In conversation with Cesare Casella, a chef on the Upper West Side who welcomes lovers of Italian cuisine and prepares typical dishes following a few simple rules: simplicity, authenticity and respect for the territory.  But, above all, a love for his homeland

First created in 1943, a “Vespa” is not simply a scooter but has become, over time, one of the most powerful symbols of “Italian lifestyle”. It followed the evolution of society in post-war Italy, becoming increasingly popular during the years of the Economic Boom and the “Dolce Vita”, until it came to represent a style that encompasses some of the fundamental elements of the “Italian Way”: life in the open air, energy, lightness, close contact with the beauty around us.

My Sicily is a metaphor…Just like the title of the interview- book I wrote in 1979 with the author Leonardo Sciascia for Stock publications, which was translated into Italian by Mondadori. I discovered Sicily in 1975.  I had a meeting with Sciascia who has just agreed to become an “independent” candidate on the Communist party’s list for the municipal elections in Palermo.  The news had caused great excitement in the editorial offices of the Nouvel Observateur: how could a critical, even sceptical writer suddenly throw himself into politics? And in Sicily, no less?

An interview with Sante De Sanctis, the Roman chef who lives and works in Stuttgart, extolling the virtues of Italian cuisine in his restaurant as well as by writing books and making television appearances. His stories, as well as his dishes, demonstrate his great love of Rome and, in particular, one of the city’s most characteristic districts, Testaccio. He reveals exclusively to “Emotions in Italy” the most thrilling moment of his life: the day maestro Pavarotti came into his kitchen and starting to sing with him …

Italian Cuisine, the best ambassador

The city of Naples is situated in the Gulf of the same name, between Vesuvius and the volcanic area of the Phlegraean Fields, in what has been called “one of the most celebrated and enchanting settings in the world “.This natural cove has attracted visitors ever since the first Greek settlers arrived on the island of PithekusaCalleria Umberto I (now called Ischia), subsequently founding the new city of Neapolis.

The sumptuous hidden villas, the sheer drops down to the sea, the ridges that overhang the coast made these the most luxurious places for ancient Romans to holiday and enjoy themselves. In fact, the Romans gave the Neapolitan hill the name of Pausilypon (now called Posillipo), which means a “respite from worry”. At Posillipo it is also possible to admire the Crypta Neapolitana, which contains the Tomb of Virgil.