All posts in category Trips In Italy

The Best Truffle Festival EVER!!! (In San Miniato)

Ciao Readers!

Okay, my mouth is watering just reminiscing about this festival and I am still smiling thinking about the fabulous little town it was in – San Miniato. Apparently for the last 3 weekends of November every year for the past 42 years this little town has had the largest truffle festival in all of Tuscany (truffles as in fungi, not chocolate, though there was some of that as well). It was so much fun (and soooooo delicious [if you like truffles])!

Now, for those of you paying extra close attention, you may remember that San Miniato is the name of the church on the top of the hill overlooking Florence (and supposedly where San Miniato brought his severed head). Contrary to what I first thought, this is not where the festival was – there is actually a separate town (requiring a 40 minute train ride, then a bus ride into town) called San Miniato. While it is a very ancient and historic city (which you can read about here), it also had a very modern and relaxed feel (complete with a “peace” restaurant and funky musicians, pictured). It is also on top of a hill, so it has great views.

The festival itself spread throughout town – with various booths selling both truffle and non-truffle-related food specialties (and providing tastes) as well as full-fledged food stalls serving many truffle-based dishes. Anywhere you walked in town you bumped into another section of food stalls (as well as all-around good cheer). Pictured (row 1) is some of the truffle pasta we had (okay, not tons of truffles, but it really was yummy and truffle-y tasting) as well as the makings of our truffle-infused porchetta sandwich (YUM!) and our non-truffle infused pistachio cannoli for dessert. The next photos are various shots taken at the festival, followed by shots of the very cool town (including one of Steve looking content) and views. I can’t say enough about what a lovely day and festival this was. If you’re ever in Tuscany this time of year, it’s a “can’t miss”! Thanks for coming along…

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by Newmexicotoitaly on November 29, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Trips In Italy

Tagged food festivals, San Miniato, San miniato truffle festival, Truffle Festival

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on November 29, 2012

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2012/11/29/the-best-truffle-festival-ever-in-san-miniato/

A Trip to Bologna

Ciao Readers!

As you may recall, I spent this past Spring in Bologna studying Italian and traveling to Florence via train to apartment-hunt. While there I met a lovely couple from New York, pictured below (the husband was in my Italian class). Not only do I have them to thank for looking out for me while I was in Bologna, but for turning me on to blogging with their own blog (here). They had the good fortune of being able to travel back to Bologna recently (after a stay in France) and Steve and I went to Bologna to meet up with them (and eat, of course!).

Now, for those of you who thought the pictures of food in my “A day by the Sea” post looked good – truth be told the seafood, pictured below, from Michelemma leaves that lunch in the dust. This was a restaurant I had eaten at with one of my Italian teachers and it is fantastic! I had the appetizer of various raw/pickled seafood as well as the rissotto (photos below, though I had already eaten some of the appetizer!). Steve devoured his salmon pasta before I had the sense to take a photo. I also missed the opportunity to photograph his whole branzino before the waiter expertly de-boned it for him (pictured covered with tomatoes). All in all, it was a lovely lunch with wonderful company and delicious food.

After lunch I was STUFFED. But….everyone insisted that our day was not complete until we took a trip to our mutual favorite gelateria – La Sorbetteria! (yes, of course I was not going to pass up gelato, I just thought I’d wait a few hours as our return train didn’t leave until 9:00 p.m.). Below is a photo of my gelato – chocolate and “dolce di ‘mu'” (dolche de leche).

I also accomplished 2 more things while in Bologna (not that visiting, eating and drinking are “accomplishments”). First, I have been trying to let my hair grow out. But, as those of you who have known me for a while know, I usually give up every time I try (how is it I can change my home, my country, my language – EVERYTHING – except my hairstyle?!?). So, when we walked by a cool-looking hair salon I thought “what the heck” and got my hair cut. (Luckily, this was not a repeat of my experience in Barcelona a few years back where I ended up with a complete army-style buzz-cut, and I now look like me again.) It also dawned on me that pharmacists can prescribe medicine and instead of having to wait until Monday to see a doctor about one of my eyes (which had been red for days), we popped into a pharmacy, the pharmacist asked me a few questions, prescribed some antibiotic drops, and voila – the next day it looked much better! I finally found something easier and cheaper in Italy – dealing with minor ailments!

We ended the trip with a stroll around town to see Bologna’s (more “modern”) version of a Neptune statue as well as to admire the shops on the foodie street (pictured below). After a quick 37 minute train ride we were back…into the throngs of tourists in Florence…

A Trip (back) to Fiesole

Ciao Readers!

You may recall that a few weeks ago I attempted my first organized run in Italy and promptly got semi-lost in a little town called Fiesole. As I was preoccupied at the time with finding my way back, I knew I’d need to return with Steve some other time in order to properly appreciate the town (and amazing views). That time was last weekend.

I specifically chose last weekend because it coincided with the Festa de “schiacciata con l’uva” (which literally means “crushed” with grapes, but is a grape-covered pastry). I had a slice of this cake at Cafe Serafini a couple of weeks ago (it is only made for a few weeks during grape-harvest season – i.e., now) and it was delicious! (Steve is not as fond of it as the grapes, and thus the pastry, still have seeds inside). I was looking forward to seeing the town, but especially eating cake (am I that one-dimensional?). In any case, we walked to the north part of Florence where we caught a bus out to Fiesole.

Fiesole is such an adorable town! It is very old, complete with Etruscan remains (pictured below) and a tiny town center with a few outdoor restaurants (ditto). It was so relaxed compared to the hub-bub of Florence. However, there did not seem to be grape cake anywhere! In the center of town there was a quaint little flea-market (pictured), but still no grape cake. We took a walk around the scenic outskirts for a phenomenal view (once again, it was hazy and my pictures are flat – arg!). If you look carefully in the second picture you can see the Duomo (it’s like playing “Where’s Waldo”). We were having a very nice time and could not get over the amazing view….but I was still holding out hope that I had not imagined reading about a grape cake festival (my Italian isn’t that bad!).

Finally we found the grape-cake festival part of town…it was basically a few sweet retired ladies having a grape-cake-only bake sale outside their church (pictured below). We bought 2 different slices of schiacciata – the one pictured on the left was interesting because it included walnuts and rosemary (but you could patch a wall with the crust); the one on the right was less complex, but had lighter (and more edible) pastry. To be entirely honest, the schiacciata at Serafini is much better, but we had a lovely mini-adventure none-the-less! Thanks, as always, for coming along on our trip!

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by Newmexicotoitaly on October 17, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Food, Trips In Italy

Tagged fiesole, schiacciata con l'uva

Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on October 17, 2012

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2012/10/17/a-trip-back-to-fiesole/

A Day by the Sea

Ciao Readers!

Whew – that last post took a lot of time (and brain cells)! So, today we’re just going on a leisurely “road trip” to the ocean. This past Saturday Steve and I decided to get out of town and go see the sea (a novelty coming from New Mexico which is nowhere near an ocean), so we took a 2-hour train ride (with a connection in Pisa) and went to Castiglioncello (just south of Livorno on your map). We had never heard of this little seaside town, but it was supposed to be beautiful (and relatively close). Since my purpose today is not educational, I will leave you to your own devices to learn more about the town if you so choose, here.

I am guessing that when this town (Florence) was relatively emptied of locals during ferie, they were all here in Castiglioncello. Fortunately for us, on a rainy overcast day in late September it was all but deserted. This is a beautiful little seaside town with a walkway that spans the coast. The actual “beach” (i.e. sand you can lay on) area is fairly small, and in “high” season you would be bumper-to-bumper with other bathers paying 20 – 40 euros for your space (complete with chairs and access to a changing room). However, for two crazy Americans who have not yet learned to follow the seasons (and persist in listening to their respective off-beat drummers), the sand was ours for the taking. It was the most peaceful we have felt in two months – not a sound other than the waves rolling in and out – ahhhhh….

Following a nice lazy rest on the beach, we headed along the coastal walkway to find something to eat. Luckily not everything was closed for the season and we happened upon a lovely seafood restaurant literally right over the sea! We were the only people who chose to brave the rain (just a drizzle) and eat outside. Several times the nice waitress came out to see if we had changed our minds and wanted to move inside (we did not [still channeling those goofy drummers]). Below are a few shots of our lunch as well as the view behind Steve. After some more leisurely hanging out (digesting) in a park overlooking the sea, we headed back to Florence (direct train this time – yay!) and back into the throngs of tourists outside the train station.

Thanks for coming along to see the sea: