Beauty Secrets from Italy

Italy is the country that gave us some of the best carbs we'll ever have and pre-eminent brands like Dolce & Gabanna and Missoni. It's also the Motherland of many a glamorous woman, including the original donna belle: Sophia Loren, and goddess Monica Belluci.

The Italian woman is strong and expressive. She consumes plenty of wine but doesn't get drunk. She loves to cook and throws impromptu dinner parties with friends and strangers. She eats, sometimes seconds and always dessert. Bread and coffee is life, but the weight rarely shows - perhaps this is down to the 'passeggiata', a daily custom in Italy which involves a pre-dinner, leisurely stroll.

The Italian woman is effortlessly alluring - there is even an Italian word for the way they have perfected that cool, nonchalant characteristic ('sprezzatura' since you asked). But how does she do it and what can we copy? A lot of it revolves around ingredients, as you'll find out.