Last Day in Italy Before Going Home

 The Locanda Vigna Ilaria is different from other hotels where we have stayed since it is primarily a restaurant and secondly a hotel. 

The breakfast is an extra, € 9 per person and is served at the late hour of 9:30 am.  This was ok with us since we were staying 2 nights and weren’t traveling anywhere in this rain.  Besides, judging from the unique dinner menu the night before, breakfast promised to be a special event and it was:

Goblet of fresh fruit

Freshly baked miniature rolls

Goat cheese, salami

Butter and 2 kinds of marmalade

Cornettos

Orange juice and the most incredible cappuccino

The second morning’s breakfast varied a little from the first with the addition of: Egg en cocotte, Prosciutto from the Tuscan Cinta Senese (black pig with a white belt), Homemade pastry cream served  with the cornettos, Pecorino with herbs instead of goat cheese

After breakfast, still pouring down rain, we took a short drive along the Strada del Vino and enjoyed the colorful countryside with the changing leaves of the trees and grapevines.  The olive trees still have their olives but the picking will begin soon as the catch nets are in place for the 2010 olive harvest.

Except for this morning foray, we hung out at the hotel and ended up having the food experience of a lifetime.  The Truffle man arrived with a styrofoam box – Fall is truffle harvesting time in Italy.  Lucca has a white truffle that does not have the reputation of the Alba truffle because they are mild but still very tasty and as a result, less expensive.  Rob watched and photographed as the truffle man weighed out 3 truffles and money was exchanged.  We have no idea of how much they were but on the menu it says they are priced at an extra € 3 per gram.  I entertained thoughts about bringing some back but decided to simply enjoy the moment.  

On our second evening we came down early for dinner and settled in at our preferred table by the fire and watched Andrea’s father shaking and roasting chestnuts in a long handled pan punctured with small holes in the bottom.

The chestnuts were then dumped onto a tablecloth on the floor to cool.  We were brought a plate with the cooled chestnuts and wipes for the charcoal that accumulated on our fingers.

Dinner was:

Forest and Field Salad (picked by forager, Lia), Seafood soup, Fillet of branzino over sautéed seasonal vegetables with slivers of white truffle strewn on top, Bottle of crisp white local Italian wine

We ended up eating for 2½ hours having short talks with Stefano, Andrea’s brother and our server, who was leaving for London the next day.  He wants to improve his English and work in an Italian restaurant, and maybe even in the United States.  We suggested he come to Tucson and  stay with us for 3 months (the maximum time of stay for a foreigner) – we agreed to keep in touch.

One more interesting aspect about Andrea’s restaurant is that he does not charge a coperto, for bread basket and linen, which is a common charge in all Italian restaurants.  We have paid as much as a € 5 coperto pp in Chianti which is outrageous.  He also doesn’t charge for bottled water, a pitcher of tap water is brought to each table.  Andrea says that an after dinner coffee is also included in the price.  He desperately wants to be in the Slow Food Italy travel book but they have told him his prices are too high.  Considering he doesn’t charge for all these extras, the bill seemed very reasonable to us.

So ended our 3 week Gourmettravelers adventure to London and Italy.

Detour to Lucca

Arriving in Levanto in a downpour and hearing tomorrow’s weather report of ‘more of the same’ we made the decision to turn around and go instead to Lucca, a small Roman town north of Pisa.

But first, we checked out Campeggio Acqua Dolce and Grill L’Igea that our friends, Joan and Andrew, highly recommended. They were right, the campground was charming with many terraced sites (too bad it was raining like cats and dogs).

The restaurant had many Ligurian specialties and fish dishes.  With a pitcher of Ligurian white wine (vermontino grapes), we enjoyed seafood salad, fritto misto (fried seafood) and spaghetti with seafood – our last chance for seafood dining.

The drive to Lucca was treacherous with such an intense rain our wipers would not keep the windshield free of water.  We made several stops to wait for brief letups. Travel information was entered in the GPS so we could find a place to stay in Lucca for our remaining 2 days in Italy.

We looked for signs with the symbol i which stands for tourist information.  This led us to the ancient wall around Lucca and thousands of people dressed up as cartoon characters.  This is the annual weekend Comics Festival and there were no rooms available in the city.

The very enthusiastic tourist director found us the perfect place to stay outside the city on the Strada Del Vino with a highly rated restaurant, Locanda Vigna Ilaria.  The owners, Andrea and Elena, have only owned the locanda since April but the restaurant has already received an 80 (out of 100) in the 2011Gambero Rosso, the highest rating in Lucca.  It’s easy to see why after our spectacular dinner:

Forest and Field Salad (picked by forager, Lia)

Risotto al Tartufo Bianco, Nebbiola wine

Trofie nel Pesce, Vermignon wine (vermontino and sauvignon grapes)

It was incredible, pure serendipity luck that we ended up here!

On the Way to Cinque Terre

I’m excited about where we are right now – outside the village of Pontremoli, county of Lunigiana, region of Toscana (Tuscany)  - and are having a real Slow Food experience.  Our original destination was Levanto in Cinque Terre where we had a reservation but it was getting late with at least an hour’s drive to go so we exited the autostrada to find ourselves in this beautiful, scenic valley. Seeing signs to agriturismos we made a left following one that said, Il Podere Benelli Offre.  The narrow, winding drive went on forever until we were just about ready to find an area wide enough to turn around when we came upon a grouping of houses.  There was no answer at the podere so we went next door to inquire about a room.  The Signora was very helpful and found Signore Benelli for us, but, mentioned that she also had rooms to rent.  Signore Benelli said he couldn’t possibly get ready on such short notice so we went back to Signora’s and rented her best room en suite with breakfast, € 50.

We inquired about dinner and she offered to prepare it for us.  In the meantime we went back to Signore’s for a tour and wine tasting only to find that he was active in the local Slow Food presidia and had attended Salone.

We exchanged cards and he proudly showed us his display of Slow Food memorabilia and photos, several with Carlo Petrini.  He said that Carlo was fond of this area and came here often.  We bought 2 bottles of wine from him (Pollera, Val di Magra) and returned to Signora’s for a home cooked dinner.

Polenta with Porcini sauce

Torta di Verdure (I wrote down all the vegetables/greens but I’ll have to wait to look them up in my large dictionary at home - the only one I recognized was zucchini)

Platter of sliced carrots, small onions, green pepper and tomato, all from her garden (orta), served with her own vinegar and olive oil

Platter of salami, prosciutto and cotto

Bread basket

Carafe of house red wine

Crostata di frutta

Espresso

House grappa

Limoncello (about the only thing she didn’t make, besides the salami)

WHEW!  What a wonderful, agriturismo experience!

Cost of the dinner €15 per person

Oppilo Agriturismo Filippi

Localitá Oppilo di Pontremoli



Venezia

We arrived just before the causeway to Venice and left the car in a secure car park – 5 € per day.  A few minutes walk found us at a small speedboat dock where we arranged for a ride to Venice. 

A short ride later, we arrived on the island of Venice.  The captain arranged to pick us up at the same spot 3 days later around 1:00 pm.  We walked (struggled with our luggage) to the train station, bought our 72 hour pass on the vaporetti and proceeded to our hotel,  Albergo Guerrato, near the Rialto bridge.  

Our last visit to Venice was with 2 girlfriends and we stayed at Piccolo Guerrato, their 3 story apartment, but our breakfast was at the Albergo.

We couldn’t wait to get to our favorite cicchetti place near Campo Santa Marina.  The sign said it opened at 17:30 but when we tried to go in, they said it opened at 6 pm.  Back at 6, it was filling up fast and we grabbed the last table.

Let the sampling begin!  Cicchetti are small tastes of local appetizers. 

Our last stop was Trattoria Alla Madonna, which was very near our hotel, where Rob had fried scampi and I had risotto del mare and an insalata mista.

Lago di Garda Revisited

We returned to Hotel Marconi after spending quality time there 4 years ago.  Approaching the castle and crossing the drawbridge can be a challenge but, thanks to our GPS, it was easy.  In spite of the continuous downpour, the area and the hotel were as beautiful as we remembered.

The Hotel is run by the charming Famiglia Visani.  Besides the first rate service and accommodations, the breakfast is the most outstanding part of the stay. The pastries are by the father who was a baker before retirement.

Piemonte South

Since we would be driving through Piemonte on our way to Lago di Garda and needed a place to stay for the night, we picked up the B & B guide at the Piemonte info booth at Salone.  Our choice was Casa Fonte Volpe in Castelletto D’Orba, a village nestled in low mountains with a stream running alongside the B & B.

It was still early in the afternoon and the restaurants were soon to close so we stopped at Ristorante Enoteca Il Moro in Capriata D’Orba for lunch.  Sunday is family day in the restaurants and the main dining rooms were filled so they seated us in the Enoteca part.

We ordered local specialties: I Nostri Agnolotti, nei tre modi della tradizione, a culo nudo – nel Vino – al Tocco (House pasta, 3 ways: without sauce, with sauce and soaked in wine)

Guancino e polenta (Beef cheek sliced served with polenta).  A lovely lunch!

We discovered that the B & B owners were dining at the same restaurant - we were introduced to them – what a coincidence! 

The B & B was a charming reconstruction.  Sandra had 3 books of before and after photos.  The husband, a psychiatrist specializing in forensics, fixed us breakfast the next morning.  We drove to Sirmione and Lago di Garda in a downpour.

Salone del Gusto Highlights

We had a most delighful lunch on the floor of Salone del Gusto at a Campania restaurant offering a single price menu with wine for 10 € 

Pranzo in Caserta, Campania Menu:

Panella aversana, salumi bufala assortiti

Pasta con ragu di bufala

Bocconcini di carne bufalina con mela annurca

Degustazione di prodottti biologici

Casatiello casertano

Terra Madre 4

Slow Food USA delegates attending Terra Madre are assigned living quarters that vary from a campus 1-1/2 hours drive away, hotel rooms, homestays and my assignment, Campus Riberi, a military installation.  Reading about it, I was apprehensive, but pleasantly surprised when I arrived.  My single room was en suite and very comfortable.  Breakfast was served in the barracks’ dining area and the croissants, fruit and caffé latte were tasty.

The rest of our meals were in the Terra Madre canteen and included a wide variety of Piemontese specialties served buffet style.

After attending several Terra Madre workshops today we’re off to B & B Casa Fonte Volpe in Castelletto D’Orba, south Piemonte.

Carlos and Me

USA Regional Meeting, 10 am – Oval Lingotto, E (The Highlight of Terra Madre)

Aware that both Carlo Petrini and Alice Waters would be speaking, Rob and I settled ourselves on the front row with cameras, pen and paper.  Alice arrived with a bouquet of celery, Carlo with an interpreter.

Josh Viertel, Slow Food USA’s President, welcomed the 700 people from 50 states and spoke of his background leading up to his presidency.  He  introduced Alice Waters who inspired the group to bring Terra Madre USA to the mall in Washington D.C.  Next was Carlo Petrini, the inspiration and creator of Slow Food, who applauded the USA delegation and the work that has been done.  He also encouraged involvement in his Thousand Gardens in Africa project.  Slow Food Tucson’s partnership with the Najati Farming Association in Malawi is a response to this. 

Terra Madre Day 2

Drove around 1½ hours in search of a parking place (che disastro!).  Finally, slipped into a tight opening in front of a Farmacia, no blue line so we’re good for the day.

Our first introduction to Salone del Gusto – unbelievable!  Recommendation was, ‘Go on Friday because Saturday and Sunday are wall to wall people!’  Well, Friday looked like wall to wall to us, but we forged on, tasting olive oil, artichoke spread, olives, bread, grappa, salami, etc.  The Italian hall is divided into regions.  We started in Campania and spotted an inviting mini restaurant featuring a different menu each day - Cost, 10 euros pp, including wine pairings.  We reserved for noon on Saturday.

Heading in the direction of Terra Madre, we stopped in the food tasting court - Rob waited in line for 2 beers; I, for spinach pasta.  We met up and shared.

After attending a Terra Madre workshop on Sustainable Education we headed to the Canteen provided for Chapter leaders and staff.  This is where we met Mazoe Gondwe from Malawi.  She and 3 other women are representing the Njati Farming Association.  With a shared interest in peppers and on behalf of Slow Food Tucson, we agreed to set up an exchange with them, sharing seeds and ideas.  She introduced us to some of their products such as;  Zillie’s Chillies (Roast Garlic & Red Onion and Maya Fruity) and Malawi Aromatic Rice.  We exchanged addresses and took pictures.  I’m very excited and see a real opportunity here!

Terra Madre Day 1

The Terra Madre Opening Ceremony at Palasport Olimpico Isozaki (also called Palaisozaki) was to begin at 2:30 pm.  Our 10:30 am arrival at Milano Malpensa airport left us plenty of time. Update - the opening ceremony was delayed until 4 pm.

I opted out of the scheduled transportation to my housing to stay with Rob to pick up his Hertz rental and drive the 1½ hours to Torino.  He checked in at Campeggio Villa Rey, then set the GPS to our final destination.  Yes, it easily found the destination but did it find us a parking place?  No, this is Italy!  Straddling a median with only inches between 2 cars our arrival time was ½ hour late, no problem.

After registering for Terra Madre, we sought recommendations for authentic Piemontese restaurants – first things first, right?  3 charming Italian volunteers took this on as a challenge and 20 minutes later had us scheduled for dinner at Brandé for 7:45.  This gave us time to check me in at the Campus Riberi (more about that later).

Brandé was more elegant/expensive than we like but it was authentic tastes of the Piemonte region.  Appetizer: local beef 3 ways, tartare, carpaccio (filled with forest berries & arugula) and minced mini burger on pureed potatoes; fresh veggies served with 3 kinds of fish. 

-The Primi or pasta course was tagliatelli with ragù sauce  Ravioli with gorgonzola, basil and butter sauce.

Welcome to Piemonte!  

Visit to Jaime's

Second day – started the morning at our hotel with a continental English breakfast; tea, coffee, choice of egg, boiled (hard, medium or soft) or fried, toast and cereal. A full English breakfast has all the aforementioned plus; grilled tomato, sausages or bacon, sautéed mushrooms and sometimes baked beans.  Difference in hotel’s charge between continental and full breakfast - £10 more per person plus way higher in calories.  Easy choice!

Next we packed up everything and moved from the 5^th floor (No Lift!!) to the basement.  A necessary move! Kept thinking about Stieg Larson, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, dying of a heart attack after running up ? floors and 20 + years Rob’s junior.  Don’t want to risk Rob missing out on Terra Madre and Salone.

THEN off to Jaime’s Italian restaurant in Covent Garden which totally lived up to our expectations.  Shared 1 Meat Antipasti Plank – Tuscan fennel salami, pecorino with chilli jam, assorted olives and shaved root veg with chilli, lemon and mint among other tastes.  Next, 2 specials to share - 3 roasted red mullets in tomato sauce and spaghetti with mussels in wine sauce, and a rocket (arugula) and radicchio salad, all unique and delicious with a bottle of organic Sangiovese.  £43 Great thing about Jaime’s is that all pasta is made in-house, and ½ portions are available.

Ended the day at Carluccio’s Caffé in Covent Garden with a Bicerin, a traditional drink from Torino – espresso coffee, Florentine drinking chocolate and cream.  Served in small jugs for you to mix yourself.  If this is a portent of what to expect in Torino, Wow, I’m ready!   

First Day in London

First day of our adventure started with a great Sunday Roast thanks to the book, Savoir Fare LONDON, Stylish Dining for under $25.00, by Elaine Louie of the NYTimes.  Divided into chapters by area, West London, where our hotel is located, a 10 minute walk away was The Thomas Cubitt, at 44 Elizabeth Street, a gastropub named after a leading master builder in London (1788-1855).   

We started out with a Pimm’s & Lemonade, delicious and fresh.  Rob ordered the Roast 28 day dry aged Castle of Mey Estate sirloin, Yorkshire pudding; Judith, the Roast Kilravock lamb leg, mint sauce.  A glass of Tempranillo each and we were in heaven.  Will definitely return to try out other offerings. The bill was £57.

cubitthouse.co.uk or email reservations@thethomascubitt.co.uk

Gourmet Travelers - Terra Madre 2010

This blog was started as an adventure in progress. Our destination is Torino, Italy to attend Terra Madre 2010 (Judith as delegate, Rob as observer) which coincides with the international Slow Food's Salone del Gusto, Oct. 21 - 25.


But, before and after, we will be visiting places along the way and would like to share our old favorites and new discoveries with you.  Our stops will include London, Lago di Garda, Venice and the Cinque Terre. We'd also like to hear from you with recommendations to include foods, drinks, sights and places to visit.


Our hope is that this blog will enrich the Gourmet Travelers experience.