Why Che Bella!? Why not its English translation: That’s beautiful?! Ah, well…I’m delighted you asked. Allow me to explain.
As you’ve probably guessed, I grew up in an Italian household, embracing every aspect of its culture. My grandfathers, on both sides, were 100% Italian, with my mother’s dad from the Northern region (landing in the United States in early adolescence), and my father’s from Sicily. “Lentini” isn’t just my last name; it’s also its own province in the south of Sicily, and one of the very few not located directly on the coastline.
To say that everything Italian is beautiful is an understatement. It’s also lush and historical, romantic and – delicious. I can trace my childhood through the various stages of learning how to cook. My father’s mother was not Italian, she was Lithuanian, but her meatballs rivaled the best I’ve tasted anywhere in the world. My mother always says, “I had you making meatballs in your highchair!” and knowing her, I don’t doubt it’s the truth. I have the fondest memories of eagerly straining to stand tall next to my mother, measuring the ingredients with such care and accuracy, only to have her tell me, “Everything about great food can’t be measured…you have to have a feel for it…and a taste…you just have to know.”
The first time I landed in Italy was August 2004. I stayed at a hillside villa in a tiny town just outside Florence. I’ll never forget the way the flourishing, rolling hills, at every stage of the day, alerted all of my senses to what true beauty was all about. It was so natural and understated, yet simple. From the clarity of the golden afternoon, to the bats that visited the pool as the sun went down. Every second of the bel giorno, your senses are awakened and revived. That’s real beauty. 
I’ve been to Italy every year since, and never, not once, tire of the experience. No matter how many menus you master, no matter how authentic your accent is, Italy itself is not something you can recreate anywhere else. It’s a lifestyle which, in my opinion, remains unable to be fully captured by American life. (Perhaps I should speak for myself -- my American life!)
That’s not to say you shouldn’t try! The best way to start would be with the food. (Why? Why not????!!) We all can’t be like my mother, and my grandma Eva, feeling the food to be sure it’s delizioso; for some, including myself, that feels like wizardry. What we can do is embrace recipes which appeal to our sensibilities, and avoid the stress – stress would be so anti-Italian!
I lifted the simple but fantastic recipe below from my favorite website: Dominomag.com. I’m sure we’re all mourning the loss of Domino – and while the website’s still up and running I wanted to post a recipe for a quick and tasty spaghetti with raw puttanesca sauce.
The Ingredients:
Serves 4
· ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
· 4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
· 6 plum tomatoes, chopped
· 5 anchovy fillets (about half a tin), finely minced
· ½ cup pitted black olives, drained well, chopped
· 1 tbsp. drained capers, chopped
· 4 sprigs fresh parsley, stems removed, chopped
· 2 sprigs fresh oregano, stems removed, chopped
· 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
· 1 package spaghetti (1 lb.)
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place the olive oil and garlic cloves in a small bowl and let sit to infuse the oil. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, anchovies, olives, capers, parsley, oregano and crushed red pepper. Stir well. Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente. (See package for recommended cooking times, then cook one minute less than lowest recommended time.) Remove garlic cloves from the oil, discard them and add oil to the large bowl. When spaghetti is done, drain it and add it to the large bowl too. Toss well. Serve immediately.
Worried about carbs? Supplement the spaghetti for a low-carb variation. I promise you won’t taste the difference. Now there are no excuses! This is such a simple recipe, and with a bottle of wine on a perfect spring afternoon, you’ll be living la dolce vita in no time.
But the biggest aspect of Italian living, is learning to slow yourself down. And sometimes it’s the hardest thing to do. Some slow themselves down by speeding themselves up, whether that’s via running, biking or their favorite treadmill. For others, yoga and meditation help strip away their daily stresses. For me, its my writing and charity work that keeps me centered -- and an annual jaunt to my favorite Tuscan town.
No matter what it is for you, always remember that we’re here to make the most of life, so it wouldn’t hurt to stop and smell the fiori once in a while, if not every day, as much as you can.What brings out the dolce in your day? Tell me! I want to know -- sinceramente.
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