Wine and Love

Wine and Love. 🙂 Vino e amore. 🙂 May you be always drunk on love. 🙂

We, the Bulgarians, are really very lucky on February 14. We have two celebrations which we respect equally. We celebrate both Saint Valentine’s Day and the Vine and Wine Day which is better known as Saint Trifon Zarezan. So, you yourselves see that ancient Greek Goddess Aphrodite (Venus in Roman mythology) and ancient Greek God Dionysus (Bacchus in Roman mythology) go hand in hand in Bulgaria on that day. One of my Italian friends found it very interesting and exclaimed once upon a time: “Great. Wine makes love easier”.

The Bulgarian Trace in Italia

There is one very peculiar fact related to the Protobulgarians and Italian towns bearing names Bulgaria and its derivatives. It’s believed that the Protobulgarians entered the Apennine Peninsula as helpers and an ally of the Lombard King – Alboin in English or Alboino in Italian, who was known as the King of the people with long curly beards, in 568.

The White Clay Town

There’s one particularly impressive and beautiful town in southwestern Bulgaria which is the smallest settlement in the country with only 210 residents currently living there. It’s been inhabited since ancient times due to its nice Mediterranean climate and pretty nature with its natural phenomena. The town isn’t a popular destination abroad. However, it’s really worth visiting. If you happen to come here during your stay in Bulgaria, you won’t regret it at all because the small town “hugged” by the Pirin Mountain will surprise you with its well preserved cultural monuments from different historic eras, surrounding natural sand pyramids and fantastic wine. Ladies and Gentlemen, after this brief introduction, let me welcome you to ….

Red-And-White Portugal

Wines and their history began by ancient civilization in Portugal some thousands of years ago. 2000 BC was the time when the valleys of Sado and Tagus were planted with vines and thus growing grapes and producing wines was started by the Tartessians. The Phoenicians reached the Portuguese southern coastal lands in the 10^th century and their contribution was great because they brought new grape varieties as well as winemaking techniques. Other nations, the Ancient Greeks, Celts and Romans in particular, spread that viticulture to the north as well.  

A Blend of Painting, Love and Cooking

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso or simply known as Pablo Picasso is a Spanish all-around gifted artist who is mainly famous for his paintings and sculptures. He is among the most influential artists of last century as well as one of the co-founders of the Cubist movement.

It’s a well-known fact that he spent most of his conscious and adult life in France but for sure, it’s less known that he disappeared to the Provencal village of Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera between the two world wars.

Big Fat Weddings

Do you remember this sweet comedy that recounts us about the great love between a young Greek woman (a daughter of Greek immigrants across the Ocean) and young native school teacher? Do you remember all the funny struggles and situations they are put into when it comes to keep her Greek origin and family’s heritage and cultural identity? I believe you do as well as I think you still have memories of their Big Fat Greek Wedding.  

The Three Taboos

Principally, everybody is free to say and do whatever they want everywhere. But there exist several things which are a taboo and they’d better not mention them or do them when they travel and reside in a foreign country. As you know, my passion for Italy is very strong and tangible and that’s why I am going to underline the three things you’d better skip while you’re on the boot.

A Love Letter to Spain

There is one particular book which is like a love letter to Spain with regards to the Spaniards, their culture and wine. Its title is “The Winemaker” and the author is Noah Gordon. The novel retells the 19^th century story of a lad, Josep Alvarez by name, who passes through different stages in his life so that he finally becomes a winemaker and finds true love. How does this happen?

Everything starts in the village of Santa Eulália which is a small grape-growing place in Northern Spain.

The Wine Town of Puglia

Locorotondo is another pearl in the sea of white-houses in Puglia. Like Alberobello this paesino (extremely little town) has its own style of houses. Trulli disappear here and they are substituted for cummerse. These are narrow rectangular dwellings with pointed gable roofs.  Not the houses but the town’s plan gives the name to Locorotondo (i.e. “rotund”or “roundish”). The tiny settlement is a commune in the province of Bari. It’s situated on a hill which dominates the imposing valle d’Itria (the Itria Valley) in south-east Murgia.

The Two Tuscan Manhattans

There is no doubt that Tuscany is one of the regions that is most described in books and it’s the most visited one. The main reason for that is the fact that Tuscany (or more precisely Florence) is the cradle of the Renaissance and the Medici left so much beauty to Italy and the whole world. Part of the historic and architectural heritage of the region is the towers that emerge in every Tuscan town and make the landscape of two settlements in Tuscany, in particular – San Gimignano and Lucignano, both situated in the province of Siena.