Humans have a predisposition to experience a drop in alertness and vigilance around midday, between six and eight hours after waking up. In fact, the word siesta comes from the Latin sexta, which in Ancient Rome referred to the sixth hour of the day from dawn; a time reserved for rest and relaxation. There are many markers we measure in the laboratory which indicate that this period is present, even without having eaten lunch, he states.
Can architecture be built from food? Between the fire that warms, the smells that spread, and the bodies that gather around the table, the apparent banality of cooking and eating reveals itself as a choreographed dance of spatial appropriation and belonging. These gestures organize routines, produce bonds, and transform the built environment into lived place. The kitchen- domestic, communal, or urban -thus ceases to be merely a functional space and affirms itself as a territory of encounter.
International Living published its list of the best places to retire for as little as $1,200 a month. The publication considered both quantitative data, such as rent prices, utility costs, and grocery bills, and insights from its global network of contributors to compile a list of 14 places spanning Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
On my last trip, in Bologna, I found yet another way to enjoy Italian coffee (beyond ordering a doppio). One memorable café topped its coffees with fruit powder-infused whipped cream. They were listed under a section on the menu appropriately named "caffe della gioia" (yes, "joy coffee"). These joyful mugs are topped with a generous mountain of whipped cream that can be folded with fruit- or nut powders, like pomegranate, pistachio, orange, wild berries, and aniseed.
The act of scooping up leftover sauce, oil, or butter from your dish with bread is so ingrained into Italian culture that there's actually a name for it: Fare la scarpetta, which translates to 'make the little shoe.' The bread, which is dragged around the plate to collect every last bit of flavor, is a cherished part of the dining experience in Italy.
Historically speaking, an osteria was a spartan, no-frills establishment where people would go to have a drink. The original osterias date all the way back to the Roman Empire. If you go to Ostia Antica or Pompeii, you find the osterias of the era. They were like bed-and-breakfasts, with rooms for rent above the dining room where people could listen to music.
In France, eating solo is deeply frowned upon. A recent poll found that, while just 12% of French workers over the age of 49 regularly lunched alone, the number shot up to 29% for workers under 25. A 25-year-old worker in the French paper Les Echos described mandatory dining with colleagues as patriarchal, and after she started eating alone, was fired for failing to integrate with her team.
It's hard to name the best cities in Europe-there are so many great bustling hubs (not to mention charming small towns) spread across a relatively small continent, making it more a question of what you're looking for. Sure, some travelers just beeline to the best-known landmarks, eager for the chance to cross Rome's Colosseum or Paris's Eiffel Tower off their list. But we're in favor of taking a step back and asking yourself what you're most interested in.
