Tomorrow sees the fourth and last episode of Two Greedy Italians Still Hungry with Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo.

The TV guide says: “Rome and Lazio and Machismo Chefs Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo compare the traditional role of men in the mountain villages of Lazio to that of their counterparts in Rome. In the capital, the duo find that the masculine model of their youth is outworn, and discover that men are now willing to take on chores that were once considered outside their domain – including cooking. Featuring recipes for braised beef in red wine, sweet pepper omelette and bucatini pasta with bacon and chilli.”

For those in Italy with access to UK TV Channels, its on BBC2 London at 21:00 until 22:00 CET (8:00pm – 9:00pm GMT) on Thursday May 17th.

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Francesco Da Mosto presents the second part series of his new series, Shakespeare in Italy on BBC 2 tonight.

The TV guide say: “Land of Fortune Francesco da Mosto concludes his tour of the country beginning with a visit to Venice, where he meets actor Ciaran Hinds to discuss why the Bard chose the city as the setting for The Merchant of Venice. The historian is then joined by Mark Rylance in Rome as they explore how the playwright used the Italian capital for the plots of Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra to avoid Elizabethan censors. Finally, on the island of Stromboli, off the northern coast of Sicily, Francesco uncovers the location for Shakespeare’s late masterpiece – The Tempest”

For those in Italy with access to UK TV Channels, its on BBC2 London at 22:00 until 23:00 CET (9:00pm – 10:00pm GMT) on Thursday May 10th.

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This week sees episode three of Two Greedy Italians Still Hungry with Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo.

The TV guide says “The Alps and Arrangiarsi: Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo head to the central Alps to learn the enterprising food skills of the Lombards. Making do with whatever ingredients they find for free along the way, the duo rustle up a chestnut gnocchi, and also work for butter and bresaola – thinly sliced dried beef – which they use for a salad. Also featuring recipes for Alpine pizza and pizzoccheri pasta.”

For those in Italy with access to UK TV Channels, its on BBC2 London at 21:00 until 22:00 CET (8:00pm – 9:00pm GMT) on Thursday May 10th.

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Welcome to the Italian Reflections Travel Bloggers.

Today sees the first selection of posts from the Italian Reflections Travel Bloggers, whose latest articles are now featured dynamically on Italian Reflections. They include:

Lazio Explorer is for everything about Lazio, Italy. The places, the people, the food and the culture. All viewed through the eyes of an Englishman, Pete McQuilton, married to a local.

Living Venice is the website of Nan McElroy, a freelance writer/photographer, AIS sommelier, and passionate practitioner of the Venetian rowing style immersed in a very living Venice.. As Nan says: “I warn you though, Gentle Visitor: a sojourn here could change your life…it certainly has mine.”

Napoli Unplugged is the website of Bonnie Alberts, a freelance writer and photographer with a degree in Historic Preservation. Passionate about her adopted home, for her Naples is the perfect canvas. As she says: “Beautiful, chaotic, unbending, romantic, confusing. That is Naples, Italy and that is why I love living here.”

Sipping Sardinia is the blog of Aga Nalaskowska. A personal journal, documenting a fascinating journey, where she would like to share with you her passion for Sardinian wine and food, as well as introduce you to unknown Sardinian landscapes and culture.

The Maremma Guide is an insider travel guide to a breathtakingly beautiful land – Italy’s best kept secret – and its special places and is written by Donna Stiles who lives there. “It is especially for the independent traveller who not only likes to explore and discover new places away from the crowds, but who also likes to just sit sometimes and watch the world.”

You can check them out right now: Italian Reflections Travel Bloggers

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Francesco Da Mosto presents a new two part series on BBC 2 this week, called Shakespeare in Italy.

The TV guide say: “Land of Love part one of two. Francesco da Mosto reveals how the Mediterranean country influenced the Bard, as he takes a journey of discovery through Shakespeare’s Italian-based plays. The historian visits the locations that inspired the playwright, beginning with Padua, setting of The Taming of the Shrew, before heading to Verona to explore the tale of Romeo and Juliet. The presenter meets actress Emma Thompson in Sicily to discuss Much Ado About Nothing, and ends his journey in Venice for a look at the city’s connection with Othello.”

For those in Italy with access to UK TV Channels, its on BBC2 London at 22:00 until 23:00 CET (9:00pm – 10:00pm GMT) on Thursday May 3rd.

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This week sees the last episode of Meet the Romans with Mary Beard.

The TV guide says: Behind Closed Doors – “The professor delves deeper into ordinary Roman life by going behind the closed doors of the family home. She tells the stories of eccentric wife Glyconis – praised by her husband for liking a drink or two – Allia Potestas, who lived in a menage a trois, and 11-year-old schoolboy Sulpicius Maximus, worked to death by his pushy parents. Mary also paints a more detailed picture of slavery, revealing that many Romans chose to be buried with their servants.”

For those in Italy with access to UK TV Channels, its on BBC2 London at 22:00 until 23:00 CET (9:00pm – 10:00pm GMT) on Tuesday May 1st.

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One of the headlines in this week’s Italian Reflections Daily was “Five Foods To Avoid in Italy“. This set me thinking as to what other five food recommendations are out there, the list is probably endless but here are 10 to get you thinking:

Five Foods To Avoid Before Flying

Five Foods That Should Have a Place In Your Diet

Five Foods You Should Eat Every Day

Five Foods You Should Never Eat Again

Five Foods Your Doctor Never Eats

Five Foods That Sabotage Your Sleep

Five Foods That Fight Cholesterol

Five Foods For a Heart Healthy Diet

Five Foods To Protect From Sunburn And Skin Cancer

Five Foods to Eat & 5 Foods to Avoid

Five Foods Fever belongs to Italian Reflections

This month I am very pleased to welcome Andrea Vogt as our Guest Author. Andrea is a journalist and author who reports on crime, politics and social affairs in Europe and the U.S.  Her dispatches have appeared internationally in the print, online and broadcast media, including The Guardian, The Week, The Independent, BBC, Seattlepi.com, The Seattle Times and Der Spiegel.  She is fluent and published in English, German and Italian.

This is Andrea’s Food, Wine, Sun and Lux: Italy’s Silver Lining:

“There’s so much euro-crisis doom and gloom going around these days, it would be easy to overlook a few of the bright spots peeking out of the dark clouds looming over the Italian economy.

The news has been pretty grim in many important sectors, but four traditional areas of true Italian devotion — food, wine, sun and luxury — are thriving during hard times.

Specifically, there has been considerable market expansion in luxury car and fashion brands (especially to Asia), wine (especially prosecco to the U.S.) organic food production and exports, and solar energy (photovoltaics). A quick overview.

LUX: In 2011, many Italian high-end luxury brands showed impressive gains, especially shoes and leather accessories: Prada saw net profits soar by 72.2 % for its “best year ever,” which included the opening of 75 new stores. Salvatore Ferragamo’s net profits jumped 69.8% as refurbishing efforts rolled forward in New York, Munich and London and Munich. New ecommerce efforts were also launched in Korea, Turkey, Ukraine and Mexico, reports Vogue. But Luxury car sales, while expected to grow 20 percent this year, have gotten off to a rocky start with Ferrari sales down 51.5% in the first quarter and Maserati down by 70%, according to this story posted by Luxury Society, which places blame squarely on Italy’s recent crackdown on tax evaders. It will be interesting to see how one of Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo’s new projects fares — he is one of the main shareholders in Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV), he will be this week christening the maiden voyage of Italy’s sleek new private high-speed train the Italo, which he has called”the most modern train in Europe.” Slated to begin operating soon on Milan-Bologna-Rome-Naples line, Italo boasts panoramic windows, leather seats, a small cinema and WiFi throughout (a comfortable step up from current options). The snazzy red train (recently spotted in the Bologna Central Station) is a concrete and visible reminder that some sectors are feeling the crisis less, but much thanks is due to growth of luxury goods sales in new global markets: worldwide spending on luxury goods rose 13% in 2010 and 10% to €191bn in 2011, according to this Financial Times analysis.

BIO:Italy is the European country with the largest number of organic producers, though it ranks 4th in Europe behind Germany, France and the UK in total production. Only 3% of Italy’s grocery sales are organic, but supermarket sales grew by 11.5% in the last two years (Ismea). Certain regions have embraced bio with more gusto. In my own Emilia Romagna region, a law in effect since 2005 requires food in nursery and elementary schools to be 100% organic, while meals at schools, universities and hospitals must be at least 35% organic. But all producers in Italy will likely benefit from the historic new organic trade agreement between the EU and U.S. (which goes into effect June 1) allowing organic products certified in Europe or the U.S. to be sold as organic in either region. The agreement cuts red tape significantly, thereby lowering costs for small producers of organic Italian products such as wine, olive oil, pasta, citrus, etc.

SUN: Earlier this week the government announced its Fifth Energy Plan, and in comments noted that recent growth in the solar energy sector has poised the Italian photovoltaic market as the second largest in the world, behind only Germany. The government’s decision to cap publicly-funded incentives on photovoltaics (in part due to austerity concerns, in part to help lower the bills of consumers, who pay more to help subsidize the industry, but also to avoid disadvantaging other renewable energies such as biomass and wind power) could put the brakes on growth, say industry leaders. But a look at the exhibitors list for the Solarexpo in Verona gives a sense of just how much this sector has already expanded in the last five years.

WINE: Italian wine exports saw a big boom in 2011. The Italian National statistics agency ISTAT reported at the end of March that exports of Italian wine rose by 12 per cent to more than €4.4billion in 2011. Volume was also up to 24 million hectoliters, giving Italy nearly a quarter of the global wine market. Italy also now leads the world in wine production, having surpassed France in 2010.

In terms of value, the U.S. was the best export market (though Germany was the leading importer of Italian wine by volume), and it seems Americans have discovered Prosecco, for which shipments surged more than 17% in the U.S.

So who are the leaders in sales? According to Wine News Cantine Riunite & Civ leads the way with a nearly 12 % increase in sales to 500 million (too bad Riunite is what most Italians would call a “vinello.” The other four, in order, were Caviro, Cavit, Fratelli Martini and Mezzacorona. Notable that EnoItalian boosted its sales by 21.3%. But even with an inflationary increase in costs of materials, Italian wines are still a bargain compared to other European counterparts. Feel the champagne vs. prosecco debate coming on? I’ll save that one for another day.”

Drop by Andrea’s website for more stories from: The Freelance Desk or you can follow her on twitter at: @andreavogt

Thanks for contributing this month Andrea!

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This week sees the second episode of Two Greedy Italians Still Hungry with Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo.

The TV guide says “Liguria and la Bella Figura: Antonio Carluccio and Gennaro Contaldo search for the meaning of the Italian phrase `la bella figura’ – making the best of yourself. They find a culture of admiration for the superficial in Portofino and set off around the coastal Liguria region in search of something more meaningful, and find what they are looking for in a priest working with social outcasts. Along the way they discover a 50 euro olive oil and the Cucina Bianca of Mendatica.”

For those in Italy with access to UK TV Channels, its on BBC2 London at 21:00 until 22:00 CET (8:00pm – 9:00pm GMT) on Thursday April 26th.

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This week’s episode of Meet the Romans with Mary Beard sees the Professor on the streets of Rome.

The TV guide says: Streetlife: “The professor continues her exploration of the real ancient Rome, descending into the streets to reveal a vast metropolis with little urban planning and poor sanitation. Mary also finds out where the Romans went to hang out, get drunk, have sex and get clean, and visits the Forum, where all manner of activities took place, from gambling and prostitution to dentistry. Along the way she tells the story of three citizens, including an apartment dweller who lived in fear of the rent collector and a seven-year-old girl killed in one of the city’s many fires.”

For those in Italy with access to UK TV Channels, its on BBC2 London at 22:00 until 23:00 CET (9:00pm – 10:00pm GMT) on Tuesday April 24th.

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