The Best Blogs & Websites for Italophiles

We’ve selected a list of some great blogs and websites (in English) about Italian food and culture for you to enjoy!

Got your favourites? Do let us know in the comments section below. Here are some of ours, in no particular order…

ITALY Magazine
www.italymagazine.com
This website from ITALY Magazine covers everything from where to travel (with a focus on hidden gems), to property and lifestyle trends, to food and wine, to cultural events. Compiled by “an international community of people who love Italy and Italian culture”, the articles and blogs are well researched and always seek to highlight an authentic Italy experience. Foodies will enjoy the extensive recipes as well as the weekly Delicacies Series, which uncovers the provenance and techniques behind regional ingredients and delicacies; e.g find out about salt from Sicily or Turin’s famed Giandiuotto chocolates.

Aglio, Olio e Peperoncino
www.aglioolioepeperoncino.com
Eleonora Baldwin describes her hometown of Rome as “one of the most ancient, romantic and enchanting cities in the world”. When she’s not guiding foodie tours or designing culinary vacations in Italy, this writer and photographer shares her tips and insights into Italian food and lifestyle. Her food inspiration? Market stalls and Mother Nature. Eleonora has organised the site well, so you don’t have scroll down for months to pick out your favourites. Her list of eateries in Rome is handy for any visitor to the Eternal City – and even includes a guide to “gluten-free Rome”! Find a list of all Elonora’s featured recipes here.

Mozzarella Mamma
www.mozzarellamamma.com
The name’s intriguing and so is the content of this blog from US-born TV journalist Trisha Thomas. Married to an Italian and a mother of three, Trisha started blogging about her attempts to be an “Italian mamma without losing her Americanness”. You can expect humourous tales of trying to settle into her new culture as well as more serious commentary on topics like immigration and sexism in Italy. Of course, food inevitably comes up too… Dip into Trisha’s “food fiascos” here

Everyday Italian
www.cookingchanneltv.com/shows/everyday-italian
This website from the Food Network’s “Everyday Italian” TV show is a brilliant source of recipes for Italian food lovers in need of inspiration. Find over 500 traditional Italian recipes from Italian celebrity chef and host Giada De Laurentiis, as well as the occasional video clip from the show (though not enough, in our opinion). Expect everything from quick and easy weeknight meals to more elaborate multi-course dinners, classic pastas, party snacks and regional desserts.

Made in Italy
www.made-in-italy.com
This upmarket e-zine covers Italian fashion, food, wine, design and travel – basically anything that’s lifestyle related. If you like to stay abreast of Italy-related lifestyles trends and the hottest news, it’s worth bookmarking. The food and wine sections are thoughtful and deserve a slow read. (See for example, this Introduction to Italian Cuisine by the late Marcelle Hazan, prolific Italian cookbook writer.) If you’re into the nuances of regional cooking, simply click on the map at the bottom of this page and explore to your heart’s content.

Tuscookany
www.tuscookany.com/blog
Featured in The Guardian’s ‘Top 10 cookery schools in Europe’, Tuscookany has been hosting culinary holidays in in Tuscany for more than a decade. Fortunately for us, they also run an active blog, in which they share guest experiences, recipes and general reflections on Italian food. They also delve into food history and provenance (see, for example, this article on torta della nonna). Our favourite blog articles include: ‘The pleasure of eating together the Italian way”; “Slow travel – slow visit to Florence” and “Secret benefits to eating in-season produce”.

Sex, Lies and Nutella
http://sexliesandnutella.com
With a title like that, we simply had to throw this one in! (Find the inspiration for the name here.) Italian-American SLN (as she prefers to be known) is a good storyteller with a great sense of humour. (Try this good-humoured dig at all wannabe Italians.) She also dispels some of the myths about Italy and Italians and presents a refreshingly honest account of her life in Rome, warts and all. There’s also plenty to read about food – and not just Nutella.