Paula's Tour Talk

Martha's Blog

My dear friend Martha, who has often sent me recipes to publish here, has started writing her own blog. It's called Mangia Tutto and it's all about daily life in a small town in Tuscany with a focus on food and cooking.
I am hoping she'll be including recipes as time goes on (she's a marvelous cook!), but for now you can read about her adventures and misadventures in her tiny kitchen and the fabulous meals she cooks for the charming Piero.
Check it out at Mangia Tutto and read about her Thanksgiving feast and lots more.

A Simple Pasta Dish

Since all of us here in the US (and the expats abroad too) will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week--and eating and cooking-- a big meal, I thought I'd give you this simple pasta recipe you can make in a snap during the busy days ahead. It's delicious, low calorie, and healthy too.

No Stress Pasta

1 pound dried fusilli pasta (plain or tri-color)

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive  oil  
                                     
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (can be omitted)

salt to taste

1 large can of best quality Italian plum tomatoes (drained, save the liquid for another use)

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

freshly ground Parmesan cheese

With a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor, work oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt into a coarse paste (do not over mix, it's best if a bit coarse). This is the pesto.

Chop the tomatoes and put in a saute pan with the vinegar.  Cook for two minutes over medium heat. Add the pesto mixture and stir together. Continue gently heating over medium heat.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water, according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well and toss with the sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan (or pass at the table). Serve with a green salad and crusty Italian bread, and a glass of hearty red wine and enjoy!

Italianissimo

 Italianissimo means very, very Italian, or most Italian, or extremely Italian, and it's the title of a charming new book on Italian culture. Written by Louise Fili (author of my favorite, The Civilized Shopper's Guide to Florence, reviewed here ) and Lise Apatoff, this elegant, beautiful, little volume offers insights to the Italian way of life.

It's subtitled, A Quintessential Guide to What Italians Do Best, and it's an alphabetical compendium of short essays from L' Aceto Balsamico (balsamic vinegar) to the chic and ubiquitous Vespas. Each essay is accompanied by a gorgeous photo or illustration.

I am happy to report that all the information in this guide struck me as absolutely accurate, and I even learned a few new tidbits.

You'll find all kinds of insights into Italian daily life. For instance, you'll learn:

• the importance of titles (anyone with a college degree is called "Dottore")
• the kitchen utensil of choice for all Italian home cooks
• the role of the piazza (and a short list of the best ones)
• which saint is the patron of TV and laundry
• the history of Italian shoes

And more. Much more. Italianissimo would be a perfect gift for anyone who loves Italy, and a great book to read before you visit. I highly recommend this insightful and amusing guide.

NOTE: Due to a lack of response to her spring tours in these uncertain economic times, Caterina Rando has decided to cancel the Spring 2009 La Dolce Vita Tours.

Time of Your Life Tours is still offering  our Tastes of Tuscany Tour (April 26th -May 7th), and our Artful Tour of Florence and Venice (May 10th-21st).

The Color of the Season

 Everywhere you look in Milan, Florence, Rome and other cities in Italy you will see purple. It's a deep violet hue and it's inescapable.

The shop window mannequins,both male and female, are ALL dressed in this purple in various shades from light to dark. Fashion-conscious Italians all sport this color--maybe a scarf, a bag, a pair of high-heeled boots, a shirt, tie, sweater--somewhere they are wearing the color of the season.

If you want something in navy or red or green while shopping in Italy this fall, you can pretty much forget it. Personal preference is of no account for Italian shoppers. It's what's currently in style that's paramount.

Italians shop differently than Americans do. An Italian only enters a store ready to buy. After greeting the sales person, she will specify the size, cut, and color of the garment she wishes to buy. After all, she's already thoroughly checked it out in the window before coming in.

Italians buy clothes that suit their bodies and that follow the current fashion. Considerations of comfort or personal taste are quite unimportant. It's making a bella figura that matters.

If you shop for clothes (or anything else) in Italy, you should be aware of the "rules." First, as always, politeness is key. Greet the saleslady, and pepper your conversation with "please", and "if you'd be so kind", "thank you so much", etc. Second, if you want to browse, ask if this is okay. It generally is, but Italians don't do it, and it's polite to ask.

You'll see signs in store windows that read "Ingresso libero." This means "free entrance". It's not that there's a charge to enter some stores, it just means that you are free to come in and look without necessarily intending to buy. You see, there is no equivalent expression for "browsing" in Italian.

Last, and most important of all, do NOT touch the merchandise. This goes for any kind of store and all sorts of products--fruits and vegetables, jewelry, sweaters, scarves, books. You can ask if it's all right to touch, and you may be granted the privilege. Or, a saleswoman may unfold that sweater for you or show you a selection of silk scarves. Think about it, in a country where some 10 million gelato-eating tourists visit every year you can hardly blame them.

Shopping can be a pleasure if you follow these rules, and you will be given time and attention and all the help you need. Don't forget to say goodbye when you leave.

The women on tour with me last month followed these rules and had a great time shopping in Italy--lovely service and great buys. Yes,of course, we all bought something purple: it's the color of the season!

The Mud Angels

On November 4, 1966, Florence suffered a devastating flood. The Arno River was swollen after days of rain. A decision to release a torrent of water from an upstream dam sent a huge swell of water at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour. The river overflowed and a tide of mud and debris, including oil from heating oil tanks, flooded the city.

The waters reached 22 feet in the Santa Croce area and 15 feet in the Piazza del Duomo.Santa Croce church and its neighborhood was one of the first places to be flooded and it stayed under water the longest. You can get an idea of the devastation in this photo.

Reports of the dead vary, but at least 30 are known to have perished in the flood.

The city was in shambles, and thousands of precious manuscripts, frescoes, paintings, and other art treasures were destroyed. But not all. Much was rescued and later restored by the "Mud Angels."

Gli Angeli del Fango (that is, angels of the mud) were volunteers that descended on the city to help in its time of need. They were students, librarians, conservators, and others who came to help save Florence's countless treasures for future generations.

Working and living with no heat or electricity, little food, these heroic angels formed human chains to move countless heavy

volumes from the Uffizi basement. They waded through streets clogged with debris to shovel stinking, toxic mud. They worked from dawn to dusk for over two months. And they accomplished miracles.

Much was lost in the catastrophic flood, but much was saved too. The disaster also was the impetus for developing new restoration techniques, and the work continues to this day. You can see the remnants of Cimabue's Crucifix, a masterpiece of the early Renaissance, in the museum of Santa Croce church. The damage was too great for total restoration, but its partial preservation is a monument to the work of the mud angels.

If this topic interests you, check out an earlier article called Sixteen Pleasures, about a novel that gives you an insider's look at the flood and the mud angels wrapped in a delightful story.