In Italy, late spring/early summer IS everything you have imagined. I had so many memorable experiences I cannot begin to describe them all. So here are a few that you might enjoy hearing about.
Great Food in Germany? — I flew direct from San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany by design. The plan was to have an overnight before I ventured on to Emilia-Romagna’s foodie city, Bologna. Sensibility won out so I stayed at the airport Hilton rather than checking out central Frankfurt. But there were a few things I hadn’t imagined. One was the hotel kind of floated in the middle of a busy train station (more on this later). And the other was that there was really only one restaurant option for dinner. So, I steeled myself for a typical hotel food experience.
Well… best fish, bread and wine of the trip. I’m not kidding! I was served a perfectly cooked piece of salmon on a bed of soft polenta flavored with an orange reduction and coconut cream. The Chianti Classico was…well…perfectly wonderful too. The meal came with a selection of amazing little rolls and a butter tower seasoned with several kinds of sea salt. I was questioning my eventual destination choice at that point and ready to move into the Hilton!
Best “Pasta” Ever — But in the end I did continue on to Bologna the next day — mostly uneventfully. I liked my little funky boutique hotel and decided to eat dinner at their restaurant to avoid the stress of one more navigational adventure. Good choice. I had the best pasta of my life. Or so I thought. It turns out that “passatelli” is not actually a pasta at all. It is an Emilia-Romagna specially made of breadcrumbs, eggs and grated cheese. A “dough” is formed and run through a passatelli press. The result is slim 6-inch tubes that cook very quickly and melt in your mouth. Passatelli is often served with a ragu (in my case rabbit). I am still dreaming of it but did find some recipes online.
Loneliness and Town Squares —
Spending two and a half weeks in a foreign country where you know no one and don’t really speak the language was at times a bit of a challenge psychologically. I was distracted by the differences in culture — and the people, for the most part, were friendly. But the real salvation was the town square. In Bologna there is only one big one called Piazza Maggiore. People have been gathering there for centuries. In the evenings I could sit on the steps of the cathedral with everyone else, eat gelato and listen to a busker play decent music. It is hard to explain but you feel like part of something even if you never speak a word to anyone.
Traditional vs. Nuevo — If you have ever been to France or Italy, you know that in a specific region pretty much every menu is the same. Some restaurants execute their regional specialties better than others, but you are totally immersed in the food and wine that the locals have been eating for generations. But change appears to be creeping in. Maybe there have always been outliers or social media is really getting to the younger generations — I don’t know.
Anyway… a good example of this was a 3rd generation trattoria that specializes in traditional regional foods like tortellini en brodo, tortelloni, ragu and lasagne. The proprietress (heads up one of the few woman-run establishments in Bologna BTW) has opened a second place that features at least some “nuevo” food. The modern vibe and open kitchen are a far cry from the status quo! And this seems to be catching on if the crowds were any judge!
And the Gelato! — I am not ashamed to say that I ate it every day. We have some excellent ice creameries here in Sonoma County, but nothing compares to really luxurious, flavor packed Italian gelato. Besides the obligatory (for me anyway!) chocolate I usually added salted caramel, some sort of pistachio or coffee flavors. I miss it!!!
Vertigo – Seriously! — Maybe not everyone knows this about me, but I am afraid of heights. I had a few worries about my trip, but panic attacks was not one of them. Yet every step of the way I had to suck it up and struggle through. In Germany I get that the hotel might have see-through elevators and walkways for the aesthetic appeal… But the entire train station that I had to walk through to get there? Maybe plexiglass or whatever the stuff is is the new thing?? Bologna was relatively flat, but I had decided to take the train to Florence. I had no idea my fear of heights would relate to going underground 75 feet, but it sure did. To make it worse, one of my original worries was taking a fast train with luggage by myself. So, after scouring the Internet for tips I went to the Bologna Centrale a few days early. Good thing. The tracks used by the fast trains were at the bottom and there was no direct way down. That meant 4 different elevators and a lengthy pedestrian walkway. Try doing that in the middle of a full-blown panic attack! Probably only I would do this, but I was determined worry over my upcoming travel day was not going to ruin my stay in Bologna. That meant I “practiced” the whole thing 3 times. I would probably still be down there if I had not promised myself a lingerie buying spree once I finally surfaced. (Pictures not included!)
I thought I would be safe once I arrived in the city of flowers. Wrong. I had forgotten about Florence’s hilly terrain and ancient buildings. Both places I stayed had questionable elevators and open staircases. And let me tell you — it felt like there was nothing on the first floor anywhere (must be why the ground floor is called “0”). So, between my accommodations, museums and gardens, Florence was quite the experience. I admit as hard as I tried, I pretty much skipped a number of the must-dos on my list. But keep reading. In the end I had a great time.
Generosity Lives — There is a lot of resentment about over tourism in Europe right now. After having been almost crushed by excessive crowds in Duomo Square I can understand why. But in talking to native Italians, the real issue is the loss of a way of life. Apartments are scarce and too expensive, so the locals move out of the city. Restaurants that have been around for generations are now impossible to get into. Quality is giving way to quantity. Artisans can’t make a living producing fine mosaics or ceramics and few are buying these traditional items anyway. So, it surprised me how nice everyone was. The highlight was probably when my brother and I got stuck in rural Tuscany. We were less than 10 minutes from the wedding venue but none of the few village taxis wanted to make a short trip.
Finally, one of the young women at the emergency hotel we were staying at (long story) offered to drive us there in her own car during her time off. She was actually upset with me for giving her $50 Euro. I helplessly tried to explain in my broken Italian how desperate we were after my brother injured himself. And there were other equally magnanimous experiences on a rough trip home.
The Wedding — The agritourismo venue in rural Tuscany was flat, so I had a break from my height's trauma!! We only spent a few days at Antico Borgo San Lorenzo https://www.anticoborgosanlorenzo.it but the scenery and weather were stunning. The property (name means “old farm”) was a hodgepodge of stone and stucco buildings including a small church complete with a monk! (A church was a property tax advantage in days gone by…)
My nephew, the groom, lives in Seattle so I had met only a handful of the 27 guests. But no worries — everyone was warm and friendly so by the end I felt like I had made some new friends! The ceremony was picture-perfect and very moving. The wind kept blowing the bride’s veil off but that kind of created humorous moments and reminded us that life is always a crazy mixture of joy and well… challenges… Things calmed down by dinner time and the long wooden table for 27 in the central courtyard was the memory of a lifetime.
And the Wine?! — I am almost afraid to admit I did not love Italian wine at first. Probably not so hard to understand given Sonoma County’s reputation for more fruit-forward vintages. I actually drank more Aperol Spritz in the beginning.
But as I despaired of ever finding a Chianti (in Italy) that I really liked, the wedding party visited Tenuta Torciano, a local San Gimignano winery. Wow — I was blown away by the food & wine pairing! And the Brunello De Montalcino with a “white” lasagne was so incredible that I bought the winery cookbook! (Unusual for me given my already extensive collection.)
As Mary Shelley wrote “The name Italy has magic in its very syllables.” Ah — but actually living there for a month was a dream-come-true!!
