Giorni della Merla (Days of the Blackbird)

The last 3 days of January are called Giorni della Merla...the Days of the Blackbird) in many parts of Italy. Merli (blackbirds) are completely black birds (in my opinion, they look a lot like American Robins, but are completely black).   They like to eat worms and insects, which are not so easy to find in the cold weather of January.

A little snow on a tree in Tuscany!

Last year, Simone told me a story about the Giorni della Merla.  I asked him to tell me the story again so that I could share it here with you.  This is what he said:

The Giorni della Merla are the three coldest days of the year and are the last three days of January, the 29th, 30th, and 31st.  Many years ago, January had only 28 days and February had 31 days.  Originally, the merli were not black, but had beautiful feathers that were as white as snow. January liked to send a lot of cold and icy weather to Italy, which made it difficult for the birds to find enough to eat.  One very smart merla became so annoyed with January's cold behavior, that she started to hide some food in her nest so that she would have enough during the cold 28 days of January.  After the 28 days were over, she came out of the nest singing loudly and laughing at January saying she was so much smarter than him.  Well, January became very angry with this and asked February if he could borrow 3 days from him so that he could exact revenge upon the merla.  February agreed, so January made the three days bitterly cold with a terrible wind and he covered everything with ice.  The merla had to find shelter, so she hid in a chimney. When February 1st finally arrived, the merla emerged from the chimney, but her beautiful white feathers were now completely black, and so that is why the merli have black feathers today!

A cute little merlo in the grass

I love stories like this that were passed on throughout the ages. Different areas of the country have their own versions of the story, but the basic story of the white bird hiding in the chimney and becoming black is the same.

This year, it seems that the winter weather is really cooperating with the story!  There is snow and ice in some areas of Tuscany and most of the US is under a blanket of cold and snow.  Maybe there's something to be said about this legend!

The Tuscan Diet - Introduction

It always surprised my friends to here me say that I lost weight whenever I would go to Italy.  "How is that even POSSIBLE??" some would say to me.

Really though, if you look at Italians in Italy, most of them are quite trim!  The lifestyle there includes a lot of outdoor activities and walking, there aren't fast food restaurants on every corner, and food is prepared with fresh and seasonal ingredients.

Fresh produce, olive oil and other tasty Tuscan foods
at the Mercato Centrale (Central Market) in Florence

I was introduced to Tuscan foods by Simone when I first set foot in Italy 3 years ago.  I really enjoyed the combination of flavors and the fact that everything was so FRESH.  I had heard before that the diet of Mediterranean countries is probably one of the most healthy diets in the world, but I never realized how delicious it could be!  I was a convert from the start...especially when I discovered how EASY it is to prepare!

I haven't bought pasta sauce in 3 years, since I found out
how easy it was to make my own!

Over the next few days, I will discuss the various elements that comprise the Tuscan diet.  These are all things that can be found anywhere and easily incorporated into your own diet, bringing a little bit of Tuscany into your own life!  Stay tuned!