Sunday, January 26, 2014

Favorite Places in Europe - Jan 26, 2014

With this chapter I conclude the picture-storybook that tells our tale of adventure during our year in Italy.  The following post is a short review of those places in both Italy and elsewhere that resonated most strongly with me.  It also contains links to previous posts that shed more light on each of these locations, if you are so interested.   With that in mind, here are my 
Favorite Places in Europe:
Florence – Florence will forever have a special place in my heart because it was our first home in Italy.  We arrived Dec 1, 2012 and lived there 5 months.  It was the perfect introduction to our new country; the winter was mild and this eminently walkable city put churches, museums, history, art, restaurants and entertainment all within an easy grasp. Plus we lived in a nice apartment in the San Niccolo neighborhood, a quiet section of town.
http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/10/favorite-things-in-florence-italy.html
Like any major city, Florence has its challenges; the traffic is lethal, and in the summer months the city is hot, humid, and overrun with tourists.  Frankly, that’s a small price to pay to live in the birthplace of the Renaissance.  And to top it all off, Florence was where we first began to make great friendships with people who have become very dear to us.
Casa la Vite – Our home in Impruneta was in a magical setting.  On May 1, 2013 we moved to the Chianti district of Tuscany, into a apartment 30 minutes south of Florence that was surrounded by thousands of olive trees and vast wine vineyards.  The sheer beauty of the countryside made us feel like we were living in a postcard picture. 
http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/06/casa-la-vite-our-first-month-june-2-2013.html

Our apartment was in a renovated farmhouse perched on a hilltop.  It had two bedrooms, air conditioning and a swimming pool which made it perfect for when our guests came to visit us, whether they came from Florence or came from the United States.  Most of all it was the place where we met our dear friends Donatella and Andrea, the owners of our apartment.
Alsace, France – A trip up the Route des Vins d’Alsace (the Wine Route) in the Alsace region of western France embodies an immersion into Old World European charm.  If you took away the cars from the old historic towns along the route, you’d think you'd stepped back into the 1,700’s.  We stayed in Ribeauville and Obernai during our road trip
there, with visits to other towns and even castles (Haut-Koenigsbourg).  We sampled some of the best hiking you will find (castles on the mountain trails), best white wine you will drink (the whites have a strong German influence) and some of best food you can eat (fresh baked French bread is beyond description….)  While it’s true the bright lights of Paris warmed us with their allure during our time there, I will take the culture of Old World Europe any day. 
MontepulcianoAngie and I have visited a lot of old, historic, medieval, hilltop, Tuscan towns; our favorite is Montepulciano.  We visited there 5 times, on our own and with friends and guests we took there.  We never tired of its history (it dates to Etruscan periods), its culture (the classical music school gives free concerts in the town square), its wineries (the local vineyards all have retail stores in town), and above all its warm friendly people.  Walking the town’s streets and narrow alleys, ducking in and out of shops, perusing restaurant menus, and enjoying the free wine tasting are part and parcel of breathing in the town’s essence.    
And just to be clear, 
some of my favorite red wines in all of Europe come from Montepulciano.
Somehow Montepulciano has successfully defended its ancient city walls against the assault of commercial exploitation.  It is not choked with the throngs of tourists you can expect in Sienna; neither has it allowed itself to be turned into a bus stop-tourist trap like San Gimignano.  Montepulciano remains true to its soul, a sentiment echoed by everyone we have taken there.
















Stockholm, Sweden – Talk about a society that has its act together…. Stockholm was a personal eye-opener for me to northern European culture.  For starters, the capital of Sweden is magnificent - Stockholm is an elegant city of islands crisscrossed with beautiful rivers, all connected by bridgesand it's the cleanest city I have ever seen in my life. 
During our visit we found Swedish people to be warmer and friendlier than I thought they might be (plus they all spoke English), and they embody a resolute determination to responsibly do what they think is right – for everyone.  Having successfully reigned in the wasteful extravagances of their government’s former Socialist-state policies, Sweden has evolved into an free enterprise 
economic powerhouse of employment, stability, and opportunity – albeit with a high cost of living. Still, America could take some important lessons from Sweden about effective, responsible government.  And all this in a setting of Scandinavian architecture that is home to that unique brand of Swedish modern design.
Bernina Express, Switzerland – Its seems odd to include a train in a favorite places post, but we found the Bernina Express an excellent rail system that took us across some glorious vistas and alpine mountain passes.   The line begins its northern point in Davos and takes you south through astoundingly beautiful countryside, traversing mountains and valleys all the way down to Tirano Italy.  Plus - from Tirano you  
can catch the dedicated bus service straight on to Lake Lugano.  Whether it’s the glitz of St. Moritz, the vistas of Alp Grum, or the hiking opportunities of Poschiavo, the Red Train was our ticket to Swiss adventure.  And, it’s probably going to figure largely in some future plans we are concocting….
The Cinque Terre – The 5 seaside villages on the Italian Riviera that comprise the Cinque Terre are almost like their own little country.  They have their own niche of the Mediterranean Sea, their own interconnecting rail line, they are all chiseled out of the vertical steeps of the Apennine mountains, and they all share a common history of a hardscrabble life earned from the sea.  

Each little town has its own personality and charm with regards to authentic neighborhoods, restaurants, water front, and even art.  It’s hard to pick a favorite among them but it turned out that we stayed in Manarola twice because the train is easily manageable, it has easy access to great swimming off its beautiful rocky coast, it has close proximity to outstanding hiking, and it is easily reachable by car.  When we  wanted to get to the next town we just walked down to the train, or took the scenic route on the high mountain trails that interconnect the towns, enjoying the challenges of a couple hours of hiking and some of the most stunning vistas you can possibly imagine.  The allure and charm of the Cinque Terre gets into your blood.  Once you been there, the only thing you can think about is when you are going back.

Cortina d’Ampezzo -The Alps are not one of my favorite places in Europe.  They are one of my favorite places on earth; however, among the Alps it is the town of Cortina Italy that resonates with me the most.  Nestled in the magnificent Dolomiti (Dolomites), Cortina’s heartbeat is its thriving, bustling community whose restaurants, hotels, shops and services support its cultural commitment to outdoor sport, winter and summer.
http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/02/have-ski-boots-will-travel-to-cortina.html                                    And it’s an edgy culture; the influence of its Swiss and Austrian neighbors intermixes with its northern Italian linage, producing a vibe all its own.  It’s a vibe that certainly strikes a chord with me, whether I’m there to ski the towering Dolomiti or to hike or bike across some of the most striking panoramas ever seen.  The raw, wild beauty that surrounds the town of Cortina is its soul, and it’s spirit resonates with you, winter or summer. 
http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/08/cortina-dampezzo-august-2-5-2013.html
















I hope you have enjoyed the story of our year-long adventure in Italy; my thanks to all of you who have responded with your feedback and words of encouragement.  This link will remain active and available for some time, however, I have no plans for further posts to this location.  Older posts can be reached by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on Older Posts.  Angie and I move to Maine in February, living there for 10 months before returning to New Jersey.  I’m not sure what if any blogging I may be doing from Portland, but if I do I will send out a link.  
Until then, Ciao!
 - Doug

Monday, January 20, 2014

Tuscan Olive Harvest - Nov 15, 2013

Well, we’ve been back in the States 6 weeks, and what a whirlwind of a time it has been!!  Upon our arrival on December 7th, Joan and Bob warmly opened their home to us for 10 days before we moved in with Angie’s sister Teresa.  Teresa and her dog Telly continue to play gracious hostess and host for our crazy comings and goings as we prepare for our move to Portland Maine on February 2nd.  It has been great to be back in the States, to see those whom we love and have missed, and to have been able to spend Christmas with family and friends! 

There remains a couple of stories for me to publish from our year in Italy, one of which I regularly get questioned about, and that is the olive harvest and the olive oil we managed to bring back to the States.  You may recall our  apartment in Impruneta was surrounded by vineyards and olive groves.  It gave us a front row seat to the fall harvests, however, the special treat for me was getting back to my farm boy roots and actually participating in this  year's olive harvest.
Like many small olive oil producers, our friends Donatella, Andrea, and Maurizio share ownership in a olive grove, theirs (the Pini consortium) consisting of about 78 producing trees.  They harvest olives the same way it’s been done for over 6,000 years – by hand. Large nets are carefully stretched across the ground, and a small hand held rake (see Maurizio’s left hand) is used to strip the fruit from the tree branches.  
Andrea shows how the same tool is attached to a pole to reach the upper branches.  The olives fall into the net, which is carefully gathered up and dumped into large plastic tubs weighing about 45-50lbs when full.





The agroturismos and other big oil producers hire harvesting crews, and utilize pneumatic powered mechanical rakers with which a 4 man crew can clean a tree in just a few minutes.  






Small producers eschew such automation, and Maurizio shows how reaching the olives at the top of the tree is best done the traditional way!




Depending on size and maturity, trees generally produce between 1 to 2 1/2 tubs of olives.  On average each tub yields 2 to 2.5 liters of olive oil.  Once enough produce is harvested it is loaded up on the trailer and taken to the frantoio (olive mill) for pressing into delicious olive oil.

After 4 days of hard work our first load netted almost 1,850lbs of fruit, yielding 110 liters of oil. This year's total harvest was 3,300lbs of olives.  The Pini oil is divided among the owners, with some being given to the volunteer helpers.  All of which is kept for personal consumption.

At the frantoio, the olives are dumped into large crates that are forklifted into the first stage of processing for washing and removal of leaves and stems.  From there the olives are conveyed up to the top of the mill.



The basic process of pressing olives hasn’t changed much in 6,000 years; the mill consists of two heavy stone wheels mounted on an axle and rotating on a spindle.  The olives are dumped in the top and crushed under the massive stone wheels of the mill.  






The difference now is, once the pits are extracted from the pressed olives, the crushed fruit passes through a centrifuge (not unlike one I used to operate to puree blueberries many years ago), where the pulp is emulsified and the water is separated out, yielding fresh, cold pressed, ready to eat olive oil.

It is a customary to dip a piece of toasted Tuscan bread right under the spigot, and that first taste gets you a fiery, peppery explosion that you can never get from olive oil in the United States.  Not unless you bring back your own olio nuovo from Italy!  We brought back 11 liters (in suitcases) and were able to share some with family and friends – a special treat indeed!!