Foodtopia Moments

For pranzo (lunch) today, I decided to stop at a sidewalk café right in the middle of one of the most ritzy streets in Italy. Surrounded by stores like Montblanc, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co, I had a delicious plate of spaghetti alla carbonara, which is spaghetti with egg yolk, bacon, cheese, and pepper. It was cooked perfectly. After pranzo, I went out to a gelato place that was recommended by my tour guide. I had eaten gelato in Florence and at Milan’s train station at a fancy chain. Neither of those was very good. This place today, however, was the best I’ve had outside of my favorite places in the Molise region.

My last supper in Italy (for 2021)

It’s only taken me about six visits to the city of Milan to finally see the most magnificent sight there is to see. I woke up early this morning to hop on board a train to the center of Milan. A few weeks ago, I had booked a tour for today, so I was eager to actually go on the tour. The guide, Barbara, was wonderful. She wasn’t pushy, she had lots of information, and seemed to know more than just what was on the tour as she answered questions that people asked.

First up was the tour of the Duomo. I had been inside once, but didn’t spend too much time really researching anything. This time, Barbara fully explained the stained glass widows, and the history of the church. It took about 600 years to build and had different styles as the years passed. Outside stayed gothic, but inside there are medieval, baroque, and renaissance influences. While most of Milan was bombed out in 1943 while they were still working with the Nazis, the Duomo suffered only collateral damage and wasn’t directly attacked at the request of the Pope. I also learned that the Duomo is the third largest Catholic church (I’m guessing Barbara meant in Italy). She also said the stained glass windows near the Altar were the largest in the world, and they are massive. One statue that caught my eye was of St. Bartholomew. He was one of Jesus’s disciples, and when he got to Rome to spread the word of Christianity, he was arrested. Christianity was illegal to talk about or practice then (hence the Romans killing Jesus), so Bartholomew was sentenced to death. His death was much more horrid, as his skin was ripped from his body, while he was alive. The sculpture, created by one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s students, shows all of the anatomy inside the human body, like veins and muscles, with what looks like a sash wrapped around him. When you examine the sash, you can see hands, feet, and a head. The sash is actually supposed to be Bartholomew’s skin. The detail was so perfect.

We then left the Duomo and headed out on a walk of the city, stopping at the Sforza Castle. This was a fort built in the 1300s, and added to over the years. By the time the Sforzas came to power, it was much bigger than when the Visconti family first started building. Eventually, Da Vinci would move into the area and serve as an advisor to the family, designing some of the courtyards for the Sforza family.

Finally, Barbara led us to the Santa Maria Delle Grazia church. It’s a smaller church, but it was the Sforzas church, and home to an order of Monks that had a lot of influence in Rome with the Pope. At that time, the church had as much power as local Kings and Dukes. The monks spent three meals a day eating in the mess hall of the church’s rectory. When Da Vinci moved to town, he was commissioned to decorate that mess hall. The dining hall is now home to what many consider Da Vinci’s greatest work of art, “The Last Supper.” It’s a very big and magnificent work of art, and it has been studied, praised and scrutinized for centuries. But its influence on techniques in the art world and the symbolism in the painting are undeniable. It was the second major work of Da Vinci’s that I’ve seen, and by far the more impressive of the two. The other was the “Mona Lisa.”

After heading back to the hotel to pack, I took a quick trip to the Sheraton, a neighboring hotel, and had my last supper in Italy for 2021. I had a salad, some penne Bolognese, and a pizza, which I saved half of for the morning. I’ve bought all of my souvenirs, packed my bags, and checked into my flight. I walked another 20,000 steps today, but I’m not nearly as tired, probably because I didn’t spend six hours or more on trains. Tomorrow, I have to be at the airport early to drop my bag and make it through security. I asked a check in agent, and she said I should get there at least three hours early. No TSA Pre check here, so I won’t be skipping any security lines.

Foodtopia Moments

It doesn’t get much more Foodtopia than a succulent bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Steak). Grilled just a little, leaving the center of the steak rare, it arrives almost mooing on the plate. There is no steak sauce, and none is needed. I did add some lemon, but that’s just a personal choice. It wasn’t necessary, but made the meat even more flavorful.

The long trek home

The past couple of days have been pretty busy. I’ve walked over 43,000 steps, yet I’ve spent 13 hours traveling on trains and still managed those steps. I started yesterday morning with getting my Covid test (negative, thank you), then I closed up the condo and said goodbye to Campomarino Lido for 2021. I took a cab to Termoli, but got there way early. I thought I’d have an hour or so to walk around the city and grab a couple of small sandwiches for lunch. Trenitalia had other plans. I ended up having more than two hours thanks to delays.

Once on the train, I had my own two seats, a table, a power outlet, and free WiFi. It was a great train ride, just a little long. When we got in an hour late, I missed the train I planned on taking from the center of Milan to the airport where my hotel is. All in all, I was out of the house by 7 am, and checked into the hotel at 9 pm. I walked a lot in Termoli, and in the Milan train station to get my steps up.

Today, I took a quick train ride south to Florence. I love Florence, and the city didn’t disappoint. It seems that it is impossible to take a bad photo in Florence. I walked around the Duomo area, and then past the Academia, which is home to Michelangelo’s David. The line was crazy long, and I’ve seen it enough that I decided not to wait. I then went back past the Piazza Della Republica, and the Uffizi Gallery, the leather market, then to the Ponte Vecchio. I continued on and decided to walk around the Boboli Gardens. It’s truly a beautiful place to visit. Amazing views of the city and beautifully landscaped grounds welcome visitors from all over the world.

After walking the gardens, I started heading back and doing some souvenir shopping, and grabbed an early dinner. I made my way back across the Ponte Vecchio, through the leather mart, and to a restaurant in the Piazza Della Republica. My goal was to have a Florentine steak, which is a T-bone (really the way they describe it, it is a Porterhouse), and it is cooked rare to medium rare. This one arrived at the table cut off the bone, and it was delicious. Tender, flavorful, succulent, and abundant, the meat was the star of the menu. I even left with a doggie bag, since I wasn’t able to finish it.

Tomorrow I have a tour of Milan scheduled, and then hopefully an early bed time. My knees, ankles and feet are not happy with me right now.

Foodtopia Moments

This week I made a plate of pasta that I could've eaten twice as much of. Luckily, I only made enough for one plate. I used leftover zucchini that I had fried up last week with the slightest bit of egg batter, and chopped up some leftover sausage from the holiday gravy from Sunday. I then mixed in some penne pasta. The combination of the pasta, zucchini and sausage, topped with some grated Grana Padano cheese, was amazing. I will definitely make this at home some time.

A birthday and bad internet

The past few days have been fun at times and frustrating other times. It’s been a mixed bag of going to the beach, walking, reading, writing, visiting with friends, celebrating, cleaning, and just relaxing. The closing up of the condo starts tomorrow night, after a day at the beach of course.

Tuesday was a beautiful day. The Adriatic Sea was really calm, and the water was warm. It was also a sunny day with plenty of rays to help with my tan. After spending the whole day at the beach, I welcomed friends to the condo. Antonio Monaco and his wife Anna and their daughter Doris came by for a visit. We went for a passiagiata (the Italian word for an evening stroll) into town, and then came back to the condo. It was great catching up with such good people. Looking forward to the next time I get to see them. Doris was so cute as she is learning English phrases. She was the first person to officially wish me a happy birthday this year, just a little after midnight.

Wednesday was the big 44. I spent most of the day at the beach after going for a long walk in the morning. In the early evening, Zia and I headed into Termoli. We took a passiagiatta through a flea market, down the main strand of stores, and in and around the castello of Federico II, who ruled the area like 600 years ago. We went out for pizza, then I got some gelato at YoGo, the best gelateria that I’ve ever been to.

The frustrating part I mentioned earlier was starting on Tuesday evening, I noticed that the data on my phone was giving me issues when in Campomarino Lido. The wifi hotspot I use has been troublesome all month long, in fact, I started writing this on the 18th, and haven’t been able to post. I thought it was just my things, however I had a lovely conversation with my neighbors and they complained about it too. They said they’ve had trouble since they got here at the end of June. Other people I’ve spoken to have had trouble as well. Parts of the wildfires were around a cell tower, so I wonder if it is damaged.

Foodtopia Moments

There were a couple of great meals in the past two days. I made a ragu (gravy) yesterday for the big summer holiday, Ferragosto. I am glad there are leftovers, which I had today (in the form of a meatball sandwich) and will have again, happily, tomorrow. Tonight, Zia and I had pizza from a new place in town called Rock Patt Pizza. They opened up at the old skating rink and the pizza is delicious. It was Zia’s first time trying their food and she was definitely happy with it. The pizza’s are made fresh to order, and are a thicker, Roman-style pizza. They’re more thick and oval as opposed to the Napolitano style of thin and round.

Visiting family

The past couple of days here have been pleasant weatherwise. Blue skies, the occasional cloud, a nice breeze, high temps, and a really calm sea. Beach time has been really peaceful. The big summer holiday, Ferragosto, was yesterday so little by little people have been returning to their homes as their vacations are ending. For the holiday, Zia and I had pranzo (lunch) together. I made a delicious ragu (gravy) with meatballs and sausage. There was a nice breeze on the patio, and we both contacted family and friends here to wish them a Buon Ferragosto.

This morning I drove inland to visit my father’s hometown of Torremaggiore, in the region of Puglia (the condo in Campomarino Lido where I am is in the region of Molise). My first stop was the cimitero (cemetery). There is only one cemetery for the citizens of Torremaggiore, which is the case for most small towns here. I passed by the graves and memorials for family and friends that have passed away. As I was walking through I started to notice that the years have really passed since some of the people have passed away. My dad’s memorial had the most recent death date, and that was nearly 13 years ago.

After the cemetery visit, I headed out for a nice, but quick visit with my cousin Vincenzo, his wife Mariella, and their daughters Erica and Mila. It’s always a nice visit with them, but I was running late and had plans to meet up with another cousin across town.

When I arrived at Roberto’s house, I got to visit with him, his wife Anna, and his kids Serena, Lorenzo and Massimo. We had snacks, talked for a while, toured the room he’s building for his father, and walked through his garden. After about an hour of catching up, we went over to his father’s house. Roberto’s father, my Zio Matteo, is my oldest living relative at 93-years-young. He recognized me right away, I showed him photos, he’s walking well for 93, and seems in good spirits.

After a day of visiting family, I headed back to Campomarino for pranzo and an afternoon of beach and exercise. There were some fires nearby today. Some little ones in our town, but bigger ones about 20 minutes away. The ash was raining down on the beach again and the air was smokey. Hoping no fires start up overnight with the winds kicking up.

Foodtopia Moments

Every summer that I come here, I visit the panificio (bread bakery) several times each week. The pane (bread) and focaccia are delicious, but the thing I love the most there is the pane rustica. It’s a loaf of bread with various salame, pancetta, formaggio (cheese), and olive neri (black olives) baked inside. When I see it from the window, I can’t resist stopping in to grab a piece.

Having fun hosting

The past few days have been a lot of fun here. Since the rains came for a quick blip the other day, it’s been nothing but sunshine and humidity. Everyone keeps talking about the intense heat that is coming, but looking at the forecast the highest temps are farther inland. I’ve been spending the afternoons at the beach, working the past couple of mornings on hosting people for pranzo (the main meal of the day at lunch time). This past Giovedi (Thursday), I hosted Zia for a quick bite of leftovers. We finished the brasciole I made earlier in the week, and had some turkey cordon bleu with roasted peppers. That afternoon, we had the annual homeowner’s association meeting, in which Zia was serving as president. Apparently she was selected as president at the meeting last summer. I will say, she definitely took the position seriously and was excited to serve. That night I started cooking for today’s pranzo. Having a small oven half the size of my one back home, and only two working burners, cooking needs to be done in stages. This afternoon, I hosted Zia, my cousin Valeria, and our friends Janette, Monia, Omar, and Ada. It was quite the spread with a lot of American foods. We had hot dogs (which surprisingly doubled in sized when I boiled them), costine di maialle (pork ribs), ali di pollo (chicken wings), patate arrosto (roasted potatoes), insalata di patate (potato salad), pepperoni e cipolle (peppers and onions), finocchio arrosto (roasted fennel), and zucchini fritti (fried zucchini). Everyone was filled to the gills, and the food was delicious. The ribs and wings were tender, and the sides all came out perfect. Monia and family brought the dessert tray which was sinfully good. It was a lot of work, but totally worth it for the great time we had. It was really nice to have a patio full of people again. After lunch, I spent a few hours swimming in the Adriatic and relaxing on the chaise lounge at the beach.

Foodtopia Moments

Before I get into a new moment of foodtopia, I have to apologize for not posting this the other day, but I was pretty concerned with the fires. My cousin Valeria made a delicious tiramisu, one of the best I’ve ever eaten, to have after lunch the other day. She also made lunch that day for me and Zia. A very good cook for 23 years old. I had been craving brasciole for a few days, so yesterday I made a quick ragu (gravy) with brasciole. For those who don’t know, brascole is a thinly sliced beef with parmigiana, prezzemolo (parsley), sale (salt), and (garlic) rolled up inside. The ingredients, combined with the meat, sweat out into the sauce and add a lot of flavor. I used the ragu with a type of pasta I’d never seen before. It’s a long spaghetti length ziti noodle. It was odd shaped, but held the sauce well.

Finally some rain

It only lasted for about 20 minutes just a little before 8 pm, but it finally rained here tonight. The plants, the land, and the air needed some refreshing. Wind was blowing soot and dirt around, and the plants were so dry as evidenced by the recent fires. Hopefully it rains more overnight, though that’s not in the forecast. Any rain is welcome. Since my last post, the town has exploded with people. The big summer holiday, Ferragosto, is coming up this Sunday, so many people have vacation from their jobs for a week or two. The beach is buzzing with activity, and filled to the max. A sign at the beach club said they are operating at 100 percent capacity, and it seems that almost every umbrella is raised. I’ve been relaxing a bit this week now that most of the work for the condo is done. Today, I took care of reporting our water meter reading to the township. This usually takes a few days and filling out paperwork, but cousin Valeria showed me I could just send the info via WhatsApp. So much easier and it’s already been confirmed as submitted. Used to take all morning, waiting in an office with no air conditioning, just to submit the paperwork and number. The other day I had a great weigh-in so I celebrated with my first, and so far only, gelato of the summer. I’ll definitely have more, but I’m down 13 pounds since I left NJ, so not much more.