Italy

Locanda Mariella {Calestano} – The Perfect Meal

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Ziggy

Why are we here? How did we get here? What exactly made Kim Kardashian famous? When is an egg no longer an egg? I feel like starting this one like Anthony Bourdain starts some of his shows, with deep, philosophical nonsensicalness that grabs your attention and never lets go… until commercials. Its the perfect prelude to what’s to come, whether its “The best soup in the world” (Vietnam – last episode), “Best Duck Feet I ever had” (Beijing), or “Best Meal I ever had” (French Laundry). Because somehow “The Perfect Meal” or “Best Egg Dish I ever had” would simply get lost in the shuffle of this blog if I dont start with a deep Kim Kardashian question. Makes sense? I thought so

What makes a perfect meal? When you are hard-pressed to find any little detail that worked against your enjoyment of the meal. From the food, the host, the wine, the room, the environment, there is absolutely nothing negative I can say about Locanda Mariella. And while I usually ignore any imperfections in meals I greatly enjoy, its hard not to notice when everything goes right. Sure someone may be bothered by its location, 1 hour south of Parma, in the North Apennine Mountains. But to us the location just added to the fun and intrigue. Especially considering it allowed us to visit the town of Felino, the home of “King of Salami” where the Italian version of Rick Steves tried to sell his entire Salumeria to us. And on the way back, it was the magnificent Torrechiara castle which deserves its own post.

Mariella is Slow Food at its finest. In a way it reminded me of the one man show of Roberto in the village of Montisi, while the two got almost nothing in common except for their true Slow Foodness and that passion to deliver to you the finest ingredients available to them. It almost felt like you are visiting a three Michelin star chef who retired in the mountains in the middle of nowhere and cooks to those brave and willing souls simple mountain food

Alloooora! At Mariella all this melodramatic stuff came from sampling just 5 dishes, with wine pairing and dessert, with each dish making me shake my head with hand gestures Andrew Zimmern style. Mariella had a white truffle menu, black truffle menu, and a regular menu that included black truffle filled classics which we mostly took advantage of. Did I use “Allora” there correctly? Two hours into the meal I still did not have the heart to tell Mariella that we don’t speak Italian. She explained every single detail of the meal in Italian. My entire Italian is solely based on menu Italian, so when I wanted to ask if the egg was baked at some point, I said “Umm.. Uovo..Al Forno?” Mrs Ziggy had a “Fish Called Wanda” moment, and now I occasionally have to speak Italian to her

Started with a very nice Strolghino salami with aged Parmigiano-Reggiano. And continued with some of the staples on the menu, potato Sformatino with pumpkin cream, and polenta with cheese fondue and black truffles. Both outstanding! A great start aided by a fine Sauvignon Blanc/Gewürztraminer blend from Le Fate Furbe (Tuscany). Mariella, I find out later from my host in Parma what I suspected all along, is a great sommelier

Two sunny side up eggs with black truffles would have been the best egg dish I ever ate even without the truffles. It hits you like a smack in the face as soon as you taste the whites. So rich, so creamy, so good I didn’t want to share. I believe with my menu Italian understanding that she blends cheese instead of butter with the eggs. A truly remarkable dish in every way, aided by black truffles which had more flavor than some whites we had on this trip. Gnochetti with light cream and black truffles, by far best Gnocchi of a few gnocchi dished we enjoyed on this trip. Mariella matched a beautiful Nebbiolo with this course

For the third course we shared another outstanding veal cheek with mashed potatoes (since we had polenta in the first course, she suggested mashed instead), along with a Voerzio Barolo 08. I say “another cheek” as this was about the 4th of the trip. Another thing we couldnt get enough of on this trip was Cachi (Perssimon). We like eating it and we liked saying it. Here it was a splendid chestnut mousse with a cachi purée, along with an excellent preserved sour cherries with ice cream

Simply Perfect!

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Emilia Romagna, Emilia Romagna Slow Foood, food, Italy, Locanda Mariella, Locanda Mariella Calestano, restaurants, Travel | 2 Comments

Emilia Romagna – The Final Leg

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Ziggy

Moving on to the final leg. Without kids, 10 days is just about all we can stretch it these days. First leg is here, next here. This one features mostly Bologna where we settled down for 3 nights

Day 8 – Traffic, Vignola, Balsamic, Modena, Traffic

Left our B&B in Parma and started the day with a bang, as in a crash on the highway resulting in a standstill for close to an hour. We were lucky enough then to meet with our new friend from Vignola who showed us his hometown including the striking castle of Vignola which we had for ourselves pretty much.

Villa San Donnino, a balsamic vinegar producer was the next stop and this was a real eye opener. Essentially we quickly realized that we knew nothing about Balsamic Vinegar, and the tedious process of making “Traditional” vinegar. The icing on the cake was sampling traditional balsamic with ice cream.

Modena, another beautiful walkable city was the next stop. The famous Modena Duomo was everything we imagined and more thanks to the guidance of our friend. But not quite as emotional as the church we went to next, the entrance to Osteria Francescana, considered top 5 in the world. But the highlight for us this day was lunch at Hosteria Giusti, one of the toughest tables in Italy. Drove to out last B&B in Bologna in more heavy traffic and all sorts of Hertz drop-off adventures. An ok dinner at Osteria La Traviata

Day 9 – Bologna

We fell for Bologna fairly quickly. The porticos, the door knobs, the people, the PORTICOS! Everywhere you turn, porticos, porticos and more porticos all completely different. We pretty much walked all over the historic center checking out the sites

Lunch was a good one at Sale Grosso, a newish popular seafood joint. We try to make it to at least one seafood meal on every trip to Italy even in cities not particularly known for seafood. Dinner was even better at Slow Food pick Osteria Bottega where we finally got solid tasting of the local cuisine.

Day 10 – Bologna

Started the day with a church and a special prayer for no earthquakes for the next 2 hours. I dont ask for much. We then climbed the the tower, Bologna’s symbol for magnificent views of the city. Explored a bit more and settled for another long lunch at Via Serra outside of the center. Our best meal in Bologna. After that we just walked around, did some last minute food shopping in the area where Eataly is located and said goodbye. Zero complaints about our B&B Antica Residenza d’Azeglio

Day 11 – Fly home

Day 12 – Denial and Isolation

Day 13-15 – Depression

Day 16 – Calling in sick, feeding pigeons in the park

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Bologna, Emilia Romagna, food, Modena, Trave | 4 Comments

Emilia Romagna – Little Miss Black Piggy

Posted on November 8, 2014 by Ziggy

Moving on to the region I like to call Emilia Romagna, because that is what its called. This is the middle leg of the trip, First leg is here, last still to come. This is the most eclectic leg, featuring a variety of food filled fun… Culatello, Prosciutto, Parma Cheese, Parma, castles, AT&T misadventures, wife finding out that all the shoes you packed have holes in them, and some of the underwear, mountains, black truffles, more great food including another “one of those meals”, and much more.

Day 5 – Cremona and Corte Pallavicina

We drove the two hours from our hotel in Piedmont to Cremona, a town (just outside ER) renowned for its Violin making. Violins, violins and more violins everywhere you turn, workshops, Violin Museums, chocolates shapes like violins. A very interesting, clean, super bike friendly town. As a New Yorker I was staring at old ladies riding bikes with great fascination in particular. This could also be the home to the most underrated Duomo in Italy. But all this fun came to a crushing halt after I called AT&T to upgrade my data service, only to have them disconnect everything completely. Thankfully, I pre-programmed the GPS with most of the sites so we could get to the next destination.

Rest of the day was one of the highlights of the trip, Antica Corte Pallavicina where we spent the night. The entire stay was like a dream, a very good one, and I will have a blog post when the time comes. Corte Pallavicina is renowned for their Culatello, essentially prosciutto on crack, which can only be produced in that area in/near the town of Zibello. Food lovers detour to visit their famous cellar featuring their black pig Culatello aged for Price Albert, Prince Charles, René Redzepi of Noma, Osteria Francescana in Modena and more. Each one comes with a sticker who it belongs to. We used their bikes to ride along the Po river, visited their famous black pigs, white cows, and had a wonderful dinner at their Michelin Starred restaurant, before a friend I met on Trip Advisor Forum joined us for the meetup we’ve been planning for a year

Day 6 – The cheese producer, the meal, the castle

I arranged an early morning visit to CiaoLatte in Noceto, one of many Parmigiano-Reggiano producers in the area. For a mere 10 euros we got a tour and witnessed the entire process of cheese making, along with a tasting of some of their products. This is a small family producer that is very popular with local schools partly due to the efforts of the mother who turned into a Liza Minnelli song and dance routine when she just met us and found out we are from NYC. More on CiaoLatte later

We then visited the town of Felino, known for the Felino Salami, dubbed “King of Salami”. We had a little Felino tasting at a small Salumeria by the Rick Steves of Salumi salesmen who tried to sell us his entire store. We wanted to visit the salami museum in the nearby castle of Felino but it was closed. Although the splendid views from that castle didnt make us feel too bad.

Lunch was probably the most memorable meal of the trip at Locanda Mariella in the mountains. A culinary ecstasy by a Slow Food legend. If you understand Slow Food and seek it in your travels to Italy, it doesnt get any better than this. After lunch, the magnificent Castle of Torrechiara was the obvious choice smack in the middle between Mariella and our B&B. Dinner at Ai Due Platani was good but pales in comparison to lunch and other meals on the trip.

Villino Di Porporano, our B&B for the next two nights did the trick and more. Highly recommend it

Day 7 – Parma

Spent an entire day touring Parma. Visited the magnificent Duomo, Farnese theater and the attached museum where we couldnt for the life of us find the exit when we were done. The stunning Teatro Regio was unfortunately closed due to the Verdi festival rehearsals. Salumeria Garibaldi treated us to a nice light lunch at one of their 3 tables. Then we explored the big park and the city outside of the historic center which we found equally as fascinating. Dinner was a good one at the ancient Cocchi

More to come soon. Going shoe shopping….

Categories: Emilia-Romagna, Italy | Tags: Emilia Romagna, food, Italy, Parma, Parma Itinerary, Travel | 3 Comments

Piedmont in a (Hazel)Nutshell

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Ziggy

“Err” thats what my scale said this morning, two days after we came back from Piedmont and Emilia Romagna. So I tried again, and this time it said “One at the time”, followed by “Err”. But I really dont feel like “Err”. I feel like I ate very well, as in plenty of non processed, organic home cooking very well. In fact, it was the greatest food trip of our young lives, and the first Italy trip where food and wine was the main focus. The biggest tourist attraction on this trip was a statue of an oversized woman squeezing her breasts. I will have much more about this trip, but meanwhile here’s a small recap of what we did in the Piedmont leg where we spent four days filled with wine, white truffles, onions, wrong turns, mushrooms, lakes, black truffles, vineyards, wrong turns after dark, and more white truffles.

Day 1 – Lago di Orta

45 minutes from Malpensa there’s this beautiful gem most Americans never heard of. Lake Orta. We stayed at Agriturismo il Cucchiaio di Legno 5 minutes from the lake, and the entire food itinerary this day surrounded the Agriturismo. Starting with the picnic basket that we used on the picnic tables on the stunning Sacro Monte di Orta where the picture on top was taken. Ending with a 10+ courser at their restaurant. More to come on that too. And in between the meals we explored the magical town of Orta San Giulio, where we bought Raffi, a small but deadly stinky truffle that we carried with us the entire trip, only to discover yesterday that Raffi tragically died

Day 2 – Alba, Cherasco

One of the reasons for this trip is the Truffle Festival in Alba, a town renowned for its White Truffles and hazelnuts. The entire town smells of Truffles and Nutella (this is the birthplace of Nutella). But the big bonus on this day was the huge Saturday market where we indulged in chocolates which I regret not buying more. Lunch on this day was at La Bottega del Vicoletto, a typical small family trattoria, where we had our first of many truffle tastings.

Before checking into a hotel with the best views from the toilet I’ve ever seen, we stopped at the Castle of Grinzane Cavour. Its a magnificent castle, bested only by the stunning 360 panoramic views around it. Its trully a great introduction to the Langhe area

After we rested a bit, we went to explore the town of Cherasco, known for its snails and kisses, as in the famous Baci di Cherasco chocolates. But the main target of course was dinner at Osteria La Torre, one of many great restaurants in that area

Overnight in Tota Virginia in Serralunga D’Alba (3 nights). I chose this place because it was the only one in the area I could pronounce

Day 3 – Neive, Barbaresco, and The Lunch

The main event on this day was the 3 hour lunch at Il Centro in Priocca. A meal for the ages, and an experience we will never forget. The sheer number of great eats within a 20 km radius of Alba is quite shocking. I will have more on this meal in no time

In the morning we explored the tiny, picturesque Neive where we sampled some more wine and crashed a Macedonian religious service. We then went on a drive where I counted 34 ooohs and Ahhs from Mrs Z. Half of them out of fear really. After lunch we explored the village of Barbaresco. And capped the day with a nice dinner at Castello di Verduno winery’s restaurant Ca Del Re in Verduno, another local Slow Food place

Day 4 – Barolo, Another great lunch, Serralunga

Drove to Barolo the long way to find this odd looking church. Barolo is another stunner, not overrun with tourists considering its name. But we were more interested in the breadstick manufacturer than wine, where we got a private demo of the breadstick making process. More spectacular views everywhere we turned, but none perhaps like the drive from Barolo to Serravalle D’alba and our power lunch with the three brothers at Trattoria La Coccinella. Yet another gem.

After lunch we drove to Serralunga D’Alba to explore the village and take a tour of the castle, one of many in the area including a pretty one viewed from the toilet at Tota Virginia. Dinner at Schiavenza, another popular local winery

Click here for the of the trip

Categories: Italy, Piedmont | Tags: Alba, food, Lake Orta, Piedmont, Travel, white Truffles | 8 Comments

Top 10 Things We Ate in Tuscany

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Ziggy

I’m off to the Island I like to call Providenciales in Turks and Caicos, but meanwhile here is something to chew on…

Pollo al Burro in Sostanza (Florence) – Call it chicken with butter, butter with Chicken, doenst really matter. Two generous breasts are cooked over coal before pan fried with eggs and one stick of butter. Thats still 2 sticks less than the similarly celebrated BBQ Shrimp at Mr B’s in New Orleans, but rich nonetheless. The result is tender and addictive goodness. With the massive Sostanza Bistecca Fiorentina side by side, for the first time ever my fork was reaching for the bird over a well cooked medium rare steak. Long live pollo!

Pappa al Pomodoro at Da Ruggero (Florence). Love on first bite. My first Pappa al Pomodoro of the trip might as well have been my last. The waiter reassure me that this is one of best Pappas in town, so who am I to argue. Who knew tomatoes and stale bread can taste so good. And I could have easily included some of Ruggero’s killer pastas (with a nice kick) here as well.

Cecina at Da Felice (Lucca). Oldest Pizza in town, and the most popular with locals. We sampled some great pizzas, one with salami, and another one with prosciutto that blended oh so nicely with the rest of the ingredients. But I came for the Cecina, thin pancake like or crepe if you will, made of chickpea flour. Delicious! Add a little bit of seasoning, Delicious-er!

Charcuterie Board at L’Incontro (Volterra). Holy smokes this was good. Leave it to local Annie Adair from Tuscan Tours to take us to this treasured local bar. A feast for all senses that included great Salami, Prosciutto and all sorts of Pecorino cheeses (not seen below). But the highlight was a first-rate Porchetta they just happened to have prepared that day. Highly recommend having lunch here when in town.

Pecorino at Podere Il Casale (Near Pienza). Like eating cheese for the first time. The views did not hurt, but the smells and flavors from the Sheep’s milk cheese like the grape aged or walnut leaves age was nothing like we ever had. And did I mention the views? Oh yes, looks like I did

Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli at Il Pozzo (San Angelo in Colle). (Top Picture). Magical dish in another magical setting in stunning San Angelo in Colle. Watch the monks sing nearby at Sant’Antimo abbey before having this beauty with butter and sage. This is a typical Tuscan dish you can have anywhere, but it was especially memorable here, as was the marvelous Pici. Or Pinci as they call it in nearby Montalcino, a town too proud (of their Brunello) to simply call it like everyone else. 😉

Bruschetta at Gattavecchi (Montepulciano). Carnival in my belly! Fantastic Salsa Verde with melted cheese, savory liver pâté (best of the trip – Lilian the Brazilian cook makes it with wine and fruit), all kinds of great concoctions in a cup including potatoes-onion-bell pepper thingy (foodie technical term), and my fave, white beans spread with bread and veggies – ribolita. Heavenly stuff at this heavenly city.

Insalata Lagumi at Da Roberto (Montisi). Simple, beautiful, and highly palatable. One man show Roberto lets the ingredients do the talking. 5 different beans with pecorino, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, carrots, stem of garlic, olive oil. All work together like a beautiful symphony, showcasing Roberto’s true passion. The wrong place to ask “Whats good here” in this Slow Food Ambassador’s place.

Polenta with Porcini at La Tellina (Siena). On a Porcini filled trip this was most memorable. Grilled to perfection Polenta with these delicate, great textured Porcini, a nice app before the great seafood arrives. All prepared with a lot of love from the family that runs this picture perfect trattoria.

Ravioli with pigeon from Guastini (Valiano). This was a tough pick since everything in this meal of the trip was so good. I could have easily inserted the glorious fennel crusted duck, or the divine Tagliata, or the sinful fried rabbit I suppose. But these pigeon stuffed Ravioli with 2 succulent pieces did the trick and more. No wonder this place was full with locals

Categories: Italy, Tuscany | Tags: Da Roberto Montisi, Da Ruggero, food, Gattavecchi, Guastini valiano, Il Pozzo San Angelo in Colle, Italy, L'Incontro Volterra, La Tellina Siena, Podere Il Casale, restaurants, Sostanza, Travel, tuscany, what to eat in tuscany | 5 Comments

Lazy Post – Postcard Perfect Tuscany

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Ziggy

No idea where this is

For the photographers out there looking for those perfect Tuscan shots, here are some important tips on where to find them. Grab a pen and pencil (in case… you know… the pencil breaks)

1) Drive all over Tuscany, especially the Val d’Orcia area

Hmmm, I swear I thought I had more tips, but I’m drawing a blank. I think this might be it – just drive around with your eyes open. Surely it would be challenging to drive with your eyes closed, but I’ve seen it done in Florida (and got the metal plate in my leg to prove it). But the truth is the entire Tuscany region is one giant postcard, and Val d’Orcia is perhaps as picture perfect as it comes. Simply going from point A to point B anywhere in that area will produce more unique landscapes, quite different than the drive you took to get to point A.

From Florence to Lucca to seeing Volterra through the eyes of Annie Adair, to Siena, Pienza and the rest of the gems in the South, here are some of the best shots we took

Florence – Santa Croce

Podere Il Casale near Pienza

Siena

From Avignonesi to Valiano

Near Monticchiello

La Foce

Siena to Asciano

lucca san michele in foro

Villa Grazianella

Volterra

San Quirico to Pienza (very close to San Quirico)

Pisa

San Quirico

Near San Quirico

From Montepulciano

From Montalcino

La Vitaleta (famous chapel by San Quirico)

From Avignonesi to Valiano

From Abbey of Sant’Antimo

Bagno Vignoni

Categories: Italy, Tuscany | Tags: Best places in Tuscany, Italy, Travel, travel+photography, tuscany, what to see in Tuscany | 6 Comments

10 Best Things We Ate in Rome

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Ziggy

I know what you thinking. No, I’m not auditioning for a hand model job. Although the hands are normally this photogenic this is not the main motivation behind this post, and you should really pay more attention to the beautiful Canollo (single Connoli. Yes you’ve been living a lie). With that said, if you insist, who am I to prevent what people want and need. Drop me a line at ZiggysHands@Gmail.com, also on twitter @handyjobs.

Roma delivered some tasty surprises. I was all ready to be wowed by all the Cacios and the Pepes, and the Carbonaras, but instead I was impressed by the more familiar items like Meatballs, Mortadella, Burratas and Pizzas. So in no particular order, our top eats in Rome…

Pizza at Da Remo – Although I’ve been to Rome before this was the first time I experienced the classic Roman “Matzoh” thin pizza. We enjoyed this one more than the former Michelin star spot we had for lunch in Orvieto that day. Margherita and the Diavola (like sopressata back home) were spot on, but once we added more toppings things started to get off track a little. So stay simple with the Matsoh Pizza. Fun and supposedly flirtatious staff (at least according to RomeDigest.com. They probably did not notice the hands) lets you take all the pictures you want of the hectic action inside.

Fettuccine Agli Ovoli at La Campana. Ovoli (pronounced delicious) is sort of a rare, expensive mushroom that is bright, sweet, delicate, almost truffle like. The whole mushroom is a weird egg like shape (hence Ovoli). The Italians like to call them as they see it. (E.G Strozzapreti obviously invented when someone witnessed a priest being strangled). La Campana is one of those proud establishments with a rich history dating back to the 16th century. And the best part: Open on Sundays!

Seafood Assortment at Le Mani in Pasta. Terrific finish to an uneven meal at this popular seafood institution in Trastevere. Fantastic hefty juicy Langoustines, wonderfully chewy flat squid, lightly breaded and grilled to perfection, and a nice whole white fish. Borrowing from the Hummus Whisperer, we attacked this thing with full force.

Gelsi Neri Granita at Ciuri Ciuri – Nothing, no ice cream or a slap in the face, during the entire trip felt as refreshing as this dark beauty. Sweet but not too sweet. Is it a blackberry? Well if it is, its not like any blackberry I ever had. Reminds me more of the white berry I ate in Israel. There’s a Borat “Black Not” joke in here somewhere.

Burrata from Roscioli – Just edging the sleek, paper thin Mortadella which is what Mrs Ziggy would have picked. The Burrata, creamy, rich and ever so memorable. But what stole the show was the semi-dried peppery tomatoes I couldnt get enough of. Promise me you will get both dishes. Or we are no longer friends

Sliced Pizza from Forno Campo de’ Fiori – Fitting entry right after my post on Sullivan Street Bakery and its room temperature pizza bianca. If Pizza Bianca (white pizza for those scoring at home, or if you are alone) like in Sullivan was more popular in NYC it would be hot off the oven as opposed to room temperature. We enjoyed a few slices at this Forno. Delicious plain, chewy bianca, and one topped with tomatoes. Bread, salt, olive oil never tasted this good.

Meatballs from Cesare al Casaletto – Another tough choice here between the meatballs and the super flavorful oxtail. Add the lightly fried gnocchi to the mix and you got yourself a nice meal at this far enough from the tourists stop (oh those pesky tourists). The meatballs were some of the most unique balls I ever had. Airy, slow cooked savory brisket meatballs with just enough creamy pesto. Yum yum yum.

Biscotti and Cookies from Biscottificio Innocenti – Like eating Biscotti and cookies for the very first time. Tucked on the quiet side of Trastevere is this 100 year old bakery/factory. Just walk in and ask for an assortment. Score one big one for Katie Parla

Fettuccine from Il Sorpasso. With pesto, zucchini flowers and sunflower seeds. Need I say more? Yes I probably should. Perhaps the single best pesto sauce I ever ate. There! One of 3 excellent non-Roman pastas we shared here after some fantastic cheese and cured meats. A perfect lunch spot after the Vatican

Cannoli from Ciuri Ciuri – (Picture on top). Yes, 2 items from Ciuri. a place so good you say it twice. The trick about good Cannoli is seeing empty shells, which means a fresh fill of that ricotta goodness when you order. Cannoli lovers – look no further! Well, you can look further. Its just an expression.

Categories: Italy, Rome | Tags: Best food in rome, Biscottificio Innocenti, Cesare al Casaletto, Ciuri Ciuri Rome, food, Forno Campo de' Fiori, Il Sorpasso, La Campana rome, Le Mani in Pasta, restaurants, Rome, Roscioli Rome, Travel | 5 Comments

Florence – City of Eugene

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Ziggy

Today the plan was to write one of those “lazy posts” on the Italian City of David. Its where I spend some time picking the best pictures of some place I visited recently and just throw them in here with minimal word content. But it just feels weird to do that today due to some circumstances.

When people mention the subject of Trip Advisor, the immediate thing that comes to mind to most people is Reviews. Mainly reviews of Restaurants, Hotels, and Attractions. But very few know about Trip Advisor’s other powerful arm, the Forum. You can spend a month in some city or country’s TA forum and gain a wealth of information. Information that is absent from your guidebook. The forum to me is internet’s best travel tool. All this, thanks to regular forum participants that spend their spare time helping tourists with the various questions they have. They are some of their city’s greatest ambassadors. One of those ambassadors was Eugene Martinez who tragically passed away a few days ago. I never actually met Eugene but we came very close when I was there in June. Eugene was a tremendous help in making our Florence stay as memorable as it was. From my interactions with him and from what I heard he was kind, caring, funny, and passionate about the city of Florence and Tuscany. He will be sorely missed.

Categories: Florence, Italy, Tuscany | Tags: florence, Italy, Travel, travel+photography, tuscany | 7 Comments

Podere Il Casale – So This is What Cheese Tastes Like!

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Ziggy

3 months later I’m starting to forget details about the trip. But I’m not forgetting feelings. I remember having that “How can I prolong this moment, I don’t want to leave, I’m such an idiot for scheduling more things than I should” feeling more than once, all in Tuscany. And while sitting outside in Podere Il Casale on that perfect day, trying to decide whether I prefer the grape aged Pecorino or the one aged with walnut leaves, only to be interrupted by that stunning view, that feeling took over again.

Nestled smack in the middle between Pienza and Monticchiello, Podere Il Casale, an organic farm producing sheep’s (pecorino) and goat cheese that was unlike anything we ever tasted. It was like eating cheese for the very first time. Sandra and Ulisse run the farm since 1991. Sandra gave us an overview of the place (much bigger than it seems at first) and cheese making process, while showing us the facilities and Ricotta making in action. The 5 minute old Ricotta was easily the most satisfying ever. But I couldn’t get enough of that Pecorino, especially the aged stuff.

Podere Il Casale is more than just a cheese producer. Its a full service Agriturismo, attracting lodgers, campers, farm students and volunteers. 2 meals a day including a wood oven pizza expert hanging around in the premises (how can I get a pizza expert hang around my premises, all I have is a crazy neighbor and her dog), cooking classes, and various educational programs are offered. They also produce wine, olive oil, pasta, honey, and even some prosciutto. All that in an absolute jaw dropping setting, making other pigs and sheep extremely jealous. The cliché “Pictures don’t do this Justice” has probably been invented in South Tuscany, somewhere near here

Sandra and Ulisse also recently received a grant by the Italian government that allows them to open operations oversees. As long as they sell and promote Tuscan based products, the gov’t will help sponsor the operations. First stop, NYC, slated to open in a few months. I will post details here as soon as I get them

Categories: Italy, Tuscany | Tags: food, Italy, Podere Il Casale, restaurants, Travel, tuscany, Tuscany agriturismo, What to do in Tuscany | 15 Comments

La Tellina in Siena – All in the Family

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Ziggy

I don’t know why it took me so long to write about La Tellina. Its not like I was busy writing about more important things. But the truth is this was a memorable and fun lunch. Picking this particular one I remember wasn’t easy, as I wasn’t able to find many bloggers or Chowhounders out there talking about Siena. But as much as I prefer not to follow TripAdvisor forum recommendations, I’ve decided in this case to trust the Siena expert with a pizza avatar from Alaska. Forum helpers with food, wine glass or Borat icons usually know their food. Do not trust those with cute animals or pictures of their babies.

If you look at the dictionary for classic family trattoria, you may see a picture of La Tellina, inside and out. Husband cooks, wife serves, and sister and mistress are in the act as well, if I understood correctly, not really sure. La Tellina specializes in seafood and cuisine from the south (cook from Naples) which was completely fine with us after a Pici filled 4 days in Tuscany.

We started with a fine and refreshing Caprese salad. Absolutely fantastic fresh mussels with “I’m not washing my hands anytime soon” addictive sauce. I was dipping everything in there including fingers and car keys. Grilled polenta with some of the best tasting porcini of the trip was spot on.

Homemade meatballs were as solid as traditional meatballs can get. I live in the meatball capital of the world and these were some great melt in your mouth balls. Spaghetti with fresh mussels and clams – garlicky, packed with flavor. Simply grilled whole sea bass was perfectly cooked. We love to grill whole branzinos at home and this one was better than we ever did.