The Collected Traveler

Note: I'm posting this a second time because I made a few corrections; it originally appeared on the 27th of February.  

I've heard from Claudia Rinaldi, founder of the Gourmet Project (and the subject of my previous post), and she has some news to share: she has officially changed the name of the Project's magazine to Simposio.  

The magazine had been named the Gourmet Mag, but as she wrote to me, "I was worried because many people, when reviewing the magazine, compared it to the former Gourmet magazine. It was confusing, and I wanted my own distinct identity!" Claudia had a brainstorming session and wrote down every insane idea she could think of, until finally arriving at the name 'Simposio,' which I think is terrific.

Claudia explained further that "Simposio is my dream of a perfect night: every time I really enjoy a night out, it's because, after eating good food, we end up with a few glasses of wine, amaro, and limoncello (well, maybe a lot of glasses!), talking about a specific topic, diving deep into the subject.  We are quite serious, then cheerful, then serious - maybe more melancholic - and then someone tells a joke, and so on.  It must be, more or less, what happened during the symposiums in Ancient Greece and Rome.  It's so nourishing, so interesting, and sadly not so common nowadays."

It seems that the magazine has quite naturally evolved into a simposio: Claudia chooses a topic and builds around it, and she travels, reads, and researches recipes, stories, traditions, jokes, and curiosities.

I thought the Palermo issue was great, but the new one (pictured above), the first to bear the new name, is devoted to Chianti Classico and the Chiantigiani (the people who live there) and it's even better.  In addition to her fantastic photos and very good recipes, she has included a short story ('A Day in the Life'), an interview with a winemaker, a cheat sheet of Chianti wines and a history of Sassicaia (the first Super Tuscan wine), the Zuppa Project (devoted to soups), the Carnevale Project (devoted to sweets -- rice fritters and bundt cake, traditionally eaten during Carnevale, and tricks -- a carnevale ogni scherzo vale, which translates as "anything goes during Carnevale" or "all tricks are permitted;" children go to a cartoleria (stationery shop) to buy as many tricks as they can find), an essay on Italian Culture, the Winter Project (more inside, less outside), and the Rosemary Project.  Lots more, in other words, to savor.  And the next issue will feature the Cinque Terre.