Food of Italy

Our La Luna Pizzas
The La Luna Pizza's

The menu at La Luna Pizza

This cafe` has been here over 100 years
Antipasta - cheese quiche, mushrooms, eggplant, tomatoes and zuchinni
Wonderful pasta with spices, mushrooms and tomatoe
Ervin holds a plate of hot pasta above our heads!

My Nephew Ervin and his wife Aurora had a birthday cake for Jennifer's birthday
Gelato

This is a dinner I prepared. Fish with sauteed bell peppers - potatoes w/ garlic and tomatoes, a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes, olives and bread. This is pizza you buy by the kilo.

Our Rome Apartment

We had one week to spend in the gorgeous city of Rome. We rented a small studio apartment – walking in was a bit of a shock because of the small size and twin beds but can that really matter when you’re in Rome? The studio did have one entire wall that was a sliding glass door with a balcony that overlooked a lush green garden. I didn’t see the kitchen anywhere – so I opened a closet with bifold doors and behind the doors contained my Italian kitchen – two electric burners, a kitchen counter about 10”X18” and a sink. Above the sink was the dish rack and to the left were some plates, cups and an espresso pot. The next stop would have to be the grocery store where I would stock my Italian kitchen. In Italy when you are at a grocery store large enough to have grocery carts, they are chained one to another and locked – one euro will open the lock and keep your euro inside of the lock – once returned and relocked you gain possession of your euro – like I said before, we’re learning new things every day. Okay now for the best part – the grocery store … my personal favorite is “Panorama” It’s like a super Target (clothing, small electrical appliances, kitchen wares etc.) but the grocery area is like a gourmet food selection of crack. The fresh produce speaks for itself, but there also had prepared foods – They sell fresh pizza by the kilo – they are shaped in long rectangles about 4 feet long and a foot or so wide, you point and they cut them, weigh them and wrap them. Some had tomatoes and zucchinis – One had sauce, cheese, arugula, mushrooms, red and yellow peppers, olives and tomatoes. (Yes, I took photos in the grocery store, and we’re just in the pizza section!) The cheese section was unbelievable – the parmigiano reggiano section was probably 10 feet long filled with pointy triangles of this wonderful cheese tightly wrapped in plastic to preserve its natural magnificent salty goodness. They also had packages of gorgonzola; some sort of white cheese with half walnuts pressed into the outside of the cheese – I wanted to sample all of the cheeses – wouldn’t you? This was the fresh cheese section – I can’t even begin to tell you how many packaged cheeses there were or what they were – but I did find one I like and it is wrapped in paper like butter comes in – they sell two small logs of this cheese in one package. It is softer than goat cheese and I think it is supposed to be spread on bread for breakfast – loved loved loved it. And no – I haven’t weighed myself since I have been to Italy – I am back on my program now.
There were many small containers of pre made foods too – I am so thankful they were covered in clear plastic wrap so I could see inside – fresh peas with olive oil and cut tomatoes – pasta with cherry tomatoes and oil with spices (these are cold salads). Cold entrees to bring home and heat up ex: Lasagna with pesto sauce, polenta with mushrooms sliced on top – polenta with tomato sauce on top – slices of meat with gravy and mushrooms – sliced pinwheel sandwiches with spinach, cheese and prosciutto – bundles of steamed veggies – broccoli, baby carrots and green beans – and some whooped things that looked like hummus. They are real big on fresh seafood and the seafood is displayed right on the ice – squid, shrimp, eel, crabs, stingray, a huge swordfish and many fish that I don’t know the names of. The fish man told me “No Photographicia” so I put away my camera until I was on the next row. There were huge hams hanging from ropes on the grocery row – the price was around $200 US. Of course they had salamis too in all different lengths.
Let me tell you about the milk in Italy– there is whole milk and one with a little less f at – no skim milk at all. I did verify this with my nephew who lives in Italy. On this shopping trip I bought ingredients to make vegetarian minestrone soup – also tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, bread, coffee etc. and glorious olives – which were so difficult to pick out because there must be 50 different varieties. (My favorite ones became the mixed olives with hunks of garlic and red chili pepper flakes – momma mia!) We couldn’t buy too much because we had to walk back with the goodies and our studio was up a hill.
We bought a Metro / city bus pass for a week and did a lot of sightseeing in Roma – the predictable sights – The Vatican, Coliseum, Pantheon, The Spanish steps, and of course the Trevvi fountain – where you must toss a coin into and make a wish to return to Rome. There were several trips to a local farmers market where I know we were the only Americans – we bought fresh veggies, biscotti, nuts, cheese and wine. We had a wonderful time week, we walked too much and ate too much – hopefully it will balance out. One day it rained too much for us to go out so we spent the entire day inside of our studio– I cooked, we played cards, did laundry at 4 euro for a wash, 4 euro for a day and 1 euro for laundry soap, but none of this mattered – we were in Rome.

Florence

What if we went to Italy,

A suitcase of books and one bag a piece for the summer …

I don't speak a word of Italian.

Except for Campari and soda for two, how much is a Lire

Yes, a villa will do and a breeze … in Tuscany please

What if we spent all of our days, improving our minds, learning new ways to be lazy

It wouldn't be too much of a strain

Relax after breakfast till lunch comes around

Can't wait for dinner, oh, I need to lie down

And refuel, out by the pool.

What if the ancients were lazy like us

Too blissed out to paint, to sketch or to sculpt

Just as relaxed as the tower of Pisa

Not ever missing that old Mona Lisa

What if we never got back on the plane

As summer turned colder and then warmer again

Losing all track of the passing of years

Till it no longer mattered how long we'd been here

What if we went to Italy

Maybe next year, just you and me for the summer

I still can't speak any Italian

But words are replaced under Sienna skies

By nothing so much as a nod, and a sigh, and a wish to be always like this.

(Mary Chapin-Carpenter)

Pisa~

“When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie ~ that’s amore”
We headed out for the tower of Pisa – all I have to say is that maneuvering the autostrada is a talent … one we are mastering. We arrived in Pisa and I found a one hour parking space … we grabbed it, but would that be enough time? When you think of the tower of Pisa you tend to think of (or at least I did) a single tower that leans – part true. We walked through an opening in the exceptionally old and incredibly tall brick wall that was covered with lush green growth – this part of Pisa is walled off from the rest of the city. Not knowing exactly where the tower would be we rounded a corner and there in its entire leaning splendor – was the tower. My mouth opened and my jaw dropped – it sounds cliché, I know, but I just stood there open mouthed in awe. The best known buildings of Pisa are gathered around the “Field of Miracles” - The cathedral, Baptistery and the Campanile or leaning bell tower. The leaning tower is now inclined 14 feet to one side due to the settling subsoil. The tower has many tears and has beautifully decorated cemetery, or Campo Santo, highly original Pisan style. It is said that Galileo (a native Pisan) used the Cathedral to study the movement of the pendulum and the leaning tower to work out his laws of gravity and acceleration. So here I am snapping photos in a place of historical importance like a gawking idiotic tourist. How can you help but not get excited? The tower is stunning, tall, leaning, ornate, columns with arches, dirt in the crevices , guarded by a police officer, taller than you would imagine and glorious. The area has large sections of lawns and people were having picnics, families were there with children, there were school kids on field trips and students walking in groups and young Italian lovers were sprawled on the grass, their bodies intertwined while making out all over the place. I tried to completely soak in the ambiance – I took photos like a tourist - of us trying to hold up the tower, I looked at the kids on field trips and remembered being a kid, I watched the old people having difficulties walking on the uneven pavement and I tried not to stare at the lovers. The vendors were selling everything tacky and I totally loved it – leaning tower mugs that actually leaned, shirts with Snoopy holding up the tower, magnets of the tower, scarf’s, hats, key chains, – but the best tacky tower item I saw was a mini lamp of the tower, like a night light – I swear I would have bought it -but it had an Italian plug in – ultra tacky cool.

What a Fa-Boo Day!

Ciao, Nora Bella

Driving in Italy

Well it happened – we drove in Italy. Today we traveled from Venice to Florence – the standard drive time should have been three and a half hours … for us it took seven hours. Quit laughing – we did the first part of the trip on a highway that goes through quaint little towns – not the L’autostrada (freeway). It was magical seeing all of the lovely rural homes – my favorite ones are a painted a golden yellowish brown color with dark green shutters – at least those are the ones that my eyes are drawn to. There is just something about that color scheme that lures me in and makes me feel rustic, far from home and wonder what it would be like to live there. We did the typical lunch – stopping at a cool farmers market for veggies and bread – eating in the car, trying to read the map and getting lost on the ‘roundabouts’. It’s bizarre – there are arrows and you think you’re going the right way and it turns out that you missed your turn or that it is farther ahead than you thought it would be. So we had several unplanned detours, but they were almost all pleasurable. We stopped for a café` two times also.
Once we reached Bologna the map looked like a twisty mountain road, so we opted for the L’autostrada – a super fast freeway that you need to pay for using. The first time we had to pay it was a little confusing, but we got the hang of it pretty quick – slide the credit card, take your ticket then the gate opens and the speaker says “Arriverderci” – We finally got to Florence, but finding our hotel was difficult – we asked for directions – the people were super helpful but it seemed that the directions were wrong – I don’t know but we were really turned around. There are a lot of one way streets and making a U-turn is not something you can do – you must go forward to the next roundabout to go back, then do another roundabout to get to where you wanted to be – now if you are confused reading this – try it in a stick shift car with road signs in a language you don’t understand – oh and don’t get mad at the driver either – that is very important or you might wind up being the driver. When we did find the hotel we were exhausted but very happy. The room rocked – I am talking 4 stars baby! We even had a mini TV in the bathroom and two toilets! (Kidding, one was a bidet)
Learning more each day we’re here, that’s for sure!
Ciao!

PS - Neil Young is coming to Florence! That would be so cool to see him here. My first concert was Neil Young - age 14 - way cool.

The Cats of Greece & Turkey

They abound everywhere and they pose for photos - here are a few that caught my fancy:

Corfu, Greece

We again rented a small car and just took off with map in hand. No real idea of where to go, but we had heard this is the place for spectacular views and we were out to find them. We passed one of our banks and we needed some euro and since you pay a transaction fee each time, we take out the max. So I got out and Dave double parked. I went to the ATM and got $300 Euro – (aprox. $465 US dollars) once back in the car I put $150 euro in my purse and just for safe keeping the other $150 euro I folded up and put in my bra. Away we went, stopping at a bakery for some Greek treats and again on the top of a mountain for an espresso. Greece has many cats, they are everywhere, they roam around on the streets, they hang out on the ruins, and they snuggle against you leg when you are having a café` - they even seem to enjoy posing for photos - inserted is a great shot I got of a Greek cat. Dave and I drove off of the main highway and I was so overwhelmed with all of the gorgeous landscape that I just kept taking photo after photo. Dave said “let’s go down this road and get some better photos of the coastline” I agreed. We got out of the car and trecked it on foot – Dave laughed at a well that had spray painted on it “Nudist” we peered over the edge and Dave thought it would be funny to take off his shirt and prop himself up on a strip of earth inside of the well and hang onto the wall for a fake nudist photo. I took his snapshot and he pleaded with me to do the same … “No! I am not going to take off my shirt for a photo in Greece – no way!” he suggested I take the photo with only my back showing – no one was anywhere near us – no one would see me undress … so I climbed in and took off my top … but something fell into the well – “Dang it – my reading glasses! … Dave, something fell into the well I think it was my glasses – “oh God, no way, Dave – I think I dropped the $150 euro out of my bra and it fell into the well” – “That’s not funny Nora! “ …” ummm … I’m not trying to be funny dear, I really dropped the euro into the well”. “Take the photo quick, and then we’ll deal with it”. So Dave took my photo, then I dressed quickly. Now we had to devise a plan and fast. I always travel with a small first aid kit, so I had sticky band-aids, now what could we put the band-aids onto and lower into the well? Dave found some long wire from a fence – the well was about 8 – 10 feet deep and had many empty bottles in it, but we could see the Euro – crisp, folded and saying to us “come and get me if you can” I was just sick inside, how could I have forgetten that I had that much money in my bra? What a dummy! I wrapped the end of the wire with a loop of Band-aid stickiness – Dave lowered it down the well cautiously – “darn it, a bottle got in the way, let me move the bottle, then I can get it” - he said - Another try – successful in moving the bottle, but it got the euro wet and it was slowly getting heavier and starting to sink – another bottle got in the way – the band-aid was all wet now – “where did the euro go? Do you see it? Is it behind yet another bottle? “Gone, gone, gone forever. If anyone would like a map to the nudist well – we would be more than happy to draw it for you … for a small commission that is.
So – what do you do now? Well, I beat myself up for a while – Dave told me to just forget about it, it was done and over with. We wound up finding many great views and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the sand of a beach. We were on several mountain tops – had a great view from one which was called “Kaisers Throne”.

I would love to go back to Corfu – but next time I’ll keep my shirt on!