Grocery shopping in a foreign country is ripe with challenges, not the least of which is figuring out which products on the shelves equate to those you're used to relying on at home.
I'll be making desserts this week, and I needed two ingredients common to American grocery stores: chocolate chips and vanilla.
Chocolate chips, as made famous by Nestle, do not exist over here - at least not in general grocery stores here in Italy. I was able to find very small packages of chips in England (at exorbitant prices). Instead, I purchased whole chocolate bars with varying amounts of cocoa and will determine which bar is semi-sweet, bittersweet and unsweetened. Chopped chocolate bars = bits.
But vanilla is a different story. Nowhere on the shelves did I find the small bottle of brown syrup we're so used to buying in the states. Instead, I found three items:
zucchero al velo : vaniglinato - a powdered sugar flavored with vanilla essence - perfect for sifting onto cakes and cookies
vanillina - vanilla powder to mix into custards and batter
vaniglia - a clear liquid vanilla flavor essence that will not discolor baked goods - sold in single-use vials
I'll try these ingredients in varying combinations to figure out the best equivalent and let you know!
Nothing is more relaxing than winding down after a beautiful day of sightseeing by sipping a fabulous glass of local wine and absorbing the atmosphere in the local piazza.
In Bergamo Alta, the Piazza Vecchia is flanked by museums, churches and residences in some fine examples of Italian architecture. At the heart of the piazza is a large fountain. Children run freely, chasing pigeons and riling up the dogs to a backdrop of splendid history. Gelato is everywhere, and so is the spectacular light as the sun begins to set.
We paused to take it all in at Cafe del Tasso, a casual place that offers antipasti along with its drinks.
Cafe del Tasso
Piazza Vecchia
Bergamo Alta
035237966
With the mountain breezes beginning to blow cooler air into the valleys and over the hills, the time is absolutely right for dining outdoors. Ristoranti here in Italy throw open their doors, set tables outside and make the most of dining al fresco for long, leisurely meals.
We sat in the garden patio of Ristorante Pizzeria da Franco and enjoyed a very pleasant meal that began with a swordfish carpaccio with an incredible, silky texture. The sampler of bruschetta provided an array of regional tastes, while the osso bucco was rich in slow-simmered flavor and depth.
All in all, it was a very nice meal. Add to that a bottle of great wine here and our evening in the medieval city of Bergamo Alta, nestled high in the hills outside of Milan, was nothing short of a success.
Ristorante Pizzeria da Franco
Via Colleoni, 8
Bergamo Alta, Italy Phone: 035238565
The girls are quite popular here in Modena! But they're not just Brandy and Sienna anymore. They're piccolino, carina, cucciolo and a host of other endearing nicknames people invent for them. My absolute favorite nickname is from the toddlers about town - they point with one little finger and call them "bow bow."
It all sounds so much prettier in Italian, doesn't it? They've turned into true Italian dogs - relaxing at the cafe to people watch!
For a bubbly and refreshing start to an evening, many Italians indulge in a glass of Prosecco. Similar to champagne, a prosecco can range from fruity and sweet to slightly more dry. But there are other sparkling wines that are equally appealing.
Last night before our Greek mezethes, we tasted a particular type of sparkling white wine called Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze. It is grown and produced only in Treviso in San Pietro di Valdobbiadene in Barbozza.
This wine packs quite a punch - in the cork that is. When Ed opened it, the cork shot skyward, smashed into our 15-foot ceiling and bounced into the other room!
Absolutely delicious - I highly recommend this wine. We'll be enjoying it again.
Imagine our delight when we strolled with our friends Marco and Petra through the village of Formigine, watched the medieval games, toured the ancient castle and its archaelogical sites, then stopped for a glass of wine and salume under the arches in the Ristorante Il Calcagnino.
Through the drawbridge and across a brick courtyard, you'll find Il Calcagnino. The restaurant is relatively new, but the owners have done a beautiful job. Service was exceptional, recommendations were perfect and the atmosphere was incredible. My favorite portion of the meal? Tagliatelle with a sauce of white wine and seasonal porcini mushrooms. Delicious!
We were so relaxed that we decided to return to the castle for dinner after a stroll through town. So with the moonlit castle as our table backdrop, and through many, many courses of superbly prepared food and several bottles of very good wine, we enjoyed Marco and Petra's company so much we did not realize it was nearly 1:00 a.m. before we left the restaurant. Isn't it wonderful to have friends who share so many interests?
Two wines in particular were memorable. If you can get either of these in the United States, by all means do so. For a crisp white wine we enjoyed the Gavi di Gavi, made in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is fruity and dry with a well-balanced finish.
If your tastes run toward red wines, we enjoyed a Sangiovese blend called Noi. Now I'm not usually a red wine drinker, but this smooth wine was excellent. Noi includes the Sangiovese grape, along with merlot and cabernet sauvingon grapes, all produced on the vineyard's land. For more specific information on this particular label, visit here. The wine is produced by San Patrignano in Rimini near the Adriatic sea.
The story of San Patrignano is quite interesting. San Patrignano is a free a residental community for teens and adults suffering from drug-related issues. The organization offers professional training for careers in the food and wine industries, along with counseling and other services.
And their wine is sensational!
It's not too often that you glance across the restaurant tables to find a courtyard filled with medieval archers!
At the Ludi di San Bartolomeo, this beautiful maiden stood watching the competition of teams of young men sawing as many pieces as they could from a log before the enormous hourglass ran out.
The boys would take turns using the two-man saw and holding the log safely in place. Though I don't know which boy caught her attention, one of them clearly did!
Last week, when we were looking for a Sunday adventure, we ventured just a few miles away to a lovely old town called Formigine to celebrate the Ludi di San Bartolomeo.
This medieval festival included a lively competition between quartiere, each donning unique colors and carrying a flag that represents their neighborhood.
On the grounds of the Castello di Formigine, participants wearing full medieval dress competed in jousting matches, team log sawing and other games designed to involve even the youngest in each group.
Each group included a representation of the patriarchal noble family, with grandparents, parents, teenagers and children, along with court jesters and jugglers. At night on the first day, a 4-act play (ludi) culminating in a wedding was enacted on the piazza. The festival continued for three days, with medieval craftsmen and food vendors selling their wares along the cobblestone streets. On the last day, the town simulated the burning of the Castello di Formigine and though we didn't get to see it, we heard they put on a spectacular fireworks show.
Throughout the day, the atmosphere was light-hearted and fun with plenty of good-natured rivalry.
I had a great time capturing snapshots of the people here. Their faces were so expressive that I wanted to record their images to share with you just how beautiful they are.
Living so near a lush farmer's market and piazzas has its people-watching benefits. I've noticed a few trends that distinguish Italian culture from that of what we're used to in America, and I wish we could find a way to incorporate these back home.
First things first, bicycles are the preferred mode of transportation in the city, riding alongside, in front of and in place of cars. Every day I see hundreds of people riding their bikes, from priests in full robes to women nearing the 80-year-old mark in dresses and pearls, to pregnant mothers-to-be, to fathers with their toddlers happily seated in front. Nearly every bicicletta has a market basket to carry home the day's shopping, and some are decorated with flowers, ruffles and ribbon to distinguish them.
During the mornings, when the Italian women shop the markets for their families, the men tend to congregate in the piazzas and talk politics, sports and play cards while sharing much laughter, gesturing and friendship.
This amicizia is truly marvelous.
Italians embrace the concept of community, and it's obvious that this togetherness is an integral part of their lives. We live such separate lives in the states, keeping to ourselves after work, sharing with friends often only on weekends.
Summer days beckon us toward the freezer, where chilly treats await to satisfy.
In Italy, it is almost a national pastime to seek out the pleasures of luscious, creamy gelato or a hand-held frozen treat on an after dinner stroll.
Gelateria are in every quartiere and stay open quite late.
So what is gelato? It's Italian ice cream. Gelato is typically lower in fat and sugar than American ice creams, though by no means lacking in flavor. On the contrary, with the addition of the finest ingredients such as fresh chopped fruits, biscuits, nuts and other sweets, gelato will satisfy any sweet tooth.
The variation of gelato made without the addition of dairy is called sorbetto. And yes, pesca is my favorite. I am a Georgia peach, after all.
Friendly rivalry exists between the gelateria and each is known for its own special, artisinal and very secret recipe.
No trip to Italy can be considered complete without at least one silken scoop of this outrageous treat!
Even Clara, the honorary member of the Dunwoody Woman's Club in Dunwoody, Georgia, loves her gelato!
Imagine an evening during the Italian Renaissance. Quiet, warm and rich with feasts galore and people in their splendid finery dancing to the gentle music of Il Bianco Fiore by Cesare Negri.
Miss Dainty Toes is ready for her dancing debut! Let the music begin!
We might as well call it a promenade - the town was all but ghostly with just a few leisurely strollers when we visited. And as expected, many of the historical sites were in mid-restoration. With Italy's age and history, it's no wonder the architecture is in a state of flux - it requires plenty of loving care and attention to preserve for generations to come.
During August, it can be eerie to walk through these Italian towns with nearly everyone off to the mare for vacanze.
The streets and parks are deserted, traffic is almost non-existent, visitors are few and the city becomes almost 100% pedestrian or bicyclists.
Still in all, it was a lovely day to stroll the streets and hunt for a ristorante that was open.
We eventually found a cozy bar called Tiffany with dining al fresco on a quiet street. And to complement the local wine, we enjoyed a "cutting board" of local specialty meats and cheeses, names Prosciutto di Parma and Parmegiano Reggiano. It could not have been more delicious.
There are quiet pleasures of living in a city -- you just have to listen carefully or they might pass you by.
As I leave my apartment with the dogs for our morning walk, we turn down the narrow Via San Geminiano, where a man in cerulean silk leans out his window and the vibrant music of his Middle East fills the corridor.
On Via Saragozza, each building shares its unique rhythm. Latin salsa music spills from open shutters above the pizzeria, and farther down the street toward the park a pianist above rehearses a beautiful sonata that makes me stop and pause.
In the parco at Viale delle Rimembrenze, a different type of music plays. It is the steady whine of passing cars, the ring of bicycle bells, the buzz of Vespas set against the sound of the children's carousel in the park across the way.
But head back toward home down Via Francesco Selmi and the music changes once again. Here, the music of one caffetteria gives way to the next ristorante, with quiet clinks of espresso cups and spoons playing against the plink of wine glasses settling on marble tabletops.
Turn down Via Servi, and the bells of Chiesa di Saint Bartholomeo chime twice a day, filling the neighborhood with sounds that remind of the church's presence.
Across from the church, an Italian cantante sings of soul-stirring love, and a happy baby's laughter trickles down to the cobblestones below.
Round the corner is the Mercato Alberelli - sometimes called mercato coperto for its year-round iron and glass roof that makes it a daily stop for all of the locals. In this bustling space, the music is voice - animated, excited, argumentative, lively. One conversation flows into the next and the steady backdrop of sound reminds me what a vital part of the community this market has become.
Turn toward home once again and follow the squeaky wheels of the vendors' carts as they move mountains of pepperocini, melanzana, lattuga and raddichio toward the cool, shadowy spaces where the vegetables are stored for the night.
Listen one last time to the rhythmic sound of the hammers restoring the Chiesa and open the heavy wooden door to the courtyard with its quiet hush, where the only sound is the rustle of pigeon's wings.
Together these separate sounds blend into a complicated rhythmic symphony that has become my music of Modena.
Have you paused to listen to the music of your neighborhood? What do you hear?
Even in photography, I've always been fascinated by light. The Italian word for the interplay of light against shadow is chiaroscuro.
Here in Italy, I'm struck by how light seems to make the ancient plaster buildings glow - someday with a lot of practice I might even be able to capture the effect.
With rich warm colors of gold and orange and rose everywhere, the country seems perpetually bathed in sunshine. Against those sunny tones, you'll often find pops of brilliant blue, crimson and deep pink.
Inspired by the light, I tried to capture the essence of the country homes we see on our Sunday trips, bedecked in roses and window vasi of trailing flowers.
Still a work in progress, I took inspiration, too, from the colors I see through my kitchen window, the cobblestone streets of the Centro Storico in Modena, the frescoes decorating even the simplest country homes, and the spectacular gardens of the Italian countryside and Bavaria.
We visited the restaurant pictured here, Zur Holl, is in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, on a recent trip to Germany.
Will you choose door number one, or door number two? When you open one, will you find the tiger or the pot of gold? Perhaps you'll find your true love waiting?
As I walk through the streets of Modena, I realize that Italy is a country of deep privacy and inner beauty. Family lives are robust and lively, but apartments are shuttered and enclosed to maintain private space.
Stunning 12-foot doorways open wide to even more beautiful courtyards - worlds within worlds, and each is more beautiful than the next. The first courtyard here is what I see every time I open our outer doors to our apartment, and it soothes me each time I do.
"In oneself lies the whole world
and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand.
Chocolate chips, as made famous by Nestle, do not exist over here - at least not in general grocery stores here in Italy. I was able to find very small packages of chips in England (at exorbitant prices). Instead, I purchased whole chocolate bars with varying amounts of cocoa and will determine which bar is semi-sweet, bittersweet and unsweetened. Chopped chocolate bars = bits.
