Paula's Tour Talk

Castello Sforzesco

Ciao da Milano! I'm having a great time checking out restaurants, shops, and sights for our tour. It's difficult to type using a European keyboard, so I'll keep this short. Here's a link to the magnificent Castello Sforzesco, the ancestral home of the Dukes of Milan (and prominently mentioned in Leonardo's Swans).  In addition to the castle and grounds, it's home to several museums.

I hope to be able to write at least a little from Venice and Florence, but no matter what, I'll have lots to tell you when I return home shortly before Thanksgiving.

A Glimpse of 15th Century Milan

Just in time for my visit to Milan on a final scouting trip, I finished a terrific new historical novel about the nobles, the betrayals, intrigues, romances, and the artists of the great courts of northern Italy at the end of the fifteenth century.  The novel is Leonardo's Swans by Karen Essex, and it really increased my understanding of the time period, and gave me exactly the background I wanted for Milan.

This wonderfully written, historically accurate book provides the reader with a window into the fascinating lives of the outrageously rich and famous during a very turbulent time. And it's a great read, too.

It centers on the two Este princesses, Isabella, called "The First Lady of the Renaissance," (pictured at left), and her no less illustrious younger sister, Beatrice. These two daughters of the Duke of Ferrara were mere teens when they married into the great Gonzaga and Sforza familes. They had to contend with jealousy, mistresses, intrigue, and war while maintaining some of the finest courts in Europe and producing as many heirs as possible. And they knew everyone who was anyone.

Interwoven with the story of the sisters and their woes and triumphs, is the story of Leonardo da Vinci's years in Milan under the patronage of Beatrice's husband, the larger-than-life Duke Ludovico Sforza. It is a more personal view of Leonardo than I've ever read; you get a real sense of the personality of this rather mysterious genius. You also learn all kinds of interesting information about his portraits, sculpture, and The Last Supper.

This is the perfect book to read before a visit to Milan, and a pleasure to read even if you have no plans for a trip. The story and the characters will stay with you a long time.

Click on the icon at the left, under Books we Love for more information or to purchase from Amazon.

Italian Truffles

This is the height of Italy's truffle season which officially lasts from September 15th to January 31st. Truffles (tartufi) are literally worth their weight in gold, and only grow in the wild. It was once believed that truffles grew in spots where lightning struck. However, science tells a different story: all types of truffles are related to mushrooms and are known as hypogenous fungi. Like mushrooms, truffles have a system of root-like structures but unlike mushrooms, truffles never emerge from the surface. The truffle fungus requires very particular conditions, and is most often found in the soil around stands of oak, willow, and poplar trees. Once attached to a root, the fungus will produce one truffle per year. 

At least eight species grow in Italy, where they are harvested by experienced gatherers known as trifolau, who hunt with their specially trained and highly prized dogs. The truffle hunters are a secretive lot, who keep their special truffle groves to themselves, often taking long winding paths at night or in the early morning fog to confuse those that might attempt to follow them.

Most valued is the delicious white truffle (tartufo bianco), found mainly in Piedmont in the northwest. It's often described as having a penetrating faintly garlicky aroma and an intense flavor. White truffles range from walnut to orange sized. The white truffle is never cooked, although it can be preserved or infused in olive oil. Most commonly, it is shaved raw over cold or warm dishes to enhance the flavor and aroma of special risottos and pasta dishes. The white truffle is also popular sliced thin in salads or on eggs. 

The more affordable and plentiful black truffle (tartufo nero) is less aromatic and flavorful than the white variety. Black truffles can withstand the stress of cooking, and are often found incorporated into sauces and omelets, or in toppings for bruschetta or crostini. Black truffles can also be found preserved in jars or cans. The Tre Scalini Ristorante in Rome's Piazza Navona is famous for using black truffles in their signature Tartufo Gelato. 

I'm looking forward to enjoying slivers of both white and black truffles as often as possible later this month when I'm checking out the best restaurants for next fall's tour.

Cimabue at the Frick

If you live anywhere near New York City, I'd highly recommend you do everything possible to get to the Frick and see the lovely exhibit Cimabue and Early Italian Devotional Painting. It's running now until December 31, 2006. If, however, like me, you just can't make it, take a few minutes and treat yourself to a virtual tour.

First, I'd suggest you read this short review from the NY Times: At the Frick, Another Reunion for Long-Lost Siblings.

Then go to the Frick's own wonderful website and see the entire exhibit online:The Frick Collection. There's a good accompanying article, too.

If you'd like, you can tour the whole Frick collection online (they actually own three Vermeers!) on their truly excellent website. I love the Frick and always try to convince friends who are visiting New York to make a real effort to stop by. It's a treasure. Check out the links above and see what I mean.

Oh, and in case you missed it, last year I wrote about Cimabue and his masterpiece in the Uffizi. Here's the link to that page Cimabue.

Olive Oil

It is often said that the best olive oil in the world comes from Italy (of course. the Greeks, Spaniards, and Californians may contest this!). Olive oil is certainly the most commonly used fat in Italian cuisine and is a big part of the constellation of delicious flavors that define Italian food.

The olive is the fruit of the olive tree (olea euopaea). The trees normally take five years to bear fruit, and the best olives (and olive oil) come from trees that are 100-200 years old. Plucked from the tree, olives are extremely bitter and virtually inedible, and must be cured in a saltwater brine or oil before eating.

The traditional method of extracting olive oil is essentially the same today as it has been for over a thousand years. In Italy olives are harvested in November. Workers lay nets around the base of the tree to catch the fruits as they fall. Then the olives are taken to the mill. Giant stones weighing several tons are used to crush the olives and pits into mash.

The olive mash is then spread onto thin mats. These mats are stacked, and placed into a machine "press." As the press applies several hundred pounds of pressure, oil and water from the mash seep out of the mats, and drip into collection vats. In the traditional method, no heat is applied in the pressing--this oil is therefore termed "first cold pressed." The oil is allowed to settle, and any vegetable water is removed either by centrifuge or decantation.

Oil extracted from this mechanical pressing of the olive is described as "virgin" olive oil, because it is pure, unrefined and unprocessed. "Extra" is the highest grade for olive oil--the best you can buy. The virgin oil produced from the mechanical pressing described above may be called "extra" if it has less than 1% free oleic acid, and if it exhibits superior taste, color and aroma. Thus, the "extra" in extra virgin olive oil means "premium," or simply, "the best."

Ordinary "olive oil" is actually a blended oil product. Olive oil producers start with low quality virgin olive oils. For these oils to be fit for consumption, they must be refined using mechanical, thermal and/or chemical processes. The resulting "refined olive oil" is largely colorless and tasteless. Before the resulting product is sold as "olive oil," the producer blends into the refined olive oil a percentage of quality virgin olive oil to provide color and taste.

Light olive oil is a variation on ordinary olive oil. Producers of this product use a highly refined olive oil, and add less quality virgin oil than that typically used to blend olive oil. The only thing "light" about light olive oil is the taste and color; it has the same caloric and fat content as other oils.

In addition to culinary uses, olive oil is used in many products, including luscious soaps, creams and cosmetics. At Time of Your Life Tours we know a lovely little shop in Florence where the owner is an olive oil expert and where you can find a variety of lovely olive oil items to bring home for yourself or for gifts.