Milano Centrale

Milan Central Station is an impressive piece of architecture, and one of my favorite places in Milan. (Just in case you don't know, I have a weakness for all things related to travel: suitcases, maps, airports, train stations, etc.) In addition to my modest opinion,  Milano Centrale has been called one of the most beautiful stations in the world by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright. Do I have your attention now?

You can click on the pictures to see them larger.

The building we use today is a simplified version of the original design by architect Ulisse Stacchini. His monumental project was designed for the 1912 competition, later modified and simplified, and finally approved in 1924. Heavy ornamentation of towers, statues, clocks and chariots was eliminated, and a more austere, simple and functional design emerged. Engineer Alberto Fava replaced the initial cantilever roofing over the tracks with unprecedented iron canopies. The main arch measures 72 meters, the largest in Italy, the canopies extend for a length of 341 meters. Just as Lloyd Wright would have it: "form follows function." Personally the canopies fit in my category of ugly-beautiful, I love their simplicity, their size, but i find them too industrial and austere. They make for great pictures though!

The station was finally opened in 1931, finished at last by the fascist regime of the time. Mussolini found the grandiose architecture of the station fitting to his ideas, and various motifs expressing the regime and depicting the Duce were added. It would be a mistake to call the station an example of fascist architecture, as they just appropriated a magnificent building. Most of the regime's elements were removed after 1945.

If not fascist architecture, then what? It is difficult to narrow down the style of the station to one word, the most prevalent style is Art Deco, mixed with some Liberty style, with a heavy influence from the Roman Thermae architecture.

A recent renovation project has left the building shining under a new light. All the architectural details have been cleaned, not to limit the facelift to the old, new access ramps have been installed, and a brand new ticket office has opened its doors. Long lines still await you, but not to worry, you can just stop and enjoy your surroundings. Happy travel.

Countdown

I truly do not want to think about it, but I know that every day that goes by brings me closer to the moment when we'll have to leave Italy. Well, that is if everything goes according to plan... What plan?
I am talking about the three year contract that brought us here in the first place! We are starting our third year and I can't help myself but to think of all the things that I am not going to see or enjoy in a year's time.

We have a fig tree, having a fig tree in your property just screams ITALIAN, doesn't it? This has been a great year for figs, sweet and plump but not too watery. This is my last fig season in Italy. I am eating a lot of them... I want to remember their texture and flavor, their milky traces on my fingers, their wonderful color.

We have several chestnut trees in the yard. The chestnuts are all ready to star falling fast from their little cocoons and into our (by now) expert hands. I am ready to spend many a night by the fire roasting, peeling, and enjoying the little sweets. Chestnuts and Vino Novello, I am ready for you. Then again, I am not ready to let go. This would be my last chestnut season in Italy.

I am living the moment, enjoying the flavors, breathing the crisp air. Love is a funny thing, it sneaks into your heart when you are not looking... I love my Italy (winters and all.)

But my Italy is not only a place, it is also the wonderful people we know. I love my friends here, I love the way they think, I love their humor and knowledge, their kindness and generosity. I want to keep them close... I am not ready to say goodbye. Not today, nor tomorrow, nor in a year.


A glimpse of my Italy. Dinner with dear friends at Pien's.

Venice Biennale

My dream vacation (solo version) goes something like this... Take one of the most beautiful cities in the world, add great weather, mind-blowing art, and Aperol spritz to taste, discard non-art related companions, shake well and enjoy for a couple days!

Voila!

Una vecchia bici

Is there something more beautiful than an old bike? The roads and errands it must have been to, the rainy days, the laughs in tow.

Fernando is now the proud owner of a Bianchi bike from the 50's, if I didn't know better, I would be jealous.

Still Winter

Still in the midst of it. Still discovering the quiet between the quiet. Still blue.

If we are to believe the groundhog, we still have a long way to go until we enjoy Spring weather, colors and sounds. I am restless.

But I have to concede to the fact that I am enjoying some aspects of the season. I am discovering a taste for creative cooking. All that time indoors, surrounded by hungry people, with the right ingredients at hand; I am undertaking subtle risks. I am not successful every time, but I am happy most of the time. I will say this is a good recipe to fight the Winter blues.

My latest adventure was initially conceived to participate in World Nutella Day 2009. I will share my wild, calorie powered, delicious recipe with you on February 5th. The official Nutella Day.

Why don't you come and join in the fun? See you then.

Black sheep

Mi little black car was trapped by all these sheep trying to cross the road. This time of year traveling shepherds come to this area and set their motor homes in the open fields. The sheep flock travels from field to field all day long, they graze here and tomorrow they graze there, and usually we end up being the intruders...


I do not mind the little ones. I wish I could tell you more about the shepherds, their traditions, or where they come from. I have not a clue. Do you know? Please leave a comment if you do. Drive safe, you never know what you will find around the corner!

Ognissanti

Today is a holiday in Italy: Ognissanti or All Saints.

I learned about this holiday last year, when my neighbor Rosanna was making a beautiful flower bouquet to take to the cementery. I thought then that I would like to partake in this particular memorial, it took me a year to do it.

Back home in Southern California, I had the opportunity of participating in Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Death at Self Help Graphics -a printmaking studio in East LA. I enjoyed the altares, and the sweet treats, and I appreciated the playfulness with which death came around during these festivities.

I have to confess that I am attracted to all rituals celebrating the end of this life as we know it. It must be my Catholic upbringing, or just plain old morbid sensibility. I just find them incredibly beautiful.

With this mindset was that I went down to the town's cemetery in the early afternoon. The rain that has been our permanent companion for the last week had stopped its dancing and pounding, and the sun was breaking through the clouds long enough to give me the chance to take some pictures.

I took my camera, and went to work. Little did I know that every single person in town was going to make their way to the cemetery after lunch. I felt out of place, like an uninvited guest. I was respectful of the people paying their respects, so I avoided taking pictures of them. I took some shy shots of the place, then I hid my camera and looked.

I saw a community larger than our place and time, I saw families connecting through their common history. I would not describe this as a joyful event, but as a communal event, like so many things Italian. Friends remembering old gone friends, great-grandparents telling stories of their parents, children bringing flowers to unknown relatives.

The majority of the visitors would clean the graves, carefully picking up death flowers, all the while talking with themselves long monologues of memories, and news.

Every single person came carrying flowers, mostly yellow. They were all wearing dark colors. I thought it a startling contrast, and I wonder if they see it: a dark background to the multicolored bursts of life.

From Italy with love...

Venetians pro-Obama.

Cinque Terre

Did you hear about the UCI World Cycling Championship? It was hosted by the city next door: Varese, which meant that all streets were closed to general traffic and that there was no way for children to get to school. So Nico was on vacation for a week, and we just had to take the opportunity and get away when all the rest of Italy was not on vacation.


We left early friday to the cinque terre, or the five lands. This five little towns hang precariously from the hills bordering the Ligurian coast. Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore are a world onto themselves. You can easily arrive by car to Monterosso al mare, and from there you can choose to take the train between the towns, or sail away on one of the many boats that connect this area, but the best way as far as we are concerned is to hike the gorgeous trails by the sea. This is a hiker's paradise, so you better be prepared. The most challenging trails are those connecting Monterosso with Vernazza, and Vernazza with Corniglia. These trails are narrow, steep, challenging, but oh, so beautiful.



The last part of the trail between Manarola and Riomaggiore is a wide, well maintained path, mostly flat, and it is know as Via dell'Amore or Lover's Walk. This twenty minute walk gives you easy access to some of the most romantic views of the Sentiero Azzurro or the Blue Trail. There is a little nook with a modern statue of a couple, and next to it the rail is crowded with locks left there as a promise of everlasting love! I have seen these locks before, but I never understood their meaning until this trip. Next time I am bringing my own to leave at such a privileged place.


I cannot finish this post without talking about the delicious food we had. Superb Troffie with pesto (you know what they say? that the only basil worth eating is that grown with a sea view!), fish, clams, anchovies, etc. My favorite has to be the cinque terre wine, a dry and tangy wine. We loved it. Salute!

In case you didn't know...

The nice folks from expat interviews asked me to answer some questions for their site. This is a handy resource for people thinking about moving to another country. Here you can find real answer to practical questions, as well as personal blogs by expats all over the world.

My regular visitors know a lot about me, but if you are curious, you can find more about what I think here.

But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!

Romeo, Act II, scene ii

Verona, the perfect backdrop for Romeo and Juliet's love story. Verona, a UNESCO world heritage monument. Verona, a city that took my breath away.

We went to the beautiful city of Verona on Saturday, to see Tosca at the Arena! We headed there under blue skies and hot temperatures, Summer has finally arrived and we are enjoying every minute of it. Neither one of us three had been to an Opera before, and we were really excited. The tickets (5 of them) were a present from our dear friends Gloria and Juan, who were coming to Italy from the States, but had to cancel their trip at the last minute! What a gift! I still wish they had been able to make it though. I could have gone to Verona any other time!

We invited our friends Debby and Marcelo to join us and we enjoyed a day of fun, good food, and great opera. Marcelo was an excellent guide, showing us all the sites and telling us all about the history of the place. The Arena is the third largest in Italy, and even though what is left of its facade is a small piece, the structure left is stunning. To think that it was originally built in the year 30 AC! The inside of the Roman amphitheater is like it was 2000 years ago. I just can't get over the fact that history permeates everything in places like Verona.

We wandered through the medieval streets, arriving at open spaces, with magnificent architecture like the piazza delle erbe, which during Roman times used to be the forum -the center of the city. Today it is still a meeting place, with a market at its center. In the piazza there are several monuments, including the fountain of the madonna Verona, as well as the 14th C. Gardello tower, the baroque palazzo Marfei, and the Lamberti tower with its panoramic views of the city.

We also learned about curious things like this "bone". It hangs over one of the street passages. First, people speculated that it was a mammoth tusk, later they called it a dinosaur bone, but after some scientific tests it was discovered to be a whale bone! If this is not curious enough for you, legend has it that the bone will remain in place until one who has never said a lie in his life walks under it. Only then it will fall. May I mention that it has been in place for a century? Also one can visit Juliet's house (she was a fictional character, wasn't she?) There is a bronze statue of Juliet in the courtyard, and legend has it that if you stroke her right breast, good fortune will be vested upon you and/or fertility will be aplenty. You can see a picture of said statue on my first photo, on the lower left corner.

We walked to the Adige river, and we visited Ponte Pietra or the stone bridge, which was originally built in the first Century by the Romans, later it was destroyed by the Napoleonic forces, to be reconstructed with the original materials in its new location. The bridge connects the old town with the Roman theater (another exceptional site.) Not all was walking about in the heat, we also had time for an aperitivo, and some wonderful dinner near the Arena.

I have no pictures of the opera (Tosca) because we were not supposed to bring a camera to the performance. Well, I think we were the only ones not taking pictures at the performance. To tell you the truth, sometimes I miss really seeing things because I am limited by my camera's viewfinder. I have the images in my head, and the music in my ears. Absolutely gorgeous, an experience unlike any other. I loved the third act, but I guess that is predictable. Everything comes together beautifully in the third act, all the drama, the desperate solos of the main characters, the bare scenography, the almost full moon raising from behind the scenario... surreal!

What a gorgeous day!

La cucina di Nicola: Panna Cotta

We are back! I know I have been a very bad blogger lately, but I just haven't had the time, nor the peace of mind to sit down and write. But, I am back, and Nicolas couldn't be happier. I guess the little one is getting used to our time cooking together.

Today we are making our FIRST Italian dessert together, and we chose a simple, yet delicious one. Panna Cotta means literally "cooked cream", which is a misnomer as this custard is not cooked at all, no eggs, no double boiler, just gelatin as the tickening agent. Simple, the perfect recipe for my 10 year old.

Originally from the Piedmont region, in the mountainous regions of the Italian north where cream is abundant. Today you can find this dessert all over Italy. A silky, refreshing end to a meal, perfect served with seasonal berries. This could well qualify as the easiest dessert we have made together, and one of our favorites!

Based loosely on a recipe found in Basic Italian by Schinharl/Dickhaut/Lane, published by Silverback.

PANNA COTTA WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE


Feeds 4

1 Vanilla bean
2 Cups + 2 Tablespoons cream
1/4 Cup sugar
1.3/4 teaspoons powdered gelatin (always check package for proportions) 2-3 gelatin sheets
Butter for greasing ramekins (we used silicon molds)

Split open vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out black seeds and place in a pot with the vanilla bean, the 2 cups of cream and the sugar.
Heat cream mixture and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes (do not let it boil), whisking occasionally to help dissolve the sugar.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir powdered gelatin into the 2 tablespoons of cream - allow to soften for about 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the cream/sugar mixture from the heat, add the softened gelatin mixture, and whisk to dissolve the gelatin.
Strain the mixture into a heat-proof container with a spout (a glass measuring cup works well), lightly swirl the mixture before pouring into ramekins to evenly distribute the vanilla seeds. Pour mixture into buttered ramekins and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours until the cream is firm enough.
To serve, carefully dip the bottom of each ramekin in hot water, loose the edges of the panna cotta with a thin knife, cover the ramekin with an upside-down plate and reverse. The panna cotta should slide into the plate. Garnish with strawberry sauce.


For the sauce:

1 Pint strawberries, thinly sliced
1.1/2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 Tablespoons sugar

Toss strawberries, balsamic vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl to combine. Let stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Spoon strawberries over and around the panna cotta and serve.

Short trips

From the lakes, to the mountains, to our backyard (kind of), we have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather AND the many holidays that included a couple of long weekends. First it was Independence day, then Labor day or May day. We like day trips because they can be improvised at the last minute. One only needs to have good weather, gas in the tank, a couple of friends willing to take off without much notice, and off you go.

CHAMPOLUC is a small village nestled in the Val d'Aosta, close to France. My good friend Pien loves this town, as she and her family have spent many winters here. We went to check a particular trail where the town hosts an annual run. We will like to run it (ahem! walk it!) too, and so we went to get a feel of the land. It is STEEP! I will have to train really hard in order to run it... but it is beautiful! From Champoluc you hike up to a little town called Mascognaz, which still boasts traditional architecture. A very nice hotel, with an spa and fabulous pool and restaurants is opening soon, and it looks like a great place for a weekend getaway. From Mascognaz, you keep on trecking up the mountain in the direction of Crest, and somewhere up there you turn away from the mountain and back into Champoluc. A beautiful, yet hard hike. My son and the dogs had the time of their lives. When we got to town, we had lunch at a great little restaurant, where we drank really good local wine and eat whole grain pasta with vegetables and cheese... My mouth waters just remembering.

SANTA CATERINA DEL SASSO is a sanctuary built on the rocks on the Lombard shore of Lago Maggiore. The sanctuary can be reached by ferry, which provides amazing views of the buildings, or by car. If by car, one has to go down 283 steps to reach the sanctuary (and then go up those same steps to the parking site!)



The sanctuary was founded by Alberto Besozzi di Arolo, a merchant that survived a shipwreck in the rocks bellow the site. He built a small chapel to Santa Caterina. The Dominicans built other two chapels to Santa Maria Nova and San Nicola in the XIV century. The three chapels were unified into one in the XV century. Today, after a lengthy restoration supported by the Province of Varese, the monastery has been entrusted to the care of the Benedictine monks and has once again become a religious and tourist destination.

Thanks to the restauration, the visitor can admire magnificent frescoes dating from the XV century. What a beautiful place to visit for some inspiration!



PIC-NIC IN THE BACKYARD 

A lazy afternoon spent with friends in the neighboring fields, eating great food, drinking good wine, and tossing a frisbee. What else can you ask for?

Pesce d'Aprile

I should know about these things. I have a ten year old boy, I should be a better informed mom. Well, it is too late now. My boy took the bus this morning as usual, and I went to have coffee with my friend Pien.
As everybody knows, our regular bar closes on Tuesdays, not Mondays like everything else in town, but Tuesdays. Today we went to the other bar in town, which serves much better coffee but has the ambience of a cocktail lounge at 7:00 AM, this is the reason why you will only see us here on Tuesdays. But I digress, we went into the bar/pasticceria and I noticed some beautiful chocolate fish, as well as some pastries in the shape of fish.
Pien said they were pesce d'Aprile, which is celebrated on April first. In Italy, it is a day to play pranks on others, not unlike April's fools in the States. I learned that children make paper cut-outs in the shape of fish, and they try and stick it on a friend's back. At this point everyone else starts asking about the fish: Have you seen it? while the unsuspected victim asks: Who? What? and everybody laughs and says: il pesce d'Aprile! (April's fish). It should be fun!
I hope Nicolas has a chance to play some tricks, he loves to fool people! Most likely, he will come home with his back full of fish wondering why I did not tell him anything about this!!! Parenting is a full time job, I tell you.
I am on my way to buy some chocolate fish to vindicate myself. I will join any celebration that includes chocolate!
I read that adults also play some serious pranks on each other. Classic ones included radio broadcast (Orson Welles' style) announcing a Martian invasion, or money giveaways.
Pesce d'Aprile is not over yet, there is still a chance that Berlusconi will come out and say that he was playing a trick on us and that in reality he will NOT run! I am fooling myself!

What I love about Italy.

Remember my 10 things post about my husband? I think I am due for another 10 things list, and what better subject than my host country: Italy. Here are 10 random reasons why I love it so:
1)The land, not just the mountains and the beaches, but the old towns, the churches everywhere, the little roads, the yellow on the walls made of 10 layers of color and history, the chickens in my neighbor's yard, the pigs in the farm bellow, the bicycles everywhere, the beautiful people... I could go on and on...
2) The coffee, no need to explain this one.
3) The bar where I get my coffee, which is the social heart of our little town. We walk in, they know what we want, they just ask you: "cappuccino?" as to give you the opportunity to try something new. You drink your coffee, you eat your "brioce" from the open display at the bar, and you walk up to the register and pay what you consumed. The honor system in all its glory, no one questions what you say you ate, and no one lies about it.
4) The food. Simple, seasonal, colorful, beautiful food.
5) The language. Italian is like a song with many rhythms and a definite cadence. I just happen to be the girl that never made it to music class.
6) From sweet to bitter... I am talking about liqueur: Frangelico, Amaretto di Saronno, Sambuca, Limoncello, Campari, Amaro, Grappa.
7) Art everywhere.
8) Gelato!
9) Italians love children. They go out of their way to make children feel loved, welcome, cared for. My Nicolas sure likes this too.
10) Soccer players... really!

Venice, the week after...

We did not go to Venice for *Carnevale* instead we opted to go the week after... No crowds and a beautiful weather.





Next year we will be there for all the fun.
No posts this week, we will be on holiday. I'll be back Saturday.