OFF TO ROME
Tomorrow morning we’re off to Rome for a quick 2 ½ day visit. This will be our first visit to Rome since….can this be true?...2001!!! As I started to think about this, I had to backtrack a bit. Well, we moved here in September of 2003. Our other visit in 2003 was in the spring when we came to close on the house. On that trip my daughter Angela came with us. We rented a car and drove straight from the airport to Umbria and back again with no stop in Rome.
In 2002, we came for two weeks in May with our friends Ron and Becky. This was the trip where I finally got to “nest”. We rented an apartment for a week in Florence and another apartment for a week just outside of Cortona. We flew in and out of Florence for this trip, and never went to Rome. This was a Tuscany and Umbria vacation. This was also the trip that made us finally realize that we had to live in Italy.
We returned to Italy in November of 2002 to begin our search for the perfect Italian town. Of course we ended up finding our house during that trip. Again, no stop in Rome…we were much too busy city/house hunting. We did make a quick stop in Orvieto on our way to the airport, but that’s all.
That takes us back to 2001, when we had THREE trips to Italy! The first was in January, but that was a weeklong trip to Florence, made possible by an airline offer that was too good to pass up. The second trip was in late march and early April. We started off in Umbria, moved to Sorrento, then met up with my daughter and her family in Formia at the home of my son and his wife.
The five of us said goodbye to my son and his wife and headed off for Rome. Angela and Duffy would join their tour group, and Nicholas would stay with us. After a few days in Rome, Angela and Duffy left with their tour, and we took Nicholas to Florence for a few days before flying back to the states.
So, as incredible as it might seem, we haven’t been to Rome since April of 2001! I guess it’s about time for a visit! This particular trip was spurred by a get together organized by some people from the Slow Travel message board. As has been the custom, people usually announce that they will be in Rome or Florence or Venice during such and such dates, and ask if anyone else will be in the area at the same time. This is a great opportunity to put faces with names, compare travel notes, and have what might be your first lengthy English conversation with someone other than your traveling companions since arriving in Italy.
Robert from Santa Monica was the one to suggest this get together, not only to meet other slow travelers, but also to celebrate his birthday! At present it looks as if there will be 19 of us…we were happy to see another couple join in at the last minute…previously our count had been 17…apparently an unlucky number in Italy. When Stephanie called the restaurant to make our reservations, the person she spoke with went so far as to suggest we bring a stuffed animal to sit in the 18th chair, just to avoid that unlucky number! I had offered to bring a beanie bear with me, but now I won’t have to.
The last minute couple turned out to be Linda and her husband Steve, who own The Beehive, the small hotel near the train station where we’ll be staying during this visit. When I sent our reservation request to The Beehive, I told Linda who I was and mentioned the get together. When we received confirmation, nothing was said about the get together, so I assumed that she hadn’t been the one to read the email, but hoped the message would be passed along.
A few days ago, Linda posted on the message board that they had just returned to Italy after a six week visit to the states. She said that Stephanie had told her about the get together, so everything worked out.
We plan to take the train to Rome on Sunday morning. We’ll leave the car parked at the train station so that it will be waiting for us when we return late Tuesday evening. We should arrive in Rome around 2, and by the time we walk to the hotel we should be able to get into our room.
We aren’t staying at The Beehive proper, but rather at one of the apartments they own. We will have one of several bedrooms in the apartment, and will share the kitchen and bathroom with whoever else is there. For €30 per person per night, you can’t beat it!
The get together is scheduled for Sunday evening, and we have reservations at St Peter’s for a tour at 9:15 on Monday morning. My plan is to visit the Vatican museum once we’re finished with the tour, and this time check out some of the less visited rooms, such as the ones housing the Egyptian and Etruscan collections.
Monday afternoon may find us at Castroni’s, a store that sells international foods. I’m not sure what we’ll find, but they should have lots of foods from America, as well as from England, and around the world. When we visited a similar store, ViVi’s in Florence, we found Duncan Hines cake mixes, Karo syrup,
all kinds of familiar foods not normally found in Italy. Sometimes you just need these ingredients for an American based recipe, and other times you just need a spoonful of good old American peanut butter to get you through the day!
For dinner on Monday we plan to visit the Hard Rock Café for a taste of home. At this point, I’m overwhelmed by the choices: Barbequed ribs? A big juicy cheeseburger? Maybe a BLT? Or a huge American style salad? It’s only been three months since we were in the states, but it will be another three before we return again, so this is the perfect opportunity to satisfy some of those cravings!
On Tuesday we plan to go to the large produce and flower market at Campo del Fiore. This market is held six days a week from early morning till one or two in the afternoon. We know that we want to get some spices here, and who knows what else we might find. There are fruits and vegetables here that I’ve never seen before, and it’s sure to be an interesting visit.
We have reservations for the Borghese Gallery at three o’clock, but since they aren’t yet paid for, this is still tentative. Since we plan to visit the Borghese with my sister in November, if we don’t make it, we’ll have another chance in just eight weeks or so. I’ve already made the reservation for November, because this is our favorite museum in Rome and we want to share it with my sister and her friend Sandy.
Our train back to Umbria leaves Rome at 6:15, and we should arrive at the station in Ponte San Giovanni a little after eight. The weather is looking great…a little cooler than we would’ve expected, but that’s okay, we need to get out the winter stuff anyway! There’s no rain in the forecast, so we should be able to walk and enjoy the Eternal City with no problems!
CHURCH BELLS AND FIREWORKS
The church bells in San Venanzo often ring at strange times. It’s normal to hear them on the hour and half hour, but only between the hours of 6:30 am and 9:30 pm. Since the bells are located pretty close to our house, we’re glad that they don’t ring throughout the night.
When they ring on the hour and the half hour, the ring is a normal “DING!” There are other times when the bells ring at odd times. Usually at ten minutes after eight in the evening, the bells will ring continuously for maybe five minutes….usually playing some sort of song. Other times they go “dingdingdingdingding!!!”…very quickly and persistently. Other times they’ll play “the song”…it’s not a melody I’m familiar with, but our bells play this same song quite often. In general, we never know when or why they ring. If we’re on the phone when they start to ring, there’s no point in trying to continue the conversation, especially if it’s during one of the songs.
For the past few days the bells have been ringing at even odder times, and playing lots of songs. Last night the bells rang at 8:30 in the evening for at least ten minutes. Today they were ringing throughout the day, and Art walked outside to see if someone could tell him why.
Armando told Art that today was the feast day of a woman saint, but Art didn’t know who it was. Armando told him that there would be a procession tonight and then a dinner. As we drove past the churchyard we saw tables and chairs set up outside.
This evening we started to hear music, so we walked outside, expecting that the procession would be coming down our street like it did on Ascension Sunday. Every house had the same beautiful red and gold banners hanging from the windows. Once we were outside, we decided to walk down towards the church, since the music still sounded like it was coming from down there.
As we got closer to the church we saw more and more people milling about. There was a lot of activity at the church, and a vendor had set up a table with peanuts, candy and junky kids’ toys. We didn’t see a procession, but we heard the music getting louder and louder.
The procession was coming down our street towards the church. The marching band was playing, the priests were there, as well as men carrying banners of Mary and (maybe) San Venanzo. Behind them marched most of the women of San Venanzo. Then men of the town lined the street and watched as the procession marched by. The procession continued up the street, causing traffic to stop. There’s only one road that goes through San Venanzo, on the way to Ospedaletto, other small towns, and eventually over to Orvieto. The procession filled the entire street, forcing any cars to stop and wait for at least fifteen minutes, maybe longer.
The procession marched to the very small church that’s just down the road. We’ve never even been in this church, and I wasn’t even sure that it was ever open, much less used.
The procession stopped there for a few minutes, maybe to say prayers, and then marched back up towards the main church, this time with only the men. The band was playing, and now we felt as if we were having “The Godfather” experience right in our own town! Once they reached the church, the band stayed outside but the priests and rest of the procession went inside. Since I had on jeans and Art was in shorts, and especially since we don’t subscribe, we didn’t go into the church to see what was going on.
Meanwhile kids were running around, screaming laughing, eating, trying to talk their parents into buying them some plastic toy that would be broken before dinner was served. Most of the other people stood around visiting. We saw Gilberto, who told us that this was a feast day for Mary. We also saw our neighbor Marco and his brother Vittorio. We knew that our plumber Fabio played in the band, but we hadn’t realized that Art’s barber also played (saxophone) in the band.
After a few minutes the band struck up again and played two or three songs, then everyone began to head towards the church’s side yard for dinner. We headed back up the hill to our house. We could hear the sounds of people laughing and talking as they ate dinner, and later when we heard music, we knew that the dancing had started. Music and dancing is a staple of any Italian function.
At ten o’clock we were sitting in our living room when BOOM!!!!!!! We both jumped about a foot! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT???!!! If we had to make a guess, we would have said that a very large cannon was fired about fifty feet behind our house. We jumped up and looked out the window….nothing. We listened…no screaming, no crying, just the sounds of people talking. What could it have been?
A few minutes later…….BOOM!!!!! Okay, this was getting weird…we had to find out what was going on. We ran out the front door intending to walk down the hill. As we exited our door, Art said “maybe it’s fireworks.” I couldn’t imagine any fireworks ever being that loud, but before I could even respond, another BOOM!, then we saw that yes, it WAS fireworks!
Not wanting to miss another second, I hurried through the back gate and into the park behind our house. Art wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I told him that we could watch from the pool area of the hotel. We climbed up the steps leading to the pool area and found that yes, we had a great view! If we had taken the time to walk down the hill, we would have missed some of the show, and since we both love fireworks, I didn’t want to miss a second!
We grabbed chairs to stand on so that we could lean against the low roof of the hotel, and are we glad that we did! This was one of the best fireworks shows I have EVER seen! Those of you who live in Louisville know what a fantastic fireworks show we put on each spring at Thunder Over Louisville…I know it must be one of the best in the world, and it gets better every year, even when we don’t think that it’s possible. But….
When you factor in the size of San Venanzo versus the size of Louisville, that made this show even more impressive, but really, this show could stand on it’s own anywhere! It went on for a good twenty minutes, and two things struck me…..first, it was so cool to hear not only the firing of the rocket, but also to hear the pops and sizzles of the fireworks and they exploded in the sky and fell back to earth. Every launch was a gigantic BOOM!, followed by incredibly HUGE explosion! Every one was gigantic and gorgeous, and they came very close together.
I saw designs that I had never seen before…and after several years of Thunder I really found that hard to believe. My favorite fireworks are the ones that I call “fairy dust”. We had an explosion of gold fairy dust that was just unbelievable. There must have been at least seven if not more explosions of gold fairy dust, and the sky was literally FILLED with falling gold fairy dust…it was SOOOOOO COOL!!!!!
We had what we thought was the grand finale not once but twice…a constant barrage of fireworks…everyone huge and incredible, exploding BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!!! Once it was really over, we looked at each other and shook our heads…who’d a thunk it?! Right here in San Venanzo, an incredibly elaborate and beautiful fireworks show! It was probably paid for by the money that was supposed to clean up the park behind our house, but what the hell!!! Tonight made up for missing Thunder Over Louisville AND the Fourth of July celebrations!!!
I took a few pictures of the procession, but unfortunately I don't have any of the fireworks. Hopefully next year I can be better prepared and have my 35mm set up on a tripod for some time exposures!
REPLACING LOST DOCUMENTS
When Art had his wallet stolen in Prague, we were amazed at how easy it was to replace his Carta D’Identita and codice fiscale. The fact that he had made a police report and had a copy of both the police report AND his Carta D'Identita with him helped enormously. The Carta was replaced here in San Venanzo, and for the codice fiscale card we went to Perugia and the new card was mailed to us several weeks later.
The other day, while driving home from the grocery, I suddenly realized that MY Carta D’Identita wasn’t in my wallet! You know the feeling…where did it go? How long has it been missing? Wouldn’t I have noticed if it fell out? Why hadn’t I missed it before now? And of course, what in the world made me realize it THIS time?
I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen it for sure. After Art got his new Carta, we had them laminated, which would have made it slightly bigger and slightly more heavy, but also more slippery. Could it have just slid out when I pulled out some bills without me noticing?
Since I had received my renewed passport back just the day before, we had been planning to go to Terni to renew our Permesso’s. Now I would have to replace my Carta first…damn! Since it had been lost, not stolen, I didn’t have a police report, and I wondered if this would present a problem, or if I would have to make a report...meaning I would have to deal with not one but two government agencies where no one spoke English!
Art and I had already stopped in Marsciano to get pictures taken for our new Permesso’s so I could just use those photos and have new ones taken before we went to Terni. On Friday morning we walked up to the Commune, photocopy in hand, to get my new Carta.
Amazingly, no one else was there! We explained to the clerk what had happened…Art was scared that we would be assaulted with twenty questions…where did you lose it? How long ago? Etc etc, but no…the clerk, who we knew from previous visits, just told us that we needed to go to the police station to make a report and then he could issue the replacement. I’m not sure if having a photocopy helped, but since I have a copier at home I try to scan everything and make copies of everything, just in case.
As we were leaving, the clerk asked me to leave my four photos and the photocopy. He asked me to sign the forms and said that while we were at the police station he would prepare the new Carta so that it would be ready for us when we returned. So much for Italian inefficiency!
We walked back to the police station, rang the bell, and were greeted by an officer. We told him what we needed, and he directed us into his office. Another officer came in and stood behind the first officer as he took our information and typed it into the computer. Again we braced ourselves for an onslaught of questions, but they never came.
The officer printed out the report, had me sign it, made me a copy, and told me that if my old Carta showed up, I should bring it to police station so that it could be destroyed. Since the Carta had my address listed inside, if anyone did find it, it wouldn’t be hard to return. Since it hasn’t shown up yet, I don’t expect it to.
It had taken us about ten minutes to complete the report, and with it in hand we walked back to the commune, gave the clerk the police report, and he handed me my new Carta! I gave him the €5.50 fee and that was that…I now had a new Carta, and had learned the hard way that lamination might not be the way to go!
Bureaucracy can be a problem in any country. When you don’t speak the language and are unfamiliar with the ways things work, then dealing with the bureaucracy can be a nightmare. However, when things work as quickly and smoothly as this, it does remind me that bureaucrats are still people. When we’re lucky enough to make that personal connection, it can make all the difference in the world!
MACARONI & CHEESE AND OTHER FOOD THOUGHTS
Last night we had macaroni and cheese! What’s the big deal? The fact that there is no cheddar cheese in Italy makes macaroni and cheese VERY special.
Our friends from England, Jonathan and Phillipa surprised us with two packages of cheddar cheese when they visited us during the middle of August. We met them through the Slow Travel message board. Jonathan is a “regular” there, as am I, and when I found out that they would be staying not far from us for a week, I suggested that we get together.
I asked Jonathan if they would bring me some cheddar cheese, thinking that they would be flying directly from London to Italy. This shows you how much like an American I still think. For me, flying is the “normal” way to arrive in Italy. When you already live in Europe or Britain, driving is the most common way.
Jonathan and Phillipa drove from England over the course of three days, stopping in France and in northern Italy for a night as they made their way to central Italy. They spent a week in the Le March region and another week in Umbria. The advantage of driving is that they have their own car. The disadvantage is that their car is right hand drive…they seem to be comfortable with it, but I know it would be confusing for me!
Because it would be nearly two weeks after they left England before we would see them, and because their drive over would be three days long, the feasibility of bringing cheese was not good. I certainly understood the situation, and completely forgot about my request. If it had worked out, it would have been great. Since it didn’t work out, we’d just have to wait until we went back to the states to enjoy missing pleasures such as cheddar cheese.
When Jonathan and Phillipa surprised us with the cheddar cheese, we were both surprised and touched! Who knew such a simple thing would be so highly prized?! Since we received the cheese just three days before we left for cooking school, we didn’t want to open the packages, so macaroni and cheese would have to wait.
Once we returned from cooking school, I was so busy trying to re-try all the cooking school recipes that I kept putting off making the macaroni and cheese. We invited Wendy for dinner, telling her that we would prepare some of our new recipes. This wasn’t quite what she had in mind, though, and she suggested “Or we could have some macaroni and cheese.” Good idea!
My problem now was to find a recipe that would work with the cheese that I had. Both packages were white English cheddar. One was labeled “full bodied mature” and the other “extra mature”. In the states I used a combination of sharp cheddar and a creamier cheese like Colby or Co-Jack. Now I would have to find a recipe that would work for the cheeses I had.
I searched my cookbooks and the internet. I found one recipe that called for evaporated milk. That wouldn’t work, since evaporated milk isn’t found in Italy either. I found several recipes using combinations of cheeses, but I really wanted good old fashioned cheddar cheesy macaroni and cheese. I finally settled on a recipe that used a combination of cheddar and fontina cheese. I knew that fontina was a creamier cheese, but that was about all I knew. I decided that it was my best option.
Normally when I make a recipe for the first time, I follow it to the letter. After we’ve tasted it, I then decide what adjustments I’ll make in the future. This recipe called for two cups of each cheese, 6 cups of uncooked macaroni, a thin béchamel sauce, and a topping of bread crumbs. I was hoping that the béchamel would increase the creaminess.
We had the macaroni and cheese last night and here’s what I think. I think it was good, but not cheesy enough. I still have plenty of cheddar left, so I’ll have more opportunities to perfect this recipe. First I think I’ll reduce the pasta to four cups. Secondly I’ll change the proportions of cheddar and fontina, using more cheddar and a little less fontina. But this is for the next time…for now, I have to say that macaroni and cheese is indeed a true comfort food.
The dish we had last night was SOOOO good! Although I would have liked it to be a bit cheesier, just the thought of having macaroni and cheese was wonderful! I like the crunch of the breadcrumb topping, and the creamy chewiness of the macaroni and cheese WAS comforting. What a treat! Jonathan and Phillipa, THANK YOU! We can’t wait to make ANOTHER batch!
Other food thoughts:
One of the other dishes that I made for dinner last night was a pepper dish we made at cooking school. Although this recipe is delicious, the interesting thing about it is what it’ made me, and especially Art, realize.
Art was always picky about the temperature of his food. If it was supposed to be hot, he wanted it HOT! And if it was supposed to be cold, he wanted it cold. Lukewarm just was NOT ACCEPTABLE.
In Italy many things are normally served at room temperature…..everything except pasta of course. Pasta is always served hot and eaten immediately.
Many other things, such as the pepper dish I made last night are eaten at room temperature. This allows the flavors to really come through. The flavor isn’t masked by extreme hot or extreme cold, and we’ve both come to appreciate this.
The other thing that we’ve come to appreciate is having each dish served separately, rather than our American, everything all together style. We’ve come to appreciate the Italian-style, where each dish is served and savored separately.
I think that in Italy, the emphasis is more on the food, and rightly so. When you have food this good, every bite should be enjoyed. In the states, meals seem to be more social, and the food almost secondary. In Italy meals are a time to share with family and friends, but the primary focus is on the food. Each dish is served separately, beautifully presented, and enjoyed. This is one reason why meals can last so long…each course is an event unto itself. Although I still continue to have my salad before the meal rather than at the end, I have come to appreciate and agree with these other differences.
COOKING SCHOOL WITH CARMELITA AND FRIENDS
Here's the link for our pictures from cooking school and Il Rifugio
http://www.slowtrips.com/photo/showgallery.php?ppuser=130&cat=500
The cooking school we won was scheduled for the week of August 22. The school, Cook In Italy (www.cookitalycom), is held in various locations throughout Italy, and when Carmelita emailed us the directions to Il Rifugio, the villa where she was holding our class, we laughed when we read them….we would be staying just up the hill from our friends Jill and Larry!
We knew that there would only be one other couple at the school, and Carmelita had told us that only the husband would be cooking. We knew that the other couple was American, but that was about it. We assumed that the wife wasn’t a foodie like us, or maybe she just didn’t like to cook. Whatever the circumstances, we were looking forward to learning and cooking a lot due to the (extremely) small class size. Even if the class had been full, there still would have been only six of us. The class size is determined by the facilities of each particular location.
We were to arrive at the house between 5 and 7 in the afternoon, so we were able to pack the car, close up the house and gather up all the loose ends before we left. I watered the tomatoes and basil at Adamo’s house, and left several buckets full of water so that Adamo could water them for us later in the week. I pinched back the basil so that it wouldn’t go to seed while we were gone, and made a small batch of pesto.
The really nice thing about packing for this “vacation” was that we were able to just throw everything into the back of the car without any consideration for weight or bulk! I even took my own pillow! We kept most of our clothes on hangers…that made it easier to transport them, and also meant that we wouldn’t have to worry about having enough hangers once we arrived…that always seems to be a problem when traveling.
We decided to take the SS317 since it’s such a pretty road. It had been very windy on Saturday, and had gotten quite cool. As a result of this change in weather, Sunday was incredibly clear…there was no haze at all…what a fantastic day!
Once we reached Montanare and turned onto the gravel road leading up to Il Rifugio, we tried our best to follow the directions but we still took a few wrong turns. As we were turning around from one of our mistakes we saw another car driving up the road. We were fairly certain it held our classmates, since they didn’t seem sure about where they were going either. They let us go first up the hill, and eventually we arrived at Il Refugio. The other car arrived about 5 minutes later….they had (wisely) let us get a good head start so that they wouldn’t have to drive through our dust, and consequently ended up taking more wrong turns that we did!
I stuck my head in the door and shouted “buona sera!” and Carmelita appeared. Introductions were made and we met the other couple…Mike and Shelley from Annapolis MD. They were given the largest bedroom…only fitting since they were the paying guests! Our room was located at the end of the hall, very quite and private. We had a nice size room, plenty of windows, plenty of storage, and an en-suite bath to boot!
We needn’t have worried about the hangers…there were more than enough in the closet, and plenty of storage space as well. We had a fan and a space heater, so whatever the weather, we were prepared. We had extra pillows and blankets, and the bathroom had American style large fluffy towels and washcloths…I was sure by now that the owner was an American! A blow dryer was supplied, and a LARGE bar of soap...what a nice treat.
On the bed were two red folders and two nice pens. The folders contained the itinerary for the week, the daily menus, and the recipes that we’d be making. We brought our stuff in from the car, unpacked the basics, and went downstairs to mingle and begin eating!
Carmelita had Prosecco for us, and this would become our normal pre-appetizer apperitivo. Prosecco is light and bubbly, and sweeter than champagne. It’s very common here, and quite refreshing especially in the summer. Carmelita says it "opens" your stomach in preparation for a meal.
The four of us walked around the house and grounds, exploring and discovering. Downstairs there was a large reception room with a television area and a second sitting area closer to the terrace. Down a few steps was a very large dining room with a long table. At the end of the room was a window seat that ran the width of the room and made a great spot to sit and read. Just off the dining room was the living room, nicely furnished with comfortable chairs, a leather couch, and a huge fireplace. A small cabinet housed a CD player, and a small selection of CD’s was in the drawer.
The kitchen, in the shorter part of the “L” of the house was enormous. The ceiling was beamed and a huge counter height fireplace stood at one end of the room. A large wooden topped work island ran down the middle of the kitchen in the working area, and the eating area had two tables. All this, and nothing was crowded or cramped! A pantry off the kitchen held the refrigerator and cabinets for staples.
The terrace was accessible from three different doors along the back of the house…actually four doors if you count the door on the opposite side of the kitchen. The terrace had several levels and several table and chair groupings. There was shade on most of the terrace for much of the day.
A covered eating area sat at one end of the terrace, protected on two sides by the walls of the house. A table large enough for eight to sit comfortably filled this space. We had our dinner here every night, and our lunch was eaten at a slightly smaller table in an open area of the terrace. The sunset views were stunning, as were the stars!
If you’ve looked at the pictures, you’ll notice the decorative iron bars on all the windows. Look a little more closely though, and notice just how thick those pieces of iron are. They fact that they’re decorative is secondary….these bars were meant to do some serious business. We found out that the previous owner of Il Rifugio was the head of the Questura in Rome…equivalent to being the chief of police, I guess. Because of this, he had lots of enemies, or at least he thought he did, and installed the bars as a security measure!
The house is surrounded by 55 acres of land, so it’s not only green, but also quiet! A clothesline was in the yard, and the small outbuilding held not only a washer and ironing supplies, but also another bedroom with its own bathroom. You could see where a garden had once grown, and olive trees grew in the area above the yard.
Carmelita brought the antipasti outside for us to enjoy. We had all offered to help, but she told us that for tonight, we were just guests! The fun would start on Monday morning. We could get up whenever we wanted, but the cooking would begin at ten. The plan was that we would prepare our lunch and our dinner in the morning before it got hot. Since we’ve had an extremely mild summer, this really wasn’t necessary for that reason, but it did free up the entire afternoon for whatever sightseeing or napping we might have planned.
Our antipasti consisted of crostini and of fresh Pecorino cheese drizzled with honey…both typical dishes for this region. For dinner we had pork filled with pancetta, sage and Pecorino, then braised in white wine. This was followed by a Tuscan coleslaw made with cabbage, tomato sauce, capers and a touch of balsamic vinegar…a nice Italian twist to one of my favorite salads. For dessert we had a baked ricotta pudding with toasted almonds, citrus peel and raisins. Red wine and water finished off the meal…oh, and coffee for those who wanted it…a very typical Italian ending to every meal. This dinner was so good, and we all knew that this was going to be one very delicious week!
We both slept soundly, and the next morning we found coffee, juices, fruit, breads and yogurt on the counter for breakfast. There were also eggs in the refrigerator if anyone felt like cooking. It was nice to fix a plate and wander onto the terrace to enjoy breakfast on the terrace. Just the sound of that phrase…..breakfast on the terrace….conjures up visions of a lifestyle we can only dream of…but then, here we were, in a fabulous villa in Tuscany….breakfast on the terrace seemed not only normal, but expected!
Our lunch for Monday would consist of dishes typical of Lombardy, in northern Italy, and our dinner would be from Sicily. I thought I was going to talk about each dish and give a brief description, but if I do that this report will go on and on and on. I’ll post the itinerary that lists what we made each day and let it go at that.
What I really want to talk about is Carmelita herself, not the recipes. Carmelita was born on Malta, which used to be under British rule, so her English is perfect and her knowledge of Italian cooking is incredible. She’s traveled the world as a representative of the British Tourist Council, and when she got tired of moving to a new country every few years, she had to decide where she wanted to live, and what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She ended up living in Bologna, which is a city known for eating well, and she decided to teach cooking as a way to earn a living. From what we saw, she’s qualified in every respect.
She was able to tell us so many little stories about WHY this is added before that, how a particular dish came to be, or why a dish was specific to a region. Carmelita told us that her mother had been not only a good cook but also a good teacher. This was definitely passed on from mother to daughter because Carmelita had the ability to teach us and guide us with good humor and strong opinions.
For Mike, the cooking class had been a birthday present from Shelley. Mike is quite an accomplished cook, and initially Shelley felt that she would be intruding on “his” class if she joined in. Luckily for all of us, she changed her mind and decided to join in. Shelley’s interest is primarily in desserts, and in the presentation, but she’s also very much a “foodie”. The four of us were going to have a lot of fun and a lot of good food!
Having only four people meant that we were all able to take part in everything. Even if I wasn’t the one chopping the veggies, I was still able to take a few minutes to listen to the instructions and watch the specific preparations.
Our lunchtime was standard for Italy, one o’ clock. I guess it usually lasted a good hour, and after that, we were free until dinnertime at eight o’clock. Since we live in Italy, we really didn’t have any plans, but Mike and Shelley wanted to see and do as much as they could. Carmelita was very knowledgeable about the area and was able to make recommendations, and Art and I made some suggestions as well.
We had to educate Mike and Shelley about “riposa”, the Italian naptime when all the stores are closed from one until three thirty or four. This gave us all a chance to relax or nap for a bit before setting out in the car.
On Monday afternoon we decided to drive to Lago Trasimeno, the large shallow lake that was just south of us. During the drought of last summer the lake had all but dried up since it’s not very deep to begin with, and we hadn’t been able to take any of the ferries to the small islands on the lake. Carmelita decided to go with us since she’d never done that before, so we took off for Castiglione del Lago, the largest town on the lake and the place where many of the ferries dock. Mike and Shelley left to explore areas further south including Paciano and Panicale, both adorable medieval towns on the southern edge of the lake.
Once we found our way to the docks, we checked the schedules and decided to visit Isola Maggiore, a small island known for its lace making. The ride took about thirty minutes, and once we arrived we on the island we found several small shops, a lace museum, and lots and lots of women sitting on chairs in the shade of their houses, making lace and chatting with other lace makers, neighbors and interested tourists.
We wandered around town, climbed up to the top of the island for a great view, had a coffee and a snack, then took the ferry back to Castiglione del Lago. The drive home took about twenty minutes I guess. I think we got back before Mike and Shelley, and once they returned we traded stories, opened the Prosecco, took a quick shower and made the final preparations for dinner.
At the end of our first full day of cooking school, I was amazed…we had made things for lunch and for dinner that I normally didn’t care for and probably would never have cooked before…and I had absolutely LOVED everything! For me, a somewhat picky eater, this was amazing! I had eaten risotto with zucchini liked it!!! I had also eaten eggplant that was one of the most delicious things I had ever put in to my mouth! Wow! I couldn’t wait for day two!!!
On Tuesday we made two dishes with peppers, and a parmesan cheese MOUSSE!!! I think we were all a bit skeptical about that one, but of course it was wonderful, and not difficult to prepare. This was the case with most of the dishes we made, and of Italian cooking in general. Italian cooking is really very UNcomplicated… you simply cook what’s in season. Carmelita was so helpful in telling us lots of tricks and tips for dealing with different situations….what to substitute for what, what to do when something doesn’t turn our quite right, what to do if the pot burns…all the sorts of things that every good cook needs to know.
Art and I decided to relax on Tuesday, knowing that we were going to spend all day Wednesday, our free day, in Florence. We had checked the train schedule and discovered that we could take the train from Camucia, less than ten minutes away.
Mike and Shelley planned to drive to Umbria on Wednesday…first they would stop at Deruta to shop for dishes, then head to Assisi for sightseeing and lunch, stop in Perugia (mostly for chocolate!), and if there was any time left, they hoped to stop in San Feliciano for olive oil.
When we arrived at the train station in Camucia we discovered that the tickets were only sold by machine, and that no change was given. Since it had taken us a while to find the station and where to park, we didn’t have time to figure out the correct change before the train pulled in to the station. Since Camucia is a small station, we knew that the train would only stop for a minute or two, so we decided to get on the train and pay on board. I’ve always heard that it’s more expensive that way, but our only other option was to wait for an hour for the next train.
As we pulled into the Florence train station, we looked at each other and shook our heads….well, we had wanted to pay, but no one ever came through the car to check for tickets! We decided that the train going home would be more crowded, and since it would be a busy time of day, we went ahead and bought our return tickets before we left the station.
I had always wanted to see a museum in Florence called “la Specola”. It’s located on the Altra Arno near the Pitti Palace and has wax figures of lots of animals, many of them now extinct. Since Monday is the “normal” day for museums to be closed, we were both quite surprised to discover that La Specola is closed on Wednesday! Maybe next time.
We also walked past the profumery of Santa Maria Novella about thirty minutes before they opened and of course we never got back to that area. Again, next time! I had thought this would be a great place to buy some presents. I’ve never been there before, but I’m guessing they have perfumed soaps, sachets, and oils…all sorts of things that make wonderful gifts for a variety of occasions!
We did hit the San Lorenzo Mercato…Carmelita had recommended a shop to us for balsamic vinegar. We found the shop, tasted several vinegars, and make our selection. We benefited from several of the tips that Carmelita had given us the day before, and felt like we had really made an informed, intelligent choice!
We stayed in the Mercato for lunch…Art had said that he was going to try tripe the next time we were there, but at the last minute he backed down. For me, just the thought of eating a cow’s stomach is pretty gross, and when you see it at the butcher shop, it looks pretty weird. It’s a specialty of Florence and is supposed to be delicious, but so far, we still can’t comment on that!
We stopped in the Coin, the large department store, to look in the housewares department….nothing like attending a cooking school to make you want some new gadgets! We also discovered that the top floor of the Coin held an Imaginarium, and I found a few cute things for the grandgirls and some birthday cards.
While we were wandering through Florence the phone rang. It was Jill. We had hoped to get together with them during one of our free afternoons, but they had houseguests and were trying to work around their schedule. Jill said their guests had gone to Venice for a few days, so we arranged to spend Thursday afternoon at their house. We wanted to see how their garden was doing, and the thought of sitting around the pool was quite inviting.
Since Jill and Larry had set out forty tomato plants, we hoped that they might have a few to spare since ours were just beginning to ripen. Carmelita had even mentioned that if they were really overwhelmed, she’d be happy to use some, and in exchange, Larry and Jill could come for dinner. Jill told us that they had plenty of tomatoes, and we would relay the message to Carmelita…I knew that Panzanella was on our list, so the tomatoes would be much appreciated!
We arrived back from Florence about five o’clock, and took a quick shower and a short nap. Since we hadn’t cooked today, we would be going out for dinner. Carmelita had offered to pay for a cab to take us as a group, and we were happy to accept. For most guests to Il Rifugio, the bumpy ride up the gravel road might be a bit annoying, but since guests would normally be in a rental car, it wasn’t of great concern. Although our car was large enough for the five of us to ride together, we knew that the car would “bottom out” on some of the bumps so we were happy to have someone else’s van navigate the road. Of course someone else driving also meant that we could enjoy the wine without worry!
The reason we were so excited about the dinner was because we were going to a local place in a small hill town close to Cortona. Their specialty was bistecca fiorentino…the delicious two pound steak that’s so tender and so tasty that it doesn’t need any seasoning, and is cooked very quickly over hot coals, and never served medium or well done.
It’s standard for two people to split one steak, and we figured that the five of us could share two steaks without a problem. Art and I knew that we didn’t want to order anything else until we’d eaten our steak. This too is very normal for Italy. You order course by course, so if you get full, you can just stop…or if you want to leave room for dessert, you can skip the pasta! A very nice idea.
Carmelita ordered a bowl of cannellini beans and a bowls of salad for the table. I had a taste of the beans and thought they were too salty, but everyone else seemed to enjoy them, so maybe it was just me.
When the steak was served, the chef had put both steaks on one large patter and had cut them into serving size pieces. This is one of the best times NOT to be a vegetarian! What a great steak! Needless to say, it was tender and delicious. When the chef came out we were able to offer him our compliments.
Thursday is market day in Camucia, and we were all excited. For Mike and Shelley it would be their first time to visit such a market, and we would have a chance to see what other markets had to offer. We left early so that we could find a place to park…on market day, many of the streets are closed to make room for all the merchant’s trucks.
On previous trips into town, Mike, Shelley and Carmelita had discovered a great little coffee shop, so once we had parked the car we went for coffee and pastries while the merchants unloaded their trucks and set up their tables.
We stopped at the butcher shop to get the chicken we would need for tonight’s dinner, and also for the beef we would use on Friday. The butcher cut the chicken for us and kept it for us while we went through the market.
We had several items on our list…Carmelita wanted some of those net “tents” to cover food served outside, we wanted to look for some metal clips to hold down the tablecloth for our outside table, we all wanted to look for various gadgets and cooking supplies, and of course we’d look for fresh fruits and vegetables to cook with for our final two days. What we didn’t find at the market we could pick up at the local Coop.
The market in Camucia was very large…much larger than the one in Marsciano, and with a greater emphasis on food and household goods. There seem to be way too many trucks with clothes and shoes in Marsciano, at least for me. In Camucia we found the little “tents” that Carmelita wanted, the clips to hold down our tablecloth, two small rugs, and several kitchen gadgets.
The food quality was incredible, and we found several vendors with beautiful produce. Carmelita knew some of the vendors from past visits, and checked out several new ones as well. We bought peppers and tomatoes, light purple eggplants that Carmelita told us were sweeter than the dark purple ones, cucumbers, fruits.
Mike and Shelley wanted to buy cheese and meats to take back to the states. As long as they were vacuum packed this wasn’t a problem, and we checked out several places, tasting, looking, and learning from Carmelita. Mike and Shelley found a truck that would vacuum pack their purchases, so they were able to buy food to take back to the states. (We later found out that you can NOT bring meats into the US, even if they are vacuum packed. Mike and Shelley had to give up some, but luckily not all of their meats)
One of the fringe benefits of market day is the porchetta. In Marsciano we have three porchetta trucks, but Camucia has at least eleven, and Carmelita steered us to the one she like the best. Of course we weren’t disappointed! We ate our sandwiches as we walked, then headed for the Coop to get the staples we still needed.
I picked up a few things that I had never used before…capers, apple vinegar…not apple CIDER vinegar, just apple vinegar…I think it’s very mild. I also bought several tubes of triple strength tomato paste, and asked for Carmelita’s advice about bread flour. She steered me towards a flour that’s labeled “dura”…for a hard wheat. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find the same flour at the Coops here. Art found some good deals in the wine aisle, so we bought a couple of bottles for everyone to enjoy during our last day and a half!
Once we got back to the house and put everything away, we began our lunch and dinner preparations. Today we would have pasta for the first time, and we would make it ourselves! Jill and Larry had picked a great night to come for dinner…we fixed a wonderful chicken dish, tagliatelle, arugula salad and for dessert, panna cotta!
After lunch we drove down to spend a few hours hanging out with Jill and Larry, checking the progress of their garden and enjoying the view looking UP the hill instead of down it! We gratefully brought back a HUGE bag of tomatoes, as well as a few other vegetables…the garden is doing great…I think Jill and Larry have missed their calling!
On Friday, our last day of cooking classes, we made pasta again, this time a heavier pasta with flour, water and oil instead of the light flour and egg pasta we had made for Thursday. Dinner was Tuscan…Panzanella (tomato bread salad), a tender beef stew, green beans with tomatoes, and for dessert, Torta della Nonna!
Mike and Shelley still needed to go to San Feliciano to buy olive oil, and Carmelita decided to go with them. At Carmelita’s suggestion, Art and I drove to Lucignano, a charming medieval hill town just east of Cortona. The ride was beautiful, but if you’re going from Cortona, I would recommend the southern road over the northern one…much more scenic.
As we ate our last dinner on the terrace, it was hard to believe that our week was over! We had prepared and eaten so many wonderful dishes, and I couldn’t even remember what we had eaten on our first day…there had been too many other wonderful things in between. We still needed to complete our survey forms, and one question asked what our favorite dish was, while another asked what our LEAST favorite dish was…this was going to be very difficult!!!
On Saturday morning, after another great nights sleep, we reluctantly began to gather our things and put them in the car. Not only did we have to leave the beautiful house and setting of Il Rifugio, but we also had to leave our new friends, Carmelita, Mike, and Shelley.
Carmelita was taking the train back to Bologna to complete a move to a new home…a move that had begun without her during our week of cooking school! Mike and Shelley were off to Florence for a few days. We had been able to give them some advice about museums and restaurants, and they had called ahead to their hotel to have them make the necessary reservations.
Terry, and American girl who’s living “under the radar” in Cortona arrived to begin cleaning the house. She’s another one who has just fallen under the spell of Italy with no reasonable explanation…she just knows that this is where she’s supposed to be, and does whatever she can to make ends meet. We did encourage her to try to use the contacts she’s made to have someone “give” her a job and a lease on a house…although these would only be on paper, it would make it possible for her to remain here legally, yet still go back to the states when she wanted to without fear of having her passport taken away.
Mike and Shelley were going to head back to Cortona before they went to Florence, and we drove Carmelita to the train station in Camucia. We enjoyed a leisurely drive home, but were still glad to get back…the tomatoes had survived without us…and we even had ripe tomatoes waiting for us!!! At last! The basil needed to be pinched back, the garden needed a good watering, and laundry had to be done. As always, it’s good to be home!
We had been incredibly lucky with everything about this school…winning it was amazing, being able to attend for a week instead of 4 days was great, the location was beautiful, the weather continued to be mild with pleasant breezes, we had gotten along very well with our classmates and our teacher, we had learned so much, and we had eaten incredibly well!
We can recommend without hesitation Carmelita and her school. She offers several different programs at several different locations. She also offers specialty classes and personalized classes…if you want to check out the best places to buy food in Bologna, she has a one day tour for that. Her website is http://www.cookitaly.com . She’s not only incredibly knowledgeable, she is also extremely personable, helpful and patient.
We would also recommend Il Rifugio for any family or group looking for a wonderful retreat in a beautiful and peaceful location. Several years ago we had stayed in this area, in Mercatale di Cortona, and Il Rifugio has a much better location for those wanting to see both Umbria and Tuscany. Their website is http://www.sojourn-in-italy.com
As always, a special thanks to everyone at Slow Travel, http://www.slowtrav.com for all their help and support with EVERYTHING….early on with our basic questions about traveling in Italy, later about how to move to Italy, and then for setting up the blog so that I could document our move and the changes that would come with our new life.
THEY SERVE ITALIAN FOOD IN HEAVEN
AUGUST 20, 2004
We are absolutely certain of this fact, and the past year of living in Italy has only confirmed it. I’m eating so many things that I would never even THINK about eating in the states, and not gaining weight has become of great concern to both of us.
I’m somewhat of a picky eater…especially when it come to vegetables. I’ll eat broccoli and carrots and spinach raw, but NEVER cooked. The only beans I like are green beans (seasoned with ham, of course) and refried beans.
I never did like to put that nasty cheese in the green can on my spaghetti. If there is anyone reading this who’s still using that stuff…PLEASE!, do yourself a favor and buy just one piece of real, imported, Italian Parmigiano Reggiano. Grate some right before you serve your next spaghetti dinner, and I guarantee that you’ll smell the difference, taste the difference, and NEVER use that stuff in a can again! Really!
Since moving to Italy, we’ve discovered that if you cover it with olive oil and Parmigiano, we’ll eat it. The olive oil here is incredible. It’s such a shame that it’s so difficult and so expensive to get good olive oil in the states. In Louisville I found good oil at Lotsa Pasta and also at Williams-Sonoma. I was troubled to see that WS had oil that I considered to be old and out of date…good olive oil should be consumed within one year of pressing…be sure to check the label!
One nice thing about WS is that you can taste the various oils…they usually have pieces of bread and small paper cups to put the oil in. This allows you to taste the oil itself. Olive oils have different tastes…in Umbria, the oil is generally “fruity”, and we found that we prefer a more peppery oil…one with a little “bite” to it. Generally, Tuscan oils are more peppery than Umbrian oils.
More discerning palates use different oils for different purposes. We have two oils in our kitchen…a less expensive oil to use for frying, and the “good” oil. Our good oil varies…we usually go to different frantoios in the fall, buying the local, just pressed oil in five liter tins. Obviously we’re not gourmets, we’re just lucky enough to live where all the oil is good!
To really experience a good olive oil, slice and toast some good crusty bread. Peel a fresh clove of garlic and slice off the end. Rub this raw end of the garlic clove over the toasted bread, and drizzle it with some oil. Sprinkle just a little freshly ground salt over the oil…the salt helps to bring out the best in the oil. You’ve just made bruschetta…something that we could eat at every meal!
At this point some of you are probably snickering about all this “freshly ground” salt, and fresh garlic. And I previously urged you to freshly grate some Parmigiano….have I turned into some sort of food snob? Do I just have too much time on my hands? The answer to both these question is a resounding NO! We’ve come to realize that the reason the food here is so good is because all the ingredients are SO FRESH. Using the BEST and the FRESHEST ingredients does indeed make a huge difference.
Since moving to Italy I’ve discovered cannellini beans. These are a white bean, very common to this area. The Florentines are nicknamed “bean eaters” because beans are so common to their local cuisine. After we had some wonderful beans at one of the frantoios last fall, I was determined to figure out how to recreate this dish at home.
For my first few attempts I used canned beans. I drained the beans and added them to a skillet in which I had browned some pancetta and onions in olive oil. Once they were warmed through, a little more olive oil was drizzled over the dish at the table. We’ve come to believe that you can never have too much olive oil. Although the beans were good, they still weren’t as good as what we’d had at the frantoios.
I recently decided to try using dried beans, and I’m still playing around with my recipe. After checking several cookbooks, I think I might cook the beans in a chicken broth instead of plain water for an added richness. I cooked the last batch of beans with some type of ham…I thought it would be good for seasoning, even though there was no bone like a ham hock. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the results, so the next batch will be in the chicken stock.
Anyway, the point is that in general, these beans are incredibly delicious! So good in fact that I was anxious to see what else I could do with beans. At the dinner in Rotecastello a few weeks ago, we had a tuna and bean dish…served cold, as a salad. I found the recipe in one of my cookbooks. Incredibly simple, quick and delicious. To make this dish, you use about 3 cups of cooked, drained cannellini beans. Put these in a large bowl. Drain two 7 oz cans of tuna and flake them over the beans. In a separate bowl whisk together 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, finely chopped. Pour this dressing over the beans and tuna and top with some thinly sliced green or red onions. Just before serving toss well.
Another dish that I’ve discovered is fresh spinach. Of course it’s combined with pancetta, onions, and garlic sautéed in olive oil!!! I just toss the fresh spinach until it’s coated and wilted…amazing!
The availability of cubed pancetta is so wonderful. I’m sure that this pre-packaged pancetta isn’t the best, but for every day cooking, it‘s so handy. Our local grocery, the Coop, has its own brand, and it’s available in sweet (dolce) or smoked (affumicato). I always keep several packages of each in the refrigerator or freezer.
One example of how the simplest of ingredients can combine to make the best of dishes is our favorite stand-by spaghetti dish. In a large skillet we slowly brown diced pancetta in some good olive oil, then add diced onions and garlic. To this we add cooked spaghetti…and at this point I have to mention the importance of using really good pasta. It doesn’t necessarily have to be fresh pasta, but it does have to be good quality. I really liked the brand at WS that came in the bright yellow package. Once again, I would encourage you to try this just once, and see what you think. To finish off the dish, top with freshly grated Parmigiano. Quick, simple, delicious!
Although I knew what fennel was, I used to think it was just a spice to be used for seasoning. I had seen the whole fennel bulbs in the produce section, but only in passing. I had no idea how they were prepared or how they tasted. In Italy, finnichio, as it’s called here, is very common. Once again I turned to my cookbooks for direction.
The first recipe I found called for the fennel bulbs to be quartered and simmered until tender. The fennel is then placed into a baking dish, drizzled with olive oil and topped with grated parmesan. Bake at 350º for about thirty minutes or until the cheese is browned. The fennel has a mild nutty taste and is a nice change from the usual au gratin dishes.
Another great find is the local cantina. You can stop in at these “outlets” and fill up your five liter jug (called a fiasco) with your choice of red or white wines. For an everyday table wine, these are great. We fill up at our favorite local place for about $9 for the five liter jug!
Of course you have to remember that until three years ago, Art and I had probably consumed less that one bottle of red wine between the two of us in all the years we’d been married. We just weren’t wine drinkers. We don’t know much more about wine now than we did then, but we buy a variety of wines, mostly inexpensive, and don’t worry too much about it.
One thing that we did realize is that red wine tastes better with food. Previously we would just have a glass of wine in the same way that you would have a beer, or a mixed drink. This just doesn’t work with red wine, and once we realized that, we started to drink more, but with meals.
We attended an interesting wine tasting while we were in language school. The owner of the wine bar did a great job in educating our palates, at least to the point where we realized that stronger spicier foods require a stronger wine. Neither of us has reached the point where we can talk about “fruity undertones”, a “strong finish”, or “hints of oak or grass, or whatever”, but at least we can now enjoy something that’s an integral part of Italian life and Italian cuisine.
Of course there are foods that I miss. I still wish that I could get fresh broccoli year round instead of just in the spring. I wish cheddar cheese was available, and good peanut butter and sour cream. Sometimes a large (fountain) Diet Coke with LOTS of ice would be heaven. These are things that will have to become special treats for when we visit the states.
To make up for some of the foods I can’t get in Italy, we DO have gelato. Some people might call gelato the Italian equivalent of ice cream, but that would be like calling Boones Farm wine the equivalent of a fine Brunello.
Thankfully I brought the things necessary to bake a cake since the Italian version of cake is more like a flavored bread. I brought tea bags to make iced tea. I have chocolate chips for cookies and an ice cube tray to make ice. I have American cookbooks, measuring spoons and cups, and my own pots and pans. I can still make most of the things I used to make in the states, but I’ve also bought a crostata pan for the authentic recipe that Rita gave me.
Gelato is made from milk, as opposed to cream. Because of this the flavors come through much stronger and fresher. Think about how cream coats a spoon…that’s how it coats the flavors. Gelato is simply amazing, and comes in more flavors than Baskin and Robbins could count.
When you order gelato it’s normal to get a combination of flavors. I usually get chocolate with banana, but if they don’t have banana, I’ll take strawberry. I think the fruit flavors benefit the most from gelato’s unique qualities. The peach is wonderful too. In addition to gelato we do have great chocolate…you probably know how I feel about the Perugina chocolate bananas.
I guess the one thing Italian that doesn’t interest me is the coffee. Although I love the smell, drinking it has no appeal for me. This is really a shame, since Italian coffee is almost a religious experience. Italians have coffee often…a quick cup here, another after a meal, a cup at a friends’ house, maybe one at the neighborhood bar. It’s strong and bitter and small…extremely small. Art discovered that he does like the Italian coffee after he learned what the Italians already knew…you need to add sugar to it…lots of sugar. Usually the Italians add even more sugar than Art does…and they like bitter tastes a lot.
I wander through the grocery and still don’t know what lots of the things are. The fish counter is filled with fish I’ve never seen before, and things that I’d never eat, even though I know what they are, like octopus and squid. The variety of cheeses and meats in the deli case is amazing…I don’t know if I’ll ever figure out the subtle differences in the many varieties of Pecorino. The sausages are made from many different types of meat, and each region seems to have its own specialty.
For now we ask for advice from the salespeople, and if we like something we make sure to remember the name. There may be many foods that we’ll never know, but there are more than enough delicious things for us to enjoy for years to come. And if there really is a heaven, we’re sure that eventually we’ll be able to sample the rest. Buon appetito!
Addendum:
To further prove just how incredibly delicious Italian food is, I can now say that after just one week of cooking school, I now love eggplant and zucchini (if they’re prepared properly of course), and I’m using things like capers and anchovies to cook with. I’ve finally realized that it’s not WHAT you eat but HOW it’s prepared, and that quite often an unusual combination of foods can have very amazing and delicious results.
I’ve been having lots of fun re-creating the dishes we made at cooking school, and from now on, I won’t be quite as nervous about trying something new…with the exception of offal…and I think that the reason this word sounds so much like AWFUL isn’t a coincidence! Only one question remains…how in the world am I EVER going to lose this weight I’ve gained? I think it’s time to get up from the computer and head out the door for a nice long walk!
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Spina Bifida
