Last week, we received a visit from our Uncle S. and Aunt Deborah who were traveling through Europe on business. They had planned a stop over visit us before traveling by train to their next destination. We had also coordinated with Jen’s mom, who was departing on the same day they arrived, which saved us a trip to the airport and allowed us to spend the day in Milano (never a bad thing). Whoever said planning is overrated never had traffic and a two year old to contend with.
Julia with her great-uncle S.
Julia was sad to see her Nonna leave, but excited to have new visitors to play with. She instantly recognized S. and Deb as they arrived through customs. Since it was early evening when they landed, we took them back to our condo and had a “light” dinner of bread, salami, salami piccante (spicy salami) prosciutto, cheese, a cannelloni bean salad, acciughe in salsa verde (anchovies in green sauce), insalata finocchio (fennel salad) and insalata caprese with some wonderful buffalo mozzarella. Franco and Claudia came downstairs to join the party and brought some additional goodies of their own. Of course, we had more than a bottle or two of some good vino along with grappa and limoncello to wash it all down.
Julia found a left-handed drinking buddy
We had a long list of activities we wanted to accomplish while they were here, but the three days we had wasn’t enough time to do it all. The only thing to do… plan our lunches and work backwards from there! Since most restaurants are closed one day a week (either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the restaurant) and the weather predicted to change dramatically over those three days – I spent a good 30 minutes figuring out the rubik’s-cube that was their trip.
We spent the first day in Lecco (the other “leg” of the lake), the second day eating sopra (above) with Franco and Claudia (who live above us) and the final day in Tremezzo (another lake town). Since both S. and Deb had read the blog post HERE about a wonderful restaurant we discovered who’s cuisine is matched only by the adventure you must undertake to arrive – that was pre-penciled in.
Julia was excited to return to Osteria Montalbano
A quick summary of the restaurant, Osteria Belvedere Montalbano in Lecco (or click the link above); Lake Como has two “legs” with Como at the “foot” of the west leg and Lecco at the foot of the east leg. Lecco has stunning mountains that surround the lake. In order to find the restaurant, you must drive through the town, into a residential area on one of the mountains, enter a private road and continue to wind your way up the mountain. As you approach the end of the road, you’ll find a dirt path that is covered with stones and trees. Turn on your all wheel drive and wind your way up the path for 20 minutes before finding this jewel.
Everyone in front of one of our favorite restaurants
On our first trip, we were lucky enough to make it up this tiny/dangerous road unscathed. This time everything appeared to be going well, when suddenly we came across an obstacle. The road was closed half-way up because a local farmer was chopping trees and one laid clear across the “road”, blocking our path. There is NO turning around or backing down – our only option was to push forward. I hopped out of the car and asked him when he would be done. He said that it would be about 20-30 minutes. I volunteered to help and S and I became his gofers while he continued to skillfully wield his chainsaw. He jokingly said, avete fame (you must be hungry)! We were on our way in less than 10 minutes!
Nothing is going to keep us from getting there!
The food was as spectacular as the first visit and the quantity could have fed a small army, let alone four travelers. Since the menu is seasonal, many of the dishes were repeats for Jen and myself – but we had a couple new dishes, pictured below.
Filet with radicchio and a gorgonzola cream sauce
Roasted rabbit with a white wine reduction
Pan fried polenta
Half pear / half blubbery torte with custard
As we were leaving, we noticed a bocce-ball court that looked like it will be a lot of fun when the weather warms. S. made an astute and funny observation that there wasn’t a flat patch of earth anywhere to be seen for miles, yet they had a perfectly manicured surface to play bocce-ball on the top of a mountain!
Anyone up for a game?
This is my bench… don’t even think about it!
Deb and Julia sharing a laugh
We’re looking forward to visiting Osteria Belvedere Montalbano again when our next adventurous visitors come to see us!
Jen picked a wonderful restaurant in the heart of Verona, romantically hidden from site, lending the feeling of authenticity (as opposed to “touristy”). We were visiting the amazing city for the day (read all about our visit HERE) and had pre-selected, Ristorante Greppia as our place for pranzo (lunch).
The small street leading to Ristorante Greppia
We were instantly taken in by the charm and warmth of the restaurant. The wait staff elevated our excitement for the meal to come by extending great courteousness and hospitality (indulging me as I took photos with this blog in mind).
Jen and Julia out front
Dining al fresco
We eagerly reviewed the menu and decisions came easily for the women (pasta for both). I had a bit of a harder time deciding between the Ossobucco di Vitella con Polenta (braised veil shanks with polenta), Fegato di Vitella con Polenta (veil liver with polenta) or Cervello Dorate di Vitello (“golden” veil brain). I’m not afraid to gamble and I’m certainly adventurous with my food – so I left the meal to chance and asked the server for his recomendation of the three (rather hoping he’d land on the liver or brain). Of course he chose the brain (why oh why couldn’t he have just suggested the rather normal and delicious ossobucco?!) and so I willingly obliged.
Some of Ristorante Greppia’s Wine Selection
Jen and her mother Diane started with an Insalata Caprese (tomato and mozzarella salad) and I added a side of Patate al Forno (roasted potatoes) with my brains. “Yes, I’d like a side of potatoes with my brains please”… I didn’t quite realize how silly this all sounds until just now as I was typing!
The salads were brought out after we’d had a nice chance to enjoy some wine.
Insalata Caprese
Jen’s mom, Diane chose a delicious Rigatoni al Ragu (a rigatoni noodle in a meat sauce), while Jen chose the Tris della Casa (three of the house) pastas which included a gnocchi, a spaghetti and a pappardelle.
Rigatoni al Ragu
Tris della Casa
When my cervello (brains) were served, they looked perfectly breaded (just ever-so lightly) and wonderfully pan fried. I took my first bite and… the consistency was a bit – well, perhaps brainy?! I took a second bite. I think I’ll go with… “rich”. I took another and another. My descriptors to the ladies moved from “good” to “unique” to “interesting” to “a one time experience” to “I’m done” rather quickly!
Five LARGE sections of the cervello (brain)
Potate al Forno (roasted potatoes) on the side
Had there been one section for me to nibble on as just an appetizer, I likely would have left feeling elated I was brave enough to eat brain and content with my meal. But since there were five little buggers staring me in the face and it was my entree, I was filled with dread after my second section. I decided two and a half sections (out of five) was enough. This was the first time since I’ve lived in Italy that I can remember leaving a meal hungry!
It may look like fried mozzarella – I assure you, it’s not!
The girls thoroughly enjoyed their pasta and Diane (who is very consistent with her ordering) joked with me after the meal; “you guys (myself, Jen and her husband Dominic) love to order these strange things – but you never know if you’re going to like your meal. I can always tell you that I’m going to love mine!” And she’s absolutely right – but I’ll continue to double down when possible and try the unusual menu items – because those have often been the best meals I’ve ever had. This experience will not rate in that category, but it will certainly land in the more memorable section!
I kept imagining the zombies from my favorite iPhone game saying “BRAINS!”
Next time you’re in Verona – check out Ristorante Greppia and enjoy your food. Just use your brain and steer clear of theirs. Buon appetito!
We’ll just call this the “prequel” or maybe “part one of two“. As the title suggests, our day in Brunateshould have given us spectacular views of downtown Como since it virtually sits atop the city on a mountain. But since the fog wasn’t cooperating and decided to stick around – we didn’t get to see or photograph some of the most amazing views our lake town has to offer. So, perhaps a better title might have been…
“Brunate – we’ll focus on the town this time and show you the views next time… the Prequel”.
Welcome to Brunate
Brunate is a small town of about 1,700 residents in the provence of Como and sits [based on my speculation, vertigo and body tempeture] at the highest altitude in the immediate area. It is for this reason that you get the most speculator views as well as an intimate and charming old-world feel.
There are three ways to get to Brunate. First (and my personal favorite) is by helicopter. This is reserved exclusively for George Clooney (a “local”) and the Italian Prime Minister. I’m hoping to get on this short list. Incidentally, there is no helicopter pad in Brunate – I just imagine if they wanted to travel to this way… they could.
Town of Brunate from the road half-way up
For the tourists, The Funicolare takes you in a small train car directly up the mountain. This is a wonderful, albeit nerve-racking way to travel to the top of the mountain. Think ski-mountain gondola in the fashion of an old train car, although it is attached to the ground as opposed to being suspended in the air. It has been operating since 1894 – and it looks as though it still has the original… everything! Jen and I have not taken the funicolare in all the time we’ve been coming here, so we’re hoping to have some willing victims…errr, guests to do it with while we’re living here.
The Funicolare drops off in the middle of town
The final option – although perhaps even more harrowing – is by car. This is a dangerous proposition for everyone except the most experienced locals (who whizz up and down the mountain at breakneck speeds). Even though we are far from experienced locals, we opted for this route. Of course, we had more than our fare-share of close calls and angry tailgaters as I slowly wound my way up and back down the hill.
Two-lane road with one of many hairpin turns
Here is a video as we reached the town and the terror of driving shifted from falling off the mountain to adding new racing stripes painted with 500 year old bricks down each side of my father-in law’s car.
When we finally got to the top and confirmed that we couldn’t see too much – we spent some time walking around and stopped to get a coffee. We learned that parking is also very difficult in this small town, so we didn’t want to stay double-parked too long.
Jen – the white behind her is the fog hiding the view
Street view and a charming restaurant
Sant’Andrea – the church in the center of town
Snow-kissed streets
This guy was at the coffee shop – fun guy – loved Americans
This video doesn’t quite have the production value of the first one – no high-priced soundtrack and million-dollar effects… but it’s actually even better at showing the winding road going up and down the mountain. I apologize in advance for the narration!
Look at for Part II in this saga – where we don’t rush it and I get you some better pictures, particularly of the view. Coming sometime this spring…
OK… not quite your Grateful Dead listening, moccasin wearing, pot smoking, “make love-not war” type of hippies. More of the modern-day “green” kind. Which is a good thing. But let me tell you something…
IT SURE IS INCONVENIENT!
When we first moved here and were getting our run-down of the new rules of life, one of the first things we discovered was that everything gets recycled. You’re likely saying, “what’s the big deal? I recycle!” Sure, we did too. I was quite proud to carry my bottles, plastic and paper to the big blue bin next to the trash chute. Our building actually changed from having to separate paper from plastic into one big bin to make it more convenient. Now that’s the type of recycling I was used to.
But this… this is next-level recycling. Thinking about throwing that banana peel away? You’d better stop in your tracks! Planning on throwing away that package your kids toy came in? Stop right there! You were planning on seperating the paper label from the plastic cover and removing it from the cardboard backing, right?!
You see, everything needs to be separated. EVERYTHING. And there is no such thing as “Tuesday trash night” to put your refuse on the street. There is “glass night”. And “paper night”. And “compost night”, etc. So, you’d better budget some time to take a trip to the curb nearly every night and nearly every morning.
Think you’ll circumvent the system by going to the dump? Think again! We only have to separate into five piles at home – at the dump, it’s over double that figure.
Being OCD by nature, I went and got fresh new trash bins to color-cordinate my refuse. Little problem – the garbage men don’t like some of the bins I’ve selected and have twice taken my neighbors garbage while leaving mine. I’ll be sure to get it right soon enough!
Bins shown below (from left to right) umido (compost), rifiuti solidi (garbage), plastica (plastic), carta (paper) and bottiglie (bottles).
My clean new bins
Oh yeah, you’ll notice different color bags. Each type of trash also requires it’s own special bag. Below is what happens when you make a mistake on bag or type of bin – they leave your trash curbside and you take your trash back upstairs to wait until the next time it goes out.
Some of the trash came back upstairs with me
This is what happens after a snowstorm and no garbage is picked up
So, I don’t mean to “one-up you” here – but if you think you’re doing your part for Mother Nature, think again! We’re going GREEN over here in Italy. Of course, I imagine that we’re giving it all back and more touring around in that big diesel SUV I’m borrowing from my in-laws!
I just tell you – I am quite the romantic! I mean, so much so that I didn’t have a card, a plan or a clue this past Valentine’s day. But I just knew something would work out!
“Sure hope Daddy has something special planned for us”
I figured, what better way to start a romantic Valentine’s day than finalizing one of our last major tasks – car shopping. Thanks to my new best friend – the internet – we found a car in a town about 40 minutes away. So we piled in and headed over. After some intense negotiating (and let me tell you – your author was winning like Tyson versus Spinks) we built up an appetite. We asked the salesperson for directions to a local pizzeria (having not eaten delicious Italian-style pizza for a full week). He asked if we wanted pizza, or we wanted to eat like a local. That was a no-brainer and we answered at the same time in Italian (my accent, perfect – Jen’s not so much) that we wanted to eat like the locals. He gave us directions and we set our coordinates to GO.
La Pioppa
“Welcome to La Pioppa”
Within about 10 minutes, we pulled up to an Agriturismo called La Pioppa (La Pioppa’s Website). A couple years ago, we learned that an Agriturismo is essentially a cottage, ranch, farm or farmhouse that has working agricultural operations combined with tourism in order to provide a charming and authentic setting for it’s guests. We have great family friends that run a beautiful Agriturismo called, Il Ghiaccio (Il Ghiacco’s Wesbite). We spent a wonderful week in Tuscano (Tuscany) at Il Ghiaccio a couple years ago.
Fireworks overtop Il Ghiacco in 2010
I was a bit naive to think that Agristurismo’s only existed in Tuscano and have since learned they are not only all over Italy – but actually all over Europe. As we learned more recently, some Agriturismo’s focus on the agricultural, others the lodging (hosting private guest kitchens), others dining and others still a combination of the three.
Ducks freezing their butts on a pond
Lunch time for the horses too
This guy’s got to wait his turn
“Sure hope I’m not on the menu today!”
La Pioppa seemed to have an emphasis on the farming and dining, with only a couple rooms above the restaurant. But business must be booming because we noticed an entirely new building of rooms under construction.
After enjoying some time with the animals (Julia couldn’t pick a favorite), we headed in for our meal. A pre-fix menu for €11 gave us a prima (first), secondo (second), water, wine, coffee and a dessert.
Jen ordered the Ravioli con Carne al Sugo di Pomodoro (meat ravioli with a tomato sauce) and I got the Pasta alla Carbonara (a pasta based with eggs and parmigiano cheese). Or maybe it was the other way around… either way, I ate the lion’s share of both.
Paccheri Pasta alla Carbonara
Ravioli al Sugo
Next was a Bresaola (an air-dried, aged beef thinly sliced) along with Patate Fritte (french fries) fried in olive oil and Salsiccia e Fagioli (sausages and beans).
Bresaola
Patate Fritte
Salsiccia e Fagioli
For dessert, a Panna Cotta al Cioccolato (panna cotta with chocolate) and then… you guessed it, our coffee!
Panna Cotta
Beautiful water goblet
Some more time spent playing with the animals for Julia and then we were on our way. This will be a must-return visit when the weather is warmer to really enjoy the outdoors. I’d sure say that La Pioppa saved the day – the Valentine’s Day, that is! I even got credit for organizing a wonderful day!
It still tickles me that when I wake up and ask Jen, “what do you want to do today” – the answer might be something like, “let’s go to Switzerland”. What a great idea!
Our home in Lake Como, Italy is very near the Swiss-Italian border. We have always been fond of a neighboring lake town, Lugano, Switzerland. Since the trip is only about 30 minutes, the idea to hop over the border for lunch appealed to us quite a bit.
Lugano, Switzerland
Switzerland is a beautiful country with some of the most breathtaking landscapes you’ll see. The most interesting thing [to us] about Switzerland is that it’s a country that in many respects, assumes the identity of its neighboring countries. It is a landlocked country bordered by Germany, France, Italy and Austria. The Swiss do not have their own language; each Swiss “region” instead adopts the tongue of the closest neighboring country (either German, French or Italian). Additionally, the food served in each region follows the same trend of marrying the food of it’s neighbor-country. However, we have found that the architecture seems to be uniquely Swiss throughout most of the country. Despite not having a shared language or cuisine, the Swiss have found a strong sense of pride in their country and it’s ideals.
Border crossing from Italy into Switzerland
The two economic epicenters of the country are Zurich and Geneva. If you’ve ever see a gangster or action movie – you’ll know that banking is a large industry, originally praised for it’s client privacy, security and discretion. If you’re a legitimate business magnate or Vito Corleone, you most likely have a Swiss bank account. Banking is just one of many reasons that Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world.
Homes atop a perfume shop
Switzerland also produces some of the worlds finest timepieces. Some of the more infamous Swiss made timepieces include Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Cartier, Chopard, IWC, Patek Phillipe and of course, Rolex – to name a few. Much to my disappointment – they are no cheaper if you buy them in Switzerland (in fact, quite a bit more thanks to a weak dollar). An interest tidbit that I just learned… over half of the world’s watches sold are made in Switzerland (in terms of value).
A shop that sells wonderful panini, meats and cheeses
As we departed to cross the border, we researched a good place to eat and found, Grotto Mulino Pregassona. It was a bit of a trek because the restaurant was a ways away from the center of the town. We put our faith in the reviews of others and were pleased with the results when we saw the charming restaurant as we pulled up.
Grotto Mulino Pregassona
We eagerly exited the vehicle and sauntered up to the restaurant, expectations high. Odd, the windows looked dark. And door seemed to be tightly pulled shut. Because it was closed – oh, that explains things. Upon further inspection we discovered (thanks to a rough job translating) the restaurant was closed for the season and would re-open in April. APRIL! Oh yeah, I forgot – we’re on the Italian side. Should have read those reviews a bit closer.
We drove back into the main part of town, the Centro (Center) of town. We walked around a bit and settled on a place to eat (it was OK, but not blog-worthy… sorry, no photos). As we walked around we enjoyed the sites and sounds of the people, and loved taking in the beautiful shop displays. There are custom pasticcerie (pastry shops) sandwiched between Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Armani and the countless Swiss watch shops (hence, our nickname of the Rodeo Drive of Switzerland).
Jen and Julia window shopping
Time for a giggle
Looking at the ducks on the lake
Sometimes sightseeing is better to do alone
Jen and Julia on a pier
Time to stop for a drink
It was a short trip around the bend, but well worth it. We can’t wait to visit Switzerland again soon!
No, we didn’t oversell it in the title. This meal was
LEGEN…wait for it…DARY!
Like Odysseus who fought heroically in the Trojan war and embarked on a long journey rife with cyclops, lotus-eaters, sea monsters and hostile giants; we too fought our own heroic battle of hunger and embarked on a journey rife with wrong turns, communication challenges, unpaved roads and hostile baby cries. In the end however, it worked out better for us than Odysseus.
We decided to visit the neighboring town of Lecco and grab a bite to eat. When I quickly opened my browser and selected a restaurant from Trip Advisor based solely on someones comment “good food, family friendly” – we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We plotted our course in the GPS and set out to eat at Osteria Belvedere Montalbano, a thirty minute-minute drive.
Lecco – a lake town on the east “leg” of Lake Como
A panoramic of the lake that I stitched together – the view on our way to the restaurant
Thirty-five minutes later, we pulled up. To a house. This couldn’t be right. We tried again. Twenty minutes later we ended up in the woods. Hmmm??? Twenty five minutes later we pulled up again. To another house. How many Via (Street) Montalbano’s could there be?! Jen dug a little deeper and translated a few google posts. She discovered that the restaurant is in fact, in the woods. So we were right when we were in the woods??? We tried that route again and hit a dirt path that looked to be traveled only by horses. As frustrated as you are reading this, you can imagine our displeasure. We’d had enough… time to throw in the towel.
As we were heading back down the hill we saw a final beacon of hope. We stopped two bikers and asked about this seemingly nonexistent place. They smiled and said, “turn around and follow us – but the road is pretty treacherous, so take it slow and be careful.” We spent another 15 minutes creeping up that very same dirt path; full of rocks and branches and no leeway on either side. Finally, we arrived and thanked our very kind guides.
Our “guides”
“Follow us, but go slowly”… uhhh yeah, no problem guys!
This was actually the nicer part of the road
Getting a little dicier – hood shown for perspective
“SERIOUSLY?!”
We pulled into the clearing in the woods and soaked up the view of the beautiful lake. The restaurant, a converted home – looked unassuming and inviting. But we were still a bit nervous as we walked up and were instantly relieved when we walked in and found that we had made it to the right place.
Osteria Belvedere Montalbano
As we seated ourselves, we knew we would be in for a treat. Our waiter Fabio, who also doubled as the cook – greeted us warmly and asked if we would like a half bottle or full bottle of wine. We responded that we’d like the half-bottle. He brought a full bottle.
Our host, Fabio
A delicious house wine
He also told us about the menu, which was not your typical explanation of specials and meal descriptions. It was him telling us what we would be eating. We didn’t quite understand, so we nodded politely and got ready to dig in. He started with a pasta dish, conscrigno tagliolini fungi bresaola e` tartufo (air cured beef over thin pasta noodles with mushrooms and truffles).
Primo (first course)
Before we were finished with the first dish, he brought caramelle al ragu` di cinghiale (wild boar ragu with a caramel drizzle).
More pasta as primi
Next was freshly-made raviolini di grano saraceno (hand-made ravioli made with buckwheat).
Third pasta dish
We couldn’t eat another bite. We begged him to stop… but then he described the next dish and we caved. We told him that we had to try it, but we needed to split one portion of the controfiletto con radicchio e gorgonzola (filet over radiccio with a gorgonzola sauce).
Secondo – meat dish
Then we moved onto dessert (delicious gelato) and coffee.
We were the last to leave (from the lunch crowd) and sauntered back to the car with a natural high that lasted all the way home. The road home was a lot more fun… but not nearly as much fun we expect it will be on our way back soon!
The indoor lighting
We were joined by a visitor for part of our meal
The only sign we saw for the restaurant… after we had eaten
I would also be remiss not to mention that when I walked up to pay, I discovered I didn’t have too much cash for this meal that would have to cost a fortune. I was quietly praying they accepted credit cards…until I got the bill. 30 euros for everything! I’d say Osteria Montalbano is the best deal in Lecco – if you can find it!!
We made a discovery recently about Italians that contradicted an earlier belief of ours. So it got us thinking… what other misconceptions do many Americans have about Italians? Let’s dig a little deeper and see what we discover. This is a collection of observations we’ve made since we’ve been here and we will likely have additions over time (and possibly corrections).
*Disclaimer - this post is meant to be fun and in no way itself, factual! These are simply things that we have observed [and this is important] in this region. One of the first things that we learned is that there are dramatic differences throughout the country - cultural, culinary, lingual... you name it! So, while something may be fact or fiction based on what we've noticed; it's highly probably that it could be the opposite somewhere else.
FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS LOVE GARLIC…THE MORE THE BETTER!
While garlic is prevalent in many dishes, like most other things… they prefer it in moderation. In fact, what appears to us like a little amount of garlic in a dish is probably already far too much. Interesting Italian tidbit – eating raw garlic is good for you, but cooked garlic has no impact. Vampires beware, I’ve been gulping the stuff!
Answer – FICTION
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS LOVE THEIR COFFEE?
Given the name of this blog, you most likely have already surmised that coffee is enjoyed several times throughout the day. However, the experience is very different than the US. Instead of going to any Starbucks in the morning and ordering a 20 oz coffee that you’ll guzzle in your car on the way to work, Italians prefer several small cups of espresso throughout the day. Sometimes with milk (con latte or a machiatto), sometimes very small (corto) and occasionally a bit bigger (lungo) – but always in an espresso cup and never “to go”. An enjoyable custom is visiting various “bars” throughout the day, ordering your coffee, chatting with your friends, plunking down your €1 and heading out only to return a few hours later. CAREFUL – one of us (and it wasn’t your author) learned a couple years ago that you NEVER order a cappuccino after a meal.
Answer – FACT
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS HAVE TWO HOUR LUNCHES?!
Pranzo circa 2006 when we were here for Jens cousin’s wedding
Perhaps not two hours exactly, but pranzo (lunch) is an event that is not to be missed or rushed. In most households, pranzo is the most important meal of the deal – a wonderful moment to spend time with family. You’ll find most shops close around 12:00 and don’t re-open until after 2:00 in order to allow shopkeepers and workers time to make it home and eat. Many households will regularly serve pasta as a prima (first course), sometimes followed by a secondo (second course of fish or meat) and usually rounded out by a salad at the end. Of course, wonderful bread and cheese are present and many households will happily open a nice bottle of vino (wine) and finish with caffè (coffee). With a younger generation and big box stores ushering in new norms, pranzo may not have as much emphasis as it did in the past – but the act of eating an enjoyable lunch will always have a place in Italian culture.
*We have the benefit of wonderful cooks both upstairs and in our own home – we have enjoyed many wonderful two-hour lunches ourselves; even though my waist line isn’t too appreciative. Future posts on Claudia and Jen’s delicious cooking to come.
Answer – FACT
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FACT OR FICTION – “SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS” IS ALWAYS ON THE MENU?
No meatballs here
While pasta is very common (and spaghetti, a type of noodle is one of the most popular varities) – polpette (meatballs) are never served on top of spaghetti and oozing with marinara. In fact, the only time we’ve ever had polpette was a second meat course and they tasted very different than what we’re accustomed to.
Answer – FICTION
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS DRINK TONS OF SAN PELLEGRINO SPARKLING WATER?
This was something Jen and I assumed, not necessarily something that is commonly thought of. Every time we have gone out to eat in the states with Italians, we order aqua frizzante (sparkling water) and 9 times out of 10 they would deliver San Pellegrino to the table. Given Jen’s Italian upbringing, we actually became quite accustomed to stocking the delicious “bubbly stuff” in our own home (thank you Costco for selling cases). So, naturally we assumed that the big player in the US market would dominate on their own turf. But the truth is – we haven’t seen a single bottle! Not at a restaurant, not at a friends home, not at the supermarket. It’s like they bottle almost exclusively for export! Don’t get me wrong… there is a bottle of frizzante at every table we’ve graced – just not San Pellegrino.
Interestingly enough, Illy and Lavazza (the two espresso brands most dominant in the US) are not only very prevalent in Italy – they are regarded as the best quality.
Answer – Fiction
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIAN SUBS ARE BETTER IN ITALY?!
Well, this just seems like common sense. We’re in the mecca for the cured meats, wonderful cheeses and incredible bread that could make the world’s greatest submarine sandwich. We have access to carefully aged vinegar and the most delicious olive oil. The lettuce and tomatoes… well, OK – they’re pretty much the same. So, of course they should put them all together and give it the namesake of their own country, right?
I dare you to go into any restaurant and order an “Italian Sub”. You’ll get a look like you have three heads, because for some strange reason twelve inches of layer after layer of mixed meats, cheese, vegetables and oil smashed into a piece of bread doesn’t sound appealing to them at all. Weird – I’m getting hungry just typing!
Italians prefer to keep most things separate, so that they can taste each item. Sure, they have sandwiches (post on our sandwich adventure), but not of the “sub-sandwich” kind. In fact the place we went in Milano is quite rare. Most places simply put one type of meat on bread (salami or prosciutto or prosciutto cotto) sometimes accompanied by cheese and maybe some arugula.
Sorry Jared – we have no use for you here.
Answer – FICTION
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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS ARE VERY LOUD…YOU CAN HEAR THEM A GREAT WAYS AWAY?!
“I already TOOOOOLD you!!!!”
I feel as though I am credible to be able to write about this, as I have known a great many Italians over the years and been privy to many, many conversations. As it’s been explained to me… they’re not loud – they’re passionate! And they’re not always passionate – only when topics of conversation requires it. Like politics or religion…. or what to cook for lunch, or who’s right or wrong, or what the temperature is, or if the sky is actually blue, or if breathing is important, or whether the neighbors can hear them. That sort of thing.
Answer – FACT
Well, we hope you had as much fun learning about what’s Fact and what’s Fiction in this great country as we did creating the list. We’re hoping to learn a lot more so we can continue to add to the list.
The requests have been flooding in by the virtual truckload…
“Now that you live in Italy… what are you cooking?”
Well, we’re here to tell you two things:
1) Not a single person actually asked the aforementioned question (I just thought the subject might make a fun post).
2) Some things are not that different – some things are very different.
And since I’ve thrown myself headfirst into this “blogosphere” and haven’t posted in a couple days… I’m starting to feel like an addict without an outlet. So here we go – we’re going to let you into our kitchen and show you our pantry and refrigerator. You’ll be able to get a first-hand glimpse at what we’ve been eating (when we eat at home that is)!
OUR PANTRY (my favorite)
Pantry Overview
It’s my favorite because I can so easily organize and stack everything neatly, as you see above. This image was not “doctored”. I did not straighten up before taking this shot, but I must confess – I did just unload some groceries and so it was freshly organized. For those that now me best, they won’t be surprised to see all labels out. OK… let’s break it down.
Top shelf – cookies, biscotti, baby biscotti (yes, it exists), dry cereal, etc. Jen’s convinced the fiber in those biscuits make them good for breakfast. I’m still too Americanized and prefer a bowl of cereal.
Top Shelf
Next is “Jen’s shelf”. I call it “Jen’s shelf” because I have no interest in it other than making sure it’s straight and tidy. Here you’ll find the dried beans and canned goods she uses to make her various soups, her tomatoes which are sometimes used as a base in her delicious sugo (sauce) and some other stuff I know nothing about. Oh, I picked up those artichoke hearts – they were on sale. Can’t figure out when/how we should eat them.
Jen’s Shelf
Next is my favorite shelf, because it’s easy to put stuff away and very easy to keep clean. So, I guess I’ll call it my shelf. Let’s see… we’ve got (from left to right) acqua naturale (flat water), acqua frizzante (sparkling water), milk… ok let’s pause a moment. Yes, I said milk. You see, milk is sold here in an aisle as well as the refrigerated section. Initially, we were only getting the refrigerated milk – but it goes bad after a couple days, so after my insescent “encouraging” – we tried this stuff and it’s actually pretty good. Plus, you don’t have to drive frantically to the store if you’re low on milk – you just go the pantry. OK… where were we? Ah, yes. Wine. You’ll see one of our new favorites in the front there. Just picked up four of these puppies for the low-low price of 3€ a piece! And it’s goooood! Moving on we have a row of various vinegar’s and then several types of olive oil – including a special one in front from Civitella, the town of Jen’s nonna (grandmother).
Greg’s Shelf
Our Fridge…
“Shut the damn door!”
We don’t have anything too fancy, several common things based on Italian dietary habits. Yogurt, for your afternoon “snack”. Beer (for Greg) – sold in three packs (weird), bitters (for Jen… I hate the stuff), minestrone soup fresh from last night’s dinner, herbs, frutti di mare (seafood mixtures) that we’ll have for lunch tomorrow over spaghettini (thin spaghetti), Illy coffee, salad and water.
Oh, the good stuff you can’t really see. At the top is a slide out drawer where we keep the ever-present salami, prosciutto, parmigiano cheese, and today we got a real treat… a hunk of speck from Jen’s Aunt upstairs.
A peak inside our fridge
Well, it may not have been the most exciting adventure into our lives – but now you know what we eat on a normal day. I have to say, with Jen’s culinary skills improving at a rate much faster than our lingual skills – I’d rather stay home and eat any day!!
I had originally come up with an inventive and funny way to start this post. I was going to draw a parallel between myself and Joey Tribbiani from “Friends”, as we both share an intense love of sandwiches. I scoured the internet for a clip I can so vividly remember, but could not find it. When quizzed about his favorite food (which many people assume is pizza), we learn that his favorite food is in fact, sandwiches!
For those of you that weren’t fans of the show, “Friends” (all 3 of you) – Joey Tribbiani is a fun-loving, womanizing, “foodie” who craves [among other things] sandwiches. Perhaps this love of meat and cheese folded between two pieces of bread comes from his Italian heritage, because as I’m learning – Italians have perfected the art of the sandwich (hereafter referred to as panino or the plural – panini).
On Sunday, Jen and I decided to go to Milano – a forty-five minute drive from our hometown in Como.
Julia playing with pigeons in front of the Duomo in Milano
Jen had heard about a wonderful flea market that is only open the last Sunday of every month. We bundled up with lots of layers and departed at the wee-early hour of 11:00am (and that was rushing to get out the door). On the way, we consulted the internet to tell us what else to do for the day and found out about a wonderful restaurant with over 100 types of panini. We cross-referenced Trip Advisor and read some wonderful reviews of the food. In my mind, it was a lock we were headed to Bar della Crocetta for lunch! By the time we finally got to the flea market (after a few wrong turns), it was already time for lunch – so instead, we re-routed the GPS to Bar della Crocetta.
Bar della Crocetta
Unassuming façade matches the charming interior perfectly
When we walked in, we were greeted by several friendly, buon giornos and found a nice cozy spot in the corner. After reviewing the menus for several minutes (in both Italian and poorly translated English), we gave up and asked our friendly server to help us pick two sandwiches and something for Julia. Her selections were wonderful. And since Julia didn’t want to wait for her panino, they gave us a plate and told us to help ourselves to the bar full of food.
Delectable treats to hold us over
Our excitement grew as we watched delicious panino after panino come from the kitchen. We were not disappointed!
They tasted as good as they looked!
AMILACARE – golfetta (salami), brie, scamorza cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc.
BIG – prosciutto crudo, fontina cheese, shrimp, lettuce, tomato, etc.
Julia’s Ham and Cheese – prosciutto cotto, fontina cheese
We couldn’t be happier. Julia jumped right in and preferred to take big bites on her own as opposed to the small pieces her mom cut for her.
Big bites from a little girl
“Boy is that goooood”
When we were winding down, Julia was just getting started! She decided she didn’t want any more of the prosciutto cotto (cooked prosciutto, basically ham) and wanted her favorite… salami! If I can ever get the video to load properly… we have a funny video of her demanding salami after her first discovery of it’s deliciousness!
We could hear the staff laughing and repeating her cute request of salami – or as she says it… “lami” (here’s a video of her requesting it). The trouble was, we had already finished our sandwiches. What we didn’t know was that they weren’t just discussing her unique accent – they were actually putting together a plate of her own salami.
A plate of salami – brought just for Julia
“I’m in heaven”
With our bellies full and our moods elated… there was only one thing left to do in order to finish the meal. Have our espresso!!
The necessary post-meal caffè
If you find yourself in Milano – please go enjoy Bar della Crocetta and tell our servers we said “Ciao and grazie!”
