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South of the Border

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

Continuing my posts to catch up about the places we visited last month, I have to mention Italy as well.  We took a weekend with my parents to visit Venice and Verona.

Venice was everything I expected and more.  For some reason we all thought it would be a lot smaller and smellier.  It’s actually pretty big (you can’t begin to see it all in one day) and the canals seemed relatively fresh and not stagnant at all.  I guess that is why I travel.  There are some things you just have to experience first hand.

From Venice we headed to Verona, which was another good surprise.  We picked it somewhat randomly because it seemed like the right distance from both Venice and Villach for a good overnight trip.  The guidebook mentioned a coliseum, but I had no idea that it would be so big and in such great shape.  Although it was built in the Roman era, they still hold concerts here.  I can’t wait to go back and attend one.

Here are a few views from Italy:

Posted in Austria, Italy, Living Abroad, Travel | 2 Comments »

Mountain Stage

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Now that we have a car, it’s time to explore the area beyond our little town.  After talking to both expats and locals, we made a long list of potential things to do here in the summer.  Item #23 is the Giro d’Italia (kind of like Italy’s version of the Tour de France).  We went to a time trial stage two years ago, but have always really wanted to see a mountain stage.  The race organizers obliged us and picked a route this year that actually went through Austria and finished in the Alps in Italy just an hour south of our place.

The stage ended on the Monte Zoncolan, which is somewhat famous in the cycling world for being a hellish climb of 10km with an average grade of about 12%.  However, some spots are as steep as 22%.    It seemed like the perfect place to watch the pros suffer up the switchbacks.   The one important thing that I forgot was that in order to see them on the mountain top finish you have to actually get there, which in this case meant walking up.

Needless to say the hike was brutal and it gave me even more respect for the cyclists.  I still can’t believe how fast they are able to push up that mountain. While the race is exciting, half the fun is watching the other spectators.  They arrive long before (sometimes days) the race starts and camp out, alternately partying and sleeping.  When the racers come by they shout at them, push them up hill, or run along side “encouraging” them. Some riders shouted back,but most just laughed and kept pedaling.  It’s amazing that were no accidents caused by the rabid fans. In the end though, they are true fans – they know all the riders names and shout out in different languages (Vai, Venga, Allez, Go!).  They boo the ones who are suspected of doping, and cheer their favorites.  It’s a unique sport and I think we’re already scoping a stage of Le Tour to attend.

Here I am with the most famous of the fans:

Here’s Alberto in the pink:

Posted in Italy, Living Abroad, Travel | 1 Comment »

Sfoglia

Saturday, June 13th, 2009

We couldn’t come to Italy without taking a cooking class.  The first one we took in Piemonte was a little unusual in that we didn’t learn to make any pasta.  The food we made there was regional, traditional “summer” food which didn’t include too many things that had to be cooked for a long time in order to keep the kitchen cool.  While the dishes were interesting, I’m not sure that I’ll be replicating them any time soon for guests back home.  The one exception was a dolce/dessert called Mottone, which means ” the brick” and is made with about a pound of Mascarpone cheese.   (We already made it again the first time we had an apartment with a kitchen.)

While that class was fun, it still left us unfulfilled in our quest to learn how to make pasta.  Our route east from France brought us near Bologna, so we decdided to stay there a few days and try another cooking class.  This one was at a bigger cooking school and was all about fresh pasta, in particular a type called Sfoglia that is made in this region.  While I need a lot more practice with the rolling pin, I’m still pretty proud of my first attempt.  We spent a lot of time learning to make the dough, the techniques for rolling it out, and how to make different shapes, including Tortelloni, Tortellini, Farfalle, Tagliatelle, and Garganelli.  The Tortellini are particularly tricky, but ours survived the cooking and tasted great.

Here is the “before” picture of the Tortelloni.  I got a bit too excited and ate them, so there is no “after” picture. 

blog-pasta.JPG

Posted in Italy, Travel | 1 Comment »

Lago means Lake

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

When our trunk was fully stocked with great wines from Piemonte, we headed to Lombardy and the lakes.  We are renting an apartment at Lake Maggiorre and it has been great to have a kitchen again, as well as more space.  In addition to cooking, we’ve also been spending our days exploring the lake by foot and by ferry.  The roads are narrow and twisty, but Iàm coping and learning how to drive Italian-style.  I got some extra practice on the way back from Lake Como during rush hour.

The road craziness aside, this area is very picturesque:

blog-lake.JPG

Posted in Italy, Travel | 2 Comments »

Eataly

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

I can’t take credit or blame for that cute title. It’s actually the name of a sort of gourmet-mall-supermarket in Turin. We’ve been searching for a cooking class (there are tons of them advertised, but most are week long, luxury vacations with a little cooking thrown in) and someone referred us to Eataly. It didn’t actually have any classes available while we were there, but it’s a paradise for foodies to visit anyway. There are huge sections devoted to just pasta or mushrooms. There is a walk-in, temperature controlled aging cellar for cheeses, and another just for hams. While we were there, we tried a local concoction called Becirin. It’s a shot of espresso, with dark chocolate syrup and whipped cream. It’s unbelievably rich and more potent than Red Bull at keeping me wired for hours afterward.

This store got us thinking and talking about the food and wine here in Italy. There’s no other way to say it – it’s simply excellent. By that expression, I mean two things. It’s actually very simple food. The ingredients are basic – tomatoes, basil, pasta, bread, salami, cheese. No fancy sauces, but just olive oil and vinegar. However, each one seems to be the best it can be and stands on it’s own. In other words, each is excellent. Combined, they create some of the best dishes we’ve had on the trip.

We’re staying in the Piedmont area now, which is best known for wine. It’s the region that produces the great Barbaresco, Barolo, and Moscato vintages. We’ve visited a few of the local Enoteca Regionales where you can taste and buy wines, and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed them so far. However, this area also has great culinary tradition as well. We checked in to our apartment in a village of about 600 people and they gave us a list of local restaurants. There are 6 Michelin starred restaurants within 16kms. I can’t wait…

The vineyards along the road to our village:

blog-castiglione.JPG

Posted in Italy, Travel | 1 Comment »

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