Aperitivo

Aperitivo - one of my favorite Italian words. There really isn't a perfect English equivalent because aperitivo is more than just a drink, less than a meal, and fundamentally different than the American happy hour. Aperitivo is a wonderful part of the Italian culture - a social interlude between late afternoon and the evening meal (which typically isn't eaten until around 8 or 9 p.m.). 

Aperitivo at Bar San Michele, Lucca

Aperitivo time is around 6:30 or 7 p.m. and serves as a transition - a relaxing end to the day, a chance to connect with friends, and a slow meander toward dinner. We are not talking about a drink ordered at dinner and sipped while waiting for the meal to arrive. The aperitivo is an event all its own that most often occurs al bar (at the bar) before going to a restaurant to eat or before heading home for dinner. Italian bars are chameleons - the same bar that serves morning coffee becomes the perfect place for the evening aperitivo. How practical!

Piazza Cittadella, Lucca.

The Italian aperitivo consists of a glass of wine or a mixed drink plus a small appetizer. Traditional aperitivo drinks are on the lighter side - a prosecco or a glass of wine, a negroni (campari, vermouth, soda) or an aperol spritz. Most of the time small snacks arrive alongside the drinks. These may be as simple as a dish of peanuts or potato chips or may be as complex as a small buffet with bruschetta, miniature panini, or other savories. I've noticed the heartier offerings tend to start later in the evening, though this varies from bar to bar. 

 The bright orange drinks that everyone seems to be sipping on warm summer evenings in Italy are called aperol spritz. Aperol is a bitter made from oranges, herbs, and roots. It has a relatively low alcohol content (11 percent) which makes it perfect as an early evening drink. While the recipe for aperol itself is a secret, the spritz recipe is well known - mix 2 parts aperol with 3 parts prosecco and a splash of soda. Pour over ice and add a slice of orange. Simple! The slight bitterness may take a bit of getting used to, but after the first sip a spritz has a pleasing and refreshing taste. It's a typical aperitivo drink, made even better when sitting outside in a beautiful Italian piazza, with the sound of Italian chatter in the background, talking with friends or watching the theater of daily life in Italy.

Aperitivo in Piazza San Francesco, Lucca.

Luckily, aperitivo is an Italian tradition that can easily be recreated at home. If you come to my house on a summer evening I'll be serving aperol spritz on the back patio, along with my favorite marinated cheese. There may even be Italian music playing in the background. Head on over - let's have an aperitivo insieme (together).                                -post by JMB

Abbandonato

Lucca, like much of Italy, is a blend of medieval and Renaissance structures built atop the remains of a Roman city. Much has been preserved and restored - the Renaissance walls, the medieval city gates, Roman remains of an amphitheater and forum, streets, buildings, and churches that  combine elements of all three eras. 

Crocifisso dei Bianchi church, Lucca

Some churches have been lovingly maintained and are filled with art, beauty, candles and people. Others have been converted to performance spaces or galleries and some are abbandonato (abandoned), hidden from the public and rarely if ever open. One such church is the Crocifisso dei Bianchi on Via Crossifisso, within the walls of Lucca but in a less visited part of the historic center. 

Holy water basin, Crocifisso dei Bianchi church, Lucca

 A church has stood in this spot for more than 1,000 years. The current church, named for the group of white-robed penitents (Bianchi) who worshipped here around the year 1400, once housed a famous crucifix. The crucifix is now gone, housed elsewhere, and the church has been mostly abandoned and rarely open to the public for many years. What is it about abandoned places that makes me desperate for a peek inside?

Interior detail, Crocififfo dei Bianchi church. 

Interior of the abandoned Crocifisso dei Bianchi church. 

When I visit Lucca I often wander into wonderful surprises - a street-side concert, people in medieval costumes recreating events from long ago, a dance performance in a piazza, art shows. I'm thankful that my stays are long enough to allow me to wander the city and rearrange my day to take advantage of serendipitous events. Recently, my wandering was rewarded when I passed by the Crocifisso dei Bianchi church and found it open and hosting a small art exhibit.

The main altar, the best preserved portion of the church.

The art was interesting but it was the building - stripped of its famous crucifix, empty niches where art and sculpture once stood, crumbling in places and looking forgotten - that drew me in. The main altar was intact, with a single dark painting above it.

Fresco remnant, above the altar. 

There were faded frescoes, marble floors, a beautiful choir loft, and the echoes of those long-gone Bianchi penitents in the air. 

Front door of the church with choir loft above. 

I loved spending time in the quiet and semi-dark interior and photographing this special place. My hope is that one day it will be restored and no longer abbandonato.                 -post by JMB

Fresco detail, Crocifisso dei Bianchi church

One of the side chapels of the church. 

Fresco remnant from the domed ceiling above the altar, Crocifisso dei Bianchi church.

Will Fly for Fiocchi

I don’t think the waiter at 4 Leoni in Florence believed me when I told him I had flown halfway across the world for the restaurant’s fiocchi di pera in salsa di taleggio e asparagi. And while it may have been a slight exaggeration, it is true that ever since making plans to return to Tuscany this past spring I looked forward to savoring this delightful dish again.

4 Leoni's fiocchi di pera

I first tasted 4 Leoni’s fiocchi in early January. It is unlike any other pasta dish I have had, and it is heavenly. The fiocchi are little pasta bundles filled with tiny pieces of pear. If I had to guess, I would say there is also a bit of ricotta in the mix. The sauce is a creamy blend of taleggio cheese and small bites of asparagus. The combination is amazing – simple snippets of sweetness as you bite into one of the pasta purses offset by the smooth yet surprisingly light sauce.

A waiter at 4 Leoni looks out at the piazza while waiting for the lunch crowd to hit.

After ordering, I sat with a smile on my face in anticipation of what was to come. The waiter laughed as he set the dish down (he also seemed to indicate I was not the only customer who has had this reaction to fiocchi di pera in salsa di taleggio e asparagi). Each bite was perfectly soft (but not mushy) and melted in my mouth. The serving size was ideal  – I was not left wanting more but I ate every last morsel. This type of meal is part of what I love about Italy - it is simple yet satisfying, portion-controlled yet plenty. It is served with pride and enjoyed (at least by me) with gratitude. There is nothing quite like satisfying a craving, is there?

4 Leoni is one of my favorite restaurants Oltrarno (on the other side of the River Arno) in Florence. It blends Tuscan architectural style with modern accents, and its location in a historic piazza adds to the ambience. The menu is varied with many types of pasta dishes as well as grilled meats - something for everyone! It is popular with locals and tourists alike, so reservations are recommended. I, of course, also recommend the fiocchi.

-post by JG

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I Portici di Bologna

Portico - the word is the same in Italian and English; portici is the Italian plural. The dictionary definition, "a porch or walkway with a roof supported by columns" (thefreedictionary.com), does not begin to describe the grandeur of Bologna's portico-lined walkways.

Bologna's earliest porticos date to the 11th century (with modifications and additions in later centuries) and are found throughout the historic center of town. They are as practical as they are beautiful. Originally, they allowed for additional living space to be built on upper floors, an important housing consideration in a town with a large student population. This was accomplished by extending living space above the areas used by the people passing underneath, creating both living space and covered walkways. The ceilings of the porticos are quite high - legend has it that they are a standard height, designed to accommodate a man on horseback.

The porticos open to the streets through a series of arches. 

Some of the earliest porticos were made of wooden beams and coverings, later banned and mostly removed. Today the porticos have brick or stone columns, arched openings, vaulted ceilings, and stone or marble pavements. As an additional practicality, the porticos offer protection from both rain and direct sun, making the streets of Bologna perhaps the most pleasant place to stroll in all of Europe.

This length of portico has beautiful columns and ceilings as well as marble flooring. 

​There are 38 kilometers (nearly 24 miles) of porticos in the historic center of Bologna, beneath which are a variety of shops, markets, cafes, and restaurants.

Under the portico along Via Ugo Bassi. 

A pretty flower market under the portico. 

The charming cafe Gamerini sits under a pretty stretch of portico along Via Ugo Bassi and Via S. Gervasio

A morning coffee or an afternoon tea at a cafe sotto il portico (beneath the portico) is a real treat!

Outside of the historic center is perhaps the most remarkable of all the porticos - the world's longest covered walkway, which leads to the Santuario di San Luca. This four-kilometer (roughly 2.5 miles) uphill portico has a total of 666 arches. It begins with a gentle rise from the Porta Saragozza and becomes progressively steeper as it climbs the hill toward the church. A massive and costly undertaking when it was built (late 1600s - mid 1700s), the arches were funded privately, many by families who built small shrines or chapels along the walkway (most now destroyed, only a few remain). Completing this walk really is a pilgrimage - and beautiful views and a lovely church await at the top (it's also possible to drive to the Santuario or take a tourist bus).

The all uphill portico leading to the Santuario di San Luca, Bologna. 

The Santuario end of the portal is un'ascesa ripida (a steep climb)!  

Bologna is a beautiful city, full of architectural, cultural, historic, and artistic interest. It's also a very walkable city - made all the more pleasant when strolling underneath i portici di Bologna.

                                                          -post by JMB

Italian Emigration

As a granddaughter of Italian immigrants, I was intrigued to recently visit a small museum in Lucca dedicated to telling the story of Italian emigration. It was in the late 1800s and early 1900s when the greatest number of Italians left their homeland in search of better lives. The majority – like my grandparents – came from southern Italy. That part of the country was mostly agricultural and impoverished. Italians from the south headed west – to North and South America - and to other parts of Europe as well.

The Museo Paolo Cresci in Lucca tells the story of Italian immigration from 1860 to 1960.

Italian emigration is like that of many other ethnic groups – in their new countries, immigrants largely had to take on jobs involving manual labor. Many traveled across the Atlantic by themselves, with few possessions other than their hopes for a better life. Once settled, they would send money home to help the family left behind.

The Museo Paolo Cresci in Lucca hosts photos and documents from some of those who made the transition. The items on display are taken from some 15,000 photographs and documents that Cresci collected from the families of those who emigrated.

Paolo Cresci collected more than 15,000 photos and documents from the families of Italians who emigrated.

Passports, transportation invoices and guides to new countries are among the items, as are black and white photos that starkly show the strain of the journey on the faces of those traveling. I found myself awed and humbled by their courage. People laden with all their belongings crowded onto ships for the voyage. Once they arrived, those who came to America sent postcards of the Statue of Liberty home to their families; it is fascinating to read the ones on display at the museum.

Family photos taken in the new country

The photos taken of these Italians after they resettled resemble many of my family’s old photos: children dressed for their First Holy Communion, families standing in their own homes. This time, the faces show pride for having “made it.” Wandering around the museum gave me time to think about what my forefathers sacrificed for their families. And it made me wish I had asked a lot more questions about the “old country” when I had the chance. I’m grateful that Lucca has this museum to help me find some answers.

The ceiling of Museo Paolo Cresci

The Museo Paolo Cresci looks at Italian emigration from 1860 to 1960 and admission is free. The building that houses the museum is worth a look all its own: it is a former chapel with a beautifully frescoed ceiling.

-post by JG

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