I Do Love Le Cinque Terre and Thanksgiving

To my dear friends and family, I am writing to you on Thanksgiving. I am sure many of you will likely not read this until after the holiday weekend. Nevertheless, I wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings. For those of you who participated in the 3rd Annual Michael Edward Bratton II Turkey Trot, I applaud you and am so sad to have missed it this year. I hope to see you all out there next year.

Florence has a smell. It just does. It is a smell that is always there and never really changes. It is a mix of benzina, cigarette smoke, expensive parfume, incense, bread, garlic, sometimes the unfortunate smell of the sewer, and leather. I know it sounds gross, but it is simply Florence and a comforting experience of the city that has always been here on my travels from 1997 until now.

But today, as I walked out this morning into the beautiful, sunny, crisp morning, I swear to you..... I smelled Thanksgiving. The turkey, the yams, the pie, all of it was in the air. The feeling was bittersweet. I am a litte sad to be missing our traditional Thanksgiving at home with the same dishes I have eaten every Thanksgiving since birth. On the other hand, I am so happy to be here in Italy with my family and with Alex.... especially Alex.

Tonight we have so very much to be Thankful for. We are finally all together and getting the opportunity to get to know each other. Tonight we will be going to il Baroccio for dinner. The family has taken quite a liking to the place and Gianni is the only one we trust to provide us with a memorable Thanksgiving dinner. It is also a perfect place for Alex and I to be, as it is the site of our first date.

Which brings me to Le Cinque Terre.................


Cristian, Jenn and Stella decided to go to The Cinque Terre for a couple of nights. For those of you who do not know Le Cinque Terre means The Five Lands. They are five small colorful towns on the north western coast of Italy. It is considered part of the Italian Riviera. It is my favorite place in the entire world. I remember the first time I went when I was in high school and I fell in love instantly. Or hotel had a beautiful terrace out back the afforded a view of the sea and the cliffs of one of the towns: Vernazza. I used to sit out there alone and write in my journal. Every time I have been back since, about 7 times, I have managed to sneak into the hotel and visit my hidden terrace. It is my special place.

Alex, Mom, Dad, and I decided to go to Le Cinque Terre for the day to see the sights and do some hiking. We stared by taking the train to the first of the five towns: Riomaggiore. The day was perfect and the ocean swelled with sunlight and aqua blue colors. We hiked from Riomaggiore to the second town, Manarola. The hike was gorgeous and that particular trail was called Via Del'Amore, which means the Road of Love. Unfortunately, there was a lot of grafiti, but I will say this: at least it was all grafiti about love. We found one rock which someone had inscribed with the words: "Alla luce del sole sara per sempre il nostro amore." "In the light of the sun, our love will always be." I thought it was such a beautiful thing to say.

As we left Manorola on foot to walk to Corniglia, Alex and I stopped not to far into the walk to look back at the beautiful view of Manorola on the ocean. It was perfect. And on this spot, Alex got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I told him I would think about it and that I would only do it for 5 euro. Obviously I was joking and of course I said yes.



As you can imagine, the rest of the day was very nice. We finished our walk with mom and dad and met up with the rest of the family in Vernazza. I was a little tired when we got there, but ready for a great lunch.


We had a delicious meal of soup, and antipasti. Mom and I had the Ligurian favorite, Trofie al Pesto. Vernazza is well known for its FABULOUS homemade pesto! After lunch we enjoyed the sun and let Stella see the high tide coming in. The huge ocean waves began to take over the small town, but not before we took some great photos.



Before leaving town, we snuck up to my secret place to take a look. It was exactly the same as it has always been. Nothing seems to change in Le Cinque Terre. And now, it will never change in my heart and will continue to be somewhere very special to me. I have many memories there in very different stages of my life. I am honored to have this new memory there. As everyone walked up the steps to head to the train station, I satyed behind for a minute, alone and thought about all the time that had passed since I had first been there 11 years ago. So much has happened, but I am exactly where I want to be, and I am very Thankful for that.

Chianti and San Gimignano

Yesterday, we all went on a tour of Chianti and San Gimignano. Alex's friend, Dr. Abas Shabib is a tour guide in Tuscany and Doctor of Art History and Tuscan Tourism (Yes there is such a thing as a Dr. of Tourism here in Italy). Abas has a nice big van that fit us all comfortably and we were off.

Dr. Abas Shabib, Our Guide

We started with a drive on the Chianti Road. We stopped in Verezzano in Chianti and traveled to Castellina in Chianti and Monteriggioni. The drive was amazing and we even got to go to some little street markets in some of the towns.

Monteriggioni

The best part about the trip was lunch. Abas took us to a cool little cantina where they produce and sell wine and other products. They provided a lunch of Pecorino, Salami, Chips, Bread with Olive Oil, and Lasagna with Truffle Olive Oil. We got to taste 8 wines and were sure to buy some treats that are being shipped home, including honey with truffles, truffle oil, and vino vino vino. While we did all of this tasting and eating, Stella watched all the kitties around the place and walked up and down the stairs counting all five in Italian, while wearing her Vino Bambino onesie.



After lunch we went to San Gimignano, where Alex and I spent a beautiful day together when we first met. It was so romantic to go back together and share it with our family. Stella loved every minute of the trip!

Look in the center to see the far off towers of San Gimignano

Same Spot, Two Years later

It May Be A Long Hill, But At Least They Are In It Together

Dinner Family Style

We have had the pleasure of eating out and in alot. With Stella, it gets a little difficult to eat out all of the time. Most of the restaurants are accomodating, but sometimes it is just easier, and a lot more fun to dine in. The other night we all contributed and made a delicious meal. Mom made her famous Chicken Picatta. Alex LOVES Lemon Chicken, so I was sure Mom's picatta would win his heart. It did! We all enjoyed it.

Alex and I contributed his famous roasted potatoes. He peels the potatoes and then cuts them into small cubes and rinses them in cold water, while moving them around several times. The water must be very cold. This reduces the starch so that the potatoes do not stick to the roasting pan. Once the potatoes are cut and rinsed, we put them into a roasting pan with yummy olive oil, salt, and rosemary or parsley. You then roast the potatoes in the oven on 350 Degrees for about 30-40 minutes.

Jenn and Cristian made their delicious Roasted Asparagus. We found the most amazing, big asparigi at the grocery store. All you have to do is put them on a cooking sheet with olive oil and salt. Put them in the oven at 450 Degrees for 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness. Then, take out and shake them up, or roll them over. Put back in the oven and roast for another 3-5 minutes. Asparigi should be aldente.

Finally, Ali and Stella made a homemade crostini with fresh tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and salt. All of these ingredients are diced together and then put over oven toasted bread slices.

Who ever said eating in was boring?

Stella and Ali

Stella has a new boyfriend and his name is Ali. Her Ali is my Ali! We decided to call Alex Ali for short to make it easier for Stella to say his name. It took her a few days to warm up to Alex, but now she is hooked and the two are inseperable. He loves her to death and has been so helpful with her on our journey.

Stella is always looking for and calling out for "Adi, Adi?" Every time we go into the shop, she yells out for him, knowing he must be there somewhere. It is pretty much the sweetest thing in the world.

I think it is really good for Alex too. He has a niece named Sama who lives in Dubai and he does not get to see her very much. I never knew how much he loved kids until now. He has even convinced Stella that there is a cat who lives behind our couch. All he has to do is meow and Stella is up on the couch, looking over the back saying, "Kitty? Kitty?" He is also teaching her, sucessfully I might add, to count to 5 in Italian: Uno, due, tre, quattro, cinque....YAY!!!!

Here are some pictures of the lovebirds:

Stella is Becoming an Italian

My dear friends...it has been too long. Let me tell you: Since the arrival of the rest of the fam, it has been go, go, go. I have had hardly anytime to write and don't know where to begin.

I assure you that most of our time has been spent eating good food, looking for good food, or deciding what good food we will eat. Stella has also been keeping us very busy, so I think we are all staying fit with the walking.

Stella was made for Italy. She has been having so much fun. Her "Ciao" has almost replaced her "Hi" and all of the Italians seem to like her. "Ciao Bella! Che Carrina. Che bella bimba!" That is about all we hear when walking down the street. I can tell she is really happy here and that this cultural experience is truly a good one for her. Thank goodness for the no baby kissing rule, though. In Italy, it is illegal to kiss a baby in public. No, really, I am serious. We are pretty sure it is to prevent all of the old ladies, or scary old men from kissing all the babies they see. No worries, we get all of our kissing done in the house before going out. She especially loves kissing Alex.

Here are some various pictures of becoming Italian:

She Eats Pasta Daily

She Has Learned the Fine Art of Bread Dipping


She Wears Her Fashionable Scarf


She Is Addicted to Bottled Water

STELLA IS TRULY BECOMING AN ITALIAN!!!!!

Arriva Stella!

They are here. They are all here. Alex and I went to get Stella, Jenn and Cristian at the airport today. I was so excited!

CANCELLED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was so mad and sad and angry and worried and all that jazz. So, not being sure they were on the next flight, Alex and I waited at the airport for four hours for it to come from Frankfurt. They were on it, at last they arrived.

Stella is still beautiful and I am so happy to be reunited with her. Jenn and Cristian were suprisingly upbeat, despite their ordeal. We took them home for a home cooked meal: fresh mushroom ravioli, pumpkin ravioli, and spinach and ricotta cappaloni. Jenn, Cristian, Alex and I then went for a drink at Moyo and it was so much fun. I realized it was the first time in my life I have done something with Jenn and Cristian as couples. It was so great!

My family loves Alex and he loves them. I cannot be happier.

Plus, Stella is here. Yay!

The Night of the Living San Miniato

Mom and I have had a lot of time to ourselves, as Alex has been working during the days. The other day we decided to go on a walk to Piazzale Michelangelo. The weather was cloudy, but it did not rain all day, so we decided to take our chances and head up in the afternoon.

We enjoyed the good hike and an amazing view of the city. We were not tired and decided to trek up further to the church of San Miniato. I have written about this church in past entries, so I will not go into many details. I will tell you this, however. I have been so lucky to visit Florence many times and have seen most of the sights more than once. I had never seen San Miniato at sunset.

We got to the church and the sun was setting behind the clouds. It was still light enough outside, but the church was very dark and one of the Benedicitne Monks was praticing the organ. They do not have alot of lights in the church in order to presrve the artwork. It was the most eerie and beautiful feeling I have ever had. I felt like we were in the church in the late twelve hundreds when candles and sunlight were all they had to light their church. It was so amazing and the music was haunting.

We then decided to check out the cemetery behind San Miniato. It was gorgeous! All the tombstones and crypts were decorated so beautfifully, and the twinkle of little lights made it a sight to see at dusk. We walked for a while, a little too long. We realized it was quite dark and a little spookey to be there at that point. As we made our way back and rounded the corner to the huge door we had entered through, it was closed...... our hearts stopped.....I quickly began looking for an escape........ but, thank god it was unlocked and we slipped out.

PHEW!!

The Apartment.............

.....is amazing. Mom and I have spent the week getting it ready for the family. It is a lot of work and we have bought a lot of food to feed the group. We hope to do a lot of nights in and experiment with all the fun food we have found, especially those from Pernini. We are afraid because at Pernini, they will vacuum seal anything you buy to bring it home. So, I think we will have to bring an expensive bag home filled with our favorite treats!

The apartment is very old and very close to the center. It has two large bedrooms and a little den/bedroom for Stella. There are also two bathrooms, a great big living room, a kitchen and a nice dining room. It is perfect for our group and just the right amount of rustic for that true Italian experience.


From our living room we can see through a bakery window. It is not like a bakery you can go into to buy bread. It is on the upper floor and it is a huge operation. We think they bake cookies and such for all the little bars in town or for a big hotel. It is so cool to watch them bake all day long. Cookies! Cookies! Cookies!

The apartment also has two great outdoor areas for sitting and eating. The location is perfect. Please enjoy these fabu pics!

PERINI

So, I am inlove. I have a new boyfriend. His name is Simone. Wait, don't be alarmed. I still love Alex and he is my real bf, but Simone... I love Simone.

Simone works at the Perini counter in the Mercato Centrale. We stumbled upon Perini when Alex, mom and I went to the Central Market. We were helped by a nice American girl named Eliza. She works at Perini and has lived in Florence for three years. It was nice to meet her because she speaks English and she had us try all these wonderful things found only at Perini. We tried three kinds of Pecorino cheese and four fruit mustards: fig, cherry, pear, and orange. They were so delicious, mom and I knew we had to return the following day to stock up the house.

Upon returning, we were warmly welcomed by the owner, and our little helper Simone. He did not bat an eyelash when I asked for 1 Kilogram of Salame Milanese. Now I know from experice that that is a LOT of salame. However, all the times I lived here before, I never got into the whole buying food at the counter thing, so the kilos and what not have been a mystery. Now I am an expert. 1 Kilo is like 2.5 Lbs. That is a lot of Salame.

While deciding what else I wanted, Simone was sure to have us try all sorts of things, like pickled garlic, prosciutto on cracker bread, and more cheese with their homemade fruit mustards. Now, these fruit mustards are amazing. Mom and I have deduced that they are candied fruits that have been thrown in the food processor with mustard powder and honey. They are a divine mixture of sweet and spicey.

We got some fun cheeses to try and went home, only to return two days later for more. To my shock, Simone remembered my name and the owner and him proceeded to shove food down our throats while we ordered more and more treats. We left with fig mustard, fresh pecorino, fresh pesto, and a creamy mushroom sauce. We drew the line at a pint of the most fresh, silky smooth ricotta I have ever tasted. We also sampled a delicious Parmeggiano Reggiano with balsamic vinegar dabbled on it, a tartufo (truffle) ricotta, and a spinach tart I would die for.

We left full and continued to be full as the night progressed. Mom and I went home and made a wonderful dinner for Alex. We made a homemade vegetable soup with fresh porcini mushrooms from the market and tons of veggies we bought. "Quattro cento grami di pomodori e quattro un kilo di finnochio!" Janeille and I are now masters at buying fruit and veggies in Italia!

I have never eaten so much cheese in my life!

Pictures From Dinner-In

DINNER!!

Travelling around Florence with Alex is great. Mom and I could certainly manage on our own, but with him, it is so much easier to engage people and get that something extra. Our dinner last night was proof of that. We went to a place called il Gato e il Volpe, which means The Cat and the Fox. Alex knows the manager, so he served us himself and was amazing. he recommended we get the Mozarella Fresca with tomatoes, as they had just gotten it directly from naples. Dio Mio! This Mozarella was unbelievable. The center was so soft and it tasted almost like there was a hoppy bite to it, like beer in my cheese. It sounds weird, but really is was wonderful. They gave us an entire huge ball of the cheese, wilth sliced cherry tomatoes. It went well with our Carciofi alla Romana (Roman Artichokes). While I was gorging on the cheese, Alex was talking to our server. I was not really listening, but I heard him say, "Soon it will be even bigger!" I looked at him, shocked, and said, "The cheese is going to be bigger?" Silly me, lost in the world of Mozarella, thought he was saying they would be serving bigger balls of cheese, as if that would have been possible.



I chased down my mozarella with a salad and Ribollita, my fovarite Tuscan soup. This Ribollita was exceptional, and more smooth than the usual chunky soup. This soup is very special, as it is how Italians use their old bread. The throw it in with many vegetables and yummy things to make a thick, warm, happy soup. I have a great recipe that I made up myslef for this soup that is fast, easy, e BUONA. Let me know if you would like to have it sometime.

After dinner, mom and I returned to the apartment and Alex went home. Again, we could not sleep, so we watched MTV until 2AM and we made ourselves get up today at 8. I am sooooo sleepy.
I wonder what we will eat today, not that I need it. After yesterday, I don't think I need to eat for 5 days.