Archive for July, 2012

Discovering Calitri

Wednesday, July 25th, 2012

View of Calitri and castleAfter having lived abroad for many years and travelled widely we came upon this little village in the hills not far from Avellino, in the Campania region of Italy. It was a bit like discovering a Tuscan or Gascon village in the 1950s or 60s, for this was authentic Italy untouched by tourists or mass development.

We fell in love with Calitri, with the Italians, their countryside, culture and food. Oh, the food, even the simplest salad or pasta, when made from local ingredients bought in the Calitri market, is a true delight – and when you can enjoy it with the French doors open and letting in the sights and sounds of the countryside, then you’ve got your touch of Mediterranean idyll right there. (more…)

Stephen Lloyd Morgan, Voice of the Valleys

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Stephen Lloyd-Morgan album coverPopular international tenor Stephen Lloyd-Morgan releases albums to aid Spanish and Welsh cancer charities

From the Welsh valleys comes a sound that has nothing at all to do with the corporate mechanisations of the music industry. Here music is not just a business but a way of life – originally a way of expressing faith and later a vital part in the everyday existence of close-knit mining communities. From their ranks sprang forth a choral tradition that not only remains as strong as ever, but continues to be built on the most emotive of all instruments: the voice. (more…)