Firstly, remember how Benny, Justin and I went to Brussels and had an "authentic Belgian breakfast" (per advice of the concierge at the Sheraton in Brussels) at a restaurant called "Le Pain Quotidien"? Well, turns out it's a huge chain and there are 30 in Manhattan. Kind of a let down, but still unbelievably delicious. If you are in that area, please go there for the most important meal of the day.
I need to get in the habit of posting more than right after I travel. I hope to try and have another post about my daily life here in Italy at some point within the next week or so. But until then, here are some more travel stories / shenanigans.
(Friday)
For my Italian Contemporary Class, we had an all day field trip to visit the Maramotti Collection, the Ferrari Museum, and a balsamic vinegar factory. It was actually quite fun.
First we went to the Maramotti collection--a museum in the old Max Mara factory founded by Achille Maramotti (also the founder of the Max Mara fashion group). It was actually quite an interesting exhibit. This is Maramotti's personal collection from over the years. He aimed to start a collection around the philosophy of new ideas within art, so most of the pieces there are from the 1940s and onward. It was really cool to see some of the works that we've seen in class. But there were plenty of paintings and installations that just don't make sense. I still will never understand how a canvas painted black is art...
After that we visited the Ferrari museum. I thought we were going to the Ferrari factory (which was conveniently located right next door). It was a huge waste of time. There were probably about 15 Ferraris within four rooms. The people running the trip allocated an hour and a half for our "Ferrari time" and everyone finished within twenty minutes. If you are ever in that area, don't go. You are better off visiting a Ferrari dealership in America. Although, I'm sure Jordan (my little brother) would have loved it.
And then we went to a balsamic vinegar factory (I guess that's what you would call it) in Modena. Balsamic vinegar is so interesting. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We got to taste white balsamic, orange balsamic, apple balsamic, 6 year aged balsamic, 12 year aged balsamic, 25 year aged balsamic, chocolate with balsamic filling, and balsamic nougat. What's really interesting about balsamic is that the barrels in which the vinegar is aged gets smaller over the course of the process because every year ten percent of the liquid evaporates (they are all opened with a cotton cloth covering the opening from dust and bugs). It was sweet. The oldest balsamic they had was aged 100 years...and it cost 450 Euros. Oh, and it was only 100 mL. Which is nice if you want to include it in your little zip one quart bag when you fly.
(Saturday)
Saturday was my first chill day in Firenze. Slept late, got lunch, walked around, read a little bit, took a nap, got dinner with some friends. Had not a worry in the world. In the words of that one brand, "Life is good."
(Sunday)
Molly + Chianti = Best day ever
We hired a guide named Monika who was absolutely incredible. If you need a tour of anything Tuscan, check out her website (www.monikairis.com). She lives in Greve and knows the Chianti region of Italy like the back of her hand. She took us all around including on a dirt road, which you could not find a normal GPS. It was one of the best experiences I've had since I've been abroad. I think I would love to retire to a little house in Chianti and grow my own grapes and olives and just cook the freshest foods everyday.
For the sake of brevity, I would like to highlight two aspects of Chianti which I enjoyed the most (namely, the places where we met locals): The town of Volpaia and dinner in Montefioralle. The trip was very Anthony Bordain-esque. Dirt roads, meetings locals, trying food. Next time, we'll be sure to bring a film crew.
The town of Volpaia is unbelievable. It's population is 30. Yes, three zero. Thirty. Monika took us around the city and we went to Mamma Gina's little restaurant called "Bar ~ Ucci" right in the "outskirts" of the city (about a block from the city center). While we were there we ate chewy almost cookies topped with powdered sugar, barley salad (with tomato, celery, onion, some olive oil, and a little salt and pepper), and a dry almond cake with small pieces of something in it. Mamma Gina is exactly what one would picture when you think of Italian grandma making you food. She's adorable. (*Note: Pictures of us and Mamma Gina will be up on Facebook in the very near future.)
My other favorite part of the trip was visiting Montefioralle. I'm not quite sure what the population is there, but we did meet Fernando--72 years old wine and olive oil producer who lives in Montefioralle. He produces 10,000 bottles a year--1,500 are kept for personal use, and 8,500 are sold to a few local restaurants and to locals. Fernando made us dinner in his little wine production hut next to his vineyard. This very simple dinner included the following: Crostini in olive oil, a baked dough with roasted potatoes and cheese, and a wheat and spinach pancake as an appetizer; spaghetti with homemade pomodoro sauce (with parmesan on the side of course) for the main; and a marmalade cake for dessert. Everything was so fresh, and so good. Pictures below...
While, dining with Fernando, we were given the opportunity to try seven of his wines. We tried four glasses of the same Chianti Classico from different years (2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005); a 2008 Chianti Riserva; a 2008 red blend of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Merlot grapes (1/3 of each); and a 2008 Vin Santo (a classic Tuscan dessert wine).
Definitely a great day.
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