Visiting Italy – Part 2

This post is a continuation in a series of stories recounting a Christmas season that my husband, Paul, son, Daniel, and I spent in Italy a few years ago.

Early the next morning, we left our villa en masse and walked down the long hill to a bus stop near the bottom. The streets are mostly made of cobblestones and brick materials. They have the appearance of having been there for hundreds of years – which many probably have been. All the filler material between the stones is long gone. They are a challenge to walk on and I marveled at the chic Italian women in their high-heeled shoes making their way across these uneven streets.

Our first stop was the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s statue of David. It is a magnificent statue carved out of marble, 14 feet tall. It is the symbol of the Florentine Renaissance man done in the classic Greek style.

We next visited the Basilica di Santa Croce. It is an enormous cathedral and monastery complex. Inside the cathedral are the tombs of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Enrico Fermi, Leonardo De Vinci, Rossini, and Galileo. Santa Croce has the largest organ in Italy. In the Bardi Chapel to the right of the main altar, there are beautiful frescos by the artist Giotto which tell the story of St. Francis.

The Franciscan monks have a leather school which is considered one of the best leather shops in Italy. Dan bought a very nice leather wallet made by the monks.

The Pazzi Chapel to the right of the main church was designed by Brunelleschi and decorated by della Robia. Dan and I were so were so amazed to be seeing these masterpieces that we’d only previously seen in Art History books and other art books. Paul especially liked seeing where so much of where the world’s great scientific thought took hold and grew.

Galileo’s Tomb in Santa Croce.

We ate lunch at a small trattoria dining on delicious Paninis filled with meats and cheeses. Cappuccinos or Macchiatos followed most meals like sumptuous desserts, and kept us fueled along the way. Our next stop was the Piazza del Duomo and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore. No one was interested in climbing to the top of the dome again – all 464 steps of it. Brunelleschi designed the dome and the frescos inside the dome tell the story of the Last Judgement.

Lunch in a small trattoria.

Adrien and Pascale are so at ease in Italy. Adrien can speak a little Italian and Pascale knows the words ciao (hello/good-bye) and bacio (kiss – pronounced ‘bah-cho’)). They are adventurous eaters and like flavorful cheeses and all the pastas and pizzas. They love mushrooms in anything and will, at least, taste all kinds of delicacies once to see if they might like it. Having never eaten at a McDonald’s, their little taste buds are unsullied. They do love their Gelato, though! Pascale’s favorite flavor is Mango and Adrien loves Pistachio.

Pascale gives Dad a bacio.

David gives Nathalie a bacio.

We arrived back at the villa in time to rest up a little before our cooking lesson scheduled for 6 PM. Dan and Adrien got in some more hours playing World of Warcraft, an online computer adventure game involving people all over the world as players and teams. Adrien has created his own “characters” that compete in the online game. He thinks Uncle Dan is an absolute God at the game and wants to play it all the time with him.

Here’s a photo of Uncle Dan and Adrien playing the online computer game, World of Warcraft.

Now for the Italian Cooking Lesson at Teresa’s Scuola di Cucina (School of Cooking).
The evenings lesson/menu was Lasagne con Sugo di Carciofi (Lasagna with fresh, homemade pasta, Besciamello, and artichoke sauce), Scaloppine alla Fiorentina (Veal Scallopine Florence Style), Torta al Cioccolato con Cremetta al Marscapone (Chocolate Torte with Marscapone Cream). We started with one of the villa’s own Chianti wines, and delicious fried polenta strips which we enjoyed while we cooked. Teresa didn’t speak English but her adult son, Francesco, was there and he spoke good English and could translate when necessary. I had no trouble understanding Teresa’s Italian as it seems that the language of cooking is understandable anywhere in the world.

Here is a photo of Teresa cooking at her stove in her Italian kitchen.

The lesson began with making the homemade pasta for the Artichoke Lasagna. Teresa demonstrated each step and allowed me to participate and help her whenever I felt the need.

Here, Teresa begins making the pasta dough.

After making the pasta, we assembled the lasagna with the sauces.

Teresa had most of the ingredients for the meal already prepped to save time and make the progression of the lesson doable in an evening. Her kitchen was very Spartan by American standards, but this didn’t seem to make a bit of difference in the quality or quantity of food she could make. She had one small oven where most Italians get by without one at all. Having a dishwasher is unheard of. Most kitchens are far too small to have dishwashers, trash compactors, double-ovens, and all the electrical appliances we use for food handling. They don’t have food processors nor blenders, nor hand mixers. They do all these tasks by hand.

Teresa explains a specific technique to Joanie.

The veal sautés while the Artichoke Lasagna bakes.

The veal dish is ready to go into the oven. The sautéed veal scallops are layered on a bed of spinach in Besciamella sauce, topped with Prosciutto ham, and Fontina cheese slices. It bakes for about 40 minutes while the rest of the meal is prepared.

Here is the recipe for this delicious Scaloppine. You could also make it using thinly pounded slices of chicken breast.

Scaloppine alla Fiorentina

6 slices of veal
1 lb. fresh spinach
6 slices Prosciutto cotto
6 slices Fontina cheese
salt and pepper
2 cups Besciamella Sauce (recipe follows)

Cook the spinach in boiling salted water for a few minutes to wilt, or saute in a little butter until just wilted. Drain in a colander to get rid of as much water as possible.

Flatten the veal slices with a kitchen mallet until quite thin. Dust them lightly with flour, salt, and pepper, and saute the veal slices in a little butter until very lightly browned.

Place the spinach in the bottom of a lightly buttered baking pan. Layer the browned veal slices over the spinach. Next layer the Prosciutto over the veal then layer the Fontina slices on top. Cover evenly with the Besciamella Sauce.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

Besciamella Sauce

This is a unique Florentine recipe dating back from the Renaissance era.

2 cups milk
3 Tbs. flour
4 Tbs. butter
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper

Saute the butter and flour together in a small pan until thoroughly blended, whisking constantly. Be sure not to let it brown. Add the warmed milk and stir with a whisk until smooth. Cook on low heat, whisking constantly until slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Whisk in salt and pepper and a dash of nutmeg. Cover until ready to use.

Francesco prepared the polenta and fried the slices for the appetizer with our wine. He coated the polenta strips lightly with flour before frying them.

Francesco works most nights at a famous downtown Florence restaurant called the Quattro Leoni. It is the restaurant of choice for the world’s glitterati. He is the proverbial gorgeous Italian waiter that movie stars all want to have wait on their table. He says some are awful to deal with, being snobby and demanding subservience from everyone, and others are very friendly and treat him and the other staff with respect.

The dining table is carefully set for our dinner.

Dan Koblas, David Wright, and Francesco Landi patiently await dinner being served.

Here is Francesco Landi proposing a toast.

Last but not least, we assembled the Chocolate Torte with Marscapone Cream.

Here are the Chocolate Torte with Marscapone Cream ingredients.

Here is the recipe for this delicious torte.

Marscapone Cream

1 cup (8 ozs.) Marscapone cheese
3 large eggs
3 Tbs. sugar
2 teas. rum or other liquore

Torta al Cioccolato

Chocolate Torta

2/3 cup unsalted butter
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cake flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups milk

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Set aside.

Cream together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on high speed of mixer for 3 minutes. Sift all dry ingredients together. Add to creamed butter/sugar mixture, alternately with water. Continue mixing, scraping down sides of bowl frequently until everything is completely combined. Pour into prepared cake pans.

Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool completely on wire racks while you make Marscapone Cream.

To assemble the torte, take one of the completely cooled 9-inch cakes and carefully cut it in half. Put one of the halves on an attractive plate. Spread the Marscapone Cream evenly over it. Place the other half on top of the Marscapone Cream. Dust the top with some powdered sugar.

Save the other 9-inch round of chocolate cake for another use, or eat it all up quickly before anyone else notices there was an extra. hahaha.

In Italy, dinner is served in courses. Appetizers, such as an antipasti platter, would be served before the actual dinner. The first course is called a primo piatto and it consists of a pasta or risotto dish, such as the Lasagna with Artichoke Sauce we made. The second course called a secondo piatto and is the main meat or fish dish. The third course consists of the insalata (salad) or contorno (vegetable). The dessert often consists of fruit or a dulci (sweet something) and coffee. Wine is available throughout the meal. This kind of meal often lasts 4 hours or more. Italians don’t rush through their meals as they are a great social time with friends and family.

So, we finished our evening with dining on the delicious dishes we made during the lesson. We finished with espresso and an after-dinner liquore called Vincenti, which means health. It is a sweet dessert-type wine that is surprisingly delicious. Teresa’s family makes their own version out of grapes from the family vineyard.

We thanked them and said good-bye to our lovely new friends Teresa and Francesco Landi, here with David Wright.

The next morning after the cooking lesson, David, Paul, Dan and I left for a long weekend in Rome. Nathalie stayed in Florence with the kids since they had just been on the same trip a couple weekends before when Chris and Toi were visiting them. They figured the kids would be happier playing at home than going through the same museums and sights again so soon after just being there.

Our visit to Rome will be the subject of my continuing report on our trip to Italy. Look for it in Visiting Italy – Part 3.

Visiting Italy – Part One

On Monday, December 12, 2005, Paul, Dan, and I boarded a plane in Phoenix, Arizona bound for Italy for a trip of a lifetime. We were going to Florence, Italy to spend Christmas with kids David & Nathalie, and grandchildren Adrien and Pascale.

This was the first trip to Europe for us. We were excited to see and experience what life was like for our family living in Florence this fall. They had been living in a two-bedroom apartment in the Villa della Cavacchia overlooking Florence. It is owned by a neurosurgeon and his wife, Teresa, who offers private Italian cooking lessons in her own kitchen for the guests in the Villa’s apartments. Paul and Dan and I rented one of the apartments next to David’s and Nathalie’s for our stay in Florence.

The Villa is complete with an olive orchard and their own small family vineyard plus a large garden full of fresh herbs and vegetables. A swimming pool and wireless broadband internet access makes it hard to beat. Outside their apartment, the kids have a small stone patio area where there are large earthen pots with fruit trees full of oranges and lemons. We felt right at home when we saw the citrus trees – just like our citrus trees at our Arizona home.

Here’s a photo of David’s and Nathalie’s apartment and their patio on the lower level of the Villa.

For the first half of our stay, we had the apartment below theirs, and the second half we had the apartment right next to theirs sharing the lovely patio. The apartment rooms were spacious and airy. We were very comfortable there and had plenty of space. It was so much warmer and homier than staying in a hotel. We would definitely stay in one of the Villa’s apartments if we ever get back to Florence someday. Teresa and her family were so gracious and friendly to all of us. They graciously tolerated our fumbling attempts at speaking Italian with them.

The view from the Villa was fantastic. It overlooked the Duomo (dome of Santa Maria del Fiore) in one direction and Western Florence in the other.

Here was our view from upper patio to the western side of Florence.

Nathalie’s and David’s kitchen and main living/dining room was small but the bedrooms were quite large. The Italians get by with a lot less space and “stuff” in their kitchens than we have in the USA. There is usually a small washing machine for family laundry, but NO dryers. You just hang things on drying racks or radiators around your apartment, or off of your balconies.

View of kitchen and living/dining area. The large wardrobe on the left is for food storage, dishes, flatware, etc, for kitchen and dining use.

You can see one of Nathalie’s paintings on an easel next to the wardrobe. This living and dining area also serves as her art studio.

Here’s another view of the living/dining room and computer area.

Before I go any further, I have to say a word or two about the traffic and driving in Italy. It is, truly, like nothing you can even imagine. Before our first cab ride to the villa from the airport, the scariest driving I’ve ever experienced was riding through Tijuana, Mexico with Al Rothacker, a dear, long-time family friend of my parent’s. He was a good, experienced driver in Mexico because he had learned over a span of 40+ years to drive just like the Mexicans. However, even riding with Al had not prepared me for driving in Italy.

First of all, the streets in Italy are narrow. I know you are envisioning narrow as the size of an American alley, maybe. NOT! An American alley would be a freeway in Italy.

For instance, here is a photo of a car going the down road past our villa.

This is a wide road for Italy. It is two-way, you are allowed to park along it, and it also carries pedestrian traffic!

Here is another view of the same road going up the hill past the villa.

As you will come to realize later on, there is PLENTY of room for two-way traffic as well as parking along the sides of this road. So, during that first cab ride, I let out a series of involuntary gasps which drew a censoring gaze from David who rode in the front seat with the cab driver. I managed to strangle back any further screams. It was sort of like getting on a roller coaster and being forbidden to react in any way.

So the next time we took a cab, a day later, David told me not to gasp or react to the driving because I just had to learn to deal with it and not insult the driver. So off we flew down a 10-foot wide “street” with parked cars along the sides, two-way traffic, pedestrians, and motor-scooters zipping along both sides of us, and David and the cab driver conversing in Italian without a care in the world. “Well, will somebody pass me a paper bag because I’m hyperventilating back here,” I thought! I expected to see little Italian nonnas (grandmas) knocked aside like bowling pins and dead dogs and children in the gutters, but we made it to our destination without a scratch and having killed nothing.

Here is a photo of Nathalie looking at a typical Italian car called a Smartcar. It is a roomy model designed to carry 4 or 5 people, although most are designed for two.

Here is a parallel-parked Smartcar.

Another way to park a Smartcar when things get tight.

Smart, indeed! Our eldest son, Chris, who just recently visited David and Nathalie in Italy, says it this way: “The Italians are very, very good at putting 10 pounds of **** in a 5 pound bag.” Ditto, Chris!

We arrived in Florence at 9:30 in the morning. During that first afternoon, Paul and I took a nap for a few hours and Dan went to town with David and Nathalie and the kids. They visited the Duomo where they climbed all the way to the top of the oculus of the dome. There are winding stairs spiraling around between the inside and the outside of the dome walls. The passageway, containing hundreds of stairs, was not as wide as David’s shoulders. You couldn’t turn around to go back down if you chickened out part way up. Claustrophobics beware!

The Duomo (Dome of Santa Maria de Fiore)

Here is the view from inside the Duomo looking straight up.

After returning to the villa with freshly-baked bread and bottles of Chianti, Nathalie fixed a wonderful pasta dinner and we planned out what we’d see in Florence the next day. Paul and I were still trying to shake off the jet-lag cobwebs. We went to bed early so we’d be ready to face the real beginning of our touring of Florence and to conclude tomorrow with our much-anticipated Italian cooking lesson. For the first time ever, we slept a full 12 hours.

My next post about Italy will include stories about our visits to more of the famous sites around Florence and some highlights from our Italian cooking lesson.