Summary BEST OILS FROM ITALY by Cesare Zucca

By Cesare Zucca.
History, Mithology, Art, Culture, Beauty and Taste…
That is what the amazing Italian Oils will bring to your table.
The world has over 1,600 olive cultivars: Italy, on its own, has 600 of them.
The historic and cultural roots of Italian taste are appreciated around the globe, and are enriched with meaning and value through our products.

SEE FULL ARTICLE (italian english)

From Taste 2025 , Florence
ORGOLIO DELLA PODERINA
https://www.orgoliodellapoderina.com/

Orgolio is an extra virgin olive oil produced by the La Poderina farm in Siena, in the heart of Tuscany, which comes from the beauty of a unique land and from the obsessive search for quality. The Frantoio variety gives an intense green color with faint yellow notes, medium-strong intensity, elegance and broad vegetal tones that refer to thistle and artichoke on an almond base; the Moraiolo, rustic and imposing, makes the oil intensely fruity, decidedly bitter and spicy with hints of leaves and fine woody notes, the Leccino gives the aroma of ripe olives and vegetable aromas, and a slight bitter and spicy sensation.
Orgolio della Poderina is a product of the highest quality, elegant, with a marked scent of freshly mown grass and a strong character like its balanced spicy and bitter aroma.
The result is an extra virgin olive oil naturally rich in polyphenols that give a magnificent aroma to any pairing, from freshly picked garden salads to the highest gastronomy dishes.

.RAVELLO BY FRANTOIO D’ORAZIO
https://www.frantoiodorazio.it/

This “Oro verde “oil was born in a corner of Puglia (Apulia) where scents and flavors cloak the landscape dotted with monumental olive trees with atmosphere. The Apulian oil is as intense as the ancient peasant culture that the Frantoio D’Orazio has always preserved and exalted, to give every palate taste and beauty, with every taste. The Ravello boasts shades of blue and green that follow each other without interruption, like the rows of centuries-old olive trees on the rolling hills of Puglia, between small lakes and sinkholes of karst origin. All of Frantoio D’Orazio’s love for his land is revived in this bottle. Love that is also reflected in the processing of extra virgin olive oil, which still takes place with the same care and attention as in the past.
Leaf green color tending towards golden yellow. We recommend it for fresh salads, vegetable purées, rice soups and savory soups, dishes based on beans, artichokes, asparagus, cooked vegetables, with white meats, bruschetta, salsa, mixed legumes, baked tomatoes, truffle sauce.

MIMI
https://www.oliomimi.com/en/


The Peranzana di Mimì extra virgin olive oil was born from the passion of Donato and Michele and their mother Giuditta who fulfilled the dream of their father Domenico also known as Mimì. Their olive grove is spread over 80 hectares where they cultivate 24,000 olive trees with dedication, which produce about 500 hectoliters of oil every year.
Peranzana di Mimì extra virgin olive oil is a medium intensity fruity oil with many vegetable and herbaceous scents on the nose, with a marked note of tomato and green apple. When I tasted, the freshness of the apple and green tomato reappeared and showed a spicy and bitter character while maintaining an elegant harmony between the two components. Ideal for pairing with raw dishes as a condiment for salads or vegetables but also for seasoning grilled meats and fish or soups. Perfect raw condiment on grilled dishes, salads or soups.

TESTE DI MORO Dop Monte ETNA
by Romano
h
ttps://www.romanovincenzo.com/en/teste-di-moro-line/

The legend of the “Moro” (Arabic) head dates back to the 11th century, when the Mori’s invaded Sicily and became part of the population, so much so that it blended perfectly with the Sicilian population. The history of this vase will be included in the label of the bottle, also to provide the consumer with all the details of the origin of this vase which is found throughout Sicily.The project was born from the idea of creating a bottle that would represent the “Sicily” of a fine oil, through one of the most famous “symbols” of Sicily.

The bottle is made of heavy glass from a mold made by a registered drawing, on one side the drawing of the female face, on the other the drawing of the male face, it is made of dark glass or painted in white, possibly decorated in some details (the mouth, eyes, necklace, etc.), to make different versions of the bottle to the retailer.

The production areas of this oil are the slopes of Etna Vulcan., the colour is intensevely green, the smell is medium fruity with hints of grass just cutted, I found notes of bitter and spicy with after taste of tomato flavor. Great to consume: raw, special with Mediterranean dishes

PUJJE
www.pujje.it

The Pujje company was born in the heart of the Murgia Tarantina from the idea of ​​three young people in love with their land – an agronomist, a manager and a communication professional. Pujje Evo Oil has a heart. The heart of those who imagined it and then created it. Its flavor is an ode to the hand-made olive harvest, among the majestic olive trees born and raised in our land and pampered by its enveloping wind, a handcrafted cold-pressed  Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Its perfume reveals the genuineness of the raw materials used, evokes the notes of a past time, rediscovering the values ​​of authenticity and tradition.
Pujje Oil is a container of mithology and values: Amphitrite, a beautiful sea nymph who, not wanting to marry, sought protection from Poseidon from Atlas. A dolphin, sent by the God of the Sea, found her and convinced her to marry him.This oil was born on the coasts bathed by the Ionian Sea, it is light fruity with notes of freshly mown green grass, which marries simpler and seafood dishes, enhancing them all; Rea, Goddess of earth, nature and abundance.  Perfect  for meat dishes,  medium fruity,  with notes of tomato leaves and aromatic herbs, with a prevalence of almond, which gives its best with equally robust and earthy dishes, Finally Helios, God of the solar star, every morning, driving the golden chariot of the Sun crossing the sky from the east and in the evening it plunged into the west. Perfect for vegetable, fruit and sweet dishes. Helios which, with a single olive full of taste and a vegetable scent, evokes a slight hint of leaves and fresh fruit. A the medium fruity taste which goes perfectly with vegetable recipes, sweets and artisan desserts.

FRANTOIO MURAGLIA
https://www.frantoiomuraglia.it/en/

Frantoio Muraglia was founded in Andria, the oil capital of Apulia, five generations ago, but family’s patriarch has lived through 460 springs. It is a majestic coratina olive tree.

Rainbow is a true style icon. The ceramic jar, handmade by craftsmen, colours the table, warms up the kitchen and preserves all the scents and flavour of extra virgin olive oil.
The quality of the extra virgin olive oil combined with the design of original ceramic jars handmade by Apulian craftsmen will leave your friends and family with a delicious and special memory.

Monocultivar Coratina olive, intense green with golden hues. Aromas of dill, fennel, artichoke, pepper and hay. It leaves a tasty spicy flavour, colourful, stylish, 100% made in Italy and handmade Ceramic plates hand-painted by our Apulian ceramists with a rainbow pattern echoing that of designer jars. Format: 20 cm – 25 cm – 30 cm

I DEDICATI by OLITALIA
https://www.olitalia.com/ww-en/

Olitalia is managed by the family of founder Giuseppe Cremonini: children Angelo, Elisabetta and Camillo. For over 50 years, this family-owned company name stands for excellence, quality and tradition in Italian cuisine around the world. The“Dedicati” collection represents a careful selection of raw materials and the naturalness of a development process involving the best chefs ensure the high quality of these products, which were designed and intended to amaze.
Dedicati For Meat
This oil has great character, it is rich in fragrances and vegetable notes. It is important that the oil chosen is aromatic and can enhance the taste of any type of meat.
Dedicati for Vegetables
This oil has strong herbaceous notes: such feature can enhance the taste of vegetables at best and match perfectly diverse and quite sharp tastes.
Dedicati for Fish
This is a delicate oil with a harmonious profile and notes of apple and fresh almond. For a perfect match with fish, it is important that the oil does not cover the taste of ingredients, but matches and enhances it.

Today we are one of the most trusted brands in the food and condiments sector: thanks to our total devotion to our roots, while at the same time moving forward on the path of excellence with a healthy ambition to achieve future results.
Olitalia selecta olives in the most careful and rigorous way: a solid guarantee of constant quality, ensured year after year by maintaining the same standards of quality and quantity in cultivation.

Add a drop of oil, but make sure it’s good!
Centonze oil has ancient origins, blossoming along the Mediterranean until reaching Nino Centonze’s Family, custodians of an Olive Oil Legacy. in Castelvetrano, Sicily, where the olive trees are nourished by the mineral present in abundance in the tuff rock on which they majestically stand. Since 1953, this company has been cultivating within this area of extraordinary historical and scenic interest.The “Latomie” are ancient quarries from 800 B.C., testimony to centuries of the Greeks extracting large blocks of limestone tuff for the construction of Selinunte.

Centoze oli characterized by its green colour, fruity fragrance, and rich, complex aromatic composition. These qualities have made the company winner of numerous national and international awards. and recognized by Slow Food Presidium.

https://www.oliocentonze.com/?lang=en

What a great selection and variety of different virgin olive oils!
But.. wait a minute, here comes a sunflower seed rosemary scented frying oil..
Yes from same Olitalia producers, here comes

FRIENN Frittura Italiana
https://shop.olitalia.com/it-it/

FRIENN is the frying oil with an innovative recipe, without palm oil, which allows you to obtain professional quality, crispy and dry fried food. It is obtained from high oleic sunflower seeds grown and processed exclusively in Italy. Its composition, protected by an Italian patent, gives the product unique properties. The combination of sunflower oil with a high oleic acid content and antioxidants guarantees high stability at high temperatures, avoiding the unpleasant onset of bad smells. FRIENN frying oil respects the original flavor of the ingredients, without transferring color and flavor to the food. Perfect for frying savory and sweet foods, both in a pan and in the fryer.
I tried, I loved it! please take a note of it!

SURFCASTING IN ITALY

SURFCASTING IN ITALY
by Cesare Zucca

Summer at the sea: the hot sun warms the surface waters, the fish approach the coast: dorado, amberjack, tuna, bream, sea bass, bream but also sea bream, bluefish and many other species…
What better than improvising a fisherman and to bring home a trophy to cook with your favorite recipe? So let’s venture into surfcasting (literally “casting on the wave”) a form of sport fishing that is carried out from the beach, with a float or with sturdy rods, capable of casting the terminal complex (bait and lead) at considerable distances from the shore. In the Mediterranean version of surfcasting, we make use of the help of the tides that increase or decrease and the waves begin to “swell” depositing organic food that attracts large and hungry predators.
In Italy it is known as shore angling, i.e. fishing from the beach which is mainly carried out in summer with a flat sea. Pay attention to the rules! Shore fishing is generally forbidden at night and precisely from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise, furthermore it is not possible to fish in any sea, therefore avoid protected areas where fishing is is prohibited or that apply time and place restrictions.

HOW TO FISH BY THE SEA?
Equipped with a rod, reel and assembly, the hook is cast into the water and the fishing trip begins! This is probably one of the simplest techniques, starting with the bait: in fact, it will be enough to put a worm on the hook and cast and… wait.
THE “GOURMET” BAITS
Squids and cuttlefish, murex, are excellent “temptations” for sea bream and bream, crabs and razor clams while a morsel of triggered mullet can prove to be an excellent trap for sea bass, rays and bluefish
WHERE TO FISH IN ITALY?
Liguria: the sea of the Cinque Terre is full of sea bream, sea bass, bream, bream and conger eels, both for surfcasting bolentino or trolling, and for fishing on the rocks with floats and bottom fishing.
The hospitality of Emilia Romagna is not denied even on this occasion: no restrictions and you can really fish anything from red mullet, white fish, molluscs, mussels, clams and much more. Welcome to the Romagna coast!
Tuscany: Marina di Bibbona, Orbetello, Principina and Isola del Giglio, while in the Grosseto area and in Ansedonia you can fish all year round
Marche: inside the protected Natural Park of Monte Conero, while by boat towards Ancona or Fermo you will find lecce stella, lecce amia, croaker, sea bream and needlefish.
Abruzzo. awaits you with its romantic overflows, evocative stilt houses soaking in the water, traditional fishing machines from which long arms extend to support the nets that used to capture schools of fish. For a profitable surfcasting go south of Roseto, where you can find sea bass, but also gray mullet and sea bream.
Lazio: good sea bream and sea bass fishing on the Circeo and Sabaudia promontory, and the “old radar” spot on Fregene beach
Campania: The wonderful Gulf of Naples offers you sea bass, while Cilento enjoys a rich fish fauna of the fish fauna.
Puglia: in Salento near the Gargano, in the area between Ostuni and Brindisi and near Taranto.
Basilicata: in the marine area of Maratea and near the mouth of the Noce.
Calabria: focus on the marine area and the area close to Catanzaro. Good fishing!
Sardinia: the ”Badesi” beach and the locality of La Ciaccia offer plenty of sea bass and sea bream.
Sicily: its magnificent coast awaits you for a suggestive shore angling.
The beach of Maganuco (Marina di Modica) Santa Margherita (Messina) Ponente (Milazzo) and Sciacca with its wonderful sea bream…

A Michelin starred fishing ! Taormina: pesca fortunata e stellata dello Chef Pietro D’Agostino. Ma l’avrà pescato proprio lui…Di certo sarà cucinato in maniera sublime…

In the sea of Taormina: lucky and starred fishing by Chef Pietro D’Agostino. But he must have caught it himself… It will certainly be cooked sublimely…

SUGARELLI, WHAT A GOODNESS…
Fishing for horse mackerel with sabiki is widely used in light trolling but also in spinning. You will be able to fish horse mackerel from the shore by mounting a bombard or a jig as lead, and using sabiki as leader. Taste them with typical regional recipes:: in Sardinia, in the smallest cuts, as an ingredient in the traditional fish garlic sauce, while in the Marche they are tasted leeward, in a kind of peperonata,, not to mention the superb preparation in Puglia, with white wine, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, olives and, in the most creative recipes, also caciocavallo cheese, tangerines and quinces, a real summer delight.
SEABREAM, THE QUEEN OF THE BEACH
If you fish for sea bream from the beach, you need sinkers and other powerful gear to try and extend the casting distance. The useful baits to use are shrimps, crabs and marine worms, but artificial baits can also replace the live one, better if they are imitations of shrimps.

HEALTHY AND PERFECT COUPLING: “YOUR” FISH AND PASTA WITH LEGUMES
How to cook your “marine triumph” ? and above all what to pair it with? No one better than Dr.Samantha di Geso  of DnA Milano , nutritionist biologist and food expert could answer me.

Dott.ssa Samantha Di Geso

Doctor, how did you approach the world of legume pasta?
I have to be honest: as a biologist I initially thought that yet another chemical and industrial product had arrived, a new-age invention and a rip-off for health.
I also went deeper into the manufacturing processes and I had to change my mind, discovering that with legume paste you can even avoid the toxicity of uncooked legumes in a good and appropriate way.
Are legumes part of historic Italian cuisine?
Sure, our ancestors had a diet that used legumes but, with love and care, they soaked them for 24-48 hours, then cooked them with laurel. using appropriately long times and correct temperatures. I did research on manufacturing processes and I discovered that, thanks to this type, the dangerous toxicity of uncooked legumes can be avoided.
What are the benefits of legume pasta?
The legume paste avoids belly swelling resulting from the difficulty of digesting the walls of the legume, without however losing the nutrients it contains. With the same calories (about 350 calories per 100 grams of pasta) and high protein and fiber content, it lends itself to being a perfect substitute for a complete meal. Furthermore, our bifidobacteria also like it very much, which hold the scepter of our immune defenses.Is it true that in a slimming diet you can eat pasta, if it is made with legumes?
Certainly and not only: its low glycemic index and its high fiber content are “gold” for everyone’s intestines and, above all, for those with intestinal or glycemic problems or simply for weight control. Its satiating power makes it possible to reduce the quantities and calories introduced, therefore it lends itself well to those who want to lose weight without giving up a good plate of pasta.
Is it a tasty pasta?
The taste is obviously that of legumes, so simple recipes help you enjoy this pasta better, especially those that pair it with fresh fish, caught on the day and seasonal vegetables. Try it with tuna fillet cut into cubes and lightly cooked in a pan with oil, capers and olives, a summer delight!

I sedanini alle lenticchie di Felicia, serviti in un brodetto di legumi e spigola

Felicia’s red lentil fusilli, served in a legume and sea bass broth

The champion of legume pasta is Felicia, the only allergen-free Italian pasta factory with an integrated multigrain mill, using organic and naturally gluten-free raw materials, such as buckwheat, brown rice and oats.
It is totally natural, low-calorie, high in protein and made only of water and legume flour and offers an infinite number of formats: spaghetti, penne and mezze penne, ditalini, fusilli. risoni with legumes and cereals, including red and yellow lentils, chickpeas, peas, mung green beans.

Un piatto sano e gustoso: orata , zucchine, olive nere e sedadini alle lenticchie rosse di Felicia

The interesting thing about this product, in addition to the calorie count, is the cooking time, which is much less than that of a classic durum wheat pasta.

Ready for your surfcasting adventure?
My wish is “good fishing, good appetite and good health at the table”!

 

BEST OLIVE OILS FROM ITALY N.07

by Cesare Zucca
Summertime!
Here you go! The best, freshest, richest and creative salad is on your table !

Now it’ s time to season it and make it perfect with a fantastic oil that will make your salad simply unbeatable!Here the very best oils from the Land where oil production is a tradition, history and excellency: Italy.

ULIVE’

It is the land that has chosen us, that has decided to welcome and grow our olive trees to produce a unique oil, a truly immersive sensory experience that involves all the senses. It starts from the view, with a purple casket like the ripe olives of our land, and illuminated by the silver of the Mar Piccolo. soil exposed to East and West, which favors a large
variability and gives the best fruits.The precious relief on the olive of the Ulivè Grand Cru label establishes a contact with our fruits and the gold of our oil.link to Ulivè  https://olioulive.com

LOLU’
LoLù is born from the Coratina olive that never comes into contact with light, heat or oxygen. After being washed, it does not come into contact with anything that could affect its quality. I’ve been looking for that kind of fringe. Lolù is delicate, perfect even with fine flavors with which to experiment with unprecedented combinations for a Coratina variety.CERIGNOLA  is a hisrotic municipality in the Foggia area ( Apulia) in the Olfanto Valley.
The ” Bella di Cerignola” It is an autochthonous olive ideal as a table olive. It hardly finds space in environments far from the Capitanata Tableland, due to the climate that does not favor its growth elsewhere.Up to 30 grams on a single product, for a total of firm and fleshy pulp that reaches 85% of the total volume, arrived in Italy around the fifteenth century by the Aragonese: it is no coincidence that it is called Oliva di Spagna.

Thanks to its unique and recognizable organoleptic properties, it obtained the DOP mark in 2000. Opening a bottle of Lolù the result is immediately recognizable by smell. A product in which quality is not an added value. Enrich your dishes with Lolù.

Just ad drizzle of raw Lolù on a cream of pumpkin and pistachios, achieving an unparalleled culinary balance.

Link to Olio LOLU’

OLEUM SAN GIORGIOThe olive oil of Masseria dei Nunzi
Ortice is one of the most appreciated olive varieties due to its excellent oil quality and its organoleptic characteristics. It is considered an autochthonous plant of the Campania region predominantly cultivated in the province of Benevento in the so-called Sannio area. Here one can find some of the most ancient olive trees of this much sought-after cultivar, which gives life to superior quality extra virgin olive oils.

Masseria dei Nunzi offers two superior quality extra virgin olive oils: The Monocultivar Ortice OLEUM SAN GIORGIO and TERRA OLEUM Blend, which contains Ortice, Olivella, Leccino, Leccio del Corno, Pendolino, Ortolana and Racioppella.

Link to The olive oil of Masseria dei Nunzi

99 32 NOVE NOVE TRE DUEBio oil form the Terre del Trigno , a land that telsl of a story made of hard work and sacrifices, of places where the symbiosis between man and nature generates unique and unmistakable products with unexpected, now forgotten flavours. In the pristine lands of our organic farm we cultivate native Abruzzo cultivars, in order to preserve their unique organoleptic qualities and contribute to the preservation and protection of the biodiversity of the area.

A heritage that, with tenacity, we continue to safeguard in a continuous challenge towards a difficult, inhospitable, demanding nature, still giving us extraordinary, rare and above all precious products for their unique character which preserve in their DNA the traces of toil and passion with which they were produced..

Link to Agroalimentare Valle Trigno

Let’s move to beautiful Sardinia.
For over a hundred years Pinna’s Brothers have been producing great oils , always searching for quality through the respect and enhancement of a territory so rich as to offer us all the ingredients necessary for a superior quality agricultural production. Including energy.
A large part of their production process is in fact powered by the sun and olives, recycling the stones to extract precious energy which is added to that supplied by the photovoltaic systems.
Similarly, our two-phase oil mill extracts the oil using the vegetable water contained in the olives,without any use of external water resources.

Today I would like to focus on  “Antichi uliveti del prato” is a mono varietal oil obtained from the pressing of olives of the “bosana” variety only produced in a centenary olive groves located in the  locality of “Maccia d´Agliastru” known as the “municipal meadow”  The result is an oil with very low acidity and exceptionally rich in polyphenols which has obtained important national and international awards.

Cirque du Soleil conquers Milan.”KURIOS” will demonstrate that anything is possible through the power of imagination

Text and photos by Cesare Zucca
Cirque du Soleil?
I am a big , long-time fan….

I saw the very first Mystere, followed by the incomparable Alegria, then Saltibanco and obviously didn’t miss the acquatic acrobatis in O or the sexy performances in Zumanity with the amazing costumes by legendary Thierry Mugler, I also saw the movie and never, never got disappointed.

Last night, in Milan, I was litterally curious to see Michel Laprise’s “Kurios -Cabinet of Curiosities” and  I must say that again I enjoyed another artistic masterpiece, where 49 amazing artists take the viewer into a fascinating and mysterious world, which disorients the senses and perceptions of the reality.
A show that stimulates the imagination, where the impossible becomes possible
.
Seeing men lower themselves from the ceiling onto a skyscraper of chairs is breath-taking, as are the many acrobatics in flight. Men-fishes, women lizzard, hands that dance and move like human bbeing, a bicycle rider up in the sky, more acrobatic feats, flips and twists, human towers, soaring flight and impossible landings, as well as juggling, contortionism, a virtuoso yo-yo-ing, the amazing duo Volodymyr Klavdich and Ekaterina Evdokimova and those hilarious fellinian comedians who know how to entertain the public…
Lights, costumes, music, in a world that looks coming out from a Julius Verne’s book

Here dinner guests are amazed by the telekinetic powers of one of the diners who is able to make a chandelier suspended above their heads move. Suddenly, the group realizes that their exact double exists in a parallel universe...
This is just an example how Kurios makes storytelling its strong point like an upside down world of poetry and humor where perspectives are transformed. “KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities” is a brilliant mix of unusual curiosities and breathtaking acrobatic feats, a true blockbuster in pure Cirque du Soleil style, This circus is known for not having animals performances, well Kurios introduces a lIon…. well is an invisible one… .

All of that will happen in the 2,600 seats yellow and blue Grand Chapiteau circus tent, 20 meters high  with a diameter of approximately 52 meters, supported by 4 trees, each 26 meters high.

Big numbers? Well, it ‘s the Cirque du Soleil….

KURIOS will perform in Milan till June 25th , 2023
To purchase tickets

Hai mai sognato di entrare in un quadro di Van Gogh?

Mostra di Van Gogh a Milano: L’esperienza Immersiva

by Cesare Zucca

Have you ever dreamed of stepping into a Van Gogh painting?
Ranked by CNN as one of the 12 best immersive experiences in the world.
A unique exhibition that makes you feel like in a painting.
If you have always dreamed of living in or entering a painting, moreover by Van Gogh, then this experience is for you.Hai mai sognato di entrare in un quadro di Van Gogh?
Classificato dalla CNN tra le 12 migliori esperienze immersive del mondo.
Una mostra unica che ti fa sentire come in un quadro.
Se hai sempre sognato di vivere o di entrare in un dipinto, per di più di Van Gogh, allora questa esperienza fa per te.

Il mio video su Instagram

Lampo Scalo Farini, Via Valtellina
Milano MI Italia 20159

Lampo Scalo Farini è il più grande dei sette scali ferroviari milananesi. Una volta di vitale importanza per i trasporti della città, è stato trasformato in uno spazio per eventi innovativo, multifunzionale e sostenibile.

Jurassic Park come non l’avete mai visto né mai ascoltato!

testo e foto di Cesare Zucca
Il grande successo cinematografico di Steven Spielberg ha dato vita a creature affascinanti e terrificanti, conquistando il pubblico di tutto il mondo.

La meravigliosa colonna sonora è stata firmata dal pluri premio Oscar John Williams che così ha raccontato “ mi è piaciuta molto la sfida di provare a raccontare musicalmente la storia di questo spettacolare film.

Questa sera possiamo crogiolarci nel magnifico suono prodotto dall’Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano diretta dal Maestro Ernst Van Tiel, mentre esegue l’intera partitura dal vivo.a nome di tutti coloro che sono coinvolti nella realizzazione di questo Jurassic Park concerto, devo dire che siamo molto onorati…

Spero che il pubblico di stasera abbia la stessa gioia che abbiamo provato noi durante la realizzazione del film più di vent’anni fa“.

Jurassic Park con 80 professori dell’ Orchestra sinfonica di Milano diretti dal Maestro Ernst Van Tiel, dal vivo sarà in scena oggi giovedì 1 giugno alle ore 20,30 nello splendido Auditorium di Milano in Largo Gustav Mahler., Milano
Un’avventura, un’esperienza, una magia da non perdere!

Per comprare i biglietti click qui

Il mio video Instagram


“BEREBENE”… DRINKING WELL, INDEED….

by Cesare Zucca –

An event branded GAMBERO ROSSO that will embrace two main themes, on the one hand the accessibility of Italian wine, with the participation of companies that received the BEREBENE AWARD in the latest edition of the guide and on the other hand a focus on wineries with the production of organic wines (valued in the Vini d’Italia 2023 guide), under the heading Organic Wines. It will be a party in full style, dedicated to quality and sustainability.To accompany the tasting of Organic and Berebene wines there will be delicious tastings:
Raspadura Lodigiana
Carne Salada Trentino
Pecorino cheese from Pienza
Raw Ham from Sauris
Salva cremasco with organic citrus mustard
Bergamo buffalo blue
Bra sausage
Vezzena Trentino slow food presidium
Scrocchiarella pizza
Pura Delizia
Bibanese

 

 

LEANDRO ELICH AMAZING EXHIBIT at Palazzo Reale, Milano

By Cesare Zucca
Leandro Erlich, the contemporary artist who has brought excitement to record numbers of visitors everywhere on the planet, is finally coming to Palazzo Reale in Milan, for his first European exhibition. Argentine artist, born in Buenos Aires ,Erlich creates large installations with which the public relates and interacts, becoming the work of art itself.

The exhibition is promoted by the Comune of Milan-Cultura, is produced and organized by Palazzo Reale and Arthemisia, in collaboration with Studio Erlich, with the curatorship of Francesco Stocchi. His works are unique and represent an absolute novelty in the art world and combine creativity, vision, emotion and fun.

Buildings in which you can virtually climb, houses uprooted and suspended in the air, lifts that lead nowhere, escalators tangled as if they were threads of a ball of yarn, unsettling and surreal sculptures, videos that subvert normality.They are all elements that tell us something ordinary in an extra-ordinary context, where everything is different from what it seems, where the sense of reality and the perception of space are lost.

INFO
Leandro Herlich Over the threshold Palazzo Reale , Milan

   
   
   
   

 

Good Will Hunting (L’attimo fuggente) on stage at Teatro Parenti, Milan.

Good Will Hunting is a 1997 American psychological drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, starring Robin Williams.
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
It’s a story written by Tom Schulman about bonds, relationships and encounters that change men deeply. for poetry, for free thought, for life. That love that drives us to help others excel by following our own passions, impulses, magnificent and sometimes irrational leaps, regardless of structured and imposed social dictates.

Thirty years after its cinematic debut the play still represents a milestone in the experience of thousands of people around the world. Bringing the story of the young students of the Welton Academy to the stage and their meeting with Professor Keating means giving new life to these ties, renewing that experience in those who have a strong memory of the cinematic film and making it discover to those new generations who, perhaps, they haven’t yet seen this story told on the big screen and still don’t know “that the mighty show goes on, and that you can contribute a verse.”

Luca Bastianello plays the charming Professor Keating, expelled from a prestigious American college for his educational methods too unconventional with respect to the strict US protocol. Luca is surrounded by his six young students.Excellent lighting and musics.among the “chair choreography” that evidences places and times.

The stage version, directed by Director Marco Iacomelli and co-directed by Costanza Filaroni premiered last night and will run until May 7th 202

Teatro Franco Parenti
To buy tickets

 
 

GOOD WILL HUNTING (L’attimo fuggente) on stage at Teatro Parenti, Milan

Good Will Hunting (L’attimo fuggente) on stage at Teatro Parenti, Milan.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_4967.jpegby Cesare Zucca

Good Will Hunting is a 1997 American psychological drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, starring Robin Williams.
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
It’s a story written by Tom Schulman about bonds, relationships and encounters that change men deeply. for poetry, for free thought, for life. That love that drives us to help others excel by following our own passions, impulses, magnificent and sometimes irrational leaps, regardless of structured and imposed social dictates.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_4990.jpeg

Thirty years after its cinematic debut the play still represents a milestone in the experience of thousands of people around the world. Bringing the story of the young students of the Welton Academy to the stage and their meeting with Professor Keating means giving new life to these ties, renewing that experience in those who have a strong memory of the cinematic film and making it discover to those new generations who, perhaps, they haven’t yet seen this story told on the big screen and still don’t know “that the mighty show goes on, and that you can contribute a verse.”

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_4983.jpeg

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_4975.jpeg

Luca Bastianello plays the charming Professor Keating, expelled from a prestigious American college for his educational methods too unconventional with respect to the strict US protocol. Luca is surrounded by his six young students
Excellent lighting and musics.among the “chair choreography” that evidences places and times.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is img_4993.jpeg

The stage version, directed by Director Marco Iacomelli and co-directed by Costanza Filaroni premiered last night and will run until May 7th 202

Teatro Franco Parenti
To buy tickets

 

MILAN “SALONE DEL MOBILE 2023”, the largest design fair in the world

Salone del Mobile 2023 and Milan Design Week offered a rich programme of events, installations and launches from 18 to 23 April, as the fair returned to its traditional Spring dates for the first time in three years. Salone constitutes Milan Design Week when it roars through the ancient canal city enhancing the beauty of Milan as an axis of art, design, and fashion.

The design of the pavilions was entrusted to Milanese architectural firm Lombardini 22, creating a layout that enhances visitors’ journey. The new layout will be inspired by Italian historic town centres, reimagining the fair as a city, for which Euroluce will serve as experimental ground.

The Salone will boast a series of site-specific cultural moments, dubbed ‘Constellations’ and featuring works by creatives (names include Sarah Illenberger and Patrick Tuttofuoco) shown within structures designed by Formafantasma. Modular pavilions made of paper and wood (to have the minimum impact and be reused and recycled after the event) will punctuate the Euroluce pavilions and become immersive moments of pause within the bustling fair.

nuovo ristoranti 2023 milano

più interessanti di questo inizio 2023.

ZAÏA nuova apertura Milano

ZAIA
È il nome della nuova insegna del gruppo Aethos, community internazionale di hotel e club, che ha aperto a Milano a Piazza XXIV Maggio, proprio all’interno dell’hotel Aethos Milano. Nel menu troviamo una proposta trasversale che comprende ricette e ingredienti che attingono dalle storie gastronomiche di diversi paesi del Mar Mediterraneo. In cucina gli chef Luigi Gagliardi e Dario Guffanti hanno creato un menu pensato anche per la condivisione, mentre l’ambiente è progettato dallo studio di architettura Astet Studio.

I

Quark Hotel

Quark Hotel Milano

Dopo una ristrutturazione durata due anni, il Quark Hotel di Milano riapre le porte o meglio, le camere, a partire dal 1 aprile. Dal punto di vista dell’ospitalità, l’offerta sarà quello di una destinazione 4 stelle adatta sia a chi viaggia per lavoro sia ai turisti che si fermano in città, la zona è quella a metà tra Vigentino e Stadera. Per quanto riguarda l’offerta gastronomica, il gruppo Aries che ha in carico l’hotel ha affidato le cucine allo chef Andrea Ribaldone che curerà il ristorante Morbido, un salone per eventi, un lobby bar e un punto dedicato al cibo d’asporto.

Rivoire

Rivoire Milano

Lo storico caffè di Firenze situato in Piazza della Signoria arriva anche a Milano con una prima nuova sede a Piazza Formentini in zona Brera. Il proprietario Carmine Rotondaro ha anche annunciato l’apertura di altri due indirizzi sotto la stessa firma sempre a Milano entro la fine dell’anno, una in Piazza Oberdan a Porta Venezia, la terza di fronte alla Stazione Cadorna. L’ambiente ricorderà le atmosfere storiche del primo caffè fiorentino con decorazioni delle pareti che recheranno immagini di opere rinascimentali e barocche. In menu invece troviamo piatti, cocktail, caffè e la possibilità di assaggiare la cioccolateria che ha reso famoso il Rivoire di Firenze.

GALICIA DOES MILAN ! by Cesare Zucca

THE SPANISH TOURISM BOARD IN MILAN PROMOTED A SPECTACULAR MEETING BETWEEN TWO STARRED CHEFS WITH AN “all-female starred dinner”: VIVIANA VARESE ( Viva , Milano, Italy ) and LUCIA FREITAS (A Tafona, Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

Viviana Varese ( Viva , Milano, Italy ) e Lucia Freitas (A Tafona, Santiago de Compostela, Spagna)

“I love Spain, which is why I was enthusiastic about the possibility of hosting a stage of the Spain for Women project at VIVA – explains chef Viviana Varese – I shared my cuisine with Lucía, leaving her all the space to tell a territory that has so much to express.. It was a wonderful evening.”

The guests were welcomed with a glass of VIVA Opera Brut Franciacorta DOCG Le Marchesine; to follow, accompanying Galician wines: Louro do Bolo by Rafael Palacios, L’Ombre by Jorge Pérez and Sitta Pereiras by Robustiano Fariña; wines united by the denomination of the different producers, as requested by chef Freitas, to enhance their work.

“We are thrilled that the Spain al Feminine project – says Isabel Garaña Corces, director of the Spanish Tourist Board in Milan – gives chefs from two different countries the opportunity to get in touch with each other to get to know and discover their territories , origins and flavours, placing gastronomy at the center of the tourist promotion of Spain in Italy.”


The hits of the night?
Viviana hit the spot with a bouquet of salads and flowers, her “spugna di mare” mussels in hazelnut butter, Noto almonds, where the Chef runs another restaurant, and tarragon.

Her love for Southern Italy is revealed in the “barocco” dish, where the traditional pasta and smoked potatoes meet a pistachio pesto and a lemon powder, more Mediterranean than that……

For her part, Lucia has enchanted with the sya version of the classic “empanada” served liquid with raisins, an asparagus never seen literally embraced by yolk and lemongrass.


And the sweets? Viviana shook me with a harmless orange cube, or at least, it seemed harmless…. since it was hiding a powerful gin and grapefruit drink….


Lucia wanted to remember a particularly beautiful moment in her life, a “pink” moment and served a fantastic dessert ” La vie en rose” on the table … Brilliant!

See it on Instagram

IL “TURISTA NON TURISTA” SBARCA A NEW YORK … THE “NON TOURISTY TOURIST” GOES NEW YORK di Cesare Zucca

(In italian and english)


Primavera-Estate: state programmando un gran bel viaggio ? E se la destinazione fosse New York ? Per dare un morso alla Grande Mela, arrivano milioni di visitatori da tutto il mondo, tra cui plotoni di turisti italiani, cacciatori di emozioni, golosi di novita’, amanti del bello e del gusto.Indipendentemente dalla provenienza, secondo me i visitatori si dividono in due tipi: il turista “tradizionale” e quello più alternativo che mi piace definire…” giusto”.Il primo si affida a agenzie di viaggio, escursioni guidate e visite organizzate della città, bazzica la Fifth Avenue e la 57esima Strada, curiosando nei negozi griffati dove tutto è più caro che in Italia..

Pseudo-informato ma comunque un po’ fantozziano, ha copiato diligentemente gli indirizzi dei negozi tendenza da una rivista modaiola trovata dal dentista, non considerando che, a causa dei lunghi tempi editoriali, il testo potrebbe essere arrivato in redazione alcune settimane prima e che forse quegli indirizzi potrebbero essere gia’ “vecchi”…Ah dimenticavo , il turista ” classico” non rinuncia a un inutile secondo o terzo cellulare e agli immancabili occhiali da sole, ormai leggendario trademark dell’ italiano in vacanza.

Poi c’e’ il turista “giusto”,  esperto nell’ evitare itinerari comuni e mete troppo note e che preferisce vivere l’ eclettica quotidianita’ della metropoli come se fosse un vero newyorkese. Sbarca A New York estremamente leggero, possibilmente solo con bagaglio a mano, evitando le lunghe attese e possibili spiacevoli sorprese all’arrivo. Nel suo trolley c’e’ il minimo indispensabile per un paio di giorni e un paio di scarpe comode. Viaggia leggero all’andata mentre al ritorno mette gli innumerevoli acquisti in un capace e robusto borsone di plastica da 10 dollari che ha trovato nei bazaar lungo la 14 St , tra la Sesta e la Settima Avenue.

Appena arrivato, una volta sbrigati i controlli doganali, si precipita in una delle tante Hudson News, le edicole dell’aereoprto, per comprare il mitico settimanale Time Out vera bibbia ‘’night & day” di tutto ciò che accade a New York in quella settimana. Gia’ all‘ arrivo si distingue: lo aspetta una confortevole macchina o una scenosa limousine con autista, che ha già prenotato sul sito Carmel e con qualche dollaro in piu’ evita il taxi giallo, pittoresco si’, ma spesso in condizioni non ottimali.

Oppure, come fanno tanti newyorkesi, balza sul Airtrain trenino aereo collegato alla metropolitana, che dal terminal del suo arrivo, per soli 8 dollari lo portera’ direttamente alla fermata piu’ vicina alla sua destinazione,

Ha scelto con cura il suo alloggio, magari evitando il solito albergone straripante di turisti e trovandolo tra i numerosi annunci gratuiti pubblicati su http://www.craigslist.org dove, nella sezione sublet, molti newyorkesi che si assentano dalla citta’ offrono in subaffitto i loro appartamenti arredati, anche per pochi giorni..Altra alternativa è prenotare un hotel piuttosto alternativo, come il Maritime (88 9 Av ) ex clinica psichiatrica dalle minuscole finestre-oblo’ (anti suicidio) con un arredamento vagamente retro anni 60. oppure l’ azzurro Dreami o i nuovissimi Aloft New York Chelsea.  Kasa Lantern Lower East Side e Grayson Hotel

Maritime Hotel

Volete farvi un regalo indelebile? Magari un tatuaggio ” Made in NY” ?
Siamo sempre Downtown e partiamo da Chinatown dove troviamo, First Class Tattoo, nome davvero appropriato, visti i tatuaggi artistici che sa creare. Daredevil Tattoo, che tra i clenti annovera cantanti famosi, come Joan Jett and Boy George. I tatuaggi partono da $ 100, con design personalizzati che costano $ 200 l’ora. EastSide Ink non poteva non essere che nell’East Side, la zona più alternativa di Manhattan, dove troverete un campionario umano diversissimo, dai punk del quartiere a Daniel Day-Lewis e Scarlett Johansson. Nel Lower East Side troviamo Bang Bang e Grit n Glory.

Un’ opera d’arte di First Class Tattoo

Raggiungiamo Little Italy , ex colonia dei primi immigrati Italiani, oggi piena di fasulli ristoranti “Made in Italy” dove vi guarderete bene dall’assaggiare qualunque piatto… Però da  Sena Tattoo ritroverete le antiche tecniche giapponesi con cui  prendono vita simboli iconici nipponi:  pesci koi, cani fu, draghi, tigri, onde e vento.

Sena Tattoo

Musei
Certo Il Metropolitan e il Moma  e il Guggenheim meritano una visita, ma se amate scoprire musei alternativi, potreste programmare una visita al City Fire Museum, New York Hall of Science., Museum of the City of New York, New York Transit Museum., National Museum of the American Indian mentre gli appassionati di cinema si sposteranno ad Astoria per visitare il meraviglioso Museum of the Moving Image

I costumi originali dei film più famosi al Moving Image Museum

Mille alternative
Per chi ama esperimetare spettacoli “off Broadway,” l’ Astor Place Theatre mette in scena “Blue man“,  mentre Joe’s Pub ospita musica live. La domenica mattina appuntamento “gospel” ad Harlem per un’esperienza davvero unica alla Gospel Missionary Baptist Church, Metropolitan Baptist Church e Temple Church Le funzioni sono di matina, arrivare presto.
P
er spezzare il ritmo frenetico dI New York, ci si può imbarcare su un Water Taxi oppure una delle mini crociere di Waterway che nel weekend propone eclettiche destinazioni ; dalle proprietà dei Rockefeller a Sandy Hook, unica spiaggia dove è permesso il nudo integrale.

Water Taxi

SABATO GREEN: Il mercato in Union Square.
Union Square Greenmarket ospita 140 agricoltori, pescatori e fornai regionali, dalla frutta e verdura fresca appena raccolta, alle carni tradizionali e ai premiati formaggi di fattoria, pane artigianale, marmellate, sottaceti, una profusione di fiori e piante recisi, vino, sidro, sciroppo d’acero, oltre a assaggi e dimostrazioni culinarie di alcuni dei migliori chef di New York. Tanto vintage, abbigliamento, arte eccetera eccetera a prezzi convenienti,
Dal cibo all’arte il passo è breve…
Poco distante vi aspetta un vero paradiso di arte moderna e contemporanea: le Chelsea Galleries, da raggiungere magari con una bella passeggiata sulla High Line, storica ferrovia sopraelevata che unisce Chelsea al supertrendy quartiere Meatpacking, ora popolata da ricca di proposte food, articoli regalo, performance all’aperto e  l’arte del Whitney Museum

High Line

Le mie strade “d’arte” preferite?
La 24esima con le collezioni esposte da Mary Boone, Metropictures, Gagosian, Matthew Marks, Lyons Wier, C24, la 25esima, dove troverete le gallerie di Stefan Stux, Kashya Hildebrand) e la 26esima da Stephen Haller, Lehmann Maupin, Mitchell Innes & Nash, Claire Oliver, Lelong) E poi ancora le gallerie di Paul Kasmin, Paula Cooper e tante altre.
Le Chelsea Galleries sono aperte dalle 10 alle 18 e rigorosamente chiuse di lunedi…proprio come i musei. La mappa chelseagallerymap.com vi aiutera’ nella visita.

Opere di Andy Denzier nella Gallery Claire Olive

Fame?
Tuffatevi  nel  vicino Chelsea Market (16 St. / 9 Av) tunnel metropolitano popolato da mega botteghe con prodotti e specialità uniche :Lobster Place ,dove trionfano le aragoste , Baskets, per I fanatici del cestini , Fat Witch , tipici brownies , mattonelle di cioccolato, Elenis, dolcissimi cupcakes, Non e’ solo mercato , ma anche galleria fotografica, mostre d’ arte , fontane e annunci di lavoro, persino show gastronomici in onda in diretta su Food Channel e spesso lezioni gratuite di tango.

Lobster Place

Potete assaggiare delizie locali sul posto oppure, se siete in vena di un lunch sull’erba , vera o sintetica, dirigetevi ai Piers, una volta pontili di attracco per le barche, ora una popolare “quasi spiaggia di New York”, ideale per un pic nic all’aperto con l’eccezionale vista dello skilight newyorkese.Una cena davvero trendy ?
Puntate sul Meat Packing ( 14 St ,/10 Av ): ex zona dei macelli ,puzzolente e pericolosa , oggi e’ una croisette urbana popolata da locali, ristoranti di moda e cucine di tutto il mondo..
Vi segnalo:
RH Rofftop NY

Affascinante ristorante panoramico che offre piatti americani tra lampadari, vegetazione e vista sullo skyline.
RH Guesthouse
A 2 minuti dal Whitney Museum of American Art. Meglio prenotare.
NY Steakhouse Downtown
Una tradizione, ideale per chi ama la carne, Burger di  Kobe, bistecche da Oscar e un’ elegante terrazza sul tetto.

Old Homestead …Burger di carne kobe, celebre piatto di Steakhouse

Catch New York
Elegante spazio su due livelli noto per gli avvistamenti di celebrità, cibo creativo a base di pesce e terrazza panoramica.
Restoration Hardware
Se amate mangiare leggero, in un bellissimo scenario
Shake Shack Meatpacking
Catena trendy con servizio al banco, Rivisita i classici del fast food come mini-hamburger (secondo me  i più sfiziosi di New York) e crema pasticcera surgelata.

Shake Shack

Mollusco
Ottimo ristorante di pesce con influenze da tutto il mondo
Pastis
Se volete gustarvi la vista (più che il menu….)di qualche celebrità dello spettacolo o della moda
Buddakan
Inebriante atmosfera per gli occhi e per le papille gustative. Buddakan presenta i vividi sapori dell’Estremo Oriente in un’atmosfera surreale che sposa la serenità dell’Asia con lo sfarzo della Parigi del XVI secolo.

Buddakan

Come forse avrete notato, il turista ” giusto; è, secondo me, rigorosamente “Downtown”.
Unica concerssione all’ Uptown; una passeggiata curiosa nell’epicentro del lusso,tra la Fifth Av e Madison Av, un panorama 360 gradi di griffe mondiali, popolato dai turisti classici…
Giusto un’ occhiata, perche’ il “non turista” cerca ben altre emozioni...
Una cosa accomuna tutti i tipi di turisti: gustare un autentico New York Cheese Cake
Scoprite Veniero, in Liyyel Italy ,atmosfera “Il Padrino” , uno dei più antichi pastry store di Manhattan in funzione dal 1894m ,mentre nel quartire di Hell’s Kitchen, un tempo territorio di gangster, troverete Little Pie Company e K-Rico, valida steakhouse nel cui menu spicca un gudurioso cheesecake alle fragole,

il cheesecake di K.Rico

Vi è venuta voglia di cheese cake, magari fatto con le vostre mani?
Ecco la ricetta !
NEW YORK CHEESE CAKE
Ingredienti
Per 6 persone
Per la base:
300 g Biscotti Digestive
150 g Burro
Per la farcitura:
500 g Philadelphia
150 g Panna acida
70 g Zucchero
1 uovo
1 cucchiaino di estratto di vaniglia
Preparazione
La base
Mettete i biscotti nel mixer e sbriciolateli completamente. Se non avete un mixer, potete metterli in un sacchetto di plastica e poi ‘massacrarli’ fino ottenere una specie di farina.
Fate sciogliere il burro, unitelo ai biscotti, mescolate bene e aderire sul fondo e sui lati di una tortiera a cerniera da 22 cm di diametro, precedentemente spalmata di burro. Mettete in frigo.
La farcitura
Sbattete energicamente uovo e zucchero in una terrina, unite il Philadelphia e amalgamate bene. In una ciotola sbattete panna acida zucchero e vaniglia che unirete al resto della farcitura. Versate il tutto sulla base di biscotti, livellate e cuocete nel forno preriscaldato a 160° per 1 ora circa. Fatelo raffreddare e mettetelo in frigo per almeno 3 ore.INFO
www.nyc.gov

CESARE ZUCCA
Travel, food & lifestyle.
Milanese di nascita, vive tra New York, Milano e il resto del mondo. Viaggia su e giù per l’America e si concede evasioni in Italia e in Europa. Per WEEKEND PREMIUM fotografa e racconta città, culture, stili di vita e scopre delizie gastronomiche sia tradizionali che innovative. Incontra e intervista top chefs di tutto il mondo, ‘ruba’ le loro ricette e vi racconta il tutto qui, in stile ‘Turista non Turista’

For the english version of the NEW YORK CHEESE CAKE RECIPE ,  just click Next

“BALLETTO DI MILANO” CONQUERS THE TEATRO LIRICO GIORGIO GABER

Text and photos by Cesare Zucca

The company “Il Balletto di Milano” at the Giorgio Gaber Theatre, Milan with an intense, lively, romantic and humorous performance dedicated to the French Chansonniers and their unforgettable songs such as La Boheme, Les comediens, and the voices of Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour , Dalida and Edit Piaf.
The music becomes stories in a danced version that amazes, amuses emotion and acts as a prelude to Ravel’s Bolero proposed in a choreographic version of extraordinary impact game of eternal seduction story of a birth of an inevitable attraction towards a being
similar where the sinuous bodies of the dancers come to life and intertwine a dance that drags you to the surprising finale.
Expect a fierce and unstoppable corps de ballet, among the solo dancers Giusy Vilara’, Alessia Sasso, Mattia Imperatore, Emanuel Ippolito.

The show It will be repeated on Sunday 16th Aprilà .

 

 

INFO
Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber , Milan
To buy tickets online , click here

My Instagram video

( versione in italiano)
Testo e foto © Cesare Zucca

La compagnia“Il Balletto di Milano” al teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber , Milano con un’intensa, vivace ,romantica e umoristica performance dedicata agli chansonnier francesi e le loro indimenticabili canzoni come La Boheme , Les comediens, e le voci di Jaaques Brel, Charles Aznavour , Dalida e Edit Piaf in una versione danzata che stupisce diverte e emoziona. e fa da preludio alla seconda parte dove “Bolero”di Ravel proposto in una versione coreografica di straordinario impatto gioco di seduzione eterna storia di una nascita di un’attrazione inevitabile verso un essere simile dove i corpi sinuosi dei ballerini prendono vita e intrecciano una danza che trascina fino al sorprendente finale
Aspettatevi un corpo di ballo agguerrito e inarrestabile , tra i danzatori solista Giusy Vilara’ , Alessia Sasso, Mattia Imperatore , Emanuel Ippolito che concedono un inaspettato bis sulle note di Stomaeo. Modeno e classico si incontrano e danzano insieme,
Si replica domenica 16 aprile.

INFO
Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber , Milan
To buy tickets online , click here

My Instagram video

LECCE The workshop “The Biscozzi Foundation”

The workshop “The Biscozzi Foundation | Rimbaud: a new contemporary art museum in Lecce”, within the master’s degree course “Art, valorisation and market” within the teaching of “Management and start-up for art” held by Professor Angelo Mittel.

With the introduction and on the initiative of Professor Miglietta himself, the workshop will explore the case of the Biscozzi Foundation | Rimbaud, and in particular how it constitutes an innovative experiment for the promotion of culture and the development of human and territorial capital, through the interventions of Dominique Rimbaud and Paolo Bolpagni, respectively president and technical-scientific director of the Biscozzi Foundation | Rimbaud, as well as the mayor of Lecce Carlo Salvemini and the councilor for culture, the enhancement of cultural heritage and public education Fabiana Cicirillo. The opening greeting will be entrusted to Vincenzo Trione, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Tourism of the IULM University.

The case study: the Biscozzi Foundation | Rimbaud was established on 19 February 2018 by the spouses Luigi Biscozzi and Dominique Rimbaud with the intention of carrying out a cultural activity particularly aimed at modern and contemporary art, through the enhancement of their collection of about two hundred works. This collection is to be considered as a permanent nucleus destined to be preserved over time, but also to grow with new acquisitions, and constitutes the reference and tool for exhibitions, conferences, educational and popular activities. The Foundation, whose legal personality has been officially recognized as being of public interest, promotes in particular the “Progetto Lecce”, which arises from the desire of Luigi Biscozzi to make his art collection available to the public in his own territory of origin.

Workshop: “The Biscozzi Foundation | Rimbaud: a new contemporary art museum in Lecce”
Date: Thursday 13 April 2023, from 3 to 6 pm
Venue: IULM University, Room 531, via Carlo Bo, 1 – Milan
Free admission until all available seats are filled
For information:
Biscozzi Foundation | Rimbaud, http://www.fondazionebiscozzirimbaud.it | info@fondazionebiscozzirimbaud.it

 

An amazing “ROMEO and JULIET” at Piccolo Teatro Strehler, Milan

By Cesare Zucca
Stage photos by Masiar Pasquali

What if Romeo and Juliet were two teenagers of today?
There are over forty film versions of Romeo and Juliet, with the first in 1900.
The 1936 version was one of Hollywood’s most important classics. Irving Thalberg spared no expense, and cast his wife, Norma Shearer, in the lead role. The film West Side Story, inspired by Romeo and Juliet with music by Leonard Bernstein, won 10 Oscars.
In 1968 Franco Zeffirelli directed the film which won two Oscars.
Abel Ferrara made his film “China Girl” stages the Shakespeare’s tragedy. in New York, making a noir reinterpretation of the story, played by an Italian pizza chef and the sister of a Chinese mafia boss.
.
The 1996 film Romeo + Juliet by William Shakespeare, directed by Baz Luhrmann, gave a turnaround. Despite the contemporary setting (it takes place in Verona Beach, between gangsters and neon lights, starring  Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

WHAT ABOUT A “NEW” ROMEO AND JULIET THE THEATRE?
The greatest love story ever told needed an exceptional narrator and it found him in one of the greatest, creative and innovative Italian directors and screenwriters: Mario Martone to whom we owe  the direction of “Qui rido io”, “Nostalgia”, “The mayor of the Sanità district”, “Il Giovane Favoloso” , “Capri-Revolution” “We believed” “Death of a Neapolitan mathematician”
His movies have been awarded with the most prstigious prices, such as Nastro d’Argento , Venice  Film Festival Coppa Volpi, and the David of Donatello (the Italian Oscar
) as well as his memorable “cinematic” directions of major operas including “La Traviata”, “La Boheme”, “The Barber of Seville”

The spectacular staging of “La Traviata”

Martone, is one without a doubt, one of the greatest and most innovative Italian minds, both in ciinema, theater and opera, never afraid of challenging classics masterpieces.
For his first time directing a play at the Piccolo Teatro Strehler in Milano , Martone

At the heart of the text is love, as sudden and intense as it can be between two adolescents, and rendered even stronger by adversity, with a driving urge to cancel any obstacle that stands in its way. It is a fable, with all the trimmings – magic potions, the trials of the two lovers, exile, the main character’s allies and enemies, the arranged marriage, duels but without the happy ending.
More than four centuries later, the themes of the work are significantly central to our daily lives: “We present a world ruled by senseless conflict, in which the very meaning of existence appears to lie in conflict – explains Martone -. A plague that renders the delivery of a letter impossible, while people continue to party. An innocent and rebellious love that suddenly emerges to escape all of this. A love illuminated exclusively by the light of the moon and of the dawn, with only the birds to witness it. Nature, ever present, awaiting a change that will never come”.
For his version of this extremely popular work that has been revisited for the theatre, cinema, opera and ballet, Martone has chosen a company of young actors accompanied by a number of theatrical professionals.

 

It’s  a contemporary story  of  a sudden love,, a story of two teenagers, made even stronger by adversity, eager only to break down any obstacle to its own realisation..
The scenography  is a sort of tree that crosses the stage and on which the actors move, suspended as if on the branches of a forest, while the ground takes us to an urban suburb, perfect scenario for the fightings between metropolitan gangs.

 

 

 

 

 

The encounter of two worlds and two generations
The underground one of a suburb frequented by hooligans and bitter enemy gangs ready to sneer in the duel while on the raised floor, well defended by the mighty branches of a gigantic tree, there is a world populated by rich families, parties, music and smiles.
It is strange to see how finally the world above reaches the world below; just the corpse of Juliet that flies from the upper world to the one below underlining a fall of her towards a hell where she, instead of finding peace and reuniting with her beloved Romeo, she will instead find tragedy
I would like to anticipate a particularly unexpected moment during the preparations for the presumed wedding between Juliet and Paris of the presumed wedding where the band with a pure Roman accent discusses the pay and, encouraged tio play the popular cheesy  song “Felicità” (happiness).
The cast
30 actors from different generations: two very young protagonists: Francesco Gheghi as Romeo and Anita Serafini as Juliet, Alessandro Bay Rossi, as a great Mercuzio, the flamboyant Licia Lanera as Juliet’s aunt (Licia Lanera). the icy mother Capuleti Lucrezia Guidone, (Gabriele Benedetti), a clumsy Padre Lorenzo, and a remarkable  Father Capuleti (Michele Di Mauro) as Capuleti Father

And this alternation of dramatic moments to lines deliberately light and provocative jokes, First of all those of Juliet’s longtime baby sitter who in Martone’s version has become the Aunt Angelica

WHERE?
Founded on 14 May 1947 by Giorgio Strehler, Paolo Grassi and Nina Vinchi, the Piccolo Teatro di Milano was the first public Italian repertory theatre to be established and is the most important both in Italy and abroad.
The Piccolo manages three auditoriums: the original location renamed Piccolo Teatro Grassi, the Teatro Studio experimental space that also houses the School of Theatre and finally the main theatre with 968 seats, which was inaugurated in 1998 and which bears the name of Piccolo Teatro Strehler. In more than seventy years of activity, the Piccolo has produced approximately 400 shows, half of which were directed by the great Director Giorgio Strehler,

Today’s Romeo and Julie: Anita and Francesco

How to describe this extraordinary play?
A senseless hatred, a young and rebellious love witnessed only by nature, an epidemic that follows unclear rules; this reading by Mario Martone highlights a number of surprising points of contact between Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and our present.

The Cast

Last night was the last performance at Piccolo of Martonei’s Romeo and Juliet and I really hope that this excellent piece of art would return not only to the Piccolo’s stage but would travel to enchant many other Italian and foreign theatres,
Want to know the reason?
Because is a story that speaks to everybody, excites,
amaze and conquers from the moment of the first lovers encounter, to the hidden marriage to the tragic end.
And above all that, it still makes us dream

Mario Martone tra i suoi giovani attori Francesco Gheghi (Romeo) e Anita Serafini (Giuietta)

INFO
Piccolo Teatro Strehler

CESARE ZUCCA Travel, food & lifestyle.
Milanese by birth, Cesare lives between New York, Milan and the rest of the world where he photographs and writes about cities, cultures, lifestyles.art, entertainment. He likes to discover both traditional and innovative gastronomic delights among meeting and interviewing top chefs from all over the world, ‘steals’ their recipes in a ”
non touristy tourist ” style 

 

 

 

EASTER “MUSIC-GOURMET”: the King of Chocolate meets Beethoven

(English version followed by Italian version)

By Cesare Zucca

Le praline “musicali” di Knam, per “gustare” al meglio la Settima Sinfonia di Beethoven

Knam’s “musical” pralines, to better “taste” Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony

Easter is coming: music and chocolate have never been so close!
Auditorium Milano, Maestro Ruben Jais conducts the Milan Symphony Orchestra in the performance of Beethoven’s marvelous Symphony No. 7, daring an unusual experiment, a “synesthetic” experience combining listening to music with tasting four pralines (one dedicated each movement of the symphony), specially studied and created by the illustrious Maitre Chocolatier Ernst Knam, former Master Pastry Chef at Gualtiero Marchesi, and astonishing interpreter of chocolate, through sweet and savory masterpieces, combined with spices, fruit and… music.

I concerti da gustare, gli appuntamenti nati dalla partnership tra l’Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano e lo Chef e Maître Chocolatier Ernst Knam

CONCERTS & TASTE, the events born from the partnership between the Milan Symphony Orchestra and the Chef and Maître Chocolatier Ernst Knam

Easter at the table: synonymous with peaceful weekends that praise the peace, serenity and joy of the Easter tables where traditional dishes are served: from lamb to typical desserts such as colombe, pastiere, cassata and cantucci, to regional specialties such as the Genoese cake pasqualina, the Neapolitan casatiello, the ragusana breadcrumbs . Everywhere, from the North to the South, the real protagonist is the iconic chocolate egg.
The Italian King of Chocolate “has his kingdom in Milan in Via Anfossi, where his 4 laboratories, the pastry school and his shops are located.
After attending the fascinating performance at the Auditorium, I met him for a very pleasant interview.

Ernst Knam

Hello Ernst, can you tell us about his combination of “Music & Chocolate”?
I wanted to “explain” Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony with four chocolate pralines whose filling was intended to describe the sensations of the symphony’s four movements.
Why did he call the praline that comments on the famous “Second Movement” widely used in cinema in dramatic moments, such as Ludwig’s funeral or King George VI’s speech, “Coccole” (Cuddles)?
I wanted to underline that drama starting from the color of the chocolate.
It is the only black praline, while the others are enlivened by graphics and streaks. I wanted to call it “cuddle” because I think that even in the most dramatic moments of our lives there is always a need for a comforting cuddle from those who love us. As in the German tradition, after a funeral, we meet at the restaurant to eat all together and affectionately remember the person who left us because life goes on.
Do you remember your first cake?
Sure, my first home-made tiramisu, I was 10 and then biscuits, my mum was an expert, she knew at least 50 different types. I remember that in the town where I lived, people started making biscuits from the end of November, to keep them until the Christmas holidays.
When did the professional spark strike?
I wanted to become an ornithologist and my dad, who was a florist, had built me a large aviary that contained more than 200 African and Australian birds. I soon realized that when you have animals to look after, it becomes complicated to travel, so I gave everything to my brother I began to ponder what I could do. Mum helped me, who suggested a career as a pastry chef so (laughs) we could always have a dessert for Sunday… A well-known pastry shop on Lake Constance hired me as an apprentice: it all started from there.
What if I hadn’t become a pastry chef?
Maybe a jeweler, as I like to create small jewelery creations, for example I design the jewelery for my wife and I think I have a good hand and a large imagination.
Is there a dessert that you only eat if prepared by another person?
Yes, the “Black Forest” cake by Frau Hildebrandt, my nanny. It was a very high cake that Frau prepared for my birthday and of which I ate half … Frau gave me the recipe, but I must admit that I have never been able to make it the same as hers…
What about your Easter  ” colomba” (dove) ?
(laughs) Here it is, it landed here, after about 36 hours of levitation, nothing artificial, fresh Sicilian oranges, fresh lemon, Tahit vanilla, it rested wrapped up for one night and normally after 4/6 days it is perfect.
Can it be keep it in the freezer?
Absolutely not, the dove must be cut and eaten, at the very least it can remain for a few days in its tightly closed bag, avoiding the air that dries it upEaster is coming: can you tell me something about new chocolate eggs?
Every year we have a theme this year it’s nature: raising awareness of global warming and I underlined the devastating lack of rain by creating a “colorless” egg I called it Multichocolate and, using the “brush technique”, I brushed it with the typical nuances of white, milk and dark chocolate.
The bonsai egg represents a praise to the beauty of life. From the egg, made in 70% Peru Pachiza chocolate scratched with a wood effect, a bonsai with sugar paste leaves bursts forth

Le uova ” Multichocolate” e “Bonsai”

And so many funny animals…
Yes, the snail egg, the bee egg, the sheep egg with a coconut coat. They are friends in a world that is perfect for children, but I must also say for us grown-ups, since it’s nice to remain children
And then there is the egg “Butt”…
The idea came to me from an exhibition by Fernando Botero and from Fabio Novembre’s chair, two artists that I love very much. If you turn it upside down it becomes a heart, in fact behind the egg there is a charity project: in fact it is a limited and numbered edition whose proceeds will go to the friends of the TOG Foundation which offers free treatment to over 100 children and young people suffering from serious neurological pathologies .

Gli ironici “lati B ” dell’uovo che capovolto diventa un cuore

The ironic “B sides” of the egg that turns upside down into a heart

Great cause, but that shape, well, it is a little bit unusual… Any controversy?
Here I am…. Even in the family: FrauKnam told me that she would dissociate herself from her name, ah for those who don’t know FrauKnam is my wife, Alessandra, with whom I work and I share everything.
What can you tell me about your wife, Alessandr Mion?
Alessandra became my assistant-apprentice during the lockdown and I discovered that I had a respectable future pastry chef at home.
We have done many things together: we have been judges in the TV program Dolce Quiz presented by Alessandro Greco, we have presented the Dolceria Show in the TV show I Fatti Vostri.

Alessandra Mion “FrauKnam”

Recently Alessandra… sorry FrauKnam, opened her pastry shop next door, taking care of its very feminine address: tender ducks and bunnies, mignon macaroons in shades from pink to magenta, pralines and a paradise of sweet and savory cream puffs, with more traditional flavors such as eggnog and custard, to unusual fruit dishes, such as mango and passion fruit or apricot and thyme, up to savory cream puffs such as tuna and capers or apple and gorgonzola.

Le creazioni di Frau Knam

Frau Knam’s creations

Your favorite destinations?
We are in love with Japan, where I have worked in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
I am a follower of the theory of “making travel without moving” in the sense that when a customer comes to the pastry shop, it is nice to take him elsewhere and a taste is enough, close your eyes and “have a good trip …”
A journey that has remained in your heart?
I am more than one…. among many Canada when the delegation from Quebec Italy invited me to visit the province of Canada and to discover maple syrup, the symbol of the country , Then Montreal, where I stayed at the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), one of the most important institutions in the field of food and wine education in Canada and I held a masterclass in front of professors and students of the École hôtelière de la Montérégie.

Knam In Canada

I know you fell in love with Peru… can you tell me little more about it?
In 2018 the commercial office of Peru in Italy invited me to discover its various types of cocoa plantations from harvesting to its processing. I have visited many cities: Tarapoto, where the Institute of Tropical Crops and the Tesoro Amazónico company are located, Juanjuì with its Acopagro cooperative and Nativos Chocolate: which offers the importance of touching, seeing, hearing and smelling firsthand this element, which I consider the cornerstone of my pastry.

Knam in Perù

In Lima I met the great Peruvian cuisine and its protagonists, including Mitsuharu Micha Tsumura, Astrid and Gaston and Virgilio Martinez whose Research Center studies how to use and investigate the properties of typically Peruvian ingredients and elements, in a very favorable environment to their cultivation and prosperity, almost uncontaminated, then again Cusco and of course a visit to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 wonders of the world and symbol of Peru, could not be missed.

What makes Peru such a favorable country for particular crops and products?
Definitely biodiversity and the many different contexts that alternate within its borders. Peru has been an experience that has greatly marked my work, which I wanted to tell in the book, “My story with chocolate”, which collects the story of the “Food of the Gods” and 70 unpublished recipes for cakes that have base this element.

Ernst, what does chocolate mean to you?
The whole! Chocolate is the only raw material in the world with a 365° process. allows it to be soft, liquid, powder ,hot, cold. It can go through the savory cuisine or be sweet, I can make a sculpture if I don’t like it, I’ll melt it. It even becomes a fashion element, some time ago at a Chocolate Salon, I created a wedding dress with flowers, embroideries, earrings and a white chocolate bouquet… it was greeted by thunderous applause and it was a great satisfaction.

L’abito da sposa di Knam, ccon fiori, ricami, orecchini e bouquet di cioccolato bianco

Knam’s wedding dress, with flowers, embroidery, earrings and a white chocolate bouquet

Maestro, can I ask you for a recipe (not too difficult…) for our readers?
Certainly, here’ s a recipe with few ingredients that everyone can make, just read carefully. A cake I would call Peru, made with only two ingredients on a gluten-free sponge base decorated with fresh raspberries.
Thank you and one last question: any thoughts on chocolate from you?
If there is no chocolate in heaven… I’m not going there!

DARK CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY MOUSSE

For the dark chocolate mousse:
200 g dark chocolate
400 ml semi-whipped soy cream
In a bowl, combine the cream with the chocolate and create the mousse.
For the marquise
100 g yolks
100 g icing sugar
225 g egg whites
200 g icing sugar
90 g bitter cocoa
30 g potato starch
QB. granulated sugar for dusting
Preparation
With a whisk, beat the egg yolks with 100 g of icing sugar and, in a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff together with the remaining 200 g of icing sugar. Combine the two compounds; sift the starch and cocoa and add them to the mixture, stirring gently with movements from bottom to top so as not to disassemble the whites. On a baking sheet lined with baking paper, pour the marquise to a thickness of about 5 mm. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 200°C; after this time, remove the marquise from the oven and immediately sprinkle the surface with granulated sugar.
For decoration:
to taste chocolate sprinkles
to taste fresh raspberries
Neutral jelly
Assembly:
Arrange the marquise disc in a 22-24 cm diameter ring, pour the dark chocolate mousse and level the surface well. Put the cake in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Remove the cake from the refrigerator, remove the ring and coat the edges of the cake with the chocolate chips. Cover the surface with neutral jelly and decorate with fresh raspberries.

INFO
Knam
Frau Knam
Bignè di FrauKnam
Auditorium di Milano

CESARE ZUCCA Travel, food & lifestyle.
Milanese by birth, Cesare lives between New York, Milan and the rest of the world. For WEEKEND PREMIUM he photographs and writes about cities, cultures, lifestyles. He likes to discover both traditional and innovative gastronomic delights. Cesare meets and interview top chefs from all over the world, ‘steals’ their recipes in a ”
non touristy tourist ” style 

(Italian version)
Pasqua in arrivo: musica e cioccolato non sono mai stati così vicini!
Auditorium Milano, il Maestro Ruben Jais dirige l’Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano nell’esecuzione della meravigliosa Sinfonia N. 7 di Beethoven osando un’insolito esperimento, un’ esperienza “sinestetica” accosta ’ascolto della musica alla degustazione di quattro praline (una dedicata a ciascun movimento della sinfonia), studiate e create appositamente dall’illustre Maitre Chocolatier Ernst Knam, già Maestro Pasticcere da Gualtiero Marchesi, e stupefacente interprete del cioccolato, attraverso capolavori dolci e salati, abbinati a spezie , frutta e… musica.

I concerti da gustare, gli appuntamenti nati dalla partnership tra l’Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano e lo Chef e Maître Chocolatier Ernst Knam

Pasqua a tavola: sinonimo di sereni weekend che inneggiano alla pace, alla serenità e all’allegria delle tavolate pasquali dove vengono serviti i piatti della tradizione: dall’ agnello ai dolci tipici come colombe, pastiere, cassate e cantucci, alle specilità regionali come la genovese torta pasqualina,  il casatiello napoletano, l’impanata ragusana . Dovunque, dal Nord e al Sud, il vero protagonista è l’iconico uovo di cioccolato.
Knam, il “Re del Cioccolato” ha il suo regno a Milano in Via Anfossi, dove si trovano i suoi 4 laboratori, la scuola di pasticceria e i suoi negozi.
Dopo aver assistito all’affascinate performance all’Auditorium, l’ho incontrato per una piacevolissima intervista.

Ernst Knam

Buongiorno Ernst, ci parla della sua accoppiata “Musica & Cioccolato”?
Ho voluto “spiegare“ la Settima Sinfonia di Beethoven con quattro praline di cioccolato il cui ripieno voleva descrivere le sensazioni dei quattroi movimenti della sinfonia.
Perché ha chiamato “Coccole” la pralina che commenta il famoso “Secondo Movimento” ampiamente usato al cinema in momenti drammatici, come il funerale di Ludwig o il discorso dI Re Giorgio VI ?
Ho voluto sottolineare quella drammaticità partendo dal colore del cioccolato. E’ l’unica pralina di colore nero, mentre le altre sono rallegrate da grafiche e screziature. L’ho voluta chiamare “coccola” perché penso che anche nei momenti più drammatici della nostra vita ci sia sempre bisogno di una coccola di conforto da parte di chi ci vuole bene. Così come nella tradizione tedesca dopo un funerale, ci si ritrova al ristorante per mangiare tutti insieme e ricordare in maniera affettuosa la persona che ci ha lasciato perché la vita va avanti.

Le praline “musicali” di Knam, per “gustare” al meglio la Settima Sinfonia di Beethoven

Ricorda il suo primo dolce?
Certo, il mio primo tiramisù fatto a casa, avevo 10 anni e poi i biscotti, mia mamma era un’esperta ne conosceva almeno 50 tipologie diverse. Ricordo che nella cittadina dove abitavo, le persone iniziavano a preparare i biscotti fino dalla fine di Novembre, per conservarli fino alle Festività Natalizie.
Quando è scattata la scintilla professionale?
Volevo diventare ornitologo e mio papà .che era un fioraio, mi aveva costruito una grande voliera che conteneva più di 200 uccellini africani e australiani, Ben presto ho capito che quando si hanno degli animali da accudire, diventa complicato viaggiare, quindi ho regalato tutto a mio fratello ho cominciato a meditare su cosa avrei potuto fare. Mi ha aiutato mamma, che mi ha suggerito la carriera di pasticciere cosi’ (ride) avremmo potuto avere sempre un dolce per la domenica… Una nota pasticceria sul Lago di Costanza mi ha assunto come apprendista: è nato tutto d lì.
E se non fossi diventato pasticciere?
Forse un gioielliere, visto che mi piace creare piccole creazioni di gioielleria, per esempio i gioielli per mia moglie li disegno io e penso di avere una buona mano e un’ampia fantasia.
C’è un dolce che mangia solo se preparato da un’altra persona?
Si, la torta “Foresta Nera” di Frau Hildebrandt, la mia tata. Era una torta altissima che Frau preparava per il mio compleanno e di cui ne mangiavo metà… Frau mi ha dato la ricetta, ma devo ammettere che non sono riuscito mai a farla uguale alla sua…
La sua colomba pasquale?
(ride) Eccola, e’ atterrata qui, dopo circa 36 ore di levitazione, niente di artificiale, arance siciliane fresche, limone fresco, vaniglia di Tahit, ha riposato incartata per una notte incartata e normalmente dopo 4/6 giorni è perfetta.
Può essere messa nel congelatore ?
Assolutamente no, la colomba va tagliata e mangiata, al limite può restare qualche giorno nel suo sacchetto ben chiuso, evitando l’aria che la rinsecchisceArriva la Pasqua: le tue nuove uova di cioccolato?
Ogni anno abbiamo un tema quest’anno è la natura: sensibilizzare il riscaldamento globale e ho sottoineato la devastante mancanza di pioggia creando un uovo “ senza colori” L’ho chiamato Multichocolate e, usando la “brush technique”, l’ ho spennellato con le sfumature tipiche del cioccolato bianco, al latte e fondente. L’ uovo bonsai rappresenta un elogio alla bellezza della vita. Dall’uovo, realizzato in cioccolato Perù Pachiza 70% grattato effetto legno, fiorisce prorompente un bonsai con foglioline in pasta di zucchero

Le uova ” Multichocolate” e “Bonsai”

E tanti buffi animali
Si, l’uovo lumaca, l’uovo ape, l’uovo pecorella dal mantello di cocco. Sono gli amici in di un mondo perfetto per i bambini ma devo dire anche per noi grandi, visto che è bello rimanere bambini
E poi c’è l’uovo “Sedere”…
L’idea mi è venuta da una mostra di Fernando Botero e dalla sedia di Fabio Novembre, due artisti che amo molto. Se lo capovolgi diventa un cuore, infatti dietro all’uovo c’è un progetto benefico: infatti è una tiratura limitata e numerata i cui ricavati andranno agli amici della Fondazione TOG che offre cure gratuite ad oltre 100 bambini e ragazzi affetti da gravi patologie neurologiche.

Gli ironici “lati B ” dell’uovo che capovolto diventa un cuore

Ottima causa, ma una forma, beh un po’ insolita… Qualche polemica?
Eccome…. Anche in famiglia: FrauKnam mi ha detto che si sarebbe dissociata dal nome, ah per chi non sapesse FrauKnam è mia moglie, Alessandra, con la quale lavoro e condivido tutto.
Cosa mi racconta di Alessandr Mion, sua moglie?
Alessandra è diventata la mia assistente-apprendista durante il lockdown e ho scoperto di avere in casa una futura pasticcera di tutto rispetto.
Insieme abbiamo fatto tante cose: siamo stati giudici nel programma TV Dolce Quiz condotto da Alessandro Greco, abbiamo condotto la Rubrica Dolceria nello show I Fatti Vostri.

Ultimamente Alessandra…pardon FrauKnam, ha aperto la sua pasticceria qui accanto curandone l’indirizzo molto femminile:  tenere paperelle e coniglietti, macaroon mignon dalle tonalità dal rosa al magenta, praline e un paradiso di bigneè  dolci e salati, dai gusti più tradizionali come zabaione e crema pasticcera, a insolite proposte alla frutta, come mango e frutto della passione oppure albicocca e timo, fino a bignè salati come tonno e capperi o mela e gorgonzola.

Le creazioni di Frau Knam

Le vostre mete preferite?
Siamo innamorati del Giappone, dove ho lavorato a Tokyo, Kyoto e Osaka.
Sono un seguace della teoria del “ far viaggiare senza muoversi” nel senso che quando un cliente viene in pasticceria, è bello portarlo altrove e basta un assaggio, chiudere gli occhi e buon viaggio….
Un viaggio che le è rimasto nel cuore?
S
ono più di uno…. tra i tanti il Canada  quando la delegazione del Quebec Italia mi ha invitato a visitare la provincia del Canada e a scoprire lo sciroppo d’acero, simbolo del Paese , Poi Montreal, dove ho  soggiornato all’Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ), una delle più importanti istituzioni nell’ambito dell’insegnamento eno-gastronomico in Canada e ho tenuto una masterclass davanti a professori e alunni della École hôtelière de la Montérégie.

Knam In Canada

So che si è innamorato del Perù… mi racconta?
Nel 2018 l’ufficio commerciale del Perù in Italia mi ha invitato a scoprire le sue varie tipologie di piantagioni di cacao dalla raccolta alla sua lavorazione. Ho visitato molte città: Tarapoto, dove ha sede l’Istituto di Colture Tropicali e l’azienda Tesoro Amazónico, Juanjuì con la sua cooperativa Acopagro e la Nativos Chocolate: che regala l’importanza di toccare, vedere, sentire e odorare in prima persona questo elemento, che io considero cardine della mia pasticceria .

Knam in Perù

A Lima ho incontrato la grande cucina peruviana e i suoi protagonisti, tra cui Mitsuharu Micha Tsumura, Astrid e Gaston e Virgilio Martinez il cui Centro di Ricerca studia come utilizzare e indagare le proprietà degli ingredienti e degli elementi tipicamente peruviani, in un ambiente quanto mai favorevole alla loro coltivazione e prosperazione, quasi incontaminato, poi ancora Cusco e naturalmente non poteva poi mancare la visita al Machu Picchu, una delle 7meraviglie del mondo.meraviglie del mondo e simbolo del Perù.

Che cosa rende il Perù un Paese così favorevole a coltivazioni e prodotti particolari? Sicuramente la biodiversità e i tanti diversi contesti che si avvicendano all’interno dei suoi confini. Il perù è stata un’esperienza che ha molto segnato il mio avoro , che ho voluto raccontare nel libro, “La mia storia con il cioccolato”, che raccoglie la storia del “Cibo degli dei” e 70 ricette inedite di torte che hanno come base questo elemento.

Ernst, cosa significa per lei il cioccolato?
Il tutto! Il cioccolato è l’unica materia prima al mondo con una lavorazione è a 365°. permette di essere morbido, liquido, in polvere ,caldo, freddo. Può passare attraverso la cucina salata oppure essere dolce, posso fare una scultura se non mi piace la faccio sciogliere.

In uno dei labratori Knam, nascono le uova tendemza della Pasqua 2023 . le uova decorate solo con i tre colori del cioccolato per un effetto astratto o Pollock

Insomma, “chocolate  everytime, everywhere” parodiando il film dell’Oscar …
( ride) Certo, diventa perfino elemento moda, tempo fa a un Salone del Cioccolato, ho creato un abito da sposa con fiori, ricami, orecchini e bouquet di cioccolato bianco… è stato accolto da un applauso fragoroso ed è stata una bella soddisfazione.

L’abito da sposa di Knam, con fiori, ricami, orecchini e bouquet di cioccolato bianco

Maestro, posso chiederle una ricetta (non troppo difficile…) per i nostri lettori? Certamente, una ricetta con pochi ingredienti che tutti possono fare, basta leggere attentamente. Una torta che chiamerei Perù, fatta con solo due ingredienti su una base di pan di Spagna senza glutine decorata con lamponi freschi.
Grazie e un’ ultima domanda: un suo pensiero sul cioccolato?
Se in paradiso non c’è il cioccolato… io non ci vado!

MOUSSE CIOCCOLATO FONDENTE E LAMPONI

Per la mousse al cioccolato fondente:
200 g cioccolato fondente
400 ml panna di soia semi montata
In una bowl unite la panna con il cioccolato e create la mousse.
Per la marquise
100 g tuorli
100 g zucchero a velo
225 g albumi
200 g zucchero a velo
90 g cacao amaro
30 g fecola di patate
QB. zucchero semolato per spolverizzare
Preparazione
Con una frusta sbattete i tuorli con 100 g di zucchero a velo e, in una ciotola a parte, montate a neve ferma gli albumi assieme ai restanti 200 g di zucchero a velo. Unite i due composti; setacciate la fecola ed il cacao ed aggiungeteli al composto mescolando delicatamente con movimenti dal basso verso l’alto per non smontare i bianchi. Su una placca foderata di carta da forno, versate la marquise ad uno spessore di 5 mm circa. Infornate per 10-12 minuti a 200°C; trascorso questo tempo togliete la marquise dal forno e spolverizzate immediatamente la superficie con zucchero semolato.
Per la decorazione:
q.b. codette di cioccolato
q.b. lamponi freschi
Gelatina neutra
Assemblaggio:
In un anello di diametro 22-24 cm disponete il disco di marquise, versate la mousse al cioccolato fondente e livellate bene la superficie. Mettete la torta in frigorifero per circa 2 ore. Togliete la torta dal frigorifero, rimuovete l’anello e ricoprite i bordi della torta con la granella di cioccolato. Ricoprite la superficie con della gelatina neutra e decorate con lamponi freschi.

                              BUONA PASQUA !

INFO
Knam
Frau Knam
Bignè di FrauKnam
Auditorium di Milano

CESARE ZUCCA
Travel, food & lifestyle.
Milanese di nascita, vive tra New York, Milano e il resto del mondo.  Per WEEKEND PREMIUM fotografa e racconta città, culture, stili di vita e scopre delizie gastronomiche sia tradizionali che innovative. Incontra e intervista top chefs di tutto il mondo, ‘ruba’ le loro ricette e vi racconta in stile ‘Turista non Turista’

 

“LEGACY” HELMUT NEWTON at Palazzo Reale, Milano

by Cesare Zucca

LEGACY  HELMUT  NEWTON  The exhibition – promoted by the Municipality of Milano-Cultura and produced by Palazzo Reale and Marsilio Arte, in collaboration with the Helmut Newton Foundation of Berlin
This amazing exhibit is curated by Matthias Harder, director of the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin, and by Denis Curti
, and traces the entire career of one of the most loved and discussed photographers of all time through 250 photographs, magazines, documents and videos.

It proposes, alongside the most iconic images, a corpus of unpublished photographs, presented for the first time in Italy, which will reveal many lesser-known aspects of Newton’s work, with a specific focus on the most unconventional fashion shots.

Polaroids and contact sheets will also provide information on the creative process of some of the iconic motifs on display, while special publications, archival materials and statements by the photographer will help the visitor understand the context in which the inspiration of this extraordinary artist was born.

le polaroids inedite di Helmut Newton

In a journey divided into chronological chapters, visitors will be able to go through all the phases and evolutions of Newton’s life and career, from the beginning to the last years of production

The exhibition is part of the Milan Art Week (April 11th -16th 2023), the widespread event coordinated by the Municipality of Milan – Department of Culture, in collaboration with miart, the international modern and contemporary art fair in Milan.
Do you want to see more ? Here my Instagram Video
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cqnu-ZuJAne/

 

INFO https://www.palazzorealemilano.it/mostre/legacy

CESARE ZUCCA Travel, food & lifestyle.
Milanese by birth, Cesare lives between New York, Milan and the rest of the world, where he photographs and writes about cities, cultures, lifestyles. He likes to discover both traditional and innovative gastronomic delights. Cesare meets and interview top chefs from all over the world, ‘steals’ their recipes in a ” non touristy tourist ” style

SOPHIA LOREN INVITES YOU TO HER RESTAURANT

Testo e Foto di Cesare Zucca
(Italian and English version).
Milano: a due passi dal Duomo scopriamo una ristorante-pizzeria che porta il nome di una leggenda del cinema: Sophia Loren che dopo Firenze ha aperto a Milano a cui seguiranno Bari e Roma (Fiumicino).
Devo ammettere che ero un po’ scettico: non sempre infatti i ristoranti ideati dai vip mantegono una cucina stellare come quella del nome del suo sponsor…

Naturalmente di sono delle ecceziioni:  Robert De Niro ha un ristorante tutto suo a Miami che serve cucina giapponese di alta qualità e pare sia uno dei locali preferiti di Madonna e Jennifer Lopez, la steak House di Michael Jordan la prima poi a Chicago poi altre 3 in giro per gli USA, mentre Lady Gaga nell’Upper East Side di New York  ha aperto una trattoria insieme ai suoi genitori, in cui si servono solo piatti italiani.

Scialatelli ai frutti di mare

Jay-Z è proprietario del 40/40 un club che fa da bar e discoteca., Pharrell Williams ha aperto Swan, nel Design District di Miami, mentre Zach Braff ha creato Mermaid Oyster Bar, sofisticato ristorante di pesce a Greenwich, New York.
Insomma ci hanno provato in molti, ma….SOPHIA E’ SOPHIA… e le mie aspettative non sono andate deluse!

La Diva ha inaugurato il suo ristorante nel corso di una serata ad inviti, elegantissima in tailleur bianco, entusiasta del locale e del menu, Ha raccontato del suo legame con il cibo, delle ristrettezze che ha vissuto, della mancanza di cibo a tavola e dell’importanza della cucina come momento di riunione e di collettività con la famiglia.
Nonostante viva a Ginevra, la Loren ama la cucina italiana e si diverte a cucinare  “Made in Italy,  basti citare la famosa scena della preparazione del ragù dal film Sabato, Domenica e Lunedì diretto da Lina Wertmüller.

Sophia all’inaugurazione del suo ristorante. E’ risaputo che l’attrice sia golosa di dolci e così il Maitre Patissier Carmine di Donna ha creato per lei un gigantesco babà alla crema

Il menù ricorda la sua Pozzuoli
Il ristorante è dedicato a Sophia e nello stesso tempo è Napoli, infatti nel menu si respira l’aria della sua Pozzuoli con le straordinarie pizze firmate da Francesco Martucci, premiato per 4 anni consecutivi come miglior pizzaiolo del mondo mentre la cucina è firmata da Gennarino Esposito, chef con due stelle Michelin.
Sono napoletana al 100% in ogni cosa che faccio, quando canto una canzone, quando ballo, penso, recito, quando scelgo cosa mangiare…”.Ha raccontato Sophia, “Sono entusiasta di questo progetto.Milano mi è sempre piaciuta perché è una città completa, organizzata, efficiente”
Ci aspetta un menu inizialmente disegnato dal 3 stelle Michelin Chef Gennaro Esposito e un ambiente dall’atmosfera cordiale dove Sophia occhieggia dalle pareti, siglato dalla cor tipica cortesia napoletana dello staff .

“Il nostro locale, mi racconta il manager  Luca Iacopo, è davvero uno spazio a 360 gradi, , dall’ angolo “Ostricaro Fisico” ispirato a un film di Sophia, dove vengono servite  le migliori ostriche, come quelle della Normandia al  ricco bancone  di pasticceria, al cocktail bar con la possibilità di fermarsi dall’happy hour che inizia alle 3,00 pm fino al dopo cena”.
LE PIZZE DI SOPHIA
Alla celebre pizzaiola dei primi film dell’attrice, Francesco Martucci ha voluto dedicare la gustosa “Pizza Sophia” una delizia con ingredienti tipici campani: scarola riccia, datterino giallo e rosso confit, olive caiazzane, capperi e acciughe.

Pizza Sofia

Altra specialità della casa è la “Pizza Assoluto di Pomodori” alla crema di pomodoro arrostito, pomodorini ciliegino semisecchi, pomodorini datterino giallo e rosso confit, mozzarella di Bufala campana D.O.P. Fuori cottura: primo sale di bufala, basilico, pomodorini del Piennolo secchi. isomma un tripudio di ingredienti che giocano sulle diverse acidità e che hanno fatto vincere a Francesco il premio “miglior pizza del mondo” Soddisfattii anche i vegani con la colorata “Vegana” piacevole al gusto e alla vistar, icca di Pomodoro Vegano San Marzano D.O.P. caramellato in zucchero di canna, insalata di misticanza, germogli (30 Varietà), menta, crema di rapa rossa, crema di pomodoro arrostito, maionese al cavolfiore, capperi fritt.

Michele, il pizzaiolo del Sophia Loren e la pluripremiata ” Assoluto”

NEL MENU’

Si parte tradizionalmente con l’assaggio dei “fritti” tra cui una meravigliosa sfera di “frittatina” di bucatini, besciamella, ragù, provola, piselli e la classica ” montanara!” al pomodoro e alla ” genovese” il più tradizionale sugo della cucina partenopea.

le montanare

I fritti

Tra gli antipasti uno squisito cardo di rapa fondente con tapenade di olive nere, crema all arancia e broccoli e una gustosa parmigiana di melanzane fritte con salsa di pomodoro fresco e basilico, mozzarella fiordilatte e Parmigiano Reggiano

Il cardo

Mozzarelle freschissime che viaggiano di notte per arrivare all’alba, tutti i giorni, a Milano.  Tutto ha origine dal latte proveniente dagli allevamenti delle bufale nelle incontaminate pianure che circondano Paestum
Se vi piace il pesce crudo, troverete un tris di tartare di branzino, tonno  e salmone
Se amate i frutti di mare non perdetevi un piatto di “scialatelli” freschi al sugo di pesce con cozze, vongole, scampi. gamberi e calamari .. una bontà!
Al timone del ristorante troviamo Davide di Meglio, ischitano doc.
L’ho incontrato per una simpatica chiacchierata

Davide Di Meglio

Ciao Davide, quali sono i ” must” della cucina del Sophia Loren?
Inizierei con una selezione dei nostri fritti, come le crocchette, gli arancini e le montanare poi i famosi spaghetti col pomodoro del  Piennolo, che sono anche i preferiti di Sophia, il nostro pesce fresco del giorno, servito al sale o all’acqua pazza e una bella frittura di paranza, mentre tra i dolci le classiche stracciatelle ricce, le “codine” di aragosta con crema di ricotta , la pastiera, le zeppole e naturalmente il babà.

Siete famosi per le vostre freschisime mozzarelle , Qual’è la più “wow”?
Senza dubbio la voluttuosa “zizzona di Battipaglia” (ride) un vero trionfo erotico…

La “zizzona” di Battipaglia

INFO
https://sophialorenrestaurant.com/

(English Version)

SOPHIA LOREN RESTAURANT , MILAN

Milan: a stone’s throw from the Duomo we discover a restaurant-pizzeria that bears the name of a cinema legend: Sophia Loren which after Florence opened in Milan to be followed by Bari and Rome (Fiumicino).
I must admit that I was a bit sceptical: in fact, restaurants designed by VIPs do not always maintain a stellar cuisine like that of the name of their sponsor…Of course there are exceptions: Robert De Niro has his own restaurant in Miami that serves high quality Japanese cuisine and apparently is one of Madonna’s and Jennifer Lopez’s favorite places, Michael Jordan’s steak house first then in Chicago then another 3 around the USA, while Lady Gaga on the Upper East Side of New York has opened a restaurant together with her parents, where only Italian dishes are served.

Jay-Z owns 40/40 a club that serves as a bar and nightclub. Pharrell Williams has opened Swan in Miami’s Design District, while Zach Braff has created Mermaid Oyster Bar, a sophisticated seafood restaurant in Greenwich, New York.
In short, many have tried, but … SOPHIA IS SOPHIA … and my expectations have not been disappointed!
La Diva inaugurated her restaurant during an invitation-only evening, very elegant in a white suit, enthusiastic about the place and the menu. She talked about her bond with food, the hardships she experienced, the lack of food at the table and the importance of the kitchen as a moment of reunion and community with the family.
Although she lives in Geneva, Loren loves Italian cuisine and enjoys cooking “Made in Italy”, just mention the famous scene of the preparation of ragù from the film Sabato, Domenica e Lunedì directed by Lina Wertmüller.

E’ risaputo che Sophia sia golosa di dolci e così il Maitre Patissier Carmine di Donna ha creato per lei un gigantesco babà alla crem

Sophia at the opening of her restaurant. It is known that the actress has a sweet tooth and so Donna’s Maitre Patissier Carmine created a gigantic cream baba for her

The menu recalls her Pozzuoli
The restaurant is dedicated to Sophia and at the same time it is Naples, in fact on the menu you can breathe the air of her Pozzuoli with the extraordinary pizzas signed by Francesco Martucci, awarded for 4 consecutive years as the best pizza maker in the world while the cuisine is signed by Gennarino Esposito, chef with two Michelin stars.
“I am 100% Neapolitan in everything I do, when I sing a song, when I dance, I think, I act, when I choose what to eat…”. Sophia said, “I am enthusiastic about this project. I have always liked Milan because it is a complete, organized, efficient city”
We are awaited by a menu initially designed by the 3-star Michelin Chef Gennaro Esposito and an environment with a cordial atmosphere where Sophia peeps from the walls, signed by the typical Neapolitan courtesy of the staff.

Scialatelli ai frutti di mare

“Our restaurant, the manager Luca Iacopo tells me, is truly a 360-degree space, from the “Ostricaro Fisico” corner inspired by a film by Sophia, where the best oysters are served, such as those from Normandy at the rich counter pastries, to the cocktail bar with the possibility of staying from the happy hour which starts at 3.00 pm until after dinner”.
SOPHIA’S PIZZAS
Francesco Martucci wanted to dedicate the tasty “Pizza Sophia” to the famous pizza maker of the actress’s first films, a delight with typical ingredients from Campania: curly escarole, yellow and red confit datterino tomatoes, Caiazzane olives, capers and anchovies.

Pizza Sofia

Another specialty of the house is the “Pizza Assoluto di Pomodori” with roasted tomato cream, semi-dried cherry tomatoes, yellow and red confit datterino tomatoes, D.O.P. Out of cooking: buffalo first salt, basil, dried Piennolo cherry tomatoes. in short, a riot of ingredients that play on the different acidities and that have won Francesco the “best pizza in the world” award
Even vegans were satisfied with the colorful “Vegan”, pleasant to the taste and sight, full of Vegan Tomato San Marzano D.O.P. caramelized in cane sugar, mixed salad, sprouts (30 varieties), mint, beetroot cream, roasted tomato cream, cauliflower mayonnaise, fried capers.

Michele, il pizzaiolo del Sophia Loren e la pluripremiata ” Assoluto”

Michele, the pizza maker of Sophia Loren and the multi-awarded “Absoluto”
IN THE MENU

It traditionally starts with the taste of the “fried” including a wonderful sphere of “omelet” of bucatini, béchamel, meat sauce, provola, peas and the classic “montanara!” with tomato sauce and “Genoese” sauce, the most traditional of Neapolitan cuisine.

I fritti

Among the appetizers, an exquisite dark turnip cardoon with black olive tapenade, orange cream and broccoli and a tasty fried aubergine parmigiana with fresh tomato sauce and basil, fiordilatte mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano

le montanare

Very fresh mozzarella travels at night to arrive at dawn, every day, in Milan. Everything originates from the milk coming from the buffalo farms in the pristine plains surrounding Paestum

If you like raw fish, you will find a trio of sea bass, tuna and salmon tartare
If you love seafood, don’t miss a plate of fresh “scialatelli” in fish sauce with mussels, clams and scampi. prawns and squid .. goodness!
At the helm of the restaurant we find Davide di Meglio, born in Ischia.
I met him for a nice chat

Davide Di Meglio

Hi Davide, what are the “must” items in Sophia Loren’s cuisine?
I’d start with a selection of our fried foods, such as croquettes, arancini and montanare, then the famous spaghetti with Piennolo tomatoes, which are also Sophia’s favorites, our fresh fish of the day, served in salt or crazy water and a nice fried fish, while among the desserts the classic curly stracciatelle, lobster “tails” with ricotta cream, pastiera, zeppole and of course the babà.
You are famous for your very fresh mozzarella, which is the most “wow”?
Undoubtedly the voluptuous “zizzona di Battipaglia” (laughs) a true erotic triumph…

La “zizzona” di Battipaglia

INFO
https://sophialorenrestaurant.com/