Living Villa Cappelli

By Paul Cappelli & Steven Crutchfield, discussing all things Italian: food, cu

Direct from Italy! Follow the adventures of two Americans running a villa in Puglia, Italy, and learn all about Italian the culture, people, food and fun. Every week, we’ll share our lives with you ... more

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FAQs about Living Villa Cappelli:

How many episodes does Living Villa Cappelli have?

The podcast currently has 67 episodes available.

Living Villa Cappelli episodes:

January 08, 2016026: Hot Sauces & Italian Healthcare
Love spicy food? Want to know what the health care system in Italy is like? In this, the first of a two part interview, we discuss both topics with Joe and Andrea Lathe-Vitale. These two are making the big move to Italy as well as making their own line of hot sauces. Finally, near the end of the podcast, we get into how the healthcare is here in Italy compared to the U.S.
Click here for 5 fun & delicious places to add spice.
Topics we cover:
How Andrea and Joe are planning on moving to Italy
Our common love for hot sauces
How they name their products after their cats
You'll find their products at Fancy Cat Sauce Co.
Joe's favorite pepper
Finding the right mix of flavor and heat when it comes to hot sauces
Joe and Andrea's visit to the mill
The ibuprofen properties of extra virgin olive oil
Where I first learned about it in Extra Virginity
Why Steven doesn't fear fat (and how he lost 30 lbs. — Be sure to check out Vinnie Tortorich and Anna Vocino's podcast for more info and Vinnie's best-selling book)
Did some kid really die from eating a Carolina Reaper? We couldn't find this to be true, but if you know about it, let us know.
Joe and Andree's decision to move to Italy
L'arte di arrangiarsi "the art of getting by" v. America which is all about "the art of getting ahead."
How we believe the health care in Italy contributes to l'arte di arrangiarsi. (Here's an article talking about Italy being ranked the 2nd Healthiest Country in the World)
What the doctors' offices are here like in Italy
How Italian doctors make house calls
How the casual, friendly nature of doctors in Italy actually makes them feel less profession to Americans
The cost of prescriptions in Italy
Below is the video Steven was talking about where John discusses the reasons why the U.S. spend so much more on health care than any other country in the world. The term Steven couldn't think of is inelastic demand.
...more
31min
December 24, 2015025: Christmas in Italy
What's Christmas like in Italy? Well, some traditions are the same and some are very different. We'll take through our experience with this amazing season in Italy.
Topics we cover
Paul's memories of his family drinking Manhattans in Boston
The Italians start celebrating the season on Saint Nicolas day in early December
The fact that Saint Nicolas is actually buried here in Bari
How the kids get gifts on Saint Nicolas day, Christmas day and on the Epiphany
How kids put their shoes out during Saint Nicolas day to get presents
How everyone makes their own homemade nativity scene every year with bark, moss, twigs and more
A moving nativity in Terlizzi that as 40 moving parts that move 1000 pieces
Steven's childhood memory of a children's book that explained how he got into home that didn't have fireplaces. We are still looking for the name of this book, but this one does mention fairies traveling with Santa to help him get into homes: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
How old Steven was when he stopped believing and what kept Steven believing for a long time
The tradition of the Bafana for the Epiphany. She is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to St Nicholas or Santa Claus, also delivering a a lump of coal if they are bad. A popular belief is that her name derives from the Feast of Epiphany or in Italian La Festa dell'Epifania. Epiphania. In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany to fill their stockings with candy and presents if they are good. Or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children's houses through the chimney (again, like another guy we know).
Why we believe we have the song The Twelve Days of Christmas
How the wise mean were zoroastrians
The traditional Panatone (here's an image and recipe if you feel so inclined, we have NOT tried this recipe, you'll understand why from the episode)
Vincotto (or dried fig molasses)
Calzoncelli cookies, Cartellate and Susamielli
Feast of the Seven Fishes
How the Bari area likes raw fish more
The eel the locals eat here on Christmas Eve
Paul's memory of his Aunt cleaning eels in Boston
Paul believes most people don't take down their Christmas decorations until after the Epiphany in America, Steven thinks they come down as soon as December 25th is over. What do you think?
How you can leave us voice mail (check out the banner to the right)
Any traditions we missed? What does your family do to celebrate? Let us know.

Some pictures of Christmas from years past in Italy and the Villa.
Cartellate Cookies with Vincotto
The wine cellar decorated for a Christmas party at Villa Cappelli.
A close up of a homemade nativity.
Some nativity actors.
Orso looking out at the snow at Villa Cappelli.
Wreaths caught in the snow storm of 2014.
Calzoncelli, one of Paul's favorites.
...more
33min
December 16, 2015024: Thanksgiving Italian Style — turkey in a brick oven and NO pasta!
How do they celebrate Thanksgiving in Italy? Well, they don't. But WE do! So we invited a bunch of friends and family to join us for an American Thanksgiving here at Villa Cappelli. They were all terrified to come as there was no pasta on the menu, but....
Topics we cover
Paul's new favorite drink for winter, a Manhattan
Why we say the "locusts have descended" when the Italians come to eat Thanksgiving here
How the turkey here in Italy broke our first oven
A telemarketer calls, and we reveal our experience with them in Italy
Just how big the turkeys are here in Italy
Why Paul prefers I call our pizza oven a brick oven
How the turkey cooks in the pizza...oops, brick oven
Paul vents a little about his mother, like all Italian sons who love their mother
The range of people we had this year
How the Italians were afraid to come as there was no pasta on the menu
How we arranged the buffet using makeshift heating trays
Our challenge with cranberry sauce and how we made it this year with dried cranberries. Here's the recipe we essentially followed. I didn't use any cranberry juice, just all water with a bit of lemon juice and orange zest.
Why the mash potatoes are so good to the Italians
Why some types of vegetables are so hard to find for us here in Puglia, Italy
Heirloom carrots grown locally here in shades of purple, yellow and orange
And why carrots are mostly orange today
Desserts, including a chocolate cream pie, apple pie, pecan (or any nut) bars and brownies
We finished the meal with our Limoncello and Nocino
The destination wedding we had at the villa the week before
How the couple we know is from our reality show The Pitch.
How the flourist suggested the perfect spot for the wedding
Our latest product which makes a great gift: Red Wine Sea Salt
...more
28min
November 06, 2015023: Italy has the world's best sandwich topper (and it's not ketchup!)
Not ketchup. Not mayo. Not even mustard. We think the world's best sandwich and hamburger topper is our Red Onion Jam (Cipolon'). After a few shout outs to some fans, we tell you just what goes into making this amazing product and what else you can do with it.
Topics we cover:
Some help from our fans:
Susan W. who let me know the last couple of podcasts were in mono. Sorry guys!
Michele who had his own story the Italian last name Esposito and from Episode 005: Italian names: nicknames, family names, married names and more, and a correction about the coastline of Rhode Island from Episode 18: Why southern Italy is better than northern Italy.
Paul's mother living with us now and the one tool that helps us a ton at the villa. Check it out here.
How we added 700 sq meters to the villa (7534 sq. feet)
Red Tropea Onions — what they are and where the come from
Why British and French Red Onion Jam
It does sound strange, but why it's so good
Our questions about what the difference is between jams, conserves, preserves and marmalades. If you know the official answer, let us know at [email protected]
What we make our fruit conserves with
Why Paul hates to see fruit on a tree that is not going to be picked
Paul's idea for a new product line. What do you think? Let us know.
The ingredients in our red onion jam (also known as Cipolon')
How to use the red tropea onion jam
On a sharp piece of cheese (the salty sweet combination is amazing)
On a piece of bread with lardo
On a piece of salami
As the world's best sandwich or hamburger topper
On a nice piece of steak
In place of onions or caramelized onions to your sauces and other dishes
How it lasts a long time in the fridge after opening
Why Paul believes it's one of our most flavorful products, while I believe the Bell Pepper is
...more
32min
October 18, 2015022: How to tell if your extra virgin olive oil is really extra virgin
After a short catch up on life at the villa, including a couple of culinary tours and our harvest of peppers, you'll learn about our PLUS method (Price. Label. Understanding. Source) which you can use to help ensure the extra virgin olive oil you are buying is truly extra virgin olive oil.
Topics we cover:
Why you should always back up your hard drive with an external drive like this one or a cloud based system
Our two culinary tours and one bike tour we just had
The first culinary tour with chefs Michael Howell and Michael Blackie
Canada's premiere food film festival Devour!
Michael Blackie's restaurant Next
The fun with have with HETravel tours at Villa Cappelli
Some of our favorite restaurants in the area, including Grotta Palazzese and Antichi Sapori
Why most Italian restaurants don't like serving kids
Why it's hard for Italian restaurants here in Italy, from the number of seatings to alcohol consumption
Why you shouldn't order off the menu in an Italian restaurant
Paul's long lost cousins from California that recently visited us
Our Facebook group, Terlizzi USA
Our shipment we're preparing for the US
Paul and his peppers, from Habaneros to the hottest pepper in the world, the Carolina Reaper
Why we called our spicy products, KTM, Kit a Mut or Curse the Dead
The Scoville Scale for rating peppers and what it means, which essential the Smithsonian Magazine explains better than me: The idea was to dilute an alcohol-based extract made with the given pepper until it no longer tasted hot to a group of taste testers. The degree of dilution translates to the SHU. In other words, according to the Scoville scale, you would need as many as 5,000 cups of water to dilute 1 cup of tobacco sauce enough to no longer taste the heat. Some of the health benefits of peppers, including lowering blood pressure, thinning blood and helping HEAL ulcers
Some of our other conserves like our Plum Conserves
A video series on Italian television about the fraud in the olive oil industry
Why the politicians are one of the biggest problems, including laws that confiscated oil has to be proven bad within three days time and customs officials are held personally responsible for any losses a company may experience if the company fights the charges brought against them
The economics of extra virgin olive oil and how it's impossible to sell extra virgin olive oil for as little amount of money that big companies do
Our PLUS method to insure you what are buying is truly extra virgin olive oil
Price. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Label. Look for seals like DOP and the origin of olives.
Understanding. Know that terms like "light" and "pure" olive oil are just marketing terms.
Source. Know where your extra virgin olive oil comes from. Trust a farm, not a factory.
Why you shouldn't be fooled by green oil
...more
35min
October 01, 2015021: If you love seafood and beaches, you’ll love Puglia, Italy
The second part of our Puglia coast series where you’ll learn all about the southern coastal towns of Puglia, including Bisceglia, Molfetta, Giovinazzo, Poliganano A Mare, and Monopoli, Otranto, Leuca, Gollipoli, Porto Selvaggio and one of the world’s most amazing places to take a swim. So put bring your appetites and bathing suits, and join us on this tour of the Puglia coast.
Topics we cover:
Bisceglia fish market
Why fish from the Adriatic tastes better than fish from the Mediterranean
Bisceglia’s old town
The restaurant we found in Bisceglia who’s family has been has been running the same restaurant for 150 years
Their amazing Braciola/Involtini made with horse meat
The port and town of Molfetta
The fishing port and market of Molfetta
The connection of Molfetta and Hoboken
The great shopping centers in Molfetta
The charming seaside town of Giovinazzo
Why the streets are so narrow and winding in Giovinazzo
Polignano a Mare, a amazing town which juts out into the sea
Grotta Palazzese, which is listed as one of the top ten restaurants in the world with a view
The cliff diving in Polignano A Mare
How Polignano A Mare is the home town of Domenico Modugno, who sang Volare
The connection to the statue of in Polignano A Mare and Villa Cappelli
A little about Monopoli
The amazing cathedral at Otranto with a mosaic floor designed all by one monk and alter made with the bones of martyrs
The different kind of beaches in Puglia, rock versus sand
Leuca where the two seas meet, the Mediterranean and Adriatic
Gollipoli with it’s amazing beaches
How Gollipoli is becoming a huge European gay destination
Porto Selvaggio and it’s amazing beach, definitely worth a visit
Porto Cesareo and our impression of it
Just a bit on Taranto and its archeological museum
A swimming hole in Puglia always listed as amazing places to take a swim in the world: Grotta della Poesia, Roca Vecchia, Italy, which is also an important archaeological site.
Some of the products we’re producing right now, including our Plum Conserve and Fig Conserve
The swimming cove at Porto Selvaggio.
The tower view at Porto Selvaggio in Puglia, Italy.
The ancient olive trees found along the coast in southern Puglia.
...more
28min
September 24, 2015020: Why the coast of Puglia, Italy, is the best
In the first part of a two part podcast, you’ll learn all about the northern coastal towns of Puglia and why they are some of the best in the world, including Peschici, Vieste, Margherita di Savoia, Barletta, and Trani. So put on your sunscreen and join us for amazing ports, beaches, seafood and more.
Topics we cover
Our impression of Peschici and Vieste in the Gargano
Why the drives are worth the visit to these towns
Why Monte Sant’Angelo is one of the two most important religious sites dedicated to the archangel Michael
And what makes Monte Sant’Angelo’s archangel appearances are so special
The beautiful drive around Margherita di Savoia
The fact that our sea salts come from the flats of Margherita di Savoia, in three varieties:
Sea Salt
Lemon Sea Salt
Italian Herb Sea Salt
Where we got the name Erbe di Puglia
Barletta and it’s giant legend, no, really a legend about a giant and the statue in Barletta
Trani a cute port town in Puglia [link]
The funny thing about Trani weddings
How it’s tourist friendly without being touristy
The boat at Trani we hope guests rent at some point, which includes sailing, fishing, grilled fish and karaoke
A culinary tour that is staying with us now lead by Michael Howell
His food film festival in Canada called Devour!
Why we love the cathedral so much in Trani
What famous person’s bones you can find in the Trani cathedral (Hint: he comes around every Christmas, and it’s not Jesus)
Trani’s Jewish Ghetto
...more
27min
September 14, 2015019: Are Italian weddings the best in the world?
Learn all about the spectacle of an Italian wedding. From tons of Italian food, to music and dancing, to some interesting traditions, a wedding in Italy is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Find out all about them in this podcast.
Topics you’ll hear about:
Anna Vocino, who does our voice over intro
A little about the nearby town of Bitonto
The funny thing the priest said at the end of a ceremony we just went to
What the wedding spaces are like here
Who gets more drunk at weddings, Italians or Americans
Why there are so many babies at Italian weddings
Where Italians leave their sleeping babies
The food at an Italian wedding and the crazy amount of it
The Italian wedding we went to years ago that had almost twice as much food
What ballerinas have to do with the wedding cake at this wedding
What they put out at the dessert tables (not just dessert)
How “gifts” work at Italian weddings
How there are no bridesmaids or groomsmen at Italian weddings
How the bride and groom sit alone at an Italian wedding
An extreme wedding tradition in Andria, Italy
Dancing traditions at Italian weddings
Why they all like the YMCA song
The special moment at the cutting of the wedding cake that Paul loved
How the event space impressed Steven
Click here to see us on the reality TV show, The Pitch
...more
26min
September 03, 2015018: Why southern Italy is better than northern Italy
Learn some of the advantages southern Italy has over the northern sections. While most people have visited the northern cities like Rome, Pisa, and Milan, they might not realize what they are missing in the south. Paul and Steven discuss a blog post about this and whether they agree with every point.
Topics covered:
Paul’s Uncle Guy listening to boxer Nino Binvinito on the radio
We discuss why southern Italy is better than northern Italy according to this blog post
Why the “economic crisis” of the south is good news for any travelers coming to Puglia
Why Paul thinks the “economic crisis” isn’t much of a crisis
That the beaches in the south are better than the north
It’s hard to find a lot of sandy beaches, but the beaches are spectacular
This mind-blowing fact: Even though it is the smaller island, Sardinia's jagged coastline (1849km) is almost twice as long as Sicily's (1000km).
Which mainland state in the U.S. Paul thought had the longest coastline, that being Rhode Island. This is actually incorrect, and from I can see, it actually has the most coastline per square mile of land.
Why we do think the food in the south is better than the north
Why some people in the south don’t eat a lot of meat
Why we don’t necessarily agree that the people in the south are friendlier than those in the north
People complaining about the attitude of Romans
Green energy in southern Italy
The air “pollution” at Villa Cappelli (jasmine, olive oil and grapes)
The passeggiata (evening stroll) tradition in southern Italy
How Italians dress up to leave the house
How Italian men are very metrosexual and carry man purses (murses)
Why the cargo short trend really should be over, even this BuzzFeed article agrees
The il riposo (the afternoon nap) or control'ora
The reasons for the nap in the afternoon
Southern Italians living longer than northern Italians
How the shops shut down from 1 to 4 every day and why you should plan for this when traveling
...more
26min
August 16, 2015017: An Italian feast you have to see (or hear) to believe
Learn all about the feast of the Madonna of Sovereto in Terlizzi and Sovereto in Puglia, Italy. From carts several stories tall to shepherd boys, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the celebration. So pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the festivities!
Topics we cover:
The change in Italian clothing in August
The difference between a feast and a festival
The story of the Madonna of Sovereto
The Knights Templars’ frescos in Sovereto
What is a “black Madonna”
How oxen played an important part in determining where the Madonna now lives
Why the bloody ox still has a prominent place in the feast
The difference between a triumphal cart and a float
The construction of this massive (5 story tall) cart for the festival
How the cart is manually pushed through the town by a group of men
Why throwing candy at the kids in the cart isn’t such a nice thing
Why they have to put gravel down on one corner
How the cart is steered through the town
The meat of the feast
A special delicacy everyone eats during the feast
The other part of the ceremony that takes place on April 23
Why the Madonna is also known as the Madonna of the Water
Why Steven likes this part of the feast as it’s one giant block party for the whole town of Terlizzi
How people refer to their apartments as houses and their stand-alone houses as villas
The World War II frescos that were the highlight of this year’s feast for us
Popeye, Oliveoil and more that were on the frescos
Click here to join the fun in our Facebook group: Italian Food & Travel, Tips and Tricks

Photos of the festival
A special thanks to Maria Pansini. All the black and white photos are hers.
The cart coming down the street.
The Madonna making her way to the cart.
The shepherd who leads the procession.
Getting ready.
Chaos in the streets.
The honor guard steering the cart.
The cart entering the square.
The oxen.
Pushing the cart.
The other part of the festival in April that is one giant block party.
The World War II frescos we saw.
Oliveoil. So fitting to be found in Puglia.
The names on the wall. Anyone know anyone here?
...more
39min

FAQs about Living Villa Cappelli:

How many episodes does Living Villa Cappelli have?

The podcast currently has 67 episodes available.