Italy Travel » Marche

Ring shaped cake or donuts: a typical recipe of Marches

grazia — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:47:51 +0000

Source: Ring shaped cake or donuts: a typical recipe of Marches

Ingredients:

• 600 gr. flour
• 175 gr. sugar
• 3 whole eggs
• grated rind of one lemon
• a pinch ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons milk
• a pinch salt
• pine nuts
• Butter or margarine for baking

Preparation:

In a bowl beat 2 whole eggs and one egg white with sugar, lemon peel and cinnamon.
On a board sift the flour mixed with yeast and make a mount with a hole in the centre.
Pour the beaten eggs, a bit of melted butter and the warm milk. Then mix.
The dough should be puffy, soft and smooth.
Divide the dough into little pieces and form a donut with every little piece.
Dip the donuts in boiling water, a few at a time, so they do not overlap.
When they came on the surface, take them out with a perforated spoon and place them on a buttered baking tray.
Decorate with pine nuts, pressing them so they stick well and brush the surface of each donut with the remained yolk.
Place in the oven, preheated to 200 degrees, for half an hour.

Photos from the albums of: PetitPlat by sk_, François @ Edito.qc.ca, Kliò, bhamsandwich, jntolva, jytyl and goyette.

Hotels and Restaurants in Marches.

Urbino: 5 places to visit.

grazia — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:50:16 +0000

Source: Urbino: 5 places to visit.

Urbino (Urvinum Mataurense in Latin) is an Italian city of 15,528 inhabitants located in Marches. Since 1998, its historical center is one of the Italian UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
It is located in a beautiful position between the Metauro Valley and the Foglia Valley and boasts an extensive artistic and cultural heritage, covering the whole Renaissance period.
The origins of the first human settlement seem to be old; they go back, in fact, to prehistoric times.

It is the home of one of the oldest and most important universities in Europe (founded in 1506), the University of Urbino “Carlo Bo”.

Listing all the beauties of the city in such a short a space is impossible. But we can give advise about the some of the most famous cultural sites of the city:

House of Raffaello Sanzio
This is the house where Raffaello’s, Giovanni Santi, father was also born in the fourth decade of the fifteenth century, as it is shown by the plaque on the facade of the house. Raphael was born in 1483. In the small courtyard visitors can see the “rock” where father and son were used to prepare colours. Inside there are paintings, manuscripts and furnishings. Important it is the fresco of “Madonna and Child” in the room where the painter was born.

National Museum of Marches
In the second half of the fifteenth century Urbino was transformed from a medieval village in the Renaissance city by the will of Duke Federico da Montefeltro. In the centre the Duke ordered the construction of the Palazzo. Its beautiful courtyard is one of the greatest examples of Renaissance architecture. Federico and his wife, Battista Sforza, gathered at the court some of the most famous of artists of that time, such as: Donato Bramante, Paolo Uccello, Leon Battista Alberti and Piero della Francesca. The gallery was established in the Palazzo Ducale in 1912.Among the absolute masterpieces of art history there preserved, we can mention: two of the most enigmatic works of Piero della Francesca, “La Flagellazione di Cristo” and “La Madonna di Senigallia”, and “Il Miracolo dell’Ostia Profanata” by Paolo Uccello and the sublime “Muta” by Raffaello.

Albani Museum
The core of the museum is located on the right side of the Cathedral and is divided into two areas: the new vestry, of the Renaissance, the old vestry built between 1705 and 1720.
The museum took its name from the Albani family which had always been interested in the cathedral. In the first room (old vestry) there are exposed ceramic created in XVI-XVIII centuries coming from the sanctuary of Battaglia.

Gessi Museum (Plasters Museum)
In this Museum there is a collection of plasters of ancient sculptures granted by the State Art Institute of Urbino. They are used for didactical purposes. Plasters are copies of statues of the period from the V century B.C. to the Imperial age.

Museum of Printing
The ore of San Lorenzo in Solfinelli, where the Court of Minewas operated, was found in the XVIII century and with the growing use of sulphur mine it became one of the most important plant of Romagna.
In the site of the mine it was built in 1990 a mixed farm and artistic initiative, so moving the first steps to the “Museum Graphia”, the International Museum of the printing.
Where to Sleep.

The Most Serene Republic of San Marino

internetauthor — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:13:25 +0000

Source: The Most Serene Republic of San Marino

Along the Eastern seaboard of Italy you’ll find a large number of resorts, water activities, beautiful ocean views and an ample amount of fun and music. This is the birthplace of the accordion, and in the villages and countryside of Emilia Romagna you’ll hear it’s music long into the night as the local enjoy themselves, hearty meals and good music. Also in this region, you’ll find a bit of a surprise. San Marino, a tiny republic, is sitting alongside Italian countryside.

In San Marino, there are rolling hills, rocky outcroppings, towns dotted up on hillsides and green beauty in every direction. San Marino might be surrounded by Italy, but the tiny Republic has been its own country – completely free of Italians, if not Italian influence, since 301 AD. With a constitution dating back to 1600, this is not only the oldest European republic; it also boasts the oldest constitution still in effect.

San Marino shares the same countryside as the Marshes in Italy. The area is not as heavily traveled by tourists in Italy despite its natural beauty and love of food and merriment. The Apennines Mountains shadow the republic entirely and the land can only be described as rugged. Yet this tiny haven has sheltered refuges throughout its extremely long history. It is due to sheltering those supporting the unification of Italy that the tiny republic was not made a part of Italy during the period of unification.

Indeed it was also quick friendship struck with Napoleon Bonaparte that saved the country from French occupation as well. During World War I and World War II, the country often served as a haven for those caught in the proverbial crossfire.

When touring the Emilia Romagna region of Italy, drive down into the Marshes and cross the border for a quick tour of the rocky outcroppings and deep history of San Marino. The capital of the tiny republic is also called San Marino and is home to a rich culture of music and tradition. The Three Towers of San Marino are famous as an icon of the country and the region and are most certainly worthy of a tour.

The towers are pictured on the coat of arms, the flag and the traditional cake of San Marino. The oldest tower served as a prison briefly and was constructed in the 11th century. The second tower is a bit younger and was built in the 13th century. The third tower was built in the 14th century and is the only tower not open to the public.