From Libellula's Kitchen & Land — easy recipes

Located in the northwest corner of Italy, and isolated from most of Europe by the Alps, is the region of Piedmont. For centuries, residents of the hills of Piedmont would journey into the woods each autumn to gather hazelnuts, which flourish here due to the ideal climate and topography of the region. They would then dry and roast the nuts, using them as a key part of their diet all year round. Torta di Nocciole, like many old-school Italian recipes, is based on “cucina povera,” a concept that we often feature in Libellula dishes. “Cucina Povera” is Italy’s “poor cooking”...

It was the summer of 1487. Lucrezia Borgia was about to get married. For the third time. You see, her dearest father,  Pope Alexander VI and mother (who happened to be one of his favorite mistresses), had decided that they would marry their daughter as many times as they could to advance their political standing.  As soon as one husband didn’t quite give them as many political or financial benefits as they had hoped, they moved onto a new conquest for their daughter. And they weren’t too subtle about it either. Her father ordered the execution of her first husband....