Thread: Geography

On Mar 25, 8:27*am, James Silverton <not.jim.silver...@verizon.net>
wrote:
> Today, The Washington Post Goingoutguide has an ad and a deal on the
> "Pines of Florence" restaurant where you are encouraged to "enjoy
> southern Italian specialties". *I'd always thought Florence was in
> northern Italy but perhaps Italian readers can tell me if it has moved
> and whether Florence is famous for pines? I am aware of Respighi's
> famous musical suite "The Pines of Rome".
> --
>
> James Silverton, Potomac
>
> I'm "not"
> not.jim.silver...@verizon.net


It's in the northwest, in Tuscany. Why would anybody think it was in
the south? Maybe it's a place in the north that specializes in
southern type dishes.

On 25/03/2011 9:27 AM, James Silverton wrote:
> Today, The Washington Post Goingoutguide has an ad and a deal on the
> "Pines of Florence" restaurant where you are encouraged to "enjoy
> southern Italian specialties". I'd always thought Florence was in
> northern Italy but perhaps Italian readers can tell me if it has moved
> and whether Florence is famous for pines? I am aware of Respighi's
> famous musical suite "The Pines of Rome".

I would say that it is more central. While it is is closer to the
northern border than to the boot, it is also closer to the more wider
northern region. It is definitely not southern Italy, but it does seem
to reinforce my impression of "Italian Food" in North American Italian
restaurants...... various combinations of pasta and tomato sauce.

On Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:27:49 -0400, James Silverton wrote:

> Today, The Washington Post Goingoutguide has an ad and a deal on the
> "Pines of Florence" restaurant where you are encouraged to "enjoy
> southern Italian specialties". I'd always thought Florence was in
> northern Italy but perhaps Italian readers can tell me if it has moved
> and whether Florence is famous for pines?

Is that a Wshington, DC newspaper or a Washington, PA paper?

-sw

James Silverton wrote:

>Today, The Washington Post Goingoutguide has an ad and a deal on the
>"Pines of Florence" restaurant where you are encouraged to "enjoy
>southern Italian specialties". I'd always thought Florence was in
>northern Italy but perhaps Italian readers can tell me if it has moved
>and whether Florence is famous for pines?

Florence is famous for finochio/fennel.

"James Silverton" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio

> Today, The Washington Post Goingoutguide has an ad and a deal on the >
> "Pines of Florence" restaurant where you are encouraged to "enjoy southern
> Italian specialties". I'd always thought Florence was in > northern Italy
> but perhaps Italian readers can tell me if it has moved and whether
> Florence is famous for pines? I am aware of Respighi's > famous musical
> suite "The Pines of Rome".

And there really are exquisite umbrella pines that tell you instantly you
are in a certain cliactic zone that includes Rome. The dig that exposes the
Imperial Forum is surrounded with them, aamof.

Florence? Hardly any room for trees and certainly not umbrella pines in any
quantity. Cypresses of the Chianti, yes.

Maybe the problem is that there has been a second rate restaurant called
"Pines of Rome" in Bethesda since God was a boy. And maybe they don't think
any Americans know the difference. And maybe to some degree they're right,
because I've lived in Umbria longer than 10 years and people still ask me
how is life in Tuscany.

"Dave Smith" <[email protected]> ha scritto nel messaggio

> On 25/03/2011 9:27 AM, James Silverton wrote:
>> Today, The Washington Post Goingoutguide has an ad and a deal on the
>> "Pines of Florence" restaurant where you are encouraged to "enjoy
>> southern Italian specialties".


.. It is definitely not southern Italy, but it does seem > to reinforce my
impression of "Italian Food" in North American Italian > restaurants......
various combinations of pasta and tomato sauce.

You can get pasta with tomatoes anywhere in Italy, but Tuscany is known for
the Chianina beef and eating a lot of beans. Stale bread is also more
Tuscan/Umbrian than most places.

The distinctions among parts of Italy are about more than pasta, because
pasta is only a part of a meal, not a defining emblem.

Arent there any books on Italian cuisine that discern these differences?

On Sat, 26 Mar 2011 09:13:47 +0100, "Giusi" <[email protected]>
wrote:

> And there really are exquisite umbrella pines that tell you instantly you
> are in a certain cliactic zone that includes Rome.

Is that what they're called? They looked "manicured"... as if
gardeners spent a lot of time making them look that way!

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Sat, 26 Mar 2011 09:18:46 +0100, "Giusi" <[email protected]>:

> Arent there any books on Italian cuisine that discern these differences?
>
There probably are, but not spelled out the way we'd need it to be to
"understand". I have at least one huge cookbook about Italian
regional cooking, but I didn't make a graph of what or what isn't
cooked where after reviewing it.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Il 25/03/2011 14:45, Christopher Helms ha scritto:

>> Today, The Washington Post Goingoutguide has an ad and a deal on the
>> "Pines of Florence" restaurant where you are encouraged to "enjoy
>> southern Italian specialties". I'd always thought Florence was in
>> northern Italy but perhaps Italian readers can tell me if it has moved
>> and whether Florence is famous for pines? I am aware of Respighi's
>> famous musical suite "The Pines of Rome".

> It's in the northwest, in Tuscany. Why would anybody think it was in
> the south? Maybe it's a place in the north that specializes in
> southern type dishes.

IMHO these guys are the usual southern italians who open a restaurant
and throw a famous name on it even if it doesn't have nothing to do with
them. Do they serve ribollita? Cavolo nero? Bistecca alla fiorentina
(fiorentina t-bone steaks)? They probably just make pasta with tomato
sauce, spegetti meatballs, fetuccini alfredo, piccata and
"god-knows-what parmigiana"...
--
Vilco
And the Family Stone
Mi devo ubriacare per spiegartelo?

Il 26/03/2011 10:56, sf ha scritto:

>> And there really are exquisite umbrella pines that tell you instantly you
>> are in a certain cliactic zone that includes Rome.

> Is that what they're called? They looked "manicured"... as if
> gardeners spent a lot of time making them look that way!

I always heard the name "pino marittimo" (maritime pine). Talking about
these trees:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wan-MThwC4...+marittimo.jpg
http://www.fotoeweb.it/sorrentina/Fo...con%20pini.jpg
--
Vilco
And the Family Stone
Mi devo ubriacare per spiegartelo?