Man, do I love the bad puns in my titles or what? Probably about as much as I love posing rhetorical questions to my readers…
Roughly twelve days ago, I was as proud of myself as Arvind Mahankali when he successfully spelled knaidel to beat Pranav Sivakumar and secure the championship title during the 86th Scripps National Spelling Bee (apparently, this particular Indian-American knows a thing or two about Jewish comfort food). Why was I so pleased with myself, you ask? Well, I thought that I had finally caught up with our stories on the blog. And then a whirlwind of activity commenced in a flash as Jen’s sister arrived for a visit with her boyfriend. We had such a nice time traveling and eating with them (really, is there anything else you would want to do in Italy?) that now I have a ton more to write about. Additionally, we left them to their own devices while we embarked on a rewarding road-trip, which I cannot wait to tell you about. So, now once again – I am behind the times again faster than you can spell prosciutto.
An accurate portrayal of me as I struggle to keep up with the blog
When I was looking ahead toward the next 5-8 posts, I realized that I would be remiss not to step back and mention our visits to Pisa and then Massa in northern Tuscany. When I last wrote, I detailed our trip to Lucca (HERE). During the drive home we detoured to marvel at the Torre pendente di Pisa (Leaning Tower of Pisa) before getting back on the road. We hadn’t traveled too much further when our perfectly timed Italian stomachs told us it was time for lunch (at first I thought our three stomachs growling in unison was a tractor-trailer honking furiously at me). I was more in the mood for a leisurely lunch than a quick stop at an AutoGrill (picture a rest-stop along the NJ Turnpike with better food and espresso). I turned to my trusty “TripAdvisor” cell phone app and searched for a restaurant near us. I discovered Il Fatty (yeah… you guessed the translation; The Fatty) in the city we were approaching. With a name like, “the fatty” – how could you go wrong?! I took the exit toward Massa and headed into the center of town.
Torre pendente di Pisa – Leaning Tower of PisaJulia strikes a poseWork on the tower began in 1173 and took 199 years to completeJulia photographs me in front of the towerBattistero di San Giovanni (Pisa Baptistry) and Primatial (Pisa Cathedral)
You may not have heard of Massa (we hadn’t), but if you’re a fan of interior design, than you’ve definitely heard of the province in which Massa is located, Carrara. Carrara marble is the fashionable stone of choice for kitchens counters the world over. The stone has been mined in this area for centuries (Carrara marble has been used since Ancient Rome). Upon exiting the highway, my mind was set only on lunch with no expectation of discovering any real beauty; the area is heavily industrialized. Like a naval shipyard or factory park, the landscape is blanketed with large machinery, billowing factories and tractor trailers transporting thousands of pounds worth of the white stone.
Massa and Carrara are sister cities in the Province of Carrara
However, we were surprised when we got away from the mining equipment and approached the center of town. The city itself was clean and beautiful. It became obvious that Massa has prospered as a result of the local product. The town is well designed and perfectly maintained. Even the street curbs and park benches are made of Carrara marble! After a delicious lunch at Il Fatty we wanted to discover what the city had to offer. There seemed to be a surprise around every turn. We found orange trees and large piazze (town squares), ancient buildings and ample shopping. We were pleasantly surprised to see how much is available to tourists, although the place is happily devoid of the map-reading, fanny-pack wearing, crowd-shoving sightseers (by the way, I’m not casting stones; that is usually us in a nutshell, less the fanny-pack).
Il Fatty’s “signature” sandwich – Panino LamprodottoPanino salsiccia e rapiniHomemade torta di riso, proudly made by the owner’s son, AlessandroThe interior piazzaSome of the colorful buildings of MassaGreat statue in the center of the main piazzaGovernment building in the main piazzaThere were orange trees everywhere
There is even a wonderful 15th century castle perched high above the town. We took the narrow and windy drive up the hill, only to discover the castle was closed for repair. Oh well, I was able to get a couple beautiful panoramic’s of the city and neighboring sea.
Massa on the road to Malaspina CastleView of Massa from aboveThe position of the city is well situated between the coast and the mountains
If I can borrow a page from the Michelin Star guide-book, I would rank Massa with a full star (out of three). One star denotes a very nice place worthy of a visit (but not a place to go far out of your way to see). If you do visit, tell Alessandro at Il Fatty that we said hello. However, be weary of his suggestion to try the local favorite, Panino Lamprodotto. It’s basically just tripe (cows stomach) on a bun – not my favorite Italian food. Of course, I would be lying if I told you I left a single bite behind.
No, I didn’t wear one myself, but only because we were already half-way through our trip before I came across a store that sold them. Real men also eat haggis (sheep’s heart, liver and lungs encased in it’s own stomach) – I did do that! Of course, so did my two-year old daughter… and she probably had more than all of us combined.
A scenic shot of the River Dee in the Scottish Highlands
Since living abroad, we’ve been able to get in touch with most of Jen’s roots. Her father is Italian (hence us living in Italy) and we’ve gone to many of the places where he has or had family. Since he grew up in Africa, we still have that left to do. Jen’s mother grew up in Ohio, and having crossed that off the list multiple times – it was time to go a bit further. Diane’s lineage is a mixture of Irish (we went to Dublin in March, HERE) and Scottish. Now, it was finally time to go to Scotland! And since Jen’s parents and sister were here visiting us, we would all embark on this adventure together.
Jen’s mom had reserved a private cottage exactly where I wanted to be… in the Scottish Highlands. There were a variety of reasons I was excited about this particular area of Scotland. The beauty of the countryside is well renowned. The area is an important part of the country’s and the world’s history. But I think there were two reasons more intriguing than all of that.
1) Many of the scenes from my all-time favorite movie, Braveheart were shot and took place in the Scottish Highlands.
2) Most of the world’s fine scotch is made in the Highlands.
I needed no better reason than those above to break out the scotch and watch Braveheart (for the umpteenth time) with Jen’s parents before we boarded our plane to Scotland. Jen’s eyes rolled as I screamed “FREEEEEDOM” along with Mel Gibson for the 1,000th time since we’ve been together.
After a short flight from Milan, we landed in Aberdeen, Scotland famished. We had one important task to tackle before we would allow ourselves to eat lunch… re-training our brains to drive on the wrong side of the road (that’s right to all you Brits, Aussies, Scots, etc. reading this blog… the wrong side). Jen’s father, Dominic and I each rented our own car and narrowly missed colliding into each other as we took a few practice laps around the parking lot. Five minutes later and confidence at 100% – our plan was fairly simple; we would spend the day touring Aberdeen before driving north to our cottage in Ballater, a charming town in the Royal Deeside. By the time we had parked our cars for lunch, it became apparent that none of us had packed properly for the Scottish weather. We ducked into a TKMaxx (I suppose it’s the Scottish cousin of TJMaxx) and bought jackets and warmer wears. I suppose it pays to read a few more blogs before traveling and arrive prepared.
Once we were warm and cozy, we walked around Aberdeen for a bit. We found a charming pub that fit the bill of exactly what we wanted. I scarcely glanced at the menu before ordering what I knew I would be the staple of my diet all week – fish n’ chips.
Old Blackfriars – the sign didn’t lie, it was Good Food indeed
My fish and chips, served with peas (although not mushy peas as tradition dictates, still delicious)
The “Belhaven Best Steak Pie” that Diane ordered
Julia found time to fit in a few slots
After lunch, we walked around Aberdeen a bit more and discovered truth to the nickname, the Grey City. Our group was weary and ready to shed our luggage. Additionally, we still had a two hour drive to Ballater, so our Aberdeen tour was cut a bit short. Headed due north and still on the wrong side of the road, we undertook one of my top 10 all-time favorite drives. The Scottish countryside was every bit as majestic as I would have imagined. We found Ballater, we found our cottage and then we found a great place for dinner later that evening. Unfortunately for Jen’s sister, Jessica – she had yet to find a wifi signal. Something those crazy, young kids need these days.
We wasted no time on our first full day in Scotland. The country is full of castles and Diane, knowing how much Jen and I love castles, was eager to share in the exploration of the country’s historic beauties. She had spent many fruitful hours researching a few castles to visit. Our first choice was somewhat local to our location, Balmoral Castle. This particular castle was an excellent choice, because of it’s direct and current ties to the Royal Family. It is the Queen’s personal residence each fall and has been used consistently by Royals since 1852. The castle is closed to public tours from August through October each year while the Queen takes up residence.
For posterity’s sake (and because I chuckle each time I think about it) I would be remiss not to mention a funny anecdote. When we purchased our tour tickets, I mentioned that my mother-in-law was of the Anderson Clan. The little old lady working in the shop proclaimed that “she knew many Anderson’s in her day and they were a bit like the Drummond’s… but nothing like the Cameron’s…” and on and on until she arrived at, “but watch out for those Macfie’s, they’re sheep stealing bastards, they are!” with more conviction than I would have expected from such a sweet little lady on such an otherwise innocent exchange. Sheep… stealing… bastards. That absolutely made my trip!
Balmoral Castle gates
The gatehouse and museum
Full view of the gatehouse
Julia prepares to go in the castle
But not without her audio guide
“I’m ready guys, let’s go!”
Balmoral castle from the main courtyard
I loved the turrets of the castle
Another angle
Part of the Queens garden – her bedroom overlooks a rose garden and then this beautiful, sunken garden
Julia was delighted to be in the Queen’s garden
She found such wonderment in the fountain as well
After a delightful tour of the castle (admittedly, it was more a tour of the grounds than the interior since the castle is still very much in use) – Jen, Jessica, Julia and I went for a stroll along the River Dee.
We took a stroll along the river
As well as the adjacent pathway through the woods
Beautiful scenery
The girls in the woods
I was so happy to be in such majestic outdoors
Julia was so happy, she broke out dancing
Sissies forever!
“What a day!”
At the end of the day, we checked in with the properties Event Manager to listen to all the activities available to us. They had some wonderful choices including fly-fishing, nature walks, bike tours and horseback riding. But the one that immediately caught the attention of me and Dominic was the whisky class, happening in a mere 30 minutes! I think we both half-expected the ladies to bow out and head back to the room, but we were pleasantly surprised when all three (Diane, Jen and Jess) told us they wanted to join in on the fun and spirits too.
All the whisky we got to taste
Whisky is as much a part of Scotland as cold weather, kilts or bagpipes. But let’s pause for a minute, because you may have a question.
“Greg, you referred to it earlier as scotch and now you’re calling it whisky. How come? Isn’t whisky different? And while we’re at it – how does bourbon play into all this… isn’t that in there somewhere? And is that stuff, rye invited to the party?”
If you already know the relationship between these spirits, please continue to the next section. If you’re curious – please read on. First, I called it scotch earlier to simplify things and use the commonly accepted American vernacular for this drink. Scotch, is in fact a whisky. So is bourbon. So is Tennessee whiskey and Irish whiskey (those would seem obvious) as well as the often forgotten rye. So, all these delicious brown drinks are considered whisky.
Dominic drinks with his new English pal
So what differentiates all these types of whisky’s and what’s with all the different names (but speed it up, would ya)?
Can’t promise to speed it up, but let’s continue. The differentiators are [mainly] their geography, the ingredients/process used and their spelling (notice the “e” comes and goes). Let’s start with geography. Whisky made in Scotland is, Scotch Whisky (even though we call it “scotch” they just call it “whisky” and laugh at anyone that calls it scotch. It would be like ordering an “American” when you really meant to order a “Budweiser”). If it’s made in Ireland, it will be an Irish Whiskey (think, Jameson). If it is made in that young country we call America, it will either be a Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey or Rye. Bourbon is made (to my knowledge) exclusively in Kentucky while Tennessee Whiskey (think, Jack Daniel’s) is made exclusively in Tennessee. A few years ago I sought to unravel this web and found a blog that rumored the only difference between Tennessee whiskey and Bourbon was that the Tennessee folks didn’t want to claim the same name of anything made in Kentucky, and so Tennessee Whiskey was born (as I’m doing a little boning up for this piece, I’m learning that there is more to it). In any event, it turned out to be a wonderful marketing angle for Jack Daniel’s. Oh yeah, and then there’s Rye. It’s made in America and Canada, but as far as I’m concerned – it’s really only prevalent in Canada (think, Crown Royal). Rye is nice and all, but a bit forgettable at times (just like our nice neighbors from the north).
As far as the ingredients, they use malted barely on the more formal side of the pond, while us swashbuckling American’s distill from corn (heck, why not – we have a lot). Oh yeah, and that forgettable rye drink – you guessed it; it’s distilled from rye (although in Canada it doesn’t have to be… yeah, that makes a lot of sense, Canada!).
Our instructor, Gordon Muir pours some malted barley into my hand
OK, I’m afraid to ask… but I will anyway. Now that I know we’re discussing whisky from Scotland, what is the difference between a single malt and blended whisky? I really will fit this one into a nutshell (as I have a lot more typing left to do). A single malt is whisky that is all from the same distillery. The distillery will usually blend many different barrels to make their final product, but it will all be from the same distillery (think, Glenmorangie 18). A blended scotch whisky is the final product of whisky from two or more distilleries (think, Johnnie Walker – yes, all of them from Red to Blue). I didn’t know Johnnie Walker was a blend either (yeah, I’m talking to you), until my time in Scotland. If you want to read further on the subject, check out this guy’s blog – he does a far better job answering this particular question than me.
Me and my boy after a fun tasting
Since Scots call their drink simply by it’s proper name, whisky – henceforth so too shall I share in this fine tradition and proclaim, whisky whilst blogging about the great Scotland and forevermore (at least until I return home to the States – lest someone pour me a glass of Jim Beam, when I really meant Oban). Interesting fact that I learned while doing these whisky tastings (yes, a few more tastings were still to come). To add ice cubes to a nice glass of whisky is simply sacrilege and (I’m quoting my instructor here) “reserved for the Americans and those bourbons they call…pause for a chuckle… whiskey”. He went on to explain that the only good thing an American whiskey was good for is to mix with some of Scotland’s more inferior whisky’s to “liven them up a bit“. I spoke with a Scottish accent the rest of the class and hid the bald eagle that had previously been perched on my arm.
OK – whisky lesson over. WAKE back up!
Dominic walks Julia back home after the tasting
For those that endured a quick history on whisky and hoped for a more exciting adventure along the trip, I’m sorry but I may have to disappoint you. For those that skipped ahead as I offered you could do many paragraphs ago, I have accidentally mislead you. When I said to simply “skip down” I hadn’t yet consulted my photos, which chronologically catalogue our trip. So, you may be dismayed to learn that the whisky tasting only whet our whistles for a whiskey tour in an actual distillery. So you get… more whiskey photos! But before we did that, we went to go see the Falls of Feugh, explored some of the magical countryside and visited an intriguing suspension bridge.
The Falls of Feugh (pronounced almost like the naughty F word)
The Scottish-Irish crew
Scottish countryside – absolutely breathtaking
There were sheep everywhere
Dominic and I pause for a photo along the path to the suspension bridge
Father-daugher photo
My “artsy” shot with my muse
I felt like we were taking engagement photos
View from the bridge
The view from the other direction
Queen Elizabeth opened the bridge in 1988
A Scottish thistle (emblem of the Scottish nation) not quite in bloom
Digitalis Purpurea or Foxglove Flower
After all this time with nature, it was off to visit the Royal Lochnagar Distillery and see firsthand the process of how whisky is made. This particular distillery produces a relatively small amount of single-malt whisky each year. The distillery received it’s Royal Warrant in 1848 when the owner, John Begg invited Prince Albert to stop by for a drink. He offered him a sheep ride back to the neighboring Balmoral castle, since it wasn’t that far away (OK, I made that last part up).
The sign out front
They had Highland Cattle out front
The breed was developed in the Scottish Highlands and Western Isles
I couldn’t get enough of these guys
Apparently, neither could he
Fields in front of the distillery
I’ve never seen a more welcoming front door
Jessica stops to welcome us
A display of some of their finer whisky’s
If you want to buy a good whisky – just consult this group above, you can’t go wrong with any of them
I snuck all the following interior shots. We were not allowed to take photos inside the premises… but they didn’t realize I had a BLOG to write!!
On the left – peat (a wood burned to add smokey flavor), barley both natural and malted and an old scale
On the right – an old fashioned kiln that would be fed with peat
Copper pot still used during the distillation process
Barrels used during the aging process
The distillery always sets aside some of the best for a special whisky released in limited quantities
Our guide demonstrates how to property seal a barrel
Look at the mugs on these two – guess no one taught either of us how to smile
Water is a critical element in the process – this is the reserve that Royal Lochnagar uses
Another thing I learned – this is the “official” design of a proper whisky glass adopted somewhat recently
The next adventure within our Scotland trip was a pilgrimage to the capital, Edinburgh. Since I boiled 1,094 pictures from this trip into a mere 120 for this post – I think I’ll pause here and resume with a new post. Tune in again soon – plenty more fun to come!
Recently, Jen’s family came to visit (HERE) and since we’re not the type of family that does well sitting still, we planned a couple trips within their trip. One of these week-long sojourns was an impromptu visit to Civitella in the Abruzzo region- Jen’s nonna’s (grandma’s) hometown. The official name of this gem of a village is actually, Civitella Messer Raimondowhich is home to less than 900 residents. Jennifer and Jessica grew up going to visit their nonna and family friends in Civatella during many of their summers abroad. Since I had never been to see such an important part of my wife’s family history – I was excited to go.
Civitella Messer Raimondo – the place where it all started!
There were only four of us that made the decision to go to Civitella because Jen’s sister, Jessica had gone off for the weekend to visit a friend in London. When we made the decision to go, we realized it would be easiest to pick Jessica up at the airport in Milan and continue the remaining four hours south (already having a one hour head start). We played out a few scenario’s in our head’s where we told Jessica we were going to whisk her immediately from a fabulous weekend of high-end parties with twenty-somethings in one of the world’s most fabulous cities to a small village in a rural part of Italy with her immediate family and a baby. Putting ourselves in her single, Sex In The City mindset… I think we all realized this would be a hard adjustment of vacation speeds for her. She’d most likely want to fly in from London and come home to Como for a day or two to decompress before re-packing. At a minimum, she would want to drive home and pack for herself before turning around and heading back out (all very understandable). Of course, this would add anywhere from 3 hours driving to shortening our trip by a couple days. We were not sympathetic to her anticipated needs and so we formulated a plan. We would pick her up from the airport with the car packed and ready to go. We would simply drive south and when she eventually realized we weren’t approaching Como, we would already be two-three hours in the wrong direction. We were all on pins and needles as we picked her up. I whisked her bag out of her hands and into the fully packed trunk. We peppered her with questions about her weekend so she wouldn’t notice signs heading South as opposed to North. Jen almost blew the whole operation when she burst out laughing so hard that she cried. Luckily, she covered with some lame excuse and Jessica’s usually razor-sharp intuition was dulled from a long weekend of fun. When we were about 20 minutes away from the airport a calm washed over us all… we pulled it off! Of course, the eventual earthquake of truth wouldn’t be far off from rocking the car and crushing Jessica’s plans of a relaxing afternoon at home. After being in the car for well over an hour, her suspicions could no longer be redirected and I delivered the news to her through choked back laughter. She was less than entertained…
“Five hours in the freaking car after flying all day!”
“NO paparazzi!”
Even though my father-in-law, Dominic grew up in Africa; nearly all his Italian roots are traced back to this small village. So, it’s no surprise that so many years later he still has friends all over the region. Even though his mamma’s house was big enough to accommodate us, it was easiest and most comfortable to stay at a B&B owned by some family friends in the larger town “next door”, Fara San Martino. La Piazetta is owned and run by Pietro and his wife Antonietta – a beautiful B&B, perfect for our family. Once we got settled in, we visited a nearby town, Casoli before heading to Civitella and Jen’s nonna’s house – a home that has been in their family for at least five generations. We ran into the neighbors, Antonino (Tonino) and Maria across the “street” (really, more of a cobblestone alley) and they invited us in for a coffee. This somehow turned into a full meal with homemade salumi (various types of cured meats), fresh fruit, fried cheese and homemade wine. We were a bit full from a big lunch, but I’d like to see you try telling an Italian woman you’re not in the mood to eat! We were glad we did – it was all wonderful.
The view from Dominic and Diane’s balcony in La Piazetta
Jess and Jules at the hotel
A view in Fara San Martino – you’re quite literally next to the mountain
The fountain in the center of Fara San Martino, you can fill up your bottles with mountain water
Dom giving it a go – perhaps the best water we’ve ever had
Casoli from afar – where we went after breakfast the first day
Another view of Casoli
This dog came to say “hello” as we each snapped the above image – I think we can all read Dom’s mind here…
A street scene in Casoli
Me and Julia in front of the Castello Masciantonio
We asked these ladies for directions and they also gave Julia candy and biscotti in addition to the directions
Julia crosses the street, content after a lunch of pasta and lamb (her real shirt was covered in sauce)
Jen’s Nonna’s house
Three generations out front of mamma, nonna and bisnonna’s home
A wonderful makeshift lunch – well done when you have six surprise houseguests
Pietro’s cousin (also named Pietro) brought Dominic into the pasta business years go (nearly two decades ago). This Pietro (the pasta Pietro, not the hotel Pietro) ran Delverde (a large high-quality pasta company) for years before branching off and starting his own gluten free pasta company, Farabella. Their family owned company now makes wonderful pasta that fits perfectly within a quickly growing segment of the market. Their factory is nestled amongst the other three companies all sharing the precious mountain water that is a critical ingredient to their pasta. Along with Farabella, DeCecco (you’ve definitely seen it in your grocery store), Delverde (you may have seen it) and Giuseppe Cocco (you probably haven’t seen it unless you go to high-end Italian specially stores) make up the four corners of this pasta-prodcuing town. I would suspect that these four companies within close proximately to each other produce a large percentage of the world’s intake of pasta – to be eclipsed only by one company, the Wal-Mart of the pasta world, Barilla located all over Italy and the world.
Delverde pasta company
DeCecco takes up the most real estate, by far
When Dominic was working for Pietro and Delverde in the 90’s, their families grew very close. In fact, Pietro sent his son, Antonio and his daughter, Marilina to live with Jen and her family at separate times. They learned perfect English and a perhaps even a few of our American habits. Antonio was so excited to see us in his hometown, he happily adopted the role as our tour guide. He started showing us all over Abruzzo, starting with a tour of their amazing factory.
Is Julia in love with Antonio or his hat?
Oh, DEFINITELY Antonio!
Antonio starts the tour
I embarrassed him, taking pictures of his tour. I assure you, he was excellent under pressure
Some of the unbelievably clean and technologically advanced machinery
Antonio shows us some of their flower and explains it’s properties
They were making gnocchi that day. The mix goes through a long road on it’s way to become…
Gnocchi!
We could eat the gnocchi uncooked, right off the line. It was still warm from the dough mixing
Some spaghetti set aside to dry and properly form
Antonio, didn’t you learn not to play with your food?!
What a great tour for the girls
After the pasta tour we went to a nearby town, Guardiagrele for some sightseeing and shopping. Later that evening, we met Antonio’s parents for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants in that area, Villa Maiella. We had no idea what we were in for! I think there something like 10 courses (I missed photographing a couple) and each one was better than the last! The restaurant is mentioned in the Michelin Guide for Italy and Mario Batali praises it as one of his favorites in Abruzzo (HERE). It was nearly midnight before the bountiful cornucopia of food and wine stopped flowing.
Dusk sets in Guardiagrele
Street scene
We went to a park
Julia loved this particular bridge
Julia reaching for something she shouldn’t… we’ve never seen that before!
View from Guardiagrele
Dominic, Diane, Rosanna & Pietro
“Cin cin!”
Bistecca alla tartara (steak tartare)
Bianco di tacchino con finocchi, noci e arancia (White turkey with fennel, orange and nuts)
Riso, patate e baccala (rice, potatoes and salt cod)
Millefoglie ai porcini (puff pastry with mushrooms)
Manzo leggermente scottato (lightly seared beef)
Raviolo di burrata allo zafferano (homemade burrata ravioli with saffron)
Tagliatelle di semola grezza con porcini (homemade tagliatelle pasta with raw porcini mushrooms)
L’agnello: al ginepro e alla brace (lamb prepared two ways, with juniper and grilled)
Semifreddo al parrozzo (homemade parfait)
Various biscotti and other desserts served with the espresso
Of course we needed our cafe…
…then our grappa!
The next day, Antonio took us to his home in the beautiful beach town of Pescara (about 45 minutes away).
Group shot in Pescara
Spending time on the beach with dad
Sisters in the sun
After seeing Antonio’s home and spending a little time on the beach, he took us to a friend’s winery, Cantine Spinelli. Anotnio’s friend and owner, Carlo toured us through the existing facilities as well as through the impressive expanded facilities, currently under construction. I was awe-struck by the scale of it all – they produce wine that is shipped all over the world and they are continuing to grow. At the end of the tour, he presented us a gift of many different bottles of his wine, including several bottles of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – my favorite wine produced in this region of Italy.
Spinelli wines
View from the winery
Impressive new facility under construction
Julia on the roof of the new building
Wine ready to ship
They ship all over the world – these labels were in Chinese for their distribution over there
Inside the private cantina of some of the finer vintages
Everyone with Carlo
After being such a good tour guide, Antonio did have to get some actual work done – so we temporarily relieved him of his duties and made our own way to the beach for a day. We had lunch at the same beach-pizza place Antonio showed us the day before and spent some fun in the sun.
“I’m heeeere… let’s get this party started!”
“This sand needs to be moved from here to there, stat!”
“I’ve gotta take a break… have you seen my milky colored skin?”
“Our” new pizza place that Antonio had showed us the day before
At the end of the day, we went to Pietro and Rosanna’s home (Antonio’s parents) and had an exceptional dinner cooked by Rosanna. Pietro took Dominic and me into his private cantina (wine cellar), where he makes his own wine. He let us try all the various vintages and allowed both Dominic and I to each pick a wine to accompany dinner. Like so many other things with us, this became a small competition – each of us willing the group to drink the wine we selected (if memory serves, my decanter was emptied first). Pietro presented Dominic with a 1974 Barolo, a generous and exceptional gift.
The gang’s all here (at Pietro and Rosanna’s)
They had some fun playground equipment that Julia could’t get enough of
“Guarda me!”
Jen caught us taking in the incredible view from their balcony
They had a traditional copper pot that was used hundreds of years ago to transport water
It wasn’t so easy to balance without hands
“It’s not so hard, see I can do it!”
Pietro shows me one of his prized cane… with a sharp surprise inside (a long blade)
Antonio’s grandmother, fresh from working in the yard and telling Dominic that she remembered him as a boy
Inside Pietro’s private cantina
Dominic enjoyed his free samples
Dom’s wonderful new gift
A beautiful table set by Rosanna
Pietro had an amazing old Leica SLR camera Antonio brought out to show us
A long a fun-filled week had past. We needed to get back to Como because we had an important birthday party to plan… Julia’s second birthday party!
I don’t know who was more excited… Jen to see her parents or Jen’s parents to see their granddaughter. It was close, but judging by the suitcase of presents exclusively for Julia, I would give the edge to Jen’s mom, Diane. Of course, this suitcase (along with the 42 other suitcases Jen’s mom, dad and sister brought) got lost somewhere over the Atlantic and didn’t arrive for another two days (the airline had to hire a Mack truck to deliver everything in one trip).
Julia playing with Nonna on Day One
As you’ve no doubt surmised from above, Jen’s family came to visit recently. They wanted to see the country they love, their second home that has been overtaken by three squatters, their kids and their granddaughter (not necessarily in that order). And we were thrilled to see all of them. Since the timing was right with their work schedules and nursing school (Jen’s sister, Jessica had just graduated), they were able to stay a full month. We had plenty of down time relaxing and plenty of time on the go-go-go. Since so much happened during this month, the story of their visit will most definitely be broken into a few posts.
“I LOVE the view up here!”
Julia chilling with Jess by Lake Como
We made quick work getting to Como and spending some time visiting many of the other lake towns. Early on during their visit, we had lunch at a place we’ve been wanting to try, Al Veluu in the lake town, Tremezzo. We had tried to visit this restaurant in the past (with my Aunt and Uncle), but ran into a problem more common than you may think. They were closed for several months – this time, due to renovations (usually it’s more along the lines of… “we’re on vacation, come back next month”). The apparent renovations paid off – the restaurant, terrace and view were all exceptional. Secretly, Jen and I were thrilled to show Dominic and Diane a new place they hadn’t tried in their many years coming to Como.
Ristorante Al Veluu
The land this building sits upon has been in the family for over 300 years
Another angle of the restaurant and Inn
Passing through the entryway
Dom and Diane were so happy to be back in Italy, they were all smiles
Julia made quick work playing with the toys
She even found some friends to play with
The view from the terrace
A shot of the terrace – we made friends with our “neighbors”
Another angle of the incredible view
Some delicious bread to get us started…
…which went perfectly well with this olive tapenade
Dominic and I started with a steak tartare made table side
Vitello Cotoletta alla Milanese con arugala (veal chop lightly breaded and topped with salad)
Piccata di Vitello “Al Veluu” (veal scallops in white wine with spicy red sauce and capers)
Incredible desserts
They tasted as good as they look
The complete dessert inside
Julia loved her lunch and we love to kiss her!
Another day, we took the funicolare to the hilltop town of Brunate, which sits high atop Como. Jen and I had visited on a fog-filled day this past winter (HERE), so we were eager to soak up the incredible views that we knew Brunate offered (but were previously impeded for us). Diane suggested a restaurant she had been to before. If you know Diane, you’ll know that she is a creature of habit (let’s just say on her first visit, she was dumbfounded that we would go to the other grocery store or park in a different parking lot in Como). So we knew if she had a good experience at this restaurant before, trying to convince her otherwise would not be worth our lives. Luckily, she nailed the pick – they had amazing views, the best cheese plate we’ve eaten since living in Italy and Dominic and I enjoyed the most tender capra (goat). Julia even had fun kissing the head of the fish from Jen’s dish.
View of Lago di Como from Brunate
Julia had an incredible time at lunch
She played the drums with her Nonno
Then stopped for a pose with Mom and Dad
As well as Nonna
Another day still, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of Menaggio. OK, OK… we really enjoyed some wonderful gelato.
Julia always goes to splash in this same fountain in Menaggio
Stopping for a photo-op with her Nonni
“Mom, this is my cone – get your own!”
“That goes for you too, Nonno!”
Apart from all this rolling around town, we also took two marvelous trips while they were here. We had previously planned a visit to Scotland, but we also planned an impromptu visit to Civitella in the Abruzzo region of Italy. This village was Jen’s nonna’s (grandma’s) birthplace and hometown. Since both trips were so rich with stories and experiences of their own I will continue them in separate posts.
“I’m exhausted already, you’d better break this into a few more posts!”
Jen, Julia and I spent a few days exploring France – from the French Riviera (blog post HERE) to Côtes du Rhône (first blog post HERE). I knew that the dining experience would be different than what we’ve grown accustomed to while living in Italy, but I think I underestimated just how different it would be.
I’ll point out a couple of the noticeable differences. If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know that I have made many references to pranzo, or lunch. While the literal definition is simply, lunch – it should be modified to be more along the lines of, large meal in which copious amounts of pasta are finished with meats and salads and where the act of gathering is as important as the meal. Wine and grappa are a must. Since lunch is usually the “big deal”, that means we partake in a very light dinner. Whereas in France, dinner was the star meal of the day. Although, many of our days in France we also had a big lunch, and so our stomachs questioned our brains when we sat down to a second coursed-out meal at dinner time.
Furthermore, the food itself is different in two distinct ways. It also happens to be similar in two ways. The differences – the types of food and the preparation. The food served in France is not the same as the food in Italy. Cassoulet as opposed to pasta. Duck and pigeon as opposed to veal and pork. Foie gras as opposed to cured meats. Further, the preparation is different. Italians cook with fewer ingredients and prefer simple, fresh cooking – a style I would classify as rusitco. The French have a more refined style of cooking whereupon layers of flavor are built with many different ingredients and multiple sauces are used to style and accompany the dish. The presentation itself is much more polished, even at the most simple of places. The similarities – they both use the freshest of ingredients, usually sourced locally at markets and they are both delicious in their own unique way.
There are subtle differences in even the small things. The bread and the cheese are different. The wine is different. The pastry is different. However, one thing remained consistent as we crossed the border into France and then back again. We still remained within the cradle of food’s most wholesome birthplace – and the food in France was wonderful.
It is for this reason that I decided to feature a blog post dedicated to some of the meals we enjoyed while we were in France. I’ve done a few “food posts” about dining experiences in Italy – so now it’s time to widen the circle. Please excuse some of the photos – iPhone’s were used at times. I only feel comfortable brandishing my large Canon camera in certain situations.
In Beaulieu-Sur-Mer, we found La Pignatelle, a charming restaurant that presents dishes in the Provençale style. We had lost the benefit of our cell phone’s internet (in a different country – roaming charges apply) and so we couldn’t “google” where to eat. We did it the old fashioned way – walking around, reading menu’s and assessing by looks. We lucked out, and had a wonderful meal. Jen ordered only an entrée, while I opted for the 3-course tasting menu with the understanding that I would be sharing some of my dessert! The owner, Christophe was a saint and patiently explained each dish’s ingredients and preparation. My favorite was when he got to the dessert we ultimately selected and his description was (read this to yourself in a French accent), “oohh… that one is too hard. Trust me – it is delicious, just order it”.
La Pignatelle – turned out that it has received 4.5 / 5 on Trip Advisor – worthy of the rating
Tartare de Saumon frais et pomme Granny-Smith (Fresh salmon tartare with Granny-Smith).
The pairing with the Granny-Smith was divine, even though I was skeptical
Cuisse de poularde au pot, riz basmati (chicken leg cooked in a pot with basmati rice)
I substituted the basmati rice for pommes de terre rôties (roasted potatoes)
Aïoli Provençal (cabillaud) et son court-bouillon de légumes frais
(Cod prepared Provencal-style with vegetables cooked in the fish broth)
Jen’s Aïoli – more mayonnaise than we’re accustomed to
Paris Brest – the dish he couldn’t describe, but well worth eating!
The next day, we met our friends Michel and Shirley at their home in Sablet. They easily slipped into the role of Guide de tous Cuisine Française (Guide of all French Cuisine) by taking us to some wonderful restaurants. On our first day in Côtes du Rhône, we enjoyed a casual outdoor lunch at Le Jardin.
Le Jardin (The Garden)
The garden in the back – simply a beautiful setting for lunch
Julia used the time waiting for lunch to create her best Chagall
Jen ordered a croque-monsieur with salade fraîche (fresh salad)
I had seared duck breast over a bed of pasta
Julia couldn’t kick the pasta habit so quickly so we indulged her – Michel helps her eat
Dessert for Julia – “brownie” with hot chocolate and ice cream
Fraises à la crème fouettée (strawberries with whipped cream)
Coffee-flavored ice cream with a warm chocolate drizzle
Julia was all kisses after lunch
That night, we meet their friends, Bruno and Sylvie Bordeaux, the owners of the local Cafe des Sports, just a moments walk from Michel and Shirley’s home. I never use last names in my blog, but their surname is simply too fantastic and too perfect not to use – Bordeaux! Michel and Shirley became fast friends with Bruno and Sylvie in recent years, and they graciously took us toCôteaux et Fourchettes (translated to Hills and Ranges) in a nearby town, Cairanne. This was one of the more memorable meals, because of my entrée selection as well as the fact that it seemed to hit most of the formal French dining traditions in a modern setting and style. You’ll see below that I ordered the pigeon… a first for me! And boy, was it delicious. While I waited 32 years to try pigeon, Julia has now eaten it before she turned 2 years old. Not only did she love pigeon, but she also couldn’t get enough of Jen’s foie gras (we drew the line at the tartare… I think she should at least be 3 years old before consuming raw beef). I think she would have done just as well in France as she is in Italy.
Out front of Bruno and Sylvie’s restaurant and bar
Amuse-bouche (“mouth amuser” typical in French restaurants)
Jen started with the foie gras – the best either of us have ever had
I started with a steak tartare – which you could tell was an obviously high-grade filet
Wonderful bread accompanied the table
The wine Michel selected was wonderful, from Gigondas – a nearby village
Jen had a seared filet over a wild bed of rice
I had the 1/2 pigeon over sautéed red cabbage with red pepper and saffron clafoutis
Bruno and I each opted for the extra cheese course, which was simply amazing
Chocolate mousse in tuple with grillot sorbet
The next day was marked by a visit to Les Abeilles, one of Michel and Shirley’s local favorites (website). The lunch was in the middle of a day spent wine tasting (blog post coming soon) and so our moods matched the delicious flavor of the food.
Les Abeilles
As delicious as these cheeses are, I would think sticking your nose in their would be equivalent to water board torture
Check out the cork holder – I’ve tried without success to imitate
I ordered the Huîtres fraîches ou gratine (escargot – snails)
Jen had Petits gris de Provence en ravioles au bouillon d’épinards
I had the Pièce d’agneau rôtie et légumes (piece of roast lamb and vegetables)
Jen enjoyed the Bœuf braisée aux oignons (braised beef with onions)
My three cheese choices – some of the most amazing cheeses I’ve ever had
Our final day was spent visiting the markets of Carpentras, and our lunch was spent on the balcony of Chez Serge. The refreshing selection of soup and fish marked the perfect meal to fit our moods.
Chez Serge
Loved the daily menu board posted out front
The roof terrace
Getting ready for our meal – I loved the classic cafe menu board used to display the daily menu table side
Shirley doing her best Julia impression. Wait, is it the other way around?!
Michel and I started with a fantastic gaspacho de tomate with shaved parmesan and home made crouttons
Jen started with a croustillant de chèvre (crispy purse of goat cheese)
Michel and I repeated again – escalope de saumon sauce epinard (steak of salmon with spinach sauce)
Entremet ananas (a pineapple dessert)
Fromage blanc ā la fraise (white cheese with strawberries) – quiet delicious
I hope you enjoyed this brief tour of part of our French dining experience. We hope to repeat again sometime in the future. Of course, not until we loose all the calories we consumed the first time around… I’m thinking that will be sometime in 2014.
That title will make sense soon. Please, read on. Unless you’re a member of PETA. Then, please stop and choose another post!
“I’m getting out of here – I don’t want to hear about bunnies for lunch!”
You may have read HERE about when our Uncle S. and Aunt Deborah came to see us last week and we enjoyed a very nice visit with three days full of wonderful food. Well, the meal we shared on day three was truly blog-worthy!
I don’t think S. or Deb knew what to expect when they came; and so they came open for anything. But since one of their good friends had been to Lake Como some time ago, he mentioned a few top sights and restaurants to consider. One particular restaurant, Al Veluu appeared to be unbelieveably perfect for us. Al Veluu sits atop a hillside in the wonderful lake town of Tremezzo, thus extending picturesque views of Lake Como (a town we wanted to show them anyway). Their well designed and informative website features images of the lake that somehow seem to take second place to the images of their food. And since I happen to know their referring friend has impeccable taste, it was evidence enough for me!
Hilltop view of Tremezzo
Jen and I discovered the town of Tremezzo whilst exploring the lake at the beginning of our trip, this past January. We were just out for a drive and promised that we would return to explore further as soon as we could. One of the main sights of Tremezzo is Villa Carlotta, a stunning villa with impeccable gardens. Unfortunately, we were three days ahead of the seasonal opening of the villa and thus unable to see. Expect a blog post about it in the near future.
Villa Carlotta
We allotted plenty of time for a relatively short drive. We needed to wind our way to the base of the lake and up with western side of the west leg. In this case, it was as much about the journey as the destination. While winding through the narrow streets of lake town after lake town, we took in the sites of the water and incredible villas (including that of the local celebrity, George Clooney – no, he wasn’t out).
Al Veluu – our intended destination
Timing it perfectly, we arrived at Al Veluu just as they should have been opening for pranzo (lunch). However, as you know – the best laid plans are always the first to go awry. The place seemed to have a few too many construction workers and too few diners. I went up to talk to the proprietors and see what was going on. Turns out, the only thing on the menu was renovations. Fortunately, the owner, Luca was very nice and suggested another place, La Fagurida. He even invited us to stop by on the way back for a limoncello (lemon drink). He also shared that if we were fans of rabbit (I am), we could do no better than La Fagurida.
Easy-to-miss sign to La Fagurida
Tight squeeze down the driveway – took it sloooow
La Fagurida – the owners live above
We drove up the hill another 300 meters and found the restaurant (he cautioned us not to drive too quickly, lest we miss the small sign). We were charmed by the restaurant’s exterior and even more amazed to see the menu’s pièce de résistance in an open-air cage out front. There was a large cage of bunnies out front. They looked so cute and playful, it even made me think twice about ordering one! While the title jests that I got to pick my own – I assure you, that wasn’t the case. I don’t know if I could have handled that (strangely though, when it comes to lobster I have no problems).
Coniglio Gabbia (Rabbit Cage)
As delicious as they are adorable!
S. and Jules playing with the bunnies
We ordered several wonderful primi (first courses) from the menu and settled in for what looked to be a promising meal. Our table was quickly covered with delectable treats, including the most amazing polenta that any of us had ever had. In fact, we ordered so much that we couldn’t even finish (wanting to save room for our main courses). We should have known that not finishing your food is not an option in an Italian woman’s kitchen and she literally made me and S. finish every plate.
Antipasti della casa
Prosciutto, salami and bresaola
Insalata fagioli borlotti
Insalata gelatina
Cipolle, carciofi e peperoni arrostiti
(Onions, artichokes and roasted peppers)
Polenta uncia e classica
Our secondo (main course) was brought to the table and we each eagerly dove in.
Coniglio arrosto (roasted rabbit) for two
Verdure alla griglia (grilled vegetables)
Spiedino de carne mista (skewer of mixed meats)
Vino della casa in a wonderful bottle
We finished with dessert for Julia and soaked up the view one last time. We wound our way back into town for some coffee and pastries.
Did I feel a bit guilty about staring my lunch in it’s adorable little face? Perhaps a bit – but my guilt was eased by the memory of the delectable meal. As it turns out, they serve about 1,000 rabbits a year – so I was just one of many guilty parties.
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!
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!!
What a wonderful tradition happy hour is! A time when friends can gather and join in a few post-work drinks and perhaps a little nibble to eat. We’ve always known happy hour to be a 5:00pm – 7:00pm (ish) time to partake in a few cocktails at a discounted price.
Caffè Mazzini – Our favorite Happy Hour in Como
We were pleased to find that the tradition of “happy hour” also exists in Italy and it’s even called the same thing (just imagine saying it with a funny little accent… drop the sound the “h” makes). However, it’s a bit different here.
Instead of discounted drinks and food, you usually pay the same price for the drinks (which always tends to be low anyways… between $4 – $6) but get a big bonus. ALL YOU CAN EAT heavy hors d’oeuvres – Italian style!!! Imagine a bar full of pasta, pizza and other wonderful treats. If you’re not to embarrassed to fill a plate – you can easily have enough for dinner.
Since eating and drinking are two of my favorite things to do thus far on this trip, we have explored a few of the best happy hours the city has to offer (literally every place that serves drinks or coffee puts some sort of food out after 5:00pm).
However, on this particular day (after exploring the markets of Como), we encountered our first bad happy hour experience. We came across Specialita` Apretivi – a place where the food looked better than any we had seen before. The combination of a desire for a good glass of wine, a hungry baby and my grumbling stomach drew us in like a magnet.
Jen and Julia out front of Specialita` Aperitivi
Since we’re still a bit embarrassed to just start eating the food after ordering a drink, we also ordered two panini’s to feign the appearance of reputable patrons. This did not impress the waitress. She gave us more attitude than a teenage girl with a limited texting plan. My perfect command over the pronunciation of our hard-to-pronounce Montepulciano and Nero d’ Avola did nothing to win her over either. Attitude = Strike ONE!
While we waited for our wine to come, I kept glancing over at the delectable spread presented before us and decided which treats I’d try first. The wine came quickly and it was the smallest pour we had seen in any restaurant this entire trip. Cheap = Strike TWO!
Some of the food at Specialita` Apretivi
Nevertheless, I shrugged these things off and made a beeline for the tomato and mozzarella panini. Insert screeching halt sound here. Wait a minute, these treats are only for people that ordered an aperitif, not a wine (even though they’re priced the same). ME: “OK… well, can I have some of your free food anyway?!” WAITRESS: “No… you cannot!”
While my family that reads this shrieks in embarrassment… I did not actually say that. But my body language sure suggested it. And still, the answer was “no.” Strike THREE – we’re out of here!
Some more images of the tasty food we couldn’t eat…
…all because we ordered the wrong drink!
So… we headed home to much better meal, prepared by Jen (pasta in a pesto sauce and a finnocio (fennel) salad with fresh bread and wine). Also, don’t feel too badly for us after the crushing happy hour experience. Since we believe in controlling your own destiny, we stopped and got ourselves a “pick-me up” to make up for it!
