A Tuscan Sun

 We just got back from 5 days in Tuscany.  What a wonderfully relaxing trip!

After arriving at Le Tegole, located near Riparbella with its own private 2km driveway, I didn't move at all except to venture out to some of the wonderful restaurants nearby... and why would I? The agroturismo is actually a collection of 11 farm houses on a hill that have been converted into rooms and apartments.  We had a place with it's own large kitchen, master bedroom and bath.  The structure also boasts its own restaurant, bar, two swimming pools a children's play area and a tennis court. We stayed there along with some other friends and when Sera wasn't swimming or swinging and sliding, she was playing happily with our friends' daughters or exploring the large grounds.

After 3 nights we moved further towards Florence to visit my hubby's cousins in Certaldo. When we were there we didn't do much more than spend time with family, but we did stay at the lovely hotel Certaldo which is an old mill on the river that passes through the town.  It too had a pool and though the weather was changing we still managed to get in another dip.  

I love going to Tuscany because regardless as to whether you're touring, visiting friends or family you're always going to manage to eat and drink well, and even the drive from one spot to another is breathtaking. 

off to Friuli - part 2

this is part 2 of our Friuliano wine trip... for part 1 click here
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Sera woke us on Friday morning and we all went downstairs for breakfast in our cottage's kitchen. Our friends soon joined us and we enjoyed bread, coffee, tea, fruit and cookies before heading out.

Our first stop was the cantina comunale in Cormons

Later on we went to the Cantina and had a break in their courtyard.

At Mulin Vecio in Gradisca d'Isonzo I had, sadly to say, the worst dining experience I've ever had while living in Italy.  We initially chose the restaurant because it was recommended by the Slow Food guide, which is normally spot on with reagrds to restaurants and good eating. In this case they couldn't have been more wrong, however and I'm planning to write them to warn them that their reputation is on the line if they keep promoting this establishment.  We had booked a table outside and so when we weren't greeted at the entrance, made our way to the courtyard, where the table was set up for our party. Everyone was hungry and eager to eat and the kids needed to be fed first. When we finally found someone who seemed to be popping in and out of the kitchen (not a waitress exactly) and asked her to heat the baby food, we didn't get a response, just the jar snatched from my friend's hands.

Now, we're lucky that in Italy little kids are accomodated for at all but after our experience with the crayons and the dominoes from the night before you can imagine our surprise at the contrast. Another friend at the table tried to explain the gesture saying that the Friuliani are just brusk like that, but as I suspected, there was more to the story.

The baby food arrived warmed to satisfaction 15 minutes later and we still hadn't seen any wait staff. It seemed as if no one worked there. When we finally did find the waiter and asked for the menu he said there was none (not uncommon for a small restaurant in italy) and began to list the dishes. Pasta and Fagioli, Baccalà con Polenta or Hot Dogs and Crauti.... and that's it. That's all they had!

Well, now having wasted 30 minutes of our lives and the baby eating we couldn't walk out and were stuck with the selection, none of which suitable for either Sera or I.  In the end we ordered 4 pasta fagioli, a salumi plate and a baccala.  After another 30 minutes only teo of the pasta fagioli turned up at the table and the salumi on a styrofoam platter. After having cancelled the others which never arrived we went inside to pay the bill only to discover that the whole debaucle cost 30 euros per person!!  It was infuriating. Not having a written menu meant they could charge whatever they wanted and we'd have to pay it.
Avoid this restaurant!

It was 26 degrees outside and sunny when wre got back to La Subida so Sera and I changed into bathing suits and head down to the pool to check things out.  The main part of the pool was sectioned off as closed but the shallow area was open so we dangled our feet in the very cold water for a while before Sera jumped in for a quick dip. I couldn't handle the temperature and decided that for me up to the knees was fine. Afterwards we played in their garden and playground and then went back tot he room to rest up for dinner.

This photo of gustobase is courtesy of TripAdvisor

We ended up wandering around the town of Cividale del Friuli in search for somewhere to eat. Settling upon Gustobase, an adorable tiny cafe located in Piazza Paolo Diacono, we grabbed a corner boot in the back and proceeded to order pretty much every starter and pasta dish on the menu (afteral, we didn't really have lunch).  The food and service was gorgeous from start to finish, the atmosphere delightful with retro digital clocks and wood panelling, as well as a healthy wine cellar.  This meal entirely made up for lunch!!


gustobase
Piazza Paolo Diacono, 24

33043 Cividale del Friuli, Italy
tel: 0039432731383

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To come in part 3: Trieste, a long walk, Pordenone

off to Friuli - part 1

I meant to post about our weekend trip while away but completely forgot that there was no wifi available during our stay.... here's what I wrote when we were gone:

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Traffic traffic and more traffic awaited us, as it did everyone, on the Italian motorway system Thursday morning. Every time there's a public holiday anywhere close to a weekend (that being any day except for Wednesday) Italians take 'il ponte' or 'the bridge', effectively meaning that they decide not to go to work on the offending Monday or Friday in between the beloved weekend and the freebie day off. That way instead of one day off for gardening or lounging around you get a full 4 to escape the city and have a long-weekend adventure. And, similarly to everything closing down come August, everyone does.

This weekends bridge is due to the liberation from German occupation at the end of World War Two.

Sera slept for most of the cars ride, and we stopped at a rest area sometime after noon to consume the picnic lunch I had packed. Deli meats, bread, mustard packets, fruit, salad (though I forgot the dressing), juice, chips, olives, cheeses.... I got a little carried away at the supermarket since it had been so long since I've had a picnic. We spread a blanket out on the grass and afterwards Sera collected the small windflowers surrounding us.

There was more traffic after our stop and we didn't actually reach La Subida until around five. Our room turned out to actually be a two story cottage house on the hillside with a gorgeous garden and adorable kitchen with a central fireplace. There was still sun and so we sat on the grass and waited for our friends to arrive.

playing on the grass outside our cottage

But now, onto the wine... We opened the bottles that they had left for us in our rooms for a pre-dinner aperitivo starting with a Fruilano Anzelin 2011; simple, honest and clean as wines go but surprisingly strong at 14%. Accompanied by olives and bruschettini we moved onto another Friulano by Carlo di Pradis with aromatic undertones of medlar fruits, and yellow plums; not at all floral but with a hint of linden berries; definitely a single step up from the Anzelin and clean on the pallet in every way.

afternoon wine tasting with friends and family

We booked dinner at La Subida's Trattoria  itself to be able to take advantage of our location and to learn for ourselves if the reviews were true. On trip advisor they ranked number one and have over 86 'excellent' reviews. The atmosphere was lovely with a nice large fireplace upon entering. We had a table in the back room in the corner and were promptly served gigantic Parmesan cheese 'lollipops', which were delicious and which of course, Sera enjoyed thoroughly.

As a starter we had the prosciutto crudo which was gorgeous, the equivalent of crispy bacon but in salumi form. I had a pasta and followed it up with a beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious tagliata di vitello. Yum!

The wait staff was friendly and very considerate to all our needs. They provided Sera with coloured pencils and a dominoes set (most of which we found in her shirt when we got back to the rom later on... little thief!).

The wine was quite nice too. We switched to reds and tried a 2008 Scioppettino di Prepotto byViarte and the Borgo San Daniele 2006 Arbis Ròs.  The Sciopettino was a ruby-violet with hints of blueberry, blackberries adn raspberries and the the ArbisRòs was a beautiful ruby red with flavors of cherries, raspberries and strawberries.  Two very fruity but not too feminine, clean wines.

To come in part 2: An awful restaurant, visiting cantinas, a cool dip in the pool, a wonderful restaurant....

wine review Wednesday

I'm skipping a single wine review today as tomorrow we're off for a whole wine tour weekend in Fruili with friends.

We're planning to stay at La Subida, with its fantastically famous restaurant and notoriously hospitable hosts. The agroturism is centred in the middle of some of the most prestigious vineyards of Collio Goriziano. It boasts a garden and swimming pool (though I doubt the weather will permit any splashing)' tennis courts, kids' playground and a stables.  Sera will have a chance to meet their horses and run around in the countryside while we enjoy the typical dishes and wines.

We also intend to visit a few cantinas in the region as well as travelling to some old medieval towns and San Daniele to eat their famous prosciutto crudo. Yum!

Check back tomorrow to see how the adventure is going!

Tickled Pink about Color wonder

Though having a toddler is a constant joy and learning adventure, it can also be challenging and at times, let's face it; embarrassing.

A few weeks back we were with some friends and their kids at a lovely restaurant in an agroturismo in Reggio Emilia when the owner of the restaurant in an act of ill-thought-out kindness presented the young ones with their own booth table in the restaurant, large sheets of gleaming white paper and markers in every colour of the rainbow. How lovely! We parents were free to enjoy the evening, sipping the local wines, gorging ourselves on paccheri and tartufo while the kiddies coloured happily in the background.

Only problem was, they also managed to colour the background itself! When the wine was long gone and our bellies were full we rose to collect our little darlings only to find table, chairs, walls and cushions having become an extension to their perception of what seemed to be fair game as far as canvas goes when mum and dad aren't looking on.

Red-faced we tugged the little artists away, gave our apologies (along with a nice tip and the hopes that the markers were the washable kind) and head off into the night.

I don't bring regular markers with me to public places or even friends homes when we're out in the evenings specifically to avoid similar situations. I would sometimes bring coloured pencils but they can need sharpening and somehow get on everything anyhow.

So how does a modern parent avoid this kind of faux-pas while still helping their child to express themselves artistically in a public environment?

Recently we've been packing Color-wonder marker pads and markers in our play bag and taking those with us to restaurants, hotels, to friends' and in the car.They're a brilliant invention in that they only colour on the paper that is made to go with them because the colour appears due to a chemical reaction with the paper itself and otherwise they're transparent. Made by crayola, they are more expensive than regular markers and paper but I love the freedom they give Sera in that I'm not constantly having to police her.

Some kids might find them frustrating at first because it does take a few seconds for the colour to appear after the marker has touched the page, but perhaps that's a bonus because we can teach our kids about creative expression and patience at the same time.