Tucci In Italy

I watched this whole season while traveling over the course of a couple of week and while I had been in the majority of regions so there was not much in the way of finding hidden gems, I very much enjoyed each episode. Stanley Tucci seems to believe that the best way to understand what makes a country unique is through its food, and while I am not sure that is true of my own coutnry, it is something that I want to believe too. Tucci grew up in an Italian American home, and he speaks Italian, so the show is inherently in two languages. In Italy, even the shape of the pasta and the sauce served with it can speak directly to identity and sharply differentiate each region. He is returning to visit five new regions, including one he’s never featured before, Le Marche, with many culinary delights that have escaped the attention of international tourists. In Campania, and its famed capital of Naples, he celebrates a once-forgotten vine grape, and in Veneto, he deliciously wades into the controversy over the origins of tiramisu. Stanley also visits two very different Islands: Sardinia, where he explores the relationship between food and longevity, and Sicily, where a multicultural history has left a delicious mark on its cuisine. At the end of it, I was sorry that there wasn't more and that it had ended. It left me wanting more and also ready to plan my next trip to Italy.

Love In The Villa (2022)

The more the politics in my country deteriorates, so goes the movies that I watch. I become less interested in something that teaches me something and more interested in well worn tropes that can be found in Made For Cable movies, something that will never make it to the big screen. Hence we have this--a romantic comedy set in Verona, a city that Shakespeare reportedly never visited, but none the less made famous by setting his tragic play Romeo and Juliet there. The good news is that the bulk of the filming actually occurred in Verona so if you are like me, have it on your hope to see life list, then you will get a glimpse and see if it is for you. Julie is a grammar school teacher who is in love with Romeo and Juliet--she still sees it as a tragic love story rather than one of parents screwing up their kids lives. This is a dream trip for her up to the point where her long time boyfriend dumped her, and she decided to go anyway. Charlie is there for a wine expo and is hoping to score a great deal on a little known wine that has great potential--which seems possible in Italy. They are double booked in to the same Airbnb and because of the wine expo, there is not a room to be had in Verona. The first half of the movie is pretty unbearable as they try to get the other to vacate the premises, but once they declare a truce, it is and enjoyable ride the rest of the way. And the scenery!!

Manzone Giovanni 1925, Monforte d'Alba, Italy

We had an exceptionally good time tasting wine at this family run winery. The great granddaughter of the founder gave us the tour. • The estate focuses on high-altitude, steep hillside vineyards, including renowned Crus such as Gramolere and Castelletto, producing elegant and age-worthy Barolo. • Manzone follows a sustainable approach with organic practices, low yields, spontaneous fermentations, and extended aging in large Slavonian oak casks.

Stefano Manzone, born in 1860, founded the current winery. His son Giovanni, born in 1886, won the Ciabot del Preve, which was the former parish priest's house and farm located in Castelletto. This area was particularly challenging to cultivate due to its distance from the main property and its difficult terrain. Giovanni and his wife Maria relocated there, driven solely by the will to survive the difficult years ahead. This moment marked the beginning of the winery's history. Giovanni was a visionary who had previously worked as a cellarman in one of the area's most innovative wineries, the Cantina Sociale di Monforte d'Alba, established in the early 19th century by Monsignor Dall'Orto. However, following the Great War, this winery closed due to the spread of phylloxera. In 1925, Giovanni moved to Castelletto's Ciabot del Preve and began producing wine, leveraging his prior experience. During this time, the post-war Langhe region experienced a significant decline in population as many abandoned rural life for urban opportunities. Giovanni Manzone was among the few who chose to remain in this rural setting. Driven by innovation, he purchased the first Lamborghini crawler tractor—an essential tool for working the steep slopes of Castelletto. This acquisition was so significant that it attracted interest from other local farmers who sought to rent it. The property continued to expand over time. In the early 1970s, the Manzone family acquired additional plots known as Gramolere, which translates to "weed and stones" in Piedmontese dialect. These lands were historically recognized for producing exceptional grapes and wines with remarkable structure and longevity.

Enoteca Regionale Del Barbaresco, Barbaresco, Italy

Inaugurated on July 5, 1986, the Enoteca Regionale del Barbaresco works for the promotion of Barbaresco DOCG, representing the entire denomination and over 150 of the wineries that produce it. There are three Barbarescos open for tasting, and while we were there is was largely an Italian clientele, buying large bottles of wine, Magnums and larger. The building is spectacular! The Enoteca del Barbaresco was born from an initiative of the Piedmont Region which in 1980 determined the establishment of the circuit of Enoteche Regionali to combine the valorisation of wine culture with the recovery of historical structures, which have become the headquarters of the various wine shops. The need to create a regional institution for the promotion of Barbaresco faced the problem of the lack of adequate space: both the castle of Neive and the fiefdom of Barbaresco were not municipal property and there were no suitable structures in Treiso. The Municipality of Barbaresco then decided to purchase from the Curia the building of the former Confraternity of San Donato, now disused, thus allowing the opening of the wine shop in 1986.

Sadler Restaurant, Milan, Italy

This is an elegant place with excellent food--not only did the chef grace our table, he sat and ate with the two women who were about his age who were sitting next to us--we all opted for the tasting menu. For us, it was our last elevated meal in Italy and we wanted it to last. This is a one-Michelin star dining establishment housed in the Casa Baglioni hotel, a beautiful Art Nouveau building dating from 1913, this restaurant has a contemporary feel with an elegant dining room featuring colourful armchairs. The cuisine is precise and distinctive, with a harmonious balance of traditional and innovative flavours thanks to the top-quality ingredients used. This was an easy walk from our hotel, and from here we walked to the Duomo and to an upscale store to buy cheese to bring home.

Ristorante Borgo Sant'Anna, Monforte d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy

The restaurant is housed on a vineyard, so the dining room has spectacular 180 degree views of the UNESCO World Heritage wine growing region that are breath taking all on their own. The chef here, Pasquale Laera, is originally from Puglia but has long made Piedmont his home, embracing the traditions and codes of its regional cuisine while enriching them with his own vision. His offering includes tasting menus (one dedicated to game in season) and an à la carte selection that reflects a colorful, generous style, where the choice of ingredients clearly sets flavor above appearance. Special care is given to vegetables, which Pasquale, true to his southern roots, knows how to elevate to their best, carefully sourcing them not only from his own garden but also from trusted suppliers.

The game menu was on offer, but we opted for one that was more vegetable and seafood forward, and while the meal over all was perfect, we loved each dish and there were a number of highlights, this one stood out. This was the BEST zucchini I have ever had. The broth is olive oil and lemon, the fresh zucchini floating it it picked up this sauce, which was flavorful and coated them. On the bottom of the pile in the middle was grilled zucchini, topped with a packet of ground zucchini and ricotta, and atop that some vert small poached zucchini and a fried zucchini flower. The small side dish had a pickled. tiny pan patty. Amazing!!!

G. D. Vajra Vineyard, Piedmont, Italy

Sometimes it is better to have dumb luck than to be good. We had been studying Italian for about three months prior to our recent trip, and while the studying was rough going, we happily discovered when we got to Italy that we could communicate far better than we anticipated. But it turns out not quite as well as we thought. Our sommelier in Alba recommended we taste wine here, and we sent them an email and they invited us. We showed up at the day we thought we were to arrive, and were surprised by all the fan fare. So many other people were coming at the same time on the same day! We checked in at the desk and while the woman struggled with our names, she quickly waved us toward the glasses and we were in! Well, it turns out we crashed an industry event--at some point it might have dawned on us that we were the only non-Italians in the room, but it didn't happen until we had tried quite a few wines, palette cleansed with bread and Dolce Gorgonzola from an enormous wheel and taken in the spectacular views that we did not belong there. How did we tumble to this? Because it was very clear that they were not set up to sell us wine that day. But they did, and they did it all graciously. We sent an apology email confessing our mistake and they couldn't have been lovelier about it. This is a wonderful wine made by customer friendly people.

Osteria La Torre, Cherasco, Piedmont, Italy

This was a feast of Piedmont dishes that included rabbit as well as the wonderful pasta with so much egg yolks called Tajarin al Ragu. These were both excellent, but the two things that we had never had that prompted us to buy a cookbook (in Englsih) from the region were these: Firstly, Il Piccolo Carpione, which is served cold. Either fish or chicken, fairly thin, is seasoned and dredged through flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and fried. The vegetables are put into a poaching liquid that is half vinegar/half white wine, gently poached, and then cooled, and the two are served cold with a bit of the poaching liquid. It was very simple and quite delicious.

The other remarkable dish was CIPOLLA RIPIENA DI CIPOLLE E AMARETTI, CREMA DI CAROTE, which is Onions that have been boiled slightly, and then all but the outermost layer are removed, and then choppe up--to be stuffed back into the shell and mixed with ground almonds or amaretto biscuits, seasoned with clove, then baked and served here with a carrot sauce. THe whole meal was amazing, and more importantly so different from food I had had that I could have gone back the next day, had the very same meal all over again and been quite pleased.

Enoteca Regionale del Barolo, Italy

I loved this place--I particularly love the ability to try a number of different barolos before buying, and while only manned by one person, Adriano, he was knowledgable and helpful, so we got our feet on the ground about barolos. Housed in the Castle of Barolo, the “Enoteca Regionale del Barolo” was established in 1982 by a specific regional law. It is the prestigious showcase of wine production in the eleven municipalities that make up the area of origin of the “king of wines”: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto Cherasco, Diano d’Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Novello, Roddi, Serralunga d’Alba, Verduno. It currently represents 195 producers, whose wines are allowed only after an examination of a special wine tasting committee, operating strictly on anonymous samples to make an objective judgment. We were able to buy from several different wine makes, and ship from here. All in all a fun stop that I would recommend. The town of Barolo is quite charming as well (but I am glad that we stayed in Alba).

Massimo Camia Ristorante, Novello, Italy

Chef Massimo, together with his daughter Elisabetta, started anew in a refined location among vineyards and hills, where a renovated rustic building becomes inn and restaurant cooking in the Langhe tradition. He came out to greet us in the very elegant dining room, which we also shared with three women who are suppliers to the restaurant--a perk perhaps for them.

This was an excellent meal--with one course that was a bit of a clunker for us, but overall well prepared and flavored, and elegantly served. We very much enjoyed the inclusion of local specialties and seasonal vegetables, and would recommend this to travelers nearby.

Alba, Piedmont, Italy

What a beautiful town! When planning a trip to the Piedmont region, we wanted to stay in a small town as a home base, and go out each day to explore the region, but have a place that we looked forward to returning to. We stayed in an older part of the city, just a couple of blcoks from the Duomo as well as the University, a restricted traffic zone at night, so it was easy to walk at night, but the streets were not exceptionally narrow either. We settled on Alba and it was a good choice.

In Piedmont, you have roughly three important wine regions. The most famous of these is the Langhe, where Alba is located and is the capital of. The famous Barolo, Barbaresco, and Dolcetto wines are produced in the Langhe. This region is considered to be the best wine region in Italy in terms of quality, the wines that come from here are among the absolute top. If you go a little north from Alba, you will come to the Roero region. Monferrato, which is located a little east of Alba, is the largest wine region. Famous wines such as Asti (named after the city of the same name) and Barbera del Monferrato come from here. Asti was another candidate for staying, but after visiting both, we are very glad that we chose Alba.

Ape Vino E Cucina, Alba, Italy

This restaurant, a couple of blocks from our apartment and in full view of the Duomo, was a wonderful second day meal. We foolowed our usual habit of having one meal a day, a late lunch, and then having fruit and cheese if more is needed to finish the day--but the longer the meal, the less likely to need something more. The downside is that it is what the day is planned around, but the upside is that we eat less and are able to sleep better at the end of the day.

We indulged in a couple of black truffle dishes and had the local Piedmont pasta called tajarin--an egg yolk heavy pasta that I really loved, and another round of agnolotti, but the sommelier was the best part of the meal. They have a lot of wines by the glass, and we tried a few that were quite good rather than having a bottle. He also talked a lot about the region, and when asked about a winery he would recommend near our meal the following day, he recommended Vajra, which was a highlight of the trip when we got there. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a good meal at a good value. It is located near a 3-Michelin star restaurant, so you might choose that, but we chose this and were happy with that decision.

The Doorways in Turin, Italy

On our first day in Turin I was quite struck of two things. The massively tall doorways were so impressive, and then the interior behind the door often sported beautiful marble as well as the occasional painted detailing. It felt quite elegant and designed to impress. Why so tall? Doorways in historic Italian buildings, including those in Turin, are often tall due to Renaissance architectural principles that emphasized proportion and balance, pre-automotive needs for horse-drawn carriages, and a desire for greater internal airflow before modern cooling systems were available. These grand entrances also served an aesthetic function, balancing the scale of the building and contributing to its overall elegance. So to recap, the doorways are massively tall because: Renaissance Proportions: The Renaissance heavily influenced architecture in Italy with a focus on geometry and proportion. Doorway heights were designed to be in harmony with the taller internal spaces, adhering to humanist ideals of perfect, proportional relationships like the golden rectangle. Accommodating Horse-Drawn Carriages: Before the widespread use of cars, horse-drawn carriages were the primary mode of transportation. Tall doors allowed for the easy passage of these carriages, as well as goods and large groups of people, into and out of buildings. Aesthetic and Symbolic Value: Large doors were not just practical but also a symbol of wealth and grandeur. The impressive height created a sense of awe and contributed to the building's overall visual balance and elegance. Ventilation: Taller doorways, often with arched tops, could improve the flow of air within a building. This was particularly important in an era before electricity and modern air conditioning, helping with ventilation and airflow in larger spaces.

Scannabue Ristorante & Gastronomia, Turin, Italy

We ate here our very first day in the Piedmont region of Italy, and it was a great introduction to the food of the region. We had picked it because: 1) we had never been and 2) the wines are some of our favorites. The traditional foods from here--beyond the truffles, which will start to be in season now--are equally appealing it turns out. This is veal tonnato, or thinly sliced veal with a sauce made with canned tuna on top. This is a favorite of my spouses, and he was very happy with this version. The veal is cooked perfectly and then slice very thinly. While he was having this course I had skewers of squid that were breaded and grilled, and oh so tender. This is not a region with a coast, but it is only a couple hours from Genoa and the seafood we had while in Piedmont was quite good.

One of the region's pastas is agnolotti, which is one of my favorites, and this dish is also quite well known here, and was on almost every a la carte menu of restaurants we ate at, but this dish, the first time I had it, was the best. The filling is a combinationof veal, beef and pork, and was absolutely delicious in the same savory way that bolognese sauce is--which used the same three meats traditionally. I would recommend this restaurant not just for the food but also for the people watching. We were the only non-Italians at lunch, you definitely needed a reservation or risk being turned away, and we had a chance to immerse ourselves in the food and the people right away.

Italian Wine by Shelley Lindgren & Katie Leahy

Italy has a dizzying variety of wines and wine growing regions--it is divided into 20 regions, each with its own grape varieties, winegrowing and winemaking traditions, and food specialties, all of which evolved over 2,500+ years (and continue to evolve today). That is the story of Italy’s 20 current political regions, from Piemonte to Puglia. I got it out of the library in preparation for our trip to the Piedmonte region, and took a couple of pictures of pages within--there was just too much information to absorb, and I would do the exact same thing the next time I go. Anyone who loves Italian wine and food need some guidance in parsing this abundance, and this book is here to help. This is the first wine book in English to cover all of Italy since Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy, which, while excellent, was written two decades ago. The book begins with short and engaging chapters on Italy’s wine and political history; geography, soils, and grapes; and Italian wine at the table. There’s also a useful guide to Italian wine law and labeling, including a decoding of the alphabet soup of appellation types (DOC/DOP/PDO, IGT/IGP/PGI, Vino da Tavola, etc.) Then the heart of the book: 20 chapters covering each of Italy’s regions in turn, from Abruzzo to Veneto. Each chapter starts with a scene-setting vignette, along with a sketch of the kinds of wines the region is known for now. Next come a short vinous history, an introduction to the geography and wines grown in each subregion, and a description of the most significant grape varieties. Each chapter closes with a page listing regional foods and some of the authors’ recommended wine producers. It is not a novel, it is a resource, and might be best gotten as an e-book so that you could have it in your back pocket as you travel the confusing wine regions of Italy.

A Blissful Feast by Teresa Lust

The trouble with going to the less traveled spots is that sometimes it is hard to find books that cover said regions. I have an acquaintance who travels extensively and often who swears by travel blogs as a source from which to plan your trips. She travels off the beaten path, and I am seeing the wisdom of her way. So I picked this up because it starts in Piedmont, a region that I am traveling to very soon. The author's maternal grandparents came from the Italian Piedmont, and it's there that she begins her what is part memoir, part recollection of culinary lessons and cultural insights in three parts of the country. The book contains more than 35 recipes for the likes of braised rabbit with white wine and rosemary, breakfast biscotti, and tagliatelle made with fresh eggs, the real instruction comes through the stories Lust tells about the cooks who fed her and whom she worked alongside to learn how to cook regionally in Italy. Ancient and contemporary Italy overlap in her stories of cooks and marketplaces, restaurants and holiday feasts, regional rivalries and evocations of Dante. She went to Piedmont to learn Italian at a language school, and she recounts her struggles when the limitation of her language skills led to challenges in her understanding the conversations she had with the cooks, bakers, and butchers but as her skill improved her stories have more depth and interest. It really stuck with her, because she is now a professor in Italian language study at Dartmouth, and some of the stories towards the end of her book are about trying to take the cuisine of Italy home to New England. I especially appreciated her story of harvesting hops shoots and how perplexing it was for the farms caretaker to understand what she was about. There is a hazard that you're likely to want to make your own trip to Italy, and luckily I had that in hand before I started the book.

Ahime, Bologna, Italy

This is a Bib Gourmande restaurant in Bologna that serves imaginative regional cuisine with a careful focus on seasonal, sustainably produced ingredients. Many of the items on the menu, which changes often if not daily, were also vegetarian, and some vegan. The food was beautiful and popular--those around us, almost all Italians, got several items per person at lunch time, and there was a lot of appreciation for the food. I liked this restaurant but did not love it--I think if I lived in Bologna, and could get the regional specialties that are so delectable any day of the week I would have been more appreciative of this restaurant. As it was, I wished that I was at a more classic Bolognese restaurant eating a heavily pasta and parmesan meal. However, this is recommended highly--exceptionally well prepared and flavored food that might even be slightly healthier than what I craved.

The Longest Portico, Bologna, Italy

Bologna is a city of porticos and arcades, each of them lovely unto themselves, and collectively it is stunning to see. The word on the street is that there was encouragement to build an addition over the sidewalk to provide housing for the voluminous number of students in town. It also has the longest portico in the world, an UNESCO World Heritage site. The Portico di San Luca stretches from the city to the sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca- more than 3.5 kilometers from end to end. Constructed in the early 1700s, this amazing architectural feat is a beautiful accomplishment that provides a lovely walkway where you can enjoy the views of the surrounding countryside, and be protected in any weather. There are 666 arches in all, some chapels, and lots of steps along the way. But the rewards of a brisk walk, nice scenery and a quiet country retreat at the end make up for it. The pathway starts at the city gate known as Porta Saragozza and leads up to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, a beautiful Baroque church that houses an iconic image of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, attributed to St. Luke, the apostle (though others say it dates to the Byzantine period). The arcade was built to protect the holy icon from weather during the annual procession that transports it from its home in the church above down to the city center for veneration by the faithful. Many walk it both ways, but we took a little tourist train up the hill and walked down.

Mercato Storico Albinelli, Modena, Italy

The thing that I love about this region in general and this city in particular is that it is all about the food. The region is rich in local specialties, and they are all on display in the market. The day we spent in Modena was the worst weather we experienced the whole trip, with an all day rain on top of an already cold day--but the market is indoors and a great escape from the elements.

The thing that we came for, and what we left with as well, was the parmesan. We tasted quite a few of them, bought a wide variety, with variations in the length of the aging for each, the cow milk that the cheese is made from, as well as different parmesan makers. In addition to this we bought a kilo of a blooming rind cheese we tried and liked, as well as a truffled pecorino that was amazing. The cheesemonger said it is a truffle experience at an affordable price, and he was right on about that.

The thing that we did not get, but I wished I could have were the the tortelloni that we saw everywhere--maybe going forward we can work on getting better at this!

Bologna University Library, Italy

The library started with two acts of generosity. Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (1658-1730), a noble of Bologna and General of the Empire, created in 1712 the Institute of Sciences and endowed it with his own scientific collections, his books, 900 oriental manuscripts and 120 manuscripts relating to his work. In 1742 this first core of the library was enlarged by the acquisition of manuscripts and printed texts as well as the collection of xylographic tablets and the water colours of the great Bolognese naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi. I In September of 1755 Pope Benedict XIV (Prospero Lambertini 1675-1758) donated to the Institute library about 25.000 printed volumes and 450 manuscripts. In the same year he ordered the typographers of Bologna to present the library with a copy of every printed work and, in the following year, 1756, he decreed that the library open its doors to the public. Women as well as men were allowed in.

The library itself is breath taking and well worth the considerable effort to tour it. The tour is free, but needs to be booked ahead, and the starting point is not marked. We set out ahead of time, made a number of wrong turns, but arrived on time--others were not so fortunate! The very coolest part is the hand written card catalog, which is in itself a work of art.