carol's kitchen

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Montevarchi

May 25, 2013 Tuscany

I took the train from Rome to Montevarchi last Wednesday, Julie arrived on Thursday, fell ill on Friday & stayed in bed for two yukky, coughing, miserable days.  But, she’s up & at it.  We walk all around the little town, explore its three, nearly deserted main streets with ancient buildings and churches.  We wander into covered alleys with a stone Madonna and angels, admire fine shops & galleries, enjoy the restaurants, bars.  At the street market we buy cheeses, salted anchovies, prosciutto, luscious tomatoes.  We love Montevarchi.

There’s an ampule of the virgin Mary’s breast milk in the tabernacle of the high alter of the church of San Lorenzo in the Piazza Varchi in the center of town.  It says so in my guidebook.

The house we’ve rented from Paula & Guido Ciocolini, 10 Via Vespucci, is lovely, roomy (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms), comfortable (frette linens, acres of closet space), with a great kitchen & porch, set in a beautiful garden on a quiet street, just a few blocks from the old, medieval town center.

The weather stinks.  Except for a few hours of sunshine we've had nothing but dark skies, rain, wind, & freezing cold.  We wear the same outfits every day, our light wardrobes packed for the warm spring weather we expected hangs untouched.  Every other day we call Guido to raise the thermostat.  Nevertheless, we grab umbrellas & carry on.

Julie & I, Jewish chicks from Hollywood, are the only tourists in town, an unheard-of luxury considering the hungry hordes swarming over well-known places in Tuscany.  Why, we wondered, are there so many fine shops filled with luxurious fashions, leather-wear, wine, cheese, gourmet delicatessen and art in our obscure little burg, population 25,000?  Are they all so wealthy?  Explanation: a huge PRADA discount outlet (40% off) on the outskirts of town that brings shoppers (primarily Asian as far as I could tell), from all over the world.  Should any leave PRADA with a few euros still in their pockets, it’s possible they might drift into town to check out other merchandise – and Montevarchi’s shops are ready.

We visited stunning Sienna, rented a cool, 5-speed Lancia, and drove around the Chianti countryside, got lost in search of lunch, but found surprises in hillside villages.  And then (drum roll, please), at 12 noon on Thursday, May 23rd. we checked into the utterly charming 4 star Canalgrande Hotel, a 14th. Century palace, in the old city of Modena, washed our hands & faces, & sashayed over ancient streets lined with buildings painted orange, olive, pink, dark blue, yellow… to the OSTERIA FRANCESCANA where the chef at “THE THIRD GREATEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD,” was preparing to feed us lunch.

I’m not going to tell you about the 12 courses & 7 wines*, conceived in the mind of chef Massimo Bottura on an acid trip, who calls his dream menu, “Sensations,” designed to titillate & awaken them all. 

Instead, here’s a picture of the dishes Julie & I cooked for lunch today from ingredients purchased at the Modena Agriculturel Market – a world class culinary emporium where Massimo’s wife, Laura, an American from New York, suggested we go to buy balsamic vinegar – and whatever else we pleased.  The main dish was whole wheat faro pasta with olive oil, garlic, parsley, fresh peas, & grated pecorino.  We also had a rocket salad with lemon juice & black olives & a glass of chianti.  Later we’ll have warm apples baked with butter, chianti, & Eucalyptus Flower honey.

Outside it’s raining cats & dogs.




Sunday, May 12, 2013

ROME

may 12, 2013
i can't leave this place without putting a few words on the page.  rome is overwhelming in so many ways, above all for its beauty, the magnificence of the buildings, ruins, churches, the piazzas, fountains & statues, the ancient black cobble stones i walk on as i traipse from place to place.  i've never seen such crowds, tourists from everywhere, eager to see the splendor of this great city. 

no need to study my maps too much; just follow the crowd, they know where to go and sweep me along in their zeal to see everything.  and, as people make their way around, every single one of them is eating ice-cream.  there must be an unwritten rule in rome that people must lick that frozen sweet delicious stuff throughout the day & night, as well as eat pizza...  irresistible savory fragrant melting slices of pizza.
don't get me started on food.  each meal i've had, in restaurants recommended by friends, has been so spectacular that i must declare i've never eaten better.  antipasti of fresh vegetables, pickled fish, fresh seafood, prosciutto, mozzarella... last night, alongside of a dozen other tasty morsels, i had a plate of fresh peas and fava beans so simply prepared yet so perfect in natural flavor, it could not have been better.  i can barely go on to the home-made pasta offerings, so delicious & perfectly sauced they’re impossible to resist.  i can't find a better word than "perfect."  i want to return to each of these places but keep trying new ones, which continue to astonish me by being better than the last.  i want to eat my way through rome.  if i stay any longer than the 11 allotted days i will need to buy new clothes.
my apartment is in the historical center of the city, in a restored 15th. century palazzo on a quiet street just minutes from the campo di fiori.  it's comfortable, luxurious, furnished with antiques, everything done with great taste.  so much is within walking distance, a pleasant stroll to the piazza navona, and in the other direction the ponte sisto over the tiber, and the ancient winding streets of trastevere.  i've also learned to take public buses.  just follow the crowd...

i sit in cafes trying to read my guidebook, but am distracted by the marvels around me.  hard to study the history of rome when i can watch how the light changes the facade of ancient walls, stare at the madonna looking down on the square from a dusty gilded frame posed on the corner of a crumbling building, the domes, spires, marbles and gurgling fountains.  and the crowds...
on wednesday, I’ll take the train to montevarchi,  a little town in tuscany where i'll spend a month roaming around the region.  but the food can't possibly be so good...  can it?
amor & baci

Pasted on the wall on my street in Rome