Definitionarium of Our Italian Adventure

As we share stories of food, fast cars, friends, and adventures in Italy, I thought I’d make it a little easier to keep a few things straight. I present you with our glossary slash dictionary slash directory slash collection slash schedule of Italy 2012, twoOregonians style:

Bologna bo·lo·gna [buh-LOHN-yuh]
The capital city of the Emilia-Romagna region and central transportation hub in Northern Italy. Known for its fine foods, university culture, miles of covered sidewalks (porticoes), and plentiful public squares, cathedrals, and cultural performances. Also, sister city to Portland, Oregon, USA. (Yes, related to bo·lo·gna [buh-LOH-nee]; as in, the sandwich meat. More on that later.) We lived in a downtown apartment in Bologna from April 27th-May 14th. (Note: we departed before the May 20th earthquake, but our thoughts and prayers go out to our Italian friends and the beautiful cities of Emilia-Romgana affected by the natural disaster. We’re grateful to report that our Blogville companions are safe and sound.)

Blogville blog·ville from “blog” (a weblog of stories) and “-ville” (a combining form extracted from place names ending in -ville, used in the coinage of informal nonce words, usually pejorative, that characterize a place, person, group, or situation)
A social media project run by the Emilia-Romagna Tourism Board whereby traveling writers from around the world are given lodging in a centrally located apartment and introduced to highlights and hidden treasures of the region.

Emilia-Romagna E·mi·lia-Ro·ma·gna [e-MEE-lyah raw-MAH-nyah]
The region of northern Italy between the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Apennine Mountains to the west, Florence and Rome to the south, and Venice and Milan to the north. Sister to other well known Italian regions including Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. Emilia-Romgana is known for fine traditional foods, beautiful UNESCO Heritage Sites, art and music history, artisan handicrafts, incredible sport cars, and beautiful mountain, coastal, and agricultural landscapes.

#shrimpface (or really, #anythingface)
During our stay at Blogville, Ted went a little overboard on fried mini shrimp in Comacchio. Caught on film mid bite, his expression of joy was dubbed and hashtagged #shrimpface…and the #face nickname was soon affixed at every opportunity on Blogville adventures (#coffeeface, #cheeseface, #wineface, etc.)

Slow Food slow·food [sloh-food]
A modern movement, founded by Carlos Petrini in Italy in 1986, based on traditional values of ethical agriculture, land management, food production, food preparation, and food enjoyment in a context of heritage and community. The mindset inspires us at home when we’re living, food-swapping, and sourcing local goodness in Portland, Oregon, and it keeps us curious as we travel and seek out regional food stories, flavors, and traditions across cultures.

Lamborghini lam·bor·ghi·ni [lam-bor-GEE-nee]
The famed Italian extreme sport car manufacturer that blew our socks off during a three day fairytale during the mid-May 2012 Driving Academy in Emilia-Romagna. Food, fast cars, and new friends made for Italian Adventure at its finest.

The Land the·land [the-land] (Did I mention I like land?)
Soil and water, plants and animals, geography and geology shaping the life of its people; the literal and figurative characteristics supporting the characters of a place. (Note: I’m a landscape architect. I love land. I nerd out about it a little bit, actually. Bear with me on this. It probably won’t change.)

Lombardy Lom·bard·y [LOM-ber-dee]
A region of Northern Italy sitting just above Emilia-Romagna. Capital city: Milan.

TBU Travel·Bloggers·Unite
A conference for writers and travelers held this spring in Assisi, Italy. We caught up with friends and met many more along the way.

Umbria Um·bri·a [UHM-bree-uh; It. OOM-bree-ah]
A region of Central Italy to the South of Emilia-Romagna. An area of farmlands and quiet, beautiful cities full of history and character, hospitable people, and Italian charm that we explored during our April 19th-April 26th stay to attend TBU.

Veneto Ven·e·to [VEN-eh-to]
A region of Northern Italy sitting just above Emilia-Romagna, home of famed Verona and Venice.

Walks of Italy Walks·of·Italy [@walksofitaly]
A private tour company founded by Jason Spiehler, a guide who received rave reviews from Rick Steves and the New York Times for his solo operation in Rome in the early 2000s. Since then, he’s surround himself with other top-notch guides, and his company now crafts exceptional experiences to share with visitors the very best that Italy offers. Walks of Italy invited us to work with them on reviewing current and soon-to-be-launched itineraries during our time in Umbria, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, and the Veneto.

There you have it! A handy reference guide for deciphering our Italy posts and tweets.
You guys are great sports. Hope you’re enjoying reading along…

xo,
B&T

This post is part of a series from Emilia-Romagna: A region of Northern Italy ripe for exploration. Artisan Local Foods (tortellini, lasagne, pancetta, traditional balsamic vinegar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to name a few!), Historical Cities (Modena, Ferrara, Bologna, Rimini, and more), and Beautiful Natural Areas (the Po River Delta, the Apennine Mountains, and the green, green farmland in between). Photos and story snippets are flying on Twitter under the #blogville hashtag. Feel free to jump into the conversation to share insights on enjoying the best of Northern Italy.