“And the Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
Rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.” 
― Percy Bysshe Shelley

Spring is almost here and the promise of renewal, new growth, and a fresh perspective blissfully come with it. There’s joy in the softness of the warmer weather and sweet smell of the air. Trees are erupting with young growth and flowers break through the hardened ground of winter. You can almost hear the song of birds in musical harmony.  

The season of change gives us the opportunity for something fresh. Our Primavera collection is just that. It’s classic spring in a symphony of soft pastels and playful patterns. This handmade Italian dinnerware is the perfect guest at your spring table.

In the beautiful setting above, we’ve complemented our Primavera pieces with several of our soft and sophisticated accessories. We love the idea of layering to bring both depth and drama to a setting, and even with a serene and muted palate it works.

The addition of texture with Biancheria linens balances the subtle tone of the table. We’ve chosen a neutral selection in ivory and pale beiges so the dinnerware doesn’t contrast too harshly. This allows us to top it off with a pop of natural color in the yellow Paperwhite Narcissus planted in our Intrecci Cachepots. These handmade ceramics are woven to mimic traditional baskets, perfect for spring.

With the new season comes the promise of fresh fruits and vegetables. We enjoy serving up colorful carrots straight from the garden. Below we offer a quick and easy way to prepare the bounty of your own garden, or what you might pick from the local farmer’s market. Get your veggie on and get dinner cooking.

RECIPES



Roasted Spring Carrots

In this photo, we’ve used a mix of thinner carrots in a variety of colors. Feel free to use what you have access to. So if simple orange carrots from the grocery store are all you have, that works perfectly.

• 8-10 carrots (feel free to use more based on number of servings needed)
• 2-3 tablespoons of good virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of coarse kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• Fresh dill sprigs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If your carrots are on the thinner side, you can keep them whole or cut them down the middle. If you’re using thicker carrots, you can quarter them into long strips. Note that carrots shrink when you cook them, so ensure they aren’t too thin or you may overcook them.

Lay the carrots across a cookie sheet and cover with the olive oil. Add the salt and pepper and then use your hands to toss ensuring full coverage. After you toss them, lay the carrots across the sheet in a single layer.

Cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on the texture you like -- testing for softness or the level of al dente you prefer. You should see the carrots slightly caramelizing, which enhances the sweetness of the dish.

Plate the carrots on our Primavera Oval Platter and sprinkle with a little chopped dill or dill sprigs and serve.

Smoked Salmon with Capers

This isn’t a recipe as much as a set of instructions. If you’ve ever had a wonderful smoked salmon appetizer at a restaurant but weren’t sure how to serve it at home, it’s incredibly easy. Smoked salmon brings decadence to any Sunday brunch or spring dinner.

• 1 package smoked salmon
• Capers, drained
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• A few radishes, thinly sliced

If you’ve never purchased smoked salmon before, ask your local market for help in deciding what’s best. You can get great quality options of Scottish, Pacific, and Nova Scotia versions at most grocery stores.  Depending on how many people you’re entertaining, you may need to purchase two packages. What you’re looking for is a clean, silky, buttery taste.

Tear the salmon slices into 2-3 inch pieces and lay out on a nice platter. Sprinkle the salmon with capers, as many as you like, sliced red onions, radishes, and lemon.  

Serve your salmon platter with your best crusty loaf of bread and watch it disappear.

Looking to accent your table? 

Flatware can add a bold pop of color or compliment a neutral place setting. All Modigliani flatware collections pull inspiration directly from places all around Italy. From traditional elegance to bright and bold, Modigliani stainless flatware features styles everyone will love. Get inspired!

Learn the stories and the rich history behind each of our collections!

The artisans of Modigliani have repeatedly been inspired by the tremendous architecture of Italy which has translated into the ceramic dinnerware and accessories they create. We are thrilled with their latest inspiration taken directly from the portichetto of Italy in their newest collection, Portichetto Blu.

In Italy, a portichetto is a long open yet covered walkway that connects to a building—where one side is attached to the building exterior itself, and the other side faces the open air revealing the view. In English, we refer to this architectural element as cloisters or arcades.  

Besides being a respite from disagreeable weather, portichetto are typically designed with repeating arches and columns, often integrating ornate patterns and embellishments that bring symmetry to the flow and frame the vista with artistic composition. The intention is to welcome you in, keep you close, and engage you with community.

Across Italy, you typically see these cloisters attached to churches, monasteries, museums, and as part of other public structures or venues. 

Some famous and recognizable examples include the very large Piazza San Marco in Venice. This mecca of tourism is surrounded by long stretches of portichetto providing protection to the thousands of shoppers and diners that walk its halls daily. The perfectly lined archways on the adjacent Doge Palace point skyward to a second story of walkways, making it a stunning example of how practicality and innovative design marry into enduring architectural form. The gentle patterns and scallops in our Portichetto Blu Oval Platter brilliantly mirror the harmony of the ceilings and flooring of the Doge portichetto, with repetitive soft arches and spiraled curvature. 

The repetition in the narrow cutouts and pattern of the Portichetto Blu Round Serving Bowl, Oval Bowl, Dinner Plate, and Mug offer a sharp parallelism to the progression and pointed arches of the Cathedral Monreale overlooking Palermo, Sicily. The clean lines pair magically with the subtle curves, just as our newest collection has achieved.

In Florence there are massive portichetto surrounding the long narrow courtyard which connects the two wings of the Uffizi Gallery, one of the most visited galleries in the world. Visitors line the walkways for a chance to walk the venues largest collection of Renaissance art and to stand where it has been said that the likes of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo once gathered for recreation, conversation, and for work. 

 We love this idea that these stunning structures were then, and still are, the center for coming together in community, collaboration, and discussion. And that’s exactly how we see our new collection. We hope that the inspiration of the many portichetto all across Italy elicits the same spirit of connection, conversation, community, and the sharing of new ideas and great food.

We’d love to hear what you think about our latest addition to the Modigliani family. Can you picture your table filled with these distinct pieces—vessels for your famous antipasti platter or a mound of cacio e pepe pasta and a hunk of warm and crusty bread? 

Check out the full collection here and get your family and friends to the table for some memorable connection time.

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• the zest and juice from 1 lemon
• the zest and juice from 1 orange
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste

One fish, two fish, red fish, fried fish. Well, if you’re in Camogli, it’s fried fish. And lots of it.

Camogli is a stunning seaside village in the Liguria region of Italy. The Camogli Fish Festival, or La Sagra del Pesce in Camogli, began during World War II as a dedication to St. Fortunato, the patron saint of fishermen. Each year on the second Sunday in May, in the Piazza Colombo near the marina, tourists and town folk alike flood the plaza for some of the tastiest fried fish delectables…and they’re free!

Besides the draw of free food, you won’t want to miss the center of attention – a giant frying pan that weighs 28 tons, is just over 13 feet in diameter, and has a handle, get this, of almost 20 feet long!

For the better part of the day, locals fry up over 30,000 dishes, which includes about 3 tons of fresh fish and about 800 gallons of oil. I wonder how they clean the pan once  their done?

A few days before the giant fish free-for-all, visitors gather to enjoy live music to ease into the weekend festivities. The next day, their marina is host to fresh markets and food stalls where visitors can sample all the fresh local produce and cuisine. Later in the evening you can play witness to a traditional religious procession followed by some spectacular fireworks displayed over the waterfront.

After all the sparks and flash are over, locals partake in another interesting tradition. Residents from two of the Camogli districts, Porto and Pinetto, engage in a bit of a competition. Large bonfires are ignited by a firewire that descends from a nearby church steeple, onto the beach where wooden and paper sculptures await, each year with a different theme. The day before, local residents fill these massive structures with items they want to get rid of, like old furniture, wood remnants, or anything else that will safely burn bright. No worries, the fire brigade is close at hand managing and maintaining with a regular dousing from a firehose.

The next day, Sunday, May 13^th this year, the fish festival officially kicks off with a blessing of the giant pan, and by noon the frying frenzy begins!

All of this fishy fabulousness has us thinking about summer getaways and beachside picnics.

As we finally get ready to shed the last of the cooler temperatures, we relish starting to plan the first big outdoor spread with family and friends. Putting some of our finest summer ceramic dinnerware at the center of our seaside table décor, we mix it up with items from our Mediterraneo, Panarea, and Porto Venere collections. Just because we’re dining al fresco is no reason not to make the event a special experience. Forgo the paper plates and plastic forks and incorporate a bit of beauty that ensures your guests feel as special as the moment.

How do you like to adorn your seaside table setting? Is it blankets and baskets or popup tables and a beautiful table setting? Is fried fish on the menu or do you have other traditions that conjure up ocean views and summer fun?

No matter how you spend your summer moments, we hope they are filled with the special people in your lives and, of course, good food and wine, and maybe a bit of Italian travel.

Buon appetito!

Camogil Image Credit: nevio doz

We hope you have enjoyed our fall and winter entertaining series. We know it’s a busy time for everyone and making it easier to entertain and spend time with friends and family is our goal.

Keeping it simple with quality, seasonal foods and floral elements layered with inviting and complementary dinnerware selections is our secret to success. 

As we head into this hectic time, I would like to share a segment from one of my favorite inspirational speakers, John O’Leary, speaking about what he learned during an attempt to get a multigenerational family photo:

“Love is a Verb.” As one parent ran to get a favorite toy for an upset child, another helped with a crying baby. As one cleaned up spit up, another brushed the hair of a child whose roughhousing disheveled it.

In love, there is no passivity, no sitting back, no waiting for others to jump in. Real love demands action. Love is the great motivator and compels continual forgiveness, persistent compassion and striving toward something even bigger than itself.

(“Love is a verb” is one of my favorite quotes from my recent Live Inspired podcast interview with Edie Varley. Edie shares her beautiful story of growing up one of 14 children – “life was a celebration!” She’s my personal coach, dear friend and you won’t want to miss her wisdom and energy)

2. Life requires adaptability. As more little ones came around their grandparents, everyone had to shuffle to make room and make sure everyone could be seen.

Most of us are creatures of habit and like things as they were. “The good ole days” isn’t just the beginning of a story our grandparents shared, but one now repeated by most of us! It’s critical to remember and celebrate that life is constantly in flux, otherwise we’re at risk to be driven toward protectionism and longing for a past that will never exist again.

3. Perfection is unattainable. The majority of Facebook posts and holiday cards are Photo-shopped or at least only THE BEST photo of hundreds taken before it. It also turns out when someone responds that everything is ‘just perfect’ in their work, finances, family and life: They likely aren’t telling the entire story.

From all of us at Modigliani, we wish you and your family a joyful holiday season, and we look forward to sharing and engaging more with you in the New Year.

Entertaining during the holidays doesn’t have to be complicated. Serving simple items and dishes that are plated and presented beautifully can give the appearance that a lot more effort was required.

Next in our winter series, let’s look at how to creatively dish out the snacks and sweets for your holiday guests.

What Italian feast doesn’t include a hunk of crusty, chewy bread or fresh breadsticks served with extra virgin olive oil for dipping?

While we like to keep it simple, we make it special by sourcing the best tasting freshly baked breads we can find and serving them warm with our favorite olive oil for special occasions. A little garnish of green is all you need to create a beautiful platter, or you can kick it up a notch with some dried fruits or fresh Mediterranean olives.

Dessert can be an excuse to entertain all on its own. You can start by inviting friends over for an Italian coffee with a shot of Strega, a digestif with hints of juniper, mint, and saffron. Top it off with some fresh whipped cream and a hint of grated nutmeg. Delizioso!

Whether post dinner or a dessert only party, creating a dessert bar offers a variety of options and the serving pieces can make it even more interesting.

Using the simple beauty of fruits with stems and leaves intact alongside homemade cakes and cookies is a winning combination. This cake pictured was made by our food stylist with a wonderful mold that makes the most basic recipe look sophisticated. Serve it on a beautiful dish with a sprig of holly or sliced lemons or oranges and it takes it to a whole other level.

If you have a larger group, you can add bowls and cups of beautiful candies or nuts to fill out your dessert bar. Not everything has to be homemade – sometimes just a hint of something to satisfy a sweet tooth is all your guests require.

Read our next installment - Picture Imperfect  

For the fourth and final entry to our fall lifestyle series, let’s end with the cocktail hour.

Having guests over on a crisp fall evening can be the perfect festive occasion. And you don’t always have to entertain by preparing a large meal. Sometimes inviting friends for a cocktail is the best way to do some stress-free entertaining during a busy holiday season.

To set the scene, a bouquet of colorful fall tulips in our Zucca pitcher and a decanter from our Selezione collection full of our famous Rosemarino cocktail are just the ambience needed for a pre-dinner happy hour. Pair them with a cheese or charcuterie appetizer served on our Legna olive wood servers, turn on some music, and you have the ideal atmosphere for entertaining your holiday guests.

 Rosemarino Cocktail

• Make rosemary simple syrup by combining 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water, and some sprigs of rosemary in a saucepan and place on a low simmer until well combined.
• Place 2 ounces of bourbon, 2 dashes of orange bitters, and 2 teaspoons of simple syrup in a shaker and blend well.
• Pour the mixture into your Selezione decanter and serve over ice with a sprig of rosemary for decoration.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our Fall Entertaining Series and that you’ve been inspired to try some of these ideas yourself. Remember, keep it simple, mix and match, and let the natural beauty of the dinnerware and delicious food be the perfect backdrop for what really matters most; precious time with family and friends.