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5000 Views…Grazie!!!

14 Jul

WOW! Today blogginginitaly.com reached 5000 all time views! Not bad for a one year old site that started as a way to share our travels with family and a few friends. I’m humbled and honored to have so many readers and love all the feedback and comments. Just this week, I heard from a lady in Florida who will be spending a month in Cortona in the fall. She said the blog really helped her, and that is so rewarding for me. So, a huge thank you to all who have read and enjoyed the posts, especially Len and Benita! Stay tuned for more to come. For now, however, although a picture can’t truly capture the beauty, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite vistas of Tuscany. To enlarge, just click on the photo.

Ciao and Grazie!

Judy

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Arrivederci

11 Jul

With deference to Goodnight Moon, my farewell ode to Italia 2012:

Arrivederci salumi, cheese and wine

Arrivederci going to dinner at nine

Arrivederci shopping at the markets in the street

Arrivederci greeting every stranger I meet

Arrivederci pastry and cappuccino in the early morn

Arrivederci basil from a plant freshly torn

Arrivederci best mozzarella I will ever taste

Arrivederci appreciation of life at a slower pace

Arrivederci  sunflowers growing strong and tall

Arrivederci lovely shops, not ever in a mall

Arrivederci gelato –  the source of smiles galore

Arrivederci  flowers adorning every window and door

Arrivederci graceful ladies walking arm in arm

Arrivederci vistas of the land people farm

Arrivederci homemade pasta in every size and shape

Arrivederci beans that only Italians know how to make

Arrivederci tomatoes, bruscetta and cheese

Arrivederci pizza prepared to please

Arrivederci piazza life where people sip vino and talk

Arrivederci evenings’ activities we find on our walk

Arrivederci shoes, scarves and fashion

Arrivederci simplicity filled with passion

Arrivederci antiquities that stretch the soul and mind

 

Arrivederci art and architecture, every imaginable kind

Arrivederci friends, old and new, from far and near

  

Arrivederci Cortona, Italia, till we see you next year.

Many thanks to all who made our trip so memorable.

While this marks the “physical” end of our 2012 Italian adventure, it is not the end of the blog… come back for much more!

Ciao!

Judy

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A Simple Life

2 Jul

In Cortona, shopping for one’s daily needs is simple…no megastores, no supermarkets, and no chain stores. What does exist are merchants who tend to specialize, thus offer great quality at reasonable prices. Meat and poultry are generally purchased at the macelleria, or butcher shop, and there are a few in town. Fish and seafood is less easily available, but the fish monger comes to town once a week and fish is available at the Saturday market.         Bread can be purchased directly from the panettiere, or baker, as well as local venues he supplies early in the morning. His shop is directly behind our house, so just about every night we fall asleep to the scent of fresh bread baking in the ovens.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are available at a few locations…two stores and one pop-up market only open in the morning, spread out in an area that becomes a restaurant later in the day.

                            

Dry goods, canned goods, deli meats and cheeses, paper and cleaning products, frozen and dairy items, etc., can be found at one of the two markets in town: Molessini and the Mini-Market.

Pharmaceuticals, baby products, healthcare items, etc. are available at the local Pharmacia, and they are easily identifiable as they have a green cross in front.

The Tabacchi or tobacco shops sell newspapers, magazines, bus and train tickets, maps, gum, candy, and an assortment of tourist items and toys.

                                               

Bars, cafés, and enotecas offer everything from morning coffee and pastry to light lunch and dinner with full bar, and I mean full.  You can sit in or out.

   

The best part is that you buy only what you can carry as you walk everywhere. That of course means that everything you eat is fresh, and so delicious. Makes grocery shopping fun!

Not to be left out is the gelato. Ice cream is available at two gelaterias in town…a great way to stroll and end the evening.

How I am dreading “super” markets back home. Super is definitely not always better, just big, big, bigger! Is there a future for “Simplemarkets” in the US? Probably not, but a good reason to travel!

Ciao,

Judy

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Family Fun in Cortona

29 Jun

Yesterday, my brother and his family visited us in Cortona…our last visitors this year.  They are touring the great cities of Italy and came to see us for a day of relaxation. From noon till about 11PM, we ate, drank, walked, talked, laughed, shopped, and even visited a few of the famous Cortona institutions.

We enjoyed a wonderful family style lunch of many different pastas at Trattoria Toscana.

Followed by gelato at Snoopy’s…

And some fun in the public gardens…(the little boys weren’t so amused!)

Dinner was in Piazza Signorelli, at the excellent Antica Trattoria, where we were in the thick of things for viewing the 2012 semifinal football (soccer to us) match between Italy and Germany.

The evening’s entertainment included horns blaring, flags waving, and people, including us, wild with excitement, as Italy proved victorious in a 2-1 win.

A spontaneous parade of cars and vespas erupted through the piazza…

                      

A perfect ending to a perfect day…Perfetto!

And this morning’s papers…

                             

Another wonderful day in Cortona!

Ciao!

Judy

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Italy Wins!!!!

28 Jun

It’s midnight, we’re exhausted, but the news is wonderful…Italy beats Germany 2-1 and advances to the EURO 2012 finals. My brother and his family were here for the day, so more on that tomorrow. For now, enjoy a bit of what we experienced tonight in the piazza with the people of Cortona!

Ciao,

Judy

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PICI…the Real Thing!

27 Jun

If you are looking for Tuscan cuisine that is truly authentic, look no further than the pasta called PICI. Pici is the simplest of pastas, made from only two ingredients: 00 flour and water. That’s it, except for the patience of hand rolling the pasta. Pici is eggless pasta that is rolled into thick spaghetti and often served with porcini mushroom sauce or a meat sauce called ragu. Both are scrumptious.

PICI

Now, you can buy dry pici at many shops in town including the markets, cafes, enotecas, wine stores, souvenir shops, etc. Or in Cortona, you can buy all types of fresh pasta and sauces from Bottega della Pasta Fresca, the wonderful pasta shop that supplies many of the local restaurants.

                     

But if you are lucky enough to be here with us, you can enjoy HOMEMADE PICI by Benita and Sarah! The girls announced they wanted to give Pici making a try. With flour and water in hand, they made the dough, let is set about 30 minutes, and began rolling the pici in our very tiny kitchen.

The chefs and their dough!

Rolling the pici

We had some left-over grilled chicken breasts, so they used those, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, a little celery and a dose of wine to make their ragu.

They cooked the very uneven pieces of pici, (true sign of homemade), for just a few minutes in salted water.

What can I say? It was DELICIOUS! Seriously, they did such a good job and cooked it perfectly. Unfortunately, my photo isn’t clear, but you get the idea. And the aroma was amazing.  Some freshly grated pecorino, perfetto!

                            

I’ll think I’ll hire them for a pici party when we get home!

Ciao,

Judy

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EURO 2012 – Italy in Semifinals!

26 Jun

The Italians, and just about all Europeans for that matter, love their football. In Cortona Sunday night, we cheered with the locals as we watched large TVs blaring outside bars in Piazza Signorelli. The faithful had gathered in their Italia shirts and colors to support their team. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect viewing venue.

  

After a long and hot match, Italy beat England in a shootout. (photos from RAI Italian TV)

                           

Yesterday’s newspaper headlines said it all.

We are Lions, read one paper…

WE ARE LIONS!

Great Italy, beats England on Penalites, read another.

Great Italy, beats England on Penalties

Italy’s next match is Thursday, 9:45 PM, when they face the powerhouse Germany. Once again, the Italians will bring their passion, hope and probably a lot of prayers to the piazzas of Cortona. Stay tuned. Go ITALIA!!!

Ciao,

Judy

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Closed in Cortona

25 Jun

Cory’s and the public pool…two things we had heard about in Cortona and wanted to see…both quite a hike up the hill. In June of 2011, we visited the pool and took these photos. The setting was incredible and included a restaurant. Although it was a bit chilly for June, we were surprised no one was there. There had been controversy over the building of the pool – those pro and con, but the pool was finally built and we thought it was lovely, albeit a bit of a challenge to get to by foot.

Why were the rules in English only????

We had also driven past Cory’s and the setting was amazing. Cory’s offered a few room accommodations or simply dinner on the veranda with an incredible view. This year, we thought we’d try it for dinner.

View from Cory’s

To our surprise, we found both closed. Abandoned might better describe what we saw at each location. Who knows whether politics or the economy or both played a part, but it is always sad to see something lovely lose its lustre.  Instead of taking any new pictures, I decided to leave memories intact for those whose Cortona memories include these places. Gossip has it that the pool may reopen, but only time will tell, and for sure, not while we are here this summer.

Ciao,

Judy

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Cortona Cimitero

23 Jun

Cimitero della Misericordia

I have always loved old cemeteries. The walls hold stories more plentiful than any library – true stories of happiness and sadness, comedy and tragedy, lives fulfilled and lives cut short, and for some, a hope to reunite in the future.

“God, as you united us on earth, unite us in heaven. So  be it.”

The Cortona cemetery is one of those old places that is filled with love, passion, respect and hope. Faces adorn the graves, not only names and dates. Fresh flowers and candles are plentiful, and the quiet peacefulness is broken only by the birds that fly overhead.

The cemetery is situated halfway up the hill to Cortona, providing incredible views of  both the city above and the valley below. Once through the main entrance, the cemetery spreads in every direction. Some of the markers are simple, while others display drama, passion and art as only the Italians can do. Who ever thought of a cemetery as a museum?

                                                    

                                                

 

 

 

Jugs and water spouts are plentiful for maintaining plants, and there are no rules governing the display of flowers, candles or mementoes! Hey, sibs, maybe here?

Riposi in pace! (Rest in peace!)

Ciao,

Judy

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Tuscher Caffe

16 Jun

One of the things we enjoy most about Cortona is its Italian authenticity. Most of the restaurants, shops, and stores are owned and operated by Italians, and these are where we prefer to spend time.  Last year, every day when we walked along Via Nazionale, the main street in Cortona, we walked by the Tuscher Caffé, www.caffetuschercortona.com. Although the café was inviting, its name and modern décor clearly weren’t Italian, or so we thought.  Fortunately, this year we discovered otherwise.

The two-story Caffé opened in 2003 in the beautiful Palazzo Ferretti. Massimo and Daniela, the owners and operators of the caffé, named it after the building’s architect, Carl Marcus Tuscher, a German architect and painter who worked in Italy from 1728-41.

Massimo, Daniela and Lucky

The owners take pride in every facet of the caffé, whether it is the wines, the aperitifs, the appetizers, the food, or the desserts. Freshly prepared appetizers match their cocktail creativity, and all meals are made to order.

Appetizers…on the house!

Dinner specials are delicious, but so is everything else we have eaten.

lightly crusted prawns with citrus butter…melt in your mouth!

The chocolato, a kind of flourless chocolate cake, is our favorite dessert!

chocolato, cappucino, and lime citrus mouse

Have it with fresh cream…enough for several to share.

Seating is available inside and out, and there is an upstairs loft for cocktails that overlooks the first floor.

view from the loft

Sandy and Larry

Colorful art decorates the walls; jazzy music fills the rooms; and smiles are everywhere from satisfied patrons.

Girls out for Chocolato

The restaurant is open daily in the summer from breakfast to after dinner.

Benita, Massimo and Sarah

Len and Judy

Be sure to stop by Tuscher if you are in Cortona!

Ciao!

Judy

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