These are just some random thoughts that came to me during our trip and on the flight home.
Tuscany looked just like it always does in pictures of the region. Home are mostly painted a lovely mellow yellow colour. There are some beige, terra cotta and occasionally light green. According to our Italian guide, Francesca, you need permission to pain your home and colour selections are very limited. As an observation - that kind of control really makes the landscape and cityscape look beautiful.
Italy's mountains are magnificent and form a backbone all the way down the country, or at least as far as Sorrento because that's the farthest south we travelled.
Every bathroom has a bidet - a rather unnecessary fixture in my opinion, but I wasn't born in Europe. They make good foot baths athough you'd have to find something of the right height to sit on while your feet were soaking.
Meals that accompanied tastings (parmesan, olive oil, wine, ... ) were all superior to meals in hotels. Well, maybe except the Bristol hotel in Lido de Jesolo which was our first stop. The salad bar there consisted mainly of vegetables roasted in olive oil, LOTS of olive oil, along with the usual greens, tomatoes and cukes.
You can get tired of pasta, no matter how many different forms it comes in. And believe me there are many forms, most of which I could not name. Homemade pasta is superior to our boxed dried options in Canada. Having it as a second course, following antipasto, means you are too full to enjoy the main dish.
The drivers in Italian cities are both highly skilled and absolutely nuts. The streets are narrow and twisting and often hilly. Does that deter them? Nope. Pedestrians beware.
Wine - it's everywhere and each region claims to make the best wine. One of them must be right, but I enjoyed the trial process. I've had enough in the past two weeks to last me a long time.
Italian beer is a very tasty addition to lunch.
Gelato - what can I say other than YUM YUM YUM? No matter what flavour you choose, you won't be disappointed. You can find gelato around every corner, a fact that is, thankfully, not true here.
Balsamic vinegar - after being educated at a tasting, I learned that the traditional, judged balsamic vinegar, has to be aged for at least 12 (or is that 15?) years before it is adjudicated. If it doesn't measure up, it gets aged another year or more. The traditional vinegar is sold in small bulbous bottles and is $$$. Balsamic vinegar is made from red and white grapes, in proportions chosen by the makers. No two are alike.
Balsamic vinegar made from only white grapes is also aged, and the aging process determines the colour and viscosity, and in turn should be used on different foods. Just tried the 6 year old white balsamic on a salmon fillet - oh so good.
Limoncello makes an excellent spritzer. In Amalfi we saw how it is made from the peel of amalfi lemons, whose skin, when squeezed, emits an oil. The "real" limoncello is made only from lemon peel and almost pure alcohol. Other varieties are made with lemon peel and vodka or gin. In a spritzer, who cares?
The highways are excellent, probably because they are not subject to alternate freezing and thawing. But the major routes are toll roads which surprised me. Everyone drives fast. Speed limit is 130KPH.
When we flew home I opted to upgrade to Business Class and oh my, it will be difficult indeed to subject myself to steerage ever again. Air France might have the best food of any airline and it's certainly better than many of the lovely meals we enjoyed in Italy.
I don't mean to put down Italian food. It's spectacular when served hot and most of the hotels we stayed at, served the food just above room temperature. The tomato sauces are wonderful and the pasta is always delicious. Fresh ricotta cheese is so good I could weep. Peccorino, made with sheep's milk, is my new favourite. Parmesan will have a more frequent appearance at my table - thinly sliced instead of shredded.
Tours can be very tiring as you don't determine the timing of your comings and goings. However, it's only on organized group tours that you get to have personalized tours of various producers. I'm still undecided about taking another tour rather than choosing a destination and lodging option and then doing day trips on my own time.
Arrivederci Italia!
No comments:
Post a Comment