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Last posts

Barcelona: City of ham

Nancy Guzman Barcelonian, Food and Drink in Barcelona, Only-Be

If there is a flavor that can remind you to visit Barcelona it is the flavor of ham. This preparation of pork leg so characteristic of the Iberian Peninsula is served in most restaurants and is part of several culinary preparations typical of the area. The ham is obtained by curing with salt pork leg and is usually done at high altitudes, where the air and low temperatures help the drying process. Pigs can be of different races, but the finest are the Iberian. The Iberian pig is fed with acorns, which give a special flavor to their meat and as a consequence to the ham. Its level of fat is something that makes it unique in the world. Do not confuse the pata negra ham with the famous Iberian ham, since pata negra is a type of ham that doesn’t describe the original race of the pig used. The famous Serrano ham doesn´t describe it either, as that is just the name given to a type of cut. The flavor and consistency of Iberian ham depends on four factors: the breed of pig, the breeding process, since the pig must walk in the mountains to have the proper musculature; wild food that will give the flavor and fat infiltration proper feeding and because the fat acorns makes curing occurs is distributed more evenly in the muscle fibers. To test the quality of the real ham we recommend the restaurant Cinco Jotas Las Arenas de Barcelona. It is a place with style and culinary where the specialty is ham. Among the activities that take place here is the Jam Hour, in... read more

To Rome with Love. Rome seen through the eyes of Woody Allen

Mónica Boixeda Only-Be, Roman

To Rome with Love, Woody Allen´s latest film, has perhaps not received many positive reviews, but thanks to it the lights focusing on Rome have been switched on once again. Actually, many have defined it as a campaign to promote tourism rather than a work of a film great. However, nobody can deny that the beauty of the Eternal City, no matter how advertised it was in the film, still takes one´s breath away. One of the bitterest reviews has come from one of the main Italian film personalities, Carlo Verdone. The Roman actor and director didn´t like Allen´s representation of Rome too much. According to him, the portrayal of the city does not correspond exactly with reality. His remarks do not refer to the beauty of Rome, which is a given, but to the everyday life of the city. “It´s a Rome seen through the eyes of the Americans, who when they come here they expect to find it just like that: pleasant people, a bit coarse, monuments and good food… Rome in fact is a city with many problems […]”, referring to the city chaos in all of its aspects: double and triple-line parking, loud noises, public and historical places not cared for enough, etc. Perhaps its charm also derives from its untidiness and carelessness, or perhaps he´s looking for an excuse to not see the real problem (which, as an Italian citizen, I know that it exists). However, I´m not here to bore you with a socio-cultural analysis of Rome or a tedious review of To Rome with Love, don´t worry. I´ll talk about the beauty... read more

The Sitges Festival. Tradition, culture and entertainment

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian, Only-Be

It will come as no surprise to you that July and August are the two months of the year that Spain registers the highest amount of international visitors. The climate, the beaches (or mountains), the gastronomy, the broad frenetic nightlife that´s open to all tastes are just some of the reasons that attract tourists to this country. Also, it coincides that this season comes full of local activities and parties for all those who want to get to know the culture and traditions of the Iberian Peninsula. Catalonia is one of the Spanish regions where, according to the website of the Generalitat, the Catalan government, “there´s practically no town (Catalan) -no matter how small- that doesn´t dedicate a few days to celebrate its festival”. And it´s exactly a Catalan festival that I´m going to talk about today: the Sitges Festival. It´s one of the events that´s worth enjoying if you´re in Catalonia during the month of August. The Sitges Festival represents one of the most important events in this seaside town. It´s an event that gathers a large part of its population in the main squares in the old town, which also appeals to a large amount of visitors every year, increasing its notoriety further than the local limits. In fact, it´s a traditional party of declared national interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya (the Catalan government), and this says a lot about what it´s about today in terms of culture in the region. From the 21st until the 27th of August, the streets of this beautiful little town located some 22 miles from Barcelona will dress up to celebrate the... read more