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
Wow what a feast ! Mandy
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