Around 10 o’clock there are lots of people near this ordinary building. They are waiting for something, keeping an eye on the road. Finally an old red Fiat-Panda appears on the horizon. “Daddy is coming!” - everybody cheers up.

Yes, it is the dad indeed, Gianni the barman’s dad, bringing hot pies, that Gianni’s mom made. Usually there are three types of the pies:

• focaccia (simple  flat bread),
• sardenara (focaccia with tomato sauce and olives),
• torta verde (pie filled with rice, cheese and spinach).

But sometimes for a change Gianni’s mom or wife make an apple pie or potato pie. Usually around 11 the pies are over.

Gianni makes the best cappuccino of the Argentina Valley. I think he looks just like the hero of “The family guy”:

(the one on your left).

Gianni’s bar is not only for eating and drinking, but also for social contacts. It is the natural centre of gossips. It is where you look for professionals (plumber, gardener, electrician etc.).

Greatest disappointment of the day: the bar is closed until 14th of September. Even Gianni needs holiday.

On the top picture he is the one in the pink shirt.

A harsh review (in Russian) of a book by Elena Kostioukovitch “Food: italian happiness”. It is published also in Italian as «Perché agli italiani piace parlare del cibo»; Milano : Frassinelli, 2006.

The review is rather haphazard, just like the book.

My opinion: probably the book lacks accuracy and has some strange ideas. But it perfectly matches my general impression of Italian cuisine. That is: Russians and Italians have nothing in common when it comes to food. Nope. Absolutely nothing. Food is situated in different parts of our brains. We, Russians, are stunned by the way they eat, like they are by the way we eat. Therefore, it would be stupid to look for any connection with reality in such a book. It is science-fiction, not non-fiction!

I can only compare the italian attitude to food to the russian attitude to family: more moral obligations than pleasure.

I am going to write at least once a week about my own experiences with italian food. Criticism (like “no! you can’t eat prosciutto with almond cookies!”) is not welcomed here.

It was my first sagra. And I was not impressed. For a start, it reminded me of Germany, and those awful beer festivals, where lots of drunken people talk loudly and eat meat. Well, Italians speak even louder! Secondly, it was more expensive than I expected. One portion of deer and polenta - 7 euros. Grilled meat for two - 12 euros. Of course it is not really expensive, but let’s compare prices with local restaurants: Clara offers deer and polenta for 8 euros, just like any other second dish. She doesn’t have “grigliata”, so the best place to go for it is Il Poggio Restaurant - 10 km further up the valley, in Verdeggia. You pay 15 euros for one portion of grilled meat there, but the size is more than twice what I’ve seen at the sagra! Also, you don’t have to queue to get it, and can eat it with proper cutlery, instead of plastic forks, etc.

Restaurants - si, sagra - no, that’s my verdict.

Worst sausage ever. Ate it 2 hours ago in Boschetto. Yes, Triora IS Caput Mundi, but it doesn’t mean you should eat sausages here. Though they seem to be quite popular.

Never. Eat. Sausages. In. Triora.

They are disgusting.