We started out with an evening in Rome. This restaurant was great. The tiny Paola Fazi is constantly wearing an apron turban and runs around cooking up 5 course meals for hungry patrons all while visiting each table and giving you tons of hugs and kisses. This place is a GREAT deal for Rome. For 25 euro you’ll get a 5-course meal (no menu here, you get what she’s cooking) and a large jug of wine. That evening we had plates of cured meats, cheese and olives followed by fried risotto balls, rigatoni, pasta carbonara, sauted veal and a cake I can’t remember because I was in a food coma.
After Rome we headed down to Naples to jump a boat to Ischia where my husband’s relatives live. We stopped for some delicious Naples pizza on the way. Notice the huge smile on my face.
Oh Ischia and the love of Italian relatives. If you have not had the experience of meeting long lost family relatives especially Italian ones, you are missing out on something very special. This is our second trip to visit these relatives and you will never find more inviting people. It doesn’t hurt they are also some of the best cooks I have ever met.
One thing to note. They will feed you some much that you may or may not actually vomit. This is not a joke. I spent an afternoon on the beach last summer dry heaving because they fed me so much at lunch. That said there is simply nothing better than eating a home cooked Italian meal.
A side note on Ischia. This island is fantastic and completely overlooked by American tourists. In fact, very few people speak English there so I suggest brushing up on your Italian if you are planning a visit. It is only 45 minutes from Naples and located across from the better known Capri. It is tropical, the beaches are fantastic and it delivers the full Italian experience.
If you go, I recommend staying at B&B Pietra Donica . It is a great little B&B located in the town of Forio. If you visit you have to have the spaghetti alla vongole from Ristorante Epomeo. I dream of this dish sometimes!
After the family visit it was off to Tuscany. I feel like I have been waiting for this moment my whole life. This was it, I was headed to my mecca. We spent our nights at a little hotel in Florence called the Hotel de Lanzi. It was not exactly 5-star but it was clean, located practically on top of the Duomo and only 57 euro a night.
During the day we would head out on trips into the country side. Our first excursion was to San Gimingnano. It was really lovely but as everyone said, it was really touristy. Once there we were meet by our driver, Francesca, who arranged a half day of wine touring for a reasonable 150 euro rate. This covered her driving, one of the wine tasting fees all for a group of 5 people.
Our first trip was to Volterra for a wine tasting at an Enoteca. The wine was delicious and as evidence from the photos, the pours were generous. We tried the famous Super Tuscans, Brunello and Nobile. My favorite was the Nobile.
After Volterra we headed out to the countryside vineyard, Frattoria San Donato. This place was so charming and the wine was cheap, cheap, cheap. I bought six bottles and the whole bill came to about 50 euro.
The vineyard had been in the family for hundreds of years and the woman who gave us our tasting was very knowledgeable. They even let us romp around in the vineyard.
After that much wine tasting, everyone needs a little picnic. Especially when it consists of huge heirloom tomatoes, cheese and wild boar salami. This brings me to a very important part of the trip, my discovery and subsequent love affair with all things wild boar.
Seriously, why is this not everywhere in the US? I had it as salami, jerky and in pasta. It’s zesty, delicious, versatile and on every menu in Tuscany. I was sure to bring several pounds of it back with me.
On another day we took a trip to Siena and hired a guide to drive us to yet another vineyard. This was one of the highlights of the trip. We drove into the Chianti Classico region to a small winery, I Sodi, which is run by two 75 year old twin brothers. Upon arriving, one of the twins came ambling up the lane wearing nothing but tiny neon colored shorts and a fanny pack. This was the true Tuscan experience I was craving. After meeting with our shirtless friend, we were given a full tour of the entire wine production building and had a tasting of some of the best wine I have ever had. I am now hoarding the bottles and waiting for just the right moment to open them up.
After the tasting we ate blackberries straight off the branch in their front yard and were offered freshly picked plums. Again, I can’t express how lucky I feel to have spent the afternoon like that.
After what we thought was a “cannot be topped” morning, Roberto insisted on driving us to a “historical site.” We wondered why you would ever want to do that with all those vineyards around but he really made us eat our words. We were lucky enough to visit Vertine a small town of 25 people overlooking the Tuscan countryside. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Thank you Roberto!
As I’m writing this I feel like I could keep going for hours and pages but it will never do the trip justice. You’ll just have to go yourself. I would like to make a note of a few other places and culinary delights I experienced on the trip.
1. Watermelon Gelato- I have no idea how I missed this on my last trip. It is so refreshing.
2. Lemon Vinegar- I bought a few bottles of this after having back to back zucchini dishes that changed my life. People were actually moaning when they were eating it. Get some of this vinegar and experiment with it on salads and grilled veggies.
3. Mama Gina’s in Florence- This place was great and our meal was very good.
4. Spaghetti alla Vongole- I don’t know why but this is just so much better in Italy. If you know a place where I can get an authentic helping in DC PLEASE let me know. I’m desperate!
5. Osteria da Giovanni ar Galletto- I think I have a new favorite in Rome. This place was amazing and I had a bresaola and arugula salad that was out of this world.
6. Buccatini- Why are more restaurants here not using this type of pasta?? It totally takes down your standard spaghetti.
7. I recommend using Kayak.com to find your plane tickets since I’m sure that’s your next plan of action after reading this!
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Drooling. I am so glad you went to Mama Gina’s in Florence. I used to eat there along with Acqua al 2 many nights per week. Also, Bibiana has a nice bucatini and I also love that type of pasta. Makes me yearn for Italy!