And in this cult, it has to be admitted, they have managed to drive their gastronomy to the highest levels possible.

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Every year on 8 March, most Italians celebrate La Festa della Donna. Men, and sometimes also women, give the women in their lives mimosa flowers. It is a widespread custom to not only give flowers to relatives and friends, but also to colleagues for instance.

You can even send virtual mimosa, so why not send some this year to female friends in Italy?

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…but do you know the others typical Italian street food?

The most notable Italian street food is pizza, sold in take-aways. Take-away pizza (or “Pizza al taglio”) is quite different from pizzeria. It is generally made on large square trays, and square or rectangular portions are sold.

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Christmastime is here.  We all have our own traditions and around the globe Christmas is celebrated in uncountable ways.

I decorate the tree, prepare the “presepe” and go out to watch a Christmas movie.

However, we sometimes forget that Christmas is celebrated also in the other countries in their own adorable and, especially, strange way.

Austria

In most places when children are bad they get coal, but not in the Alpine countries. Here St. Nick is accompanied by two demonic figures: Krampus and Perchta. On December 6th men dress up in some of the scariest devil-like costumes you can imagine and drunkenly run around towns.

The Krampus legend originates in the Germanic alpine regions and it’s popular especially in Austria, Hungary, Bavaria and Slovenia.

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