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Cortona Update and Random Event

Day 6:

Thanks for all your blog comments. It has been difficult to write and respond as we have not had internet in the house till today. Hopefully, it will continue to work!

Summer has yet to find its way to Cortona. Locals are sporting down jackets and boots, while the tourists walk around in their flip-flops, shorts and sweats, shivering while huddled under umbrellas. Yet always with a smile. Although we have more summer than fall clothes with us, we are nonetheless keeping warm. Eating and sampling various vini also helps!

About 10:30 last night, on our walk home through Piazza Republicca, we heard a familiar sound. Einstein, as I call him, had just begun to grace the almost empty piazza with the sounds of his flute. We stopped to listen and visit, as did others passing by. One of the things we love about Cortona is that there is always something happening, whether planned or random.

As I am finally learning to add some video to my blog, here’s a short piece from last night.

Today, we stopped at Tacconi Trattoria on Via Dardano to see friends Graziella and Angelo and to enjoy pappardelle con ragu. Amazing how delicious pasta warms cold feet…that and the pair of long socks I bought next door!

Wow, there is a strange bright light coming through the window…can it be the sun?

Better run!

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: Cortona, Papardelle con ragu; pasta

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Cortona, Cortona Trattoria, Italian Food, My Blog about Italy, Tuscany

Taverna Pane e Vino, Cortona

27 May

Pane e Vino. Bread and Wine. Food and Italy. Judy and Len. Some things just go together.

So what are these, you ask? Cheese stuffed gnocchi with fresh sautéed artichokes and sun dried tomatoes. And yes, they are as good as they look!

A sampling of bruschetta

and some thinly sliced zucchini with cannellini beans, shaved pecorino and lettuce.

Taverna Pane e Vino is located in Piazza Signorelli in Cortona. The covered entrance (beyond the arched glass door) serves as an open market in the morning which disappears later in the day to become the entrance to this local restaurant at night.

The owner, Arnaldo, and Len talked about a few events they will be hosting this summer.

All is a day’s work!

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: Gnocchi, Italy

Comments 15 Comments
Categories Cortona, Cortona Trattoria, Italian Food, My Blog about Italy, Piazza Signorelli and Piazza Republicca, Tuscany

Fett’ unta on Via Maffei, Cortona

26 May

In Italian, the word “merenda” means afternoon snack. Fett’ unta is a new small eatery in Cortona, just opened a week, serving light lunch and dinner as well as afternoon snacks. We watched them doing construction at this location last summer so we stopped in today to sample the local cuisine. As for the name, if I understand it correctly, unta means “greased” as in greasing something with oil. Since literal translations rarely work, I’ll go with drizzling olive oil on your bread or panini, etc. At any rate, the food we ordered was delicious.

We shared two different bruschette:

Pear, cheese and walnuts; Mozzarella and roasted tomatoes

Then we each ordered a hearty local soup as summer has yet to arrive in Cortona:

Orzo, artichoke and pecorino

And pearl barley and beans

Meet the owners, Ulisse and Antonio

and check out their website at www.fettunta.net

Better yet, stop by when you are in town and they can make you a fresh prosciutto panini!

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: Cortona, Italian cuisine, Italy, Mozzarella, Olive oil

Comments 6 Comments
Categories Cortona, Cortona Trattoria, Italian Charcuteries, Italian Food, My Blog about Italy

Italy Info Worth Reading

10 May

Whether or not you have travel plans for Italy, reading and learning about the country and planned events can be great fun. Several people have asked what sites I follow, so I thought I’d share a few.

If looking for Cortona specific information, check out www.cortonaweb.net. This site provides information on everything from weather to local events, podcasts, restaurants, accommodations, history of Cortona, maps, wedding planners, tours, wine shops, etc. While not all-inclusive, it certainly covers a broad spectrum of interesting and useful information about Cortona.

The website was started in 1999 by a few locals just for fun, and with sponsorship, has grown over the years. It is well-written and informative. The following picture and caption from the site’s front page describe Cortona’s amazing Etruscan Museum, or MAEC, which is definitely worth visiting:

“A journey back 2700 years Restoring History. Dawn of the Etruscan Princes.”

Un viaggio a ritroso di 2700 Anni Restaurando La Storia. L’Alba dei Principi etruschi

I’ve been in touch with the authors of cortonaweb.net and look forward to meeting them this summer!

For reading about Italy in general, a site I enjoy is an online magazine called Italy Magazine: http://www.italymagazine.com

Its byline reads: “Since 1999, the n.1 magazine for lovers of all things Italian.” Like me! Included in the magazine are Italian current and cultural events, travel tips, accommodations, properties for sale, festivals and recipes such as the one below on how to make limoncello. Hey, something fun to try on Mother’s Day, which by the way, is also celebrated on the second Sunday in May in Italy…
Tanti Auguri Mamma!

italymagazine.com

http://www.italymagazine.com/recipe/how-make-limoncell

So sit back, relax, and take some time to explore these wonderful, ever-changing and totally free sources about Italy.

Happy Reading and Enjoy – Buon divertimento!

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: Cortona, Events in Italy, Italy, Mother's Day, travel, Tuscany

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Cortona, Etruscan Ruins, Italian Festival, Italian Food, Italian History, Italy, My Blog about Italy

Illy on My Mind

2 May

This morning, as we drank our cappucino, Len and I talked about just how good the coffee is in Italy.

Wikipedia

A short time later, when I dropped him off at work, this was parked on the street in front of his building…

Illy to Go

And these two lovely ladies were more than happy to share the goods…

Serendipity…

a “happy accident” or “pleasant surprise”; specifically, the accident of finding something good or useful while not specifically searching for it.

Works for me!

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: Cappucino, Espresso, espresso to go, Illy

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Caffe, Italian Food, My Blog about Italy

Italy’s Gelato Rules!

24 Oct

Usually this would mean as implied… and why not, since delicious gelato is so readily available in Italy.

As of this month, however, the Rome City Council has adopted a rule – actually an ordinance – that prohibits eating or drinking on the streets in the city center of Rome. And that includes gelato!

To be fair, similar ordinances already exist in Florence, Venice and Bologna.

And further to the point, it is mostly foreign tourists and not Italians who typically perch on monuments and nibble away at paninis or indulge in gelato.

So, as you take in incredible Roman sights, including the Coliseum, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and any areas that “have a particular historic or architectural value,” eat first or go hungry, or risk a fine that can range from 25 to 500 euro, or up to $650!

What exactly does the Council ordinance say?

“It is forbidden to encamp or erect makeshift shelters and stop to eat or drink in zones which have a particular historic or architectural value.” The ordinance is an attempt to “guarantee the protection of areas of merit in the historic center.”

Now not all Italians agree with the new ordinance. La Republicca, an Italian newspaper, called this ordinance a “war on the panino.”

And some fear the ordinance will impact tourism, which Italy certainly needs.

Like this young man, I certainly can be counted among those who have wandered with a gelato in hand.

But being someone who tries to look on the bright side, maybe this ordinance isn’t so bad after all. Besides saving the historic zones from litter, perhaps tourists will learn to appreciate and even embrace the cultural aspects of eating in Italy as they now take time to sit at tables, appreciate the food, sip their cappuccino or vino, enjoy their gelato and even share a conversation with friends or locals.

As visitors to this wonderful country, tourists might as well experience some of the Italian “gioia di vivere” while taking in some of the greatest monuments Europe has to share.

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: "War on panini", Eating ordinance in rome, gelato, Rome ordinance

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Italian Food, Italy, My Blog about Italy, Rome, Rome Monuments, Rome Tourism

Cortona Sagra della Bistecca – Beef Steak Festival

18 Aug

Ferragosto…an Italian word filled with celebration.

The Latin “Feriae Augusti” denoted the “August Rest” which was a month-long holiday period proclaimed in the 18th century by emperor Augustus. It was a time when people could relax after all the hard work associated with the harvest and the end of the year’s main agricultural work. It was also a time when nobility mixed with the workers.

Over time, the festival shortened to a few weeks and eventually became a one-day event, celebrated on August 15 each year. For Italians, this bank holiday combines elements of both ancient and Christian worlds, as August 15 also commemorates the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

Cities throughout Italy celebrate this day with great festivals. If you happened to be in Cortona, you no doubt enjoyed the annual Sagra della Bistecca, or beef steak festival, held in the normally quiet Parterre, or public garden pictured here.

For the festival, the quiet setting is transformed. An enormous grill, some 14-meters long, is erected. Locals don chef’s aprons, and with extra long forks, lovingly go about the work of grilling mouth-watering T-bone steaks, Italian sausages, and spareribs for the locals who have crowded the park to enjoy the celebration with family and friends.

Photo: “Classic Tuscan Homes”

Local wines and cheeses compliment the grilled meats and make for a perfect feast and day of relaxation. If interested, I’ve included a You Tube clip of the Cortona event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anpiFhse558

Hmmm… grilled steaks for dinner tonight?

Ciao,

Judy

Tags: Cortona Beef Steak Festival, Cortona Sagra della Bistecca, Ferragosto, Grilled steaks

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Cortona, Grilling in Italy, Italian Festival, Italian Food

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

Tags: Brunello wine, Caprese, Cortona caffe, Cortona celebration, dessert, fashion, food, great atmosphere, Italian shoes, Tuscan countryside

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Caffe, Cortona, Italian countryside, Italian Food, Italian WIne, Shopping

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

Tags: fish monger, Grocery shopping, Specialty food shopping, travel

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Cortona, Food shopping in Cortona, Italian Food, Shopping

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.