Roam, Italy

September 25, 2014

 

Hustle Bustle Florence

     One should always start off the day with a decent breakfast. Thankfully, these Italians have discovered that the Americans like a little more fuel in the morning than the typical native cuisine of caffe, roll, and a cigarette. Most of the hotels where we have stayed have put out a great breakfast buffet that includes scrambled eggs, bacon, cured meats, cheeses, fruit, cereals, yogurt, pastries, fruit juices and coffee. With all the walking we do, it helps to pillage the breakfast room at the start of each day. 

     This morning we said Adios (that’s Spanish for “Arrivederci”) to Cinque Terra and headed for Firenze - that’s Italian for Florence. On the bus ride, we passed near the Carrera marble quarry. It was a good 15 miles in the distance but was a massive site! They were literally subtracting one entire huge mountain in the middle of the mountain range. Along the highway were various marble yards with blocks the size of mini vans. Would love to tour that operation some day. 

     Florence has a population of nearly 400,000 people. Which means there must be at least 300,000 motor scooters in the city. All with a mission to run you down if the opportunity arises. What crazy traffic mayhem!! Cars, buses, scooters, pedestrians - all ignoring any safety protocols with regard to staying in a lane, adding a lane or creating your own lane, whether to walk on the sidewalk or down the middle of the street, jay walking, or just standing in the middle of the street shooting the bull with someone. If we make it out of here alive Saturday morning, we’ll be very lucky!

     In Florence, the sidewalks are very narrow - maybe just a couple of feet wide. Fold away mirrors in the USA are handy for tight garages and car washes. Here, they help soften the blow from cars whizzing by.

     This afternoon we went to see Michelangelo’s DAVID and many more paintings and works of sculpture at the Accademia. Huge crowds. Amazing work!

 

 

September 26, 2014

 

Go With The Flow

     Florence, being a huge art center, affords one a visual feast with it’s many renowned galleries and exhibits. An opportunity of a lifetime. So today we decided to abandon all sensible rationale and head for the country and hopefully fewer feral scooters.

     Marilyn had researched and set up a tour of an olive oil and chianti wine producer, along with a pasta-making class. There were eight participants. Two married mothers - one from Norway and the other from Estonia, but both now living in London. (They said they needed a holiday from husbands and kids.) Another couple from Santa Barbara and we four from Spokane. 

     The Norway and Estonia gals had home country accents with a touch of the Brit dialect. The combination was very different - kind of in a Texan reading Shakespeare sort of way. 

     Our host picked the eight of us up in the city and drove us about 50 miles east of Florence into the Tuscany region. The estate we visited, outside the town of Pontassieve, is now owned by a very wealthy family who live in Milan. They have made their fortune in the high fashion men’s shirt industry. The estate has a huge villa that was built (over a span of 15 years) in the late 1400s. Today the upper living floors stand empty, with the lower sub grade floors used for the production of olive oil and fine Chianti wines. 

     The 2,000 acre estate has 18,000 olive trees and produces 150,000 bottles of Chianti wine a year. 

     Our guide’s name was Alexander, a studly young lad in his late twenties. Having had American and British parents, he spoke English quite well. He was very knowledgeable and explained the harvesting, and processing steps in great detail. It was especially interesting to hear about all the little variations and combination of factors that make the difference between a premium or substandard product. 

     After the tour of the processing facilities, it was time to sample the goods. We enjoyed Tuscan bread (always made without salt, so very bland in flavor) soaked with extra virgin olive oil, followed by five Chianti wines. The final sample was a delicious dessert ice wine. Now I’m not a wine guy to begin with, but these tasted very good. Most Italian wines are made for local consumption and therefore do not have the sulfide preservatives necessary for shipping great distances. These sulfides are what give you a headache and hangover. The more you know...

     Next up was a drive through the valley to a farmhouse on top of a hill. There we met Christiana - a delightful women in her 60s who loved to have Glen Miller music playing in the background. She and her husband (who was working in the olive groves) have lived on and farmed this land for 20 years. We were herded to the basement where we were given a lesson in how to make pasta from scratch. After countless trials and errors, we all managed to make spinach and cheese ravioli and fettuccine noodles. Rim shot, crash cymbal!

     Meanwhile, Christiana was upstairs preparing the first courses of our late lunch/early dinner. She even had gluten-free options for Marilyn (bonus points!) While we dined on pizza, zucchini frittata and pork/bread, she prepared the ravioli we made, followed by pesto fettuccine. All this washed down with several carafes of Chianti wine. Christiana hit it out of the park with a frozen egg, sugar, cream custard, and local dessert wine.

     We hated to leave, but the day was slipping away. Alexander drove us back through the beautiful rolling vineyards and olive groves and back into the chaos of the city. A perfect day of fresh air, great food and new international friendships.

     We can look at all that art in front of a computer screen - in the comfort of our pajamas no less! AND, we aren't jockeying for viewing position with all the Japanese and Koreans who followed us here from Venice!

     Too full from Christiana’s kitchen for gelato tonight. Marilyn, make a note - double tap two gelatos tomorrow. Let’s get those farmers to put on a graveyard shift.