International Acadamy of Italian Cooking

Last Friday I went to cooking school. Arlene from New York arranged it and her friend David's future daughter-in-law, Brook, joined us. The school is right outside Lucca in an old villa and I was surprised to find that the kitchen was rather poky. It was also rather small once 15 people were crammed into it.

It turned out that the three of us were being slotted into one day of a four week course. Some of the students were local Italians training for restaurant careers. There were also five or six Japanese women who were taking the course and also studying Italian in the afternoons. They had an interpreter, who also spoke excellent English, but some of them and some of the Italians also spoke English. So,, with Arlene and my Italian, we were all able to communicate rather well.


In the above photo our instructor, Mariella, is giving instructions before we began to cook. Before this we all sat down and went over the menu and recipes for the day. The basic class structure is that the menus are prepared in common and then everyone sits down and enjoys the food for lunch. The day's selection included tortino di verdure (vegetable tart), tagliatelle paglia e fieno con ragu (tagliatelle with meat sauce), pappa con pomodoro classica (tomato bread soup), stufato di manzo con cardi (beef stew with cardi) and zuppa inglese ("English soup"--similar to trifle). Mariella would make her remarks in Italian and then I and the Japanese translator would relay the information to our groups.


After everyone moved into the kitchen it did not take long for the cooking to start. All the incredients were prepped except for being cut up. We divided into different groups, each one taking one item from the menu.



Everyone was required to have an apron and hair covering. Except for we Americans everyone had brought there own kit. As you can see above, some of the Italians were really into "the look."




Arlene, Brook and I and one of the Japanese women, Mika, were assigned the vegetable tart. We started by making the dought and slicing the vegetables. I started in on the leeks but as I was doing it wrong (!) Mariella showed me how to do it properly. We also had zucchini, zucchini flowers and porcini mushrooms for the tart. Each of the vegetables had to be sauteed separately. Here is Arlene working on the leeks.



In the tray in the foreground you can see the sauteed leeks and zucchini. The porcini are in the pan. I am not sure what Brook is talking about but it seems to amuse Mika.



Here Mariella is placing the bottom crust for the tart in the pan.



Here is the tart before the top layer of pastry is set in place. Each kind of vegetable was layered in the pan with the zucchini flowers on top. Mariella also tossed in a little parmesan cheese but that was optional.



Here is the finished tart before it was cut up. It smelled delicious!!



The finished tart plated artistically.



Throughout the morning everyone pitched in to help each other or stopped and watched as others made their dishes. Here two of the Italian women are making the pasta--half plain tagliatelle and half with spinach. They are mixing it the traditional Italian way without using a bowl.



Kneeding the pasta dough. They were doing this on a large piece of granite that could be moved around the kitchen depending on where it was needed or where it could be set out of the way.



Here is the spinach tagliatelle all cut up and resting before being boiled. The school has an extra large pasta rolling machine and then a small machine to cut it appropriately.



Here Mariella is starting the Zuppa Inglese. It is sponge cake soaked with liqueur topped with pastry cream and meringues. Several layers of each are put in the bowl and then it is refrigerated. This recipe used both plain and chocolate cream.



Here Mariella is placing the meringues on top of the chocolate cream.



One layer of everything. Three more were placed in the bowl before it was finished.



The meringues were made "in the French manner." Rather than baking them (the only way I have ever made them) they were cooked in a saucepan in a combination of milk and water. It was fascinating to watch. I even tried my hand at piping some of the meringue into the saucepan.



Here is the pot of pappa al pomodoro. We did not eat it for lunch but everyone got to taste it.



Here is a bowl of the soup drizzled with olive oil and decorated with a few sage leaves.



This lovely display of breads was on a sideboard in the dining room. Unfortunately we did not eat it. However, everything we did eat was DELICIOUS. The menu for the Monday class was going to be a variety of different types of game--wild boar, rabbit and pheasant. I REALLY wanted to go back and do that. Now my dream is to do an entire month of classes or at least a week or at least another one day session.

The school accepts students just for a day and the cost was E50 per person including a fabulous lunch. If you are in the Lucca area and have time, it is well worth arranging a visit.

Giro d'Italia

The Giro d'Italia came through Lucca yesterday. The stage started in Lido di Camaiore, on the coast, passed through Lucca before continuing on to Florence. This is the closest it has come to our house in the nine years we have been here so we thought we should take advantage of it and go see it.


Geri and Karen were interested in going so we packed up a picnic and went to the river park just outside Lucca. We arrived there about 1 pm and the riders were due to go right across this bridge at about 3 pm. We ate our lunch under some trees not far from here.


After lunch we strolled down Borgo Giannotti, a commercial street right outside the Lucca walls. Most of the shops were closed for their three hour lunch break but it looked like lots of the people who worked there were hanging out waiting for the cyclists to go by. Here is a banner saluting the Giro put up by the salumieria (salame shop) downstairs. More and more people gathered on the sidewalk but it was never too crowded.


At about 2:30 pm the police and emergency personnel started getting in position. Any large cycling race requires a lot of guys on motorcyles. Here are some of those that went ahead to make sure everything was set for the cyclists. We thought standing in the street where the riders had to turn was a good spot but all these guys ended up right in front of us.

I tried to take pictures of the three breakaway riders as they went past. Here's two of them. I really admire the camermen on the motorcycles. Can you see the one at the left side of the photo just behind the cyclist?

Geri and I moved down the street a ways where we had a clearer view. Here comes the main pack. It only took 30 seconds for over 175 riders to stream past us! They were about 2-3 minutes after the three breakaway riders and went by so fast it was impossible to tell who was who.

Here are more of them. Lance Armstrong is in there somewhere.

Finally the team cars streamed by.

It was lots of fun but when it was over it was over. Within seconds of the car with a big "end of race" sign on it (in Italian of course!) the spectators headed off to work, home or wherever. I think it was one of those things that was fun to see once in person but it is much more interesting watching the entire race on TV.

Today Geri and Karen have gone off to Florence on their own. Dom and I are doing chores around the house and relaxing.

Sightseeing with Guests

Geri and Karen in Piazza Anfiteatro


Duomo di Lucca - San Martino

Guest arrived on Monday so it has been a busy few days. Yesterday, we went into Lucca and picked up their rental car. Dom left for a little time at home senza le donne (without the women!). Meanwhile, Geri, Karen and I did Lucca. We mostly strolled and window shopped, had lunch and gelato. On the way home we stopped at the supermercato but did not feel like cooking when we got home. So went for pizza at La Terrazza.

Today they ventured off on their own to Siena. Dom and I did some work inside and outside. After lunch we have mostly hid inside as it is REALLY hot today. At 6 pm I think it is time to venture outside again while I wait for the guests to return.

Tomorrow I am going to be tour guide to the Cinqueterre.

Shopping, cleaning, walking, eating...

View of Lucca and Pisan Hills.


I am once more falling behind on posting…

On Friday I picked up Joy at 9:30 am and we went to Lucca for a girls’ day out. Mary joined us later in the morning and the three of us had a great lunch together. It was loads of fun to go off without the guys. Not that we don’t love them but every once in a while a woman just needs to spend time with her girlfriends. Since I had the car poor Dom was stuck at the house all day.

Joy and I both had specific ideas of items we needed to purchase before heading back to the U.S. Presents of all sorts were high on the list. We started out at one end of Lucca, worked our way to the other and then retraced our steps. A lengthy period of time was spent in a wonderful kitchen store. Leather goods, jewelry and ceramics also rated close inspection. Even shops that held nothing we needed required a certain amount of attention since without the men we could actually spend time looking at things that would bore them silly. Thus, we carefully went through the Swarovki crystal shop and discussed all the lovely little objets d’art. Joy was pretty restrained but I made quite a contribution to the local economy. So much so that my arms were aching by the time we got back to the car.

It was interesting being in Lucca so late in the fall. There were very few tourists, even fewer tour groups and many stores have shortened hours. There were also a number of places that were closed for vacation. In Italy it is common for stores and restaurants to simply shut down for a few weeks. Usually we find out about this by arriving at the establishment and finding a notice on the door. Sometimes the proprietors post a warning message a few weeks beforehand. No one seems terribly put out and November seems to be a popular time for this. No doubt it is because things have slowed down after summer and early fall but the holiday rush is still a few weeks away.

On Saturday Dom spent several hours hauling wood up from the “lower forty.” Several years ago we had some trees felled and since then we have been using some of it for firewood. The acacia is not terrific for this purpose but the price is right. The wood was left in rather long lengths and piled higgledy piggledy. A few weeks ago he cut some of it into useable lengths but left it below. It was necessary to cart it up to the barn wheelbarrowful by wheelbarrowful. Then some of it needed to be split. Maybe the price isn’t so great.

Meanwhile, I cleaned the house and did laundry. The sun finally came out and there was a brisk breeze. It was perfect for drying clothes outside so I managed to finish two loads. I spruced up the interior and even got the ground floor mopped. The latter was something I had put off for quite a while so I felt really good about getting it done.

In the evening we went out for pizza. The food was good but the server spilled a pint of beer next to us so I sat through the meal with my lower pant legs soaked. A really tasty dose of gelato on the way home improved my mood considerably.

Sunday dawned clear and crisp—perfect autumn weather. Another marcia podistica had us driving almost 45 minutes up the Serchio valley to a small town near San Romano in Garfagnana. This is well into the foothills of the Appenini mountains and the rising sun gradually illuminated the rust and gold hillsides, craggy peaks, stone and terracotta villages and the bright green pastures. A sliver of new snow capped the very highest mountain tops which seemed in keeping with a sign we passed indicating the temperature was only 4° Centigrade or about 40° Farenheit!

Three of our Italian neighbors went with us since the husband of one, their usual driver, went hunting. Dom and I decided to do the 6 kilometer route while our friends did the 2 kilometer walk. Our route went down hill from the partenza (start) at the local campo sportivo (sports field) before heading uphill into the woods. The path we followed was freshly mown but underneath the grass, leaves and mud it was possible to make out the stony surface of an old donkey road. We crossed a fairly large stream using a temporary bridge made of several 2x8 planks. To our left we could see the water cascading down the mountainside in a series of waterfalls. The torrent continued down into the valley to our right over a series of man-made falls.

Our route continued down into the valley to the point where we thought we might actually reach the Serchio River. Eventually, we made a loop through the narrow pathways of an ancient fortified village and began our ascent back to the arrivo (finish). By the time we returned to our starting point we were hot and sweaty (I finally took off the coat I wore over a fleece and several other layers) and we felt we had had a great workout. After a quick snack and hot tea we collected our premi (prizes—specialty pasta, bottled water and mini tissue packets) and headed home.

We were expecting guests for lunch so I hurriedly showered and made few preparations for lunch before heading off to Sunday Mass. That gave Dom the opportunity to make a fire and get himself cleaned up without me stressing about entertaining.

Our neighbors, Dr. Giovanni Landucci and his wife Paola, joined us at 1 pm and I served spaghetti with a tomato/zucchini sauce followed by turkey and mixed salad with poached pears and a little whipped cream on top for dessert. Our guests brought us an excellent Italian champagne-style wine and a huge box of chocolates, both of which were enjoyed before they left.

Giovanni and Paola have been extremely nice to us and have entertained us several times at their house. We wanted to do something to reciprocate their hospitality but I have been reluctant to invite any of our Italian neighbors for a meal. The language difficulties are daunting enough (although Giovanni speaks excellent English) but I also worry about serving the wrong food and getting the local etiquette totally wrong. Luckily, everything seemed to go well yesterday so I am looking forward to further entertaining in Partigliano.

Another event that took place yesterday was some sort of tractor procession. While out getting wood from the barn, Dom noticed a parade of machines heading up the hill above us. Being the tractor aficionado he is, Dom got really excited. I think he really wished he had his Kubota here in Italy so he could join the spectacle. He asked Giovanni about it and learned that the tractors gathered in Valdottavo (the village below ours) and then worked their way up the hill. Our neighbor explained that it took them half an hour to arrive at the top. Whatever else he told us was lost in translation (or lack thereof). Later, when Dom and I were talking about it I surmised there might be a blessing of the tractors followed by lunch at Guzzanello. It is a pretty common formula here and, sure enough, we saw notices today in Valdottavo for a Festa di Ringraziamento (Thanksgiving Festival) that involved bringing produce to be blessed followed by lunch.

Today was spent rather lazily. I actually finished a novel! We ate lunch on the patio (shivering slightly) and tried to stay there and read afterwards. However, when the weak sun went behind the clouds it was far too cool to remain outside. So we moved indoors, turned on the heat, built a fire and whiled away the rest of the afternoon.

For Sale - House in Italy

Last week my sister suggested that I post a few pictures of our house for those who have never been here and to refresh the memories of those who have. Rather than doing exactly that here is some information about our progress trying to sell our house including a link to a web listing with eight pictures.

About a year ago we decided to try to sell our house in Partigliano and relocate to a spot closer to Lucca. Much as we love our village, house and land, since we moved to acreage on Whidbey Island we have learned that two part-time houses with lots of work is an exhausting proposition. After trying to care for both places for two years we decided we needed one place that was lower maintenance. Thus, we decided to simplify our Italian life.

Last spring we began to market the house in earnest. Since there is no multiple listing system in Italy, we contacted a number of real estate agents and eventually listed the property with five of them. While there has been some interest and the house has been shown several times no one has shown serious interest. Recently we decided to try splitting the house and barn into two listings. Today we spoke with the agent from whom we bought the house and set a price of €220,000 for the house and most of the land and €50,000 for the barn and small part of the land. Actually, the land split is totally negotiable depending on what a buyer wants.

As of today, our web listing with Italy magazine has not yet been updated but soon will be. Click here to view pictures of the interior and land.

The market here in Italy is much the same as that in the U.S. There are lots of properties available and not many buyers. Luckily, we are not desperate to sell immediately.

In the meantime, we are content to enjoy our house while we still have it. We are particularly pleased that we have an excellent olive crop this year and are enjoying the wine we made the past two years.

Tour of Lucca

First thing this morning we went into Lucca to meet Cam and Francesco’s hiking tour group at the hostel. We were 17 to begin with—Cam and Francesco, their ten hikers, 3 Italians (members of Club Alpino Italiano—an Italian hiking club that Francesco is associated with) and Dom and I. At 9:30 I gave the group an extremely brief history of the city and then we began our walking tour, hitting all the town’s high points by our reckoning. Over the course of three hours we strolled past (and sometimes peaked into) the church of San Frediano, the amphitheater, Via Fillungo, Torre dell’Ore, the church of San Michele in Foro, the composer Puccini’s birthplace and statue, Piazza Napoleone and the Palazzo Ducale, the cathedral of San Martino and the top of the city walls. Everyone seemed to enjoy my version of “Lucca Lite.” At any rate we did not lose anyone along the way (for too long).

Today was another glorious day with temperatures in the mid 80’s. Thus, the town was full of tours and tour groups as well as many Lucchesi taking advantage of the weather. At one point while some of us were waiting for the rest of the group to catch up we saw the cutest little boy, no more than two or three, walking slowly down the street with a cell phone held to his ear. His nonna (grandmother) was pushing his stroller and keeping pace with him. It was so adorable I pulled out my camera and tried to take a picture. However, the attention distracted him and he started paying more attention to me than to his phone. I can only imagine that his father often walks along chatting on the phone since all small boys are inclined to emulate their fathers’ actions.

After the tour was over we had pizza and salads at a small osteria adjacent to the famous city walls. Nowadays the top of the former city defenses, a truly stupendous construction that took about 100 years to build, is encircled by a broad street lined with trees. When the weather is nice there are always lots of people picnicking in the sun, strolling, jogging or just laying in the sun.

Dom and I headed back home to work. However it was so hot we decided to wait until the cool of tomorrow morning to continue our chores in the fields. We have had a lazy afternoon and evening. I even managed an hour or so reading in the sun on the patio. Unfortunately, the bugs were biting and my legs are now dotted with itchy spots.

Finally Warm and Sunny

Finally, today dawned clear and promised sunshine and warmth. We seem to be over jet lag and are now sleeping normal hours. This means that we actually wake up at 7 am which is just about when it gets light here. This morning we were downstairs having breakfast about 8 and outside working by 9 am.

It looks like the olive harvest is going to be early this year. Already our early ripening varieties are turning purplish-black. Yesterday we went to the frantoio (mill) where we have our olives processed into oil and made an appointment to bring our harvest in on October 30. This means we will need to start picking about October 27. However, we also want to set out nets as soon as possible to catch the olives that fall between now and then, especially if it gets windy.

In order to do this we need to finish cleaning up the terraces, in particular around the base of the trees. The mown grass needs to be raked and hauled to the burn pile and Dom needs to finish cutting the grass up close the tree trunks and on the terrace banks. Heavy dew this morning meant we had to wait to do any of this. Instead, I moved the grass I had raked earlier in the week. Sometimes I use the wheelbarrow to do this but with piles closer to the burn area I just scoop it up with the hay fork and walk it over to what is fast becoming a giant haystack. Luckily the ground is still pretty dry so even though it rained the last few days the underside of all the piles was still dry. This means the giant haystack will burn more easily once we get around to setting it alight. That needs to wait until we get the rest of the grass gathered and then for a damp morning.

Dom changed the string head of the strimmer for the blade and cut the 5 foot tall daisy-like flowers that grow between our patio and our neighbor’s orto (vegetable garden). They grow up in that area every fall and are really pretty to look at. I try to cut some for inside the house before Dom gets around to felling them. Unfortunately they do not last long once cut. After lunch he changed the head again and went back to cutting grass.

We were also able to eat lunch on the patio for the first time since we got back. As we were dining a little early—12 pm—the sun was not yet on the table. Nonetheless, it was really warm and comfortable outside and we enjoyed the warm breeze and the view across the valley. A couple of eagles were coasting on the updrafts which is common that time of day.

Later in the afternoon I went into Lucca to run errands and help our friends Francesco and Cam arrange a dinner for the hiking group they are leading. By the time I got there it was downright hot and I had a fabulous time wandering the streets with my sweater hanging over my purse. We really do not get into Lucca too often these days so it was a treat to have the afternoon to reacquaint myself with the town and stop in at some of my favorite shops. This included a pause at Il Pinguino (The Penguin) which is my favorite gelateria in Lucca. I enjoyed a cup of bacio (kiss—chocolate with pieces of nut and chocolate), almond and Malaga (flavored with Malaga wine).

Tomorrow I am going back to lead the hiking group on a little tour of the city. I really enjoy doing that sort of thing and am looking forward to it.