Looking for an afternoon snack?
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and a few added reds?
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Throw in a little romance…
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And something to toast with…
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Salute!
Ciao,
Judy
There is a wonderful new restaurant in Cortona called Ristorante AD Braceria. The ancient setting was rebuilt several times over many years from four small homes with a street down the middle and the building is still owned by the original family. What was the old street now runs through the center of the restaurant.
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Today, there are many intimate settings for dining…(if only these walls could talk!)
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Business partners Anna and Tito opened this wonderful restaurant which specializes in meat and fish, the latter being a great addition to Cortona, more known for Chianina beef. I felt an instant connection with Anna, as she is from Naples and her husband Marco is from Nola, southern towns where my maternal grandparents were born.
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Braceria can be translated as a carvery, or a place where they slice the meet to order, whether it is prosciutto, veal, or a chianina beef steak.
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At AD, the fish is always fresh.
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We have dined here many times with local and visiting friends and have enjoyed a variety of dishes each time.
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Our meals have been delicious and beautifully presented, and we often let Anna decide our menu. Here’s a sampling:
Shrimp carpaccio with burrata:
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Breaded Clams:
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Seafood salad with five grains:
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Salmon marinated with citrus fruits:
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Octopus salad with mashed potatoes:
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Mixed grilled seafood:
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Len having fun:
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Handmade fresh pasta stuffed with sea bass, shrimp and tomatoes:
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Rigatoni with artichokes, bacon and pecorino:
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Grilled chicken (wait time 35 minutes and well worth the wait!)
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Grilled fillet with rosemary:
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Handcut veal with rosemary:
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Fresh green beans with balsamic:
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And my very favorite –
Paccheri with braceria ragu (veal and pork):
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This pasta is a traditional peasant dish from Naples, made from the various cuts of meat, and simmered for 12 hours with tomatoes and wine. Note: THIS IS THE BEST PASTA I HAVE EVER EATEN!
As one might expect, the desserts are incredible.
Hot and dark chocolate cake with gelato:
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Daily fresh fruit sorbet, (on left) …Typical dessert from Napoli on right:
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We are delighted with the addition of this restaurant in Cortona. Incredible food in an incredible setting – Perfetto!
Ciao,
Judy
Lee Ann Womack’s signature song, written by Tia Sillers and Mark Sanders, is called “I Hope You Dance”. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song and also the Country Music Award for Song Of The Year in 2001, and for good reason – it has such a great “hook” line:
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance….I hope you dance.
Last night, at about 11:30 PM, the lyrics of the song came to me as we joined others in Piazza Republicca after dinner. A band was playing, people were gathering, and a few of us started dancing with the lead singer. Surrounded by ancient buildings, the words seem to fit perfectly for old and young alike…
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder, (Go Len!)
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I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean, (or amazing antiquities!)
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(or comfortable dancing with the lead singer!)
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All in a good day’s work.
Ciao,
Judy
A fun and interesting way to help improve foreign language learning is through TV. Len and I watch a number of Italian detective series including Commissario Montalbano, filmed in Sicily, and Don Matteo, filmed in Gubbio. Besides hearing the language, (and having English subtitles!) the shows often provide lovely views of their filming locations.
A few days ago, we took a drive to Gubbio to find the sights associated with the Don Matteo series, even though it seemed a bit touristy. Don Matteo, played by Terrence Hill, is the priest in Gubbio who casually helps the police captain and marshall solve the weekly murder mystery. In fact, I doubt there is even an annual murder let alone a weekly one. Nonetheless, we wanted to see the beautiful sights so often shown in the show.
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And lastly, “Don Matteo’s Church”…
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Gubbio, such a lovely town!
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Ciao,
Judy
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Ciao,
Judy
Before returning to Cortona from the Pietrabbondante area, we made one last stop. Agnone is the capital of the highest part of Molise, and also home to the world-famous Pontificia Marinelli Bells Foundry. The foundry continues to produce hand-made bells the same way they were made in the Middle Ages and their bells can be found in churches and bell towers throughout the world.
We almost didn’t get to see the foundry as we couldn’t find it. Several people told us it was next to the market, but we thought we misunderstood as a foundry wouldn’t be in the middle of a town. After our 4th attempt, we had about given up when we came across two men on bicycles. After I asked about the foundry, one told us to follow him, he on his bike, we in our car. He pedaled hard and fast uphill, about one half mile, then stopped in front of the market. To our right was a tiny driveway, lined with trees. We hadn’t considered that the town had built up around the foundry! Finally, we arrived thanks to the kindness of that man on bicycle. And what a find it was!
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From their website:
Campane Marinelli foundry has a very long history; the first bell was made around the year one thousand and since then their work has been a long sequence of successes and honors. One of the most significant honors that the foundry can boast is the possibility to use the Papal Arm Coat in their production; it was Pope Pio XI in 1924 to grant that privilege to the foundry.
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The tour guide was great, explaining how bells are made in both Italian and English, and patiently answering our questions.
The tour began with a movie showing the entire bell making process. Then we were treated to a demonstration by a “master” playing scales and songs on a number of bells (hanging on the right below). We learned that each bell has only one note, a perfect pitch.
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In the next room, we saw where the artists create each bell’s decorations.
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Finally, we were taken to the museum where we learned more about the four major steps of bell making.
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The museum contains “twins” of many famous bells. They are called twins, as opposed to duplicates, because no two bells are exactly the same as the molds are broken during the manufacturing process. Some very interesting twins include the bells commemorating the unification of Italy,
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and the bells honoring the new pope saints, Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Saint John XXIII.
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Each new Pope receives a bell in his honor, the latest being Papa Francesco.
Another bell (campane) in the museum commemorates the incredible kindness of an American family after a terribly tragic event. Their young son Nicholas was killed while they vacationed in Calabria. The family chose to donate the boy’s organs to seven local Italian children. Some years later, the seven families had a bell made with Nicholas’ name and the name of the seven children who survived as a result of this family’s incredible courage and generous gift of life. The bell was shipped to Nicholas’ family in Bodega Bay California where a memorial dedication was held.
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Touring the Marinelli Foundry and learning about the bells was an extremely interesting experience for us. I have always loved the sound of bells ringing, but had never thought about how the bells are made or where they come from. And now I know.
Here’s a brief clip from Marinelli Foundaria. Enjoy!
Ciao,
Judy
Last winter, when I started making plans to visit Pietrabbondante, I noted that the town did not have any hotels, but listed some nearby. I booked the closest one, as it had a few good online reviews, and never really thought about it again.
After our wonderful visit to Pietrabbondante, we headed to Bagnoli dei Trigno where the hotel was located, a town close as the crow flies, but about 30 minutes by car as we had to head down one “hill” and up another. Len said it was the curviest road he had ever been on, one switchback after another.
Finally we came to an intersection: Bagnoli dei Trigno was one direction, and the Domus Hotel another. Since this was our hotel, we headed left, followed the road around a large curve looking for a tiny hotel, and came upon this…
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and even better, this incredible view!
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It turns out our hotel is a medical/sports/health spa, large, lovely, very clean and only three years old. Interestingly, there was only one other hotel guest that night, but it was a Monday.
We were hungry after a long morning in Pietrabbondante and they were more than happy to prepare lunch for us. This is a vegetable flan on one side and suckling pig on the other…I forgot to take a photo before Len and I split it, but you get the idea…fresh and delicious, and prepared only when ordered.
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After lunch, we strolled around the property, sat in the sun, and marveled at the view.
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I also had a massage, and why not since this was a health spa. For dinner, we enjoyed their homemade pasta with local tomatoes and fresh mozzarella from the region.
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I don’t really know much about the town of Bagnoli dei Trigno except that as of the end of 2004, it had a population of about 850 living in fourteen square miles. What I do know is that from the hotel, it is a sight to behold, especially from our vantage point at sunset.
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The next day, we visited the town of Bagnoli. The few people we spoke to were very friendly and a nice man even opened his market/bar/cafe to make us fresh paninis. The newer part of the city is at the base, with the ancient part still somewhat inhabited. We were told that the Lombards built the castle at the top, although it was closed for reconstruction so we weren’t able to get near. What we did find was a very quiet ancient city, actually much lovelier from a distance.
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This is a view looking at our hotel (center) from the top of the ancient town.
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At night, our hotel put on its own light show.
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Per their brochure, Domus offers dancing under the stars as well as concerts on weekends. A perfect setting for sure! They even have a wood burning pizza oven which is large enough for seven pizzas at once.
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Such a pleasant surprise and an incredibly relaxing stay in a tiny hill top town. As we left Bagnoli, we couldn’t help but look once more at the vista we will long remember.
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Ciao,
Judy
Today in Cortona, the locals celebrated 70 years since the liberation of their city in 1944.
With proud veterans
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and original military vehicles and equipment,
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Italians and members of the Great Generation Airborne Group (dressed as British and American soldiers), stood at attention
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as a wreath was laid.
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Songs were sung and people joined in the parade
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vowing never to forget those who served and liberated their ancient and lovely town.
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Ciao,
Judy
At long last, our journey is realized – we find Pietrabbondante.
76 years, 10 months and 10 days after Alex returned to his birthplace, so too did Len and I, being the first and only ancestors after Alex, we think, to step foot in this town of his birth.
The town’s name comes from pietra, meaning stone, and abbondante, meaning abundance, hence Pietrabbondante. And there certainly is an abundance of stone in the area.
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When Alex was born, Pietrabbondante was in Abruzzo, but with redistricting (a la US politics), it is now part of Molise. On the map below, Pietra is between Agnone and Isernia, in the Apennine Mountain range.
In 1895, when Alex was born, there were about 4000 residents in Pietrabbondante. Today, there are less than 800.
As soon as we arrived in the main square, the few people around greeted us kindly, but knew instantly we were visitors. This definitely isn’t a town with a tourist issue. The main square has a beautiful war memorial like so many we see throughout Italy, dedicated to the soldiers who died defending their country and towns.
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We made our way to the church my grandfather described in his last letter and easily found it at the end of the main street.
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This is where my great-grandparents, Emerenziana Vitullo and Vincenzo Iacapraro were married and where their first-born son Alex was baptized.
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Next stop was the Municipal building. Armed with Alex’s parents’ birth records, we were eventually united with the vice mayor (vice sindaco), Michele Zullo. When I told him I was hoping to find Alex’s parents’ house, he shook his head saying that without an address, it would be difficult to find. The mayor did not know any Iacapraros, but said there were many Vitullos still in town, so we decided to search for those records.
Forget computers – this is an efficient manual process. We experienced this once before, years ago, when we went to Calabria to find Len’s ancestors.
First, find the book with the right year span. Check.
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Next, cut the twine as the book hasn’t been opened in years! Check.
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Then, search for the date of birth in 1873. Check.
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And just like that – Alex’s mother’s name and records.
Emerenziana Vitullo – blogginginitaly.com
The mayor patiently reads the page and suddenly says he knows the house. He tries to explain where it is, but then decides to walk us there himself. I can hardly believe this is about to happen!
We walk for about five minutes, when he stops abruptly… “Guarda, questa è la vostra casa!” (Look, this is your house!) he proudly proclaims in Italian.
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And there it is – right on the main street, 83 Corso Sannitico.
Time for photos.
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Vice Sindaco Michele Zullo and Judy – blogginginitaly.com
Michele explains that there had been a little shop or bar on the fist floor, hence the door on the left with curtains.
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Amazing! Mission accomplished.
We talked, hugged and kissed arrivederci, then thanked Michele for his genuine hospitality.
Then Len and I stopped to imagine Alex running up and down this lovely street until age four…
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and couldn’t help but wonder why his parents decided to leave Pietrabbondante and their ties behind. What caused them to seek a new life in America, so very different and so very far away?
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How did this young family manage, in 1899, to get from this town, high in the mountains, to the harbors in Napoli, where they would have boarded a ship destined to a land unknown?
Talk about courage. Whatever they envisioned, never could they have imagined that one day, their four-year old Alex would become the first licensed Italian American architect in the state of Illinois.
There is much more to Alex’s story, but for the next month or so, I will relish in this encounter with my ancestral origins and just smile.
To Alex, my grandfather, thank you for your incredible letters and for the history and insights that led us to your roots, as well as ours. And to Aunt Marion, and all of Alex’s descendants, a bit of history we can now cherish forever, and as Alex did so well, continue to pass on for generations to come.
Salute!
Ciao,
Judy
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