Italy
Curious facts about Italy
Italians actually eat Italian food!
Sorry if that sounds like stating the obvious, but apart from the big cities, for the tourists, pretty much all the restaurants are Italian restaurants, and Italian people seem to have quite a set routine about what they eat.
So, here is what Italians actually eat:
Breakfast: Milky coffee. Dry bread, like really dry & hard. If you’re Franco you break it up into your milky coffee. Other people seem to just eat it, don’t know how. Don’t bother trying to find cereal, but you might get a yogurt.
Morning and afternoon teas, sweet treats are the thing. The pastiseries are filled with the most gorgeous pastries, tarts, donuts, cakes & whatever else takes your fancy. Yowza!! With a shot of coffee of course.
Lunch and/or dinner (I haven’t worked out if normal people each a 2-course meal at either or both meals, it doesn’t seem to matter – if you don’t go for the 2-course option there’s always pizza):
‘Primo’ course which is normally pasta, mostly served quite plain, just pasta in a simple sauce. I was shocked & disappointed to discover that most Italian restaurants cook pasta out of a plastic bag just like we do. If you’re really lucky you can find somewhere that makes fresh pasta which is infinitely nicer, but surprisingly rare.
‘Secondo’ course is a plate of meat, yes, just meat, that’s it, normally with a sauce, and a bowl of salad if you ask for it. Olive oil on everything!
Then fruit and/or cheese. They don’t seem to have heard of dessert, or chocolate (help, I need dark chocolate, I’m suffering withdrawal symptoms!).
Then a shot of coffee (just the espresso straight, sculled in 2 mouthfuls)
Then a café might serve you a thimble of limoncello before you leave.
Which means:
Italians are actually quite polite drivers!
I know they have a fierce reputation behind the wheel but we have found them far more tolerant of each other in narrow streets, and pedestrians just stepping out into a busy city street, than kiwi drivers would be. Sure, they do like to toot. Nothing like a little expression of frustration, no idea if it achieves anything, but all part of the fun eh.
Italians are The Best Parkers in the world … how they park in these narrow streets is astonishing, with barely 10cm between cars. The new little 2-seater electric cars can even be parked sideways on in a parallel park, nose to the wall, ass into the street. Even the long rows of scooters are parked so close you feel you could almost push one and the whole lot would tumble like dominos.
That don’t do grass in Italy
After several hours spent walking on stone paved city streets looking at more and more and more stone statues & buildings, we were so desperate to lie down on some grass under a tree that we paid good money for the privilege! The Florence botanic gardens are very small & rather underwhelming by NZ standards, but the sun shone prettily through the spring leaves and there was actually a small piece of grass to sit down on!
Italians actually eat Italian food!
Sorry if that sounds like stating the obvious, but apart from the big cities, for the tourists, pretty much all the restaurants are Italian restaurants, and Italian people seem to have quite a set routine about what they eat.
So, here is what Italians actually eat:
Breakfast: Milky coffee. Dry bread, like really dry & hard. If you’re Franco you break it up into your milky coffee. Other people seem to just eat it, don’t know how. Don’t bother trying to find cereal, but you might get a yogurt.
Morning and afternoon teas, sweet treats are the thing. The pastiseries are filled with the most gorgeous pastries, tarts, donuts, cakes & whatever else takes your fancy. Yowza!! With a shot of coffee of course.
Lunch and/or dinner (I haven’t worked out if normal people each a 2-course meal at either or both meals, it doesn’t seem to matter – if you don’t go for the 2-course option there’s always pizza):
‘Primo’ course which is normally pasta, mostly served quite plain, just pasta in a simple sauce. I was shocked & disappointed to discover that most Italian restaurants cook pasta out of a plastic bag just like we do. If you’re really lucky you can find somewhere that makes fresh pasta which is infinitely nicer, but surprisingly rare.
‘Secondo’ course is a plate of meat, yes, just meat, that’s it, normally with a sauce, and a bowl of salad if you ask for it. Olive oil on everything!
Then fruit and/or cheese. They don’t seem to have heard of dessert, or chocolate (help, I need dark chocolate, I’m suffering withdrawal symptoms!).
Then a shot of coffee (just the espresso straight, sculled in 2 mouthfuls)
Then a café might serve you a thimble of limoncello before you leave.
Which means:
- Don’t hope for tea. They might make some for you but you’ll seem irredeemably English and it’ll cost a lot.
- Careful or you’ll eat too much!
- Gelato is acceptable any time of day (yay!!)
- After 10 days in Italy I would say that NZers know how to cook meat better than Italians.
- Italian bread is very crusty and gets dry and hard quickly. Good luck trying to find wholemeal. Sliced bread in a bag is very strange stuff indeed, perfectly square, thin, dry & dull.
- Gelato is FABULOUS stuff. Especially Tiramasu flavour. Aaahhh.
- A good option from cafes is the flat bread buns that they put in a toasted sandwich maker, with tomato and cheese in, or they make fresh to your order (like Subway but way way better).
- Italian pasta can be very boring.
- Italian pizzas seem boring (i.e. not much goes onto them and they are so flat that you have to eat them with a knife & fork) but they are not. Lesson – keep flavours simple. Just tomato and cheese is good, so long as they are good tomato and good cheese.
- Pastissery fabulousness knows no bounds. One place we found in Florence had The Best croissants in The Entire World, for only $1 each, fresh & full of inutterable yum, we restrained ourselves to 2, one oozing chocolate, the other apricot goo. O.M.G.!
Italians are actually quite polite drivers!
I know they have a fierce reputation behind the wheel but we have found them far more tolerant of each other in narrow streets, and pedestrians just stepping out into a busy city street, than kiwi drivers would be. Sure, they do like to toot. Nothing like a little expression of frustration, no idea if it achieves anything, but all part of the fun eh.
Italians are The Best Parkers in the world … how they park in these narrow streets is astonishing, with barely 10cm between cars. The new little 2-seater electric cars can even be parked sideways on in a parallel park, nose to the wall, ass into the street. Even the long rows of scooters are parked so close you feel you could almost push one and the whole lot would tumble like dominos.
That don’t do grass in Italy
After several hours spent walking on stone paved city streets looking at more and more and more stone statues & buildings, we were so desperate to lie down on some grass under a tree that we paid good money for the privilege! The Florence botanic gardens are very small & rather underwhelming by NZ standards, but the sun shone prettily through the spring leaves and there was actually a small piece of grass to sit down on!
Rome
The Domus Internationalis Paulus IV ... guest house for clergy and assorted hangers-on
A few images of the OTT hugeness and overtly 'aiming to impress'-ness which is Rome.
(see, no more doorknobs!)
(see, no more doorknobs!)
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I could have happily spend many hundreds of Euros in this clerical dress shop. OMG it was utterly fabulous (I feel like I am overusing that word!). I could have had stoles with any manner of colours or embroidered designs. I bought the smallest thing in the shop, a could of off-cut red & gold crosses that I'll use in a stole sometime. Still costs me 5 Euros just for that! ... mind you, no one could accuse the church in Rome of undergoing things! ... but the colours of the fabrics & vivid designs and lovely embroideries.
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Catacombs
Friday 28 April: our last day in Rome After a very quiet restful morning Ben and I set out, intrepid explorers, on the suburban bus system, and (with a bit of help along the way) found our way to the Domitilla Catacombs. There is simple very ancient church, half underground, then various tunnels leading down and into the tombs. I was worried about getting a bit panicky down in the narrow underground tunnels, but I had Ben with me and I kept smiling and curious and telling myself how safe I was and it was OK. Really good to have done. If you're interested in reading more about these here's their info website: |
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This is from a detail on one of the slabs of marble used to shut up the graves. Apparently the cross was not used as a Christian symbol for a few hundred years - it is not in the catacombs at all hardly. Far more common symbols for Christ were the fish and the anchor, as well as a circle for the sun, and what we now think of as the Paschal symbol of the P with the X through it.
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This is one of the earliest Christian art works, from the 4th century. It shows Peter and Paul standing beside a square that was going to be painted with an image of heaven. They're in a garden, with doves representing peace. It's quite colourful and lovely.
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Florence
Various other images from Florence
Florence Doorknobs & Details
(sorry you're probably getting bored with doors. I promise to stop soon ...?)
(sorry you're probably getting bored with doors. I promise to stop soon ...?)
This bottom centre one is part of the binding from one of the ancient vellum hymnbooks in the St Marks Museum. Fabulous! Illustrations coming up ...
I absolutely love these. I wish I could have turned every page. These are from the 3 books they had open. I totally want the 'S' as my symbol (very protective maternal ministry stance there don't you think?!), and the 'P's for Purdie are gorgeous. Don't you just love the musician in the 'O' touching her lips with one finger looking like she has made a mistake and is embarrassed about it!
I absolutely love these. I wish I could have turned every page. These are from the 3 books they had open. I totally want the 'S' as my symbol (very protective maternal ministry stance there don't you think?!), and the 'P's for Purdie are gorgeous. Don't you just love the musician in the 'O' touching her lips with one finger looking like she has made a mistake and is embarrassed about it!
St Marks Museum in Florence
I absolutely adored our visit here. I hadn't researched it or anything, we just vaguely headed in that direction, the main art gallery had a big line out the front so we went in here instead. Just $4 for me & Ben was free and it was quiet and FABULOUS!! I had seen pictures of some of the Fr Antonio frescos of course in art history, but to see them 'in situ' on the walls of the upstairs dorm rooms was brilliant. Incredible atmosphere. Even Ben enjoyed it (but not as much as me). Fr Antonio painted a fresco on the wall of each of the monk's rooms! And the shapes of the doors and the roof and the steps and the light with dozens and dozens of these stunning evocative emotional works of art. Of course my favourite is the Annunciation - I've always love that - and there it is greeting you on the wall at the top of the stairs. It's big, and the paint glitters, and the angel's wings are so colourful, and the communication between angel and Mary is so intense and respectful ... aaahhh!!
(the books were in the enormous spacious old Biblioteca room, and they had a lovely display explaining how the artists worked with their materials.)
I absolutely adored our visit here. I hadn't researched it or anything, we just vaguely headed in that direction, the main art gallery had a big line out the front so we went in here instead. Just $4 for me & Ben was free and it was quiet and FABULOUS!! I had seen pictures of some of the Fr Antonio frescos of course in art history, but to see them 'in situ' on the walls of the upstairs dorm rooms was brilliant. Incredible atmosphere. Even Ben enjoyed it (but not as much as me). Fr Antonio painted a fresco on the wall of each of the monk's rooms! And the shapes of the doors and the roof and the steps and the light with dozens and dozens of these stunning evocative emotional works of art. Of course my favourite is the Annunciation - I've always love that - and there it is greeting you on the wall at the top of the stairs. It's big, and the paint glitters, and the angel's wings are so colourful, and the communication between angel and Mary is so intense and respectful ... aaahhh!!
(the books were in the enormous spacious old Biblioteca room, and they had a lovely display explaining how the artists worked with their materials.)
Florence
Our little guest house is called 4 Rooms, and guess how many rooms it has? Newly fitted out, so new that the funky sheer curtains still have their shop creases in, our own verandah, all quite nice really. Near the railway station, and cheap – probably because of being on one of the busiest traffic roads in Florence. Wow those Italian ambulances are LOUD!! Good thing I brought ear plugs. Ben has a God-given gift of being able to sleep through anything. Even my coughing. Also I was not particularly impressed to find that the lift didn’t work and we had to carry our bags up 4 flights of steps. THANKFULLY Ben managed that in double-quick time without raising a sweat … see, I knew it was a good idea to bring him along!!
So, yes, I’m not very well. Thankfully due to the wonders of modern technology I was able to get advice from my herbalist in Palmerston North, discover that there is a Herbalist in Florence, and we got there in time before they closed after a ‘wow’-inspiring walk through the narrow streets of this ancient city. The lovely young herbalist gave me, not the liquid herbs or syrup that I’m used to, but the Real Thing – actual herbs, dried, mixed in a paper bag, with instructions to make lots of tea out of it. Thankfully it actually tastes quite nice, and I can feel it’s positive effects already. Thankfully I actually got a good night’s sleep too. Other than one mega sleep, I woke very early during our Rapallo stay, like 3 or 4 oclock early. A bit tough on the body.
Herbalist: http://www.deherbore.com/en
Photo of herbs
Our first evening in Firenze was just magic. I asked the nice herbalist for a café recommendation, and it turned out that the only organic actually-made-on-site pasta restaurant around was right next door. (Back in NZ I had naively assumed that all Italian restaurants made their own pasta but this is sadly not so) Fantastic!! Just 8 Euros for a stunningly delicious plate of pasta bursting with fresh goodness. Going back there again today!
Then we sat for a while in the Piazza della Repubblica which is the most astonishing place (Google it), soaking in the atmosphere, assisted by a gorgeous merry-go-round, a very talented busker filling the Piazza with his music, children flicking glowing spinning light sticks high into the air, as the daylight faded.
Today is Anzac Day. Which also happens to be Italian Liberation Day, when the Germans left after WWII. Not sure if anything is happening in Florence in honour of this, but most shops will be shut (not the cafes & gelateries I guess).
Our little guest house is called 4 Rooms, and guess how many rooms it has? Newly fitted out, so new that the funky sheer curtains still have their shop creases in, our own verandah, all quite nice really. Near the railway station, and cheap – probably because of being on one of the busiest traffic roads in Florence. Wow those Italian ambulances are LOUD!! Good thing I brought ear plugs. Ben has a God-given gift of being able to sleep through anything. Even my coughing. Also I was not particularly impressed to find that the lift didn’t work and we had to carry our bags up 4 flights of steps. THANKFULLY Ben managed that in double-quick time without raising a sweat … see, I knew it was a good idea to bring him along!!
So, yes, I’m not very well. Thankfully due to the wonders of modern technology I was able to get advice from my herbalist in Palmerston North, discover that there is a Herbalist in Florence, and we got there in time before they closed after a ‘wow’-inspiring walk through the narrow streets of this ancient city. The lovely young herbalist gave me, not the liquid herbs or syrup that I’m used to, but the Real Thing – actual herbs, dried, mixed in a paper bag, with instructions to make lots of tea out of it. Thankfully it actually tastes quite nice, and I can feel it’s positive effects already. Thankfully I actually got a good night’s sleep too. Other than one mega sleep, I woke very early during our Rapallo stay, like 3 or 4 oclock early. A bit tough on the body.
Herbalist: http://www.deherbore.com/en
Photo of herbs
Our first evening in Firenze was just magic. I asked the nice herbalist for a café recommendation, and it turned out that the only organic actually-made-on-site pasta restaurant around was right next door. (Back in NZ I had naively assumed that all Italian restaurants made their own pasta but this is sadly not so) Fantastic!! Just 8 Euros for a stunningly delicious plate of pasta bursting with fresh goodness. Going back there again today!
Then we sat for a while in the Piazza della Repubblica which is the most astonishing place (Google it), soaking in the atmosphere, assisted by a gorgeous merry-go-round, a very talented busker filling the Piazza with his music, children flicking glowing spinning light sticks high into the air, as the daylight faded.
Today is Anzac Day. Which also happens to be Italian Liberation Day, when the Germans left after WWII. Not sure if anything is happening in Florence in honour of this, but most shops will be shut (not the cafes & gelateries I guess).
Pisa
Nothing really to say about Pisa, other than it was Really Crowded!!
I was most interested in the details, and Ben was very patient with me stopping so often to take pictures, even though people passing looked at me sideways!
So here is my collection of Doorknobs and Details from Pisa:
I was most interested in the details, and Ben was very patient with me stopping so often to take pictures, even though people passing looked at me sideways!
So here is my collection of Doorknobs and Details from Pisa:
Rapallo
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The view from Silvia & Franco's apartment: Only word for it is WOW!
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Rapallo
It is 7am, and the sun is just touching the hills. Rapallo is a gorgeous Renaissance town, nestled between the hills and the Mediteranian Sea, near Genoa. There is a castle, now in occasional use as an art gallery. There is a long curve of promenade, with palm trees, jetties, and cafes at regular intervals. This northern stretch of Italian coast is distinctive for the tall square houses in delicate pinks creams and terracottas. Originally these were the colours of the stone, but over the years newer buildings were plastered and painted in replica of the traditional look, even the framing around the windows. Villas are clustered on the flat and thin out as the hills get steeper. Domes and towers peek up here and there. Terraced olive groves and gardens fill the spaces between houses. The effect is unutterably gorgeous, especially reflected in the calm bay. I think with dismay of all those steel & glass buildings going up in Christchurch. Being here is a marvellous treat. But I am here primarily to see this woman. Silvia Berri, with her husband Franco Scanu. My mother met Silvia in 1961 as they were each backpacking. They had a wonderful time together in Scotland, up to the Orkney Islands, and have kept in touch through the decades, though sadly she never came to New Zealand. Silvia married Franco, a lawyer from Sardinia, and they made their home in Genoa, and here in Rapallo close to Silvia’s parents. Her father was the head doctor of the Genoa hospital and a significant patron of the arts. Her mother was Swiss, and a musician. Silvia’s bi-cultural heritage and skill with language enabled her to work as translator and consultant throughout Europe for a sound system company, technology evolving over 30 years. They have three houses: one in Genoa in the old city, one in a secluded sea-side village in Sardinia, and this more modern one in Rapallo, right by the castle on the sea shore, set into the roof, windows peeking out along the bay over the town. Silvia and Franco didn’t have children, and she has no other family. She has prepared for my visit with great excitement, filling her fridge and cupboards with delicacies: an orange cheesecake pie, an enormous sweet bread cake in the shape of a dove and covered with chocolate (an Easter treat), fruit cake, ravioli, Sardinian cheese, proscutto, crispy buns … I am so honoured by her delight in having me and my son here. Franco does not speak English, so Silvia translates for us, but as the days pass we are better at communicating directly. Franco was a lawyer on weekdays and fisherman on weekends. His trophies adorn their apartment; Italian champion! He has a large extended family in Sardinia, but none here. On our walks he chats away to every child he meets, and I glimpse a hunger in his eyes when he looks at Ben. He did not have a son to take out fishing, or to inherit his beautiful antique furniture. He’s short and sprightly and reminds me of my Dad. 4 fabulous days in Rapalla. Thursday we explored the town. Friday afternoon was a drive to Portafino. Saturday afternoon, up the hill to Montenegro. Sunday time to rest and write. Days where the sun gleamed on the Mediterranian sea and each building and church and detail delights with its colours and patterns. |
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Gorgeous details of Rapallo, Italy ...
