Issue #15

A jewel box of a city with its own brand of French-feeling flair (merci Famille Savoie), Torino is one of those places I always leave wishing I could stay a little longer.

Here are 22 reasons you should too.

1. Ooh La La: Le Langhe Wine Country

Torino is an essential stop en route to Le Langhe, Piedmont’s stunning wine country, and a UNESCO Heritage Landscape.

Langa is Piedmontese for a long ridge or hill.

An hour-to-ninety minutes south of Torino, vineyards coat the slopes surrounding the town of Alba. Before dawn, la nebbia (fog) rises from the valleys, veiling the entire region like a cloud slipped from the sky.

Sun shimmers across the horizon to reveal a fairytale scene of swooping green, dotted in tiny villages.

One of Italy’s most intriguing and sought-after wines grow here, Barolo and Barbaresco, made from the Nebbiolo grape.

Wine country warrants a visit, but don’t sleep on Torino.

Baroque and bedazzled, the one-time capital of the House of Savoy, and later one of Europe’s most modern cities, Torino is a hub of art, culture, and buzzing industry, absolutely worthy of a few days’ stay.

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2. It’s so close.

An hour (or less!) from Milan, 2 hours from /bologna, and 3 hours from Florence, Torino is a simple train ride. The central station drops you in dead center of town.

3. Walkability

Torino is Italy’s fourth largest city (after Rome, Milan, Naples), but the historical center where you’ll be spending most of your time feels like Florence—minus the tourists. Human traffic makes a huge difference.

Unlike Rome and Florence’s labyrinthian Medieval and Renaissance corridors, Torino was designed around its palace courts. Wider, ordered streets imagined for processions, are easy to navigate. Pretty porticos once kept the Dukes dry, and now you…when it rains.

4. Breadsticks, Baby! (AKA Grissini)

According to local lore, during the late 1600s, a sickly Savoy prince suffered issues digesting bread with too many crumbs. A baker was brought in to find a crumb-free solution.

Ghersa is Piedmontese for a large rustic loaf. Grës and griss refer to grey or rough. Grissia therefore, referred to a long, stretched loaf, ghërsin” and Grissino, with their ‘ino’ suffix makes it diminutive, ie, a small, stretched-out, rough loaf. And there you go!

Grissini also appear on a 15th-century fresco in the Duomo of nearby town, Chieri. The jury is in.

5. Finanziera (Waste Not Want Not!)

A Torinese delicacy with humble roots. Finanziera was devoured in the royal courts, a perfect example of elevated frugality. Not for the weak at heart, the dish contains rooster combs, brain, sweetbreads, and liver. Gently sautéed with butter, shallot, and white wine, and a final spritz of lemon.

Try it at La Taverna di Frà Fiusch, located in hills just outside of town.

Keep reading here for my 22-hour itinerary!

Vermouth

Number 13 on my list, but , it could easily be at the top.

Far more than a Martini mixer, vermouth deserves a solo in the spotlight.

The aromatized and fortified wine is a scent and flavor sensation. Born in Torino, it went on to conquer palates worldwide.

If you love to unravel the aromatic threads of wine and amaro, add vermouth to your repertoire immediately.

Keep reading here for everything you didn’t know you didn’t know about vermouth, and how to drink it.

In case you missed it, last month I wrote about two of my favorite shops in Rome—one for vintage treasures, and another for its curated contemporary collection.

I also caught up with Raffaele Stella Brienza, a darling designer in Florence whose handcrafted bowties are a loving homage to southern Italian style and artisanship.

That’s it for now dear readers!

It’s officially March, and my birthdays is around the corner.

As per tradition I’ll be running the half marathon in Athens, Greece and raising money for Achilles International.

Check out my fundraiser here, and keep your eyes open for Athens tips in the coming issues of Tastefully.

Thanks and happy….spring (?)

XO, Annie

Issue #14

A friend of mine recently made it out of O’Hare during a snowstorm.

That’s enough to make you believe in miracles.

There was an hour or so delay between boarding and takeoff, but according to the pilot’s announcement, they were able to make up most of the time.

Another miracle?

She recalled a quintessential Seinfeldian rant.

“So I’m on the plane. We left late. Pilot says, “We’re going to be making up some time.” Isn’t that interesting? They just make up time. That’s why you have to reset your watch when you land. Of course when they say they’re making up time, obviously, they’re increasing the speed of the aircraft. Now my question is, if you can go faster why don’t you just go as fast as you can all the time? Come on. There’s no cops up here. Nail it. Give it some gas. We’re flying!” [IMDB]

Sometimes you get lucky with a tailwind or a jet stream.

More likely, flight schedules build in the extra flight time for precisely this reason.

At the airport, no one is ever disappointed in an early landing.

Time is Flying

September always carries with it some momentum. Love it or hate it, the end-of-summer and back-to-school energy is palpable. October ought to be the month to catch our breath before November evaporates into December.

Much of the world is counting down to Christmas now, unlocking advent calendars and checking off lists. Just as many of us are watching days whir by in disbelief.

Unreached goals are about to roll over into recycled New Year’s resolutions.

How did we get here so fast?

With the exception of travel, getting older feels like a war against time. Sure, sometimes we wish we could speed up deliveries or long lines, but often we feel life slipping like sand through our fingers. These are the days of our lives.

Time Zones

You can’t talk about time without acknowledging how much of the world operates on its own notion of time, or complete lack thereof.

There’s Island time (running late), Roman time (running late), and basically any population living closer to the equator, with warm, sunny weather (running late). In southern time people even speak more slowly, melding words like melted butter.

Warm weather lends itself to lingering.

Even New York City has a 15-20 minute grace period, probably owing to the “New York minute” (a turbo reduction of a standard minute).

Time moves faster in NYC, which makes people late.

The current working theory is that wintry-weather countries move more quickly to warm up. Makes sense to me. I’ve never walked faster than on a cold, clammy night home from the bar around the corner.

Slow and Steady

I recently visited the Taurasi growing region of Campania. Taurasi produces incredibly age-able, robust, girthy, spice-driven red wines from the Aglianico variety. The grapes thrive on mountainous vineyards, sunbaked by day and cooled by altitude and plentiful breezes at night.

It’s a slow and steady ripening that makes the difference. Perfect timing for grapes.

Between tastings we stopped for coffee in the town of Castelfranci.

One of the wine writers in the group showed us his watch – permanently paused at 12:40. He explained that he wore the watch more as an accessory, because he didn’t really believe in any fixed sense of time. He had even coined a term for small-town rhythms.

Paesitudine. It loosely translates to “a state of small-town time.”

‘Paesi’, in this context, refers a small towns or villages. ‘Tudine’ is a suffix for state of being, like attitude, or magnitude in English.

We were an hour and a half from anything close to urban. Maybe it was the Aglianico that lulled our blood flow, or the absence of city sounds and human traffic. Even the dash to the train station failed to hasten my pulse.

If time is a construct, can’t we slow it down?

We can, actually.

Scientists have identified techniques for slowing our perception of time. Much of it has to do with cultivating a sense of wonder, breaking up our routines by taking different routes to work, and learning new skills.

When we challenge ourselves to learn a new task— a language or musical instrument, even navigating an unfamiliar path—our brains build new neuropathways.

The same theory applies to warding off dementia.

Neuroplasticity—the process by which your brain rewires itself based on what you do, think, feel, and experience—diminishes over the decades, but the good news is that we can create new pathways. We can rewire.

Are we there yet?

As children, we rarely experience the sensation of time rushing over a cliff. If anything, we stare at clocks, willing them to tick forward. We suffer interminable days at our desks in school, or in the backseat during long car rides.

So much of childhood felt like waiting. This is because so much of childhood was experiencing aspects of life for the first time. As our brains build new connections, forge memories, and encode information (like new vocabulary!), our perception of time slows down.

The more information we process in the moment, the longer the moment feels. There’s plenty of reading on the topic, but this article from Scientific American is a good start.

Can Life Abroad Keep You Young?

I moved abroad for the first time at 22. In Rome at the turn of the last century, few people spoke English. I was forced to learn fast.

Every day looked, tasted, smelled, and sounded worlds away from my Midwestern home.

Despite the lines on my face, stray greys, and near nightly four am wake-up call (for you know what), I still joke about arrested development.

I don’t feel the way I expected to, at this age.

Learning new languages still thrills me. When I’m feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists or deadlines, nothing calms me down like a Greek lesson, or a deep dive in to etymology in any language.

I have an aversion to the ordinary, you might even say an addiction to the extraordinary. I thrive on changes of scenery. Sometimes a short train ride is all it takes to soothe racing thoughts.

Dopamine chasing, maybe.

But perhaps somewhere along the way, subconsciously, I realized that if I stood still for too long, I would just die sooner.

Arrested development notwithstanding, I do feel like December came too soon. I’m reflecting on what was marvelous and memorable this year, and what we can all do to make the most of our fleeting moments.

Tastefully is my way of giving you something to make time stand a bit stiller—new words and expressions, new flavors, and hopefully, people and places that pique your curiosity, paving the way to neuroplasticity!

These are few of my favorite issues since Tastefully launched last year.

holiday

I’ll be back later this month, no rush.

Issue #13

Hearts and Stomachs

In case you were wondering, the proverb, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” appears to enter American popular parlance with a 19th-century novel called Ruth Hall.

The fictionalized memoir by Fanny Fern (the nom de plume of columnist Sara Payson Willis) recounts a young widow’s struggle to support herself and her three daughters in a patriarchal society.

Before Ruth Hall, a similar phrase appears in Clarissa Harlowe: The History of a Young Lady, an 18th-century novel, by Samuel Richardson. It’s one of the longest English-language books on earth at approximately 3,000 pages. (1,585 abridged by Penguin Classics in 1985).

I didn’t read it. But I read about it.

The two books share similar themes, especially on the notions of virtue and women’s roles, in and out of the kitchen.

I scoured Gutenberg.org for references to hearts and stomachs and found plenty.

Sexual Appetites

Sex, love, mood, and food are invariably linked.

Affection and sustenance go hand in hand in most every relationship. Who among us has not been fed to the point of bursting by friends or family in a desperate demonstration of love?

Lately, I’ve been assaulted by bands of exuberant Sicilians, eager to welcome me into the fold, or Florentine restaurant royalty who let down their guard once I’ve been marked as an insider. They fill my cup and roll out the culinary red carpet.

Full to the point of fainting at Camillo Trattoria, I persisted.

When the owner of this historic Chiara Masiero, invites you in on the early side of lunch so she can talk, you sit, you listen, and you eat.

Read to the end for Chiara’s legendary pear torte.

Resistance isn’t just futile. It’s unfathomable. To turn down that last plate or pour is akin to slapping the face that says I love you.

When Fall Feeds You

There’s little to celebrate when the sun goes down at 5pm, but seasonal produce is an amazing remedy for fall blues.

In Rome, there’s always something to look forward to—berries, asparagus, and artichokes in spring, watermelon and peaches in summer, pears, and porcini mushrooms in Autumn. And puntarelle—my all-time favorite vegetable—starting now until the last frost. I’ll cover that celery-fennel hybrid magic in the coming months.

Pears and Pecorino

Pairing cheese and fruit is nothing new. Like wine and cheese, the natural sugar plays harmoniously alongside salty, aged cheeses especially.

My first experience with this was either an apple cheddar bagel sandwich, or my mom’s baked brie, which she crowned in wafer-thin spears of pear.

Another proverb: “Mai far sapere al contadino quanto è buono il cacio con le pere,” translates as: Never tell the farmer how good pears and pecorino taste together.

Cacio’ from the Latin: caseus, which predates the modern Italian word for cheese, formaggio. It’s especially prevalent in central Italy, and often (though not always) refers to pecorino, sheep’s cheese. Cacio e pepe pasta is a perfect example.

Pecorino and pears are particularly well suited.

Pears have a creamy, nostalgic sweetness and an almost ethereal quality, as if they’ve lived way longer than the year it took them to bud, bloom, and ripen.

They grow on trees yet exude an earthy quality. They smell like ground white pepper and honey (to me), perfectly compliment the spiky heat of aged pecorino. Both flavors have a rustic, almost animalic quality.

Whereas apples are too innocent, pears have been around the block. Pecorino is audacious. A perfect match.

Figuratively, the Italian proverb means, “If the farmer finds out, he’ll keep all this good stuff for himself.” In a broader sense, it’s all about gatekeeping the good stuff.

That’s not what we do here.

Check out this salad recipe or keep on reading for reading for a pasta with porcini mushrooms and Chiara’s incredible pear torte.

Porcini Mushrooms

I discovered porcini in Rome when I first moved here in 2001. They were not any sort of staple back then, certainly not in Midwest, USA.

The embodiment of autumn, the scent and flavor of funghi porcini evoke damp dead leaves. They’re savory and musky like shiitake, but slightly sweet and creamy when cooked.

Their name means “little pigs,” a reference to their shape. The resemblance is striking.

Porcini are highly priced for their compelling aromas, flavor, texture, and versatility.

In Italy they’re wild foraged, which adds to their mystique.

I remember my first winter here, and how the heady aroma of porcini wafted from open windows and restaurant terraces. The embodiment of autumn, their scent evokes damp dry leaves. They’re savory and musky like shitake, but creamier when cooked. It was impossible not to crave them.

You’ll most likely find them on the menu in one of these dishes:

• Risotto ai funghi porcini

• Bruschetta con porcini trifolati (sautéed with garlic and parsley)

• Porcini alla griglia or fritti (grilled or fried)

• Tagliatelle ai porcini (recipe below)

From Florentine Legend: Cammillo Trattoria

The Crown Jewels of Florence project, behind the scenes with real Florentines, all started with a restaurant recommendation.

I asked Prince Soldano Kunz d’Habsbourg-Lorena, owner, chef, and face of La Giostra—one of Florence’s most impossible tables— “What’s the best restaurant in Florence?”

He gave me a very short list, starting with Cammillo Trattoria. Stay tuned to hear all about them and meet the owners.

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“Tell you Chiara I sent you. You’ll love it,” he said.

The next day I arrived before the lunch rush and sat down with Chiara Masiero, the third-generation owner.

Cammillo is an institution for Tuscan fare and exceptional seasonal produce. It also offers a unique taste of Florentine and family history. I ate so well I saw heaven.

Dedicated post coming soon!

In case you missed it..

Earlier this month I wrote about Volcanic wines from Mount Etna

and Neo-Renaissance man, Marco Cantini, a Florentine artisan with a heart of gold making magic out of silver.

See you in November!

XOXO,

Annie

Issue #12

September in Rome.

The barest chill before sunrise, cerulean skies and soaring temperatures.

The sun sets sooner, sure, but the air has barely changed.

Plants still give off a scorched sweetness, despite a recent deluge. Those drops evaporated as fast as they fell, and yesterday my shoes left dusty prints on the front hall floor.

It’s still summer until you open the calendar and notice we’re in the ninth month, the first of the final four that end in ER.

Babies have been conceived—perhaps in the last hours of 2024. Who knows how many millions of women grew a human this year.

And there’s that chilly little whisper: what have you done so far?

September used to thrill me as a kid. Now it makes me nervous.

In Rome, we’re entering a phase of perfect beach days we can only (maybe) plan for the weekend, but probably won’t since we’re all playing catch-up after August. Or broke. Or both.

I read somewhere that vicinity to water is part of the happiness matrix. A phenomenon called the “blue mind,” breaks down the science.

Our bodies and the planet are mostly water.

We spend our first nine months in water.

Humankind evolved from water. Spending time by water is proven to release the happiness hormones. Dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

Large bodies of water absorb worry and make everything weightless.

Water is relief.

Rivers flow at a predictable pace. Oceans beat the shores in primordial patterns that we can hear and feel—a mother’s heartbeat we can see when it strikes the sand.

Of course it hurts to be away from it.

We’re all summer orphans now, reacquainting our feet with socks and our shoulders with sleeves.

We’re back to work, back to school, back in traffic with our sun-tanned arms coated in beaded bracelets, those cruel summer souvenirs.

Eventually they’ll break, spilling beads all over the floor for us to symbolically sweep away. Will we finally feel ready then?

In the United States, I used to feel anticipation of the academic year—a swirl of optimism and anxiety.

Summers off are wasted on children, so eager to move forward, faster, newer, taller.

We have no idea what awaits, that one day we will wish the clocks would stop so we could press pause on our lives.

Over here there is no corporate retail calendar blasting fall flavors and rousing excitement over holiday decorations and new items to buy. Most of us feel a little poorer at the end of summer anyway (financially, not spiritually).

There’s nothing to collectively celebrate until Christmas, which is really just a few big meals and more debt.

When you can’t be seaside, the sky is the next best thing.

The best way to uplift the spirit at the end of summer is to do just that—hit the nearest rooftop.

A psychologist once advised me to look toward the farthest point on the horizon when I’m feel overwhelmed. Behold the expanse of sky. Acknowledge the space. It releases something tight in the chest.

If the sea is a mother’s embrace, the sky is a father pushing you on a bike and letting go so you can fly.

My Favorite Rooftops in Rome

These are three of my favorites, but the list goes on and on. I’ve been writing about hotels for Departures magazine this month, and there isn’t one on my list without a soul-stirring view. I will keep on reporting. Stay tuned!

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A Florentine Leather Legacy

This month I profiled Misuri, a family-founded leather factory and store, still going strong four generations in.

I spoke with Carlotta Caserta, who, along with her father Filippo, is carrying the family business into its second century. Read their story here.

This article is part of the Crown Jewels of Florence series, where I go behind the scenes with real Florentines to cut through the veneer of a tourist-centric city.

Carlotta was born and raised in the Santa Croce neighborhood, and shares some of her favorite spots for shopping, dining, and drinking.

This is the local flavor I live for, and I hope you do too!

Next month: The elegance and volcanic verve of wines from Mount Etna, a recipe to make the forever-summer set fall in love with fall, local shopping tips, and more…

XOXO,

Annie

Issue #11

Summer is over in American retail world. It’s back-to-school season, and Halloween is nipping at your heels. Down in the Southern hemisphere it’s parka season.

Over here in the Southern Med, summer marches on. There’s a drowsy quality to the air around Rome—at least in my residential neighborhood—that makes every day feel like Sunday. I’m all for it, but that should be no surprise.

I’m in the “still summer” camp. I’m also in the “Campari Soda over Aperol Spritz” camp. We’re not as rare you may think.

Love it or hate it, Campari is here to stay.

Embraced by bartenders and cocktail connoisseurs alike, Campari is most famous outside of Italy for its starring role in the Negroni—a drink so popular that some places now keep it on tap.

Learn more about Campari and grab some classic recipes and origin stories here.

The bright red bitter has held court in my heart for more than two decades.

The first time I saw Campari replays in my mind with crystalline clarity. It was love at first sight, but not at first sip. It was a taste I willed myself to acquire.

The journey of making Campari “my drink” mirrors the larger journey of moving to Rome, and in the grandest scheme of all, of falling in love.

What begins as the faintest glimmer of an idea unfurls into something worth fighting for. We wrap ourselves up an identity of associations. We are what we like, where we live, who we love.

Everything beyond basic physiological existence is ours to accessorize.

The concept is both fun and frightening and fascinating (for extra alliteration). We have the power to craft an identity, but when aspects of it start to crumble, how do we remain intact?

On a Lighter “Note”

A few issues ago I interviewed perfumer Zisis Kapsalis, a Greek transplant who fell in love with Florence and never looked back (except for beach vacations).

One of his most recent exclusive scents for Acquaflor Firenze was a created in collaboration with Polimoda Fashion and Design Institute. The concept was an homage to the Negroni, and the energy and innovation of early 19th-century Florence.

The perfume doesn’t smell like you’ve spilled a cocktail over yourself (I’d know). Instead, it’s conceptual, a top-to-bottom olfactory portrait of the recipe. A bright burst of citrus on top as a garnish, heart notes of spices and juniper for the gin, vermouth, and Campari, and a warm exotic base reminiscent of a vintage bar and dark wood.

Speaking of bars and identity, I caught up with Giacomo Malavolti, a bar manager I met in Rome at the W Lounge.

He’s since returned to his (nearly) native Florence, to oversee the opening the next W Lounge, within the well-known hotel franchise.

As part of the ongoing series, Crown Jewels of Florence, Giacomo takes us behind the scenes on what goes into opening a bar with its own personality within the parameters of an existing brand. He also discusses the importance of travel and cultural collision to the evolution of cocktail culture.

Lastly, he highlights five places in Florence to drink the Negroni, the city’s iconic cocktail, including the spot where it first appeared.

*NB If you hit the paywall on this one, you can always use your one-time trial period for premium content and perks.

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Do you love or hate Campari? Do you have a signature drink of your own? Deep thoughts on identity crafting?

Whether you put it in the comments or pour one out and chat with someone you love (or strangers while traveling), I hope I gave you something to think about.

See you in September.

XOXO,

Annie

PS - If you’re planning a trip to Rome anytime soon, check out The Rome Dreamer Suite. It’s a cozy apartment with a garden terrace in the heart of Trastevere. I’ve been building it for years, and cannot wait to welcome you! Paid subscribers also receive 25% off! I appreciate your support. All of you. Always.

Issue #10

An ice cream cone is the perfect metaphor for summer.

We spend half a year waiting for it.

Sure, ice cream is available all year round, but it’s suddenly more permissible and pervasive when summer hits.

Once it’s finally within our grasp, melting all over our hands, and dripping down our wrists, we’re suddenly in a race against time to consume it.

It’s a delicious mess and it’s about to disappear.

I don’t even have kids, but back-to-school energy is looming in my group chats. Fashion is pushing fall/winter in our faces. Network TV is advertising premieres in September.

Here’s a sad and beautiful song about the end of summer.

Vacations are shorter than they used to be in Italy.

Not everyone takes an entire month off, or completely relocates to a seaside or countryside location for the season. Vacations are staggered out between coworkers and businesses shutter more frequently during the week, but not for long stretches.

In Rome, beauty parlors are making appointments in late August. That’s a first for me.

When I ask them about vacation, they shrug and tell me they took a week in July. They may organize something in August. Maybe.

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I refuse to get on board with the looming end of summer.

I hold on to it as long for as I can get away without wearing socks.

It’s why I moved to a city that feels eternally summery in that so much of life is lived al fresco.

As we tumble toward the end, one official summer month left, I invite you to settle into summer. Eat more ice cream. Buy more watermelon. Take as much time off as you can. Be a little lazier. Read more books. Take advantage of late sunsets.

As July wraps up, here’s a round-up of summer reading, from me to you.

XOXO, Annie

The Collective Illusion of Italian Summer

Do Italians really live better? Is everyone in on the lie? Does it matter? This essay is a meditation on the little lies that go a long way.

Italy’s Iced Coffee Conundrum

Despite myriad icy treats and cool confections, in Italy, iced coffee is rarer than the unicorn. Here's how to find it. Recipes at end!

The Inside Scoop on Gelateria Vivoli

Vivoli Gelateria is the latest addition to my on-going series, The Crown Jewels of Florence. In a city known as much for its swarms of tourists as its stunning art, architecture, and incredible food, the gems are hidden in plain sight.

Vivoli may be insta-famous, but it’s actually beloved by locals. Full disclosure, I skipped the line, but only because I was being force fed by delightful Chiara Masiero, owner of institution, Cammillo Trattoria. She insisted I try the Vivoli crema at dessert. She’s been serving it for years. I almost exploded, but it was worth it.

I talked with three generations of the family about the history of Vivoli (they just turned 95!), and of course got tips on what to order.

Between Heaven and Here: Darryl Gaines' Celestial Guide to People and Places

I chatted with dear friend and incredible astrologer, Darryl Gaines, about his his journey, and this AstroCartography stuff you've been seeing all over the internet.

Read: Is Your Next Vacation Written in the Stars?

Darryl is our latest tastefully premium partner!

I’m thrilled to promote him. In exchange paid subscribers receive a generous discount on their first reading with him.

Issue #9

My favorite Italian word is sfiorare.

The first time I read it, I whispered it out loud. I hear it that way now, low and slow across my lips. It’s one of many emotive Italian verbs that expresses both motion and emotion.

Both literal and figurative, sfiorare means:

to lightly brush up against (something or someone)
to just barely touch on something, ie, a topic of conversation
to come very close to something (but not all the way)

At its heart is the Italian word for flower, fiore.

Figuratively, fiore is the pinnacle, the prize, something to aspire to.

Literal Cream of the Crop

For the foodies out there, fior di latte describes both mozzarella made from pure cow’s milk (as opposed to bufala), and gelato, made without eggs, ie, pure creamy whole milk.

Fiore is the quintessence, everything. To be deflowered in our own language is to no longer be whole or pure.

Fiorare the verb means to bloom and to flourish. One letter ‘s’ in front of fiorare changes everything to almost.

Sfiorare means come very close, but not all the way. It’s a missed opportunity or a barely-there caress.

The flower, fiore, on the other hand, is everything.

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A Guide to Floral Wine

June is blooming. There’s no better time to stop and smell the roses, along with the magnolias, jasmine, lilacs, freesia, honeysuckle, and peonies.

We’re well past the blooming season of the Linden and the Bradford Pear blossoms, which for some people read as warm, white and earthy, and for others, less pleasant.

Brush up on your bouquets, learn more about the science of scent, and how to recognize floral notes in wine in this guide.

Florence for Fragrance Lovers

For this month’s issue of Tastefully, I ventured to the city of flowers, Florence, Italy.

Firenze, once known in Latin as Florentia ( flourishing” or “blooming), is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Art, architecture, and commerce blossomed here as Italy emerged from the dark ages.

The city is steeped in floral symbolism, most famously the iconic, fleur-de-lys, a depiction of a Florentine Iris. It is also home to the imposing and impossibly beautiful Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral.

Florence is also host to one of the world’s oldest apothecaries, where monks of the Santa Maria Novella order once prepared curative tinctures and balms from flowers and plants.

Catarina de’ Medici famously hired a perfumer trained in the arts of natural essence extraction for her scented charms and gloves, an antidote to the era’s uncleanly odors.

Grab our olfactory itinerary here, and add these boutiques, museums, and immersive experiences to your list.

Behind the Scenes with Florentines

Unsurprisingly, Florence is also a massive tourist destination. Inundated with 15 million visitors last year, numbers are on rise.

The crowds can be intimidating. Everything in Florence appears both alluring yet questionably authentic.

In a place so uniformly fascinating and beautiful, it’s hard to tell the difference between the overhyped and the true treasures.

The gems are hidden in plain sight.

To help cut through the noise, I’m launching an ongoing series, The Crown Jewels of Florence.

The series relies strictly on local recommendations.

I spoke with native Florentines whose ties to the city extend for centuries, as well as long-time residents who fell in love with Florence and forged their sense of home there.

Among the sources who will be featured in the coming months are restaurant royalty (and literal royalty), heritage artisans, bar managers, architects, event organizers, hair stylists, fashion designers, travel consultants, coffee roasters, and perfumers, like Zisis Kapsalis.

Read more about how he fell in love with Florence, made a total career pivot into perfumery, and find out where he goes for drinks after work (hot tips!).

Everyone I spoke to not only offered recommendations, but connected me to someone else, who in their opinion, would round out my experience. Follow along to meet them all!

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Much of the series will be available for free.

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The enterprising band of brothers know the city inside and out, and they’ll show it to you in a fully electric vintage Fiat 500 convertible. Keep your eyes out for a full recap our day together.

Welcome to summer! It’s 37°C/ 98.6°F here today. Feverishly hot.

Excuse me while I pour myself a glass of something floral and bubbly.

XO,
Annie

Issue #8

Summer is so, so close.

You practically taste it. You can certainly smell it. The buds are bursting.

By June, Rome will be an olfactory explosion. For now there’s freshness, greenness, and newness in the air. And of course, great produce (see recipe below).

Mother nature has been predictably unpredictable. If you know me well, I’m a traitor to my own romanticism and staunchly anti-spring. I call it the season of broken promises.

We don’t need a reminder that summer is coming. Look at a calendar.

These days, however, we’re more likely to be looking at the sky, to see how we should dress, and whether or not to wear socks and carry an umbrella.

And while we’ve been cloud-gazing and possibly cursing, time is flying!

If I didn’t have some MAJOR deadlines at the end of May, I’d be glad for the warp speed. Honestly I mostly am. I dipped my toes in Aegean waters last week and laid on the first layers of SPF 50. I’m ready.

La Vignarola: a Recipe as Good as Spring Itself

For those of you who are hanging on to spring and all its promise, try this recipe!

A quintessence of spring and a truly local delicacy, Vignarola celebrates strictly seasonal flavors in Rome and surrounding region of Lazio.

The recipe has evolved over centuries, and every household has their own variation. Vignarola originates as vegetarian, but in Roman fashion, a healthy garnish of crispy guanciale (cured pork cheek) brings savory dimension.

Ingredients include a combination of asparagus, lettuce, fava beans, spring peas, fresh herbs, and artichokes.

Vignarola may be hearty, but its crunchy, green quality, uplifted with fresh herbs is what distinguishes the dish as the epitome of spring.

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“Impossible” Wine Pairings

Speaking of artichokes, they are considered one of the world’s most difficult wine pairing. Artichokes contain cynarin, a natural compound that supports liver function and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The downside: a harsh metallic aftertaste.

They’re not so tricky in the vignarola, as they’re sautéed for quite a while and have creamy legume companions.

Read more here for my take on how to tackle tricky food-and-wine pairings.

Spoiler alert: wine isn’t always the answer….

Meet Elvis Wine Bar in Rome

I feel cooler because Elvis is my local wine bar.

Effortlessly hip minus any ounce of pretension, the trio running Elvis, all hail from other regions of Italy. They’ve made Rome their new home and are giving back to the city through their love of wine, hospitality, and great music, naturally.

An outsider myself, who once harbored her own dreams of serving wine to her adopted community, Elvis is a vicarious pleasure. Also, the wine is divine, and the company is fabulous.

Read more here, and put Elvis on your itinerary next time you come to Rome!

That’s all for May, folks. Stay tuned for June!

I’m rolling out some expanded content and exciting new features, like ask me anything Wine Wednesdays and Travel Tuesdays, for an audience of paid subscribers. Fress subscribers will still get plenty of goods in your inbox.

Think of it as Tastefully Plus, or Tastefully Premium, or Tastefully Max.

I don’t appreciate a paywall either, but you bet I would resubscribe to the NYT if I could send their experts questions and get a personal response. I hope you’ll love it.

XO,

Annie

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Issue #7

Spring is in the air. Even mother nature seems restless.

Is it me, or is everyone hungry?

I landed in New York on April 4th to a balmy 21° C (70° F) and a bottle of sunny semi-aromatic Moschofilero on the roof. It’s my favorite white Greek wine variety and a great stand-in for summer itself.

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Our bottle was from Tselepos, and (along with Bosinakis) one of my favorites.

If you can’t find it in the USA, check out this one or this one at wine.com.

To learn more about Greek wine, check out this post on DiVino. To hear me awkwardly pronouncing them next to an actual Greek winemaker, here’s a video:

Spring Whims

Anyway, by the next morning, New York felt like winter again. Icy air and rain.

But that’s spring—mercurial and bursting into fragrant bloom like some sort of unabashed apology for raining on our parade.

And it works.

We tolerate with her whims because even when watching wistfully from the window, it’s impossible not to ignore the sensation that the earth is coming back to life.

Spring is all about anticipation.

Buds are bursting. Bees are buzzing. It’s pollination season.

Sorry for the allergy sufferers out there, but there is something uniquely charismatic about spring. It keeps us wanting more.

Feed your spirit.

I can’t speak for everyone, but sometimes, irresolvable cravings lead to more cravings. And before I know it, I just baked two cakes and prepared dinner for five. For one.

April’s issue of tastefully is all about flavor, creativity, and great taste.

Inspired by Passover and the revelation that I am no longer allergic to almonds, I made a batch of macaroons one afternoon. Also, it was raining of course.

The recipe was born and baked in a frenzied state of almond-y ecstasy.

Miracle of miracles they were delicious. Read the recipe here.

Breakfast (Cocktail) of Champions

Not trying to advocate for alcohol at breakfast, but if you’re already on the mimosa train, take it to the next level.

The ‘Pure Morning’ recipe was born from a brainstorm with my bartender friend, Vasilis. He conceived it and I executed it. We were both astonished at the result.

It starts with a simple infusion of orange juice, fresh mint, sugar, and coffee beans. You can top it off with as much dry sparkling wine as you like.

The result is instantly refreshing yet meditative and complex. Like a piece of music or a well-crafted perfume, the pleasure comes in waves and the aromas and flavor play in harmonious accord.

Check out the recipe and let me know how it turns out.

Unmissable Pizza Stop in Queens, NY

Lastly, a long-awaited homage to one of my favorite places in NYC, Figlia.

The owner is a dear friend and entrusted me with the wine list. The cocktails are exceptional.

The pizza crust took two years to perfect—a labor of love and devotion to authentic Neapolitan style meets the iconic New York Slice.

Read more here, and reserve a table today!

If you’re loving this newsletter, share it with a friend! Every subscriber helps support my work.

That’s it for April. See you next month!

XO,
Annie

Issue #6

Happy Women’s History Month, America!

This title came to me like music. Check out the perfect duet, performed by Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson. Music and lyrics by Albert Hammond and Hal David.

Over here in Euroland, we celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8^th. The holiday commemorates the women’s rights movement, champions reproductive rights and highlights issues like violence against women worldwide.

Read more about the origin of the day here.

Most of all, March 8^th is an excuse to celebrate the women in our lives who inspire us, challenge us, love us and support us, starting with our mothers. We wouldn’t be here without them.

Visibility makes a big difference. Like it or not, headlines and clicks can keep a restaurant, winery, bar, or bakery in business. In the grand scheme of history and in much of the modern world, women in the workplace are still a novelty.

Spotlighting their efforts, leadership, and success helps to close the gap and inspire a new generation.

I’ve been privileged to write about talented and hardworking women over the years and I’m thrilled to share some of them in this month’s issue!

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Meet the Ladies

Georgia Georgakopoulou: Mixology Consultant and Bartender Extraordinaire

When BBC travel commissioned a piece on Athens cocktail bars, I was lucky to have a number of experts at my fingertips. My mostly male network pointed me to Georgia as a perfect guide.

It’s refreshing to find the band of brothers supporting their sisters in the industry, and Georgia did not disappoint. We spent a great night out, drank exceptional cocktails in iconic bars I’m pleased to share with you.

Women Behind the Bar

Georgia lent me hand for another cocktail piece, this time for the March edition of Amex Essentials. She connected me with two other women to round out my interviews about life as a lady behind the bar.

I also polled a few of them for recipe ideas on how to twist the classic margarita.

The one from Paola Mariotti sounded so tasty I was compelled to mix it up myself. Read the recipe here.

Four Female-Led Greek Wine Itineraries

When I started studying Greek in 2022, naturally Greek wine was next in line. When I visited Athens for the first time in 2023, I didn’t even have to try. Women were dominating the city’s vibrant wine bar scene. Turns out, it’s a country-wide trend.

I was honored to put together this short but packed story for Travel and Leisure. It features Greek wineries, wine bars, restaurant owners and winemakers, all women-led and well worth discovering.

Eleni Kefalopoulou, Wine with Eleni

One woman I didn’t cover for T&L, but had the pleasure of meeting a year later, Eleni Kefalopoulou appeared in the premiere issue of Tastefully. Read it here.

Cinzia Romoli, Romoli

I took on a very dangerous assignment for Amex Essentials, calorically speaking. Cream-stuffed brioches, maritozzi, are an iconic Roman pastry. Lo and behold, the city’s undisputed favorite spot is a short walk from my house.

Cinzia Romoli, third-generation owner and powerhouse behind the enduring brand, took precious time from her day fill me in (and feed me).

Monica Garbini: Co-Owner, Cuverie

Last month I created a Romantic Rome itinerary. I included Monica’s wine bar, Cuverie as a quintessentially romantic spot.

Monica has hospitality in her blood, and despite a successful law career couldn’t help but open her own place. Read about it here.

When in Rome (on March 8th)

Italians celebrate women by exchanging little bouquets of mimosa flowers. According to the language of flowers, as well as Native American tradition, mimosas represent strength, femininity, safety and sensitivity.

A Few Explanations for the Mimosa Tradition

The flowers bloom spontaneously and pretty much everywhere this time of year. It’s inexpensive to procure and easy to find, which makes the flower an accessible option.

Tiny but Mighty

The small soft blooms form tight clusters. They pack a brilliant color and a distinctive, if delicate aroma similar to camomile. The flowers also represent the sun, a grounding force, just like the women they celebrate.

Mimosa Variations

The perennial brunch classic cocktail gets a makeover. I asked a few lady mixologists for a twist. Check out the recipe here and let me know if you try it!

XO,

Annie

Issue #5

Coming to you from a train ride back to Rome from Milan.

I went up for Esxence, an international expo of art perfumes. They offered me a press pass and I grabbed it.

I’ve always loved the crossover of wine and perfume appreciation. Excavating scent notes and identifying familiar accords feels like flexing my brain in the same way language learning does.

It’s stimulating and satisfying, and ultimately comforting, in the way certain wines smell, taste, and feel so familiar they transport us.

Speaking of language…

Cuore, Corazón, Coeur, Coração

Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese share a common “core.” Pun intended.

Heart is at the core of February’s newsletter, starting with a little linguistic unraveling. These four romance languages share the Latin root: cor, for ‘heart’.

We borrowed it for the English word ‘core,’ which, while not anatomically, still means heart or center.

‘Heart’ has Germanic roots, which while fascinating, are not (for our purposes) romantic. Feel free to take that tangent on your own time.

Read up on romanticism as a philosophy, and my argument for why Rome is the most the most romantic city in the world.

Heart Notes in Perfume

In perfumery, scents are constructed like stories.

Top notes grab your attention. Often bright citrusy bergamot or bombastic fragrant flowers like jasmine and orange blossom.

Base notes linger with you long after they fade. They are the takeaway, the finish. They’re often earthy, woody, and musky, elements that feel familiar and comforting on human skin.

The heart notes pulsate at the center.

Like our own beating hearts, they are the center. They keep things moving. They hold our olfactory gaze and keep us wanting more.

Heart notes are where the themes develop. Like universal themes, they often play on universal themes, like floral, woody, musky, amber, or gourmet. The variations on the classic shape the story.

Notes of Wine

In wine language we talk less about the composition of the nose, but rather its complexity.

Fine wines are categorized as such when all their multi-sensory elements are in balance. Read more about balance and harmony in last month’s issue.

Exceptional wines offer a full spectrum of aromas.

Aromatic complexity means you can clearly distinguishable notes of specific fruits, flowers, stones, herbs, animalic notes like leather and spot-on notes scents like cigar tobacco, ink, or black licorice.

For more on wine complexity, check out this video.

All I smell is wine

Don’t feel bad if this sounds like you. No one is born with a perfect sense of smell. We build it up our scent vocabulary over time. For more on how to train your nose according to the techniques I learned at sommelier school, start here.

That said, some wines are very one-note.

That’s exactly like it sounds. You can only identify one or two elements in the nose. Maybe it’s a vague citrusy smell, or a blurry berry-like quality.

Sometimes all you smell are grapes, or a wine-like smell.

There’s a word for that too: vinous, from the Latin: vinum (wine). It’s not a bad thing per se, but more characteristic of young wines whose more profound aromas have yet to develop. Sometimes they never do.

These simple, easy-to-drink table wines have their place…most often next to hearty, homemade and trattoria cuisine.

Speaking of trattorias….keep reading!

Romantic Rome: An Itinerary

I moved to Rome in 2001. Some things never change which is exactly why this city is the way it is (last paragraph!).

I combined the best of old and new, some secrets, and standbys in this romantic-themed Rome travel guide.

By “romantic,” I mean, sensual, dreamy, magical, with an emphasis on nature, and emotionally provocative.

Included are:

• food, wine, and cocktails

• parks, museums, sunset views

• travel tips and tour ideas

Check it out here, and let me know if you what you think.

XOXO,
Annie

Meet Monica Garbini & Marco Tullio Botti: Cuverie Enoteca in Rome

For husband and wife team, Monica Garbini and Marco Tullio Botti, home is where the heart is. While they do share an official residence, you’ll just as likely find them at Enoteca Cuverie.

Read more about their story and get full rundown of the menu, wine list, and potential love matches taking place at my new favorite wine bar.

Real Life Love Potions

Part science, part suggestiveness. Get to the heart of makes an aphrodisiac.

This article explains the chemistry behind the chemistry, and includes two tried and true recipes, guaranteed to get your pulse racing and your juices flowing.

• red-hot chocolate cake

• ‘heart on fire’ cocktail

Issue #4

For much of the Northern Hemisphere, January brings sunless days, frigid temperatures, too-tight pants and the collectively cruel notion that now is the time to make big changes.

Islam’s Hijri New Year happens mid-(Gregorian) summer and Chinese New Year toward the end of (Gregorian) winter.

The Jewish New Year has always runs parallel to the academic year. Nothing says ‘new’ like back-to-school clothes, shoes, and supplies. The smell of a sharpened no. 2 pencil still gets my pulse racing.

New Year. New Problems.

No matter what calendar you use, the new year brings with it a strong sense of renewal, rebirth, and the subsequent resolutions intended to get us there.

At the heart of the word resolution, is ‘resolve’, from the Latin root, resòlvere: to loosen, untie, undo, or untangle. It’s a derivative of solvĕre: to melt.

The word sciogliere (to melt) shows up in modern Italian. Anything from ice and butter to a cold heart. Interestingly, it also means to (literally) let your hair down.

Solvĕre made it to English in the form of solvent and dissolve.

So here we are with problems to solve, starting with ourselves. We’re tied up in knots, stuck in bad habits. What we crave is a release.

Health is the most popular resolution by far.

Cue: dry January, gym membership promotions, and a vow to get back to a more “balanced” lifestyle following the indulgences of the holiday season.

By the way, I used Janaury to drink and revisit dry wines, and what exactly that means. Read it here.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just flow into the new year like a pat of melted butter?Instead, we’re up against an icy wall (in some cases literally) determined to burn our own fat.

Let’s face it. We are not the Night King and that icy wall is 30-90 days tall, unless spring comes early.

When we think of balance, scales come to mind (yikes, no!).

Everything in equal parts. Equilibrium. The quantitative aspect of balance can be intimidating and even demoralizing. The mere act of measuring—whether it’s our weight, or grams of sugar in a slice of boring bread—does not bring joy.

Imagine the perfect tang of caramel corn or a sea-salted chocolate-chip cookie. Sweet, salty, and dangerously addictive. You would say there’s a perfect balance of sweet and salty that keeps you yearning for another bite. This qualitative balance of unequal parts is harmonious.

Check any recipe. You’ll never see sugar and salt in equal measure. That’s precisely because of how we perceive sweetness and saltiness.

Life in Balance

Does balance equal happiness and well-being?

It’s a tool for sure, and part of the process. Taking a walk before or after a cupcake is a good thing. But If we’re only walking to eat the cupcake, are we really living?

The road to heaven is paved with good intentions, but most of all, it’s a long and uneven road. We will stumble. We will fall. We know that extreme diets and deprivation do not work. May as well enjoy the journey.

Like a beautiful piece of music, riveting prose, or even a well-crafted fragrance, life is a series of ups and downs, tension and release, and dissonance, and accord. All of which, it turns out, are components of harmony.

I asked some local Italian friends their thoughts on balance and harmony. Read it here.

Life in Harmony

Harmony comes from the Greek: ἁρµονία: union, accord, proportion.

In contemporary language it refers to a combination of elements into a pleasing or orderly (peaceful) whole or congruity.

In music, harmony is a combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to that produce a pleasing effect.

My worldview is narrowed by the fact that I dislike math. I had no idea Pythagoras (of the eponymous triangle theorem) was such an avid philosopher. You could spend a week reading about him. I almost did, at the risk of my brain exploding.

Numbers were certainly his thing, especially patterns of ratio and proportion.

He and his followers applied them to all aspects of life—from a spherical theory of the earth to an idealized communal lifestyle, including dietary practices.

Music, Math, and Mysticism

Harmony is at the heart of Pythagoras' theory commonly referred to as musica universalis, or music of the Spheres. According to this theory, ratios and space between the sun, moon, and planets (aka relationships) produce individual tones or vibrations, akin to music.

Thus, the entirety of the universe plays like a sort of divine chorus. Math and music should be studied together, and that music could be translated as the divine word.

This meant that singing and dancing skills were hallmarks of a harmonious, virtuous life.

Music and dance certainly have the power to move our spirits and affect our moods. The man was on to something. If they had introduced this concept in math class, I could have be a nuclear physicist by now.

Balance vs. Harmony in Wine

When we talk about a balanced wine, we are referring to all of its multi-sensory aspects in equal measure.

If a wine is very acidic or tannic, it will tingle and feel spiky on the palate. A balanced wine will have an equal measure of silkiness or glossiness (likely a higher alcohol content).

Alcohol is volatile (like eau de parfum), so a balanced wine, high in alcohol should pack an aromatic punch.

When all of these components are qualitatively and quantitatively in equilibrium, we say the wine is balanced or well-made.

Sometimes, particular proportions—like Pythagoras’ planets, the relationship and interplay of the sensory characteristics of wine—produce an exceptionally pleasant experience.

Harmonious wines are captivating. They provoke conversation and inspire you drink more, but also to drink more slowly and meditatively. To enjoy the journey.

Check out 10 wine and pasta pairings and why they work so well.

Meet Mimmo Mancino and his Rome Wine Bar, Beverino

For Mimmo Mancini, 2025 started with a Champagne pop and never stopped. The certified sommelier and experienced wine bar host just opened his latest venture, Beverino.

Beverino Vineria features small production family-owned wineries and focuses on natural wines.

I see wine as a thread uniting people, places, and stories. I collaborate with small wineries that follow every stage of production from the ground to the glass, authentic wines that respect the land and nature.

Keep reading and discover the new wine bar here!

Italian Lessons for Life

Are Italians truly aspirational for their work-life balance and pleasure-seeking approach to life? I asked Roman residents to define balance and harmony, in their various professional and personal lives.

Then just for fun, I asked them what they ate yesterday. Read it here and decide for yourself.

Balancing Bad News and Big Birds

I returned to Rome following three weeks of below-freezing temperatures and daily bad news in New York and across the United States.

The headlines here offered a welcome reprieve, a light in the dark and something scandalous and ridiculous to balance out all that heaviness. Read at your own risk.

In short (not short for long), one of Rome’s two rival football (soccer) teams, Lazio, has a falcon mascot. Naturally, there’s also an appointed falconer, to handle the large bird.

The falconer was recently fired for sharing explicit photographs of his genitals following a penile implant.

I read the headline first in Italian, and I couldn’t help but giggle. If you speak Italian and you know even a handful of naughty slang, you’re probably laughing too.

Read on for a quick take on why second-language learners might be better at puns!

That’s it for now!

I’ll see you next month.

XOXO,
Annie

Issue #3

Unless you’re a zebra, life is not always black and white.

Love versus hate, success versus failure. We could spend hours trying to define those guys.

Speaking of failure….much trial and error went into perfecting these three cookie recipes. I hope you will try them let me know how it goes!

Our notions of right versus wrong are put to the test more often than we care to admit. Watching the news or watching people we love and respect making choices can bristle at our insides.

When we learn to feel more comfortable in the grey, it’s easier to compromise and to build connections that help us grow and ultimately to see the light.

Darkness feels frightening because we cannot see. Then again, we can’t have light without the darkness. Also, it’s amazing for a good night’s sleep.

Even during the dark of an eclipse there’s always ring of light if you know how to see it.

Light a Candle

Light is life. Light is sacred. Light is a prayer.

Last month I wrote about Dante’s wine metaphor. Sunlight infused grape juice with new life, as a divine entity infuses life and spirit into babies in the womb.

Looking forward, we set resolutions. Some of them will come through and others won’t. There may be surprises.

The end of a year brings with it much reflection. Light a candle. You can’t see your reflection in the dark.

Light is energy and there’s nothing more energizing than the power of possibility.

A Christmukkah Eclipse

This year, Christmas and Hanukkah collided. One holiday is a fixed date on the Gregorian solar calendar. The other follows a lunar cycle.

This rare phenomenon only happens a few times a century. It’s cause for celebration.

We may be celebrating different stories, but people of different religions are celebrating together.

Christians light up their homes to symbolize Jesus as the “light of the world” a godly reference as ancient at Helios and Apollo, Ra and Horus, Surya and Shamash.

Sun gods and goddesses are plentiful and fascinating. Look them all up! And then check out this piece on how humans have been baking to the gods for millennia.

Jews light candles to commemorate a miracle of enduring divine presence and resilience in dark times.

Earlier this year Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains celebrated Diwali, a festival of light that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil and honors the gods. In addition to candle lighting, Diwali is also a veritable festival of sweet delights.

Read more about our collective religious rituals of sharing sweet treats here!

New Year’s resolutions to visit Rome? Put this bakery on your list.

Bakeries abound in Rome, from local favorites to destination joints known for their specialties. Romoli e Regoli are the city’s go-to spots for cream-stuffed brioche, Maritozzi. Pompi is the place for tiramisu. Antico Forno Roscioli, Forno Campo de’ Fiori, and Bonci reign for meter-long pizza bianca (Rome’s signature focaccia). Bonci makes legendary pizza by-the-slice as well.

But ask anyone about biscotti and Biscottificio Innocenti it is.

23 years ago, when I first moved to Rome, I lived one minute away from Innocenti. I could smell the place before I ever found it, and my jaw still drops when I round the corner today.

The trees are taller and bougainvillea rampant. But it’s the walk down scent-memory lane, that sends my thoughts ricocheting to my early twenties, in a new city, in a new language. In love, and always hungry.

Originally opened by Sesto Innocenti in 1940, the bakery has been family-owned and operated ever since. At the height of holiday season I was lucky enough to wander in and catch his granddaughter Stefania, in a rare moment of calm.

Keep reading for more on Stefania and this delicious Roman institution.

Champagne problems? I’ve got answers.

Speaking of the spirito “divino” I can’t let a teachable wine moment go by. It’s peak bubbly season. Find out why.

I’ve collected your questions from over the years and put together an 8-12 minute read on all things Champagne: History, what’s inside, why it’s so fuzzy, why we smash bottles on ships and race cars and douse ourselves in it to celebrate, and how to serve it right.

As a reminder, Tastefully is a new baby. Feedback from you, my readers will make it better. Please do let me know what you like and what you want down the line.

I wish you a year of health, happiness, novelty, and sparkling conversation!

Love, Annie

Issue #2

Summer is over.  Even I will admit it. 

The end of summer feels like a little death. We close the door on a long-awaited chapter. We say goodbye to slower paces, lighter workloads, and shorter to-do lists. No more lazy, languorous afternoons. 

The End and the Beginning

Autumn brings with it a sense of both anticipation and uncertainty. Dar Williams sings it best.

I long to lose myself to the collective seasonal shift. I envy the excitement of those who “love layering” and will try pumpkin-spice anything, while I struggle with the fact of socks, and miss the feeling of sun on my skin. 

Thankfully back-to-school energy still gets my nerdy pulse racing. The Jewish New Year always feels like a perfectly timed moment of reflection.

And of course, it’s harvest season. 

You don’t need to be a farmer or a winemaker to feel the impact of harvest season. It’s in the air everywhere. New and different produce in the markets and holidays like Halloween, Sukkot, and Thanksgiving that put new colors and flavors at the center of the celebration. 

Every harvest marks the end of a months-long effort. The fruit of one’s labors, collected, counted, and quantified. Harvest is a monetary and necessary step to maintaining an agricultural livelihood, a medal at the end of the marathon. 

The same can be said for the wine harvest, but unlike crops, the wine harvest doesn’t end in the vineyard. When wine grapes ripen, they are destined for a much different journey than corn or carrots. 

The wine harvest isn’t an end at all. 

Sure, harvest punctuates a period of relentless care for the vines, while nervously staring at the sky. Just getting to the harvest can feel like a small miracle. 

Once the last grapes are plucked from the vines, winemakers are no longer at the whims of weather, but what is referred to as “the harvest” also comprises the crushing, maceration, and initial fermentation of the grapes. 

It’s Not Over ‘Til It’s Over

Plenty can go wrong in the winery. Bacteria can spread, fermentation can start too soon or not start at all. Winemakers do their best to produce a genuine expression of the land and the grape variety, which means treating them with minimal intervention. 

Harvest is also the beginning. If we’re lucky. Every year a new wine is born, the tangible soul of the people and the place that brought it to life.

How Do You Say Harvest?

There’s a vocabulary specific the wine harvest in other languages: La Vendemmia (Italian) Les Vendanges (French), La Vendimia (Spanish) all contain the Latin root vinum (wine). The Greek word, Τρύγος has Τρύω (to crush) at its root. 

In Their Own Words

Don’t take my word for it.

Three winemakers from the USA, Italy, and Greece share their thoughts on what harvest means to them. Discover harvest rituals, memories from harvests past, and get their insights about what to expect from the 2024 vintage. Read it here.

Le Beaujolais Nouveau è Arrivè! 

A successful harvest can only truly be measured a few months later, fresh from the tank. 

In the French region of Beaujolais, the arrival of the first round of wine is celebrated on the third Thursday of November, several months after the harvest. November 21st, this year. 

The festival marks the official release of the year’s new wine, when winemakers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. It is observed throughout France and at French bistros and brasseries worldwide.

Beaujolais Nouveau wines are traditionally light, bright, fruity, and easy to drink. Most commonly made from the area’s signature red grape, Gamay, they aren’t meant to be scrutinized for complex aromas or aged in a cellar. They are meant to celebrate. Keep that in mind the next time you see one on the shelf or the wine list.

If you’re in Italy, look for vino novello. Less fun marketing, same fun style of wine.

Wine is Life (According to Dante)

Speaking of Italy, Dante uses winemaking as an allegory for the miracle of new life as part of his narrative poem, The Divine Comedy.

Surprisingly, it doesn’t happen in “Paradise.”

The 14th-century masterpiece is regarded as a rigorously religious text, especially concerned with the afterlife, what happens to the soul when it becomes body-less, and where life actually begins.

Toward the end of Purgatorio (Purgatory) Dante (the narrator), Virgil, and their guide, Statius make their way from the sixth terrace of Purgatory (Gluttony) up the mountain toward the seventh terrace of…

Surprise, Surprise. The wine (and life) stuff happens on the way to L U S T!

Click here for your daily dose of DiVine Comedy, and some colorful arguments for the Thanksgiving table if anyone starts talking about abortion after too much whiskey.

Hot Tip: Athens Wine Bar

When I first landed in Athens, eager to test my fledgling Greek skills (Συγγνώμη παιδιά! Sorry guys), taste Greek wines, and meet women in the wine business, more people than I can count pointed me in her direction.

The bar itself is barely 10 square meters in size. Marked by a single wine barrel, it is tucked a few steps below sidewalk level on a quiet corner in the Koukaki district, not far from the Acropolis Museum.

Tables spill out into a triangular, tree-lined plaza, filled with faithful locals and curious and discerning wine drinkers.

Eleni can be found nightly. She circulates and works the “room” al fresco. The embodiment of hospitality, Eleni will happily sit down and chat every time she fills your glass.

Read more about Eleni’s colorful life story, her take on the harvest in Greece and beyond, and some fun fall wine recommendations.

Life After Life.

Two weeks after we buried my mother in 2022, I did my first wine harvest. It wasn’t planned, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. 

I spent hours trampling through neglected vineyards, searching for the roundest ripest berries. I cracked fingernails untangling vines to reveal plump grape bunches and taste-tested them to see if they were maybe Malvasia. Pink-skinned ones that taste like apricot nectar are the clue. I hauled barrels uphill and loaded them onto a truck until I was so sweaty and sticky I stopped caring.

Back in the cellar we put them through a press and stirred the juice into yesterday’s batch.

The moment grapes are picked and crushed, they start to die and decompose. If you ever get the chance to plunge your hand into a vat of fermenting grape must, you can feel the heat it generates and even see the steam. It’s palpable energy.

A transformation of the sprit.

Thanks to what we might call a divine intervention of (wo)man and nature, a new life begins in the form of fermentation. It is in essence, revitalizing.

Vita…lity

Linguists refuse to indulge my etymological romanticism, but the Italian word for grapevines is vite, which is the plural of vita (life).

We collapsed on the cellar floor and poured out last year’s wine straight from the tank. Dirt streaked my shins and I remembered shoveling fresh earth into my mother’s grave not long ago. With each swallow, I felt the sting of vibrant fruit, the same fruit I’d spent all day ripping from its roots.

It flowed into me, proof of life.

Issue #1

Ciao Baby! 

Welcome to the debut issue of Tastefully.

Tastefully. So many wonderful words in one. Keep reading to learn why I chose it for this newsletter.

Speaking of words, ciao means both hello and goodbye. 

Add a little eye roll and ciao says, get outta here. Say it nice and slow with a come-hither smirk and you leave nothing to the imagination… 

It took me years of life abroad to pick up on these nuances. When I left the Midwest for Rome, Italy back in  2001, I vowed to master the language. Grammar and vocabulary were only the beginning. There are words behind the words and rich regional culture behind every expression.

For Example

Ciao comes from a Venetian word that can be summed up in this Brittney Spears megahit. 

I have a lot to say, so it’s no surprise I became a writer. The dictionary definition of loquacious, I’ve been “talkative” since I learned to talk. I speak fluent Italian, passable French, and New York City Spanish. I’m currently wrestling with Greek, sadly, not in the nude, like the ancient Olympians.

If you’re wondering about other sports, the answer is: φθσθκά, fysiká. “Νaturally.”  

Stay tuned to read more about all things ‘natural’ (brut nature, natural wine, and a racy Italian saying that might get me canceled…) subscribe today! 

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Join the Conversation

On that note… wine and words are a perfect pairing. Wine inspires conversation. Every bottle is a story in itself. In Rome, I studied to become a sommelier (a fancy word for wine expert). Sommeliers work primarily in restaurants, but we also sell wine, consult restaurants, and teach. 

In my YouTube series, 21 Days to Wine (it’s free!) I invite wine lovers to go deeper and understand what all those wine words like tannins, minerality, and finish mean. Why? So you can join the conversation with confidence and learn more about what you love. Let’s call it life in full immersion. Taste. Fully. 

My Day Job

I write articles and essays about wine, spirits, food, travel, and lifestyle. Word counts and catchy titles are a reality in my profession. In this newsletter we’ll go deeper and learn more. I’ll show you the stories behind the stories and introduce you to the people who help me tell them. 

What’s Coming

You’ll meet winemakers, restaurateurs and bartenders, and get more than a glimpse of their process.

I’ll share recipes straight from the source, expert travel tips, and local hit lists from in and around Rome, Athens, and beyond (I have a thing for ancient empires).

Planning a dinner party or a trip abroad? Curious connoisseurs and language nerds, I made this for you.

Little luxuries like €25 blow-outs (how to ask for one and where to go).

Where to go for emergency shoe or jewelry repair. Let’s be real. Cobblestones are cute until you lose a heeltap.

I’m also here to support and celebrate other writers, so expect occasional literary musings and reading recommendations.

Tastefully, Explained

Wine tasting is a multisensory practice. Taste, in general, is experiential. Taste can be learned, cultivated, curated and shared. Most of all, taste is yours! 

This newsletter is a taste of my life in full immersion that I hope will inspire your own, and give you plenty to talk about over a glass of wine, whiskey, watermelon juice, or whatever you’re craving.

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.

• Expect an update in your inbox twice a month + special occasions that call for extra love and inspiration. Think: a combination of my mulled wine primer and this piece on Canadian caribou wine  + all the ways to turn old wine into something delicious, or an unedited list of Athens’ best cocktail bars and more on Georgia, the star bartender who helped me put it together for BBC Travel. 

• Learn new words and phrases for things you love. Rosé Piscine. The French have a name for wine on the rocks, which means it’s sophisticated. 

• Get an insider look at real life in Rome + old favorites and new discoveries from the food and beverage scene in Italy and wherever I go. Lately that includes Italy, Athens + Greece at large, Berlin, and NYC.

• Receive instant access to detailed class notes for all 21 episodes of my intro to wine tasting series on YouTube and printable tasting notes. These are yours to keep forever.

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