Category: Food

Italy: Eating Out in Tuscany

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PASTA

Pasta with truffles

If you like pasta and/or pizza, you’ll never go hungry in Italy.  We have been enjoying the pastas in particular and the fresh truffles.  The Chief Penguin is truffle-obsessed; I’m just very fond of them.  Consequently, we have both had tagliolini (the thin spaghetti-like pasta) with black truffles and a couple times with some early white truffles.  The white ones are supremely delicious, with the best ones later on in November and even into December.  

Handkerchief pasta

My favorite pasta dish thus far, aside from those with truffles, was the fazzoletti (handkerchiefs) stuffed with a bit of sausage covered with a light film of cheese.  They were thin and green and oh, so delicate and delicious! 

Raviolis in Florence

 I also loved some ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach served in Tuscan meat sauce.

BRUSCHETTA

Overloaded tomato bruschetta with pesto

When tomatoes are really ripe, there is nothing quite like a bruschetta to start your meal.  Chopped fresh tomato on good toasted bread with a bit of olive oil can be sublime.  We’ve had many renditions, but the best one so far was in Florence with an under layer of pesto.

Another day, we had a bruschetta variation we hadn’t had before, and that was a thin layer of sausage with slices of black truffle on top.  Super yum!

Sausage bruschetta

CAPRESE

By now, most Americans are familiar with the salad of sliced tomatoes and mozzarella with fresh basil called caprese and usually topped with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  We’ve had several versions of it on this trip.   We had an especially pretty plate in Cortona at Bar 500.  

Caprese in Cortona

Another caprese was the wonderful one we had in Florence with a bit of dried oregano on top.

Caprese salad, Florence

STARTERS

A surprise starter was some beautiful smoked Scottish salmon with burrata that we also sampled in Cortona.

Scottish salmon

In Florence, the Chief Penguin began with a light asparagus soufflé topped with shaved black truffle, something different.

Asparagus souffle

One lunch, the CP and I shared a starter called Pop and Cool, and yes, it was listed in English on the Italian menu.  It was prosciutto, melon, and some focacacia.  Pretty to look and refreshing to eat.

Pop and Cool

RISOTTO

I’m a big fan of risotto, but given that we haven’t really been in northern Italy, have only seen it on a few menus. A  properly made risotto is a creamy rice dish that can be as simple as when rice, good stock, and Parmesan cheese are combined in stages, or a more complex dish with the addition of vegetables, meat, or seafood.

I ordered a veggie risotto with zucchini at a local eatery in Arezzo, but it was on the dry side and not a true creamy risotto.  The first one I had this trip (in Rome) included smoked cheese, and it was very satisfying.  I tried again in Florence. Here my risotto with asparagus, shrimp, and melted provolone on top was the right consistency and tasty.

Risotto with shrimp & asparagus

OTHER DISHES

We are in Tuscany and beef dominates many menus. At home, we are not frequent beef eaters, and consequently, have not (at least not yet) indulged in steak Florentine or any other steak options.  I did enjoy a veal stew Tuscan style in Arezzo which I thought might include carrots and onions, but it was simple cubes of veal in a rich dark sauce.  

And I’ve treated myself twice now to vitello tonnato.  Traditionally, this dish of thinly sliced cold veal topped with a tuna mayonnaise is garnished with a few capers. One I had was, but the most recent version had sliced fennel on it and no capers.  The fennel was a sweet alternative to capers, and the dish was great with the addition of fresh cracked black pepper.

Fennel on vitello tonnato

The Chief Penguin opted for a calzone one night with ham and cheese, probably enough for four given its size.  

Calzone at Cavour 42

And on another night, he opted for a starter of salami and burrata with shreds of black truffle, again a very large portion, and a bit surprising in an Italian restaurant.  Perhaps Americans were their target audience.

Salami starter

PIZZA, JUST BECAUSE

Pizza is available everywhere. You could easily have a pizza twice, if not three times a day. Here’s a rustic pizza with spinach, sausage, and Gorgonzola cheese that the Chief Penguin ordered. And no, he didn’t eat all of it! Italy is carb heaven, and what good carbs they are, but one has to exercise a tiny bit of restraint. Bon Appétit!

Rustic pizza

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.).

Italy: Discovering Spello

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FLOWERS

Yesterday we spent most of the day in Spello, a short drive from Perugia. Spello is an old Etruscan town and one known for its annual religious flower festival, Infiorate di Spello, around Easter. There are many window boxes on buildings and walls, and folks collect and dry the blossoms to be used for creating what is a flower carpet. It is a true work of art with a different theme every year and incorporates flower petals of a range of colors.

Poster of procession at flower festival

The carpet extends down the middle of the street. Priests are allowed to walk on it, photographers snap shots, and people line up on both sides of the street.

AQUEDUCT

Portion of Roman Aqueduct, Spello

Our day was a delight and we were again with our “regular” guide Werner. He is a most versatile fellow with a keen eye for art and full of facts about the frescoes in the several churches we visited. We began with a walk along the Roman Aqueduct trail on the edge of Spello. We saw remains of the aqueduct and admired lovely olive trees with their small fruits. It was a quiet morning and the countryside peaceful—-only one couple and no cars.

Olive trees outside Spello

Before a long and delicious lunch, we wandered down the streets of Spello. Our guide wisely suggested the driver leave us at the top of the town to save us navigating the steep inclines. It was still early enough that there were more cars on the streets than pedestrians. Some alleyways had hooks left from when chains were pulled across to prevent horses from going down the alley. Narrow passage ways often had an enclosed arch at the top.

FRESCOES

Self portrait by artist Pictoricius

In one of the churches, we viewed some stunning frescoes by Bernardino de Betto, known as Pinturicchio, a painter during the Umbrian Renaissance. Note the depth of colors and the details.

Mary after Jesus’ birth
At the temple, detail

INDULGENT LUNCH

Lunch was at a wine cellar cum restaurant called Enoteca Properzio. We had a set menu and tasted four different local wines ranging from a robust white to a merlot/cabernet super Tuscan, an amorone, and then a red sagrantino dessert wine.

Winemaker & restaurant host

First was a plate with a tomato bruschetta and two slices of bread with different olive oils on them. The bruschetta was especially good!

Bruschetta plate

Then came homemade tagliolini with black truffles (yum!), followed by meatballs in tomato sauce and a small dish of salad greens, and finally some almond and chocolate biscotti.

It was a feast of local flavors and tastes, and we enjoyed it all!

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)

Italy: Orvieto

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DUOMO DI ORVIETO

Yesterday we traveled from Rome to Perugia via Orvieto.  It was a pretty ride and a combination of winding country roads and some time on the highway.  We spent several hours in Orvieto, focusing mainly on the striking 14th century Duomo di Orvieto.  

This cathedral, unlike others of gray stone, has beautiful mosaics on the front façade. The side exterior walls and the inside have a striped appearance from alternating layers of white travertine and blackish basalt. 

Travertine & basalt on side walls
Mosaics on facade of Duomo di Orvieto

In style, this cathedral is Italian Gothic.  Dedicated to St. Mary, its history is related to transubstantiation, the transfer of the element of communion into the actual blood of Christ.   A traveling priest found that his Host was bleeding so much it stained the altar cloth.  This cloth is now stored in one of the cathedral’s chapels. 

 It is one of the most distinctive and loveliest large churches I’ve seen anywhere. It sits high on a volcanic or lava neck on a small piazza.

Column in duomo interior

We also stopped by the original church here. Orvieto was a poor town surrounded by farms and the church was small. It has been rebuilt to some extent, but the contrast between this building and the duomo funded by the Vatican is great.

Chiesa di Sant’Andrea with separate bell tower

PERUGIA

Cafe scene Perugia

From Orvieto, we went on to Perugia, capital of Umbria, where we will stay for several nights.  Here we enjoyed drinks at one café and then dinner at another, both in the center of the main thoroughfare. Compared to Rome, it was wonderfully calm and less touristy. At one end of the street were a crowd of people and some classic race cars; occasionally a low slung car rumbled by on one side.  

Locals and others strolled past and it was fun to people watch.  We even engaged with a young man masquerading as a cow.  We didn’t why, but he and his cohorts provided some entertainment. Later we learned it may have been part of a graduation exercise.

Young people on the street

FOOD

In Italy, almost all restaurants and cafes serve only Italian food.  Not other cuisines.  We’ve had several pizzas, ranging from good to so-so, and pasta dishes.  Most noteworthy for pasta for the Chief Penguin and me has been the tagliolini with truffles.  In one case, a mix of black and white truffles, and yesterday at lunch, pasta generously dressed with black truffles.  White ones are not fully in season yet.  

Our other treats were roast lamb or lamb cooked over a wood fire and gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce for the C.P.  I indulged in vitello tonnato, paper thin slices of veal covered with a tuna sauce (consistency of thin mayonnaise) topped with capers, and served cold.  I first had this dish in Rome more than 40 years ago and for me, it’s a must at least once every trip.  

Note: Photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.) Header photo is of the piazza around the Duomo Di Orvieto.

Italy: Rome 1st Day

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ARRIVING

I always find the first day hard and long after flying the Atlantic. Our flight over was bumpy much of the way and true sleep eluded me.  The baggage claim was packed with people, but coming through passport control was somewhat simpler than in the past.  It was an hour from landing until we were in the car for the hour ride to our hotel.  Rome was sunny and bright, and the light on the yellow fall leaves breathtaking.  

Romans eat all day long

As expected, the room wasn’t ready, so we did the walk and wander routine around our neighborhood from the Spanish Steps to the Piazza del Popolo until it was an acceptable time for lunch.  Just before 12:30, early by Italian standards, but perfect for tourists.  The Chief Penguin tucked into a plate of fettuccine with porcini while I opted for the comfort of a risotto made with smoked provolone and Prosecco.  We ate at a leisurely pace, enjoying the outdoor scene around Alla Rampa in Piazza Mignanelli and timed our return to the hotel for when the room was ready.

AFTERNOON & EVENING

The Chief Penguin took a long walk to his favorite piazzas while I dozed a bit for an hour before we set out again.  Rome is packed with people, and I mean packed!  We were here four years ago at this same time and it wasn’t nearly as crowded.  But then, we know at least five couples who were to be in Italy at some point this month.  

Soft evening light

The evening light on the city’s amber, rose, tan, and cream buildings was soft and beautiful.  Dinner was at another restaurant café with outside seating, this one called Angie’s.  It is more casual than Alla Rampa with a less extensive menu.  We shared a mozzarella and prosciutto pizza, grilled vegetables (red peppers, zucchini and eggplant), and an apple tart along with some white wine. We retired early to be ready for another day in this city of narrow streets and intimate piazzas. 

Note: All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved.)