BALSAMIC VINEGAR!

Thursday, 29 May, Modena/Mantua

I have had to revise some of my dates, because I never know what day it is when I am on vacation! 

Each day begins in the breakfast room beneath our apartments. Quiet a variety of foods! 

Today we visited Modena (pronounced MAUD in ah), where Simone Caselli produces award-winning aceto balsamico (balsamic vinegar). The authentic traditional vinegar from Modena and Reggio Emilia is aged a minimum of 12 years or more, the longer the more expensive of course. The vinegar moves from large wooden barrels, down to smaller barrels as it becomes more concentrated. The grapes used to make the vinegar are trebbiano white grapes.

The balsamic vinegar we are used to is known as a condiment, and it is not strictly controlled, and has not been aged. 

We were able to sample the condiment, the 12-year and the 25-year. The last two, are used drop by drop, not sloshed on a salad. Way too expensive for that!

Simone’s wife prepared lunch for us. We had a delicious pasta made with parma ham and cream. Among other courses! For dessert, we had a custard topped with fig marmalade and strawberries with a couple of drops of balsamic vinegar. Yum! We also had lambrusco which Simone had made.

Next we traveled to Mantua, where the Gonzaga family had a couple of palaces built in the 14th-17th centuries, rich with art from area churches, and frescoes and tapestries woven from drawings by Raphael.

Gonzaga Family Adoration of the Trinity, by Peter Paul Rubens, 1604

A lovely bed and breakfast in a 14th century home hosted us for an afternoon refreshment - cheese, wine, juice, cherries, bread, dessert, etc. The home was purchased several years ago by a family, who in remodeling, discovered frescoes which are now mounted on the wall.

Our long day ended with another delicious dinner at the restaurant by our lodgings at Selva Capuzza winery. Each evening we walked half a mile through the vineyard to the restaurant, which is very popular locally. You are greeted on the long open loggia with complimentary wine and fresh parmesan and olives. Our charming waitress was Lily, a Romanian who now lives on the property. Good thing, since she prepared our breakfast, cleaned our rooms, and served our dinner!

Lily on the right

Bobby's only beer in Italy! La Chiarra. A microbrew!
That is Stefania, our guide, beside him.

CHEESEMAKING, ETC.

Friday, 30 May 

I am not screaming at you - for some reason tonight the internet is crazy in this hotel and although I am not typing all caps and it looks normal, when I publish it is all caps! Sorry about that.

I had to stay in the apartment this day because I had a terrible cold! But Bobby went and took pictures. They traveled to  a cheesemaking farm, winery and a castle. Then they toured the San Martino del Battaglia, a memorial tower nearby that commemorates a battle on 24 June 1859. Jean-Henri Dunant toured the battlefield and was horrified by the many wounded soldiers. Eventually he set up a process that established the Geneva Conventions and the American Red Cross. There is an ossuary chapel containing the bones of those killed in the battle.

Stirring the milk for the cheese

Molding the cheese

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Several varieties

Look for this one: Monte Veronese. Yummy!

Their cheese shop.

Winery museum.

San Martino di Battaglia Tower.

Ossuary Chapel.

View from top of the tower.

That evening, the owner of the winery, Luca, and our tour guide, Stefania, brought me dinner since I was unable to go out! Very gracious people here. It was the first evening I had been able to see the sunset, as we were usually in the restaurant from 7:30 - 10:30 or later!

Four salads for dinner, plus bread. The Parma ham plus tomatoes is considered salad. The others are cucumbers with parmesan, rocket salad with strawberries, and chicken salad with green beans.

Lombardy sunset.

TRENTINO

Thursday, 29 May

We visited the area of Trentino in the mountains. Beautiful here! The mountainsides are covered with grapevines. Everything has to be pruned and harvested by hand, as there is no room for machinery on the terraces. 

The de Tarczal winery specializes in classic local varietals. We were lead on a tour by Elena (another countess in blue jeans!), daughter of the owner. Her ancestor was an admiral in the Austro-Hungarian army, who married a countess who owned the vineyard. One of their wines, Husar, is named after him. 

Elena

Elena's Family Tree

Husar wine

Gnocchi

After wine-tasting and lunch, we visited the town of Malchesine, on the shore of Lake Garda. This is a picturesque popular resort town, of which there are many along the edge of the lake. 

Lake Garda as seen from castle

In the late afternoon, we had a dessert cooking class, making strawberry tiramisu, chocolate salami, and sbrisolana, an almond crumb cake. We received our own aprons, with our names embroidered on them! Bobby made the crumb cake, and I made the tiramisu filling. Delicioso!

ECU group

Making the sbrisolona

Strawberry tiramisu

TORTELLINI!

On our plate at lunch in Mariana's dining room

Il gatto (Yes, he eats tortellini, too!)

Tuesday, 27 May

Just a short update this morning. We are in San Martino de Battaglia, at the south end of Lake Garda, west of Verona. This is beautiful Italian countryside, and we are staying at Bogno San Donio, a lodging attached to Selva Capuzza winery. There is also a restaurant on the property. We have a full-time guide staying here with us. Stefania eats with us and travels with us. It's a bit like visiting your friend who lives in Italy and takes you to all of the beautiful places nearby, then wines and dines you each evening. Each day is kept busy, and I will jump around a bit in relating our travels.

Yesterday we went to the tiny town of Valeggio, a beautiful place. We spent time at a tortellini factory and learned to make tortellini! The 13-year-old son of the owners, Simone, helped us to shape the tortellini. There is a certificate to prove my skills as a tortellini maker!

We later ate the tortellini, actually three different kinds, plus a pumpkin ravioli, in the family dining room, with the two cats and a dog nearby!

A visit to Parco Sigurta Giardino, a private park nearby, was a highlight. It is a beautiful place  on top of a hill, overlooking the Mincio River (which is a beautiful blue-green sea glass color). Our guide was Emmanuelle (a countess in jeans!) who is married to the inheritor of the property. The park is used for weddings, etc., and is an educational nature venue for schoolchildren. They have deer, cows, sheep, donkeys, millions of flowers, a maze, etc.

We ended the day by winetasting and making polenta for our dinner in a small restaurant. 

Professional tortellini makers

Owner Mariana, son Simone, TJ and Carol making tortellini

Mariana  coaching TJ to cut tortellini

The results!