Un Matrimonio in Puglia

08 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Feste, Italia, Italian life, Puglia

Tags

Pugliese Traditions, Santa Maria di Siponto, Southern Italy, Wedding in Puglia

Viva gli sposi! After a 3 year ‘pandemic hiatus’ I finally made it back to Puglia. My trip was earlier than usual to attend un matrimonio in famiglia -a family wedding in June. Gli sposi were Federica and Antonio. The wedding was held at the 900 year old Santa Maria di Siponto. The church is in the architectural style Romanica Pugliese, Pugliese Romanesque. Byzantine and Islamic influences are evident in the pure, simple lines and geometric patterns. The building is square, which is unusual for a church.

Our day started out with heavy rain. My parents, sister, nieces and I ran to the car with our umbrellas for the 1½ hour drive from Orsara di Puglia. Luckily it was sunny by the time we arrived. The ceremony was held at 11 am and the stark white interior of the church was bathed in light!The look on Antonio’s face when he sees Federica at the altar is priceless.

The 4 witnesses, called compari, and the parents of the bride and groom also take part in the ceremony.Federica looked stunning. The wedding dress was handmade by her 91 year old nonna! Nonna Celestina made it with fabric she had kept from the time when she owned a fabric store in Foggia many years ago. The dress is ‘a portafoglio‘ which means that it had a short skirt underneath, visible only when the slit opened. Nonna even made a spare dress, just in case!

Since we were in Puglia, we were surrounded by olive trees. I fit right into the floral arrangements with my olive coloured dress with pink and silver flowers.The reception was held at Tenimento San Giuseppe, 4 km from Foggia. We started out with aperitivo in the main building, then moved to another section for the main meal.

There was un mastro casaro-a master cheesemaker-making nodini, knots of fresh mozzarella.

Later we moved into the cantina for degustazione di vino, where I found a tasty Susumaniello that was too good! Dessert was back in the main building. All of this moving around really helps with digestion!

The dish in the photo above is ‘mezzi paccheri rigate con salsa di gamberl e astice’, pasta with shrimp and lobster sauce. The black smudge on the plate is squid ink. I was too busy socializing and eating to take many food photos, so read the menu and imagine it yourself!Dancing was everywhere. Instead of having to sit through the entire meal and a bunch of speeches and wait for the end of the night to dance, dancing happens throughout the reception. Also good for digestion!One course is served…then dancing, more food, then more dancing, etc. Since the wedding was in Puglia, there was also dancing outside under the olive trees.

Federica likes swing dancing, so there was a swing band and later in the evening, my cousin (father of the bride) and his band played their funky music.

Cake cutting was held outside, at the bottom of the dramatic staircase. In the photo, you can see a bit of Federica’s ‘spare’ dress, while Antonio gestures for us to move out of the way. He probably said ‘livt da nanz’.

Guests take home a little bag of confetti for good luck. These are not what you throw at the bride and groom. They are sugared roasted almonds, sometimes with a chocolate filling. Traditionally there are 5 almonds that represent health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life. Bomboniere are also handed out at the end of the night. These are a small gift from the bride and groom to thank the guests for celebrating their special day with them.

I hope you enjoyed this peak at a wedding in Puglia! Auguri Federica e Antonio! Ciao, Cristina

Beat the heat: Surviving Summer in Roma

19 Sunday Jun 2022

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Roma, Travel, Travel tips

≈ 14 Comments

Tags

Ferragosto, Italy travel tips, Musei Nazionale Romano, Roma, Roma travel, Summer in Italy, Summer in Roma, Surviving summer in Italy

Visiting Roma this summer? Summer in Roma can be hot, humid, sticky and crowded. The temperature is usually >30° C (85°F) and the humidity can make it feel even hotter. I often hear people say ‘the worst time to go to Roma/Italy is in the summer-it’s too hot!’ Well…anytime is a good time to go. Whatever time works for you. You will just have a different experience depending on the season. Teachers, students, school employees and families with bambini in school can only travel in summer, so advising them to visit at another time is not helpful.

For those of us that go to visit family, especially in smaller villages, August is often the best time to be there. In my small mountain village in Puglia there are feste and concerts, my friends and relatives have time off work, and those who have moved away for work come back to visit. This is why I go in summer.

Roma will have a decreased amount of Romans for the 2 weeks around Ferragosto Aug 15th. Many Romans head to ‘la spiaggia’ so it will be less crowded with fewer cars on the road. Office and public workers are off or have decreased working hours. A lot of smaller businesses are closed as well. Do not worry, there will be more than enough restaurants open that nobody will starve. August 15th is a national holiday, so definitely avoid travel on that particular day. Public transportation will be reduced and nearly everything will be closed. Museums and cultural sites will be open. July is actually more crowded than August. For more info on this, read the post Chiuso per Ferie.

I visit Roma for a few days every summer at the beginning or end of my trip to Puglia and consider myself quite the expert on managing the intense heat and crowds. Here are my tips for surviving summer in Roma:

1-Schedule the day like an Italian! Quando a Roma, fai come i Romani/ When in Roma…..

A- Mattina/Morning Wake up early and do your stuff in the morning. Visit ‘non shady’ sites in the morning, as they will be too hot to do in the afternoon. These include the Colosseo, Foro Romano, Piazza Navona and Passeggiata all’Aventino.

B Pomeriggio/afternoon During the hottest part of the day-1-5 pm, participate in the riposo or ‘pausa pranzo’. (**Note that this is not known as siesta in Italian) This is a ‘rest period’ and many places are closed. This is not always the case in the larger cities or touristy areas, but it makes sense to follow when it is hot. Have pranzo-the main meal, at 1pm, enjoying the interior of a cool restaurant, then if your lodgings are close by, have a rest, take a nap or check email. Keep it dark with closed shutters/curtains while staying indoors, and also while you are out, so it stays cool.

If it is not feasible or you do not want to participate in the ‘pausa pranzo’ visit cool places during this time. For example:

1-Visit churches! Roma has >900 churches- they are dark, cool, free and may even have seats. Some, like San Luigi dei Francesi and Sant’Agostino even have their own Caravaggio works for you to drool over. For the full walking tour, go to Caffè con Caravaggio a Roma. Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the Pantheon and Santa Prassede are 3 other favourites of mine. Smaller churches may be closed during pausa pranzo, but many are open. Sometimes you even find things by happy accident. I once stepped into Santa Brigida, a very traditional Scandinavian church in Piazza Farnese for a 3 pm Mass which included otherworldly sounding chanting and singing by cloistered nuns.

***Important Note about churches – Churches are primarily places of worship, so please be respectful. Dress appropriately, speak quietly-if the artwork does not render you speechless. Avoid Mass times, especially on Sundays. It may not be possible to visit unless you are attending Mass. There is no charge to visit most churches, but I always like to light a candle when I visit (€.50-€1).

2 –Visit museums Most are air conditioned and open until 1900 (7pm). My favourites are Centrale Montemartini and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme which is downright cold-especially the top floor where the fresco villas are.

Both of these museums are never crowded, even in high season. Galleria Borghese requires a reservation and you can only stay 2 hours. If you time the visit right, go to Villa Borghese afterwards and find shade under a tree.

Smaller museums might not have air conditioning. **A note on AC. Electricity is expensive in Europe. The AC is cool, but not cold like it usually is in North America. Read my amusing post Aria Pericolosa for more on this topic!

3- Go underground and visit the Catacombs of Domitilla, 12 km of cool underground tunnels from the 2^nd to the 5^th Century or the Basilica San Clemente which has 3 layers of churches, ending in a Mithrean temple.

C Sera/evening Get back out in the early evening, then stay out late enjoying the fresh air and longer days. Go for aperitivo! Pop up restaurants, wine bars and stands line the Tevere in summer near Ponte Sisto and Isola Tiberina.

Villa Celimontana holds an outdoor evening jazz festival from June-August. This is also a great time for a passeggiata in Piazza Navona or Trastevere. There is a Colosseo night tour as well as tour of the underground and the Forum. These can be booked online. Roma also has several roof bars including the Terrazza Borromeo, Hotel Pantheon and Hotel Minerva.

More hot weather advice:

2 Keep hydrated Bring a water bottle and drink from from the >2000 cast iron nasoni or ‘big noses’. These are running water fountains all over the city with SPQR stamped on the front. This one is in front of the Pantheon.

Nasoni were installed in 1874 to make cold drinking water from acqueducts free and accessible to all. Place your hand under the main flow and drink from the gush out the top. My favourite place to drink is La Barcaccia in Piazza di Spagna. The water is absolutely freddissima!

3 Granita e gelato! Gelato will keep you cool. As if an excuse for more gelato is ever needed! I find the fruit flavors most refreshing, especially limone and pompelmo rosa (pink grapefruit). You must try a granita di caffè at Tazza d’oro near the Pantheon. Also refreshing are caffé Shakerato, affogato and Grattachecca. It is hard to find bad gelato. There is Gelato del Teatro, Grom and Fatamorgana has 9 locations. My favourite is Danielgelo, a small family run gelateria near where I stay in the San Paolo area.

Granita di caffe

4 Dress appropriately Wear a hat! Use sunscreen and dress lightly in layered breathable fabrics such as linen or cotton. Bring a light shawl or coverup if planning to visit churches, especially the Vatican. Walk on the shady side of the street, if possible. Buy a souvenir folding Roma fan. They are available at all the souvenir stands for 2-3 Euro.

Should you avoid going to Italia in August? Absolutely not! If that is when you are able to go-then do it! Hopefully my tips will help. Be sure to click on the post links. Also remember the positive things about summer in Italia-the long days and wonderfully cool evenings, sky so blue it does not look real, the cast shadows of the mid afternoon sun and the seasonal summer food 😋.

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Marostica~Partita a Scacchi

20 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Feste, Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Corteo Storico, Marostica, Partita a Scacchi, Veneto, Vicenza

On one of my trips to Italia many years ago… before digital photography…I visited a friend in Castelfranco Veneto, near Treviso. As soon as I got off the train, I found out that she was able to get us tickets to Marostica’s Partita a Scacchi in Costume a Personaggi Viventi -a live chess game in costume.

While going through old photos last week, I came across these ones from the event. I decided to scan them so we could viaggiare in pultrona-armchair travel and reenact the spectacle!

In 1454, two young noblemen Rinaldo d’Angarano and Vieri da Vallonara, both wanted to marry Lionora, daughter of Taddeo Parisio, the Castellano (Lord) of Marostica. They wanted to duel for her hand, which was the thing to do at that time, but her father objected. He did not want to make an enemy of one of the families. Instead, he proposed a chess game played with live pieces in the main piazza on a giant chess board. This way everyone in Marostica could see the game. The winner would marry Lionora and the runner up her younger sister Oldrada. The original game was on September 12, 1454 and the event is recreated every other year on the second weekend of September on a 16 metre squared marble scacchiera (chess board)which forms Piazza degli Scacchi in lower Marostica.

Merchants, peasants, gypsies and street entertainers start off the festivities with music and dancing.

There is even a colourful jousting match as armed foot soldiers, knights and drummers parade from Castello Basso.

Sbandieratori-flag throwers entertain the crowd. Both long-staff and short-staff sbandieratori perform. These in the photo are from Firenze and at the time, they were the world champions in short staff.

The main performers then enter the piazza from Castello Basso. In the photo below, you can see the raised podium in red velvet, where the actual chess game will be played by the two suitors.

The suitors and their families are the first to enter. The man in the red tights at the front is one of the suitors.

Next in line are the noble families. Noble families representing Verona, Venezia and Firenze are usually played by family of the sindaco (mayor) of each city.

Some of the elaborate late Medieval costumes are on loan from La Scala in Milano.

Next comes Il Castellano, Lionora in the green and gold dress, her sister Oldrada in the pink and gold dress, and their nursemaid.

Finally, the chess pieces enter. The black and white king and queen are the most striking pieces.

The game begins with the pawns taking their places on the board.

The game is played on a regular sized chess board on a podium outside the Castello. When one of the suitors makes a move it is called out by a crier in Dialetto Veneto, then the live piece moves.

The original chess moves have long been forgotten. Local chess enthusiasts use plays from a more recent match for the performance.

When the game is over, the entire cast parades across the board and they return to Castello Basso.

La Partita a Scacchi in Costume a Personaggi Viventi is held in Marostica every other year (even years) on the second weekend in September. The next dates are September 9-11, 2022. There are 4 performances, each with 3600 spectators. Three performances are at 9pm and one is at 5pm. Ticket prices vary from €23 to €92. More information is available on this website.

Have any of you been to the Partita a Scacchi or to Marostica? Let me know in the comments.

The photos were taken by me and by Nadia Bruschetta, although we aren’t certain who took which photos because they predate digital photography and we shared prints. I hope you enjoyed this viaggio in pultrona! Ciao, Cristina

Recent Successes for Italia

26 Monday Jul 2021

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Inspiration, Italia

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

AstroSam, Azzurri, Matteo Berrettini, Måneskin

The pandemic is not over yet, but things are looking up. Italia was hit early and hard by COVID 19. In 2020, the world became emotional watching videos from all over the country of Italians singing in solidarity from their balconies and windows. This turned into discouragement and low morale as things worsened. Besides mass vaccination campaigns and the reopening of more activities, recent successes are boosting morale across the country. Italia is back in sport, music and even outer space!

The Azzurri -the Italian national team-have won 4 times, but did not even qualify in the 2018 World Cup. Now the team has had no losses in 34 games. The last time they lost was September 2018 to Portugal 1-0 in the Nations League.

Unless you have been self-isolating without electricity, you know that on July 11^th at Wembley Stadium, the Azzurri beat England to win the European Cup for the first time since 1968. The Azzurri played well throughout the tournament, so fans were hopeful. It was not an easy win-taking 30 minutes extra time and then going to shootouts. The game was anxiety inducing and could have gone either way. I was sad to see the English team immediately take off their medals! They played well and should have been better sports and role models. Federico Chiesa asking Siri to ‘chiama mamma’ cheered me up again. The Azzurri will be trying to earn a 5^th star at the World Cup in Qatar in November 2022.

Also on July 11^th, 25 year old Matteo Berrettini was the first Italian to be in a Wimbledon final, playing Novak Djokovic. He did not win, but it is not all about winning. Berrettini is the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam since 1976.

May 22^nd in Rotterdam, Festival San Remo winners, Italian Glam-rockers Måneskin won the Eurovision Song Contest with ‘Zitti e buoni’ thanks to a massive public vote. This was Italia’s third win-the others being in 1964 and 1990.

Eurovision 2021 was the largest in-person event since the Pandemic started-until Euro Cup, I believe. The contest is huge in Europe with 39 countries participating, but hardly known at all in North America. Måneskin is made up of singer Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi and drummer Ethan Torchio, aged 21-22. They met in school in Roma and were finalists in the 2017 X-Factor Italia.

Zitti e buoni literally means ‘quiet and good’, but in this context means ‘shut up and behave’. It was written by the band members. The lyrics are brilliant. They are about being yourself and not conforming or worrying about gossip. Read more about the lyrics here.

So young and so talented! Below is a video of their winning performance at Festival San Remo in February, complete with a full orchestra.

The winning country hosts the following year, so the 66^th Eurovision Song Contest in May 2022 will be in Italia. 17 cities have put in a bid and the winner should be announced by the end of August.

Last, but definitely not least we have ‘AstroSam’. Italia’s first woman in space, Samantha Cristoforetti will be the first European woman to command the International Space Station.

Last week the ‘Visit Italy’ marketing campaign at the Brussels International Airport went viral. The billboard reads ‘I migliori psicologi consigliano l’Italia dopo una pandemia‘ -The best psychologists recommend Italia for the post pandemic blues!

Auguri Azzurri, Matteo, Måneskin and AstroSam! Also visit Italia, but don’t all go at once! Ciao, Cristina

Photos from: my TV screen, Matteo Berrettini and Måneskin’s Instagram accounts @matberrettini, @måneskinofficial

700 Years of Dante

28 Thursday Jan 2021

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Firenze, Italia, Italian language

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Accademia della Crusca, Dante, Dante Alighieri, Firenze, Italian history, Italian language, Italian literature, La Divina Commedia

2021 is the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri. Dante is known as the ‘Father of the Italian Language’. His most famous work La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy) is considered a masterpiece, the first and still the greatest work of literature in the Italian language and a precursor to modern fiction. In the late medieval period, Latin was the only language for education, literature and religion. La Divina Commediawas the first major work written in a language of ordinary speech or vulgare, the way people actually spoke at home. Dante combined Tuscan and other dialects, including Sicilian and Latin, establishing the modern Italian language. Even though La Divina Commedia was written in 1308-20 the language is understandable today.

La Divina Commedia is a 3 part epic poem written in the first person, emphasizing the importance of salvation and Divine love in the redemption of humanity. It explores Dante’s imaginary trip to Paradiso (Heaven), passing through L’Inferno (Hell) and Purgatorio (Purgatory). It is also a critique of famous figures of his time. The work is filled with historical, mythological and biblical references and discusses politics, religion, science, ethics and love. La Divina Commedia does not contain jokes nor is it funny. The reason it is termed a commedia is because it is not a tragedia (trajedy) and it has a happy ending.

Dante was born in Firenze in 1265. He studied philosophy, poetry, and was also an apothecary-a medieval pharmacist. This is not as strange as it sounds, since nobles in public office had to belong to one of the city guilds and books were sold by apothecaries at the time. He married Gemma Donati in 1285 and they had 3 children. Dante’s family was involved in the Guelfi/Ghibellini (Guelph/Ghibelline) power struggles. The Guelfi supported the Papacy and the Ghibellini supported the Holy Roman Emperor -even though there was not one at the time.

The Guelfi split into 2 groups because the Pope kept interfering with internal matters in Firenze. Guelfi Bianchi (White Guelphs) did not want the Pope involved in city politics and Guelfi Neri (Black Guelphs) supported complete Pope authority. Dante’s family were Guelfi Bianchi. In 1302, while Dante was in Roma as an ambassador, Firenze was occupied by the Guelfi Neri. The Guelfi Bianchi, including Dante and his sons, were exiled. A few years later, other Guelfi Bianchi in exile were pardoned- but not Dante. He was quite the badass in exile and burnt his bridges by writing many nasty letters. Dante was offered amnesty in 1315, but it came with conditions and a heavy fine, which he was not able to pay.

Dante wrote La Divina Commedia while in exile and ruthlessly sends everyone responsible for his banishment to eternal damnation in L’Inferno. He put a lot of effort and imagination into coming up with the horrible details! If Dante were alive today, he would probably be writing political satire.

Dante never did return to his beloved Firenze. He stayed in Roma, then moved to Ravenna, where he completed Paradiso in 1320 and died of malaria Sept 14th 1321. He is buried in the church of San Francesco. Jacopo Alighieri (1289-1348), also a poet, regained possession of his father’s confiscated property in 1343.

Firenze regretted Dante’s exile, and repeatedly asked Ravenna for his remains. A tomb was even built in 1829 in Santa Croce but all requests were refused and the tomb is empty. In June 2008, Firenze finally passed a motion rescinding his sentence and exile. As my Mamma says ‘meglio tardi che mai’-Better late than never!

700^th anniversary celebrations are happening throughout 2021, although most of them will depend on ever changing COVID 19 restrictions. There is a website for all of the 700 Dante Firenze festivities. A few examples:

Museo di Casa di Dante has a new multimedia display and a virtual tour.

L’Accademia della Crusca, Italia’s fun ‘language police’ was established in Firenze in the 16^th Century to safeguard the study of the Italian language. Their website includes ‘Parola di Dante fresca di giornata’ a Dante word of the day for each day of 2021!

La Divina Commedia is as relevant today as it was in 1320. I will leave you with an encouraging message of hope from the final phrase of l’Inferno…

‘e quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle’– ‘hence we came forth to see the stars again’

Ciao, Cristina

Statue of Dante in Piazza Santa Croce, Firenze

MOSE

09 Friday Oct 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Acqua alta, Flood barriers, MOSE, Venezia

2020 has been a crappy year, but finally something has gone right. On October 3rd, MOSE (moh•ZEH) was activated for the first time and prevented flooding in Venezia caused by high tide! Yeah!

MOSE stands for MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (experimental electromechanical model). Whoever came up with the acronym is brilliant, because in Italian, Mosè, with an accent on the ‘e’, is Moses, who parted the Red Sea.

MOSE is floating architecture-a series of temporary barriers formed by 78 bright yellow mobile gates at the bottom of the seabed. The 4 barriers are located at the 3 inlets; 2 at the Lido, 1 at Malamocco and 1 at Chioggia.

How MOSE works to keep high tide water in the Adriatic Sea and out of the Venetian lagoon. mosevenezia.eu/project/?lang=eng

During normal conditions, the gates are full of water and resting out of view within their housing structures. When a high tide is predicted, compressed air is introduced into the gates to empty them of water. This causes them to rotate around the hinge axis and rise up above the water to block the tide from entering the lagoon. When the tide has dropped, the gates are filled with water and return to their resting places.

It takes about 30 minutes to raise the gates and 15 to lower them. MOSE is designed to protect Venezia from tides of up to 3meters (10 ft). A video on how the system works can be found on the Mosevenezia website.

Acqua alta (high water) occurs mostly from October to March and has always been a problem in the Venetian lagoon. The first documentation of it was on October 17, 589! It has gotten worse since 1935, mostly due to environmental issues. Last year, on November 12, 2019 187 cm of water was the worst flooding since 194cm in 1966.

MOSE has been plagued with delays and cost overruns. Hopefully now that it works, it will stop the worst of the flooding. Measures are also being implemented to improve the lagoon environment, decrease erosion, restore the environment of the smaller islands in the lagoon and decrease pollution in the industrial Porto Marghera. Hopefully they ban cruise ships soon too!

Fingers crossed MOSE will continue to work. It has been 26 years since I visited Venezia, and I would like it to still be standing when I manage to get back! Ciao, Cristina

Lecce

25 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Architecture, Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

Barocco Leccese, Baroque art, Negroamaro, Puglia, Salento, Southern Italy, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Lecce reminds me of a Caravaggio painting-Baroque, dramatic and opulent, with attention to detail. It is unfortunate he did not live long enough to visit the city! Lecce, in the Salento area of Southern Puglia is over 2000 years old and rich in tradition and local customs. Originally called Syvar, it was founded by the Mesapii(Mesapians) from Crete. There is a long history of Greek settlement here, in fact there is still a group of 9 towns called ‘Grecia Salentino’ where ‘Griko’ dialetto is spoken.

Conquered by the Romans in the 3^rd Century BC, it was renamed Lupiae. Hadrian moved the city 3 Km northeast in the 2^nd Century AD and called it Licea. Then came the Byzantines in 549, followed by Orthodox monks. Lecce and the Salento were an independent country from 1043 until 1463 when Emperor Carlo V conquered Puglia, and they became part of the Kingdom of Napoli until Italian unification in 1861. Lecce was an important commercial city, with a building and cultural boom.

Lecce is best known for its dramatic Baroque architecture and ornamentation, which even has its own name-Barocco Leccese. The style was around from the mid 1500’s to the early 1700’s, so even among buildings constructed at different times there is continuity of style.

The Baroque style features over the top details and intricate carvings that create a sense of movement. Barocco Leccese is even more expressive and unique. Windows, balconies and loggias are elaborately ornamented with twisting columns, scrolls and cornices. They are carved with human figures, animals, wreaths, vines and gargoyles. There is also a lot of marble, gilt and bronze involved. Corbels supporting balconies are a common decorative element in Lecce.

‘Salento and the Barocco Leccese, including Lecce, Nardò, Gallipoli, Martina Franca, Ostuni, Francavilla, Galatina and Galatone’ are on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 2006. This is the step before becoming a World Heritage Site.

Lecce’s buildings are made of Pietra Leccese, a local, honey coloured porous limestone. It is soft and workable for sculpture, and was hardened and weatherproofed by soaking in a liquid solution made with whole milk. Pietra Leccese is still one of the area’s main exports, mined in open quarries.

What to see in Lecce:

The Centro Storico of Lecce, with its narrow stone streets, 22 churches and unique architecture is a historically preserved walking museum. It is mostly pedestrian only and very walkable. After dark the streets are lined with outdoor seating for vino and aperitivo, and everyone is out for passeggiata.

Lecce’s defensive walls are gone, but 3 gates remain: Porta Rudiae, Porta San Biagio and Porta Napoli, which marked the starting point of the road to Napoli.

The 2 main piazze are Piazza Duomo and Piazza Sant’Oronzo, which are connected by Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Piazza Duomo is a large open space, but you can almost walk by and miss it! There is only one entrance, and it is closed off on 3 sides. The Duomo is unique as it has 2 facades. This was done so that visitors to the piazza did not have to face a big blank side wall as they entered. The Campanile is the tallest in Italia at 68 m. Piazza Duomo also contains the Palazzo Vescovile and Seminario, which is used mainly for exhibitions.

Piazza Sant’Oronzo, named for the first Christian bishop and the patron saint of Lecce, was the site of the mercato. The 2^nd Century AD Roman anfiteatro was discovered in 1901 during construction of a new Banca d’Italia. The 20,000 seat arena was originally built outside of the walls of Lecce and was still in use in the 12^thCentury. More than half of it has not been excavated!

Looking down over the anfiteatro is Il Sedile, a 1590 Gothic structure which was the seat of the town hall. It is now the Tourist information office.

The Colonna di S Oronzo, is a column topped with a bronze statue of Sant’Oronzo. It was originally built in 110 AD-one of a pair of Turkish marble columns marking the end of the Via Appia from Roma to Brindisi. This one toppled and broke in 1528 and its twin is still standing in Brindisi. In 1659, the broken remains were given to Lecce to thank Sant’Oronzo for saving Brindisi from the 1656 plague. The Brindisini have wanted it back ever since!

Not far from the piazza is Museo Faggiano- a unique museum, especially for archeology nerds like me! Plumbing issues result in DIY renovations that uncover layers of history…..Blog post coming!

Santa Croce’s façade is the masterpiece of Barocco Leccese. It took 200 years to build. The exterior was recently cleaned and renovated. The interior has a gilded coffered ceiling and 14 chapels with carved, twisting columns.

Sant’Irene is dedicated to the ancient protector of the city 1591-1639. The interior is simple, but has twin Baroque side altars. My amazing balcony at Palazzo Belli B&B looked out onto the side entrance.

Santa Chiara built in 1687 has an unusual façade and an extravagant interior with a wooden ceiling. There are loads of other beautiful churches to see in Lecce, but i have only mentioned the main ones.

Sometimes the scenery looks like an old movie set! Walk down Via Palmieri, lined with grand palazzi, ending at Porta Napoli.

Things I did not have time to see include the Castello Carlo V and its carta pesta (papier maché) museum, the Teatro Romano and the Museo Provinciale.

Lecce is a great place to shop. Specialties include colourful Pugliese ceramics, carta pesta, olive oil and vino. Lecce observes the pausa pranzo which means shops are closed from 2-5pm.

Make sure to try pasticciotto. My favourite is the kind with crema and amarena. Yum! Sit outside to have Caffè Leccese –espresso on ice with almond milk and of course local vino, especially my favourite-Negroamaro. Here is my cena with Negroamaro rosé.

Since the centro storico is car free, dealing with a car in Lecce can be a pain. During high season, it is easier to get around by bus or local train. During low season, a car will make it easier to visit places that are not on the main train line. Lecce is between 2 seas, the Adriatic is 11km away and the Ionian 23 km away.

Lecce (pop. 96,000) is on the Adriatico train route that starts in Bologna. The Stazione is a flat walk, 1 km south of the Centro Storico. Last year, I took the train from Foggia (3 hours) staying 3 days in Lecce and 1 in Nardò. It was late July/early August, and not crowded at all. I booked my train and accomodation 3 days in advance. Try to avoid making Lecce a daytrip, as you will miss the beautiful evenings and fun nightlife. I am looking forward to going back as soon as possible!

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Limoncello

07 Friday Aug 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Recipes

≈ 23 Comments

Tags

Campania, Homemade liqueur, Limoncello, Southern Italy

Quando la vita ti da limoni…fai il limoncello! When life gives you lemons…make limoncello! This is a good motto for life at the moment. What else does a global pandemic have to do with limoncello? I usually make homemade limoncello or other infused liqueurs with vodka, as grain alcohol is not available here. With the hand sanitizer shortage a few months ago, my fratello was able to order 151 proof (71%) Everclear grain alcohol to make his own. Hand sanitizer is available again and he had an extra bottle, so I used it to make limoncello. It is not the 191 proof (90%) alcohol that liqueurs are usually made with-but better than using vodka.

Limoncello (lee·mohn·CHEL·loh) is an Italian liqueur, made mostly in Southern Italy and especially in the Amalfi/Sorrento area where the limoni are large and fragrant. It is usually served chilled as an after dinner digestivo. I use it to make many of my desserts too!

To make limoncello, you need 1L (4 cups) of grain alcohol and 8-10 organic lemons. Limoncello is made only with the scorza, or lemon peel, so the lemons must be untreated. I used the juice to make limonata.

Peel lemons with a vegetable or potato peeler, taking only the peel, not the pith (the white stuff). If a bit of pith snuck in there, scrape it off with a knife

Place the lemon peels in a large airtight glass jar. I used an old 2L jar that used to hold artichokes, rinsing it out with vinegar and soap to remove any smell.

Cover lemon peels with alcohol and leave the jar to steep in a dark cool place for 2 weeks or more. A cantina is ideal if you have one. Give the jar a good shake every few days. When the peels are very pale, almost white, it is done. The liquid will be a gorgeous golden colour.

Mix 750 ml-1L (3-4 cups) water with 500 ml (2 cups) sugar in a saucepan. For sweeter limoncello, add more sugar-up to double the amount. Simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, then let the syrup cool.

Strain lemon peels from the alcohol and add cooled syrup. It will be a cloudy yellow once the lemon essential oils and water mix together. If using vodka instead of grain alcohol, use less syrup. Shake the jar and leave it in the cantina or a cold, dark place for 1-2 weeks. Then ladle into small bottles with pop-tops or secure tops and leave for 1 more week to intensify the lemon flavour.

Il limoncello è pronto. Salute!

Posts with recipes using limoncello:

Limoncello Cheesecake

Limoncello Ricotta Cookies

Olive oil Limoncello Cake

Ciao, Cristina

Lucca

15 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

Daytrips from Firenze, Daytrips from Siena, Italian history, Lucca, Torre Guinigi, Toscana, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Lucca is one of my favourite smaller cities in Italia. While writing my last post, I realized that I have not yet dedicated a whole post to Lucca! Founded by the Etruscans as Luk, meaning marsh, Lucca became a Roman colony in 180 BC. In the 12^th-13^th centuries, the silk trade and banking were responsible for economic development and population increase. Lucca was an independent republic for 500 years, until Italian unification. Today the population is 88,000 and Lucca has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006.

Lucca does not have 1 or 2 monumental sites-the city itself is the attraction! Lucca is best known for the well preserved, intact Renaissance walls encircling it. The complex defense network is still mostly intact, 12 m high and 30 m wide, with 6 porte – entrance gates and 10 ramparts. The only thing missing is the moat, which was filled in the 1800’s.

On top of the walls is Via delle Mura Urbane, a wide 4.2 km tree lined pathway that is popular for walking, cycling and running. When entering Lucca, the 16^th C walls from can be seen from below. Bike rentals are available near most of the entry gates.

Lucca has a real ‘lived in’ feel to it. Walking through one of the gate tunnels is like stepping back in time. Lucca is flat, with a random street layout. Most of the centro storico is pedestrian only and full of biciclette to photograph. The streets are narrow and flanked by tall, narrow buildings. The many towers and other landmarks are often not visible from below, so it is easy and fun to get lost among the historic architecture and cobblestone streets. Lucca

The main street, Via Fillungo has beautiful storefronts and buildings. It connects Piazza Anfiteatro and Piazza San Michele. Piazza Anfiteatro’s oval shape is the ‘ghost’ of the 10,000 seat Roman amphitheater that once stood there. Entrance to the piazza is through brick tunnels.The stones were looted to build other structures, but the tall buildings in shades of yellow and cream with green shutters were built following the shape of the former amphitheater.

As in San Gimignano, defense towers were a status symbol for Lucca’s wealthy families in the 1300’s. Lucca’s skyline has several towers, the most famous being the 45 m Romanesque Gothic red brick Torre Guinigi. Built in 1384 by the Guinigi family of silk merchants, the tower is 45 m tall with 7 Holm Oak trees growing on top, symbolizing rebirth. The rooftop was originally used for dining, with the kitchen on the floor below. Imagine carrying dishes the 232 steps to the top! Admission is €5 single/ €8 family. A 2 day combination ticket can also be purchased that includes Torre delle Ore and Orto Botanico

At 50m Torre delle Ore is the tallest tower in Lucca. It started as a personal defensive tower, and when defense was no longer needed, it was turned into a clock in 1390. The present clock mechanism is from the 1700’s. It even has its own resident ghost legend-in 1623, a Lucchese woman who had sold her soul to the devil ran up to the top to try to stop time, but she didn’t make it. Climb the top to see rooftop Lucca and the best views of Torre Guinigi. In the photo below you can see Torre delle Ore and the campanile of San Martino.

Lucca has over 70 churches. The Gothic/Pisan Romanesque church of San Martino was started in 1070. It has a mismatched 14^th C campanile-the top is white like the church, but the lower half is red quartz stone. The church façade has 3 levels of open arches and each of the 37 columns are different. There was a contest for the design of the columns and each artist submitted one. Instead of awarding a winner, all of the columns were used without paying the artists. Che furbi! San Martino is home to the famous relic, a cedar crucifix known as il Volto Santo di Lucca (the holy face) and works of art by Jacopo della Quercia, Ghirlandaio and Tintoretto.

Like much of Lucca, the church of San Michele in Foro was built on a much earlier structure. Piazza San Michele was formerly the Roman Forum. The façade has 4 rows of ornate arches and columns, similar to San Martino. I do not think artists contributed these columns for free! San Michele has works by Tuscan superstars Luca della Robbia and Filippino Lippi.

The oldest church in Lucca, 6th C San Frediano has a beautiful golden mosaic façade.

Lucca is the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, and the house where he was born is now Museo Puccini. Admission is €7. If you are in Lucca in the evening, it is common to hear music coming from churches, piazze and the opera house Teatro del Giglio.

Lucca is beautiful to visit any time of the year……except for the first week of November! Unless you are attending, avoid visiting during Lucca Comics and Games. Lucca is NW of Firenze, closer to Pisa. The train station is right across the street from Porta San Pietro, one of the entry gates, making Lucca an easy day trip -90min from Firenze and 30 min from Pisa. Lucca really deserves a few days of its own though, and also makes a great base to see the rest of Toscana.

The photos in this post were taken on 4 separate visits over a 15 year period, which explains the dramatic weather fluctuations!

Lucca is also mentioned in the posts Viaggio con Isabella and Autunno in Italia

Photos of San Martino and San Frediano from wikimedia commons.

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Viaggio con Isabella

20 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Firenze, Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, Italy travel tips, Lucca, Milano, Monteriggioni, Oltrarno, Torre di Giotto, Vernazza, Viaggi in pultrona

One year ago I was just returning from Italia with my nipotina Isabella. Since we are not able to travel in real life, viaggiamo in pultrona, let’s armchair travel and revisit our trip.

A bit of backstory…when Isabella was about 8 years old, she saw a photo of me on the Ponte Vecchio and asked ‘Zia, where is this?’. I replied ‘Firenze’ and she asked if we could go there together one day. I was thrilled at the opportunity to share my love of Firenze with her, so of course I said ‘Si! We can go when you graduate’. We were delayed a few years due to scheduling issues, but last year in between Isabella finishing her university classes and starting a summer job, we managed to squeeze in a 2 week trip!

We flew to Firenze, where we rented a studio apartment in the Oltrarno for a week. It was in a renovated stone tower a short walk from the Ponte Vecchio and down a narrow alley from Piazza della Passera.

Chef Peppe Zullo, our amico from Orsara, was in town our first day. We met him at the Mercato Centrale where he and his son Michele had recently taken over a restaurant upstairs called Tosca.

We had prebooked only 1 museum-the Uffizi of course, for the Saturday so that Gaetano, our cugino in med school could join us. New Caravaggio rooms have opened since my last visit! I noticed many portraits of Anna Maria Luisa de Medici on display. We have her to thank for all of this! Isabella loved the Uffizi, not just for the artwork, also the building itself, so Gaetano suggested she visit Palazzo Pitti another day.

I am ‘vertically challenged’, which may be why I like to climb to the top of things, especially if there is a view involved. We climbed almost everything in Firenze, starting with a walk to Piazzale Michelangelo via Porta San Niccolò for views of the city, then continuing up to San Miniato al Monte. We climbed the dizzying narrow stairs to the top of Brunelleschi’s Duomo to see the views and the Torre Giotto. Another day we climbed the Torre Giotto and saw the Duomo! These climbs were vital to working off gelato! For more photos taken from above see Viste di Firenze.

We also enjoyed the view, modern art and caffè from la terrazza degli Uffizi. This is the title of one of my monotypes, so I had to throw that in there! The Aperol Spritz from the roof bar of La Rinascente in Piazza della Repubblica was the best I have had. With her new headband and puffy sleeves, Isabella looked like a Renaissance principessa enjoying a spritz!

We were on constant lookout for street art by Blub-even Gaetano when he was with us. The results of our Blub hunt are in the post L’arte sa Nuotare.

Isabella loves caffè. She started ordering caffè lungo because both times she ordered un americano, they repeated ‘American coffee’ and tried to serve her drip coffee! Mannaggia! What has the world come to! Caffe a Firenze We had caffè at a different place every morning, including Caffè degli Artigiani in Piazza della Passera, Bar d’ Angolo in Porta Romana, one of my old favourites I Dolci di Patrizio Cosi, and one place way too close to Ponte Vecchio. They were all wonderful! Isabella kept track of the cost of a cornetto and 2 caffè lunghi…..as expected, she found the price decreased and the quality increased the farther out we went! Valuable life lessons!

We joined 5 others on a lovely daytrip from San Gimignano to Siena with Piero of Bike Florence and Tuscany. The weather was ominous, either sprinkling or threatening to rain all day. Monteriggioni was a stop for wine tasting and we cycled parts of the Via Francigena. In Siena we had a few hours to explore the city and have Panforte.

The weather was not very warm for May. I think this is the first time I have ever packed a small umbrella, but glad I did! We had to dress in layers, or ‘a la cipolla’ as they say in italiano. Some evenings in Firenze, it seemed like we were wearing ALL of the clothes in our valigia! Despite this, we walked everywhere.

Here is our map –YES- a map-of where we walked. Maps of the city centre are great for getting oriented. It is much easier than trying to look at a GPS on a tiny phone screen. We did not have time to take the bus to Fiesole or get to L’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David or attend Mass at Santa Croce. Isabella will definitely need to get back to Firenze. While shopping, she did receive many compliments every day on her Italiano, even bartering down the price of a cute leather jacket!Lucca was our next stop, 1.5 hours away by train. Lucca is one of my favourite places in Italia! We stayed at a small B&B near Torre Guinigi. The owners found out we lived in Vancouver and told us about their nipote in Vancouver who is Isabella’s age. I started to say that Vancouver was a big city…… when Isabella said ‘Uh….Zia….I actually do know him…. Che mondo piccolo! After that, every time they saw Isabella, with no subtlety at all, they went on about what a nice boy he was!

Lucca is known for its intact medieval walls. We rented biciclette to ride the path on top of the walls. The forecast was for good weather. We had done 4 laps of the tree lined 4 km route, when unexpectedly a torrential downpour started. It rained so hard we could barely see.

We tried to get off the path, but visibility was so bad we could not tell which gate and ‘onramp’ we had taken to get up to the wall. This was important because we had to return the bikes where we rented them. Isabella wore her new jacket, and rather than get it ruined in the rain, she had folded it up inside out in a plastic bag in the cestino -the basket- leaving her in short sleeves. Brrrr!

By the time we got to Piazza Anfiteatro to warm up and wait for the rain to stop, we looked like wet rats. The restaurants are outdoor, so they had large heaters, and even blankets. A friend was coming from Viareggio for aperitivo later, but she had to cancel due to the weather. Even in the rain, Lucca is spectacular. It is also a great place to shop! I never spend enough time in Lucca.

Our next stop was La Spezia via Pisa and on to Vernazza, our home base in the Cinque Terre. I wrote about our time there in 2 posts- Le Cinque Terre and Exploring le Cinque Terre. The second post is specifically about our adventures. The weather was beautiful, which is good, as there are no indoor activities there! Hiking all day with a 19 year old is hard work, so luckily there was wine tasting in the evening!The morning we left Vernazza was raining almost as much as on the walls of Lucca! Isabella had been to Roma several times, but not to Milano, so we booked to fly home from there. We met our cugina Federica, who we stayed with, and went to the Navigli area to have dinner with more cugini. Our visit was too short. We spent the next day walking and window shopping around the Cento Storico and had a few ‘streetside reunions’ and phone calls with more cugini and a friend. I have been to Milano many times but have yet to see L’Ultima Cenacola, Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Even 2 weeks in advance, I was not able to book admission. Another reason to return!We hope you have enjoyed this piccolo viaggio virtuale with us! Hopefully we can travel again soon. Ciao, Cristina & Isabella