Road Trip – Roma, Italy

This year, we had the good fortune of spending New Year in Roma with my sister-in-law’s family.

New Year’s eve was filled with busy preparations: shopping, beautifying, etc. So, we began the afternoon by popping into a trattoria around the corner from my sister-in-law’s place for some hearty fortifications.

Wine at lunch. Not only civilized, but essential in preparing yourself for the evening’s festivities.

I have never encountered a dish of spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) that I could pass up and this day was no different.

Both G and my sister-in-law ordered this beautiful plate of pasta with chickpeas and shellfish.

Once properly fed, we braved the busy streets of Roma to make preparations for the rest of the evening.

Roma, being both beautiful and the seat of western civilization, is very popular with tourists, especially around any given holiday. So, the streets were quite crowded everywhere we went.

The building on the left is a wonderful example of Roma’s appeal. It is a bank building (new, and presumably “beautiful”) attached to some ruins (very old and historic). This type of juxtaposition is everywhere in Roma.

But the beauty of Roma is not only found in her streets among the ruins and art, but in the homes and hearts of her people.

These are just a few of the goodies my sister-in-law prepared for the festivities. I love the abundance of the table. I like to think it symbolically sets the tone for the new year ahead. And speaking of symbolism, the caprese salad above boasts the colors of the Italian flag.

Everything about the evening was wonderful: the food, company, setting, and warm feeling you get from being with family. No doubt, this was all due to my sister-in-law’s tireless efforts at setting the stage for a memorable evening.

New Year’s day we joined the throng of tourists to do a little sightseeing around town. First stop, the world-renowned Bartolucci.

The Bartolucci family excels at woodworking and their company has been awarded the Qualification of Artistic Craftsmanship, in addition to many industry awards.

The company primarily makes toys with a heavy emphasis on Pinocchio. (Pinocchio is Tuscan, remember?) But they also make many accessories for children’s rooms like clocks, lamps, picture frames, etc.

Bartolucci also takes special commission jobs.

The store was so packed with people buying everything in sight! I was so happy to see that people still value fine craftsmanship and are willing to pay for it.

Next stop: the Pantheon. The Pantheon began its life as a pagan temple somewhere between 27 and 25 B.C. and was the first religious building open to the public. Later, the structure was given over to Christianity. FYI: My nephew was christened in the Pantheon.

The building sits on the site where legend tells us Romulus, founder of Roma, died and was carried off by an eagle to join the gods.

The Pantheon’s structure is a masterpiece of engineering and architecture. In fact, its domed roof – a real breakthrough – made possible every skyscraper in existence today.

From there, we made our way over to la Piazza di Trevi and the Church of St. Ignatius (above) and la Fontana di Trevi, or Trevi Fountain (below).

La Fontana di Trevi is the largest Baroque fountain in Italy (the photo at the top of this post gives you a better sense of the size) and quite possibly the world. The fountain is situated at the end of the Aqua Virgo (Virgin), an aqueduct constructed in 19 B.C.

In this photo you see Ocean in the center atop his triumphal chariot. To his right stands Abundance and to his left is Health. The chariot is led by two horses each with a Triton for a rider. One horse is calm, the other restless. The horses represent the nature of the sea itself. Naturally, there is a lot more symbolism to be found in this image and the entire fountain, but I’ll hopefully save that for when you visit.

Legend has it if you turn your back to the fountain and toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain’s waters you will return to Roma.

Those of you who know me know I’m not given to superstition. However, every time I’ve visited Roma I’ve made it a point to toss a coin in the fountain and to date, I’ve had the good fortune of visiting Roma five times! Coincidence? Maybe. But why take a chance?

Once again, I owe a debt of gratitude to my sister-in-law’s seemingly endless capacity for generosity. To say la Fontana di Trevi was a madhouse on New Year is an understatement. Getting to la Piazza was difficult enough, but the Fountain…well that seemed impossible as there were people – at least 40 deep – all the way around it.

My sister-in-law, knowing it was important to me to toss a coin in the Fountain, patiently helped us make our way (elbow our way?) through the groups of people until I was at the water’s edge. I turned around, closed my eyes (my idea, but not part of the legend), and tossed my fateful coin.

Thank you V. I know it was a production getting us there so that I could indulge a superstition and I greatly appreciate all your efforts that day.

Here’s wishing you all un buon anno!

Arrivederci!

This is Pasta

In Italy, you can buy dry pasta at any supermarket. I prefer to buy my pasta fresh, once or twice a week, from my local pasta shop: Pastissima.

Pastissima has many different pastas to choose from, including integrali, or whole wheat.

The pasta is made fresh daily.

In some cases, like when I wanted a larger quantity than what was readily available in the case – they’ll make the pasta for you on the spot. 

The dough was put through the machine.and within seconds, out came the freshest pasta I’ve ever had the pleasure to purchase.

Admittedly, I purchased more pasta than I needed, but who could resist?

Later that evening, the pasta served as the centerpiece of our evening meal.

But not for long.

Arrivederci!

 

 

I’ll Drink to That

Although wine is still king, artisanal beers are making inroads in Italy.

Biella is home to the world famous Menabrea 1846 Birra,  the flagship beer of Italy’s oldest brewery.

Established in Biella in 1846, the brewery is still run by the founding family, and is today the country’s only fully Italian-owned brewery.

The beer is additive free and brewed using bottom fermentation, a slow fermentation process that uses spring water from the Alps. The beer is then matured underground for a month in cellars carved out of the rock beneath the brewery. Unlike mass produced beers, no water is later added to standardize the beer’s alcohol content.

Menabrea 1846 has won numerous international awards including the Gold Medal Award at the London International Exhibition in 1925. At the Chicago International Beer Championships, the beer took the top prize in 1997, 1998, and then again in 2000.

Then the other day, on our dining room table, the beer – and the brewery’s delicious pizza – were awarded our seal of approval in 2012.

Arrivederci!

 

Horsing Around in Italy

Some proof that what we eat is arbitrary and culturally informed.

These are two examples of several in this town. Macelleria is Italian for butcher and equina needs no translation. For those of you in denial, the illustration next to the word equina in the first photo is a dead give away.

Suddenly, a salad seems even more appetizing. No?

Arrivederci!

The Warmest Gelato in Town

In Italy, I find that there are varying degrees of very good gelato wherever you go. Even so, the gelato at Biella Gelato e Caffè manages to surpass them all. In a word, it is EXCELLENT.

There are so many wonderful flavors and concoctions to choose from. (Pistachio is my personal favorite.)

And if you manage to resist the temptations of the gelato case and menu, then the gelato cakes’ case is sure to ensnare you.

But the sweetest offerings at this gelateria are not found in its creamy mounds displayed behind glass.

Without doubt, the sweetest offerings at this gelateria are the warm, friendly smiles of Chiara and Gabry.

G and I visit Biella Gelato e Caffè almost every night before closing. The pair is always hard at work (for they both work very, very hard) prepping the shop for the next day’s business. (The shop serves breakfast in the morning.) Yet, they never seem the least bit perturbed by the interruption. Nor do they make us feel self conscious about our late arrival.

Instead, from the moment we walk through the door they greet us with a friendly manner that seems to suggest they’ve been anxiously awaiting our arrival. They’re even kind enough to suffer my poor Italian language skills as I ask for my usual cono al pistacchio. (Although, probably not for much longer, as I recently discovered that Chiara has a very good handle on the English language, so I’ll probably chat her up that way from now on.)

The main thing I’d like to leave you all with is this: as wonderful an experience as it is to live in Italy for six months and eat gelato on a nightly basis, the opportunity does not come without its challenges, namely loneliness and isolation (and some weight gain), especially when you’ve left so many loved ones behind in the States. It is a struggle I do not want to diminish. But people like Chiara and Gabry make the struggle much more manageable simply by being the lovely young people they are.

Arrivederci!

My Kind of Grocery Store

I give you Gastronomia Mosca, the best food store in town and it’s conveniently located (for me) at the bottom of the hill.

As soon as you walk through the front door you are greeted by an elegant display of the most delectable selections in every category.

The cheese case above is a favorite of mine.

The dairy case – the smallest case in the shop – has a nice selection of locally produced butters. But if you prefer your butter from a place like Normandy, that is available by weight at the cheese counter.

I’m tempted to pop into the shop on a daily basis as part of my rounds. It’s contents promise so many delights I have yet to discover. And they even take my American Express card, something many merchants in Italy do not do. Alas, I try hard to limit my visits as the shop is a little pricier than the local grocery store.  So, the only way I’ve found to avoid the temptations of Mosca is to practice a little abstinence.

Arrivederci!

Free To Be…

As mentioned in an earlier post, Biella is a mountain town. As such, it bears many similarities to both Denver and Boulder. The climate and scenery are similar and surprisingly, the people dress and live a similarly outdoorsy lifestyle. Yet, every now and again subtle differences emerge.

No doubt you’re familiar with Italians’ penchant for cleanliness. Bidets, like the one pictured above, are a common fixture in homes and hotel rooms here. The amusing thing about the bathroom in this photo is that it is located inside the offices of a local real estate company!

A condom dispensing machine located outside, on the sidewalk of a busy commercial street. See the photo below for a better look at the machine’s contents. (Notice how many empty slots there are.  Ah Italia!)

I love how Italians temper your expectations. Case in point: the “Very Good” corn flakes below. And really, is there such a thing as an excellent or fantastic bowl of corn flakes? To my mind, this brand is right on the money.

My clothes’ dryer. (Honest. Those are my skivvies peeking out the back.)

Finally, in our super-sized world, I give you my daily 3 p.m. treat, cioccolata calda (hot chocolate) in a very respectable 8oz cup. The only size available in the cafés and cremerias.