Italy Beyond the Obvious

A magical abbey outside Turin: Sacra di San Michele

The 11th century Sacra di San Michele (Abbey of St. Michael) sits atop a hill about 30 minutes outside Turin and is the official Symbolic Monument of the Piedmont Region. Adding to the magic of the place are a couple interesting legends: one that it was built by angels (after all, how else could all those heavy building materials have made it to the top of the hill?) and one that a woman, Alda, threw herself off a cliff and was saved by St Michael (she tried it a second time, unfortunately, and was not as lucky).

It pretty much sells itself with the photo above, but here's some basic information about planning a visit. Check opening hours on the website.  Add a hike with spectacular views to your day by walking up to the Abbey on one of several walking trails. Or plan on arriving by car or bus, and save your energy for the long flight of stairs to the entrance - called the Steps of the Dead (which at one time actually did display the dead). Visit the Abbey and church for its energy, architecture, and incredible frescoes, and check the calendar (in Italian only - choose the month on the right column) for the schedule of concerts performed at the abbey.

Photo by Cristiano Oliva, and thanks to Elizabeth and Shonda from the Italy Photo Contest for the great info on the legends.
 

 

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Picnics in Italy

 

The photo above was a picnic for about 20 people that we organized at a farmhouse in Tuscany. We just knocked on the door and asked the owners if we could use their back yard and it worked well. Picnicking can be a great way to save money, not worry about researching and booking a restaurant, and just get some fresh air. Here's the how-to:

Picnic Supplies 

Pick up prepared hot items at a Rosticceria (which will also provide utensils, plates and napkins) and fresh fruit at open air markets. Have sandwiches pre-made at a Paninoteca, or make your own with bread from a Panetteria (bakery) and meat and cheese from a Salumeria (deli). Or, just hit the supermercato for everything you need. And don't forget the wine!

Picnic Locations

In cities, it's perfectly fine to munch a sandwich in public spaces. Some good options: sit on church steps, in a square, on a park bench, or along the water. But for a full-fledged spread-the-blanket-out, bring-a-picnic-basket affair, don't plan on Rome's Piazza Navona. More info on where proper picnics are allowed: 

• Rome: Some ideas for picnics in Roman parks.
• Florence: This article describes specific picnic locations and places to buy picnic food in Florence.
• Milan: Here's a list of Milan's parks aka picnic spots.
• Venice: Eating in public in Venice is actually not allowed, but you probably won't get in trouble sitting on a bench with a sandwich. However you are allowed to spread out at the end of Sant'Elena gardens. Or, take the boat to the island of Torcello.

If you've had a picnic in Italy, please share your favorite spots!

I've included this in Delicious Baby's Photo Friday!

Photo by Charlie Scheihing

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One day in Livorno

Most of the inquiries I get about Livorno are from travelers arriving by cruise ship who want help planning one day in the area. I wouldn't consider Livorno to be one of Italy's top destinations, but that can be a good thing because it means fewer tourists! The city was heavily bombed during WWII and is being gradually rebuilt, but there is easily enough to fill a satisfying day. 

 

One day in the city of Livorno:

• Walk along the sea, and don't miss the Terrazza Mascagni (photo above).
• Visit the vibrant central market.
• Explore the Medicea port and visit the 11th century fort, Fortezza Vecchia, whose Matilde Tower has a great view of both port and city from the top.
• Walk along (or take a ride on) one of Livorno's canals.
• Take the no. 2 bus to Montenero, an atmospheric village on a hill (ride the funicular) just south of the city.

There are several famous Italian cities an easy day trip from Livorno, including Florence, Lucca, and Pisa. 

 

If none of the above grabs your attention however, and you're somewhat of an independent traveler, there is a lot to do in the area: visit small towns in Tuscany, shop at an outlet mall, soak in thermal waters, lie on a gorgeous beach, explore vibrant markets, or have lunch at Italy's smallest restaurant (max capacity: 2 people). If you need planning help, contact me.

Photo by Eric Perrone

 

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Meeting boys on Italian trains

I thought it would be fun to enter this little story into the Grantourismo-HomeAway travel writing competition!

An American friend and I were on a train full of Italian military boys. Noses in guidebooks, we'd been planning our day trip in peace until they'd gotten on. We had started in Monza, where we lived as exchange students, and were probably off to visit an ancient ruin or medieval town or cathedral, but I don't remember and our destination that day isn't the point.

The boys were plotting -  in Italian of course - their strategy for meeting "the American girls" (never mind that one of us was Canadian).  We listened as they discussed which one of them should approach us (the one with the best English); what he would say (they tried out several variations); how his friend - and which friend - would then join him; and how we might respond. 

They didn't realize we could understand every word they said. 

 

And so we counter-plotted: should we smile and flirt? No, we weren't that impressed. Should we reject them with a sarcastic zinger in Italian and a toss of the head? No, too mean. We were a little surprised that these not-even-twentysomething boys were actually talking about us pretty respectfully. So when the chosen one approached, we answered him in Italian, complimented him on his English, and waited for his reaction as it sunk in that we had understood everything. He tried to make the most of it, but the train had pulled in to our station. As we disembarked, we heard the group laughing as he went back to join his friends, high-fiving and back-slapping.  

I don't wish I'd spent more time on that train, but that snippet of every day life reminds me of many things I love about Italians:  their passion and go-for-it attitude; the chivalry of Italian men and their appreciation of the opposite sex; and the way young Italians socialize in groups of 20 or 30 - their compagnia. 

The train ride became jumbled with other Italy memories until years later, when it somehow rose to the surface. I couldn't put my finger on why until I remembered a quote about travel by Henry Miller: "the destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things".  It can be difficult to identify the precise moment perspectives were changed, because it happens slowly, and in pieces, and upon reflection. And sometimes, on trains. 

Photo by Madeline

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Sicily: a food and wine checklist

I recently coached a couple planning a trip to Sicily with a "food" theme. Their trip included a cooking class, markets, and winery visits, and I put together a food checklist for them which I've included below. This is the sort of thing you'd carry in your wallet and pull out when deciding what to eat for lunch or dinner, with the goal of tasting some typical Sicilian foods.

 

Note that Sicilian food is very local and seasonal so if the market is overrun with, say, fiddleheads and they're not on this list, order them anyway. If you saw a sheep farm up the road and lamb is on the menu but not on this list, order it anyway.  

 

Sweets

• Marzipan (marzapane or frutta martorana). Essentially made of almonds and sugar, then sculpted and colored - often into fruit.

• Granita. Sweet shaved ice, perfect for an afternoon snack on a hot day.

• Cassata. Hard to describe but Katie Parla does a good job and has a mouth-watering photo of cassata along with it. 

• Cannolo. Ricotta-filled, pastry-wrapped sweet (photo above) you're probably familiar with, born in Sicily.

• Setteveli cake. Seven layer cake. Mouth-watering photo of setteveli cake by Ms. Adventures in Italy.

• Brioche with ice cream (brioche con gelato). This is literally ice cream inside a sweet croissant, like a sandwich. Photo of gelato con brioche.

Carbs

• Arancina bomba. A ball of rice stuffed with meat and deep fried. Photo of arancina bomba.

• Cous-cous. This is used in Sicilian cooking because it came in as an influence from the south (along with chickpeas, raisins and cinnamon among others), but you won't find it used as much in the rest of Italy.

• Pasta "alla Norma". Made with eggplant and tomatoes and a little basil, with grated ricotta on top. Photo of pasta alla Norma.

Cheese

• Caciocavallo. This cheese is eaten around Italy but is from Sicily.

• Ricotta. You probably don't want to eat spoonfuls of straight ricotta (though feel free), but look for it in desserts and sauces. It's also found in different textures than you may be used to - for example, grated.

Fruits and vegetables First and foremost, look at what's fresh at the market, and order that. Otherwise, look out for:

• Artichokes (carciofi)

• Eggplant (melanzana)

• Olives. One of my favorite Sicilian salads is made of oranges, olives, and onions, olive oil, salt and pepper. Nothing else.

• Oranges (arance)

• Zucchini/courgette (zucchine).

• Hot peppers. (peperoncino)

• Purple cauliflower (cavolfiore). Photo above.

• Almonds (mandorle). Often used as a paste, so not recognizable, and in desserts.

• Caponata. This is not an individual vegetable, but a recipe made with eggplant, tomatoes, capers, and bell peppers.

• Panelle. Deep fried chickpea fritters. Don't let the deep fried part scare you - they are lighter than you'd think.

Fish

• Squid (calamari)

• Prawns (scampi)

• Fresh anchovies (alici). If you've only ever eaten anchovies from a tin, like you get on pizza, then you won't even recognize these. They actually look like little (warning: whole) fish, and are not salty.

• Cuttlefish (seppia)

• Cod (merluzzo)

• Swordfish (pesce spada)

• Clams (vongole). A good one with pasta.

Don't be scared to try a "fritto misto" or mixed fried fish. Fried doesn't equal heavy.

Wine

Sicily makes some excellent wine, so visit a vineyard or two and definitely sample some of the local wine. Donnafugata is probably the most famous brand, and can be found all over Italy. But here are the types of locally produced wine to look out for:

• Nero D'Avola (red)

• Primitivo (red)

• Nerello (red)

• Pinot Bianco (white)

• Zibibbo (white)
  

• Moscato (dessert wine)

• and of course, the famous Marsala

And, a Palermo Specialty: Panino con la Milza

This could be under the heading "offal" which is the culinary term for internal organs. But I'm only including 1 item in the "offal" list, and you may end up taking a photo rather than actually eating it. But it's worth noticing. First, you may see it in dialect, which is U Pani ca Meusa. You may only see it in Palermo (oh, and in the Sicilian bakery, Antica Focacceria San Francesco, in Milan, which I highly recommend), and it's considered to be typical street food - what's more local than that? Which internal organs, you'd like to know? Spleen and lung of the sheep, to be precise. But it's covered in cheese (caciocavallo and ricotta, of course) and served in a bun. Photo of panino con la milza.

Photo of cannoli by Volavale; Photo of cauliflower by Luigi FDV

 

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