Bringing Italy Home

My husband, Enrico, returned home from two weeks in Tuscany last night.  Each January he leads a group of university students to Prato for a crash course in a region celebrated for centuries by writers and artists. I guess you could say it’s the college counterpart to the course I lead in Umbria each spring and fall: Two Weeks in Todi,. When I return from Umbria, exhausted from the journey, the first thing I do upon walking into our bungalow is unzip my suitcase and pull out my precious cargo: pecorino cheese (shrink-wrapped) and dried lentils from Castelluccio di Norcia, award-winning olive oil (in a tin can, for obvious reasons) from Marcello’s specialty shop in Todi, salt flavored with black truffles, maybe a bottle of sweet Sagrantino passito wine and usually 3 or 4 rustic, terra-cotta colored ceramic cups from Bevagna. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, sure, but bringing Italy home in our suitcases certainly makes for a delicious reunion.

This morning, Enrico handed me a bright blue bag of biscotti to enjoy with my coffee. Not just any biscotti, but the Platonic ideal of biscotti, the holy grail of almond biscuits. You see, the baked confection that has become synonymous with the word ‘biscotto’ in the States is actually a mutated (i.e. “on steroids”) version of a very specific cookie from Tuscany: the biscotto di Prato, also called the cantuccio (lit. “little corner”) di Prato. Why Prato? Because it was in this lovely and lively city located only only 17 kilometers from Florence, that a baker named Antonio Mattei (nicknamed “Mattonella”) perfected the recipe for his family’s traditional Tuscan almond cookies – 150 years ago this year. The cookies – tiny, golden, perfectly crunchy -  are still sold in Mattei’s original bakery at 22 Via Ricasoli (Prato’s elegant shopping street), which boasts original wood and marble counters, many framed awards from the 19th century and the original painted wooded sign on the exterior. I would’ve loved a January visit to Prato myself, but all I needed to do was open the bright blue paper sack and taste almond perfection to experience Tuscany from the comfort of my own kitchen.  As far as travel gifts go, regional, portable, edible Italian specialties make much better gifts than T-shirts…although Enrico did also bring me some clingy, basic black cotton tops from my favorite intimate apparel shop: Intimissimi – for my benefit, or his?

What precious cargo do you always bring home from Italy?

 

Travel Tip:  Avoid crowds of tourists and get a better value for your euro by staying in Prato instead of Florence on your next trip to Tuscany. A lovely city in its own right, Prato boasts an elegant centro storico with lovely shops, a first class contemporary art museum, the celebrated textile museum and, of course, biscotti heaven. There are many lodging options, but my husband and his students found the bed and breakfast Accanto al Centro, to be very clean, friendly and central. Frequent trains zip you over to Firenze in a matter of minutes.

When is the best time to visit Italy?

 

“When is the best time to visit ITALY?” is a question I get asked about every few weeks or so. It could be at a cocktail party, in the check-out line at Whole Foods (maybe it’s the products I buy, but the conversation always shifts to Italy and the fact that I lead travelers there as part of my job) or at an Italian, French or Spanish class at Speak! This question is asked in person, on the phone, email, facebook and twitter by strangers, students, friends, friends of friends and distant relatives who emerge as soon as they begin to contemplate their long-yearned for European vacation (hopefully, with my help, not resembling National Lampoon’s in the least!). Quando, Christina? Dimmi quando, quando, quando!

 

Although they generally want a one or two word answer (in the form of a season or particular month), I always challenge people by explaining that Italy has both distinct political regions (twenty, to be exact) and geographic areas: mountain ranges like the Alps and Appenines, islands like Elba, Sicily and Sardegna, coastal microclimates such as in Liguria (that basil pesto is famous for a reason), cities located in potentially sweltering and smog filled valleys like Florence and others located along breezy coasts such as Genova and Otranto in Puglia or on pleasantly or unpleasantly windy hilltops such as Ravello, Orvieto, Cortona and Gubbio. Whether I’m in the check-out line or seated next to someone on a cross-Atlantic flight, whenever this topic comes up I also try to ask a lot of questions in order to determine the type of traveler I am talking to: their preferences  – city, mountain or coast? big cities or small towns? major monuments or off-the-beaten-path? warm sea breezes or cool mountain air? – before making an educated reply to their question.  I wouldn’t want to suggest Rome in August to someone who hates big cities and sweltering summer heat or to someone interested in getting a feel for what the locals do in Rome in that month (since most are not actually in Rome or Florence, for that matter, but at the beach or in the mountains!). If someone loves hilltowns and is eager to experience Tuscany or Umbria, I would explain that these central regions are beautiful in just about every month. If someone loves opera and wants to visit Verona, I would definitely recommend visiting in the summer when they could enjoy opera live in the historic arena (they can even do so with Speak! in July 2012!). I have experienced Christmas and New Year’s in Bologna, Pisa, Torino, Milan and Todi and loved each place for its traditional festivals, streets filled with shoppers and the smell of roasted chestnuts, the outdoor celebrations animated by fireworks, spumante and Panettone, so I always recommend visiting Italy for the winter holiday season. I also usually inquire about budget as there are certainly loads of discounts in many regions during the off-season and the relative lack of other tourists makes it much easier not only to find a table or a ticket, but also to interact in a meaningful way with the locals – which is the major mission of all Speak! travel programs and courses, naturalmente.  But when I really want to condense my answer down into a few short but sweet tips, here is what I say:

• IN A WORD, OR TWO: Despite Italy’s unique geography and the seasonal nature of much of Italian life, the best month to travel to Italy in one word is : SEPTEMBER.  I love September because the weather is still warm in most of the country. The sea waters are still warm enough to swim in, such that if you travel to islands like Sicily or coastal regions like the Salentine peninsula in Puglia you’ll find uncrowded beaches ideal for swimming and sunning and lower rates on still-open hotels. In two words is: JUNE and SEPTEMBER. Although early JUNE can tend to be rainier in many regions than September, both months are ideal as you can usually get a sense of two different seasons : Spring and Summer (in mid June) and Summer and Fall (in mid September). It’s not a coincidence that I schedule my Two Weeks in Todi course for June and September each year – when we can experience everything from flowering fields of lentils in the spring to sunset drives past vines sagging with plump clusters of Sagrantino grapes in September.

• CHIUSO PER FERIE: Try to avoid cities like Rome and Florence in the month of August – or at least be aware that many cities and even smaller towns empty out during that month as the entire country goes on vacation. The sign “chiuso per ferie” (closed for holiday) is a common sight!

• The Ups and the Downs: Pay attention to altitude and whether your destination is on the coast or in a valley. There can be 10-15 degree differences between a town in the valley and another on a hill, between a resort on the coast and another that’s land-locked. The fact that many places in Italy don’t have air conditioning or heating systems that will keep most North Americans happy, is an important detail to consider.

• FOUR SEASONS: If you can, try to visit the same region or town several times in order to experience it in at least two, but ideally all four seasons. That way, you’ll really get to know and appreciate the different festivals, smells, natural cycles, food and drink, and even the fashions of a single place. I am teaching Italian to a family who will be spending an entire year in the Umbrian hilltown of Spello starting next summer. I am so excited for them as I know they will get to truly experience “Le Quattro Stagioni di Spello” and fall intimately in love with a place in a way that would not be possible if they just visited for a month in the summer. Of course, the fact that they will be able to speak italiano will make their experience all the richer!

 

Buon viaggio!

 

 

 

Make an Italian Shopkeeper’s Day!

Shopping Etiquette in Italy

My friend Federico owns a gorgeous menswear shop in Todi – Minciarelli. A witty, incredibly friendly guy,  Federico is a true artist when it comes to selecting and especially displaying merchandise in his gallery-like store, which is just steps away from the imposing Romanesque church of San Fortunato. Like most Italian merchants, Federico takes pride in his product and is always eager to share his expertise with customers new and old.  Federico has some serious pet peeves, though, and most of them involve foreigners who don’t seem to appreciate or understand Italian shopping etiquette. They’ll slip into his shop without even the slightest “Buongiorno” (“You would never do that in someone’s home, would you?” he asked) and proceed to….TOUCH THE CAREFULLY FOLDED AND STACKED merchandise!!  Not only do they leave a mess, but touching with oily fingers often leaves spots on his fine cotton shirts. Sometimes, and this really drives him mad, shoppers will even dare to mess with his window displays, removing a belt here, some leather gloves placed just-so into the pocket of a wool jacket, never stopping to think that this fashionable composition took hours to create.   L’arte della vetrina (the art of the shop window) is a highly respected art here in Italy. Italians will usually window shop for weeks before deciding to enter a shop and see the item up close.   For kicks sometimes, he likes to sneak up on shoppers who try to slip out of the store without acknowledging him and say in a loud, cheerful voice “ARRIVEDERCI! GRAZIE!!!!”

I promised Federico that I’d help him out by sharing a few Italian shopping etiquette rules with my Italian students and fellow travelers.

DOs and DON’Ts of Shopping in Italy:

• DO greet the store owner or commesso/a (salesperson) as soon as you enter the shop. In the morning, a simple Buongiorno will do. After 4pm, try Buonasera and you can always add a title such as “signora” (mam) or “signore” (sir) if you want to get fancy. Even if you don’t see the merchant (perhaps they’re in the back or in another room), you should still let them know you’ve entered – a good excuse to enunciate your Italian even more! (if you don’t feel comfortable in Italian,  a greeting in your native language will be better than nothing!).

• DO ask for help if you’d like to see a particular item or search for a particular size. They will be glad to help and will be much more familiar with Italian sizing and the particular cuts of the labels they sell. In Italian, you can ask Posso vedere? (may I see?) and simply indicate the item of interest.

• DO feel comfortable browsing (Posso guardare? May I look? or Guardando solo, grazie. Just looking, thank you), trying things on (Posso provare? May I try?) and, of course,  asking for the price (Quant’e'? or Quanto costa?).

• DO understand that Italy is still a cash-based culture and many prefer to pagare in contanti (pay in cash), but for high-ticket items (like clothing) it is fine to pagare con una carta di credito (pay with a credit card).

• DON’T touch the merchandise without asking!

• DON’T forget to say goodbye and thank you when you leave: Arrivederci, grazie. or Buongiorno, grazie will be just…perfetto!

• DON’T expect to return merchandise beyond 2 weeks. In general, Italians rarely return or exchange items purchased, as that is considered poor etiquette (an insult to the merchant!).

• DON’T try to bargain with shopkeepers. Save your bargaining for open air markets and sidewalk vendors.

• DO enjoy the excellent service provided by most merchants in Italy!

 

A Perfect Sunday in Umbria: Castelluccio di Norcia

Io adoro…Castelluccio di Norcia

I can’t imagine a more idyllic place to spend a Sunday in Umbria than Castelluccio di Norcia. Just yesterday, we left Todi with a big appetite for natural and culinary wonders. After about two hours we reached Norcia, the salumi (charcuterie; cured meat – usually pork) capital of Italy (“norcineria” is the name given to anyone practicing the salumi art) and after our slow and windy ascent up the Monti Sibillini, we were rewarded with our first glimpse of Castelluccio and the wide open expanse of meadows surrounded by more mountains that make this one of the most popular destinations in the region for hikers, cyclists, paragliders, picknickers and foodies!

 

 

As soon as we emerged from the car and took a few pictures, a sense of freedom and pure joy overcame us. I couldn’t stop myself from running up the hills, spinning around like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music and the others in my group followed suit – age was definitely no obstacle!  When we realized it was lunch time, we made a bee-line for Castelluccio’s specialty food shops and stands. (hint: in addition to the well-stocked main store in the center, look out for the ladies and organic farmers selling lenticchie (lentils), piselli selvatici (wild peas), and farro (spelt) by the sides of the road. As is my ritual, I bought several chilos worth of the best sheepsmilk cheese I’ve ever tasted  – pecorino semi-stagionato (semi-aged) and stagionato (aged) – and had it shrink-wrapped (sotto vuoto).  Each night I say 10 “Hail Marys” in the hopes that my luggage and its precious cargo won’t be lost in transit when I head home on Friday.  After stocking up on take-home delicacies, it was time for a serious pranzo di Domenica (Sunday lunch).  I joined my group of happy campers at La Taverna, the place to enjoy local specialties while gazing at the stunning mountains, which are often shrouded in clouds (Castelluccio’s nickname is the fabbrica delle nuvole - cloud factory).  We began, as always, with a platter of salumi (prosciutto crudo, soft and spicy ciauscola, lardo, lonza…) and a plate of creamy fresh ricotta. The table got very quiet. Next came plates of zuppetta di lenticchie (lentil soup), polenta smothered with lentils, sausage and porcini mushrooms, tagliatelle al tartufo nero (black truffle, another local delicacy) and a simply divine souffle’ of lentils and pecorino cheese surrounded by fresh pear slices and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  Needless to say, I am already looking forward to trying some dishes that I simply couldn’t manage this time on my return to Castelluccio next June.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveler’s Tips:

How to get there: Castelluccio is located near the town of NORCIA in the southeast corner of Umbria. You can reach Castelluccio easily from most southern points in Umbria (Todi, Spoleto, Orvieto) as well as from Ascoli Piceno in the Marche. If you’d like, you can stay overnight in Castelluccio at one of the several places renting rooms – such as La Taverna.

When to go: to experience the fioritura or flowering, Spring is best – late May and early June, depending on the year. The early fall is ideal, too, for hiking and breathing in that fresh mountain air – not to mention working up an appetite!

Where to eat: You can get a quick bowl of lentil soup or a sandwich (panino) of local cheeses and salumi at several small stands and shops in town, but for a meal worthy of a Sunday, you simply must reserve a table – inside (dentro) or out (fuori) at La Taverna di Castelluccio.

What to order: Any dish starring the area’s specialty foods  – salumi, formaggi (cheeses, especially pecorino), tartufo nero (black truffle), farro (spelt – try the insalata di farro/salad and – when you’ve had your fill of pork products -  trota (trout) from the nearby Nera river.

Don’t miss – A (gentle) horseback ride along the meadow. Stop in at the family-run stable at the center of the expansive meadow to find out about their scheduling options on the day of your visit. During busy times, the group “trail” rides leave about every hour (cost: around 20 euros).

 

CHIUSO : The Rhythm of the Italian Day

 

Tia peeks into my favorite trattoria in Bevagna – La Bottega di Assu’: Chiuso.

CHIUSO. How closed doors create curiosity and lead to an appreciation of the rhythm of the Italian day.

This afternoon,  together with my new friends (students of Speak!’s Two Weeks in Todi course), I  strolled the quiet streets of one of the only towns in Umbria that’s not on a hill – Bevagna.  It’s a lovely, jewel box of a city with just one perfect hotel, one perfect little restaurant, a few amazing wine bars and my favorite (Romanesque) church in Italy. Each June, the town becomes a theater during its Festa delle Gaite (Festival of the “Neighborhoods”) in which locals dress in medieval garb, re-enact trades like paper and bell-making, decorative painting and cloth-dyeing and compete in a city-wide display of pride to see which borough will produce the best medieval marketplace, archery display or outdoor tavern (being so close to Montefalco, the jug wine is always exceptional).

Since, as is often the case during our afternoon excursions,  we arrived in Bevagna today well before 5pm, many of the doors of the shops and certainly all of the restaurants in town were closed.  “Where is everybody?” my students asked as we walked past L’Orto degli Angeli (sweet hotel) and its new pizzeria next door.  They’ve only been in Umbria for a few days, but soon they’ll become accustomed to the rhythm of the Italian day. Soon their bodies will start to slow down after lunch and pick up again after or 5 or 6pm, when shops open up again and everyone bursts out into the streets for the late afternoon “passeggiata” (stroll), followed by the aperitivo (cocktail) at around 7pm and dinner later at 8 or 9pm. They’ll also learn to anticipate – as much as possible – the difference between CHIUSO and APERTO (open) and learn that most shops open from around 9 or 10am to 1pm and then reopen, following the total shutdown of the town during the “pausa pranzo” (lunch pause), at around 4 and stay open until around 7pm. Needless to say, it takes some getting used to, especially when you need to buy groceries and the only “Alimentari” (grocery store) closes at 1pm,  just as you are finishing your morning Italian class.

 

Although I often miss the convenience of 9-5 and 24/7, in Italy I readily and happily adapt to the natural rhythm of city life, where basic needs like eating, resting, spending time with friends and family (or yourself),  and getting an espresso or gelato are valued over the work-work-work, money-money-money,  stay-busy-until-it’s-time-to-crash pace of life in the U.S.  I love how all of the closed doors (especially those that read “chiuso per ferie”/”closed for vacation”) seem to make people from other cultures even more eager to return to Italy. From what I can tell, when we encounter a closed door we simply take out our notebooks,  jot down the name of the restaurant, shop or hotel and promise to return some day…. all in good time.

On our drive back to Todi at sundown today, we marveled at the beauty of rolling hills dotted with vines, wheat and promise-rich fallow earth. Everything glowed in the pink-gold light. “If the restaurant had been open,” Tia remarked, “we would have missed this glorious sunset-drive back home.” We all agreed whole-heartedly.

“Chiusa una porta, si apre un portone.” says a well-known Italian proverb. “When one door closes, a bigger one opens.” I like to think that every time I encounter a CHIUSO sign, no matter how frustrating it may be, a door to something far more valuable has been opened. What about you?

 

I can’t help but mention that Speak! Language Center keeps very “Italian” hours, so I hope people in Virginia can appreciate what I’ve said about “chiuso”!

Have you had an experience with a “CHIUSO” sign? If so, please leave a comment below….I’d love to hear it!

 

 

 

Kevin Bacon comes to Umbria

Christina with Tia (left) and Margaret (right) at Castello Montevibiano Vecchio winery in Umbria

Six Degrees of…Todi

I am always amazed at how quickly connections – new friendships, really – are created here in the Umbrian hill town of Todi. We travel from all corners of North America (and beyond) – Virginia, Vancouver, Indiana, Arizona, Bermuda -  to this magical place and become fast friends over long lunches, breath-taking vistas and new linguistic and cultural experiences, which await us around every corner.  I love to see the email and facebook connections explode as students in Two Weeks in Todi connect not only with each other but also with their new Italian friends – teachers, shopkeepers, hairstylists, host families. We journey far and wide to experience small town life and are rewarded by a sense that the world really isn’t as big and vast as it sometimes seems.

Once again this year, connections have revealed themselves that I would have never predicted – connections along the lines of  “Six Degrees of Separation.” Yes, it seems that Kevin Bacon has joined me and my group here in Umbria. Just last night in Perugia, as I was chatting with one of the dynamic ladies in my group – Tia – after divine pizza at Mediterranea, we discovered that not only did we attend the same high school in a Chicago suburb, but that we were inspired by the same English teacher. A few corn fields and a single stoplight separate our family homes and we were apparently both visiting at the same time last month.  Since we both live in Charlottesville, I have actually known Tia for a few years. She has studied Spanish and Italian (with me!) at Speak! Language Center – and yet only with the longer, slower conversations that Italy makes possible did our personal histories converge. So I guess I wasn’t too surprised when Margaret,  our student from Bermuda, discovered that her Italian teacher here in Todi, Lilli, is best friends with the daughter of one of her best friends from the beautiful British island.

I suppose this small world phenomenon revealed itself to me on my first, exploratory visit to Todi back in 2007. While observing an Italian lesson at Speak!’s partner school here – La Lingua, La Vita – I realized that the two adult students in the conversation class looked very familiar. Turns out, they were residents of Charlottesville, Virginia, too and colleagues of my husband at the University of Virginia. Perhaps there is some magnetic attraction at work, drawing those of us with similar dreams and realities,  intersecting personal histories and shared goals to this tiny pushpin of a place.

Whether it’s in the stars or just a series of coincidences, these “degrees of separation” are certainly bringing us together here in Todi.