|
Italy - The three wheeler cars that buzz around our villages
are a modern version of the donkey which until 50 years ago was Italy’s
beast of burden. But when Piaggio created this spin off of the Vespa
(wasp) scooter in 1948 there was no turning back.
The Ape (bee, for its engine’s sound) models run from the
fancy Calesse model with wicker seats that film stars used to
zoom around the narrow lanes of Capri, Ischia and Portofino in the
1960s, to those rustic beasts of burden used by farmers and artisans to
haul (small portable tanks) everything from hay bales to gas bombole.
There are more than 2 million Ape in use
in Europe alone and the streets of Mumbai and Bangkok are flooded with
them, although their true home are Italian country roads. The reasons
for its success? The Ape is economical to operate, can be driven without
a license, and they can be decorated, personalized and in a pinch two
can ride up front with space in the back for cargo.
 
Laundry Lines
So the laundry has been washed…what
about drying it?
 These
photos show that solar energy is still the preferred method for drying
laundry in most parts of Italy. On sunny days balconies are festooned
with laundry except in some historic towns like Venice where the
practice is forbidden for it would mar the facades of noble buildings
and tourists’ photos as well. Many families in northern Italy now depend
on electric dryers (not as much sun in those parts either).
 Pay
close attention and you’ll notice that laundry lines also tell us
something about the people. The line-up of aprons shows that the home
owner is probably a cook or runs a shop selling food.
 These
drying jeans hanging from a balcony in Vetralla hide one of the town’s
oldest monuments lodged above the ugly metallic garage door and a half
collapsed balcony. The unmistakable papal logo of a tiara and crossed
keys is a testimony of the visit of Pope Nicholas V Tomasso Parentucelli
who reigned as Pope between 1447 and 1455 and visited Vetralla during
the summer of 1454.
Or again…in the tiny town of Onano
which straddles the Tuscan-Lazio border we came across this
mono-thematic clothesline. The Fiat 500 and Piaggio scooter parked under
the house confirm that this homeowner appreciates…. iconic retro Italian
design.
Spanish Tuscany
Can’t decide whether to take your holidays in Tuscany or Spain? You can
have it both ways in this corner of Tuscany that was once a little bit
of Spain.
Porto
San to Stefano, Porto Ercole and Orbetello are three towns on the Monte
Argentario peninsula which conserve reminders of their 150 years
(1557-1707) as a Spanish enclave or presidios.
Epigraphs and funerary monuments in the churches record governors and
soldiers who died here far from their homeland, Spanish family names
abound and local speech includes dozens of archaic Spanish words.
More
visible testimonies are the majestic doorway and city walls of
Orbetello and fortress-castles constructed by military architects.
Surrounding the yacht harbors of Porto Ercole and Cala Galera are Forte
Filippo, named for the warrior king, Forte Stella with its star design
and la Rocca overlooking the beach where Caravaggio died. The Fortezza
of Porto Santo Stefano and the Polveriera Guzman in Orbetello have both
recently been adapted from their former military uses to become local
history museums.
Several
17th century palaces built by the military rulers have been
restored and one lone windmill, the last of a long line, still stands
forlornly in the lagoon, similar to those of Don Quixote’s la Mancha .
Adapted from Mary Jane Cryan’s soon to be published:
Etruria Past and Present -travel, history and itineraries in central
Italy.
Traditional
Hemp
The
use of hemp (canapa) goes back thousands of years and in Italy it was a
major source for clothing, burlap bags, ropes, sails and those
beautiful hand-crafted and embroidered sheets that were an important
part of every girl’s dowry.
 The
Museum of the City and Territory located in a 12th
century round tower in Vetralla, is the venue for an exhibit opening on
March 8th (Woman’s Day) extolling the work done by the
mothers and grandmothers of the town.
On
view are many examples of this natural textile made by hand on looms
and embroidered by generations of local women. For the occasion
local families have allowed their precious heirlooms to be presented
in public…but just for the day.
The
pleasure of sleeping on hemp sheets-cool in summer and warm in winter-
are known to those lucky few who still have these heirloom sheets in
their linen closets. A collection of tools used in hemp cloth
production are also on exhibit and include carding combs, spinning
wheels and spindles of Sleeping Beauty fame.
The
quality and virtues of clothing made from hemp (in Italian canapa)
is now being rediscovered by Italian and American fashion designers
who are racing to design stylish collections of shirts and jeans
produced from this amazing, historic organic material .
Penny
Candy Italian Style
Remember red coated peanuts called Boston baked beans, wax lips
filled with syrupy liquid, candy buttons on a strip of paper, good &
plenty licorice and chocolate flavoured tootsie rolls?
The
local version of enny candy can be found at fairs and markets all
over the country where stalls (bancarelle) sell every conceivable
merchandise. Vendors of dried fruit and sweets from Vallerano and
Canepina travel so far and wide that tradition says when Colombus
arrived in the New World, he found one of these stalls selling dried
fruit and candies. The colorful but nameless candies are displayed next
to dried figs, chestnuts, peperoncino as well as imported spices and
fruits; banana, pineapple, and even cranberries.
Wedding
of the Trees
Vetralla
- On May 8th each
year since 1432 the town of Vetralla, 68 kms north of Rome along the Via
Cassia, celebrates the Wedding of the Trees, making it probably the
first and most genuine festa ecologica (green or environmental
celebration).
Costumed dancers cavort to the music of the town band, flag throwers
perform and horsemen bearing bouquets of yellow Scotch Broom gallop
around the clearing in the forest atop Monte Fogliano. After
these opening acts, the Mayor in his tri-color sash performs the
symbolic "wedding" between two giant oaks that are decorated with veils
and flower garlands. For officialdom's sake, a notary's act attesting
the union is read and signed by those present.
Who is invited to this unusual, historic wedding? On
the grandstand under the giant oaks there are the town officials, some
VIP guests, the Passionist priests who live in the neighboring monastery
and a spattering of foreign visitors, all enjoying this authentic
ceremony which reassert the town's possession – and protection - of the
local forests.
Only once, in 1944, was the ceremony cancelled. Due to the Sant'Angelo
Monastery's position dominating the surrounding territory, it was being
used as headquarters for the German command and therefore people were
forbidden to go near it.
Bologna
Bologna - Known
as La Dotta (the wise) for its historic university founded in
1088, and La Grassa (the fat) for its incredible cuisine,
Bologna is also famous as the city where umbrellas are not needed,
thanks to an ingenious network of covered sidewalks or porticos.
The longest and most spectacular of these porticos climbs to the top of
Monte della Guardia on the outskirts of Bologna from which the
circular Santuario di San Luca guards the city.
Beginning at Porta
Saragozza, Bologna's south-western gate, the portico's 666 arches
stretch for over two miles. The uphill leg begins at the impressive
Meloncello archway and continues past frescoed chapels and numerous
memorial plaques honoring patrons who helped build or restore the
majestic portico . From the top of the hill there are lovely views of
the city and surrounding landscape below.
Since its mention in John Grisham's "The Broker", the "Portico Trek" is
fast becoming a must-do for visitors, just as the CinqueTerre trails
are in Liguria.. Besides, in Bologna you'll be hard pressed to find a
better way to work off all that great food!
Traditional Christmas Cards
Feeling nostalgia for an old fashioned Christmas? These quaint and
colorful cards from the '50s show a lot about Italy's not so distant
past. Pastel colored angels, children, and sweet scenes contrast with
today's more commercial reindeer, Santas and snowmen. Baby Jesus is
often featured, but not always, and loose re-interpretation of the
nativity story is common, such as in the 2nd image (below), where gifts
are born by three children instead of three kings.
Where to find them? Bancarelle (literally "small benches",
meaning sidewalk stalls) selling ephemera, country fairs, and flea
markets, and you can even find them occasioanlly in cartolerie
or stationary shops that don't just stock the contemporary styles.
A nice traditional way to wish family and friends "Auguri"
and "Buon Natale".
Wash day at Il Lavatoio
Vetralla - Lavatoio
simply means "wash house". Many that were built in the 1850's in the
smaller towns are still fully functional. This neighborhood wash house,
for example, is still used every day by the signore of Piazza
del Sole (Piazza of the Sun) in the beautiful town of Vetralla,
about 45 miles north-west of Rome.
The first signora to arrive gets
the "upper" tub where the clean water flows in. After a hearty scrub on
the smooth stone, the clothes are rinsed, then hung to dry in the
piazza. During summer's hottest days the lavatoio does double
duty as an improvised pool for the local kids.
Antipasti
Vetralla
- Antipasti are appetizers, but the variety (and ocasionally
quantity) is enormous and will please any kind of hungry gourmet -
vegetarian or meat lover .
Usually in the fancier restaurants the waiter will bring
a plate with tasty tidbits such as tortino di spinaci (spinach
baked in filo dough), sliced pears and walnut bruschetta ,wild
boar sausage, and bresaola (thinly sliced cured beef) with arugula.
The antipasti buffet like the one above set up in a
garden of Vetralla by chef Antonio (below) is a delight to behold as
well as to devour. The standard loaded plates such as this one taken
from an open antipasto buffet in a local restaurant will often
include bruschetta, prosciutto, fagioli (beans), supplì (deep-fried rice
balls), fried zucchini, frittata, roasted peppers, and parmigiano. Buon
appetito!
Days of Remembrance
Italy
- On Tutti i Santi, All Saints Day, Nov.1st, and La Festa dei
Morti, Day of the Dead, in Italy Nov.2nd, the dead are remembered by
visiting their graves. Over these few days many families make an outing
to the large cemeteries on the outskirts of the big cities (the traffic
jams are legendary!).
During this long weekend (the 1st is a holiday), an
all-Italian tradition is to decorate family graves and war monuments
with yellow, white and other colored chrysan- themums, the bigger and
fluffier the better. So although these flowers are colorful and lovely,
be sure to NEVER bring them as a gift to someone's home. Your host or
hostess will not want them in the house, and not knowing what to do with
them will probably invent some feeble excuse to place them outside the
front door.
Local
Wine - Cheap and Cheerful
Gas prices might keep on rising, but at the pump of a
cantina sociale (communally owned wine press and storage facility),
you will really get your euro's worth of energy: liters of hearty red or
white local wine.
A visit to one of the many local cantine sociali
will not only save you money but you will be sure to meet some
interesting characters. Bring your own empty bottles, better if they are
5 liter size. Costs vary but usually the sfuso, or unbottled,
simple table wine can be purchased for about l euro per liter . . .
cheaper than gas for the car! (Bottled wine is also available, but more
"expensive" . . E.1.50 per bottle!)
North of Rome we recommend the cantine sociali at
Tarquinia, Montefiascone and Vignanello, where you can buy local wine
directly from the producers.
Several towns (Vignanello and Montefiascone are famous)
also hold wine festivals during August. In Pianoscarano, a neighborhood
of Viterbo for example, the 13th century fountain flows with free wine
on the second Sunday of October and the local lads compete in a race
pushing wine casks uphill.
Perfume of Winter
Winter in Italy means the perfume of wood
burning, sausages sizzling on the spit and quiet evenings gathered
around the fireplace . . . both a pleasure and a necessity in the older
homes that don't have central heating.
“Spendi in lana cio' che non spendi in legna,"
goes the old Roman adage.
(You spend in wool what you don't spend in wood.)
Even newly built homes will have a fireplace or two, but
there are chores involved before you can enjoy the perfume of burning
wood and the warm, smoky comfort of a crackling fire. Wood needs to be
bought, cut, stacked and dried for several months before use and even
homes without gardens and woodsheds are set up for wood storage beneath
the stairs.
Preparing and setting the fire may seem a simple task,
but for city dwellers it can be a nightmare, or a science to be learned
from those with years of expertise (crumpled paper below, small pieces,
large pieces on top). An extra bonus : as the ashes and cinders are
scooped up and the fireplace swept clean each day, one intimately
understands the childhood story of Cinderella.
At the Butcher Shop
Vetralla (VT)
-. January is the month when Italian pigs make the commitment . . . tons
of pork meat gets prepared in country homes, farms, and macellerie
(butcher shops) all over Italy.
Visiting the local macelleria this month you will find an even
greater than usual choice of the entire range of delicious traditional
Italian pork products . . . beginning with still warm porchetta,
(rosemary and pepper cured, spit-roasted), often available directly from
a to-go glass case on the sidewalk outside the shop.
Here master butcher Sergio shows off the dark sausages he's prepared and
strung like garlands along the shop's marble wall. The Furia
family prides itself on the variety of fresh and cured meats they offer
such as salsiccie con peperoncino (spicy sausages with red
pepper), bianche (light colored), and al fegato (dark
sausages made with the addition of liver). All the butchering work is
done on site and they are so proud of their herds raised in the wild
that they even had a portrait painted of them and placed over the
counter!
Lenten
Lunch on Lake Bolsena
On Ash Wednesday in the tiny town of
Gradoli on Lake Bolsena in Northern Lazio, members of the
Confraternita del Purgatorio (roughly the Purgatory Religious
Brotherhood) serve a seated luncheon for more than 2000 people, as they
have been doing for the past 700 years.
Bundled up against the cold, diners find
their numbered places at the long trestle tables that stretch the length
of the unheated wine warehouse. Crockery, glass, fork and knife are
carried from home as are the many bottles of wine that are shared with
others at the table . . . homey hospitality is the main ingredient of
this festa.
Old and young members of the confraternity (70 strong!) become cooks and
waiters for the day preparing the Pranzo del Purgatorio
(Purgatory Meal) . . . no women
allowed in the camp kitchens. The young waiters zip among
the tables carrying huge platters emblazoned with the confraternita's
coat-of-arms while older members toil over gigantic copper cauldrons
bubbling over open fires, ensuring that the closely guarded recipes are
prepared according to tradition. The menu, of strict Lenten fasting, has
remained unchanged through the centuries and includes beans, fish broth
with rice, fried whiting, pike and baccalá (cod) . . . and for
desert - an apple.
Archaic music and serenades break out as the ruddy-faced guests finish
the last courses and the empty bottles multiply. The noise level rises
to a pitch as the confraternita's drummer and standard bearer
march around the hall soliciting cheers and offerings that will be used
for local charities throughout the next year.
Photos courtesy of Richard Thompson |
