• Spaghetti integrale (whole wheat) or pasta of your choice
• 6-8 calamari, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8-10 pomodorini (cherry tomatoes), cut in half or quarters
• 3 Tablespoons of olive oil
• Handful of prezzemolo (italian parsley)
• 1/2 of a cipolle (red onion)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• peperoncino (chili pepper flakes) and salt to taste
• white wine

Boil the water and then add pasta. I prepare everything as the water is coming to a boil and then actually do the saute part while the pasta is cooking.

Finely chop the parsley, onion and garlic together (I use a mezzaluna knife as I find it chops better than any knife, is safer and makes your body do a dance!) and place in a pan.

Add the olive oil, peperoncino and salt to taste (we like it spicy!). Place it over a medium to high flame and let sizzle for about 2-3 minutes.

Add in the calamari making sure it gets well coated with the sauce. Saute for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes by first squeezing them and then dropping them in the pan.

Add a little white wine (maybe 1/3 cup). Stir a bit and then let sizzle another 2 minutes, turn off the heat and cover.

Drain the pasta and place in serving bowl. Add the calamari and sauce and stir well. There you have a delicious and healthy pasta dish for 3-4 people.

By the way, the calamari can be replaced with shrimp which usually needs about 2 more minutes of saute time.

BUON APPETITO!

That’s no Tonka toy truck!

A visit to the area is one of my favorite excursions and can easily be done from the Italian Riviera or NW Tuscany: A Day in Carrara. Here is my suggested “way to spend the day”:

Start with a visit Colonnata. Built on small hill of marble (in between monstrous ones that surround you from all sides), this charming little village was founded by the Romans and housed the slaves forced to work in the marble quarries. Today it is still populated by “lizzatore” (quarry workers), but has also become famous because of its “lardo” (but better referred to as “the butter of Tuscany”). A sandwich of tomatoes and lardo between two slices of bread and some moonshine wine were a typical lunch for the quarryman.

The view from Colonnata

So what is lardo? (Disclaimer: the gross part here.) Well, it is the shavings from the back of the pig (called “spugnosa” or the greasiest part) which are put in a marble basin, known as a “conca”, a few hours after having been butchered. The conca is rubbed with garlic and herbs and then the lardo is placed on the bottom of it. Then a layer of salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary is added. The layering process continues with this recipe until the conca is filled and then it is covered with a marble slab. The lardo remains in the conca for 6 to 10 months.

Pure Lardo!

There are several shops and restaurants in the village where you can try it. My favorite is a couple of slices between some fresh hot focaccia!

A typical, delicious meal, Colonnata style!

Next stop is the Fantiscritti with its spectacular views over the town of Carrara and the quarries themselves. Here you can visit inside a working quarry (600 meters inside to be exact!) and learn about the process of cutting and pulling out of the marble blocks. There is a small museum containing an exhibition of the various quarrying methods used over the past 2000 years. The tours are 30 minutes long in English, French & Italian and cost €9 per person.

The Entrance to Fantiscritti

There is also the official Carrara Marble Museum (located on Via XX settembre) where you could spend another 1/2 hour learning about the techniques and history of this fabulous stone.

It’s a fun day: educational and interesting amongst an almost surreal setting. ENJOY!

HOW TO GET THERE: From the A12 autostrada exit at Carrara and then follow the signs for Carrara and “cave di marmo”. You’ll go through Carrara, then start to climb the toward Colonnata and the Fantiscritti. It takes about 50 minutes from Lucca or Pisa, and 40 minutes from Lerici or La Spezia.

The famous French writer, Guy de Maupassant, made this claim in the late 19th century and for may this still holds true of piccolo Portofino.

We made an early morning visit to the village, knowing that now with spring weather upon us, the crowds (and cruise ships) would soon be arriving in hoards.  Portofino is best visited at this time when the (real) fisherman are bringing in their catch of the day, when the locals (less than 500 in total) are drinking their first caffè of the day (at local prices) and when there is a certain serenity that briefly makes this place magical.

From early spring until mid-fall, Portofino is a playground for the so-called ‘jet set’.  Nowadays, don’t be surprised to see Jennifer Lopez or George Clooney hanging out on uber-yachts.  But even I have to admit, it is much more than that. It is a bay and village of breath-taking beauty with a (once) important natural harbor. It offers lush Mediterranean hillside forests, a charming, colorful village and a color of blue sea hard to find anywhere else.

Portofino began as a Phoenician port, then was ruled by Rome and finally served the Republic of Genoa. It is a cultural meeting point and has been loved by writers and philosophers such as Nietzsche, Maupassant and Truman Capote who all lived here and were no doubt inspired by its beauty to get the creative juices flowing.

Portofino is an easy day trip from as far south as the border of Tuscany (Lerici to be exact!) and up to the French border.  If arriving by car, exit at Rapallo and follow the blue signs.  It’s about a 20 minute drive from the autostrada.  If arriving by train, your stop is Santa Margherita Ligure, from which you can either take the bus or the ferry.  There is only one, very expensive parking lot in Portofino, so you might consider parking in nearby (and quite nice as well) Santa Margherita, where you can take the ferry once an hour from April – November.

It’s the story of middle aged woman, somehat lost, whom through the love of a charismatic Italian, begins to find herself. Yet is tragically interrupted by her husband’s sudden death. It is here that begins a story of finding, redefining and accepting, set in rural Pennsylvania, New York and above all, the rolling, vineyard covered hills of Piemonte, Italy. I don’t want to give too  much away as it’s best to discover the book’s beauty all on your own…It’s an easy read and even enchanting when describing the lifestyle and landscape of the Piemontese countryside. Like everything she does (have you seen her B&B or her gorgeous ceramics?), Diana has put 150% into this project and it shows in every page. Brava girlfriend!

True Vines can be bought in paperback at amazon.com or as an eBook for Kindle.

Do yourself a favor, buy this treat of a story and cozy up to the fire with a glass of Barbera in hand. I promise you’ll thoroughly enjoy it!

One of the most “Italian” experiences a traveller can have is to participate in the olive harvest to create the country’s liquid gold! We are so excited to offer this special week long adventure (November 1-8, 2013) with our dear friends down in Umbria.  Here are the details:

Join olive oil producer Corinna Tonti and Letizia Mattiacci, owner of alla Madonna del Piatto cooking school, for a truly local and personal experience of Umbria’s crafts and artisan delights.

Villa Rosy, a XIX century farmhouse at the center of the award-winning San Potente olive estate will be your home for 7 days at the peak of olive harvest. During your stay you will take part to all steps of olive oil production, from harvesting olives in the groves surrounding the farmhouse, to the plate, where “Umbria’s liquid gold” makes everything better and healthier.

You will visit a working mill, taste the oil the very minutes it’s pressed and learn to recognize the nuances of its flavor. There will be time for visiting local sights like medieval Assisi, Perugia, Foligno and Deruta home to Italy’s greatest ceramic makers where you will decorate your own piece of pottery.

Alla Madonna del Piatto cooking school is listed by National Geographic among 500 places where to eat around the globe. Letizia will open her kitchen for you to learn to make fresh pasta, farro, crostata as well as other autumn recipes of the Umbrian countryside.

Friday, November 1:

• transfer from Foligno train station
• walk in the olive grove
• welcome dinner Villa Rosy

Saturday, November 2:

• Bentornato Olio Nuovo: friends and family of Villa Rosy owners are invited to participate to a private party to celebrate the arrival of the newly pressed olive oil. Drinks and food are served in the garden
• Guided tour of the San Francesco basilica
• dinner at Slow Food restaurant in Assisi

Sunday, November 3:

• Visit of a traditional flour stone mill with tasting of their organic bakery products
• Lunch in Bevagna at small Trattoria
• Ceramic course in Deruta where guests will learn how to make their own piece of pottery
• Dinner in Santa Maria degli Angeli

Monday, November 4:

• Cooking class at Alla Madonna del Piatto with lunch
• Afternoon walk in Spello
• Wine tasting and light dinner at winery

Tuesday, November  5:

• Guided tour of Assisi
• Lunch in Assisi
• Weaving demonstration in private house in the small mountain village of Rasiglia
• Guided wine tasting by professional sommelier and home style dinner

Wednesday, November 6:

• Cooking class at Alla Madonna del Piatto
• Visit of Olive oil mill
• Free time: walking and shopping in Foligno
• Dinner in Foligno

Thursday, November 7:

• Guided tour of Perugia including visit of the House Museums of Sorbello
• lunch in Perugia
• visit of the Moretti-Caselli historic glass studio
• Buffet Style dinner at Villa Rosy

Friday, November 8:

• Transfer to Foligno train station

Total package price is €2180 per person which includes breakfast, all meals listed above, local transfers/transportation, museum tickets, all activities listed above. Limited to 8 participants.

As olive harvest is short, this tour is a special opportunity to share a unique time with two Italian families in a marvelous corner of rural Italy.

Come to share our passion, our knowledge and family traditions. Come to live the Italian life with us!

FOR MORE DETAILS OR TO BOOK THIS WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE, JUST SEND US AN EMAIL AT:

info@bellavitaitalia.com

Less (understatement) people and all of the following for your viewing pleasure:

• Raphael Rooms
• Pio Clementino collection
• Galleries of the Candelabra, Tapestries, and Maps
• And the Sistine Chapel

This year, the after hours dates are: May 3 – July 26 and September 6 – October 25 from 7-11PM (last entrance at 9:30PM).

You can reserve your tickets at mv.vatican.va. They cost €16 per person.

Note, this does not include entrance to Saint Peter’s but you can gives you more time by day to visit the basilica. Enjoy!

Imagine 3, 4 or 7 days on your own private luxury sailboat that takes you from the lovely old port of Genova to the glimmering coves around Portofino to the rugged yet pristine Cinque Terre and ending in the charming seaside village of Portovenere. Along the way enjoy interesting tours, fabulous wine tastings, delicious on-board meals, lounging on deck, dips in the sapphire blue Med and all that “La Dolce Vita” has to offer!

We are working on a couple different itineraries and will have them up on the web site soon. In the meantime, start dreaming away and don’t hesitate to contact us with questions.

A presto!

After a brief break from the January-like weather in March, we have once again returned to January.  Our garden is now a lake.  The desperately needed work on our building has been at a stand still for two weeks.  On the bigger front, our government has gone to pot and we are quickly becoming the butt of everyone’s EU jokes (and rightfully so).  The news is filled with stories of people not making ends meet and unemployment at an all time high.  The only ray of sunshine these days is a new, wonderful, positive Pope (let’s hope he brings some “allegra” to this country!).

I have loved living here in Italy, but right now, it’s just plain dreary, literally and figuratively. Soooooooo, I am re-posting and adding to my PRO Italy List.  I originally wrote this list 6 years ago, when someone referred to living in Italy in a not so positive way.  I do believe this is a wonderful place to live and that this big, bad hiccup will come to an end.  And because in the end, this is where I call home…

1. 2500 years of history (good, bad, scandalous, heroic, but always interesting) that shaped western civilization
2. The fact that most kids have read some of Dante by the time they are 14
3. The marriage between food, wine and life – you can’t have one without the others
4. Importance of family and actually meaning it
5. The rumble and glistening of olive trees when you can’t decide if they are green silver or lavender
6. Donatello, the master of near every medium of art including wood, bronze, gold, marble & paper
7. The passeggiata, the afternoon stroll is the prefect way to start your evening and work off a big pasta lunch!
8. The crystal clear, pristine sea water in the bay between Portovenere and Palmaria
9. Dogs being allowed in dressing rooms in department stores
10. Hot, fresh Focaccia – sorry but it just cannot be duplicated in the states like it is here
11. Isola Bella near Taormina, Sicily
12. How a caffè latte can brighten up your whole day
13. “Pianeta Mare”, “Linea Blue” & “SuperQuark” – these informative shows on history and the sea put Mutual of Omaha & National Geographic to shame!
14. The smell of jasmine and wisteria EVERYWHERE in spring (WHEN it arrives!)
15. Learning when what produce is in season
16. Turning the corner and finding another 1000 year old street or chapel
17. Looking up and realizing that’s not snow, it’s marble!
18. The milk, it just tastes way better, fresher here
19. Learning when what fish is in season and what fish are better “surgelato” (frozen)
20. Seeing the Pantheon for the first or 100th time, it never seizes to amaze me
21. Mastering walking in stilettos on 500 year old cobblestones
22. Chocolate from Modica or Lucca
23. Discothèques opening till sunrise
24. HEBA Morellino di Scansano – one glass is never, never, never enough
25. The voices of Pavarotti, Francesco Renga & Zucchero
26. Being able to jump in the car and drive to no where and still have seen a lot
27. Trains, even when they are not on time, it’s still such a convenient way to get around
28. Weekly markets: whether it’s food, clothes or junk, nowhere does the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” means so much
29. La Twingo, best damn car I have ever owned!
30. Italians can do wonders with little space – it is amazing what you can fit into a 600 square foot home!
31. Nonnapappera, La Rana Golasa, Grom, Vestri, La Piazza and Antica Delizia: gelatos from these grand establishments cannot be duplicated
32. My husband and son (ok this one is really biased)
33. The novelty of Variety Shows – ok, they may be cheesy, but even with the half dresses dancers there is something almost “old fashion” about them
34. Morning swims in Grotto Byron
35. Alessandro del Piero – the man who can still bring “class” to the game of soccer (now that he is retired to some team in Australia, I will add Gigi Buffon)
36. The amazing variety of fantastic reading glasses by top designers
37. The bidet – once you know what it’s for and how to use it, you’ll never want to be without one
38. All the great stuff you can get at the “Farmacia” with or without a prescription
39. A strong respect for elders and their stories
40. The marble lavandina – chopping counter, sink and place to dry your dishes all in one
41. The smell of roasted chestnuts on the city streets during the fall

Rome – Assisi – Siena – Florence – Bologna – Padova – Venice – Region of Chianti – Montepulciano – Rome – Naples – Pompeii – Sorrento – Capri – Rome – IN 10 DAYS!!!

I immediately let out a shrill of disgust at my computer (as if would reach the the tour company from cyber space, ha!), then sat back and begin to think about this marathon vacation. In one day they plan to go from Florence to visit Bologna then Padova and eventually end up in Venice. Now that’s just crazy. Actually, I’ll take it a step further…that’s just irresponsible travel.

While I realize and empathize with the fact that Americans have very limited vacation time, it needs to be stated loud and clear that:

VACATION SHOULD BE ABOUT QUALITY NOT QUANTITY.

Yes, Italy has almost too much to offer, but the above will make it nothing more than a blur. Here are some suggestions to avoid travel suicide:

• With one week, choose no more than 2 destinations, but ideally just one. You will be amazed at how much to can do and see from a villa in Tuscany, or taking nearby day trips.
• With a two week vacation, choose no more than 4 destinations (2-3 being more ideal). Otherwise, you start spending more time getting from point A to point B, rather than enjoying where you are.
• Do not think you have to “conquer” the Big Three (Rome, Florence and Venice). Mixing a city with a few days in the countryside or the sea gives you very different perspectives of Italian lifestyle. Mixing one city, one countryside area and one seaside resort in 2 weeks is excellent in my opinion (May – September).
• Do not cram tour after tour into each destination. If in Rome, sure, do a 1/2 day tour of Ancient Rome and a 1/2 day tour of the Vatican, but leave the other half of those days free to explore on your own. People watching in a cafe in a lovely piazza can be just as rewarding as seeing the Sistine Chapel, again, in my opinion.
• Do not think that the restaurants in guidebooks are the (only) way to go. Ok, I write for a couple of guidebooks so you may find this strange. But even though we writers suggest places that are of quality, they often become “tourist only” places after a while. It doesn’t mean they are bad, just maybe not as “authentic Italian” as before the book’s publication or as you might be expecting. Instead, search some blogs on Italy and you are bound to find lots of little gastronomic gems not frequented by “that guy with the backpack” and his followers (sorry, couldn’t help myself on that one).
• Leave time for some rest. Even if you are taking it at a slower pace, you body has been jilted with jet lag, you are eating new and different foods and probably drinking a good amount of Italian wine. Do like the Italians and enjoy a “pisolino” (nap) or two. Italy won’t pass you by while you sleep and you will be more refreshed afterwards to “soak up the local atmosphere”.
• If you are a workout fanatic, first know you will not be keeping your same regiment up while on vacation. It just doesn’t happen. But for some exercise, take it outside!. What better way to see real Italy than an early morning power walk? You are bound to come across many lively and intimate scenes (i.e. – best time to pass by a fish market, see the old men getting caffè in a bar, watch the parents taking there kids to school, see people setting up shop for the day, real life Italy!

I am sure if I had a bit more time today, I could come up with many more suggestions and hope to add to this list eventually. And I would love to hear from any of you out there with further recommendations.

Bottom line is trying to do too much in too little time = (Italian) Travel Suicide. Just don’t do it.