Tea's Taste of Italy: Pizza Craft

The Home of Pizza

Italy is home to modern day pizza...
The pizzas we know and love evolved from flatbread dishes that were popular in Naples hundreds of years ago. These early flatbread "pizzas" were topped with many of the same ingredients that are still popular today – garlic, cheese, basil, and more. In 1830, the Antica Pizzeria Port' Alba in Naples became the first true pizzeria, allowing you to order a custom pie with your choice of toppings. Click here to download a delicious pizza activity sheet for your little one to build their own custom pizza loaded with their favorite toppings!

Tea's Taste of Italy: Pasta & Sauce

All About Pasta

Past comes in all shapes and sizes, from itty-bitty bowties (also known as farfalle) to long, fat strands of spaghetti. In fact, there are around 350 different types of pasta! Generally pasta types are organized into five categories: long, tubes, soup, stuffed, and special shapes, each category is used in different types of dishes. For example, some cooks say that thin sauces should be served with thin pastas like angel hair, and thicker sauces require heavier pastas like spaghetti.

A Family Recipe

Every family has at least one recipe that has been passed down and perfected through generations. It's the whole family's favorite meal... just the smell of it brings back memories, and the first bite always feels like home. For Stella, that dish is her Nonna's Pasta Sauce.

Stella, her mom, dad, and brother traveled to Italy to learn more about their heritage and meet their extended family. While they were there, Nonna made her famous sauce with Stella, and shared the secret recipe with us. Click here for Nonna's Pasta Sauce recipe.

Tea's Italian Inspiration: Venetian Mask Craft

Venetian Masks

Dating back centuries, Venetian masks were traditionally worn during the Carnival of Venice. It started as a way for partygoers to hide their identity and interact with each other without the boundaries of social conventions.

Characterized by ornate designs with bright colors, there are many types of Venetian masks, including those that cover the whole face or just part of it. The design and decorations are up to the wearer, and make every mask one-of-a-kind. Click here to make your own one-of-a-kind mask!