Since the departure of our guests, Anna and I have been enjoying exploring Florence and all of its narrow back alleys filled with surprises. Of course we have been doing it on the motorino! Its funny, because Anna was against me getting one but now craves to ride on the back! With me at the wheel it gives us access to so many of the city’s hidden gems.
On the 27th of September we woke in the middle of the night to a thunder storm like no other. The roaring of the thunder coupled with bolts of lightening in the sky made for a perfect setting to be in a castle. I feel as if I know what it must have been like to have lived in Baghdad when the Americans arrived! The thunder sounded like the detonation of bombs! The only thing that was missing was Count Dracula himself! Following a warm bowl of oatmeal we bundled Livy and Trey up for school and decided that rain or no rain we were headed out on the motorino again! BIG MISTAKE? Nope, more like an adventure that we will always remember!
The weather has finally turned here as Autumn is upon us. The leaves are showing a glimpse of amber and gold as September winds to an end and October is in full swing. The skies didn’t look that threatening when we left the castle at 9:00 am for a morning quest to find rain gear (items that we often don’t need in So Cal such as warm rain trench coats, leather water resistant gloves and thick wool socks). Our ride through the cold air (about 50 degrees but felt much colder on a Vespa!) took us to a Florentine institution knows as the Madova Glove store, a shop no bigger than your bedroom with literally thousands of pairs of gloves to choose from made of the finest Italian leather. Just as we arrived at Madova the skies opened. Of course being the rookies that we are, we were ill prepared. Hell we didn’t even have an umbrella (last time we make this mistake!) Following our purchase we headed for shelter at a Pastticeria for a cappuccino and pastry and then it was off to San Lorenzo market to meet Marcella to shop for this evening feast.
San Lorenzo is the largest open air market in the country of Italy and it is filled with dozens of vendors selling cheese, produce, meet, wine, fish and most any other gastronomic treat you can imagine. Marcella is a veteran of San Lorenzo and over the next 90 minutes took us to various vendors who she has close acquaintance with, teaching us how to shop for the best for this evenings meal. On the menu this evening will be fresh Sea Bream (a Mediterranean white fish, similar to a bass) baked in course salt and paired with fresh broccoli. This will be the main course which will follow fresh sautéed calamari with fresh artichokes. Of course we will be drinking another white wine which will be rated in the wine report!
Once we exited the market, our intentions were to find a clothing store to buy our rain gear. All good intentions were washed away when we left the market to find the skies opening up yet again. We sped home in the cold rain, getting soaked along the way…rain coats will wait for another day I guess!
A footnote to all of this simple living (shopping every day for your food etc…) is that Italians sacrifice something that is very precious to us Americans on a daily basis, the art of motivation! This is a conversation that we have had with Marcella who has traveled in America on several occasions. She points out that Italians lack ambition and the magic of America is that we DREAM of what can be and take action to make it so! This is something that I do miss greatly about home (among many other things that I will disclose later). As Americans we may take for granted the opportunity that we have in front of us each day. The ability to make our dreams come true and to fulfill our desires. Italians live in the moment which is the attraction for so many tourists who venture to this part of the world to experience La Vita Dolce, the sweet life, but when you digest this type of living on a daily basis, you begin to notice that something is missing from their life. It's as if many are stuck in eternal neutral as to what they feel they can accomplish. One must wonder which is the better way of living. I am not sure, but most certainly would not want to live a life without dream fulfillment. For this, we as Americans are truly blessed and this is what we are so admired for by so many other civilizations. I think of the employees of Italia Telecom who have failed time and again to show up to install my DSL line, or the plumber who came to repair our dishwasher only to have it break yet again one day later, and his response that it will be another week before he can return to look at it! This lack of passion for perfection is what Marcella is referencing and it inhibits many of the beauties of life that we as Americans are fortunate to have.
How can we have both I ask? The beauty of both societies? This would be the place that all would want to live I believe!
This month we dedicate “Florentine Braheem” to Five main subjects:
Our friends Simone and Stella
Food
The Great City that we live in: Firenze (Florence)
Lo Sport (Sports)
The Mighty Dolomite Mountains
But first an update on the family
Enjoy…
Friday, October 19, 2007
Trey Johnathan Braheem
He continues to show the most change of anyone in the family. Perhaps it’s the age of nine or the new surroundings, we’re not sure. One day Trey came home from school and announced that he wanted to run for Student Council. There are two 4th grade classes at the school and each has 19 students. Each class would elect one student as their representative on the council. Trey was to run against five other kids in his class and needed to write and practice a speech as to why he should be elected. The catch was that it was due the next morning! I immediately jumped out of my chair and said “Trey, dad’s pretty good at writing and giving speeches, I would be happy to help you!” We immediately dove into discussing what he would do if he were given the ability to make changes at the school. On his list were:
Raising money for poor people
Getting a new soccer net for one of the goals
A second tether ball court
Free dress day once a semester
A field trip to the water slides that we went to in August.
I explained to him that he needed to be different, that he couldn’t afford to go up there and just read a script like all the other kids were likely to due. I explained to him that the audience doesn’t know what he is supposed to say, so there is really no pressure and that he need only speak from the heart and use bullet points as his guide. I shared with him that the most important part of any presentation is the beginning and the end and that he needed to grab their attention at the beginning and leave them excited in the end. We spent a couple of hours writing and practicing the speech including the next morning and in the shower the night before! At the beginning of his speech Trey promised the boys in the class a new video game every morning of school and the girls fresh flowers each day! He then told them that in all seriousness that he would shave his head if he won! How’s that for a unique opening? :>)
Anna and I patiently waited for the kids to come home the next day to hear the news. We were prepared to pick him up if he lost and let him know that we were just proud that he tried. When I met him and Olivia at the end of the castle’s gravel driveway that afternoon he looked at me with a blank look. I said “Well what happened?” His response was simply: “I won”! Needless to say, Anna and I were extremely proud :>)
Trey has many projects that he has been working on in school including the in depth research of his selected endangered animal. He chose the Golden Lion Tamarin and now knows pretty much everything you need to know about this primate. The cool part about the project is that he had to develop a Power Point presentation and give it in front of the class following extensive research on the internet.
Each day he is responsible for reading for at least twenty minutes, an addiction has begun to develop with this assignment! He has been reading pretty much non stop for the last three weeks, setting gameboy, DVD’s and the like aside. Needless to say, Anna and I have no complaints and love his new found passion for reading. Currently he is reading a five hundred plus page book titled “The Dragon Rider." It's so funny to see him sitting at the dinner table at a nice restaurant reading a huge book! We never thought that the day would come!
Finally, Trey has suddenly grown in his appreciation of Italian fashion! Mom and Dad decided one day that we were tired of seeing him in the same old clothes from home and headed to “Zara” an exceptionally cool Spanish clothing store that has hip clothes for kids at very low prices. We loaded up on sweaters, corduroy sport coat, pants, button up dress shirts and new dress shoes. The result combined with the shaved head is a stylish little dude! Dad also took him watch shopping and we picked out a cool “ET” watch for him (see photo).
I have interviewed Trey regarding some of your pressing questions and a few others. Here are his responses:
Q1: Tell us how you feel about your kitty Iris:
Trey’s Answer: “She’s cute and also crazy. She acts like a puppy, she gets crazy when we throw a ball at her and licks like a puppy. She climbs up on the roof of the castle and chases bugs. She likes to sleep with mom and dad at night and wake them up a lot.”
Q2: What do you like about your new clothes?”
Trey’s Answer: “I like how they look and some of them feel good when I wear them.”
Q3: Why do you like to read?:
Trey’s Answer: “I only like to read good books. If I find a good book that I like, I like to read it because its fun to hear the story. If it’s a non picture book, I like to picture it in my mind.”
Q4: What do you like the most about Italy?:
Trey’s Answer: “Having Iris around and our home, how it has a tower. I like the food, especially the pizza, pasta, lasagna, squid ink. I like to travel around to really cool places like the Dolomites and Venice.”
Q5: What do you miss the most about home?:Trey’s Answer: Tasha and my friends. I really miss my grandmas and grandpas and aunts, uncles and cousins. I miss being able to just ride my bike to my friends house and meeting them in the park. I really miss baseball.”
Raising money for poor people
Getting a new soccer net for one of the goals
A second tether ball court
Free dress day once a semester
A field trip to the water slides that we went to in August.
I explained to him that he needed to be different, that he couldn’t afford to go up there and just read a script like all the other kids were likely to due. I explained to him that the audience doesn’t know what he is supposed to say, so there is really no pressure and that he need only speak from the heart and use bullet points as his guide. I shared with him that the most important part of any presentation is the beginning and the end and that he needed to grab their attention at the beginning and leave them excited in the end. We spent a couple of hours writing and practicing the speech including the next morning and in the shower the night before! At the beginning of his speech Trey promised the boys in the class a new video game every morning of school and the girls fresh flowers each day! He then told them that in all seriousness that he would shave his head if he won! How’s that for a unique opening? :>)
Anna and I patiently waited for the kids to come home the next day to hear the news. We were prepared to pick him up if he lost and let him know that we were just proud that he tried. When I met him and Olivia at the end of the castle’s gravel driveway that afternoon he looked at me with a blank look. I said “Well what happened?” His response was simply: “I won”! Needless to say, Anna and I were extremely proud :>)
Trey has many projects that he has been working on in school including the in depth research of his selected endangered animal. He chose the Golden Lion Tamarin and now knows pretty much everything you need to know about this primate. The cool part about the project is that he had to develop a Power Point presentation and give it in front of the class following extensive research on the internet.
Each day he is responsible for reading for at least twenty minutes, an addiction has begun to develop with this assignment! He has been reading pretty much non stop for the last three weeks, setting gameboy, DVD’s and the like aside. Needless to say, Anna and I have no complaints and love his new found passion for reading. Currently he is reading a five hundred plus page book titled “The Dragon Rider." It's so funny to see him sitting at the dinner table at a nice restaurant reading a huge book! We never thought that the day would come!
Finally, Trey has suddenly grown in his appreciation of Italian fashion! Mom and Dad decided one day that we were tired of seeing him in the same old clothes from home and headed to “Zara” an exceptionally cool Spanish clothing store that has hip clothes for kids at very low prices. We loaded up on sweaters, corduroy sport coat, pants, button up dress shirts and new dress shoes. The result combined with the shaved head is a stylish little dude! Dad also took him watch shopping and we picked out a cool “ET” watch for him (see photo).
I have interviewed Trey regarding some of your pressing questions and a few others. Here are his responses:
Q1: Tell us how you feel about your kitty Iris:
Trey’s Answer: “She’s cute and also crazy. She acts like a puppy, she gets crazy when we throw a ball at her and licks like a puppy. She climbs up on the roof of the castle and chases bugs. She likes to sleep with mom and dad at night and wake them up a lot.”
Q2: What do you like about your new clothes?”
Trey’s Answer: “I like how they look and some of them feel good when I wear them.”
Q3: Why do you like to read?:
Trey’s Answer: “I only like to read good books. If I find a good book that I like, I like to read it because its fun to hear the story. If it’s a non picture book, I like to picture it in my mind.”
Q4: What do you like the most about Italy?:
Trey’s Answer: “Having Iris around and our home, how it has a tower. I like the food, especially the pizza, pasta, lasagna, squid ink. I like to travel around to really cool places like the Dolomites and Venice.”
Q5: What do you miss the most about home?:Trey’s Answer: Tasha and my friends. I really miss my grandmas and grandpas and aunts, uncles and cousins. I miss being able to just ride my bike to my friends house and meeting them in the park. I really miss baseball.”
Olivia Rae Braheem
Well the cast is off and Livy is back to normal. It was strange, those thirty days or so, having her tied down by a cast. She is such an active and energetic soul that loves to get out and do just about anything, yet there were things that she simply was inhibited from doing such as swimming, riding a bike and beating the crap out of dad in pillow fights on the bed! On October the 2nd just 28 days following her accident on the playground, the cast was removed. It was so wonderful to see her skinny little arm cast free and after a day or so of it being stiff and sore, she was back to her old self again. One of the first things that we did was buy both her and Trey bikes and now it is our mission to slowly ease her into riding without training wheels for the first time! Soon Olivia will be starting swim lessons at the gym near our house which she is really excited about. Swimming will be great for her arm and will give her something to take pride in. Olivia has not really found an activity as of yet that she shows and affinity and passion for. However with that said, she did express a great desire to “play” with the camera (both video and snapshot) in the Dololmites (see the section on our weekend there) and I have duly noted the photos that she took that are posted in this months edition of FB. Video photography requires narration and asking of questions of the subject being filmed, which she has a natural knack for. One morning she and I woke early and ventured into the pastures near our hotel. The crisp mountain air and rising sun were the setting for her first photo lessons with dad. She seemed genuinely interested in framing shots and how the sun and clouds affect the appearance of the photo. I will gladly continue to foster this possible hobby of hers!
We have been taking the kids to museums and into the center of the city for them to view the street artists in hopes that an artistic fire will be lit but as of now, neither have expressed a desire to take art lessons. School continues to be fun for her and she has excelled socially (no big surprise there!). The day after Trey was elected to student council, Olivia came home to announce that she decided to run the following day in her first grade class and won as well! So two of the schools ten children on student council are Braheems!
For those of you that know Olivia, this next story will come as little surprise as her outlook on life is always so positive. One night Anna and I decided to surprise the kids after school and take them to the annual street festival in Scandicci (a suburb of Florence where Trey used to play soccer). Our housekeeper Stella had continually told us in the weeks leading up to the festival that it was a big event and she wasn’t lying! Every year they close off a few dozen streets in Scandicci for one week and fill the sidewalks with food stalls, carnival rides and vendors with various items for sale. The kids and I went on several rides that evening including the ferris wheel. At one of the ride's revolutions, we came to a halt at the top with a wonderful view of the sun setting over the city. Olivia then said the following: “Dad, I know that sometimes we miss home, but just think. If we weren’t in Italy we wouldn’t be on this ride right now”. That’s Olivia. The glass is always half full.
The highlight of Olivia’s month (Trey’s too) was on the 11th of October, a date that she had been waiting for since we arrived in Italy more than two months ago. This was the one and only day that the “Simpson’s Movie” was playing at the American Theatre in Florence! It had been marked on our calendar for weeks and the kids ate it up! The theatre is a remarkable building, in a city of never ending amazing architecture. It is four stories high and has a large dome in the center. When you sit in your seat and look up to the ceiling, it looks a lot less like a movie theatre and a lot more like the convergence of a classic Opera House and a Gothic Church! The domed ceiling is stained glass hanging over three stories of beautiful balconies. The seats are extremely comfortable too! However, without a doubt the best part is that they have a full OPEN BAR in the theatre! Man, how the hell did we miss this one in America, there is something really special about watching a movie with a popcorn in one hand and a Heineken in the other!
Both kids continue to learn Italian in school but are hesitant to use it in daily life, something that Anna and I are trying to bring out of them by speaking Italian to them when at dinner and on road trips.
Finally, I have interviewed Olivia regarding some of your most pressing questions. Here they are:
Q1: Tell us about your kitty Iris:
Livy’s Answer: “I like her because she is really cute. It makes me feel good to have her. I love her so much that I could squeeze all the stuffing out of her.”
Q2: What do you like the most about school?
Livy’s Answer: “I like art the best. I like to paint and do puppets. I also like recess. I mostly play on the swings and I like it because I swing high. Mommy told me to keep pumping and lean back when I am going up, so now I can swing high without anyone pushing me.”
Q3: What do you like the most about Italy?
Livy’s Answer: “One of my favorite things about Italy is seeing mountains. I like finding flowers too. I like our forest at the castle a lot because it has lots of trees and sticks. I can see my favorite trees from my room. I love the pasta and the veal. The shrimp pasta is really good. I like lasagna and roasted potatoes. The fruit is delicious too. I am tired of gelato!”
Q4: What do you like the least about Italy?
Livy’s Answer: “I don’t like missing home. I don’t really know what else I don’t like. Missing home is probably the only thing that I don’t like.”
Q5: What do you miss the most about home?
Livy’s Answer: “I miss Tasha, our backyard and fluffy and our couch! I miss my friends. I miss my grandpas and grandmas and cousins and Sassy Pants (Elizabeth). I also miss Emily.”
We have been taking the kids to museums and into the center of the city for them to view the street artists in hopes that an artistic fire will be lit but as of now, neither have expressed a desire to take art lessons. School continues to be fun for her and she has excelled socially (no big surprise there!). The day after Trey was elected to student council, Olivia came home to announce that she decided to run the following day in her first grade class and won as well! So two of the schools ten children on student council are Braheems!
For those of you that know Olivia, this next story will come as little surprise as her outlook on life is always so positive. One night Anna and I decided to surprise the kids after school and take them to the annual street festival in Scandicci (a suburb of Florence where Trey used to play soccer). Our housekeeper Stella had continually told us in the weeks leading up to the festival that it was a big event and she wasn’t lying! Every year they close off a few dozen streets in Scandicci for one week and fill the sidewalks with food stalls, carnival rides and vendors with various items for sale. The kids and I went on several rides that evening including the ferris wheel. At one of the ride's revolutions, we came to a halt at the top with a wonderful view of the sun setting over the city. Olivia then said the following: “Dad, I know that sometimes we miss home, but just think. If we weren’t in Italy we wouldn’t be on this ride right now”. That’s Olivia. The glass is always half full.
The highlight of Olivia’s month (Trey’s too) was on the 11th of October, a date that she had been waiting for since we arrived in Italy more than two months ago. This was the one and only day that the “Simpson’s Movie” was playing at the American Theatre in Florence! It had been marked on our calendar for weeks and the kids ate it up! The theatre is a remarkable building, in a city of never ending amazing architecture. It is four stories high and has a large dome in the center. When you sit in your seat and look up to the ceiling, it looks a lot less like a movie theatre and a lot more like the convergence of a classic Opera House and a Gothic Church! The domed ceiling is stained glass hanging over three stories of beautiful balconies. The seats are extremely comfortable too! However, without a doubt the best part is that they have a full OPEN BAR in the theatre! Man, how the hell did we miss this one in America, there is something really special about watching a movie with a popcorn in one hand and a Heineken in the other!
Both kids continue to learn Italian in school but are hesitant to use it in daily life, something that Anna and I are trying to bring out of them by speaking Italian to them when at dinner and on road trips.
Finally, I have interviewed Olivia regarding some of your most pressing questions. Here they are:
Q1: Tell us about your kitty Iris:
Livy’s Answer: “I like her because she is really cute. It makes me feel good to have her. I love her so much that I could squeeze all the stuffing out of her.”
Q2: What do you like the most about school?
Livy’s Answer: “I like art the best. I like to paint and do puppets. I also like recess. I mostly play on the swings and I like it because I swing high. Mommy told me to keep pumping and lean back when I am going up, so now I can swing high without anyone pushing me.”
Q3: What do you like the most about Italy?
Livy’s Answer: “One of my favorite things about Italy is seeing mountains. I like finding flowers too. I like our forest at the castle a lot because it has lots of trees and sticks. I can see my favorite trees from my room. I love the pasta and the veal. The shrimp pasta is really good. I like lasagna and roasted potatoes. The fruit is delicious too. I am tired of gelato!”
Q4: What do you like the least about Italy?
Livy’s Answer: “I don’t like missing home. I don’t really know what else I don’t like. Missing home is probably the only thing that I don’t like.”
Q5: What do you miss the most about home?
Livy’s Answer: “I miss Tasha, our backyard and fluffy and our couch! I miss my friends. I miss my grandpas and grandmas and cousins and Sassy Pants (Elizabeth). I also miss Emily.”
Thursday, October 18, 2007
An Interview with Anna
Much of what you read in this blog is a combination of mine and Anna’s feelings and experiences on a daily basis. She has settled into Italian life in a seamless way. Most of you know her pretty well and have experienced her easy going way. This translates well to a place where things happen slower and with many hiccups. I think that it's fair to say that in another life, Anna was a Florentine! Rather than me trying to capture her feelings, I will ask her a few questions:
Q1: A little more than two months into our adventure, how would you rate the experience thus far on a scale of one to ten and why:
Anna’s Answer: “A ten for sure. We are experiencing a completely different culture and way of living, with fantastic surroundings, people, food, architecture and art. It is completely different from home. There are no strip malls. It is not boring. I don’t feel like my life is the same every day. I love the bars. I can't get a bad coffee anywhere if I tried. One of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard is little Italian children speaking (in Italian). I will never forget their voices as long as I live.”
Q2: Thus far what has been the biggest surprise about living here?
Anna’s Answer: “Our flat (the castle) is like a dream. It’s a once in a lifetime experience to live in a castle with so much history and such amazing views. I don’t think that I will ever tire of looking out the window. I feel really lucky to experience this.”
Q3: Tell us about the motorino.
Anna’s Answer: “The motorino is great, it makes me giddy! I love exploring the city on it. I feel like we are Italian when we ride the motorino.”
Q4: What don’t you like about Italy?
Anna’s Answer: “I haven’t really experienced anything I don't like that is worth noting. Maybe I have not been here long enough. Maybe traffic, but I guess that comes with the package.”
Q5: What comes to mind when I say the following word…”Florence”
Anna’s Answer: “Historical, mysterious, beautiful, busy.”
Q1: A little more than two months into our adventure, how would you rate the experience thus far on a scale of one to ten and why:
Anna’s Answer: “A ten for sure. We are experiencing a completely different culture and way of living, with fantastic surroundings, people, food, architecture and art. It is completely different from home. There are no strip malls. It is not boring. I don’t feel like my life is the same every day. I love the bars. I can't get a bad coffee anywhere if I tried. One of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard is little Italian children speaking (in Italian). I will never forget their voices as long as I live.”
Q2: Thus far what has been the biggest surprise about living here?
Anna’s Answer: “Our flat (the castle) is like a dream. It’s a once in a lifetime experience to live in a castle with so much history and such amazing views. I don’t think that I will ever tire of looking out the window. I feel really lucky to experience this.”
Q3: Tell us about the motorino.
Anna’s Answer: “The motorino is great, it makes me giddy! I love exploring the city on it. I feel like we are Italian when we ride the motorino.”
Q4: What don’t you like about Italy?
Anna’s Answer: “I haven’t really experienced anything I don't like that is worth noting. Maybe I have not been here long enough. Maybe traffic, but I guess that comes with the package.”
Q5: What comes to mind when I say the following word…”Florence”
Anna’s Answer: “Historical, mysterious, beautiful, busy.”
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Simone, Stella and the Good Samaritan
It is time to make the introduction to a pivotal person our life and to tell you a funny story. First a little background…
When we moved to the castle we dealt extensively with the gardener, a man named Massimo (literal translation, the Great One! And the most popular male name in Italy). Massimo is the person who showed us how to get to the kids school, showed us the flat several times and helped us move from the original place. Immediately upon meeting Massimo he suggested that his twenty year old son “Simone” (Pronounced See-moe-neh) would be willing to do anything and everything we asked (drive us to various places in the city, act as a tour guide, baby sit the kids) you name it Simone will do it. AND, he speaks good English!) Well the English part was a stretch but there was no lie about this kid being a hard working and responsible young man. In fact, he is one of our families best friends in Italy at this point!
Simone does it all for us including something that I would never have imagined Anna being OK with, babysitting the kids. Anna was very reluctant to ever have a male babysitter, but after the first try, Simone was the kids favorite. He’s a quiet kid, whose English is improving by the day, but the bottom line is that whether it is driving the kids to school, meeting the electrician at the house when we are gone, finding a soccer team for Trey to play on or researching where in Florence I can rent a Vespa, Simone has been a god send to us.
So, this brings me to the story. In early October we received a call from Simone to invite us to dinner with his family (none of them speak English) as it was his mom and dad’s twenty third wedding anniversary. We were quite flattered at the invitation. The dinner was on a Sunday evening (school the next day) and they came to pick us up at the castle. We were to follow them to the restaurant in Chianti, a drive that was supposed to take us thirty minutes! Not only did it take us one hour five minutes, but commuted us over cobble stone and dirt roads as we meandered through various little towns in Tuscany’s famous wine region. Our arrival at the Trattoria at just past 8:30 in the evening was a bit concerning due to kids sleep schedule and also the fact that we had less than an eighth of a tank of gas (not planning to drive quite so far!) My comment to Anna was “Shit this must be one hell of a restaurant if they are willing to drive so far!) Man, was that an understatement! It was a seven course meal that ranks very near the top of all meals we have eaten in the past two months. Veal Loin, Caramelized Porcini Mushroom Tops, Fresh made Rigatoni Pasta with Rabbit Ragu and the best Ribolitta I have ever had all graced the tasting menu. When we were done it was 11:30, Olivia was passed out with her head on the table and Trey’s eyes were so blood shot that I would have sworn he had been drinking a good bottle of Chianti!
As we calculated our one hour drive home it was determined that we needed to find a service station for some petrol (a very tall order in the country side on a Sunday night!) No worries as Massimo new of one that was ten minutes away…
As we pulled in to the station, our boy Simone immediately jumped out of his mom and dad’s car to pump the “Benzina”. He filled it up and we were back on the road in less than five minutes…
About a half mile into our drive, the car started to miss BADLY! It immediately registered with me: “Simone must have put GAS into the car and its diesel! We conked out a few hundred yards later, in the middle of no where at about midnight and nothing open! All we could do was laugh! Anna and I laughed our asses off while the kids slept in the car, for nearly an hour! The Meucci family had to be wondering why we were taking photos and video throughout the ordeal, but we just found it to be the perfect “nightcap” on what was alredy a wonderfully memorable evening. This experience summed up so beautifully what Italy has been for the last two months: great people, amazing food, terrific wine, the best laid plans being a waste of time and patience being a virtue!
Simone's father Massimo called one of his friends, who drove thirty five minutes to the dark stretch of highway that housed our Puegot wagon, and who was kind enough to bring us home to the castle. The car was towed back to Florence that night and the next morning was drained of its “Benzina” (Gas) and refilled with diesel. All is good and we still love Simone!
Stella - There’s not much to write about this lady other than the fact that she is a wacky and kind soul. Stella has been our house keeper/occasional baby sitter for about six weeks now and we love her. Personally, it has taken a bit to get used to her wacky ways but she is incredibly kind and very good to us. Stella is originally from Veneto and now lives in Scandicci, a suburb of Florence. She speaks faster than a truck driver with a “Crystal Meth” addiction and can at times tinker on the verge of triggering a migraine for me! With that said, I am really getting to the point where I can communicate with her and trying to keep up with her rapid fire pace of questions has been wonderful for my learning Italian. She is incredibly loving to our children, which in the end is all that matters in our book, and is loyal to a degree of intensity that you rarely see in someone you have only known for little more than a month.
Anna has an affinity for her and they have developed a friendship very quickly. Somehow, in ways that no one can really explain, the two of them have been able to communicate very easily since day one. Anna has a talent for language and understands Stella’s Northern Italian dialect with ease. On the flip side, Anna’s combination of Spanish and Italian somehow click well for Stella. It is quite enjoyable for me to watch them communicate with one another, with it frequently ending in me saying to Anna “how the hell do you know what she just said!”
Another Good Samaritan in a Land full them! – Last month I spoke of the kindness that Italians show when you are in need of direction. This is a brief tale of a seventy year old Good Samaritan. One afternoon, Trey and I were late to soccer practice and I was having a hell of a time finding the field. It was only the second time I had been there and had followed Simone there the first time. I pulled over to the side of the road to ask an old man if he new where the field was. He immediately began to passionately rattle off directions to me that consisted of at least six or seven turns that I needed to make. I’m not sure if it was the glazed look in my eyes or his self revelation that it was difficult to get to the location, but the next thing that I new, he was in the passenger seat of my car navigating me through traffic and several residential neighborhoods on our way to the field! When we arrived, he started to get out of the car to make the five or six block walk back to the building that I found him in front of. Of course I insisted on taking him back, which he obliged! The tales continue from the land of kindness :>)
When we moved to the castle we dealt extensively with the gardener, a man named Massimo (literal translation, the Great One! And the most popular male name in Italy). Massimo is the person who showed us how to get to the kids school, showed us the flat several times and helped us move from the original place. Immediately upon meeting Massimo he suggested that his twenty year old son “Simone” (Pronounced See-moe-neh) would be willing to do anything and everything we asked (drive us to various places in the city, act as a tour guide, baby sit the kids) you name it Simone will do it. AND, he speaks good English!) Well the English part was a stretch but there was no lie about this kid being a hard working and responsible young man. In fact, he is one of our families best friends in Italy at this point!
Simone does it all for us including something that I would never have imagined Anna being OK with, babysitting the kids. Anna was very reluctant to ever have a male babysitter, but after the first try, Simone was the kids favorite. He’s a quiet kid, whose English is improving by the day, but the bottom line is that whether it is driving the kids to school, meeting the electrician at the house when we are gone, finding a soccer team for Trey to play on or researching where in Florence I can rent a Vespa, Simone has been a god send to us.
So, this brings me to the story. In early October we received a call from Simone to invite us to dinner with his family (none of them speak English) as it was his mom and dad’s twenty third wedding anniversary. We were quite flattered at the invitation. The dinner was on a Sunday evening (school the next day) and they came to pick us up at the castle. We were to follow them to the restaurant in Chianti, a drive that was supposed to take us thirty minutes! Not only did it take us one hour five minutes, but commuted us over cobble stone and dirt roads as we meandered through various little towns in Tuscany’s famous wine region. Our arrival at the Trattoria at just past 8:30 in the evening was a bit concerning due to kids sleep schedule and also the fact that we had less than an eighth of a tank of gas (not planning to drive quite so far!) My comment to Anna was “Shit this must be one hell of a restaurant if they are willing to drive so far!) Man, was that an understatement! It was a seven course meal that ranks very near the top of all meals we have eaten in the past two months. Veal Loin, Caramelized Porcini Mushroom Tops, Fresh made Rigatoni Pasta with Rabbit Ragu and the best Ribolitta I have ever had all graced the tasting menu. When we were done it was 11:30, Olivia was passed out with her head on the table and Trey’s eyes were so blood shot that I would have sworn he had been drinking a good bottle of Chianti!
As we calculated our one hour drive home it was determined that we needed to find a service station for some petrol (a very tall order in the country side on a Sunday night!) No worries as Massimo new of one that was ten minutes away…
As we pulled in to the station, our boy Simone immediately jumped out of his mom and dad’s car to pump the “Benzina”. He filled it up and we were back on the road in less than five minutes…
About a half mile into our drive, the car started to miss BADLY! It immediately registered with me: “Simone must have put GAS into the car and its diesel! We conked out a few hundred yards later, in the middle of no where at about midnight and nothing open! All we could do was laugh! Anna and I laughed our asses off while the kids slept in the car, for nearly an hour! The Meucci family had to be wondering why we were taking photos and video throughout the ordeal, but we just found it to be the perfect “nightcap” on what was alredy a wonderfully memorable evening. This experience summed up so beautifully what Italy has been for the last two months: great people, amazing food, terrific wine, the best laid plans being a waste of time and patience being a virtue!
Simone's father Massimo called one of his friends, who drove thirty five minutes to the dark stretch of highway that housed our Puegot wagon, and who was kind enough to bring us home to the castle. The car was towed back to Florence that night and the next morning was drained of its “Benzina” (Gas) and refilled with diesel. All is good and we still love Simone!
Stella - There’s not much to write about this lady other than the fact that she is a wacky and kind soul. Stella has been our house keeper/occasional baby sitter for about six weeks now and we love her. Personally, it has taken a bit to get used to her wacky ways but she is incredibly kind and very good to us. Stella is originally from Veneto and now lives in Scandicci, a suburb of Florence. She speaks faster than a truck driver with a “Crystal Meth” addiction and can at times tinker on the verge of triggering a migraine for me! With that said, I am really getting to the point where I can communicate with her and trying to keep up with her rapid fire pace of questions has been wonderful for my learning Italian. She is incredibly loving to our children, which in the end is all that matters in our book, and is loyal to a degree of intensity that you rarely see in someone you have only known for little more than a month.
Anna has an affinity for her and they have developed a friendship very quickly. Somehow, in ways that no one can really explain, the two of them have been able to communicate very easily since day one. Anna has a talent for language and understands Stella’s Northern Italian dialect with ease. On the flip side, Anna’s combination of Spanish and Italian somehow click well for Stella. It is quite enjoyable for me to watch them communicate with one another, with it frequently ending in me saying to Anna “how the hell do you know what she just said!”
Another Good Samaritan in a Land full them! – Last month I spoke of the kindness that Italians show when you are in need of direction. This is a brief tale of a seventy year old Good Samaritan. One afternoon, Trey and I were late to soccer practice and I was having a hell of a time finding the field. It was only the second time I had been there and had followed Simone there the first time. I pulled over to the side of the road to ask an old man if he new where the field was. He immediately began to passionately rattle off directions to me that consisted of at least six or seven turns that I needed to make. I’m not sure if it was the glazed look in my eyes or his self revelation that it was difficult to get to the location, but the next thing that I new, he was in the passenger seat of my car navigating me through traffic and several residential neighborhoods on our way to the field! When we arrived, he started to get out of the car to make the five or six block walk back to the building that I found him in front of. Of course I insisted on taking him back, which he obliged! The tales continue from the land of kindness :>)
Sports: Italy versus the US and Mr. Trey
Well, those of you that know me, know of my passion for “Lo Sport”. It has been virtually impossible to keep up with things in the states here in Italia due to the time change and complete lack of coverage on television. There is no ESPN and if by chance there is a scant NFL game shown on satellite, it comes on at the un-godly hour of 2:30 in the morning. After a great bottle of Brunello, I don’t love anything that much! With that said, this time of the year is unquestionably one of my favorites with the NFL and College Football seasons hitting full stride and the baseball playoffs stealing the national spotlight. To say that I am home sick for sports would be an understatement. I miss it a lot. Soon it will be college basketball season (Another favorite of mine) which will suck as my Bruins are going to win the national championship this year (You heard it here first) and I won’t be able to see it! All of this will pale in comparison to what will surely be a shallow feeling come spring when baseball begins. I have been Trey’s coach every year since he began playing and there are few things in my life that I cherish more than teaching twelve little boys our national pastime each spring and into the early summer.
I never pondered the beauty of what we have in our country as it relates to sports as much as I have over these past few months. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful things to follow and get excited about. In Italy, there is really only one sport, Football (Soccer). It’s a fine sport I suppose, but lets be real, you can’t compare one sport to the wonderful menu that we have to offer. Sure in Italy they have Formula One, Rugby and European basketball, but for the sake of this comparison, I think we should stick with REAL sports, not crap! Fiorentina (Florence’s team) is off to a good start thus far and the city is a buzz about it, but I just can’t seem to get into professional soccer just yet. I truly do appreciate the grace and athletic ability shown on the European soccer field, but the games are difficult to follow with the broadcasts in Italian. One aspect of soccer that I find to be particularly interesting is the raw emotion of the fans. It makes sense when you think about it though. I have isolated four things that place the passion at a fever pitch:
Each contest is played between cities that are in much closer proximity to each other than at home. When the Chargers play the 49ers for example, you have two teams from the same state but that are about 600 miles apart. In soccer, it is much more typical to that two teams are playing each other with only fifty to one hundred miles of separation from one another (Similar to the great rivalries of the Steelers/Browns or the Cardinals/Cubs.
Many times the matches are between teams from different countries (Yet still geographically close) giving contests the added international dynamic and national pride.
History plays a significant role as well and Europe has a much richer history than we do. In Italy for instance you can have a match between Florence and Pisa (40 miles of separation) and you have two cities that have hated each other for 800 years with numerous bloody battles taking place as the two cities were at constant war in the middle ages.
A constant pitchers duel! Think of two great pitchers throwing against each other every game and you have a soccer match. Goals are so hard to come by that its sheer bedlam when someone finally scores.
With all this said I will take our sports over anything offered here all day long!
Trey ventured onto the soccer field himself in early October. Practice began three weeks prior so he was one step behind from the get go. Actually, he was numerous steps behind as it turns out! Man, can the kids on his team play! Over the past two weeks of attending two 90 minute practices a week, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these nine year old kids play their national sport. In Italy, kids soccer is a ten month season which begins in September with two months of training and has games ending in the mid summer! There simply is no other sport that they play, hence the reason they are so damn skilled at such a young age. I coached AYSO last year, so I think that I have a pretty good grasp on talent and would tell you that there are at least five kids on this team that could play at the twelve year old level in California. The ball handling and passing skills are simply far superior to anything that I have seen from this age group. Last year Trey was the second best player on my team and scored 11 goals in 12 games. On this team he is the teams least skilled player. The combination of a late start, superior skill level of his teammates and the difficult challenge of learning a sport from coaches who don’t speak English (not to mention the fact none of his teammates speak English either) had him pretty lost on the field during practice. Anna went to the fourth practice with me and was shocked as to how lost he looked out there. It was as if he was a stranger in a foreign land. Our assessment is that he would need to practice at least two more days a week (Total of four) on top of games and tournaments on the weekend to become competitive. This of course doesn’t leave a lot of time for homework and any other activities that a nine year old boy would want to participate in. We presented Trey with the option of hiring Simone to work with him two extra days after school (Simone is a life long soccer player) or bowing out now, before the season begins. This of course was a difficult decision for him that had him in tears as I have pounded into his head since he was a small child that “If you want to be good at something you work harder than anyone else, BUT you never quit”. For me, it was an equally difficult dilemma.
The sport fanatic and achievement oriented side of me envisions Trey becoming a terrific soccer player and overcoming all of the challenges that he faces. The life lessons that could be learned from overcoming so many obstacles to fit in and achieve equality with the Italian boys in their national sport would be something that could serve as a spring board to his confidence in other aspects of life.
The father in me sees my son struggling in sports for the first time and doesn’t want to throw his life our of balance by having him commit to a life of sleep, school and soccer, without even a half day free to play with his friends or to ride his bike. I also see that he is not fitting in and struggling to muster passion and enthusiasm. To those that have seen him play, he is not the typical Trey, outrunning the opponent to the ball and leaving his soul on the field when he plays.
After much deliberation, Trey decided to opt for being a nine year old boy and not becoming the next Beckham! We feel like he made the right choice. There is a baseball (Trey’s favorite sport) team being organized in a neighboring town that I am going to look in to and he wants to learn to play tennis. Weekends will be strange now that we don’t have sporting events to attend (Anna and I just love watching him play) but everything happens for a reason. We will see what new hobbies spawn from the free time that he has.
I never pondered the beauty of what we have in our country as it relates to sports as much as I have over these past few months. We are truly blessed to have so many wonderful things to follow and get excited about. In Italy, there is really only one sport, Football (Soccer). It’s a fine sport I suppose, but lets be real, you can’t compare one sport to the wonderful menu that we have to offer. Sure in Italy they have Formula One, Rugby and European basketball, but for the sake of this comparison, I think we should stick with REAL sports, not crap! Fiorentina (Florence’s team) is off to a good start thus far and the city is a buzz about it, but I just can’t seem to get into professional soccer just yet. I truly do appreciate the grace and athletic ability shown on the European soccer field, but the games are difficult to follow with the broadcasts in Italian. One aspect of soccer that I find to be particularly interesting is the raw emotion of the fans. It makes sense when you think about it though. I have isolated four things that place the passion at a fever pitch:
Each contest is played between cities that are in much closer proximity to each other than at home. When the Chargers play the 49ers for example, you have two teams from the same state but that are about 600 miles apart. In soccer, it is much more typical to that two teams are playing each other with only fifty to one hundred miles of separation from one another (Similar to the great rivalries of the Steelers/Browns or the Cardinals/Cubs.
Many times the matches are between teams from different countries (Yet still geographically close) giving contests the added international dynamic and national pride.
History plays a significant role as well and Europe has a much richer history than we do. In Italy for instance you can have a match between Florence and Pisa (40 miles of separation) and you have two cities that have hated each other for 800 years with numerous bloody battles taking place as the two cities were at constant war in the middle ages.
A constant pitchers duel! Think of two great pitchers throwing against each other every game and you have a soccer match. Goals are so hard to come by that its sheer bedlam when someone finally scores.
With all this said I will take our sports over anything offered here all day long!
Trey ventured onto the soccer field himself in early October. Practice began three weeks prior so he was one step behind from the get go. Actually, he was numerous steps behind as it turns out! Man, can the kids on his team play! Over the past two weeks of attending two 90 minute practices a week, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these nine year old kids play their national sport. In Italy, kids soccer is a ten month season which begins in September with two months of training and has games ending in the mid summer! There simply is no other sport that they play, hence the reason they are so damn skilled at such a young age. I coached AYSO last year, so I think that I have a pretty good grasp on talent and would tell you that there are at least five kids on this team that could play at the twelve year old level in California. The ball handling and passing skills are simply far superior to anything that I have seen from this age group. Last year Trey was the second best player on my team and scored 11 goals in 12 games. On this team he is the teams least skilled player. The combination of a late start, superior skill level of his teammates and the difficult challenge of learning a sport from coaches who don’t speak English (not to mention the fact none of his teammates speak English either) had him pretty lost on the field during practice. Anna went to the fourth practice with me and was shocked as to how lost he looked out there. It was as if he was a stranger in a foreign land. Our assessment is that he would need to practice at least two more days a week (Total of four) on top of games and tournaments on the weekend to become competitive. This of course doesn’t leave a lot of time for homework and any other activities that a nine year old boy would want to participate in. We presented Trey with the option of hiring Simone to work with him two extra days after school (Simone is a life long soccer player) or bowing out now, before the season begins. This of course was a difficult decision for him that had him in tears as I have pounded into his head since he was a small child that “If you want to be good at something you work harder than anyone else, BUT you never quit”. For me, it was an equally difficult dilemma.
The sport fanatic and achievement oriented side of me envisions Trey becoming a terrific soccer player and overcoming all of the challenges that he faces. The life lessons that could be learned from overcoming so many obstacles to fit in and achieve equality with the Italian boys in their national sport would be something that could serve as a spring board to his confidence in other aspects of life.
The father in me sees my son struggling in sports for the first time and doesn’t want to throw his life our of balance by having him commit to a life of sleep, school and soccer, without even a half day free to play with his friends or to ride his bike. I also see that he is not fitting in and struggling to muster passion and enthusiasm. To those that have seen him play, he is not the typical Trey, outrunning the opponent to the ball and leaving his soul on the field when he plays.
After much deliberation, Trey decided to opt for being a nine year old boy and not becoming the next Beckham! We feel like he made the right choice. There is a baseball (Trey’s favorite sport) team being organized in a neighboring town that I am going to look in to and he wants to learn to play tennis. Weekends will be strange now that we don’t have sporting events to attend (Anna and I just love watching him play) but everything happens for a reason. We will see what new hobbies spawn from the free time that he has.
The Four Seasons of Food
By the title you may think that I am referring to the World’s greatest hotel chain that takes the same name, but actually I am referring to the diversity of cuisine served in Italy that is impacted by the seasons of the year. The phrase does have an appropriate duel meaning, as Italy is most certainly the five star country of gastronomic pleasure (Sorry France you don’t hold a candle!) There are many reasons as to why the food is so unbeatable here, but one need not look much further than “freshness” for the answer. Italians take great pleasure in what they put into their belly and do so with an unwavering devotion to eating what is fresh and of the season. It took us a while to realize that you don’t buy food here like you would at Costco. Our life in America is so conditioned toward mass quantity but here it is all about quality when it comes to food. Local produce simply can not be purchased in abundance unless you want to toss much of it into the garbage can in the next couple of days. Produce is “Vine Ripened” and picked when ready to eat, giving it an amazing flavor that one rarely experiences on the palate in America, where we pick our fruits and vegetables well in advance of them being ready for consumption. Often times, we eat foods in the US that are grown in other hemispheres and or continents, where Italians simply resist the temptation to eat flavorless strawberries in December, instead opting to eat to the season and to cherish the times when things such as zucchini flowers, porcini mushrooms and asparagus are available. Its like the old saying goes “Weekends would not be special if there was not the work week!”
I have often wondered when traveling in Italy why the tomato sauce tasted so much better than at home, or why the cantaloupe melon served with my pasciutto di Parma was so sweet that it tasted like candy. The reason is that the cantaloupe was picked yesterday on a local Tuscan farm and delivered straight to a place like San Lorenzo market for consumption. This of course is why our refrigerator is so freaking small like all other Italians! You simply don’t “Stock up” on food here like we do at home. Beyond, Italians cherish the time that they spend selecting their food, roaming from one vendor to the next each morning to find the “Jewels” of today’s produce, meat and cheese selection, with tomorrow being another day, not to be considered when hunting for today’s meal ingredients. Its as if they are diamond miners looking for that precious stone.
Anna and I have adapted to this mentality and love going down to the local markets in the morning after sending the kids off to school. The education of Marcella (My cooking instructor and friend) has been invaluable in the process. One morning I met her at San Lorenzo to select the ingredients for the meal we were preparing that evening (Brasoala (Cured Beef) with fresh grated parmesan and arugala salad, followed by Lasagna Bolognese (Meat Sauce) made with home made pasta noodles, and fresh fruit crepes for desert. We stopped at no less than fifteen vendors along the way to select the various ingredients, buying the peaches from one vendor, the bananas from another and the pork sausage and fresh ground beef from yet another. “Yeah but one trip to Ralphs and I’m done” you might say? Well, let’s just say this. Mr. Trey has his own little meat lasagna rating scale (He is one of Italy’s foremost experts on the subject at this point) and he rated the final product an “11” on a scale of 1-10! The key is the ingredients. Now, if your time is “money”….well I guess that’s the price we pay!
Soon there will be no zucchini flowers on the menu (A dish that I cherish as my grandmother used to make them for my sister and I when we were kids, picked fresh from her garden), no more peaches or nectarines that ooze juice the minute you bite into them. They are being replaced by dishes such as pumpkin ravioli cooked in butter and sage, or numerous varieties of pears that taste as if they were “Sugared” on the vine. Soups will be plentiful as the weather turns cold and Italy makes several of my favorite soups such as Ribolitta (Vegetable Bread Soup), Papa A Pomodoro (Tomato bread soup) and Pasta Fagioli (Bean Soup). Risotto with fresh truffles will water our mouths when we need comfort food to help weather the elements. The arrival of spring will bring fresh asparagus and amazing artichokes (Carciofi) as well as tender green peas and fresh blood oranges from Sicily.
Now, lets address the purple elephant in the room as by now you must be asking, “How much are they going to weigh when they get home?” Well thus far, I have actually lost an inch in my pant size as has Anna! Why, because there are no preservatives and because we walk a lot! The American diet is so full of additives and a nice comfortable couch waiting upon digestive completion that that we can’t afford to eat in this manner.
By the way, are you hungry yet :>)
Café’ – Prior to our departure, Anna and I had long since boycotted the American institution that is Starbucks, opting to make our own “Café” in the morning for the past five years. I realize that this is a controversial statement for those of you who frequent the home of the triple caramel macchiato, but in our humble opinions, Starbucks is overpriced, commercialized, burnt coffee.
In Italy, coffee is referred to as “Café” or what we call in America “Espresso”. If you want a “Cup of Joe” American Style you will need to order a “Café Americano” which is espresso with hot water (Steve Silverman’s morning beverage of choice). Italians like their Cappucino as well, but only drink it in the morning. In fact a local Florentine informed us that if you want to be a dead ringer for a “Touristo” just order a cappuccino after dinner and everyone will know :>)
Café is an institution here, with approximately every fifth storefront selling it, making the phrase “There’s a Starbucks on every corner seem ridiculous”. Café is consumed all day/every day by Italians who use it as legal cocaine at times when an afternoon “Pick Me Up” is needed. Where it differs from Starbucks (Beyond sheer quality) is that you take your café standing up at a bar, knock your shot down and leave your eighty cents on the counter. If you want to sit and sip your coffee (No one does expect tourists) you can expect to pay three times more for the same beverage! There is something very special about having consistent/immediate access to a quick coffee and one of the many terrific Italian pastries throughout the day (The Italian Breakfast). These wonderful places are called Pasticceria or Bars and we frequent them for a pastry and coffee at least four to five times a week!
For those that choose to follow our lead and prepare your own at home, here are a couple of important tips:
There are three major brands of Italian espresso that are considered the best. We prefer them in this order; (1. Illy 2. La Vazza 3. Jolly)
Water (As our friend Nicola Albini says) is the main ingredient in café, so you should use only good bottled water.
Cappucino Machines are a dime a dozen. We love the one we bought here and its not expensive. The brand is Via Veneto. The mettle stove top ones made by Bialetti are also very good and dirt cheep.
In the end you will drink much better coffee and at a fraction of the price.
Restaurant Ratings – I figure that many of you will one day come to Florence or have a friend or family member who does. For this reason we will periodically add to this list of our favorite places to dine. We will include a favorite dish or two and an approximate price (Keep in mind that all prices are high with the dollar being in the toilet!) The restaurants are rated on a scale of 1-10 with ten being best:
Trattoria Garga (8) – A wonderful environment in the city center. The veal (Served five different ways) is the highlight. (30.00 to 50.00 a person)
Osteria Godo (8.5) – Local establishment outside the center near Fiesole. Amazing pasta (Tagliatelle with Cauliflower leaves is a highlight), terrific pork loin in balsamic vinegar, the best meatballs and cheesecake we have ever eaten! (20.00 to 30.00)
Trattoria Garga (8.5) – Local trattoria in Bagno A Ripoli. Highlights include the best artichokes ever, great spare ribs, the best chocolate cake we have ever eaten and Nudi made with ricotta and spinach served melted butter with fried sage leaves. (30.00 to 40.00)
Osteria Di Passignano (10) – Located at the Badia Passignano winery in Chianti. Everything on the menu was terrific including the Florentine steak which I usually don’t like! Just go there and whatever you order you will like. (50.00 to 60.00)
Le Boscarecce (10) – Located off some dirt road in Chianti (See the Simone anniversary story in this issue!) Amazing bread lasagna with Ribollitta, veal loin, grilled porcini mushroom caps and pasta with rabbit ragu. (50.00)
Alla Vecchia Betola – (7) Typical Tuscan family restaurant just outdie the city walls of Florence near Via Pisani. This is a local place we eat at a lot with communal tables and a family feel. Great Ribollitta, Fried Chicken, pasta with meat sauce. (20.00 to 25.00)
Golden View Open Bar (8) – Located just at the end of the Ponte Vecchio (Oltrano or non city side) it possesses great views of the river. Risotto with peas and carrots and pasta Bolognese are highlights. (30.00 to 40.00)
Cibreo (8) – Located near the center this place is considered one of the best places to eat in Florence. We didn’t think so but it was good, albeit pricey. Sautéed Porcini Mushroom caps with white beans and white fish Carpaccio were highlights. (80.00 to 100.00)
Il Latini (5) – This well known “Turisto” trattoria prides itself on having long lines each night in the alley that front the restaurant. Mass quantities of Ribollita, Florentine Steak, Salami and everything else you think of finding at an Italian deli back home are served up at your communal table. Well felt like we were eating at Costco! Its tough to get a bad meal in Italy and I would not go so far as to say that this was a bad one, but we wont eat there again.
Enoteca Coquainarius (7.5) – Located near the Duomo this is a local hangout that we have only had lunch at a few times. The pear and ricotta tortellini are to die for. (15.00 to 20.00)
Angels (8) – Located behind the Duomo and near the Palazzo Vecchio this is a hip trattoria that we have only eaten lunch at a couple of times. The brasola salad and the arugala salad with oranges and artichokes are highlights. (15.00 to 30.00)
Fuor d’Acqua (9.5) – The best fish we have had since we have been here. They only serve fish and it doesn’t come in fresh till 9:00 pm! Located near Porto Romana. Everything we had was terrific especially the raw tuna with celery, carrots, lemon juice and fresh pressed olive oil. (40.00 to 50.00)
Fusion (8.5) – This is one of the hot spots of Florence which is just catching on to Asian cuisine. Located near the Arno just off the end of the Ponte Vecchio in the center. The Pumpkin and ginger soup, tuna and salmon sashimi and soft shell crab salad were highlights. (40.00 to 50.00)
Filipepe (8.5) – This eclectically decorated Osteria serves “Mediterranean” cuisine and with many unique dishes on the menu. It is located “Oltrano” or on the other side of the Arno river and on the lively and hip street of Via San Nicola. The street is filled with places to eat and many of he restaurants actually place tables right down the middle of the street! The Calamari “3 Ways” is amazing as is the pork loin. (25.00 to 35.00)
I have often wondered when traveling in Italy why the tomato sauce tasted so much better than at home, or why the cantaloupe melon served with my pasciutto di Parma was so sweet that it tasted like candy. The reason is that the cantaloupe was picked yesterday on a local Tuscan farm and delivered straight to a place like San Lorenzo market for consumption. This of course is why our refrigerator is so freaking small like all other Italians! You simply don’t “Stock up” on food here like we do at home. Beyond, Italians cherish the time that they spend selecting their food, roaming from one vendor to the next each morning to find the “Jewels” of today’s produce, meat and cheese selection, with tomorrow being another day, not to be considered when hunting for today’s meal ingredients. Its as if they are diamond miners looking for that precious stone.
Anna and I have adapted to this mentality and love going down to the local markets in the morning after sending the kids off to school. The education of Marcella (My cooking instructor and friend) has been invaluable in the process. One morning I met her at San Lorenzo to select the ingredients for the meal we were preparing that evening (Brasoala (Cured Beef) with fresh grated parmesan and arugala salad, followed by Lasagna Bolognese (Meat Sauce) made with home made pasta noodles, and fresh fruit crepes for desert. We stopped at no less than fifteen vendors along the way to select the various ingredients, buying the peaches from one vendor, the bananas from another and the pork sausage and fresh ground beef from yet another. “Yeah but one trip to Ralphs and I’m done” you might say? Well, let’s just say this. Mr. Trey has his own little meat lasagna rating scale (He is one of Italy’s foremost experts on the subject at this point) and he rated the final product an “11” on a scale of 1-10! The key is the ingredients. Now, if your time is “money”….well I guess that’s the price we pay!
Soon there will be no zucchini flowers on the menu (A dish that I cherish as my grandmother used to make them for my sister and I when we were kids, picked fresh from her garden), no more peaches or nectarines that ooze juice the minute you bite into them. They are being replaced by dishes such as pumpkin ravioli cooked in butter and sage, or numerous varieties of pears that taste as if they were “Sugared” on the vine. Soups will be plentiful as the weather turns cold and Italy makes several of my favorite soups such as Ribolitta (Vegetable Bread Soup), Papa A Pomodoro (Tomato bread soup) and Pasta Fagioli (Bean Soup). Risotto with fresh truffles will water our mouths when we need comfort food to help weather the elements. The arrival of spring will bring fresh asparagus and amazing artichokes (Carciofi) as well as tender green peas and fresh blood oranges from Sicily.
Now, lets address the purple elephant in the room as by now you must be asking, “How much are they going to weigh when they get home?” Well thus far, I have actually lost an inch in my pant size as has Anna! Why, because there are no preservatives and because we walk a lot! The American diet is so full of additives and a nice comfortable couch waiting upon digestive completion that that we can’t afford to eat in this manner.
By the way, are you hungry yet :>)
Café’ – Prior to our departure, Anna and I had long since boycotted the American institution that is Starbucks, opting to make our own “Café” in the morning for the past five years. I realize that this is a controversial statement for those of you who frequent the home of the triple caramel macchiato, but in our humble opinions, Starbucks is overpriced, commercialized, burnt coffee.
In Italy, coffee is referred to as “Café” or what we call in America “Espresso”. If you want a “Cup of Joe” American Style you will need to order a “Café Americano” which is espresso with hot water (Steve Silverman’s morning beverage of choice). Italians like their Cappucino as well, but only drink it in the morning. In fact a local Florentine informed us that if you want to be a dead ringer for a “Touristo” just order a cappuccino after dinner and everyone will know :>)
Café is an institution here, with approximately every fifth storefront selling it, making the phrase “There’s a Starbucks on every corner seem ridiculous”. Café is consumed all day/every day by Italians who use it as legal cocaine at times when an afternoon “Pick Me Up” is needed. Where it differs from Starbucks (Beyond sheer quality) is that you take your café standing up at a bar, knock your shot down and leave your eighty cents on the counter. If you want to sit and sip your coffee (No one does expect tourists) you can expect to pay three times more for the same beverage! There is something very special about having consistent/immediate access to a quick coffee and one of the many terrific Italian pastries throughout the day (The Italian Breakfast). These wonderful places are called Pasticceria or Bars and we frequent them for a pastry and coffee at least four to five times a week!
For those that choose to follow our lead and prepare your own at home, here are a couple of important tips:
There are three major brands of Italian espresso that are considered the best. We prefer them in this order; (1. Illy 2. La Vazza 3. Jolly)
Water (As our friend Nicola Albini says) is the main ingredient in café, so you should use only good bottled water.
Cappucino Machines are a dime a dozen. We love the one we bought here and its not expensive. The brand is Via Veneto. The mettle stove top ones made by Bialetti are also very good and dirt cheep.
In the end you will drink much better coffee and at a fraction of the price.
Restaurant Ratings – I figure that many of you will one day come to Florence or have a friend or family member who does. For this reason we will periodically add to this list of our favorite places to dine. We will include a favorite dish or two and an approximate price (Keep in mind that all prices are high with the dollar being in the toilet!) The restaurants are rated on a scale of 1-10 with ten being best:
Trattoria Garga (8) – A wonderful environment in the city center. The veal (Served five different ways) is the highlight. (30.00 to 50.00 a person)
Osteria Godo (8.5) – Local establishment outside the center near Fiesole. Amazing pasta (Tagliatelle with Cauliflower leaves is a highlight), terrific pork loin in balsamic vinegar, the best meatballs and cheesecake we have ever eaten! (20.00 to 30.00)
Trattoria Garga (8.5) – Local trattoria in Bagno A Ripoli. Highlights include the best artichokes ever, great spare ribs, the best chocolate cake we have ever eaten and Nudi made with ricotta and spinach served melted butter with fried sage leaves. (30.00 to 40.00)
Osteria Di Passignano (10) – Located at the Badia Passignano winery in Chianti. Everything on the menu was terrific including the Florentine steak which I usually don’t like! Just go there and whatever you order you will like. (50.00 to 60.00)
Le Boscarecce (10) – Located off some dirt road in Chianti (See the Simone anniversary story in this issue!) Amazing bread lasagna with Ribollitta, veal loin, grilled porcini mushroom caps and pasta with rabbit ragu. (50.00)
Alla Vecchia Betola – (7) Typical Tuscan family restaurant just outdie the city walls of Florence near Via Pisani. This is a local place we eat at a lot with communal tables and a family feel. Great Ribollitta, Fried Chicken, pasta with meat sauce. (20.00 to 25.00)
Golden View Open Bar (8) – Located just at the end of the Ponte Vecchio (Oltrano or non city side) it possesses great views of the river. Risotto with peas and carrots and pasta Bolognese are highlights. (30.00 to 40.00)
Cibreo (8) – Located near the center this place is considered one of the best places to eat in Florence. We didn’t think so but it was good, albeit pricey. Sautéed Porcini Mushroom caps with white beans and white fish Carpaccio were highlights. (80.00 to 100.00)
Il Latini (5) – This well known “Turisto” trattoria prides itself on having long lines each night in the alley that front the restaurant. Mass quantities of Ribollita, Florentine Steak, Salami and everything else you think of finding at an Italian deli back home are served up at your communal table. Well felt like we were eating at Costco! Its tough to get a bad meal in Italy and I would not go so far as to say that this was a bad one, but we wont eat there again.
Enoteca Coquainarius (7.5) – Located near the Duomo this is a local hangout that we have only had lunch at a few times. The pear and ricotta tortellini are to die for. (15.00 to 20.00)
Angels (8) – Located behind the Duomo and near the Palazzo Vecchio this is a hip trattoria that we have only eaten lunch at a couple of times. The brasola salad and the arugala salad with oranges and artichokes are highlights. (15.00 to 30.00)
Fuor d’Acqua (9.5) – The best fish we have had since we have been here. They only serve fish and it doesn’t come in fresh till 9:00 pm! Located near Porto Romana. Everything we had was terrific especially the raw tuna with celery, carrots, lemon juice and fresh pressed olive oil. (40.00 to 50.00)
Fusion (8.5) – This is one of the hot spots of Florence which is just catching on to Asian cuisine. Located near the Arno just off the end of the Ponte Vecchio in the center. The Pumpkin and ginger soup, tuna and salmon sashimi and soft shell crab salad were highlights. (40.00 to 50.00)
Filipepe (8.5) – This eclectically decorated Osteria serves “Mediterranean” cuisine and with many unique dishes on the menu. It is located “Oltrano” or on the other side of the Arno river and on the lively and hip street of Via San Nicola. The street is filled with places to eat and many of he restaurants actually place tables right down the middle of the street! The Calamari “3 Ways” is amazing as is the pork loin. (25.00 to 35.00)
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