The cooler weather means changes in the market and squash has appeared in Campo dei Fiori, plus I finally feel like cooking again. I don’t know the specific name for the type of squash in the left in the picture below, but it made a lovely pumpkin risotto!
Fresh squash from Campo dei Fiori. That’s butternut on the right, but unknown pumpkin-like orb on the left. Would not make a good jack-o-lantern, but made great risotto.
The finished product.
I am told to be a successful blogger you have to post at least twice a week. Clearly I am not successful. This “thing” can take over your life. I am always looking at a cultural tidbit, beautiful view, piece of art, or an incident with an eye toward a blog entry. But somehow life gets in the way of actually making that entry.
Since last I wrote, I have been immersed in Italian lessons 4 or 5 days each week (an hour at a time), plus homework. Ric has started lessons too, 2 or 3 times each week. We have continued to enrich our understanding of this grand city seeing more museums, historical sites, and of course expanding our culinary knowledge. And some extraordinary events have led to bus trips to previously unexplored sections of the city. I entered the Italian medical system (just minor!) which is a lengthy story in itself of interesting contrasts with the North American medical culture. In between events we actually manage to go to work.
We have also had guests, and this past weekend our nephew Eddie invited us along on a trip to the Chianti Region, where he had rented a house. This is the early morning view from the deck.
What a lovely way to wake up! Sipping stong Italian coffee while the sun creeps over the valley. The occasional bark of a dog or crow of a cock is all you hear.
Lovely setting: quaint, practical, with a drop-dead gorgeous view.
We passed briefly through Firenze, then headed out to the countryside. Our family had discovered a sagre (festival centered on an agricultural specialty) in Grevè in Chianti, where for €10.00 you could taste up to 7 wines. (Or if they “forgot” to punch your ticket, maybe 10, or 14.) We met lovely people from all over the world helping out with the sagre and intent on the upcoming harvest. We spent the evening at our Tuscan retreat grilling Bistecca alla Fiorentina and enjoying some local wines.
The next day we ventured to San Gimignano, followed by a visit to Villa Vignamaggio, famous not only for its wine, but as the home of the woman who posed for DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. It was also the site of the 1993 movie Much Ado About Nothing. They were kind enough to not only show us the cellars (which date back over 500 years), but to share some product. There is a B&B at Villa Vignamaggio, which begs a return visit.
Wine tasting and Tuscan specialities at Vignamaggio. A bit more formal than our Oregon experiences.
I can hardly describe the peacefulness of this place. Eddie’s rented villa was one of the quietest places we have ever stayed. The deck looked out over a lovely valley with village lights in the distance. We heard only the occasional barking dog. While star-gazing an enormous “shooting star” lit up the sky in a way you never experience in a city.
Clearly I’ve been much too busy to write.
The lovely Helen poses with a Tuscan wild boar. This shop and its delightful owner were the source of our hand cut bistecca alla fiorentina.
Everywhere you go, businesses are closed. Some are closed for the whole month, some for a week or two.
18 August 2012
Every blogger seems to be writing about Ferragosto, the heat, and the Italians fleeing the city. Lacking a family casa al mare (house by the sea) we are, of course, here working. And this city is indeed a strange place this month! Ferragosto is the Italian late-summer holiday introduced by Emperor Augustus, now a big family day (think beach, lunch with Grandma) and also a religious day, The Feast of the Assumption. Many people build a vacation around it, much as Americans would do around Independence Day.
7:00AM – There should be trams, a bus or two, several motorini, and dozens of cars. Niente this week!
There’s little or no street construction, so noise is reduced considerably. Many apartments are empty and we hardly see any lights on at night in the neighborhood. Portieri (building superintendents) are on duty all month to provide extra security for vacant apartments.
At lunch, you might have to hunt around for a small cafe to even find a sandwich. Some grocery stores shorten their hours or close for a couple of weeks to remodel. We also hear evidence of some indoor remodeling work as apartment owners have projects addressed while they are on vacation.
5:15PM Friday – This piazza is usually a chaotic mix of cars, motorscooters, buses, taxis and pedestrians. Not yesterday during my “rush hour.”
At the office the phone doesn’t ring, there’s less mail, few visitors, and meetings are cancelled for lack of attendees.
In the evening, there’s a sense of desertion. It’s eerie in a Zombie-Apocalypse sort of way. Buses still run, but some are less frequent. One part of the Metro is shut down for renovation. Why not? Ridership is down. So what if tourists are confused? It will reopen in time for back-to-school-and-work.
Summertime and the parking is easy! Usually filling up with commuters when I walk through, this street is in Villa Borghese. The dogs playing in the park have disappeared and the joggers are few.
Except for major tourist areas, the buses are almost deserted and on schedule.
Usually I have to stand on the way home, at least until the last few stops. This week, I not only get a seat, but I am the last one on the bus for almost half the trip.
We were kind of dreading August: the heat, the stories about closures and inconvenience. However, I think I am going to like August here.
And sometimes we get marvelous thunderstorms!
We grew up in thunderstorm country and missed them while in Portland, where they are neither frequent nor intense. In Rome they are intense, if not frequent. Monday we were treated to a two-hour show! (Although I did get soaked on the way home.)
Every Friday night is pizza night for us. Last Friday night we set off for a new place, about a 25 minute walk from our apartment, only to arrive and find a sign Chiuso for ferie (Closed for the holidays) until late August! Yes folks, it is Ferragosto an ancient Roman tradition started by Emperor Augustus (it is his month after all), and co-opted by the Catholic Church as the “Feast of the Assumption.” Ferragosto is a one-day holiday on August 15 that can be expanded up to a full month for small businesses that choose to shut down. What makes our experience worse, Ric had walked by on Thursday to make sure they were open: they were and no sign about ferie. I had called for reservations and was successful. But there are two restaurants with the same name and I had called the one across town. Upon arrival, we found the sign, hastily posted that very day. Chiuso. We salvaged Friday night with a nice little dinner in a cafe across from our targeted establishment and had a fine experience. But we hadn’t had our weekly pizza!
So Saturday we ventured far across Rome to Trastevere (literally “across the Tiber”) and wound our way through alleys to find once again Dar Poeta.
Dar Poeta – Absolutely worth the wait! The expediter did a great job. Tables cleared quickly and we were seated in about 20 minutes.
We had eaten lunch here in October 2010. No crowds at lunch as Romans don’t eat pizza for lunch. Despite the crowd last night, we waited only about 20 minutes.
From their English language webpage: Our pizza isn’t neither roman pizza (low and thin), nor neopolitan pizza (thick on the edge and spongy), our pizza is . . . DAR POETA. We remembered it being good from our 2010 visit, but it really is the best we’ve had in Rome so far.
Ric had a zippy lingua di fuoco (tongue of fire: hot salami and peppers), while I sought out the non-traditional salmone e fiori di zucca (salmon and zucchini flowers). So happy! Sorry, but I ate about a third of it before thinking of all of you in the Pacific NW who would love to see salmon on a pizza.
Starring lox and zucchini flowers, by American standards, not a “normal” pizza, but my was it delicious!
No red sauce, lots of cheese, a sprinkling of parsley dress up lox and zucchini flowers. Hop on down to Papa Murphy’s and see if they can whip one up for you. Oh, and for the uninitiated, in Italy you get a whole pizza to yourself (about the size of a dinner plate) and it arrives uncut. That’s why we have to walk so much. (That and the wine.)
We will continue our search for the best pizza so when you come to Rome to visit, the work will be done for you. We don’t mind helping out. You can thank us later.
BTW, we get Wednesday off as a paid holiday. Rome is already a ghost town as so many people are on vacation, so we’ll see what it’s like on the actual holiday. Buon Ferragosto!
We had a busy and fun weekend. While some would cower in air-conditioned comfort, we headed out to experience more of Rome. The key is to go early, come home by noon-ish, then back out at night. There’s too much to do in Rome in the summer! You can’t curl up under the covers like LibbyJean!
Saturday we always go to Campo dei Fiori, a busy busy market almost any day of the week. We love the bustle and hustle, and access to the best salumi in all of Rome: Antica Norcineria Viola. Unfortunately now closed for ferie, so we have to make do with our stockpile until he returns in September.
Beautiful vegetables and the best salumi in Rome.
We also had our usual cappucino and pastry, this time con mele e crema, near Santa Maria della Pace.
Saturday night, after dinner at our favorite little trattoria, we ventured to Castel Sant’Angelo for Notti d’Estate (Summer Nights), and a special tour including the Passetto di Borgo (secret passage allowing the Pope to escape if the Vatican was sacked — and it was), prisons, and the bathroom of Clement VII.
Castel Sant’Angelo aglow, beckoning.
The English tour, for which we had reservations, was at 22:45. We were there by 22:00, looked around a bit, and then waited for our tour to be called. At 22:50 I asked “When will the English tour start?” Madam it has already left! We never heard or saw anyone claiming to be an English tour guide…. So we joined an Italian tour and vowed to return later this summer and pick up an English version so as to get all the details. Lucky for us, tours continue into September. And with the lovely nights we have in Rome, it will be a good excuse to stay out late once again.
We were able to climb to the ramparts and look down on the Tiber River, the crowd in front of the castle, and the gorgeous moon over Rome.
Playing with water: fun for kids of all ages. There are “nasone” and other little drinking fountains like this all over Rome. Ric demonstrates his technique. Block the flow with your finger creating a stream to drink from.
It really was a gorgeous night. The river was still and Rome glowed like it was lit by torches. That’s St. Peter’s Basilica on the right in the picture.
Bridge reflected in the Tiber; Basilica San Petro on the right.
Sunday we ventured out early to see a photo exhibit at the Museo di Roma in Palazzo Braschi. While the photos were great (Italian movie stars of the 40s, 50s and 60s), the star real was Palazzo Braschi
The art is interesting, but Palazzo Braschi is the star.
Featuring many scenes of Rome as painted during the Renaissance, it is fun to see how things looked to the artists of the time. Palazzo Braschi was the perfect stage for its collection.
The massive staircase was like an Escher painting.
This captivating capital crowns one of the many red granite pillars and is typical of the amazing detail in Palazzo Braschi.
Fabulous detail throughout, this captivating capital is typical.
Residents of Rome get a reduced price, and those residents over 65 with a Carta d’Identia get in free. (There are reductions for residents at many attractions.) We had the place almost to ourselves. Once you have seen the Vatican Museums, the Capitoline, and the Borghese, it’s nice to avoid the huge crowds and escape to one of Rome’s many lesser-known sites.
You never know who you’ll see in a museum. We thought this papal bust looked like Vincent Price.
Palazzo Braschi exits right onto Piazza Navona.
Sunday afternoon we spent at home, and after sunset, a gelato outing capped the weekend. Perfect!
Have a great week everyone!
