Gourmet Culinaire and Cuisine

The Manaus Opera House, Teatro Amazonas, seems a bit out of place. It is, after all, an extravagant Italian Renaissance-style opera house built in the middle of the Amazon jungle. It looks like a piece of Florence was transported into the most remote part of the earth.The theater was built in 1896, in the heyday of Manaus's rubber boom, when European rubber barons flocked to this port and brought with them their extravagant architectural and cultural tastes.Manaus is now a city booming from the tourism industry. Located in the north of Brazil, along the banks of the Rio Negro, close to the Rio Amazonas, this city is the port and launch point for travelers wanting to visit the Amazon jungle. But before visitors take off for the jungle, many stop to take a gander at this marvel of a theater in downtown Manaus.At the turn of the century, this opera .. more»

I remember the correspondence art schools of the dark ages before Al Gore invented the Internet, thereby making it possible for you to "attend" art school online. There would be an ad in a magazine with a professionally done pencil drawing and the question: "Can you draw this?" - as though it were some sort of entrance exam where the better you did the better your chances of being "accepted" to enroll in Famous Artists School. I shamefully admit that I totally fell for it, never bothering to figure out that if I really could draw that well, I probably didn't need their art school.It worked much like art schools online work now, except slower, because you had to use the Postal Service and then wait for a response from a "famous" artist you had likely never heard of who had no trouble dismantling your work with surgical precision and .. more»

"Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy." - Bertrand RussellThe strains of classic Italian folk music are heard in the distance as the doors open on something new, yet something altogether regal. The villa in Carpi is one of Italy's national historic landmarks and the Villa Bellentani sits as one of its crown jewels. Built in the 18th century, the Villa Bellentani harkens to an era of rich heritage and rural sensibilities. Now, this same villa is a perfect blend or uncommon historic beauty coupled with state of the art facilities for aging balsamic vinegar for yet another appreciative generation.It's plain to see that the world has discovered a special love affair with Modena balsamic vinegar, yet it is also true that two other facts are equally evident. 1) There doesn't seem to be enough quality balsamic vinegar to meet .. more»

Normally you rather think of Holland when talking about tulips or tulip celebrations. So as a traveler to Italy you might be astonished to hear that there is also a big tulip festival in the country many people know mainly for its excellent wine, pasta, pizza and other typical Italian foods.Castiglione del Lago, Pg (Province of Perugia) is a picturesque little town, situated on a peninsula in the Trasimeno Lake, the "Umbrian Sea". Since 1956 the inhabitants of Castiglione celebrate every year in spring time the "Festa del Tulipano".The whole town is decorated with tulip flowers and the locals compete among each other who creates the most beautiful decorations on windows and balconies and wins one of the prices awarded by the severe local jury.During the five days of the tulip festival you can enjoy entertainment almost around the clock.There are to be found street theaters, buskers, folk dance groups, .. more»