Life's a Banquet
'...and most poor fools are starvin to death!' ~Mame

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

It has been tough getting back into the swing of things. Jet lag and having a ton to catch up on combined to make me exceedingly tired the first week, and now I am just 'normal' tired, though still further behind than I like to be. What I really do not like about coming back from any trip is how quickly the feelings and memories fade when we get into our daily lives. I am good at living in the moment and fully enjoying where I am and what I am doing, and in Italy those feelings of joy and satisfaction were intense! It is a good thing we took pictures and wrote the blog while we were there because it is really really tough to portray those feelings after some time has gone by. sigh.

This Saturday at the cafe we are having a PARTAY as my friend Manny would say. I learned lots of new recipes in Italy and I cannot wait to try them out! We will have them for sampling and of course some wine to sample from the wineries that we visited. The flavors of the food will not be completely true since we do not have access to the same quality of ingredients here, and my recipes will be based on my perceptions and preferences. So I can guarantee that they will be fabulous! And I can hope that anyone who has been to Italy and tasted similar dishes will be able to appreciate that we are trying to get as close to those flavors as we can.

The smartest thing that we did on our return was to ask Dawn, our house/kitty sitter, to pull some items out of the freezer for us on Friday. When we got home on Sunday they were defrosted in the fridge and we were able to eat well right off the bat. Plus Sharon from the cafe dropped our last CSA box on the porch for us so we had an abundance of fresh produce to use as well. Mom and dad had to go to the store when they got home, I felt so lucky to have someone to pull the food out of the freezer for us! If you go on a long vacation and you empty your fridge before hand, try to find someone to put something in it for when you get back. That way you don't have to go to the store right off the bat when you are tired and just want to snuggle back into your own home. It's a great gift to give yourself!

We made some wonderful friends on this trip and it is really difficult to plan next year's trip now. We want to do all the same things and add more, which simply will not work. So culling out any of the fantastic things that we did is really hard! I am going to ask the folks who went with us for their feedback as well, and that may help me decide. The most exciting news about that is I already have names on my list for next year's trip! It is going to be great!

What is new locally? Well some extremely exciting news for those of us who cherish locally grown and produced foods: Fresh Local Bremerton is opening soon! A group of farmers have gotten together and are opening a 'grocery' store which features locally grown and produced foods. This is a non profit organization and they are partnering with the commercial kitchen next door: this is going to be one great resource. You can join it, much like a CSA, and prepay an amount to help them with capital, and then you get that back in store credit. Sort of a gift card that you buy for your self! They will not just have produce, either. They will have meat, eggs, dairy products, coffee, honey, grains & flour, soup to go, baked items and more. The store is at 540 4 ST in Bremerton, and they are still working on the permit process to get it open. It could happen any day now! I am keeping my fingers crossed!

The Kitsap Community Food Co-Op is getting closer to fruition as well. We are member number 30! It is a great time for thinking local first, and we are proud to be in the thick of it. The Poulsbo Farmer's Market is going to have an 'Eat Local For Thanksgiving' Market on November 21 where you can fill your holiday table with a bounty of locally produced foods. That is fabulous!

We are busy prepping up pumpkins and getting things ready for our own Thanksgiving orders these next few weeks. Our next shipment of Italian wines are due in by the 15th and our tasting is scheduled on the 20th. We are really looking forward to our busy season this year, especially because last year's was the beginning of a major decline in sales. The snow last year forced us to cancel Mrs Claus, many caters cancelled or did not schedule at all, and the number of special orders were extremely low. We did not even make as many Christmas and Hanukkah cookies as we normally do, because folks could not get out to buy them. Sales the rest of the year have been down as well, but December through February was the worst, and we are really looking forward to putting that behind us and starting fresh this holiday season. I want you to have the tastiest holiday season possible!

So let's raise a glass of wine (that we bought from the vineyard or from a locally owned, independent business) to THINKING LOCAL FIRST! The local stores and services may not have every single thing we need, but if we try them first we may be surprised at what they CAN do for us. And it is guaranteed to keep our local economy healthier and stronger than it would be if we all shopped at the big boxes and ate at the chains, all of the time. Cheers!

The recipe this week comes from my favorite tv chef Anne Burrell. I modified to makeit my own for Mark's birthday dessert on Monday, and you all seemed to love it! For the bread I used our cinnamon bread (we keep unsold 'day old' loaves in the freezer just for this purpose) and I loved it more than pie or cake to be sure. Give it a try, you can always make it at night and then bake it in the morning, the longer the soak the better! Just don't soak more than 24 hours or the bread will start to dissolve in it. Here you go:

1 (4-pound) sugar pumpkin
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups heavy cream
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 loaf (about 10 cups) diced cinnamon bread, challah or plain pound cake
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup diced crystallized ginger
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish if you like it

Special equipment: 11 by 7-inch baking dish

For the squash: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the squash in quarters and remove the seeds. Brush the insides with a little oil and arrange on a baking sheet, skin side up. Roast in the preheated oven until the squash is soft all they way through, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. (This can be done 1 or 2 days ahead.) When the squash is cold, remove it from the skin and puree in a food processor. You'll need 2 1/2 cups of squash puree for this recipe. If the mixture is dry while pureeing, add a ladleful of the pudding mixture.

For the pudding: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, eggs, brown sugar, spices, and vanilla and mix well to combine. Mix in the pumpkin puree. Combine the bread, raisins and ginger in the baking dish. Pour the pudding mixture over the bread to cover and let sit for 15 minutes.

Cook's Note: You may not use all of the filling. Add more filling if there's room in the dish once the bread has soaked.

Bake in the preheated oven until the custard is set, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Link: http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Silverdale-WA/Monicas-Waterfront-Bakery-Cafe/132937776561?v=photos

Click this link to see our Italy pictures! I managed to only pick out 170 out of the over 2000 pictures that Mark took!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Three years ago on my last night in Florence I took myself to dinner. I don't remember how I heard about this place, I think it was in one of my books. So I walked myself along the Arno river to dinner and when I finally found this little place, tucked into an alley, it was not open yet. I could see in through the big glass doors and the crew was in the middle of their 'family meal' that many dinner places do before service. I stayed a respectful distance from the door and peeked at them, remembering the family meals I had been a part of in my restaurant past, and knowing that this place was special. Very rarely in any restaurant that I worked in, was the crew allowed to eat in the dining room, never mind the entire crew. And the food and wine were both abundant, not little tastes of the daily specials. They looked like a real family, enjoying themselves, possibly passing on information, and being nourished by one another as well as the food. This was Il Latini.

This was a popular place. Soon there was a crowd of hopeful diners gathered in the alley and pressing against those big glass doors trying to be the first in line. My respectful distance from the windows made me lose my place in line, so I just watched. The man opened the door as much as the crowd made room for, and people began calling out to him: "I have a reservation!" or "Table for 4!" and on it went. The man made eye contact with each person and they held up their fingers to show how many in their party, and slowly he began letting folks in. He had made eye contact with me, I shyly held up one finger, and he gave me a smile and a reassuring look, as if to say 'don't worry, I know you are there'. I did not wait long before he ushered me in and to the front table!

I sat at one of the long communal tables, a Japanese couple sitting across from each other on my left, and a couple from the US sitting across from one another on my right. The chair across from me remained empty for only a few minutes. The waiter plunked down a jug of wine and told me to let him know how many glasses I had at the end of the meal. Allrighty then! He asked if I had preferences between this or that, or if he should just start bringing me the house courses. Yes, please! A distinguished man was seated across from me and introduced himself. He was Parisian, just in town for a while, as he worked for (are you ready for this???) THE HOUSE OF PUCCI! Ok, I may not wear designer clothes, or even think about them, but I know Pucci is one of the oldest, most established, best houses of fashion in the industry. Gulp. I poured him some wine. He was so nice, we ended up sharing the meal as if it had been planned. This was his 'go to' joint in Florence and we were dining a bit early (I had to leave very early in the morning and he was tired) so there were more tourists in the place than there would be later. And as we took our time dining we watched the atmosphere change as locals took the place of tourists, and the conversations got livelier and more... Italian. This restaurant has it's own farm estate. They make their own wine, press their own olive oil, and cure their own prosciutto-much of which is hanging from the ceilings. They grow their own produce, raise and hunt their own meats, and on and on it goes. Every morsel was delectable.

Now, three years later, I got to share this place with my parents and Mark, which was a dream come true moment for me. This time we had reservations, though still early because of an early flight. We all saw the tail end of the family meal, and though the commotion at the front was more civilized than it had been before, it was still fun to watch. We got in, got our table and began to dine. They plunked a 2 liter bottle of wine on the table and we drank it all! Plus 2 or 3 litres of water. The antipasti was many things, from their proscuitto (THANK YOU GOD!) and the best chicken liver pate I have ever eaten on yummy crostini, other meats, little balls of fresh mozzarella, olive oil, fresh tomatoes and I don't remember what else. It was a meal in and of itself! We had options for the primi piatti. Mom and I both got the ribollita, dad got the cheese and spinach ravioli, and Mark got the papperadelle with Bolgnese sauce. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! We all shared and loved each bite.

We also had choices for the secondi and we had seen the portions on the other tables! There was grilled Chianina steak, the size of which is difficult to describe. Think of 3rd base and I think you will be close, but still not big enough! We could have roast chicken, pork, rabbit, or lamb too. We got one order of pork and one of steak. It was more than enough for all of us! Plus of course there were contorni, side dishes of spinach, farro, and beans. Oh and bread, of course! So we continued to dine. All of this followed by vin santo e cantuccini, and things we did not even order like another bubbly dessert wine, a small fruit tart (divine!) and another little tart that they brought us, and espresso! We were very glad for the walk back, which turned out to be not quite long enough. This meal in this place was absolute perfection. To be able to share such a special place with Mark and my parents was absolutely priceless and I am so happy even just remembering. They loved it to, and it was definitely a highlight for each of us.

We stayed that night at a fine hotel called Hotel Atlantic Palace, which was a fairly quiet, nicely appointed, and very well priced option not too far from the train station. We would have gotten breakfast included if we had not had to leave so early. I will not bore you with the hellish trip home and the details of cancelled flights and horrifying customer service. Instead I will now give in to random thoughts:

Random thoughts:
The weather:
was great for the whole time: rained only a bit on only a couple of days. Very warm (wouldn't want it ANY warmer) in Florence; a bit cooler in cortona, which is good, and the nights were even more so. Clear skies, sunny, gorgeous. Rained 2 nights, not during the day. Chianti it was even cooler, especially at night. Still gorgeous, some fog, mostly sunny, some clouds, rained when we went to the Maremma but only for a bit. Cinque Terre sunny, cooler again, last morning quite chilly. Florence very chilly, sunny, clear skies, perfect last day.

Online: at least I had a way to do it some of the time. In cortona I had to use Parco Fiorito's, which is fine; in florence with the WIND internet signal was medium, and worked well enough. It worked best on the train! Not hardly any signal in Cinque Terre, though enough to get checked in for our flights and do a little email.

Cost for food and wine: Like any city you can spend a little or a lot, for anything. We researched and sought out low & medium priced places, and were extremely happy with the food and wine that we had in Florence. In the more touristy towns, like San Gemignano, the prices were higher and the quality was lower. We got the best deal, and perhaps the best meals in Cortona at La Bucaccia and in Firenze at Il Latini. Our last day in Florence we were wandering and revisiting a few places, and we stopped at a street cart and got 2 BIG pork sandwiches served hot (fresh ciabatta style bread, roasted pork pieces, marinated mushrooms & artichokes) and 2 glasses of wine for 9 euro. Morning macchiato or cappucino was under 2 euro each. A litre of wine with some snacks in a bar on the beach in Monterosso was 10 euro. Tips, or 'cover and service' are usually included and even if not it is not much like in the states. Groceries, too seemed reasonably, if not low priced.

The byob wine shop we saw in Florence with Rima e Francesco was super affordable, and the meats, cheeses, produce, etc at the San Ambrogio market were, too. You had to know where to look, or be willing to shop around a bit. Beautiful pagminas for 5 euro or you could pay as much as 20 for the same thing if you were not careful. Clothing was very expensive in Florence, but you are paying for major names like Prada, Pucci, Gucci, etc... and it is much less expensive to get it there if you are in the market for such a thing. Water at the train station was 2 or 3 euro for 1.5 litres! Train and bus tickets were around 5 euro each from Florence to Cortona, Siena to Cortona, Florence to 5Terre and back. Less than 2 euro for 5terre.

Hotel was 80 euro for one night, near the train station, very decent place. The 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment was 560 euro for 4 nights, between two couples, really not bad at all. The 5Terre apartments were 80 a night, stairs were free.

Terrain was so obviously different: Tuscany had many cypress, olives, grape vines, other crops, green trees that were turning color and some not; grasses, sun flowers, etc... Chianti (still Tuscany, though more Western) was more like home w/pine trees and more forested, rosemary everywhere, still olives though not as many and of course grape vines. Maremma (again, still Tuscany) had many sea grasses, still olives-about the same as Chianti, cactus, many grapes, different trees, more citrus trees, even more cypress. 5Terre was all seaside with lots more cactus & bouganvillea...

Bells! Church bells at all hours, especially 7 am and on Saturday. I loved them; Mark, not so much at night.

Do you have questions, comments, or anything else? Want to go with us next year? Our trip will start in Piedmont and end in Tuscany and will include the Slow Food Festival if we can help it. Drop me an email, come by the cafe, or give us a call if you are at all interested. We can talk about the rest!

Ciao Ciao!

~Monica

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Tuesday October 13-

We were all quite ready to NOT drive so much after the long travels the day before, and Doumina had seen that coming after trying this part of our itinerary on another group. As beautiful and paradisical (yes, I made that word up, why not?) as Mamma Franca's place is at Podere Ciona, it is very remote. I am used to a sort of remoteness but this is really far from anything. It took 30 minutes on narrow, windy roads, just to get to a main road, so we needed to keep the driving to a minimum. We went to Le Rote, one of our Small Vineyards, and the grounds were some of the most beautiful thus far. Hard to believe that every place is amazingly beautiful, I know, and even harder to believe when you are there! I would think to myself ah yes, another vineyard, another tasting room... and then we would be in another completely different setting, each one beautiful, unique and amazing.

Le Rote is near the small hill town of San Gemignano ("san gem-in-NYAH-no). This region had even more vineyards than we had seen and this estate made me think of Tara. I half expected Ashley & Melanie Wilkes to float down the massive staircase to greet us... instead we were treated to a meeting with Paolo, the enologist on the estate. He had very little English, so we all had to follow along and figure things out together: luckily this was not our first vineyard tour. As we walked into the tank room everyone grew quiet. Instead of the usual stainless steel tanks that we had been seeing, this place had walls of concrete tanks. From the ceiling to the floor, running along 2 different walls, these tanks were mammoth! The opening was big enough for a small man to fit through for cleaning purposes! The cellar where they keep the barriques was one of the most beautiful we had seen, with bricks that had to be as old as the 19th century villa.

Here they cultivate their 35+ year old vines to make the white wine of the region, Vernaccia, and they make it beautifully. It is one of my favorite whites that we had, to be sure. They also make Chianti Colli Senesi, and they have played with the sangiovese grape far more than their neighbors have, and make 'Cosimo', named after one of their sons. This winery puts out about 2500 cases per year and here we were sitting around yet another wonderful table, enjoying the bread, olive oil, and cheeses of the region, tasting some of the best wine in the world! And it wasn't even noon yet! Yes, we know how to live it up in Italy!

We bid farewell to this, our last estate winery, and piled back into Fabio's beautiful machine to journey on to the town of San Gemignano. The drive was wonderful and glimpses of the massive towers could be gathered through the hills as we wound our way around the vineyards of the area. We had to check the bus in at the base of the hill and walk up to the gates of the town, as no buses were allowed in or near the gates. This town was hands down the most touristy that we had experienced and I have to say it is my least favorite. The very reason I did not have it on the itinerary in the first place is the touristy vibe that I heard so much about. On the walk up to the main square there are many shops filled with beautiful things...and the prices are outrageous. We had our first bad meal here, and I mean we could have gotten better food and certainly nicer service at an 'Italian' restaurant in Kitsap. All that said, I must admit that the architecture of this town is nothing less than stunning. San Gemignano got wealthy in the middle ages, with many towers built between the 11th and 13th centuries. If you are in the area I have to encourage you to check out this beautiful spot. Just be prepared for throngs of tourists and opportunistic shops.

We got back to Podere Ciona in time to start organizing our packing and rest up a bit for dinner. Well, everyone else could anyway, I had to hand write out notes for the wine tasting at that evening's farewell dinner, since I could not hook up to a printer. I am such a technology junky! Fabio picked us up and we headed over to Mamma Mimma's estate (Franca's sister) which was about a half an hour away. Mimma's amazing home was built in 1437!!! 1437!!! Seriously. And we get all misty eyed over 100 year old barns at home. There were tables out on the patio that had tops made from bricks, it was pretty neat looking. We started sipping wine right away of course, as we milled about and checked out our host's digs. We began to get seated around yet another massive table, as they were bringing out the first course.

The antipasti was a pinwheel, with a 'biscuity' outer layer, rolled with ham, cheese, and a special homemade style of mayonnaise. The pasta course was a fresh lasagna made with arugula pesto and mom says that was one of her favorite dishes of the whole trip. For the secondi we had dark meat chicken fashioned into 'drumsticks' and served with a creamy 'fricassee' sauce, and mashed carrots on the side. Mashed carrots, you say? How weird! Well yes... until you tasted them! Lightly gingery and every bit as satisfying as mashed potatoes, these pillows of orange were rather sublime! The whisked away our plates and everyone was chatting and laughing and suddenly the room got quiet. The mammas had brought dessert in and it was a masterpiece. Something to behold!

Called 'Dolce Bianca ai Frutti', or sweet white with fruit, you must see this to believe it. Centered on a huge serving platter was a lovely round of pure white. It turns out that it was a mixture of unsweetened, homemade yogurt, and whipped cream. This cloud of white was surrounded by an abundance of stunning fruit: Kiwi, banana, dried apricots, figs, prunes, pear, grapes, and hazelnuts. We served the Tre Donne Moscato D'Asti with this dessert and it was really fun to compare the differences between that moscato, and the one we enjoyed from Podere Elia on the prior Saturday. We enjoyed Small Vineyards wines for each course, some new and some we had already had, and everyone seemed to have a great time.

The mammas of course poured limoncello and home made Vin Santo. Fabio had joined us for our farewell dinner (he didn't drink, he never does!) and we all showered him with appreciation ... I think he felt the love. At the third course Antonio joined us, having raced from a meeting in Rome to join us on our last night of the tour. He talked about the wines and winemakers and got his picture taken with some of the randier gals at the table (mom!). It was all in all a very fun night and a fabulous way to end the trip.

Wednesday October 14-Fabio took us all to Siena to catch our various modes of transportation out of the area. We had planned to see the center, taste some pan forte, get a tour of the duomo and do a little shopping, but it was a total bust. Partly because we got out late due to a little snafu, and mostly because there was a huge market going on and the roads were closed. We are talking about a flea market of fantasy proportions for people my friend Manny who owns an antique stall at the Pike Place Antique Mall. It was all very hectic and we really wish we had known it would be there because it would have been worth the trip alone! Unfortunately, due to these circumstances, we were unable to see any of Siena. I was very upset, I felt like I had let the group down and since the Duomo in Siena is my favorite in all of Italy (I haven't seen them all yet, but I will some day) I really wanted my family to see it. And I wanted to see it again. I knew we had to get going to make our train connection to the Cinque Terre, and it would be great there, but it was my only moment of true disappointment in the whole trip.

Everyone said goodbye at either the train or the bus station and a couple of folks when with the tour guide to see the duomo, which did make me happy for them. Mom, dad, Mark and I got on the rapido bus to Florence, walked over to the train station, and paid 30 euro to store our bigger luggage until we got back on Friday. Thank GOODNESS we did that! It was my MOST brilliant thought ever to do that! I cannot even IMAGINE all those stairs to the apartment with even more luggage than the one bag each we had. No way. I would still be there, lying in a heap at the foot of the 86 stairs, sucking in my dying breath. Travel light my friends, it is totally worth it.

You already know the highlights from the Cinque Terre so I have only the last night, our last fabulous meal to tell you about, and a few random thoughts. I will make that a separate post so as to break it up a bit for you. Mark is right this very minute loading pictures from his camera to the computer and we will get more of those for you very soon. Thank you for travelling with us!

Ciao for now,

~MnM

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

We are finally home and I want to catch you up on what you missed when I did not have a great connection for the computer. I will keep it somewhat short (it's all relative!) and hopefully sweet, so that you do not take days to read this.

Monday October 12-Maremma

We had a very long drive to the sea, the western-most region of Tuscany called the Maremma. Grossetto is the 'largest town' in the region and we went well past there to the estate of Terre del Marchesato, the smallest winery in their region. This area is ground zero for the "Super Tuscan" wines and the terrain changed significantly as we watched out the window and it was really beautiful. More Cypress trees, cacti, lots and lots of seagrasses. Fewer olive trees and more citrus. Super tall pine trees that Doumina called "Umbrella Pines": their trunks were very tall and no foliage appeared until the very top. They were grown in rows or clusters so it looked like an unmbrella had opened high above the ground. For the first time during this trip it rained during the day.

We were quite happy to finally reach our destination, as many of us needed to stretch and breathe some fresh air. The winemaker's son, Ricardo, greeted us as we gathered under a covered area where he showed us the machinery they use to crush the grapes and get the wine process started. We moved inside to the tank room and gazed with wonder at the rows of stainless steel tanks and their green glass tops. The next stop was the barrel room and it never ceases to amaze me that each winemaker has such different methods and processes to make their wonderful wines. I am not even referring to the types of grapes and barrels they use to make the wines; more like things as basic as how they turn their barrels and move them from room to room.

We gradually migrated to the house and the communal dining room where winemakers Maurizio and Giovanna Fuselli were preparing a marvelous lunch for us, using all things they make right there on their self-sustaining farm. We walked in to the room and saw the table set for 30! This table was amazing: all wood and custom 'leafed' as there was a large round table at either end, and a large rectangular table in the middle. The custom leafs (leaves?) they used to make it into one table butted up against the rectangular table at one side, and then curved around the round table on the other. It all came together as one table with no gaps! The family began placing plates upon plates of cured meats, cheeses, savory tarts, bread, their homemade olive oil and bruschetta on this work of art, and they were passed around and devoured hungrily by all. We should know by now that there is always more to come! My favorite taste was a piece of their bread topped with fresh tomatoes and olive oil. So simple and yet the most delicious bite there was! Next came steaming bowls of that wonderfully comforting dish 'pasta e fagioli' lightly drizzled with their excellent olive oil, and their version was luscious and filling and as wonderful as I expected. I was more than done by then and of course there was dessert: a rustic blackberry tart that I only had one bite of to taste (it was so beautifully perfumed with the berries and the taste was pure, with a wonderful texture by the tart dough. Mark happily finished it off for me! I cannot believe how wonderful this family was as hosts, since they do not normally have strangers of any kind visit their farm. Again, Doumina has forged these very special relationships and we are so lucky to be able to have these experiences!

This farm is located in a region called 'Bolgheri' and the Fuselli family has approximately 10 hectares, which are only 25 or so meters above sea level. They have over just 7000 vines with only 2 meters between each row, so they use very small tractors. Their vines range in age from 7 to 20+ years, and they get about 1/2 bottle PER PLANT!!! During this delicious repast we tasted 4 of their wines, including the Emilio Primo and Tarabusco. Emilio Primo is a smoky blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon/30% Merlot/20% Syrah that spends 6 months in French oak and 6 months in the bottle. They make 2500 cases of this wine. The Tarabusco is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon/40% Merlot/20% Petit Verdot and while it is tanked differently, it also spends 6 months in oak and 6 in the bottle. This wine was a bit more complex than the first and they only make 300 cases! We are lucky to be able to get both wines for the restaurant. After lunch and tasting we went outside to enjoy the grounds, make a few purchases, and love on the estate's big black newfie. What a sweety!

We traveled to the next estate, happily not too far from Terre del Marchesato. Rigoloccio is very unique, situated on top of an old pyrite mine (fool's gold, that is!) which lends a gun metal minerality to the estate's wines. Here we were invited to tour the vineyards and we could see up the hills to the openings of the old mines. We made our way to the tank and barrel room and for the first time (ever, for me!) during this tour we got to taste wines from the tanks, and then taste them later from the bottle. It was one of the neatest experiences that I had! It was so cool to be able to see the wine poured from the tank, smell and taste and let it grown and keep tasting... then to go down to the tasting room and taste the finished product. Very cool!

Rigoloccio makes my very favorite rose, called 'rosato' in Italian. This wine is nothing like the American white zinfandel, which unfortunately has given good rose a bad name. 100% Cabernet Franc, they take the skins out very early in order to keep the color lighter. It is a beautiful pink and goes with nearly any meal, and they let us taste it while we were their. We have (I think) a little less than 2 cases left at the restaurant and I think it will be the perfect holiday wine. We also tasted a white wine and a couple of reds. The one that we got from the tank and from the bottle was 'Sorvegliante', equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Alicante and it was one of Mark's favorites of the whole trip. The saddest news was imparted while we were there: They would no longer be sending their wines to the states for awhile. What is there is it and when it is gone we don't know when we can get more. You can bet I have a message in to find out what I can get while I can. You must have some and I must get it for you!! Of course while we were tasting they put out MORE meats, cheeses and breads, all locally made of course and all amazingly good in spite of not being hungry. It is a must to have a bit of food with each wine and pretty soon you cannot believe that you are still eating! The drinking part is fine though...

We broke up the long drive back via Castellina in Chianti for a walk and a gelato; no dinner thank you! The town was pretty much closed up for the night and it was a lovely walk on a crisp fall evening. Much needed after a long time on the bus today!

I promised to try to keep it short and so I will break this entry up and do a second one. This is plenty for now! Thanks for reading and feel free to send me messages, comments, & questions!

Ciao for now,

~M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

I am sorry I was not able to get a good signal the entire time we were in Riomaggiore. The Cinque Terre are beautiful! Everything you imagine and even more charming. Each town is built into the hillside and 4 of them have beaches, though the best beach is in the last town, Monterosso. The train ride from Pisa to La Spezia was really fun because we passed through Carrera and we could see piles of marble! This is where Michelangelo and so many other artists got their marble for their sculptures and the history here is really amazing. It is not so much a pretty town, being more of an industrial area, but I have never seen so much marble ever! Some finished slabs and tons of raw blocks. After that we hit La Spezia and changed trains to Riomaggiore.

It was only an 8 minute train ride, mostly through tunnels, and when we broke through we were next to the ocean and it was such a wonderful sight! We got in around 5:15 and found our apartments quickly. Mom and dad went up to find their landlady and we went up, one building away, to find ours. We had known there would be steps, it was a 4th floor walkup after all... but we had really no idea of these steps. Marble stairs, extremely steep and the actual steps were narrow. Going up was steep and when we finally got to the 3rd floor where our landlady lived we were out of breath. Sara took us up the rest of the stairs to our apartment at the top of the building. We got inside and we were looking at a tiny galley kitchen, and then a doorway to the bathroom which was crammed full with a single sink, bidet, toilet and shower stall.

Then there were more stairs up to a little table with 2 chairs on a landing. a few more steps behind us led to the platform bed with a narrow wardrobe on either side of it. Or we could proceed ahead up another flight of stairs to the rooftop patio, with spectacular views. Holy stair climbs!!! We decided to count: 86 steps from the front door to the apartment door; 11 steps up to the table; 4 steps up to the bed; 12 more steps to the rooftop patio. WHAT??? By the way Mark had the 4 steps to his side of the bed; I had a couple of drawers that doubled as steps, but they were super high, so it was hard to get up and down them, especially early in the morning! From our rooftop patio we could see mom and dad's terrace and we waved to them, 2 stories down, as we enjoyed some wine with a view of the sea.

We all met downstairs (mom and dad had 60 steep steps to their door, and no steps in their apartment... but the strangest bathtub thing ever!) We went to the seawall to watch the sunset and really enjoy ourselves! We wandered up to the little restaurant that our landlady had recommended and stuck to the regional foods. Cingue Terre lies in the region of Liguria, and is known for it's seafood, especially fresh anchovies, and for pesto and white wine. We enjoyed marinated acchiuge (anchovies) that were lemony and fresh and deeelicious! some trofie pasta with pesto, some swordfish and branzino (sea bass) and lemon sorbetto for dessert. It was really great and much lighter fare than we had been seeing in Tuscany and Umbria.

We hiked up to bed and had an early evening since we were all tired. The next morning mom and dad surprised us by coming up to see our apartment and they agreed: no description does it justice! You must see it to believe it!! Then we hit the hiking trail. You can walk a trail through all 5 towns and there are also trains and buses and a passenger-only ferry that helps with all the transit going on throughout the towns. We decided to walk the first 3 towns, which are the easiest, and then train to the last two. We also wanted to take the ferry back so we could see them all from the water.

The first bit from Riomaggiore to Manorola is paved and very easy. It is called the walk of love, and there are little benches along the way to enjoy the sea views from. Then entire trail goes along the side of the ocean and it is really a spectacular hike to do. We checked out the town a bit (absolutely lovely! There were shops and cafes and beautiful buildings filled with terraced apartments... Mom checked out the gelato and then headed down the trail to corniglia. This part of the trail was definitely more rough--unpaved, parts of it pretty steep, and a few times lacking a guard rail so falling to your death would be no problem. One mis step and you are a goner! As beautiful as it was, the ocean and rocks below us did not look very forgiving. There was one rope bridge to go over; it was not a long one, but that is something that I have serious trouble with so I got a chance to hyperventilate a bit before moving on.

We got to the bottom of Corniglia and you had 3 choices to get to the town up on the top of the hill: climb the 382 steps with switchbacks, walk up the road with switchbacks, or take a bus. Dad and Mark chose the staircase, mom and I chose the road. We got to the top at exactly the same time! Luckily there was a restaurant and we all collapsed into chairs at an outdoor table with views, of course! We enjoyed an abundance of seafood: octopus, anchovies, mussels, clams, shrimp, cuttlefish, and seabass. A bit of pasta and a salad and soon we were back on our feet. We explored the high, steep town and that was when we decided to take the train to the last 2. It was getting late and dad decided to walk the trail back. The rest of us trained to Vernazza, another impossibly lovely town with wonderful views and a little beach. Mark and I checked out the gelato there and I think it was among the best we have had, for sure.

Soon we were back on the train and going to Monterosso, with the best beach and the most tourists, I wasn't sure if I would like this one or not. We got off the train and read a sign that was in Italian and we are pretty sure it said that anyone who got to see all 5 towns was required by law to enjoy a litre of wine at a seaside cafe. Of course we obey all laws so we found the nearest outdoor seating and enjoyed that wine! The sun set while we were there and so we explored at dusk. I saw a fisherman on the rocky shore with the longest fishing pole in the world! I swear it was 20 feet long at least! I don't know what he was fishing for, we had to get back on the train to get back to Riomaggiore.

Sleeping was not so great: it is a very noisy town!

We got on an express and were back in 8 minutes! We picked up a few groceries and all met up at mom and dads for an al fresco meal. The goal was to finish all the food and wine that we had so we could travel back more lightly than we came. This was not fully to occur since we had 5 bottles of wine and none of us wanted to wake up with a headache! This morning we packed up and hit the trains again. Oh and we found a 'back' door to our place that was a much easier trip with larger, less steep stairs to the piazza! Nice to find it now as we are leaving!!

The next train directly to Florence was not until 1341 so we decided to take a train to Pisa and see if we could get there quicker. The train we got on was the nicest so far! We had our own little compartment with climate control and comfy seats, and even a little tray table to work on! We figured we would be tossed off since we were in first class or something and we were close to being right. The conductor came around and looked at our tickets. We were on the intercity train and we had only regional train tickets... we could either get off at the next station or pay 5.20 euro each to continue on. This was the most comfort we had traveled on so we paid up!! It was totally worth it!

We got to Pisa and sure enough there was a train to florence in just a few minutes: good plan! So this is where we are now and I know I owe you a few days back to fill in the blanks and you will get them. They were absolutely fabulous wineries and I will not leave them out! My battery is getting low now so I will finish later, perhaps even when I got home tomorrow. We have reservations for a wonderful dinner tonight at il Latini, my favorite restaurant in Florence, then we leave for Paris in the morning around 7, I think. We only have an hour or so there and then we are enroute home again.

This is a bittersweet time: I could stay here forever and I am ready to get home to my kitties, the cafe and our girls who we have missed so much, and into the familiar daily routine that we have so grown to love. I love this place and I have gotten to know it even better this trip than last, so I can hardly wait for next time. My dreams come true, I hope yours do too!!

Ciao for now. See you soon girls! I love you!!!

~M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Buona Sera! I don't think I can write much, we are on a train from Florence to Cinque Terre and my signal keeps fading, plus typing on a moving train w/the computer on my lap is much trickier than one would think!

WE JUST PASSED THE TOWER OF PISA!! We didn't stop, maybe we will on Friday when we go back to Florence for our last day in Italy. I know I have missed a couple of days of the tour and I will get them in here...

Teaser: Great food and wine! Lots of time on the bus, thank goodness we love Fabio, and San Gemignano is NOT my favorite place. Siena may be, but we did not have the time there that we hoped to. I was sad about that....

We miss you! Back on Saturday and hopefully a good enough connection to fill in the blog blanks before then.

Ciao for now!!!

~MnM

Link: http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Silverdale-WA/Monicas-Waterfront-Bakery-Cafe/132937776561

We got a few pics on Facebook! GO HERE

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#Italy

It's official, I am in heaven. I cannot express how happy I am; there are no words. Just emotion and more emotion. We are at Podere Ciona with the women of Tutti a Tavola and I have found my soul mates. Ya ya sisters of another kind, for no one can replace my ya-ya's, this place is so uniquely special that I will be hard pressed to leave. I will be back. Acres of wine grapes and olive trees, all sloping down to the unseen valley floor. The views here are the most spectacular that we have seen; this region is the most beautiful so far.

We are in Chianti and I would have never guessed that I could love it this much. We arrived in this remote area after only an hour and a half at most, and it is worlds away, even from the beautiful Tuscany. It is a more mountainous region, with the smell of pine trees in the air on this many acres of grape vines and olive groves. We have territorial views that can compete with anything in Western Washington and for me, that is saying something. Unfortunately our apartment has only one bedroom and a sofa-bed, so we will take turns with mom and dad in the suffering at night department. Otherwise this place is idyllic and after meeting the family I want to stay on and on, learning from the 'mammas' who are all professional cooking teachers.

We enjoyed some wine on our terrace, overlooking the vineyards and valley, and then went up to the tasting room for a winery tour, wine tasting, cooking lesson, and dinner. I love touring these small production vineyards; everything is pristine and it is small enough to see truly how it all works. Podere Ciona makes the one chianti wine that I have loved and now that I have tasted their other wines I know I will enjoy them all. We have some at the cafe for sale and when we get back the folks on this trip will probably grab what is left, so if you want some go get it now. It's the monterosso, and it is fabulous!

When we got back to the tasting room kitchen we had a wine tasting and a little Podere Ciona History lesson from Franca's son Lorenzo, who is here for the crush. Then we had more wine and sisters Franca and Mimma, cousin Lele, and cohort, and a few others, all welcomed us into their kitchen and leaped into my heart immediately. Franca kissed me, Mimma hugged me, Lele grabbed my hand and led me around the table to start the tomato peeling process and the cooking lesson was off! These women are so nurturing and natural and it is like being with a favorite grandmother...times five. The love and the learning that go hand in hand there cannot possibly produce anything that tastes bad! I want so much to be a part of this club!! Cooking, learning, teaching, traveling... Elissa lives here only 6 months out of the year and goes back home to Wisconsin 6 months... and when the mammas come to the states to travel and teach she meets up with them. What a dream of a life, in spite of the hard work that goes into it. Really, this is such an amazing experience, I will be bringing it back to all of you and I hope you can get even just a glimpse of this beauty that I am so blessed with. I have won the lottery of life and this trip is my prize!!!

We got some fabulous recipes: watch for the onion tart and peperonata at the cafe right off the bat! Mimma gave me a CD with 150 of their recipes on it and I am so excited about that! Those of us who wanted to keep cooking did, and slowly we all filed out onto the terrace for more wine and relaxation. More onion tarts and soon it was time to sit down for dinner. Penne all'Amatriciana to start, then pork loin with rosemary, parsley and garlic, and peperonata alongside it. We ended with tiramisu and the wine flowed constantly throughout the meal. Elissa sang to us: Somewhere over the Rainbow seemed so appropriate for watching my dreams come true right before my eyes. Then one of our group, the beautiful Sirena, got up (at our coaxing) and sang a wonderful rendition of Puff the Magic Dragon! It is still early, by Italian dining times, and it is great to be done and enjoying the clear Chianti skies and Siena skyline in the far distance.

Tonight we retire early, and I am ready for that! Tomorrow we have a long day of travel, wine tasting, eating and site seeing. We will report back... this afternoon I could not get the signal and right now I can, so it may be iffy. We will do our best to keep you updated!!

Ciao for now,

~MnM

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#Italy

Aloha Linda! It sounds like you two are having a wonderful time and I love getting your posts so keep it up. Eat some raw fish for me!!!

No raw fish here in Tuscany... in fact very little fish at all since it is not a coastal community. You can get it, but it is better on the coast, which we will be in a few days. Today we move to the Maremma, to the vineyards of Podere Ciona. Last night's dinner with winemakers Antonio Sanguineti, and Alessandro & Rita Bocci, was fabulous of course! Giacomo and Roberto made a wonderful meal and the wines flowed nicely. First, we all learned to make the pasta pici, in a great cooking demonstration by Roberto and his very pregnant (any day now) daughter Claudia. Then we had a couple of hours to rest and I think Mark finally got some pics on the computer so maybe we will get them posted for you soon... we are trying!

The antipasti was a half of a small zucchini stuffed with a ragu of vegetables, topped with parmesan, bread crumbs and olive oil, then baked to a crispy brown on top. Antonio poured his 'Vincero!', a white wine that went nicely with the food and would be equally good as a quaffer on the porch. Both the food and wine very yummy! We then enjoyed the pici, dressed simply with olive oil and bread crumbs (which I watched Giacomo make earlier) and I must say we did a great job of forming the pasta! We had the Perazetta 'Sara' with that course and everyone loves that wine so much! Medium bodied and The secondi was a lamb dish, with an orange sauce, and it was so tender! They poured a Barbera D'Alba by Podere Elia and this big bodied wine was the perfect compliment to the wonderfully flavored lamb.

Dessert was zabaglione, a custard like dish, and there was a cantucco (small cookie) and a chunk of excellent chocolate tucked in as well. The wine was Podere Elia's Moscato D'Asti, which we sell at the cafe so we already knew we loved it. This moscato is florally sweet, as opposed to sugary sweet, with honey, pear and pineapple coming through on the palate. It is so light and lovely! The perfect ending.

I do not know how my connection will be at our next place; I may not be able to get online again for some time. I will do my best to keep in touch with everyone and I will post the blog as soon as I can. We will get a few pictures up and share with you the views that we have here.

The adventure continues and as we experience each step I an finessing the details for next year's trip, so it will be even better! If it could be!!! If I can get online I will check back in later tonight. It's Sunday! Eat something locally produced today!

~M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#Italy

Happy Birthday Niki!! I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating your fabulous self! We will be toasting you at dinner tonight.

Yesterday we learned to make cheese! We traveled back into the walls of Cortona, up a very steep hill (it is a hill town, after all) and into the beautiful cave-like restaurant of Romano, Agostina and Francesca Magi, "La Bucaccia". This is my favorite family in Cortona: exceedingly generous and gracious hosts. Romano is so endearing as he teaches us the beauty and simplicity in making ricotta and mozzarella out of fresh (milked at 4 am before the class) cow's and sheep's milk. It really is easy to do once you have the temperatures mastered and if you can get fresh, raw milk. Agostina is a top caliber chef and their 12 year old daughter Francesca is one month away from becoming a certified sommelier! Now THAT is impressive!

Romano had his newest employee, Marta, translate for him, for he does not feel his English is up to par. Of course, he speaks English well, he is simply more comfortable in Italian. Young Marta, though shy at first, quickly warmed to our silly group and helped us all to understand the intricacies of what we were watching, and at times participating in. Romano talked about the importance of FRESH milk, and all other ingredients being of the highest quality. It was really fun to see the transformation from simple milk to the most wonderful tasting cheese. He had some aged samples for us to taste as well as the fresh cheeses that we made, and he treated us to wine with lunch as well. After lunch he poured us his reserve Vin Santo, from 1977, and it was the best I have ever had. Agostina stays mostly in la cucina, being more comfortable cooking than teaching. As we were enjoying the time with them we realized we wanted to come back for dinner, and 12 of us made reservations to dine with them last evening. What a fantastic decision that was!

As we begin to leave after lunch Romano poured us grappa and probably would have kept serving us until dinner, had we stayed! Some folks chose to stay in town, and some returned to Parco Fiorito for resting and restoring. Fabio, the most wonderful chauffeur in the world, returned at 5 for anyone wanting to go back into town, and to pick up those who had stayed. He then took 12 of us back at 7 for dinner, and waited so patiently for us to arrive a half an hour late for him to take us home! Doumina has forged some wonderful relationships that make her tours extra special, and Fabio is no small part of that.

When we got back mom, dad and Mark went to the villa to rest, and I came up to the convent to work a bit. Between answering emails, checking in with the cafe, updating the web site and paying bills, Giacomo was teaching me to make paste e fagiole, something I have wanted to learn for some time now. I definitely had some things wrong with how I thought it was done! He also went over a couple of other recipes with me... he is truly an accomplished chef. Self taught (and having learned from Roberto and other peers) and true to his culture and region, he patiently answers my questions and shows me things that I could never learn from a formal class. I am so blessed to be here and learning this way!

For dinner we put ourselves in the hands of the Magi family, and sat with anticipation! The first course, or antipasti, was an assortment of their house-cured pork: proscuitto, soprasetta, salame, and other salumi, so typical of the Tuscan region. The wine that they chose for us enhanced the meats perfectly! There were a couple of vegetarians in our group and their plates were so beautifully and thoughtfully prepared that I wished we had gotten one of each. There was really too much for one person on each plate and it would have been easy to share it all.

The primi piatti, in this case a pasta course, was so outstanding I could have cried. The first of the trio of pastas (each of them hand made by Agostina) was freshly foraged porcini mushrooms on a delicate pasta that was similar to fettucine, but thinner and more heavenly. The flavors and textures were straight from the angels and it is hard to believe that a mere mortal made this dish. Mark, who always says he does not like mushrooms, said this was his favorite of the three pastas. I said nothing except 'mmmmm' and 'oh my God' and 'oooohhhh'.

The second pasta (these are very small portions, quite perfect because they fill you up and still leave you wanting more) was a delightfully pillowy ravioli stuffed with fresh spinach and their fluffy, fresh ricotta. It was very lighty topped with a style of ragu and it melted in our mouths.

The third pasta had a spicy bite from paprika. It was a more dense pasta, that had the shape of earth worms, but was far more tender and tasted way better than worms, I am certain. It was rather rustic, as compared to the other two more refined pastas, and the porky sauce was a complimentary condiment, as opposed to being heavy and soupy. Again, I find myself lacking in adjectives for this amazing taste experience. I could not tell you which was my favorite pasta: each was very different and served a separate purpose. Each was unique and perfect and lovely and they could all be my favorite at different moments.

The wine glasses kept getting filled and soon it was time for the secondi, or meat course. The best tasting, most tender beef I have perhaps ever had. We cut it with a butter knife! It was cooked so perfectly that again, I am not sure she is human. The beef was clearly of the best quality, natural and grass-fed, and it was perfectly seasoned. The slices of the Chianina beef left wonderful drippings on our plates that we happily sopped up with the perfectly roasted potatoes that accompanied the meat. Mom and I do not eat beef and we both ate this!

When there was nothing left they brought dessert. A cake type dessert that I still do not know what it was. There was some chocolate, and some orange liqueur flavor... it was small and really good. Just when we thought we were done Francesca placed a couple of glasses of tiramisu on our table! Two to share amongst the four of us and it was heavenly! Light and flavorful and fabulous! We were contemplating staying the night when Romano brought out a 'loaf' of cantucci! This is the first cooking of biscotti (literally: twice cooked) when you form the dough into a 'loaf' and bake it. Then you slice it and if you serve it as such it is is 'cantucci' (cookies), or cantuccini if you cut it very small. It is biscotti if you then bake the individual cookies to crisp them up. So he brought the loaf of cantucci and sliced off a cookie for each of us and served it warm from the oven! HOLY CRAP!! This is the epitome of 'service'!

Suddenly the group at the other table turned to me and told me that it was 9:45! We had promised to meet Fabio across town to go home at 9:30!! We still had to pay and a few were still eating. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen to thank Ago and kiss-kiss in the Italian way, and then mom and I ran across town to wait with Fabio and apologize for being so late. Fabio is of course so generous and sweet he said no problem no problem... but his wife called while we were waiting and I am sure she was annoyed with him being so late. We will have to make it up to them somehow! The group told me that Romano filled them with grappa before he let them leave (he had been pouring a sparkling dessert wine as I left and he is such a character, he poured some right into my mouth!) Mark told me that Romano did not charge us for any service! The meal was very reasonably priced and I will never be able to have enough words to say how wonderful this family, their food, and their restaurant experience is. I love them and want to move in with them!

Everyone else is in Assisi right now, learning about the most popular Catholic saint, St Francis. I awoke with a migraine and could not open my eyes or sit up without waves of nausea so I let them go without me. While I am glad I took care of myself this morning and beat the headache back, I can't help but be wistful when I wonder what they are doing. I hope they all love the hill town and Duomo, I found it to be a magical place when I was there. I will encourage them to blog about the experience and share it with you. I know we are very remiss by not getting pictures posted on the blog. I admit that I cannot figure out how, and on top of that we have not had enough free time to load any pics onto the computer. I will try to get Mark to do that and at least put them on Kodak or Facebook for you to see. Not all of them of course, but some great ones that show some of the things I have been talking about.

I will begin helping to set up service for 30 people tonight. When the group returns we will have a pasta making demonstration to learn to make picci. (pee-chee.) Then at 8 we will have our final dinner here at Parco Fiorito, Antonio Sanguineti of Small Vineyards will give us a wine tasting to match Roberto's wonderful meal, and we will roll off to bed for our last night before we head to the Maremma. Off for more adventures and food and wine. We are so lucky!!!!

Ciao for now,

~M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#Italy

I am sitting in a corner of the service area trying to stay out of the way while the staff here at Parco Fiorito is bustling around me serving about 15 guests for dinner. It smells great in here and I have opted out of the big dinner tonight, as Mark and I are extra tired so we shall retire a bit early.

We had another most wonderful day, thanks to Doumina. We hit the road by 9:30 this morning and were happily traversing the country side enroute to Pienza. It is my favorite of the lovely little hill towns in the area and I would love to live there. We began at the La Cornucopia tasting balsamic vinegars of all kinds. Doumina ran out while we were tasting and got us all a small cup of gelato and the proprietress, Lucy, spilled sweet balsamic on top and it was unbelievably good. I have heard so often about good balsamic and how it is great on strawberries or ice cream, and after being in that shop I fully understand. We also tasted sheep's milk cheese, pecorino fresca (fresh) and marmalade that was slightly spicy. Such a great combo! We explored the town a bit and piled back into the bus to move on to the vineyards that we were experiencing today.

First to Perazetta, where we met the winemaker, Alessandro Bocci, and his family. Wife Rita, daughter Sara, and father Irio, all of whom have wines named after them and you have sampled them at our wine tastings. Perhaps you have even bought a bottle or two! Sara took the group on a tour of the facility and Joyce and I sat outside trying to get our bearings. We both got a bit motion sick in the bus. We were well enough to fully enjoy the marvelous lunch that they treated us to, at a beautifully dressed table out on the terrace that overlooks their vineyards in the Montecucco valley. The food was as good as the wine, and we had nearly all of their wines. We stretched the lunch out a bit longer than we had planned because everyone was having such a wonderful time. The weather here is still very warm-certainly at least in the mid-70's and very sunny once the fog breaks at mid-morning. The night skies are even clear, full of stars and the declining moon... just absolutely beautiful.

After we bid farewell to the Bocci family were on our way to La Magia: producers of the famed Brunello di Montelcino. Fabian met us and guided us around the family's winery and we learned about what makes the process of Brunello special. Of course we enjoyed a few of the estate's wines while we sat on benches made from the wood from wine barrels, around a 'table' made from giant stones. These babies must have weighed 3 tons each: one rock acting as the pedestal and one on top for the table. All this in the middle of a small copse of trees. The views at this estate are astounding and I want to live there. Doumina made me come back with the rest of them and I will dream of that estate tonight.

The drive back took place at sunset and even though our backs were to most of the show, it was remarkable. The colors of the sky were reflected in the freshly tilled fields and all the things that make Tuscany, Tuscany was lit up better than Christmas. Cypress trees, ancient villas, fields upon fields of olive trees and grape vines. We were later than we wanted to be and most folks napped a bit after it got dark. Happily we arrived back at our convent just in time for dinner. And though I opted out of dinner I have been fed lovingly and well by Doumina and Giacomo, Roberto and Claudia... all busily serving dinner and stopping by to feed me a morsel here, a bit of wine there. It is truly heaven here.

My favorite thing that I ate just now was the zucchini. Giacomo slices the squash thin and grills it, then lets it cool. He then layers in the ingredients and marinates it all day with olive oil, pepperoncini, garlic, salt and mint. There was even a piece of bread soaked in the marinade. The smoky, picante, sweet and spicy flavors have me making yummy noises all over the sofa! Doumina moved a bit further away.

The rest of my family has gone to bed, eating and drinking all day can really be exhausting. And tomorrow we have to do it all over again! By the way, do you remember Roberto's first visit, when he made his 'chocolate explosion' cakes? The small, rich, dark chocolate cakes with a gooey center, drizzled with chocolate syrup on top? That is my dessert. Ha ha! I know you are drooling! Next year you will come with me and enjoy all this goodness!

~Ciao for now,

~M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#Italy

Buon Giorno! For you it is 1145 pm and for me it is 8:45 am. I just finished a quick breakfast, which is the one meal I do not do traditionally Italian. Italians generally enjoy a croissant or sweet pastry and a cappuccino in the morning and that is all. I need a little protein to get me going and so from the buffet at Parco Fiorito is some prosciutto and a soft boiled egg on a piece of bread, with some olive oil of course! Some fresh juice, some coffee, and I am molto bene!

Last night with the steak we had antipasti of prosciutto, then a wonderful pasta dish that involves fresh vegetables 'crudo', or raw, cut up so tiny that they disappear into the dish. The heat of the pasta 'cooks' the veggies just enough to blend the flavors, and some grated pecorino tops it perfectly. Dessert was Roberto's fabulous tiramisu, which he taught Mark to make last January. It is light and lovely and everyone was quite sated by the end. The steak was very rare, and Roberto obliged those who like it cooked a bit more by putting some back on the fire after cutting it off the bone. It was charred and fabulous and everyone was smiling.

The walk back to the house was much needed and the moon was bright enough to light the way for us so we did not even need a flashlight. We woke to the roosters and other birds singing us Italian songs. As I danced in the meadow the deer and bunnies ran to me and danced... oh wait... I think that was a scene from Snow White. The birds singing was real, though, and the sun broke through the light fog as we walked over to the convent this morning. Today we head to Pienza to taste the vinegars and olive oils, and the cheese that the region is famous for, made from sheep's milk. Then we will taste wine! And Antonio Sanguineti will join us. We love Antonio!!

I don't think I remembered to tell you that Roberto is not going to come to us at the end of the Month. So Leslie, please have Sharon call any reservations that are already made since we have to cancel. He is planning a new trip in January or February and I will keep you all posted. Maybe I did tell you... I don't even know what day it is any more and I am relaxing into the pace of our trip. It is really wonderful here in Italy!

I will report more later, we must be rounding folks up for the bus. Ciao for now!

~M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#Italy

Happy Birthday Aunt Susie! We could not get online last night to call you and so we are a day late, but we love you and wish you a wonderful birthday nonetheless.

We are here at Parco Fiorito and today is the first day of our official tour. We arrived yesterday by train and what a wonderful surprise, Roberto met us at the station to pick us up! Mom, dad, Mark and I are not staying at the 16th century convent-turned-agriturismo proper, we are at Doumina's rental house just a 10 minute walk away. We slept so much better last night as the cacophony of the city was replaced with the quiet sounds of the country. Much better! Roosters and dogs we are used to! As the other guests began to arrive we greeted them with wine and everyone began to relax into the pace of this lovely setting. There were only 12 of us last night for dinner and Roberto & Giacomo knocked our socks off with the fabulous 4 course meal.

Roberto brought out some bread fresh from the oven to tease our palates and it worked! As we were seated around the table and enjoying the ambiance of the candle-lit table they started bringing out the first course. Lightly fried, as in tempura light, carrots, eggplant, and zucchini. The crust was crisp and light, the veggies were 'al dente' and fresh. There was a salty bite that enhanced the sweet vegetables perfectly. The pasta course highlighted Roberto's ragu, which is a recipe from his Neopolitan mother. The artisan pasta was tube-shaped, about 2 inches long, and ridged around the outside to hold the sauce. Fresh tomatoes, bites of pork, fresh herbs... the sauce was a taste of Tuscany.

The third course, or 'secondi', or the meat course, was Polpetti. Meatballs made from the pork that is raised on this farm, mixed with bread crumbs, some lemon zest, some sage... OH. MY. GOODNESS. They were lovingly tossed in a marinara and these little morsels were the most tender, lovely meatballs ever to exist in the history of meatballs. The recipe is old, and the story goes that the young couple who had just married would go to visit the groom's mother. The mother-in-law would make these meatballs and set them outside the door to be there upon the new bride's arrival. The bride would have to decide what to do and if she chose to eat the meatballs and enter the mother-in-law's house, she was signalling that she recognized that she was second fiddle, and the mother-in-law was in charge. In this way she knew always that she must defer decisions to the mother of her husband and she could not change her mind later. This was a different time, to be sure.

The final course was a simple and elegant dessert. A small 'cake' of fresh ricotta cheese, next to a pear poached in honey and cinnamon, and all was drizzled with the honey collected here on the farm. The juxtaposition of the cold, creamy cheese 'cake' against the warm, slightly rough poached pear was a wonderful feeling in my mouth. The sweetness of the honey was the perfect thing to round out the flavors on the plate and all of it taken together in one bite made eating dessert extra fun! I was stuffed at the end and we are glad we can walk back and forth from here to the house that we stay at.

Ok so I started writing this morning and we had to leave so we went out on our adventures and now we are back. So this post will be a double day post, how about that! We are getting ready for dinner and I am so hungry!!! We shall see how I do.

This morning the final guests arrived and Fabio chauffered us all in a big 20 passenger van. Doumina picked up the slack in the SUV, a couple of the more delicate ladies were made motion sick by the van, so they rode in the SUV. (Poor mom and Ann!) We headed for the walls of Cortona and were dropped at Piazza Garibaldi, where we could see wonderful territorial views of Umbria spread out below. We strolled up Via Nazionale to the best shop in town, 'il Pozzo'. Doumina takes her guests here to give Ivan the well-deserved business. He greeted us with glasses of wine, fresh bread and both tomato and chicken liver pate to choose to top it. We learned a bit about the history of the city and how the geography has changed over the years. The shop is filled with beautiful, hand made paper, ink pens, stationary, beautifully framed photos and maps, and many other things. When you make a purchase the clerk will ask if it is a gift and when you say yes she wraps your package and makes it look like a work of art.

Soon our illustrious guide for the day, Giovanni, joined our group and began his rapid-fire style of talking and teaching us about the city we were visiting. Giovanni is filled with information about his beloved city and we could spend days with him and never retain half of it, but it is really fun to try. The architecture, the churches, the culture and traditions are all things we learn about and Giovanni's fun, almost irreverent style is a pleasure to be around.

We hoofed it up and down and all around the city, then back on to the bus to see more. To the top of the hill and back, we toured a basilica, a cathedral, saw works of art, and then down to the first hermitage that St Francis created (before he was a saint, of course), Le Celle. It is so beautiful there, still a functioning hermitage, though with just a handful of monks as opposed to the hundreds who lived there centuries ago. I won't bore you with all the wonderful details, if you want to know more about Cortona you can join us on our trip next year and love it for yourself!

Fabio then drove us to the site of Etruscan ruins just outside the city. Older than anything most of us have ever seen, it is amazing to see the work of restoration that is an ongoing project on this site. Giovanni filled us with as much education as he could and then bid us 'arrivaderci' as we proceeded to our next stop.

We were running late of course, so much to see and marvel at! We went down to the olive oil pressing mill and got a tour of the old style mill that is not functioning for the season quite yet. In another 3 weeks it will be filled with olives and workers; farmers will drop off their olives at the back door and pick up their oil at the front. The stones will be turning, the mats will be pressing and the fabulous green liquid gold will pour from the spouts. It will run for about a month and then be quiet again until next season. Last time I was here at the right time to see it and I am seriously considering changing next year's dates so that we can be again. It was worth it and we get to taste the fresh oil instead of last year's crop. While that is still wonderful, it is not the same.

On we moved to the farm of Giovanni Pucci and his family. They raise the white cow of Tuscany, the Chianina, for breeding stock. These cows are over a ton each and all white... big, brawny girls and boys, whose job it is to bring home awards and prizes for their strong lineage. This family does not speak English; they are not accustomed to having tourists or other guests on their farm. Only Doumina, who has forged wonderful relationships with the people of this region, gets to bring visitors in to have a glimpse of this simple and proud life.

By the way, for those of you who know Joyce Merkel, we got a picture of her inside the barn next to a cow. She even touched the cow's nose! We were proud of our city girl!! Now we are all relaxing and getting ready for a dinner of the Bistecca ala Fiorentino-- call it a meet and eat! The 4.5 lb steaks are resting near the man-sized fire place where they will be grilled rare and served in slices for each of us to taste. What an amazing experience!

So that is ciao for now... for now we chow.

~MnM

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Got pizza? Oh no you don't! Yesterday was far more fabulous than we could have imagined it would be. We spent the morning and early afternoon with Rima and her husband Francesco, and though we had just met them for the first time, it felt like we were visiting old friends. They are the most generous, gracious, wonderful couple and I want to bring them home with me. You may want to get a drink and a snack... this is a long one.

We started out around 9 and walked to a part of town that we had not spent much time in. Boy are we sorry about that! For the first time I have experienced a part of Florence that makes me think I could live here. Though I have enjoyed this city immensely I had yet to see an area that I loved enough to potentially call home. If we ever come back we will stay in the Santa Croce neighborhood or across the Arno. I think it would be much quieter and it would certainly feel more like a home. This apartment is really great and has a fantatically central location for a first time stay. I don't need to be this central again.

So we walked to the St Ambrogio market and my eyes took in a wonderful sight: rows of produce vendors filling their stands with fresh, colorful, amazing looking produce. We were early so we ducked into a bistro and got cappuccinos and little pastries and sat outside watching the activity. It was like a bee hive, buzzing with organized chaos, each vendor hurriedly setting up displays that were worthy of magazine covers. Suddenly Rima was there with us, having picked me out from a photograph that Doumina had sent her by way of introduction. We greeted in Italian and kiss-kissed both cheeks and she sat to join us and introduce herself. She was a little nervous at first: she thinks that she does not speak good English. She told us that her husband was parking the car and that he actually spoke better English.. she just speaks Arabic, Spanish, French and Italian. Oh my... we have all agreed that her English is just fine. Rima is a tour guide by trade and I understand why she wants to improve her English for the purpose of guiding tours through the city, though I think she is probably very good at what she does and I recommend contacting her for tours of Florence when you come here.

We were not there so much for a tour, as for a food class. This was her market where she shops nearly every day. In Italy, on average, at least one person in every household shops each day for their food. Everything is fresh, in season, and local... though here they just call it food. Those monikers mean little in a region that has always lived and eaten this way. Rima led us through the market, list in hand, to each of her favorite vendors. She would call out to them, quickly introducing us and listing out her needs. They would show her what they had and if it met her approval they would efficiently pack it up and hand it to her. If it did not meet her approval, or if they did not have what she needed, they would tell her which vendor they thought she should get it from. She would move on to the next stall and call out again, intermittantly answering my incessant questions and handing us samples of fresh produce we may or may not have seen before. I dogged her like a love-sick puppy asking "coze?" over and again... "Coze?" (coe-zay) "what is this?" for every bit of produce I did not recognize... and there was a lot!

She would explain as best she could when often there was not a direct translation, then perhaps grab a sample, and we would be off to the next beautifully laid out stand. Between transactions she would tell me why she liked this vendor best and what was special about that vendor's wares. She was in her element and it was so much fun to watch her work. We then moved into the warehouse like building that was behind the produce stalls and we walked into my version of heaven. Oh Leslie, you would have LOVED this! The building housed probably 25 or more different little 'stores': butchers, cheese mongers, bread bakers, coffee roasters, a granery, bakeries, deli style cases with prepared items, a little coffee counter, a little lunch counter that used the market ingredients for the menu. Basically it was what Pike's Place Market was before it got so big and so tourist-oriented. This was for the locals and it was the most beautiful site I had yet seen.

Rima began handing out samples of cheese and prosciutto and telling us all about the market. We could not help but walk around in amazement, gazing at the wares. Whole chickens, rabbits, every bit of the cow, pig and even horse meat (sorry, Sharon) which is very old school and still very much eaten around central Italy. Fresh cheese, aged cheese, cheese from cows, buffalo, goats and sheep. Sausages, salumi, cut to order and wrapped in little packages that made it feel like Christmas. I spied the granary and saw that the bulk carnaroli rice was only 2.60€ a kilo!!! I pay something like $7+ a pound! I bought only two kilos (a kilo is 2.2 lbs) since I have to carry it all around but I wanted to take the entire bin home. Carnaroli rice is rice for risotto and I think it is a step up from arborio rice, which is the most common risotto rice around. It is creamier and has a richer flavor and since I make risotto quite a bit I love to use that rice.

Soon we were out the other door and on the other side of the market square where the vendors were hocking household and wardrobe items: the produce market became a flea market and you could get anything that you could need here! I saw an old woman walking around in her high heels and cashmere coat, clutching a giant loaf of crusty bread, eating bits of it as she walked and shopped. It was a great picture but alas, Mark was no where around me with the camera, having found his own photo-worthy subjects elsewhere.

We all climbed into Francesco's vehicle... a volkswagon that we had never seen before. Sort of like a mini van, it seated 7, but it looked more like an SUV. It is one of the larger cars we have seen here and they told us that since they have 3 kids who all have friends they must have a larger car. Ah yes. They took us to their apartment by way of a wine shop like nothing we had ever seen before. I want this wine shop in my neighborhood! Francesco explained that traditionally wine would be purchased at the farm directly from the producer. As the city has grown, and time has become more precious, fewer people are able to get out the farms on a regular basis. This type of store was created about 10-15 years ago in order to make the connection between consumer and farmer a little easier. The shop buys bulk wine from the farmer and then sells it to the residents of the city for very little markup. While there were of course bottles of wine for sale, the best deals were BYOB. One fellow brought in 10 of his own bottles while we were there picking up some prosecco for the afternoon. The wine seller would fill his bottles with red table wine for less than 3€ per bottle! The prices were very low, even for the really good stuff. How interesting that for us at home going directly to the vineyard is often more expensive than buying wine in a shop or grocery store. That has never made sense to me and now I see that I am not the only one.

We made our way to Rima and Francesco's apartment on the Oltrarno- the other side of the Arno river. We slipped through the narrow door and up the steep concrete stairs to the top floor. We spilled into their sun-lit apartment and quickly took over their efficient kitchen. Rima gave us a shy smile and said to come with her into the next room. She quietly shushed us and said that the babies were sleeping and pointed to the lumps under the bed covers. She slowly lifted the top blanket and grinned as she showed us 5 puffy rounds of pizza dough that she was keeping warm in the bed, so they could rise and do their yeasty good thing. She had used 5 kilos of flour to make dough for the day's pizza lesson. Mark took some pictures as we giggled at her creative proofing 'oven'.

They seated us around the marble-topped kitchen table/work island and began organizing ingredients for the cooking lesson. Francesco poured prosecco and Rima proceeded to show us how to make pizza dough. Water, fresh yeast, a little sugar, flour and salt were all she used to make her masterpiece dough. She blended it by hand and worked it, adding a little more flour, a little more water, and on until it felt just right to her. She handed out balls of dough so that we could feel what she was feeling and know what to wait for. "Feel your ear lobe and that is what a good dough will feel like", she told us. Soft and yieldy, yet firm and workable.. we understood when we felt our ear lobes and felt the dough.

Putting that aside she went to go get one of the doughs that had already proofed and was ready to go. Francesco was quietly in the background as he busied himself with prep work, slicing cheese and rinsing vegetables, handing Rima things she would as for as she needed them. She tore off a chunk of dough and began working it, eventually rolling it out into a very thin round. She drizzled some lovely green olive oil into the bottom of the big pan and expertly smeared it around with her fingers. She flopped the dough into the pan and began telling us how important the ingredients are. She had tomatoes from a jar that were ONLY crushed tomatoes. Nothing else was added other than organic tomatoes. She blended them up until they were smooth with a stick blender, and spooned some onto the dough. She baked that until it was done enough for her and topped it with some slices of fresh "fior di latte", or cow's milk mozzarella. A couple of sprigs of basil and back into the oven for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese. The Margherita pizza is generally my favorite and that disc of cracker-thin crust did not disappoint me. IT WAS SO GOOD! We mmm'd and ah'd as we chewed and tasted and experienced Rima's magical touch.

Rima was on a roll now and rolling out pizzas faster than we could believe. My favorite was what she dubbed 'the carpaccio': a disc of dough baked until done, then topped with a load of fresh arugula, thinly shaved parmesan, and thin thin prosciutto, with a couple of bright red cherry tomatoes cut in half, and a drizzle of that fabulous olive oil. There were at least 12 pizzas in all, probably more, some with zucchini flowers, sweet bell peppers, sausage, smoked mozzarella, buffalo mozz, gorgonzola, salumi, eggplant, little onions, fresh herbs, and on and on. Mark's favorite was potato and rosemary pizza, topped with a little olive oil and salt. He thought that would be a good breakfast pizza. The last two pizzas were sweet! Rima laid out these special little grapes that are in season here right now, all over the bottom dough. She sprinkled sugar over and topped with another dough. She layered on a bunch more of the grapes, sprinkled with sugar, and doused the whole thing in red wine. It turned into a syrup as it baked and it was fabulous. Francesco had his own pizza to make, topping the dough with paper thin slices of orange (peel and all), then sprinkling brown sugar on top. I think that is all there was to it and it was so full of flavor.

That was the thing about spending time with Rima and Francesco. Every thing they did was simple and straight forward, and the ingredients were pure and beautiful, so the results were phenomenally good. They also made little dough balls that they stuffed with gorgonzola and drizzled with olive oil, then baked until the cheese was all melty inside. Each new wave of food to taste (and believe me, by the end we were taking the tiniest tastes!) she would say "now this one will be good", as if the last were not! And with every new bite we would mmmmmoan with happiness, then beg her to stop. Oh but she had to go 'off the program' as Francesco said, quickly whipping up a tempura batter of her own making, stuffing zucchini flowers with some cheese, dipping them in the batter and frying them on the stove top. HOLY mother of all good food, those were amazing. Delicate, light, savory and crunchy with a light flavor of zucchini and just a small bit of cheese for creaminess. BASTA! We had had enough!

Rima made us a little coffee and we all stood up just to see if we could. Francesco was so gracious, he got on the internet and helped us find out what train we could take the next day to go to Cortona. They explained to us how to get the tickets, the best place to do that, the best way to get from Siena to Florence at the end of the trip was a bus and they explained how to do that, too. They filled our stomachs then filled our heads with information that we needed, too! Plus Francesco had gone off while we were at the market and found us a new fuse for the power converter for my computer. Alas, the converter blew the new one, too, and I am still without my computer. Luckily they have this one at the apartment to use.

Francesco drove us back to St Croce and we said our farewells and thank yous, though there were not enough words to express how grateful we were to them. It was a perfect day and an experience that very few others get to have, and as you can see we loved every second of their company. Grazie Mille Francesco e Rima! Te amo!!

Ok, we were stuffed. 4 hours of eating pizza will do that to you. That is not all we did yesterday, St Croce and the Duomo were involved, but I must go get into the shower so we can make our train. More later.. here is a teaser: I spent about 40 minutes with Michelangelo's Pieta, and yes Doumina, I cried blissful tears, being so grateful for the whole day.

Love to you all! Ciao for now!

M

OK I found a bit more time to finish... don't worry it won't take long, we did not really eat again the rest of the day. St Croce is my favorite church in Florence, although I have not seen them all. I don't really know why I love it most, perhaps it is that Galileo and Michelangelo's tombs are both there. Maybe it is the leather working monks who have stolen my heart... and the art that fills the cathedral. This space feels more sacred to me than some of the others and I am sad that I did not get to go into Santo Spirito this time, but I am very glad I returned to St Croce. We headed back towards the Duomo with only one pit stop: Vestri Chocolate Shop. The BEST gelato we have had. Made on the premises and held in metal containers, it is smooth and flavorful and sensational. I had the smallest cup (about 2 ounces) of dark chocolate with chili peppers. Dad had peach, Mark had a strange kind that was vanilla with sort of carmelly crunchies in it. Mom got some beautiful hand made chocolates for later. Earl Grey tea, Grand Marnier, and a salted ganache. We had them later and they were smooth, high quality chocolates... little squares of pure flavor.

When we got to the duomo I left them to explore and went into the Museo del Opera del Duomo... I had not seen Michelangelo's Pieta before and I had to. Plus the real East Doors of the Campenile are in there, among some of the finest statuary in Tuscany. I glimpsed the Pieta as I climbed the stairs and it took my breath away. As I approached and circled it I literally could not catch my breath. It is so beautiful, unfinished as it is. He was 84 when he started this piece and his masterful hand is more experienced than ever. Nicodemus' face is Michelangelo's self portrait as he encompasses the Marys and Jesus in his arms. Mary's unfinished face appears to have her eyes closed, and it looks like she is kissing the head of her dead son. Mary M is slightly apart, while helping to carry the weight of his body, she is respectful of his mother's need to hold him. She looks lovingly on with sadness. I stayed for about 10 minutes, went through the rest of the small museum except for the final display, then went back to spend more time gazing upon this work. I owe thanks again to Helen Bedtelyen for opening up this art loving heart of mine. I fought back the tears as I adored this hunk of marble.

I got to see some of the East Door panels, though many were gone, on loan to the Accedemia for awhile. Mom was in the piazza when I exited and she told me that Mark and dad had decided to climb to the top of the dome... 463 steps to the top! Mom and I were smarter, we drank wine at a sidewalk cafe.

And that was pretty much it for the day. Hours of laundry in the little tiny washer and dryer that took forever to work because we don't know how to do it. A little sleep and off we go to the stazione de treno!

Arrivaderci!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Happy Birthday Katie! It is still Sunday where you are and since I was unable to call you I wanted to give you a shout out right away.

Yesterday (Sunday) morning we went to the Uffizi gallery at 10 am for our reservation. Good thing, too, since the line was very long and we would have waited a couple of hours to get in. The Uffizi (formerly the palace offices for the Medici family, who reigned in Florence) which houses works by Signorelli, Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Boticelli, and many more. You are probably familiar with Botticelli's Birth of Venus, and his Primavera... both very large in size, fronted by 3 inches of glass, and surrounded by throngs of tourists listening to guides in many languages. I learned 2 things while we were there: 1) going back to revisit these masterpieces was not the thrill I thought it would be the second time around. And 2) I had hit the jetlag wall and I was not going to have the full day that I did the day before. They do not allow bottles inside and I thought I would die of thirst. I was tired, very achey, it was VERY hot inside, and the billions of people standing in my way were really annoying me. Ah yes, it was time for me to catch up on a little rest and salvage the rest of the day.

We went in search of a place to eat and found Osteria Bella Donne, which is on a street called via della Bella Donne, which is just fun to say. This was a place for locals and once again we found ourselves loving the food. House red wine, water "naturale" (not sparkling), and the food. Mom ordered a caprese salad-tomatoes, buffalo milk mozzarella (very common here), bit of olive oil and a sprig of basil. I ordered a cheese plate and it was an aged pecorino, sprinkled with pine nuts and honey (they called it Etruscan Sauce) and MMMMMMMM it was one of our favorite dishes!

Mark had chitarra (key-tar-ah)-that same pasta I had the other day: long like spaghetti, square and textured-with fresh tomato sauce; dad ordered meatballs and roasted potatoes; and I had roasted pork and roasted potatoes, and a farro soup that was thick like porrige. It was all fabulous at every turn... part of the fun of ordering the different courses like that is that they all come out one at a time and we just pass them around. I mentioned before that when you sit down at a table here it is yours for the duration and they stretch the meal out leisurely until you ask for the check. We ended, of course, with an espresso.

As we wandered back towards the apartment...we were quite a ways away... we came across a street performer like none other we had seen. She was a beautiful woman and she was singing opera. The crowd that gathered around here was mesmorized. As we passed by we realized that there was only an hour to get to the Accedemia (to see David) and we weren't sure of where it was from there. I had decided that I was not going to join them on this trip, as I have spent some lovely time with David and I needed to rest and refresh. I came back to the apartment and had a 30 minute nap and went through my travel journal to remember what else there was that I wanted to see. It was a very good idea.

I will encourage the other three to write about their experiences with David. It is nearly undescribable, even though it seems simple. You go in knowing that he is 17 feet tall and carved from a single piece of marble... and then you see him. He takes your breath away and if you are me, his beauty makes you weep. I would have liked to visit again, though I am very glad I rested.

They got back and everyone needed a rest so the aparment was very quiet for awhile. I got hungry so we started talking and decided to have appetizers at the aparment from our market purchases, and then everyone but mom would go out to eat. It was mom's turn to rest. We cracked open the fridge and brought out the talleggio cheese, fresh pecorino, salami of wild boar, cured lardo, bread and olive oil. Mom opened a bottle of wine and we all stood in the little galley kitchen having a lovely time. We all LOVED the lardo and it was our first time having it... Until you have tasted it you can't understand. It was heavenly!

Dad, Mark and I set out and did not intend to go far. We went a new direction and found some great looking places and suddenly we all felt a whole lot better than we had earlier. So we set off trekking for the place that I had been wanting to take them all to: il Latini. It is a local "dive" that specializes in roasted meats. They supply the restaurant from their own farm with prosciutto and other pork; wine; olive oil; produce; and other items. The food and experience are both amazing and I really wanted to share that with them. It was, of course, clear across town and we had to stop in a hotel to ask directions once. We had not set out for that place so I had not brought my map. We arrived to find a line of probably 20-25 people and a packed restaurant. We were greeted with a small glass of house wine and when I asked we were told to just wait. It would be over an hour, we could tell, so I proposed a new plan: now that dad and Mark had seen it and they REALLY wanted to eat there, we would make reservations for our final night on the 16th and not have to wait in line. Oh and by the way it had started raining. It was a misty sprinkle that started to get heavier as we walked back so we were going to grab a cab. The hotel clerk had given us a map when we asked directions and it had taxi stands on it, so we headed for one. When we got close we realized we had gone nearly half way back so we just kept walking. The gypsies were out in force offering umbrellas to everyone for 4-7€ each. No thanks, we are from the Seattle area, we don't need no stinkin umbrellas!! What's a little rain?? We were headed back to our original destination when we spotted a little pizzaria/pasta place.

This is not a true pizza region and Florence only has one official Neopolitan style pizzaria in the city. All the rest-and there are many- are foccaccia type pizzas, or cracker type like we had the other night. Still very good; just different. This was a little neighborhood joint that did not have a traditional Tuscan menu and we really did not have very high expectations. Once again we were blown away! A liter of house wine to start and dad ordered a ham calzone.. this thing was huge! Mark ordered spaghetti with clam and mussel sauce and I decided to break Tuscan tradition and had spaghetti carbonara. I also ordered an appetizer for us to share: involtini (or little roll ups) of speck (a type of ham, like prosciutto, from the northern regions of Italy) wrapped around gooey cheese, laid atop a bed of arugula, and sprinkled with cherry tomatoes. Oh baby were those good! We were all very happy with what we had and still shared, though we mainly ate our own dish. Mine was a pretty orange color, due to the fresh eggs. Mark's tasted like the sea and even had a little octopus in it. Dad's was charred from the hot oven and piping hot... ooey gooey goodness. We ended with a shared Vin Santo e Cantuccini and walked home. We were a about 2 blocks away is all... we had certainly taken the long way to get there!

I think I have failed to mention the church bells. This is a city of churches and they all ring their bells at different times throughout the day, and it is beautiful. I don't know why they ring when they do, though I love to listen to them. The one down our street rings around 7 am and the Duomo is close to us as well. On Saturday we heard the most bells all over the city and they rang for about 15 minutes at a time. It was really neat to hear them all.

I slept with ear plugs in last night and it was better, though still a bit fitfull. I am riddled with mosquito bites- if there was one mosquito in all the world it would find and feed on me! I killed one with glee this morning!

Today we are off to meet a woman at a local outdoor market to shop for ingredients, and then to have a private cooking lesson. In the afternoon we will try to hit both Santa Croce (Galileo and Michelangelo both have tombs there, among others) and the Duomo, Campanile, Dome and Museum of the Duomo. Later this evening we will go to the train station to figure out the schedule because tomorrow we head out to Cortona, Parco Fiorito, Doumina & Roberto, and on Wednesday we greet everyone for the start of the tour.

Ciao for now!

M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/documents/ItalyTourOctober2009.pdf

Buon giorno! It is another beautiful day in Florence; it will get up to 80 again today. Yesterday we wandered the city, mainly on the Otrarno (the other side of the river) and according to dad's pedometer we clocked in around 9 miles of walking. Yes, my feet have a few blisters and could really use a good rubbing!

We started the day with a cappuccino; Mark had a sweet roll and I had a small panino, then we went back to the Wind store and got my internet working. It took a new key, but it works. (and now the fuse in my plug in has blown and I am on battery power for now. Of course! Nothing is easy with this computer!) We were on our way to the Ponte Vecchio, and we came upon the Saturday market. Oh happy day!!! The local vendors had all kinds of cheese (I bought some taleggio), wine: 3 bottles for 13 euro! Sausages (I bought salami of wild boar, and some lardo. HEAVEN on my tongue!) There was honey, olive oil (last year's crop), pastries, cookies, crafts, and even a stand with vegan cheese! I find that slightly ironic in Italy but I knew Erin would want to know about that. The poor vendor was off to the side of the market on the perimeter. I didn't try it, I thought they might run me off if they knew what I had in my bag. Dad and I ran the purchases back to the apartment while mom and Mark went on to the Piazza del Signoria to take some more pictures. We all met up and headed to the river.

It is very crowded here, certainly more so than in November. Tourists from all over the world and many of them are Italian. We walked with most of them across the bridge and checked out all the massively over priced and very beautiful jewels. We got across and headed up river a few blocks to il Cantinore for lunch. We walked down several steep steps to a room below the street level. Then we walked down a few more steps to the restaurant. It is considered polite here to greet the shopkeeper whenever you walk into any shop, before you do anything else. Cheery calls of 'buon giorno!' came from all the staff as we rounded the corner and we were off to a great start.

It has become our favorite fashion of eating to order many dishes and share them all. Mom had a glass of white wine and the rest of us shared a liter of the house red. We had an antipasti of whipped cauliflower topped with a 'pate' of porcini mushrooms: It was SO good, I am going to figure that one out for our catering menu. Also some mixed 'cold cuts', a bit of prosciuto, coppa, salami... like nothing we can get at home. The flavors are so much...more here. Mark ordered a 'pizza bread', which was topped with and was hot from the oven, and we also had the typical bread with their house olive oil. Dad ordered some soup: it was a tomatoey soup thickened with potatoes and near the consistency of our tomato-garlic soup, but a little thicker. The fresh taste of the tomatoes was bright and delicious! Mark ordered a ravioli that was stuffed with cheese and surrounded by raw veggies and shaved parmesan. This is differet from what you may imagine. A few large, lovely ravioli made from a delicate, fresh pasta that was very light and pillowy. There was not a sauce other than a bit of olive oil and the thinly sliced veggies offered a fresh crunch to each bite.

I ordered a roasted pork dish that came with roasted potatoes. The pork was prepared 3 different ways and the potatoes were so flavorful and roasted so perfectly that we were all making yummy noises. As fabulous as that dish was, my favorite was the last: one large (nearly the size of a deck of cards, but square and taller) 'tortelloni' stuffed with a mixture of mashed potatoes-the pasta was superbly tender and fluffy. It was covered in a 'bolognese'- a meaty tomato sauce that was made from wild boar. It was pork only better and every bite was delicious. We sopped up the sauce with the bread at the end. Each dish was a nice, manageable portion and with the 4 of us passing them all around we made quick work of them. We were by no means stuffed at the end of the meal, though we could not have been more satisfied. We ended with some espresso and we stumbled out into the daylight to continue on.

It was now after two and into siesta. The churches were closed so we made our way to Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. We spent hours wandering the massive grounds which range from manicured lawns to forests, ponds, castles, grottos, and many other landscapes. We were fairly exhausted by the end of our tour and we didn't see even close to all of it. We missed much of the palace, though we felt good about what we had seen. We were discussing our next course of action when a nice gentleman came out of an office near where we were sitting and explained to us about where to catch a city bus and how to do that. We had a plan! We found where to buy the bus tickets and walked several blocks down river to the nearest stop. We caught the bus and went up to Piazzale Michelangelo, which is way up on a hill and offers panoramic views of the city. We saw at least 4 brides/grooms having their pictures taken and thousands of tourists as well. The views were spectacular and the sunset was beautiful-though the moon rise was even better.

We wandered around trying to figure out where to get the bus pass back, as we had used more than our allotted time. It took 3 tries, but we finally found it and we caught a bus back. Except it didn't really go near where we wanted to go. We stayed on it to the end of the line (all buses end up back at the train station so we knew we could catch anther one there) and waited for another bus. When it finally came it took us only about a half a mile and then the driver kicked us out because the air shocks weren't working. We hoofed it back, albeit painfully by that time. We got to the place where we wanted to eat dinner and it was closed. I had to use the bathroom, we were all tired and hungry, and we were at a momentary loss for what to do. We ended up across the street from out apartment at a little
pizza and wine joint. The food here was fairly mediocre for Florence, and yet it was better than anything you can think of in our area for Italian food. Dad had grilled prawns and veggies (this is not a seafood area so as fresh and lovely as they were, this was not the greatest choice); Mom had ribollita, which you may have had at the cafe. It is a tomatoey soup that is thickened with bread and everyone does it differently...this one was chunky and again, not my favorite way to have it, but very flavorful and fresh. I had pasta: it was a long noodle like spaghetti, but was more square and textured to hold the sauce. It was a cream sauce that was made from black truffles and the magnificent flavor rendered me momentarily speechless. I wanted to curl up inside that dish and be enveloped by that flavor. It. Was. Delicious. Mark had a 'pizza'... super thin (like a cracker) crust, charred by the grill, and topped with sausage and gorgonzola. Oh my gawd this was fantastico! They got our orders confused with another table's and none of our food came out at the same time so we grazed for a long time and that was the perfect ending. Cantucci e Vin Santo topped it off nicely. We hobbled across to the apartment, up the 35 stairs, and I took a bath before retiring. I wore ear plugs and it helped A LOT with the noise while they were in. I took them out at some time because they were so uncomfortable and the partiers were still out and about.

I am losing battery power so will have to finish later... We have reservations at the Uffizi at 10 am and the Accedemia at 4 pm where we will see David. Between we will go to the Duomo, the Campinile and surrounding area.

Ciao for now!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/documents/ItalyTourOctober2009.pdf

We are in Florence! I am borrowing the computer that is in our apartment because the modem stick that I rented is not working on my computer. Not much of a surprise, most things do not work on my computer without a hassle... though I will not digress into how much I hate Windows Vista. It is a beautiful morning here and it is our first morning. We arrived yesterday a little after 1 pm with very little sleep for me and nearly no sleep for Mark and my parents. The apartment is lovely and we found out last night that the streets here are NOISY like you would not believe. We are near the hospital so we get amublances. We are near the duomo so we get late night revelers. As exhausted as we were we did not sleep well. I guess we are way too used to country living where coyotes, owls and frogs are the most noise that we hear.

The flight to Paris was so long I hardly remember it. I dozed, off and on for about 4.5 hours. I kept my eye mask on and my ear plugs in even when I was not sleeping so that I could continue to rest. Mark could not sleep more than a few moments at a time. We spent way too much time taking shuttles around the Paris airport and finally got on a little plane to bring us here to Florence. I napped off and on again for about half an hour and Mark tried without much luck. The Florence airport is very small and it did not take us long to get our luggage and get a cab to the apartment, which is on Via del Oriuolo, about two blocks from Santa Maria del Fiori and the Campanile de Giotto. We met up with the landlord and got settled, then hit the neighborhood to see what there was to see. Mom and dad decided to have an early dinner so Mark and I left them to wander around. We each had a small panino (little sandwich, mine had a bit of speck, cheese and arugula, Mark had tomatoes, mozzarella and basil) and an espresso. We felt a bit better and so we trekked around trying to get our barings. We went past the house of Dante, the Ponte Vecchio, the Piazza del Signoria which is near the uffizi and filled with statues, and we gazed upon the Arno river.

Mom and dad retired around 6 pm and we tried to figure out my computer. No luck. We headed out to dinner around 8 and went to Panellas, which was highly recommeded and we were very pleased. In Italy, when yougo out to dinner the table is yours for the evening. They expect you to stay a long time, eat in many courses, and they do not offer the check, you must ask for it. They think it is rude to offer the check. Also there is not much tipping involved. Many places now charge service, called "bread and cover", and in those places you do not tip at all; it is included. Otherwise you round the bill up and that is all.

We ordered the house red (12€ for 1.5 liters which of course we could not drink all of...that is 2 bottles!)The antipasto was house made prosciutto, soprasetta, and little toasts with pate. We shared porcini mushroom risotto and "vitel e tonnee" which is a classic dish here. It is thinly sliced veal (it is free range here, most all the food in Italy is "slow" food and properly cared for)that is super tender, covered in a sauce blended from tuna, topped with caper berries and a bit of tomato. Now believe me when I tell you I know that sounds weird and gross, but it is SO not! It was light, lemony, creamy and delicious! We sopped up the tuna sauce with our bread and were very happy. The bread in Tuscany is traditionally not, or only very lightly salted. It stems from a tax issue with the pope a few hundred years ago and it is a surprise th first time you try it. Their bread was lightly salted, though it makes you want more when you are not used to it. The waiter placed a jug of olive oil on the table at my request and it was delicious! Usually only locals know about asking for that so we felt like we totally blended. (Well... maybe not totally...)

Next we ordered fruit (we kept the meal light cuz we were going to bed soon) and we got a peach, an apple, and a knife. Mark ordered "tartufo" which is an ice cream thing that, because of chocolate, looks like a truffle, and I got "cantuccini e Vin Santo". Cantuccini are little hard cookies, much like biscotti only bite sized, that you dip into the Vin Santo, which is an appertif, sort of like brandy only better. We came back to the apartment and tried to sleep. So noisy!

So here it is nearly 10 am and we are just heading out, which is so late!! I am anxious to get going and the first order of business is to get my computer on line. Wish me luck!

Ciao for now...

M&M

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

It's 4:15 am; Mark and I woke at 2:30 after a very fitful night (for me, anyway) so that we can pack, clean up the house, finish some work, and be on the road to the airport by 10. We want to be really tired when we get on the plane so that we can sleep as much as possible on this trip. The last time I went to Italy I could not sleep at all, and I was miserable. This time I am taking a sleep aid and hopefully will sleep most of the way to Paris.

Ah yes, Paris. We fly in and land there around 8:30 in the morning (11:30 tonight for all of you). We have about an hour and a half to get through customs and on the connection to Florence. I WILL be having a croissant or a crepe at the airport! I mean come on, it IS Paris! It will be the same general drill on the return flight, which means that we are going to Paris twice this year! Unfortunately we won't get out of the airport.

My rest was extremely fitful all night as my mind played out every possible and impossible reason that I should not be leaving for 2 weeks. It is that part of my mind that is loud and critical and likes to point out every single thing I do wrong, or at least that I could have done better. It is not my favorite part of my mind. I tried reminding my mind that after all, this was YOUR bright idea! It didn't work. My mind is a bit stubborn and ridiculous at times. So I tossed and turned and tried to reason with the encroaching anxiety. Luckily, I am not worried at all about the restaurant. I know our team will take fabulous care of it and they will make us proud. It's more about really big stuff that I could not affect change for in the next 2 weeks, anyway! Which is why it is ridiculous... also I will really miss my kitties. Yes, I AM one of THOSE people. This is all fairly normal for me before a major event in my life and let me tell you, this trip is MAJOR. I am realizing dreams with this trip, and I am hosting 19 other people (including Mark) and I picked the itinerary so I hope they like it! No, I hope they LOVE it!

I was 17 when I graduated high school and turned 18 just before heading off to a college dorm. It was what I wanted to do and what I thought I was supposed to do. Others I knew traveled and I dreamed of the day that I would have my very own passport and my very own Eurail pass and I would backpack through Europe. Life moved on and I went with it, always envious of those I knew who did that, and never realizing that it was something that I could choose to do. It was something others did; that I would do some day. I had an amazing art history teacher in high school (thank you Helen Bedtelyen) who took me, and several others, to NYC for a week long lesson. We hit the streets with our notebooks early every morning and did assignments on the architecture, art, culture, history and life of the city. I had my first drink in a bar there. I went to a Broadway play by myself, dressed to the nines, and had a blast. We saw shows almost every night, some off-off Broadway, and really experienced the city to it's fullest. New York City remains in my heart to this day.

I had been to Mexico and Canada and a couple of other states, and that was it. Then 3 and half years ago I started a new life with the cafe and I met Doumina Whyman. I came to learn that she owned a business called The Enthusiastic Traveler and she guided tours in Italy. Ah yes, my old dream. She was astounded at how well I knew Italy and that I had never been. Everything I knew was based on books, movies, and other peoples' experiences. One day as we talked of Italy and my dream of going she exclaimed "Why have you never been?!?" and I told her that it was just something that I always thought I would get to and never really thought I could go right now. Doumina scoffed and told me that enough was enough, I was going to Italy. With her. In October. I laughed... I just started this business! I couldn't possibly leave for Italy! She somehow convinced me that a woman who could quit her job and start a whole new career could find a way to go to Italy for 2 weeks. So I did. It was actually good timing, since I was so new at the business I didn't yet know the extent of the work that was involved with it. My naivety made it easier to go. The caveat: Mark could not go with me. This was to be a research trip, making contacts for the cafe and learning about running the business. I was successful in that, for sure.

I wept tears of joy nearly every day I was there. Doumina took me to Siena the second day I was there and I came out of the basilica with tears streaming down my face. She asked me what happened and I told her that I just couldn't believe I was finally here! I was seeing art by artists I had known for 20 years and it was the real stuff not books! She still teases me today, admonishing 'don't cry!' every time we talk about something we will do in Italy. Even with all that joy I knew that I could not enjoy it to the fullest without Mark to share it with. I had to go back and I wanted it to be with him.

Here we are 2 years and 11 months after that trip, and we are going back. I will cry again I am sure, for I will be seeing things AGAIN that I dreamed of for so long! And I will see new things as well. This is a working trip, as we are hosting 18 people on a week long tour. My parents are 2 of those people who signed up for this and are relying on us to provide an amazing experience for them. I have no doubt that it will be wonderful, as I have seen Doumina's work in person. She has made contacts with locals who tell us about what we are seeing in a magical way. They live there, work there, and love there! And they are sharing that all with us for a little while. We will be an intimate group and I can't wait for everyone to taste Italy the way the locals there do.

You can see our itinerary here and follow us on the tour. Mark, my parents and I are all hitting Florence for 4 days and then on Tuesday we will take the train to Terontola, just outside of Cortona, and Doumina will pick us up to take us to our agriturismo, so that we can be there first to greet all the others. The tour officially begins on Wednesday. As soon as we are settled in Florence I will head out to the little store that sells phone cards and, as I understand it, mobile internet connections. That way we will be able to keep in touch with the cafe every day, and I will still be able to do the administrative stuff that runs the cafe. So yes, scoff if you want to, but I WILL be working each day.

Keep us company on this trip and check back for our updates. If you want to post comments or email questions we will respond to them. Please keep visiting the cafe while we are gone, the team is going to need your company! When we get back we have an event at the cafe on the 24th w/Italian chef and cookbook author Roberto Russo, who is always entertaining and charming. I am also busy planning next year's trip and I hope that 18 of you want to join us for it! It will be a little the same and a little different, and no matter what it will be FABULOUS! The focus will still be local food, wine, art and culture, and we are adding the Piedmont region to the adventure. We will visit the Slow Food University and the Wine Vault, among other things.

So until tomorrow...

CIAO!