Happy Holidays!

We are thinking of you all this holiday season, looking back on the fantastic time we shared with you in Italy. We are so thankful to have enthusiastic, kind, and fun-loving people like you to share Italy with.

We wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy holiday season, and a peaceful 2026!

Micol and Dino

P.S. For a sweet treat this holiday season, try the recipe below for a Marsala-laced  dried fruit compote over Mascarpone: it's easy to make and a real showstopper for the holiday table! 

Liguria Animations by Dino

Get ready for an artistic adventure featuring the iconic landscapes of Liguria. Dino created short animations that bring to life paintings by Ligurian artist Alberto Perini for an art exhibit called "Viaggi Leggeri" ("Light Travels") that ran in September 2025 in the Ligurian town of Camogli. Follow the adventures of a vintage orange FIAT 500 flying over Liguria, witness the sea go from serene to angry, watch as the images of the seaside town transform into brilliant, sometimes surrealistic animations set to original music crafted by Dino.  Click here  to play the videos and enjoy the chromatic choreography! (switch the language to ENGLISH at the very top of the page)  

Marsala-Poached Dried Fruit over Mascarpone Mousse

My favorite dessert when I was little was prunes poached in water with a touch of lemon zest; my mom made this once in a while, especially when I wasn’t feeling well, and I loved the tender texture and stickiness of the prunes. This recipe is a grown-up variation of that simple treat. An assortment of dried fruit (any will do, but prunes must be part of the mix as far as I am concerned!) is poached in Marsala with lemon zest and cinnamon, then spooned over a heavenly combination of Mascarpone, whipped cream, and Marsala, topped off with the reduced wine poaching liquid. The whole is truly more than the sum of its parts.

If you don't have sweet Marsala on hand, swap in dry Marsala or Port; please don't use cooking Marsala, which is of inferior quality and usually contains salt and other preservatives (like other cooking wines do).

Serves 6

1. Make the fruit: Place the Marsala, cinnamon stick, lemon zest, sugar, and water in a 4-quart (4-liter) pot. It is preferable to use a wide and shallow pan for this to allow all of the fruit to be covered with liquid as it poaches, as well as to promote quicker evaporation when later reducing the liquid to a glazing consistency. The liquid should just barely cover the fruit; add more water if needed.
2. Add the dried fruit, almonds, and pine nuts. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook 15-20 minutes over medium heat, or until the dried fruit is soft and swollen but not mushy, stirring once in a while to prevent sticking. Make sure the cinnamon stick is well submerged in the liquid so it exudes maximum flavor.
3. Remove the poached fruit to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon. Reduce the poaching liquid over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until thick and syrupy, watching that it does not caramelize or burn; watch the temperature at this point to scorching. The liquid should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Pour the reduced syrup over the poached fruit in bowl, discarding the cinnamon stick. The fruit can be held at room temperature, covered, for up to 12 hours, or refrigerated for up to 3 days and returned to room temperature before serving. It needs to be at room temperature when it is spooned over the Mascarpone mousse or the mousse will melt and deflate.
5. Make the Mascarpone mousse: Beat the cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.
6. In another bowl, stir the Mascarpone with the sugar and Marsala until smooth and no longer granular.
7. Gently fold the whipped cream into the Mascarpone mixture, being careful not to deflate it. This can be done up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated.
8. Spoon the Mascarpone mousse into 6 goblets. Top with the cooled poached fruit and its syrup, and serve immediately.