May 20, 2012 - Mangia Italia-Sunday

Our culinary five hrs. today has put me over the gastronomical top. Eating a main meal midday is unusual but also an enlightening exercise. We observed while Chef Fillipo prepared the pasta dough to press through a crank machine. We made classic pesto sauce with a more refined technique than I've used before, but will use again. We prepared individual tiramisu on espresso soaked bisquits that was a divine dessert. A pureed sauce was made for baked cod, from cooked ceci beans & Tuscan herbs. Helen is an old hand at pasta makimg & cut our...

May 19, 2012 - The Plan

My Plan is to go by train to Bolzano, Italy and finalize a two week hiking trip in the Dolomites. There supposedly is an alpine hiking specialist at the tourist information booth in Bolzano that can help me finish planning my route. If there isn't then perhaps there will be some sports shops there that can do the same. I also need to buy maps there and anything I forget to pack. I'll list everything in my backpack on this blog just before I actually start out on the trail. My tentative plan is to leave my suitcase in Bolzano and join the...

May 19, 2012 - Day 3, Saturday

Today we were pciked up at our B&B by our tour guide, Isa & driver, Fernando, who spent the day with us on our culinary adventure. Isa grew up in the Tuscan hills, but her family moved to San Francisco, CA when she was in grammar school. Her English is perfect. We drove North into the counrtyside of Garfagnana for our first stop at an artisan cheese producer who explained his processes to us, thru translation. He uses milks from cow, goat & sheep for a variety of cheeses & yogurt. Some are even combined for a local favorite Cacciato, soft...

May 19, 2012 - Italy

Well it was a longer night than I thought. I sat in the lobby till just after midnight catching up on all the news on my iPad. Christine went out with her friends so it was just a very relaxing evening. We headed out to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa today. It's about an hours drive from us but well worth the drive. It really is something else. There's nothing else here but the tower, so once you've seen it, taken your cheesy pictures like you're trying to hold the thing up, you're done. We headed back to Montecatini around noon and we...

May 18, 2012 - Day 6 - Rome time to meet Andy

Day 6 - Rome Pasta was great. Had that then a dish of Squid with peas. And a bottle of wine of course. Had a pretty good sleep-in this morning. Ready to hit the streets after a light breakfast. Forgot to mention we visited the Cappuccin Crypt yesterday. That was a little freaky. A monastery that the monks have arranged all the bones of their 4000 dead friar brethren in all sorts of artistic patterns. Let's put it this way...the head bone IS NOT connected to the neck bone! Whipped over to the Capital Hill museum and decided to carry on past...

May 18, 2012 - Day two, Part two

The 3 of us did lots of chopping with Chef Filippo Olivieri & prepared a sumptuous lunch. We started at the markets for fresh vegetables, including just picked zucchini squash with blossoms, eggplant & special "pizza tomatoes", fresh herbs and more. The menu began w/Panzanella (a favorite of mine) marinated bread & tomato salad. We roasted a lg. pan of 8 different vegetables diced & served with Tuscan style pork roast & a glass of Toscano wine. Also, we bought the local buccellato "cake" that we sliced, smothered with chopped strawberries &...

May 18, 2012 - Florence Italy

Left Rome this morning and headed to Florence. Not too long a drive, maybe 4 hours. I can't say that our visit here was nice. In fact it is a rather boring place. We started off with the ABC tour ...Another Bloody Cathedral. We're at the point now where we are done with churches and cathedrals. They are all beautiful but seriously I've lost track -they all look the same now. We did go into the Accademia Gallery to get a glimpse of the perfect man. Yes, David is quite handsome, from every viewpoint! Michelangelo certainly was an amazing...

May 18, 2012 - Day 7- Rome Really the day we meet Andy

Day 7 - Rome last full day Had a good sleep in and a light breakfast and our usual Sammy and coffee before we hit the streets again. Headed north to the farthest we've ever decided to go...Villa Borgese. It's about a 4 kilometer hike from our apartment. A little rainy to start...crap. Stopped raining after about 10 minutes so felt WAY better. Took our time and after a few missed turns made it to our destination. Beautiful, huge park to discover on our way to the prime destination...the Borgese Museum. Found the museum with a bit of twisting...

May 18, 2012 - Trevignano and Anguillara

I woke up and decided that after yesterday's trek on the property, Anguillara, and the "beat up" on the beach, I would visit Trevignano and bypass the official workout today!! My plan was to pick up a friend, Brian, at the Stazione at 330 from Vicenza.... I actually met him at the train station in Verona, many moons ago :) and we have casually kept in contact with each other. He is stationed in Vicenza and very young..30 yrs.! I figured an exploration friend! More later!!!! Getting back to Trevignano, I walked, explored, bought a cool...

May 17, 2012 - Bracciano, Anguillara, and The Beach!

Ahhhh! Refreshed after 10 hours of slumber! Coffee, feed the animals and worked out. I walked her property 6 times around, very steep on one area! And felt wonderful afterwards! I decided to take Jack and drive the circumference of the lake! I started in Bracciano, scoped out the Stazione and the Orsini castle, and familiarized myself with all of the one ways in this little city centro! I drove back down to the lake (Quarto del Lago, name of the road that follows all around the lake) and headed to Anguillara! Jack and I stopped at the beach...

May 17, 2012 - Rome

For those of you who have never been to Rome, put it on your bucket list.  Fabulous.   Christine and I both have decided that this has been the best part of our trip.  Definately a "go back to" place. We spent 14 hours walking through Rome and I don't think we missed a thing.....well maybe a few things, after all, you can't see Rome in a day!  Being part of a tour group does have its advantages.  No lineups.  The Vatican for instance does not open to the public until 9 yet we were able to get in at 7am, no lineups, no crowds inside.   Ditto...

May 17, 2012 - Day Two

Ciao! Had a 4 mi. cycle ride around the walled city yesterday, had a delicious cecina & pizza w/vino last night. Cecina is what they call a chickpea pancake, eaten with black pepper. We get picked up by the school chef shortly for shopping & cooking our lunch. Somehow I have no jet lag & slept 7 hrs. Not sure if I will manage to share any pics at this point, but time is fleeting & there's much to see & do. I have taken a bunch already. Bye for now.