One reason for travelling to foreign countries - Food

 Food, food and food. 

Our way of learning, embracing and understanding a city is to book a food tour. For around 100 euros a person we get a private guide who is local to the town, the chance to sample local foods (enough to make up at least a meal each), drink and sample wine whiles also getting insights into the history and also what it like living as a local. 

Today we booked Mateo via the site With Locals and met him for our three-hour tour on the city's eastern side. 

The first stop was the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, where mouth-watering morcels are sold. We were introduced to items we had before and some new ones, like Lasagna, Eggplant Parmesan (a lasagna made with eggplant and no pasta sheets). After a selection of cold cuts, prosciutto, tuscan salami, and fennel salami. Next was porchetta, a braised beef braised in pepper and red wine with a side of Ribolitta (Tuscan soup with beans, cabbage, carrots, onion, potatoes and stale bread). All absolutely delicious. 

Yes, we were getting full by this stage, but Mateo was also a master of the market, introducing us to all the stallholders and a boxing champion who is also a butcher!

We asked about coffee and how to find good coffee, and it was pretty simple, the bad coffee shops are the ones you won't go back to as you will feel bad until your next coffee.

Next was some pastries and also a coffee.  

Mateo then presented us to an area where Dante lived, where we had what we agreed to describe as savoury doughnuts. These were the size of a golf ball cut in half and stuffed with a slice of prosciutto and some cheese. Next to this place, we could have a sample of lamprodotto, "meat" that is boiled, thinly sliced, salted, and a green salsa drizzled over. Very delicious, considering the meat is from the cow's fourth stomach. 

Thankfully we had a walk to the northern side of the city, past the duomo, where we saw some hari-chrishnas dancing and having a great time. 

Mateo introduced us to Casa di Vino and a couple of small glasses, sparkling white and red. This little wine bar was in the market area where many leather stalls are. We also learnt about the history of this trade and how it is currently run and the products created. Mateo was not ashamed of purchasing a Chinese leather backpack, he says it makes no sense to spend a lot, but he is annoyed if Chinese products are sold as Italian.

Ok, back to the streets, where we headed to another wine bar, where around 30 men in the age range of 50 - 90 were in the street drinking wine by the glass, a common occurrence, we went in and met the owners, behind a small bar, and walls covered in bottles of wine. 

We sampled 2 glasses and were taken next door to a La Capannina Bistrot, just next door, where we had a sample of Carbonara and a slightly spicy tomato pasta.

It was then back to the wine bar Flli Zanobini for two more samples and to purchase local wine and some sparkling for NYE.

Finally, we walked (and boy, we needed a walk by this stage) to My Sugar gelato artigianale; according to Mateo, the gelato would help digestion!

I had Crema and Chicolato and Katie had Norchellia and Pistacciao.

It was a fantastic progressive dinner. We went over by about 45 min but learnt about the culture, the food, the people, and the locals, and that is what travelling should be about.

Buon Appetito

Come dine with me

This morning we bid a fond farewell to Stefano, Rosalinda and Virginia as we departed La Maesta for Florence. Our farewell will only be short, as the family will visit us for lunch while we are in Florence for five days. The transiting days between cities/towns are frustrating. Generally, there's something that doesn't go quite to plan, or you get stuck in a queue or delayed etc. Today, our train from Arezzo to Florence was full. Instead of cramming into a packed carriage, we opted to stay out in the portico area with our suitcases. There was a little seat pulled out from the wall that I sat on the entire 55-minute trip, and Shannon stood most of the way. Shannon navigated us to our apartment, which is lovely, and then headed out for a stroll around the city. 

Florence is busy. This will be a combination of New Year's Eve weekend and people's ability to get back out and travel again, even in Winter. Florence is as beautiful as I remembered it. Like towns in Tuscany, Christmas decorations and lights adorn streets and doorways. 

 

Being a larger city, we were suddenly surrounded by a mix of languages. After a week of being surrounded by Italian, it seemed strange to hear conversations around us in English. We enjoyed a toasted panini for lunch and stopped in at our favourite little Irish pub in the main piazza for a drink.

Back to the apartment to do some laundry (our apartment has a washer and dryer) and to relax for the afternoon, as tonight, we had a special dinner to look forward to.

In early November, we booked dinner for tonight at Ora D'aria, a Michelin-star restaurant in the heart of the city. This meal was possible due to the generosity and kindness of my Geelong High colleagues and friends who gifted me dinner at a Michelin-star restaurant for my 40th birthday. We booked well in advance after finding this particular place to be sure to get a table during the holiday period. I know my description of this meal can't do it justice, but I will try. Ora d'aria has three set menus to choose from - past, present and future. Past is a traditional Tuscan menu and contains meat, the present menu was a vegetarian option, and the future was a seafood menu. Shannon and I both chose the past, paired with wine.

While I had read a little about the restaurant and chef, nothing could have prepared me for what we found inside. We were greeted by a lovely waitress who took my coat and led us inside. The dining room was small but elegant. The tables were draped in white linen to match the glossy white chairs that swivelled. The ceiling was painted gold and blue. On one side of the room was the kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors stood directly behind our table so we could view that master at work! The door was automatic, so we could smell all the delicious things each time it opened! We started our meal with an aperitivo which included snacks - olives and tasty treats. 

Much to our surprise, the head chef, Marco Stabile, greeted us at our table, poured a tasty broth into delicate teacups, and welcomed us to his restaurant. Marco then presented each dish to our table with the wait staff, which was a lovely and rare touch. It is clear that Marco is proud of his food and his restaurant. As he should be - the food was incredible.

We started with an artichoke puree with olive oil and truffle, closely followed by a little dish of poached egg, which sat on a bed of spinach, also paired with black truffle. Next, we had tiny tortellini filled with rabbit, a delicacy I had never experienced before.

The past dish that followed was my favourite of the night - chestnut pappardelle. Are you hungry yet? The fourth course was a beef speciality that had been smoked and boiled, and the meat fell apart. It was served with some roasted vegetables and the smoothest mashed potato I had ever seen. 

This incredible meal was topped off with a delightful baked cheesecake with a sauce that could make angels weep! I cheekily asked the waitress for a jug of it, and she laughed, adding that she pinches some every chance she can get. 

 

I must say this was one of those evenings that I will never, ever forget. I know that some people won't share the same passion for food and the joy that it brings and that's fine. But when we skipped out of that restaurant and strolled through the streets of Florence in the rain, there was magic in the air.

  

Sansepolcro and herbs

It is hard to believe this is the fifth visit to our Italian family at LaMaesta, and each time we explore some of our favourites and also visit suggestions of new places. Today was Sansepolcro (Pronounced: Sans-sey-pol-cro), a town about 60 minutes drive away on the eastern edge of Tuscany.

On arrival the first stop was the tourist information centre, first to get information about the town and what we should see and also to use the toilet facilities. Public toilets like we have in Australia are few and far between, you usually need to search and use facilities at a bar, restaurant or, in this case, the TI. 

From there, we were provided with info and maps of the place and we went to our first attraction Museo Della vetrata where in the old church we were presented with a collection of stained and painted glass that has been collected and restored. 

It was interesting to learn about the techniques and how they have evolved. 

The last supper

I would like to add Italy is not all about history. Many are moving forward with alternative lifestyles, and it is good to see people 'breaking' the mould and showing individuality. This car was parked close to the previous museum in the historic centre. 

It was getting close to lunch, so we headed back into the centre, walked the length of Via XX Settembre, and looked through the various shops, most still presenting Christmas decorations and Christmas items for sale. Lunch was then at a small little bar where we had Polpette (meatballs), Katies in a Pomodoro (Tomato) sauce and mine in Balsamic and Honey sauce. They were amazing, so good we forgot to get a photo! We also had some small bread, about 10 mm thick and 100 mm round, like little sandwiches. Mine had mortadella mousse with pistachio and Katie's contained prosciutto with a buratta cheese. Again, amazing. 

This town has many churches, and there is never a reason not to enter.  It is a place to sit down, relax and view the art adorning the walls in a location that the artist intended. Something else that is a treat at this time of year is all churches have Presepio (Nativity Scene).  Here is a video of the largest we have seen, with night and day scenes. The video is dark at the start but will quickly transition to the daylight scene. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cyqGivhXiGTnSF1y8

Finally, we attended the Aboca Museum, dedicated to herbs and traditional medicine. It was a very informative place, explaining how we have used natural products for centuries and now how we still use them in current-day treatments. Well worth a visit.

The aroma of the dried herbs was amazing in this room

The ground floor had an interactive exhibition.

Happy Birthday Stefano!

 Today is Stefano's birthday. He was able to take the day off work, and we were lucky enough to spend the day with the family. We started our mystery tour this morning, ready to explore new places. We arrived in a beautiful town we hadn't been to before, in Umbria - 'Todi'. The buildings in Umbria are quite different compared to Tuscany. The stone is a lighter, white colour. We walked up the winding streets to the main piazza, stopping for a coffee and slice of pizza along the way. 

     

Even though it is three days after Christmas, the Christmas spirit in these little towns is still very much alive and well. The streets are still adorned with glistening fairy lights, giant decorated trees stand in the main squares and in some towns, Christmas music is pumped out through speakers throughout the streets. The Christmas festival lasts until around January 8th. There are many saint days in this period.

We visited a church with beautiful stained glass windows and an underground crypt.

All this walking made us hungry, so it was time for lunch. Rosalinda asked a local shopkeeper for a recommendation. We enjoyed more beautiful food, some Tuscan specialities like wild boar, and I had a succulent pork shin. We left Todi with full bellies and headed to another town on the way home to La Maesta. Deruta was a tiny little town that is clearly known for its ceramics. The main street was lined with Ceramic shops - each one showcasing different designs depending on the artist. It would be quite easy to spend thousands in these shops. I wanted everything! In the end, we settled on one special piece that is being shipped home to Australia. We generally buy one nice thing when we go away on a trip to bring home to remind us of the wonderful places we visited. This piece is quite unique and won't be to everyone's taste, but we will admire it, and it will remind us of Tuscany every time we look at it.

We arrived back at La Maesta around 6pm and enjoyed a birthday dinner with Stefano, Rosalinda and Virginia. Another magical Tuscan day.

Happy Birthday, Stefano.