Memories of Italy

My youngest son, David, was going to be living in Florence for four months on a work assignment. My three sons knew that a trip to Italy was my dream, so as a Christmas gift, they decided to make my dream come true! 

When I first arrived in Florence, I was mesmerized by my surroundings as I walked down the quaint cobblestone streets to David’s apartment.  I was in Italy!

Wine-tasting became our number one activity all week.  With my first glass of wine, I was looking forward to spending a week in Italy with my sons, exploring different sights, history, culture and Italian wine.  So with a glass of Chianti, my sons David and Matt and I toasted to our first day in Italy together!  There was so much to look forward to!  My son, Frank, and his girlfriend, Kayleigh, were meeting us in Rome.

Besides drinking wine every day, we experienced two different types of wine-tasting.  The first wine-tasting event was the Spring Wine Festival in Verona, called Vinitaly. 

Vinitaly is an international wine competition and exposition that is held annually in April.  There were several buildings that represented different regions of Italy’s high-end vineyards.   It was a full afternoon of wine-tasting!  It was so amazing to walk around savoring the taste of various Italian wines.  I tended to like the red wines a little better than the white but do not remember which wine I liked the best.  They all tasted good to me, and yes, by the end of the afternoon, you could say that I was sort of giddy!   
 

The next memorable wine-tasting experience took place in Montalcino, one of the most famous wine territories of Tuscany.  David scheduled appointments in advance at two

different vineyards.  The scenery throughout the hillsides of Tuscany was like something out of a storybook. The grass was vivid green that coated the rolling hills and mountains.  It was absolutely breathtaking!  My son’s girlfriend, Kayleigh, and I would look out the window on the right and take a picture, then turn to the window on the left and snap a shot.  My head was spinning as I kept turning to the right and then to the left, not wanting to miss anything, as the green hills zoomed by.    

Our first appointment was at Fuligni Vigna San Giovanni (Fuligni-name of the vineyard, Vigna-vineyard, San Giovanni-name of the plot). We were given a private tour of the vineyard and tasted three different types of wine.  The first type of wine was a light-bodied wine, Rosso di Montalcino (100% Sangiovese, aged for only 6 months in oak).  The second type was a medium-bodied wine, Super Tuscan (a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese, which smoothed off the taste of the slightly acidic Sangiovese grape). The third was a full-bodied wine, Brunello (100% Sangiovese, however, these grapes were the highest quality and aged in oak for a minimum of two years).  My taste leaned toward the simpler, light-bodied wine – Rosso di Montalcino. That made sense to the boys since I am a Pinot Noir fan, which has a similar body. 

http://www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/wine-producer/Fuligni-455-04.html

Our second appointment was at Altesino Vineyard. {Altesino is one of the wineries of Tuscany which has always been distinguished for the production of Brunello di Montalcino.  The vineyards of the winery are spread over an area of about 66 acres. {http://www.altesino.it/eng/azienda.php}   

Our guided tour started in a room with old barrels that were 25 years old.  Then, the tour guide brought us in a room with all new barrels that didn’t have wine in them yet.  

After the tour, we went inside for some on-site wine tasting of the same three different types that were presented at the first vineyard.  We sat at a long table enjoying some really good Italian wine. When we finished the tour, the boys let me know how proud of their mother they were.  I was a real pro when it came to wine tasting.

One distinct memory of a meal that we ate at a restaurant, Osteria Di Benci, was Steak Florentine served bloody.  I learned that in Italy, they do not ask how you would like your steak cooked.  They serve steak cooked rare.  I was a little apprehensive about eating a bloody steak, but surprisingly, it was perfect and one of my favorite meals in Florence.  Another favorite meal was the eggplant parmesan that I ate for lunch in Venice.  It wasn’t breaded which made a difference in the taste and texture.  The sauce was molto buono!  Of course, we had a bottle of wine at the table.  I noticed that pasta was served with most every meal and the sauce had a much thinner consistency than the tomato sauce in America.  One tradition in Italy is that when you go to a restaurant for dinner, the table is yours for the night.  The waitress does not hurry to serve you and you do not rush the waitress; that is considered to be rude.  One night, dinner lasted three hours. 

 

My favorite desserts were gelato, Tiramisu, and Panacotta.  I tasted a chocolate gelato, which is an Italian variant of ice cream, during our first day in Florence.  It was the first gelato that I have tasted, and it was molto buono (very good)!  After dinner one night, I ordered Tiramisu, which was the most heavenly Italian dessert!  {Tiramisu is a popular coffee-flavored Italian dessert. It is made with ladyfingers (Savoiardi) dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of egg yolks, egg whites, sugar and mascarpone cheese, flavored with cocoa.}   This was the first time I tasted Tiramisu, and I loved the sweet taste.  Another night, I ordered Panacotta for dessert.  I relished the rich, sweet, taste of the custard topped with raspberry sauce and fresh raspberries. {Panacotta is a traditional northern Italian custard dessert originating in Piedmont, Italy. It is made by simmering together heavy cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set and topped with a choice of flavors for toppings.}

One of my favorite memories of Italy was the day we spent touring Florence.  We climbed 463 steps to the top of Duomo at Piazza del Duomo

(Cathedral at Square of the Cathedral) and saw the whole city of Florence laid out in front of us.  Santa Maria del fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower), also known as simply “Duomo”, is the cathedral of Florence noted for its distinctive Renaissance dome.  The cathedral complex included the Baptistry, Duomo (cathedral), and Giotto’s Campanile (bell tower). Inside the cathedral, the dome is decorated with a fresco known as “The Last Judgment”, initially painted by Vasari, who also contributed to the Palazzo Vecchio. 

Another highlight of Florence was Ponte Vecchio (old bridge), the oldest of Florence’s six bridges and the most famous.  It is a medieval

bridge over the Arno River known for its shops built along it.                                                          {http://www.aviewoncities.com/florence/pontevecchio.htm}

Then, we came to the famous bronze statue, wild boar (lucky pig), which is a fountain that sits in the center of Florence at the Mercato Nuovo (New Marketplace).  His popular name is Porcellino (piglet).  Rub his nose for good fortune.  Rubbing his nose ensures your return to Florence; I did it!  We came to the wild boar three different times during the week, and each time, I rubbed his nose. 

The most popular attraction at the market (mercato) is the 'Fontana del Porcellino' (The Piglet Fountain), a small fountain with a 17th century statue of a wild boar. Il Porcellino (Italian "piglet") is the local Florentine nickname for the bronze fountain of a boar.  Legend has it that anyone who rubs the - always shining - snout of the boar will return to Florence.              http://www.aviewoncities.com/florence/mercatonuovo.htm

When walking around in Florence, we saw artists sitting on the ground working on their pastels.  As we continued to walk, we found a jewelry shop, Cose del 900, founded in 1981 by two young women.  They started by selling antiques and eventually made their own personalized Murano glass beads. One of the women proceeded to tell me her story of how she came into contact with Murano glass and became a frequent visitor to Venice and the glass-making Island of Murano.  I was so interested in her story and the culture she portrayed.  I will never forget that little shop and the two women.  I immediately fell in love with Florence and believed that I could live there.  I loved the history within the city and the environment surrounding me with friendly people.  I truly felt like a welcomed guest. 

My favorite sight in Rome was the Colosseum.  It is an oval-shaped amphitheatre situated in the heart of Rome.  Upon entering, we saw the arena straight ahead.  The stage for shows, whose floor was once made from a mixture of bricks and wood, has now disappeared altogether.  In its place, you can see the cellars which housed the equipment used to prepare and carry out the games.

The Colosseum was built by Jewish prisoners.  At the time of its construction, the Colosseum had the capacity of seating around 50,000 spectators. The arena measured 287 ft long and 180 ft wide. The Latin word “arena” means "sand" which was used as the primary surface where gladiators battled, to absorb their blood. The sand was constantly renewed as it was covered with the blood and entrails of slaughtered animals, criminals, and gladiators. Initially, it was used for holding gladiatorial contests and public battles based on the classical mythology. Emperors used the Colosseum to entertain the public with free games. Those games were a symbol of prestige and power, and they were a way for an emperor to increase his popularity. They usually started with comical acts and displays of exotic animals and ended with fights to the death between animals and gladiators or between gladiators. These fighters were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned criminals.                                                {http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum}

Then, there was Venice, another one of my favorite cities.  When we arrived, I was amazed by the water.  Interestingly, there are no cars in Venice.  The Venetians have boats tied up to the back sides of their houses for transportation.  The moment that I was waiting for was our ride on the gondola touring the canals.  As we looked up at the buildings where people lived, we saw clothes hanging out to dry. That was a common sight in Italy. 

As I was drinking my last glass of wine at David’s apartment before leaving, I became drunk on the memories of my week in Italy.  From the streets of Florence to Pisa, Rome, the hillsides of Tuscany to Montalcino and then to Venice, I found excitement and never-ending beauty.  The boys and I toasted to our family vacation in Italy together.  One thing was for certain, I wanted to return to Italy.  After all, I did rub the wild boar’s nose three times!