Paula's Tour Talk

Ossi di Morto Cookies

Ossi di Morto, literally bones of the dead, are a Tuscan cookie made especially for November 2nd, All Souls Day (called Day of the Dead in some cultures).

I thought they might be fun to make for Halloween.

These cookies are crunchy and delicious--perfect with an espresso or glass on Vin Santo. Children love them, too. 

One of the most famous bakeries in Siena, La Fabbrica del Panforte, exports bags of Ossi di Morto and you can sometimes find them in gourmet stores. But they are also easy to make yourself.

This recipe takes about 40 minutes from start to finish.

Ossi di Morto

Preheat your oven to 350.

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts (about 4 ounces), roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup almond, roughly chopped
• 2 cups  sugar
• 2 egg whites
• the juice of one lemon

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice. Add the nuts, and work the mixture until the dough is firm.

Shape the dough into a ball and then roll it out into a long thick snake shape (just like kids do with clay). Cut the snake into 1/2 inch thick slices and break into 2 or 3 pieces and flatten into "bones." (See the photo above)

Butter a cookie sheet, dust it flour, lay the bones on it, and bake for about 20 minutes. Do not let them get too brown. Cool before serving.

Spring 2010: Tuscan Treasures

I can't wait to board the plane that will take me to Milan for Living La Dolce Vita tour to Milan, Lake Como and Venice in a little over a month. But I'm also excited about the next trip after that.

 Tuscan Treasures: April 18-27, 2009 is a fabulous tour and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, too.

This tour is going to be filmed by Carol Carini, videographer and owner of Billabong Studios and Billabong TV. You won't even know she is filming and the raw footage will be turned into a series of half hour segments for a food and travel pilot.

The potential exposure for you and your business is huge!

And there's more. Sandra Levitin, owner of the online magazine Kalon Women will be joining us, and several other high-powered savvy women are checking their calendars and hoping to come along, too.

Because of the filming and the networking, our accountant tells us that this tour could be partially tax deductible for business owners.  How's that for a bonus?

Tuscan Treasures is a 10 day tour, based in this beautiful hotel in Florence. Unpack once and relax. 

We'll fully explore this amazing Renaissance gem and its art treasures--with plenty of time for shopping and exploring too.

We'll also enjoy a hands-on cooking class in a villa outside the city, day trip to Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, and tiny Montereggione, and much more.

Spring is a lovely time to visit Tuscany: the weather is mild, flowers are blooming, and menus feature fresh spring specialties like Pasta Primavera.

If you've been dreaming of Italy and would like to see it in the company of savvy, interesting women, this tour is for you.

I'd love to have you join us and be part of the filming, too.

This tour is strictly limited to 12 tour members, and I expect it to fill up fast.

Avoid disappointment and sign up now for this unique combination of pleasure and business.

You can see the full itinerary and all the details here.

Siena's Most Overlooked Treasure

You'd think that a large room in the Siena Cathedral with some of the most gorgeous frescoes you will ever see would be hard to miss. But far too many of the people I talk to who have visited Siena on their own or even on a tour look at me blankly when I ask how they liked the Piccolomini Library.

It's true that the Cathedral is huge and packed with amazing sights from the mosaics on the floor to the sculpture adorning every nook and cranny, but the Piccolomini (which is located in the center of the right aisle) should not be overlooked.

The Library houses a wonderful collection of music manuscripts, but it's the walls that are stunning to me.  Ten frescoes by the artist Pinturrichio, depicting the life of Aeneas Silvio Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II, decorate the walls of the room.

Pinturrichio, and his assistant, the young Raphael, created vivid scenes, full of color, richness, and  detail.  Looking at them is like stepping into the world of the 15th century. The artists even painted himself and Raphael into one of the scenes (above).

You can see many of the frescoes at the Web Gallery of Art, but I hope you will see them in person one day. 

All of Time of Your Life Tours' Tuscany trips include a visit to the Siena Cathedral and the Piccolomini Library. Our clients say it's one of the highlights of the tour. The night before we go, I tell them the story of Piccolomini's life while we enjoy a glass or two of wine on our hotel's terrace.

And, although I usually don't like those recorded audio tours, I always rent them for our clients when we visit the Siena Cathedral. They include information on each of the frescoes in the Library and I highly recommend them to enhance the experience.

Monteriggioni: A Step Back in Time

One of the highlights of Time of Your Life Tour's Taste of Tuscany Tour is the day we spend in the Tuscan hills. We visit Siena with its jewel of a cathedral, San Gimignano with its towers and award-winning gelato, and enjoy a sumptuous lunch accompanied by the exquisite local white wine, Vernaccia, at a working farm and vineyard.

But on the tour last October we had an additional stop that made the day even more special. We spent some time in the little town of Monteriggioni which is entirely enclosed in a walled medieval fortress. Seeing this ancient town is like stepping back in time.

Sitting atop a small hill, this beautiful village in the Chianti region of the Siena Province of Tuscany was built in the 13th century by the overlords of Siena to command the main roads running through the area.

Monteriggioni conforms almost perfectly to the archetypal idea of a medieval walled village.The walls and towers are virtually intact, and the visual effect from a distance is quite astonishing. It's a castle floating above the countryside.

Today inside the village there is almost no traffic, making it feel even more like nothing has changed in centuries.

Most of  the buildings inside the walls of Monteriggioni are the original structures. It is one of the best preserved medieval villages in Italy.

The more or less circular walls with a total length of about 570 meters were built between 1213 and 1219, following the natural contours of the hill. There are fourteen towers on square bases and two portals or gates.

Off the main piazza, smaller streets give way to public gardens fronted by the other houses and small businesses of the town. Back in more hostile times, these gardens provided to the inhabitants during dark days of siege warfare.

There was a real need for a defensive stronghold in this now peaceful area of farms and vineyards. It played a key role in the defense of nearby Siena, safeguarding the roads and also the farms that provided sustenance to that often besieged city.

The castle fortress occupied a strategic position in the on-going conflicts between Siena  and Florence during the Middle Ages when Florence was determined to increase its territory. From the 13th to the 16th century,Monteriggioni successfully resisted every attack and siege.

However, what Florence could not do by force, it ultimately achieved by guile. The  Sienese had placed control of the town's garrison in the hands of one Giovannino Zeti, who had been exiled from Florence. Reconciling with the Medicis in 1554, in what is known in Monteriggioni as the "great betrayal", he simply handed the keys of the town over to the captain of the Medici force.

Today, this lovely village no longer stands between warring neighbors. Instead it offers great views, charming cafes and shops, and a chance to imagine what life was like long ago.

We are pleased to have this addition to our tours, and last fall our clients agree it was the icing on the cake of a most special day in Tuscany. I can't wait to visit Monteriggioni again with the next tour.

Berlingozzo--A Tuscan Cake with History

My friend Martha, who lives in a small town in the Tuscan hills, sent me the recipe for this special cake back in July. Summer was such a busy time for me that I just remembered I had it this morning. As you'll see, it was traditionally a pre-Lenten treat, but you can enjoy it anytime.

This simple and delicious cake takes less than an hour to make. It's perfect for breakfast, perhaps with some ripe berries, or to serve with coffee later in the day, or for dessert, or....

Martha writes:

"Ah, eccolo, il berlingozzo", (here's the berlingozzo) you hear the panettiere say as he's about to place it in his display case. You turn and half expect to see a sleek Italian motorcycle emerging from the bakery kitchen. You look at him with curiosity as he points to the freshly baked amber colored cake. "Vorrebbe una fetta?" (Would you like a slice?)  he asks. Well, how could you turn him down?

The humble berlingozzo is a very old Tuscan breakfast cake that dates back to the Renaissance. It wouldn't be unusual for it to show up on the table of Cosimo l (1389-1464). In those days, Florentines loved their sugar so much they couldn't wait until dessert. And then for dessert they would even sweeten their maccheroni!

The name and preparation of a berlingozzo may be different from province to province in Tuscany. In Lamporecchio, near Pistoia, the cake might be flavored with semi d'anice pestati (crushed fennel seeds). In Prato the flavoring might be orange. And in Firenze, there would be a lemon flavor.

The word 'berlingozzo' comes from a very old Tuscan dialect verb, berlingare, meaning' to enjoy'. The cake was typically eaten the week before Carnival, on Giovedi'Grasso (Fat Thursday)...and somehow between Giovedi'Grasso and berlingare  the word 'berlingozzo' came about.

In fact, the Florentines were such lovers of all things delicious, they were called i berlingatori. And they became i berlingozzi as they ate and drank with abandon before assuming the abstemious practices of Lent.

And one more thing. Berlingozzo is also the name of of a mask worn on the feast of Giovedi' Grasso.

This is an easy cake to make. It's soft and delicately flavored and just terrific inzuppare, or dipped, in caffelatte, or a snack with milk, or as a simple dessert with vin santo or a nice sherry.

                                   BERLINGOZZO

1 cup sugar

2eggs

2 egg yolks

3 cups flour

3 1/2 oz. melted butter

Zest of 1 lemon

1 T baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

a pinch of salt

Beat the eggs with the sugar using an electric mixer until they become a pale yellow.

Add the flour, the melted butter, the lemon zest, a pinch of salt and stir by hand to blend.

Add the milk and continue stirring until you have a smooth batter.

Add the baking powder through a strainer to avoid any lumps and mix until baking powder is blended into the batter.

Easy does it. Don't over beat the baking powder in the batter.

Pour the batter into a buttered and floured cake tin, preferably a ring or tube cake tin.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. It should be golden when done.

Thank you, Martha. See you in October!

 

 

San Gimignano-A Little History

The day we spend in the Tuscan countryside visiting Siena and San Gimignano--with lunch of delicious regional specialties and wine-tasting at an agriturismo farm--is always a favorite with Time of Your Life Tours' clients. We're going again this fall with our Tastes of Tuscany Tour (and with two of the spring 2009 tours).

San Gimignano is one of my favorite places, and I've been doing quite a bit of research on its history lately. I won't bore you here with the complexities of the town's ancient Etruscan beginnings or its tangled list of conquerors and rulers after the fall of the Roman Empire, or even the Medieval sagas of its feuding families (but be sure to ask me on the tour if this interests you!). But I will share a couple of the legends about its name.

It seems the town was originally named Silvio or Silvia. Perhaps it was named for a certain Silvio who found himself on the losing side during the Catiline Conspiracy which sought to overthrow the Roman Republic when Julius Caesar was a young man. He took refuge in the woods in the Tuscan hills with some companions. The city that eventually grew from this shelter was called Silvia's City.

Or perhaps, the name came from the Latin word for "woods" which is silvae.

At any rate, the name was later changed to San Gimignano, an Italian spelling of the Latin name of a fifth century bishop of Modena-- Geminiano. On the left is a fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli of the saintly bishop holding a realistic model of the town in his hands. (you can see this and many more gorgeous frescoes in the church of St. Augustine in San Gimignano).

Again there are two stories, both rather dubious.

One has the people of the town praying to the (dead) holy bishop of Modena to save them from the marauding Huns. Their prayers were answered and the grateful populace changed the name to San Gimignano in honor of this miraculous intervention and, of course, to ensure his protection in the future.

However, by far the most colorful story is this one. When the Bishop Giminiano of Modena died and his body was laid out and ready to be carried in procession through the streets on its way to be buried, a young clerk passed by and was entranced by the beautiful ring the dead man was wearing. Seeing no one about, he tried to slip the ring from his finger. But, it wouldn't budge. So, this clerk took out his knife and cut off the whole finger, ring and all.

He fled and shortly after went blind, some say from guilt and remorse. In his wanderings he came to the town and went into the church and laid the relic (that is, the severed finger and its ring) on the altar. Immediately, his sight was restored, and the town was named for this "saint" whose precious finger became a draw for pilgrims seeking their own cures. His feast day is January 31st.

You can read more about this town and its sights in an article I wrote last summer: San Gimignano. I am really looking forward to returning and spending an afternoon in this lovely ancient town of towers.

Question: Is this the kind of information you want to read here? Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Not Just the Leaning Tower

Most people make a quick stop in Pisa to see the famous tower--and it's worth seeing. But so are the other treasures of the Campo dei Miracoli, that is the Field of Miracles, where the Leaning Tower is joined by a grand cathedral, museum, and other sights.

One of the most often overlooked is the Baptistery of St. John. It's a fine building, begun in 1152 and completed in 1363. It's the largest baptistery in Italy, and it's an unusually fine example of the transition from the Romanesque style to the Gothic.

If you look closely at this photo, you will see that the lower levels of the marble facade have rounded arches. This is Romanesque style. The upper levels have the pointed arches typical of the later Gothic style.

The interior of the building is rather plain and stark, with a large baptismal font in the center. Light comes in from the small windows high above. The acoustics are said to be nearly perfect, an amazing achievement for the times.

But there is a real treasure here. It's the pulpit by Nicola Pisano, completed in 1260. Nicola Pisano is considered to be one of the most creative revolutionaries in all Western art. He was one of the very first to bring back Classical Greek and Roman sculptural qualities to Italian art. It is no accident that many art history books date the beginning of the Renaissance as 1260, the year this work was finished.

This pulpit may be his best work. Nicola himself considered it so. He added a plaque to the piece which he proudly signed and dated and added an inscription proclaiming himself the greatest sculptor of his times.

The pulpit is raised on elegant columns of beautiful colored marble which rest on the backs of white marble carvings of lions. The upper part has five panels with reliefs depicting scenes from the New Testament. The most notable of these are the Annunciation in which Mary resembles Classical Greek images of the Mother goddess, and the Adoration of the Magi. The magi look like Zeus and his brothers.

The arches supporting the panels are decorated with figures of the prophets and evangelists. At each of the six corners there are figures representing heroism, the virtues and good works. You'll see Hercules, Charity, Faith, Hope, John the Baptist and the Archangel Michael.

This piece is a complete departure from the Romanesque tradition which had previously dominated Tuscan art. These sculptures influenced artists for generations.

Nicola's genius lie in his synthesis of Classical styles with Christian themes. His figures have tremendous bulk and energy, and seem to explode from the restricted surface of stone.

This is just one of the fascinating works we'll see when we visit Pisa this October on the Tastes of Tuscany tour. I can't wait to see it again.

The Field of Miracles--Pisa

Whether you take the 45 minute walk through town from the train station or arrive by taxi, the Field of Miracles (Campo dei Miracoli) takes you by surprise. One minute you are in small, crowded, and rather dark city streets, and then suddenly the vista opens up and in front of you is a huge expanse of green grass with a bevy of magnificent white marble structures, including the famous Leaning Tower, the huge round Baptistery, and the grand cathedral (duomo).

All the Campo's buildings have facades of brilliant white marble, and rows of delicate arches and columns. Unique to Pisa, this lovely architectural style is called Pisan Romanesque, and is much lighter, and more elegant than the thick-walled, ponderous Romanesque buildings found elsewhere in Europe.

The Campo has always been the center of life for the citizens of Pisa. For centuries they were christened in the Baptistery, married in the Duomo, recognized for their achievements in ceremonies at the Tower, and buried in what has been called the most beautiful cemetery in the world.

Besides these religious sites, there  are a couple of museums. The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo houses Pisan paintings and sculpture, as well as treasures from the cathedral and some ancient Egyptian, Etruscan, and Roman artifacts(the town was once a Roman settlement). The Museo delle Sinopia displays some of the original wall sketches for the frescoes seen in the cemetery.

You can purchase tickets (in a somewhat confusing scheme) for some or all of the buildings and museums, although a special ticket and reservation is required if you want to climb the Leaning Tower. I think the cathedral and Baptistery are well worth seeing--both are impressive and contain magnificent carved pulpits. The cathedral interior is a stunning mix of early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic motifs. The Duomo Museum is also worth a look if you have time and are interested in Pisan art.

Hundreds of souvenir stands line the streets surrounding the Campo. Buy a little Leaning Tower here, if you must, but don't waste time searching for treasures. These stands are full of the tackiest bits of overpriced junk you'll ever come across.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

It really leans, and it's cooler than you might think. Although it's not one of the new 7 wonders of the world, it certainly has been considered a wonder for centuries.

Begun in 1174, by 1275 it was already leaning to the south by about seven inches. In an effort to correct this, the site manager tried making the columns on the south side taller than those on the north. It didn't work, and the angle of incline steadily increased. Numerous attempts to halt the process were, for the most part, failures. But today the tower has been stabilized and tilts 17 feet one inch from vertical, measured from the top of the belfry. There is a great deal of scientific explanation of all this and probably more than you ever wanted to know about the latest renovations (completed in 2000) at the Tower and also online at the Official Leaning Tower website.

But I think there's more interesting things to learn about this amazing building. First of all, it's a campanile, or bell tower, and it houses seven bells that are tuned to the seven notes of the musical scale. The bells all have names, and the largest two are no longer rung for fear their swinging will cause damage to the walls.

Then, although the official literature states that the tower is approximately 183 feet tall and weighs about 14,500 tons, I was fascinated to learn some different measurements. In his not-so Brief History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Piero Pierotti  explains that the medieval Pisans believed in the magical significance of numbers. And so, the height of the Tower is exactly 100 bracci Pisani (Pisan arms), which is the equivalent of 20 pertiche Pisani (Pisan staffs). The circumference measures exactly 100 piedi Pisani (Pisan feet). These "human" measurements were very useful in the days when modern tools and devices were unknown.

It is said that Galileo dropped two cannon balls of different masses from tower to demonstrate his theory that speed is independent of mass. This may or may not have actually occurred.

It is true, however, that in 1934 Mussolini wanted the tower returned to a vertical position. Why, I can't imagine. He ordered concrete poured into its foundation, but the result was that the tower sank further.

It's also true that during WWII, the Allied forces learned that the Nazis were using it as an observation post, and that a US army sargeant made a decision not to call for an artillery strike which saved the monument from destruction.

But more important, at least to me, than all of this is the fact that the Leaning Tower is a beautiful structure. Unlike most square Tuscan bell towers, it's a  cylinder with an empty core, wrapped in slender columns that are decorated at the top with fantastic figures and and nature motifs. It is dazzling white in the sunshine, elegant, and lovely.

We'll visit Pisa and see the Tower on Time of Your Life Tour's Tastes of Tuscany Tour next fall. It takes a great deal of stamina and a special reservation to climb the 294 steps to the top, but you can get great pictures right from the ground.

The Tower is just one of the gorgeous sights in the Campo dei Miracoli that we'll visit. I'll tell you more about those soon.

 

The Magnificent Siena Duomo

Teresa and I agree: the duomo (cathedral) in Siena is our favorite. Standing at the highest point in Siena, this spectacular cathedral is a not-to-be-missed gem.

It's dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary--that is the miracle of her ascension into heaven, when her life on earth was complete, with her physical body and soul united. The feast day of the Assumption, August 15th, sometimes called the Virgin's "heavenly birthday," is a major holiday throughout Italy (and a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation).

The duomo's facade is gorgeous with bands of pink, white and green marble and lavish decoration. But it's the interior that is most spectacular.

Divided into three aisles by black and white striped pillars, the space reveals its riches in a play of light and shadow. Among the treasures are the marble pulpit by sculptor  Nicola Pisano with figures representing the Seven Liberal Arts, Virtues, and scenes from the New Testament.There is also an early work by Michelangelo, and Donatello's dramatic St. John the Baptist. Everywhere you look, you will find beauty and delights.

Look up at the dome and you'll see a deep blue sky painted with golden stars. Over the front entrance, you'll find a rose window depicting of the Last Supper, one of the earliest works in stained glass in Italy. Look down and you'll find the entire floor of the cathedral is richly decorated with marble inlays of 56 individual vignettes of philosophers, allegories, sibyls, and Biblical scenes that describe Classical and Christian history up to the founding of the city of Siena.

And then there's the Piccolomini Library. The walls and ceilings are covered with some of the most vivid and spectacular frescoes in Italy, showing highlights from the life of Pope Pius II (Aeneas Silvio Piccolomini). below the frescoes, you'll see priceless early music manuscripts displayed. The beauty of this room is almost overwhelming.

Although I normally abhor those audio tours that seem to turn people into walking zombies with headphones, I always recommend paying the small fee for one here. The  informative, spoken (yes, English is available) guide covers the whole cathedral, including the mosaic floor allegories and the Piccolomini frescoes.

The Siena Cathedral is one of the highlights of all Time of Your Life Tours' Tuscany trips. We'd love to have you join us.

And, for more amazing photos of Siena and the duomo, check out Images of Siena.