Italy del Giorno

Olivo di S. Emiliano — Trevi

Pictured above is the olive tree of Saint Emiliano — the first Bishop of Trevi.  An historical record from the 9th century tells the story of Emiliano’s martyrdom in the 3rd century – he was tied to a young olive tree and decapitated.  This tree, also from the 3rd century, is said to be the one where Emiliano met his demise and has, since that time, continued to grow and flourish despite numerous deadly frosts over the centuries — the most recent in 1956.  The “gelata di 1956″ hit after an unusually warm winter and killed almost all of the olive trees in the area.  The Olivo di S. Emiliano is presently a protected landmark, tree number 102, and measures 5 meters high and 9 meters in diameter.

Fava beans with “barbotta” or “barbozza”.  Springtime is the right time to eat favas in Italy and these were prepared perfectly with a “healthy” dose of fried pig cheeks.  The pizza that came with them was soft inside and crisp outside and there was a hint of rosemary in the oil.  A truly great plate of food.

EU Threatens Ban on Italian Mozzarella - New York Times

This photo was taken in Napoli in November to show how great a “Caprese” salad can look with some cherry tomatoes and a bit of dried oregano.  With this news, look for every politician in Italy to be stuffing his (they are all men) face with mozzarella to “prove” that it is safe to eat. 

This news from the New York Times should help people from smaller market airports get to Europe.  LINK Flying to Italy through Heathrow, Paris or Frankfurt will also increase your options on where you land in Italy.  Beginning or ending your trip to Tuscany or Umbria at the Florence airport can be a plus.

The well in the courtyard at San Damiano in Assisi. 

Perugia has finally unveiled its new toy — the Minimetro’.  It took years to complete, ended up way over budget, and is still being argued about in city hall but in the end it is by far the easiest and fastest way to get into the center of town from the train station or one of the large parking lots below the city center.  For one euro each way, passengers are quickly and efficiently transported into the center of town without having to suffer the long winding bus ride.

 
The station at Fontivegge is a short walk from the main rail station in Perugia. 

The Minimetro’ consists of 25 cars with maximum space for 50 passengers.  The cars are spread in such a way on the track that the wait time is around 1 minute for the next car.  This fluid motion keeps passengers moving even in high volume circumstances.  I’ve used it extensively from the train station and find it to be a great alternative to fighting the traffic into downtown, especially if you are just visiting Perugia for the day.

Plate of Rigatoni “alla carbonara” made with sausage and asparagus

This is a local early spring favorite of mine from Perugia.  It was a bit too early for wild asparagus but the cultivated ones are almost as good.  There was just a hint of pepperoncino and black pepper in the sausage.  Delicious.

The “mimosa” on our terrace is in full bloom.  I’m told that this is not actually a mimosa but something called a Silver Wattle.  It comes from Australia originally but we see a lot of them around Umbria in the early spring.  It is tradition in Italy to give these to women on March 8 in celebration of the Festa della donna (Women’s Day).

View of the Dolomites near Cortina d’Ampezzo

If the butcher places the prosciutto on an automatic slicer, you aren’t getting the real thing.  This rustic cut proscuitto comes from Norcia in Umbria.  It sells for 22 Euro per kilo or about $15 per pound and is worth every penny.  This prosciutto has been aged a minimum of 20 months and is at its best on a piece of unsalted bread, or with some melon or fresh figs depending on the season.

Prosciutto hanging to dry