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Dear Friend,
We remind you of the Abruzzese Folk Music Group DisCanto's return and their concert/dinner at Le Virt�, and tell you about a Blogging contest offering the winner the chance to explore Abruzzo's wildest spaces!
Sincerely,
Francis Cratil
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Return of DisCanto to Le Virtu this August...limited seating available! |
 Since 2004, we've had the pleasure of working with and supporting the Abruzzese folk band DisCanto. Their music, which ranges from poignant expressions of devotion and loss to raucous anthems of defiance, is filled with the wild beauty, spirit and soul of the region we try to honor and which we've come to love. Le Virt� never seems so perfectly Abruzzese as when they're playing live before our guests. The members of DisCanto have become part of our family. They've helped us explore their region, welcomed us in their homes and even guided some of you to Abruzzo's most beautiful locations. They are among the region's greatest ambassadors. We are proud and happy to announce their return this August for a tour which will include their fourth performance at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and their first-ever at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, America's preeminant folk music event. And they will, of course, also be playing Le Virt�. To help defray costs of their trip, we invite you to an intimate (35-guest maximum) concert and dinner with us on Wednesday, August 6th. The concert will be followed by a 5-course dinner featuring traditional dishes and flavors from Abruzzo along with regional wine pairings, provided by The Artisan's Cellar. The event will begin at 6pm; the price is $150 per person (excluding tax and gratuity), with all profits going to the band. To purchase a spot, call 215.271.5626 with credit card information (cancellations must be made at least one week prior to August 6 for a full refund).
Menu:
Passed stuzzichini (hors d'oeuvres) served with Cantina Frentana Cococciola Spumante
Scrippelle M'busse (pecorino crepes w/chicken broth) served with Illuminati Costalupo Controguerra Bianco (Trebbiano, Chardonnay, Passerina)
Frascarill' alla casalese (fish stew with Abruzzese couscous) served with Cantina Frentana Cerasuolo (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo ros�)
Maccheroni alla mugnaia con ragu d'agnello (hand-pulled, single-strand noodle with lamb ragu) served with Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Agnello affumicato (juniper-smoked lamb loin served with a "pecorara ragu" of ricotta and seasonal vegetables)
Formaggi abruzzesi (Marcelli Formaggi: artisanal, unpasteurized cheeses from farms in Anversa degli Abruzzi and Scanno)
Assorted traditional biscotti served with housemade digestivi |
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Have Chef Cicala cook in your own home and support Abruzzo's traditions |
Want to throw your own traditional Italian fete at a place of your choosing AND support the traditions and arts in Abruzzo? Of course you do. But how?
Le Virt� Executive Chef Joe Cicala is a great fan and supporter of the band DisCanto. They shared his home on their last trip and also played at his wedding to Le Virt� pastry chef Angela Ranalli-Cicala. To assist with DisCanto's travel costs, Chef Joe has agreed to auction his services as a personal chef. Joe will come to your home and prepare a 4-course Italian feast (you will work with Joe to create a menu) for up to 10 guests. We will provide the wines, ingredients and a server. The dinner will be scheduled on a mutually preferred date in Fall 2014 (the month of October or November). Bidding will begin at $1,500 starting now and will end on Sunday, August 31st. All bids - including full name and bid amount - must be submitted via email to: [email protected]. Bids will be updated as they come in via our Facebook and Twitter pages. |
| Blogging contests supporting Abruzzo's bears and promoting its cuisine! |
photo: Luca Cavallari
When I first began investigating my roots in Abruzzo and the possibilities of travelling there, I kind of ran smack into a wall: the indifference of editors at Foders, Frommers, etc. The paucity of material on the region in the dark, primeval days before the explosion of the internet made making educated decisions on where to go in the region and what there even was to see, difficult. The utter uselessness of conventional guidebooks became abundantly apparent on Cathy's and my first trip, a fishing expedition to Teramo province to locate family. The things these books omitted, their descriptions of the things we actually saw, were infuriating. Fodor's doesn't even include Abruzzo in its last volume (if you have this volume, set it on fire and then bury the ashes). It was our grandiose dream of writing an authoritative guidebook to the region that led us to spend extended stays in Abruzzo, traveling the entirety of its four provinces and, after almost a decade, produced Le Virt�.
Today I'm happy to say that there are folks out there seeking to rectify this injustice. Passionate, informed internet writers have taken the initiative to produce their own Abruzzese narratives. Abruzzo doesn't reveal itself in museums or works of art. Abruzzo - its nature, people, food - needs to be experienced. Bloggers are on the front lines, sharing their amazing adventures in the region. Last year around this time, Le Virt� helped sponsor a conference of bloggers (Let's Blog Abruzzo) held in the mythical town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio, a medieval jewel in the Gran Sasso National Park. This year, those same folks, Abruzzo Blogger Community, are holding writing contests (the prizes for which include nature and free ABC membership) that we heartily endorse. The contests are open to all bloggers.
Wild Thing I Think I Love You: this contest helps promote Salviamo l'Orso ("Save the Bear"). Abruzzo is home to Italy's only (and endangered) bear population. The Marsican brown bear populations live in the mountains of the region's oldest national park, the Parco Nazionale D'Abruzzo. Write an inspired post on your blog (it doesn't have to be about bears, but it should have an Abruzzese twist). The prize is a guided tour for you and 4 guests to the bears' country, the incomparable splendor of the park just 1.5 hours from Rome. The winner will be announced on September 22nd.
Delicious! Abruzzo's Foodie Trail: share a piece on interpreting the theme "Delicious! Abruzzo's Foodie Trail" (if you don't have you own blog you can submit your work and Abruzzo Blogger Community will host it). If your piece is selected, you'll receive free membership to the Abruzzo Blogger Community. The winner will be announced on July 31st. |
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