Summer in Italy

How to get out of the Tuscan sun

It’s June, and in Italy that means summer…and that means hot and humid! I had been looking for a shady spot outdoors (not my balcony, although it’s pleasant enough), somewhere green. I Googled ‘gardens in Lucca’ and up popped the Palazzo Pfanner. ‘Beautiful, but difficult to find’ was the recommendation in TripAdvisor. I looked it up on my map and decided to find out for myself. After a 15 minute walk along the wall, there it was! The view from the wall was inviting so, I paid the entrance fee – yes there’s always an entrance fee – and spent the following couple of hours in this beautiful green oasis.

Enjoy… Isabella

View of Palazzo Pfanner from the city wall

A cheesy story from Garfagnana

The Garfagnana is a beautiful jewel in Tuscany. Just two hours north of Lucca, this rural enclave of outstanding natural beauty is nestled between two mountain ranges; the spectacular jagged ‘marble mountains’ of the Alpi Apuane and the rolling ‘spine of Italy’, the Apennines. Cheesemaking is at the top of the agenda for our excusion today to the Garfagnana

In a little hamlet, we have the privilege of seeing ricotta being made. The whole family is involved…hot work for nonno, but this is part of his daily routine. This is the kind of artisanal industry that makes Italy great! Afterward, we taste some of the delicious cheeses the family makes.

Buonissimo! …Isabella

Cooking lessons in Lucca

View from Eva's window, Lucca — View from Eva’s window, Lucca

Language lessons have been so so in Lucca…I’m disappointed that there are so few students and the lessons are lacklustre! Cooking lessons with Eva however, have been great. Eva is a native lucchese and her food is buonissimo! Typical dishes from Toscana on the menu were:

Crostini salsiccia, stracchino e semi di finocchio
Peperonata
Ravioli ripieni di ricotta e spinaci con salsa di burro e salvia
Pollo al limone con erbe aromatiche
Panna cotta con salsa di fragole
Ripieni di verdure

Making ravioli ripieni in Eva's kitchen — Making ravioli ripieni in Eva’s kitchen

Spinaci con salsa di burro e salvia; Pollo al limone con erbe aromatiche; Peperonata

Lessons were held in Eva’s kitchen with a view of the surrounding village and the hills around Lucca. Three hours flew by, aided by glasses of local wine. Afterward, dinner, more wine and gossip. I ate sooo much! I’ll post some of the recipes next time (in Italian!). Love to hear your recipes from different regions of Italy. What’s your favourite Italian food?

Buon appetito… Isabella

Bella Lucca

It’s a hot day in Lucca, when I arrive. It’s Sunday and everything is shut – no bars, no alimentari for provisions for my fridge, no beautiful shops…the city is at rest. I’m here for a week to do a language and cooking course. I’m interested to see how it compares with my favourite language school, InClasse, in Verona.

My apartment is outside the city walls, a five minute walk, but it’s too hot for exploring and besides, I could do with a rest. The Lucchesi have the right idea! Food will come later.

Ciao… Isabella

Returning to Genova

Verona is a city that’s hard to beat for its beauty, style and of course, the friendly Veronesi. Genova, ‘La Superba’, on the other hand, is a city much magligned by tourists but it is a fascinating city with a long and prosperous history, rich in culture, great shopping and food, with the stunning ligurian coastline, the jewel in the crown.

I’m returning – my fourth visit – this time to see friends, with no programme of activities planned. Five days, staying with Emiliana in the heart of the historical centre at B&B Quarto Piano, a beautiful modern apartment in an old palazzo across the way from Palazzo Spinola, constructed in 1593 which is now a museum filled with artworks but also maintained as it was with the frescoes, furnishings, ceramics and silverware of the wealthy Spinola family.

The ancient vicoli, dirty and smelly at times, wind their way through the centre.The narrow lanes of the centro storico are lined with shops of all descriptions. Cheap clothing to handcrafted italian shoes and delicatessens filled with olives, cheese and their delicious Ligurian delights, to the panifici for fresh bread and my favourite, Genovese focaccia, as well as bars, jewellery stores, butchers – you name it, it’s here.

Enjoy… Isabella

Italian train etiquette

I love travelling by train in Italy, first class of course. Italians though, are always complaining about the trains here: they don’t run on time, they are dirty, always full, they’re always going on strike. Sure, I’ve had a few problems with late trains and strikes but mostly it’s been a positive experience.

It can be a fraught experience for the uninitiated however, so here are my 8 tips for getting the most out of your train ride:

Always try to get away with travelling 1st class with your 2nd class ticket. You may be able to travel in comfort almost to your destination – which could be an hour or two – before the ticket inspector checks your ticket and moves you along.
Take your mobile phone out immediately you step on the train. Talk as if you are at home – as loud as you like, using your normal language.
Take up as much available space as you need.
Leave your suitcase in the aisle if there is no available space next to you, it will only inconvenience people who are moving around with luggage themselves.
If you are in 2nd class on one of the fast intercity trains and haven’t reserved a seat, sit wherever you like. When the person with the allocated seat turns up, refuse to move.
If you are in a caring mood, help the woman with the heavy suitcase onto or off the train (there are usually two or three steps from the platform to the train). If the mood isn’t with you, watch her struggle, then hop on yourself.
Have a conversation with your friend the entire trip (in your normal voice); what you did last night, how your boyfriend is such a doosh, clothes shopping, what you and your boyfriend are planning for the weekend… Be as intimate and personal as you like, nothing is sacred.
As soon as you get off the train, light a cigarette and puff away as if your life depended on it.

As I said, I love train travel in Italy…first class of course!

Happy travelling….Isabella