5/24/2024                                                    Cruising The Po River with Captain Martina

Thankfully, birdpoop-free.

Our visit to the salumificio on Giarola Isand, 

which produces traditional culatello Parma ham.

Our new participant, strolling the grounds, was a 

magnificent, beautifully stunning male peacock, 

who later hissed at us before revealing a fantastic plumage, 

front and back.

Deep in the mansion's basement is a secret room down twisting, rickety, rotting steps.

"Silencio," says our trusty leader. At the same time, she slowly opens the creaking metal door before telling us about the overwhelming odor of mildew, which you deeply inhale too late before she can complete the entire warning. 

Row after row of aging culatello, Parma hams have taken over the space—some with multi-colored tags belonging to the upper class, who are the only people with enough income to cover the rental space charges for this exquisite meat. 

I am salivating...despite the smell.

Transfer to Lucca via the Appenine Mountains for the Main Trip...

 5/23/2024 Return to Parma 💕💕

I love Parma! And it doesn't take long to realize why...

• The Barilla family owns the entire area near our hotel.

 

• It has incredible towers, chapels, churches, and frescoes. 

The church of San Giovanni Evangelista's dome fresco 

by Correggio of Saint John on Patmos.

Cathedral of Parma

(outside and inside)

The stunning depiction of the crucifixion of Christ ceiling fresco.

• The food and drink are amazing!

Cheese, mortadella, Ciabatta bread, and wine.

Inside the Parma Opera House.

 

Betty generously offered me the extra ticket she purchased for two box seats to attend the sold-out, riveting production of Tosca. 

Of course, being a Pucchini aficionado, I didn't hesitate. 

Ironically, she miscalculated where our seats were, 

and I ended up with the better seat along the railing. 

Betty kept insisting I was in the wrong seat, and I kept telling her the usher seated me and that ushers are always right. 

She was sitting 3 boxes behind me when she photographed my back (upper left in a pink blouse with my head down.)

The seating in these boxes made no sense. Only the 2 seats along the railing had a view of the stage. 

The other 3 had restricted views or none at all.

Just before the opera curtain was raised, a younger Italian woman and her friend entered my box while I was chatting with the German couple (also in the box). The woman and her friend aggressively insisted I was in their seat (at least, I thought that's what they were saying since I didn't understand Italian and they didn't understand English.) 

But I knew I needed to remain glued to my seat for 2 20-minute intermissions and 4.5 hours of Tosca because I was sure one of them would purloin it if I moved a muscle. By the end of the opera, my butt was so numb, I was surprised I could walk back to our hotel.

 

Tuscany and Umbria Revisited

 5/22/2024 - Transfer to Parma.

Time to Cut the Cheese!

When I watched Parmigiana Reggiano made from start to finish on a farm 23 years ago, I was amazed at the entire process. 

This time, we visited the Institute Lazzaro Spallanzani, 

On Castelfranco, Emilia, in the Modena Province, an Italian higher education institute where different courses (high school, technical, and professional) are the core curriculum. Some students were pursuing agricultural careers. Others worked in hospitality and cooking. There was no tuition involved. 

Our lovely tour guides.

The process of making Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese begins...

Milk for Parmigiano Reggiano is collected twice daily, evening and morning. Evening milk is poured into special, large vats ("affioratori") so the cream will naturally come up during the night. 

Gigantic mixers encourage the whey, but 23 years later, still no gloves are being worn (at least these two took off their watches). Apparently, the acid in the process cleans their hands and the vats. 

In about 40 minutes, the cheese starts to take shape. It is so heavy that two powerful workers must tie it to a rod to drain the liquid.

Three male students pursuing this career were supposed to use their whispers to explain the next steps in English so we could listen to our whispers despite the machinery's noise. As you can imagine, their monotone, expressionless descriptions were totally dull. And their skinny upper bodies needed to get to the gym if they intended to be successful.

Finally, it was time for the master to cut the cheese (which sparked a barrage of scatological colloquialisms and revealed a side of Martina that impressed me). 

However, as a former English teacher who loves colloquialisms, I was able to suggest another one to add to her vocabulary when I suggested "breaking wind."

And soon, there were two...

Shaping and draining to fit the mold.

Finished Parmigiana Reggiano wheels ready for DOC rating.

After cutting the cheese and breaking wind, we strolled through the school's agricultural area, asking questions of our trusty guides, who were working in the hospitality tract of study. The students had a parmesan and ricotta cheese-tasting ready for us, with white sparkling wine ready for judging.

Parmesan and jam on crackers; yellow plate, 12-month-age Parmesan; orange plate, 24-month-age Parmesan; red plate, 36-month-age Parmesan. They were definitely different tasting, but the 24-month-age Parmesan was the winner.

There were also ricotta with figs in plastic cups was fabulous!

Ciao to our friends at the Institute and onto our next feeding at the acetaia (balsamic vinegar producer). (Sigh, if we must.) We learned the tradition behind the fine, aged condiment produced in the surrounding areas since the Middle Ages and its importance to the people in this region.

"Balsamico" stems from the Latin "balsam-like," meaning having curative powers. We were happy to verify this concept with a tasting of the many varieties of this sweet yet strong staple of Italian cuisine. (And trust me, the US balsamic vinegar we buy in the supermarket did NOT make the cut.) 

As the aging increases, so does the price. We didn't mind, because our favorite choice was the clear, salad balsamic vinegar with the shortest aging in the barrel. It was tart, tasty, and 

delicious.

Our guide for the Villa San Donnino.

(Oak barrels have a thin flap over the hole that can be lifted and closed to allow oxygen in briefly to help age the vinegar.)

I loved this framed display of the vinegar bottles so much 

that I asked if it was available to purchase 

(but I would have had to pay a fortune for these two vinegar bottles).

We transferred from the safety of the barrels to dark skies, mounting cloud cover, and threatening lightning when we took up residence in an open-ended building for our vinegar tasting and lunch. Fortunately, the storm never came while we were eating.

Tuscany and Umbria Revisited

 5/21/2024                                                       Ravenna's Mosaics

This morning, we took the train to Ravenna, the seat of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century and later the westernmost outpost of the Byzantine Empire. UNESCO recognized Ravenna as a World Heritage site for its complex of early Christian mosaics and monuments.

Our 2.5-hour optional guided tour began with Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, a Gothic baptistery built in the fifth century, and ended with the 1,400-year-old Basilica di San Vitale. 

There seemed to be an endless supply of schoolchildren and exhausted teachers everywhere we turned, especially one sarcastic female who tangled with our local tour guide, Ricardo, after our group unknowingly interrupted her attempt to take a group photo of her students. (I was the last of our group to do so, thinking that all was clear, but apparently, it was not as the teacher continued to harangue Ricardo, so I quickly vanished undetected.)                                                                                 

(My altercation would happen later in the train station.)

I discovered this exotic banana plant in the garden.

 (not recommended for eating).

 It reminded me of a vacuum cleaner.

Basilica di San Giovanni Evangelista 

Basilica of St. Vitale

We moved on to Dante's tomb and 

assorted garden sculptures above and below...

...and passed Garibaldi's statue on our way to lunch.

Now I'm starting to salivate...

Beautifully renovated massive dining area with a huge movie screen, 

too many wine bottles to count, huge ceiling lights, and wonderful food.

https://www.osteriapassatelli.it/

The Antipasti

Cheeses, thinly sliced meats, figs, balsamic vinegar, 

and fresh-baked bread in the bag on the left.

After lunch, we were on our way to the train station to return to Bologna when we were besieged by more kids pouring out of the woodwork, pushing and shoving each other, screaming at the top of their lungs, and acting like middle school banshees. 

Just as my hiking pole was ready to skewer Betty (accidentally), she let me know it was cock-eyed and sticking out of my backpack. Just as I was reaching behind me to retrieve it, two stupid teenagers, totally oblivious to massive crowds trying to board the correct car, stopped unexpectedly without concern for the people around them, before their histrionics and immature behavior nearly took out several people. 

Unfortunately for them, I was in that group and almost took both of them down with a surprise and satisfying shove that sent them a message they wouldn't forget. 

Gramigna, typically found in Emilia Romagna, is curly-shaped pasta with a hole. While this dish doesn't look very appetizing, it quickly became my favorite pasta choice, salsiccia e gramigna (fresh handmade Gramigna with sausages, white ragu sauce, milk, and Parmigiano Reggiano.)

I also enjoyed it with red pepper sauce at another restaurant, but that restaurant had a much better, convivial outcome. In this one, where I expected to pay $11, the price jumped to $15 when I was ready to pay.

 

The following conversation, which I started, escalated quickly...

Me: "Excuse me, the menu said $11; how did it end up to $4 more?

Nasty Waitress: "You had wine."

Me (starting to get pissed): "No, I did not."

Her again (also getting pissed): "You had bread."

Me matching her pissiness: "No, I did not."

Pissiness approaching takeoff from her: "You had water."

Me, pissiness off the chart: "OK, I did have that."

Her, being off the chart pissy: "And you had a fork."

Me, in shock and unable to reply.

Me, now ready to throttle her: "Well duh, no one told me it was BYOF."

Tuscany and Umbria Revisited

5/20/2024                                                   Bologna Walking Tour

Bologna, a UNESCO-protected city noted for its medieval towers and long, columned porticos, is the lively, historic capital of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy.

Our hotel was just a 12-minute walk to its Piazza Maggiore, a sprawling plaza lined with arched colonnades, cafes, and medieval and Renaissance structures such as City Hall, the Fountain of Neptune, and the Basilica di San Petronio. 

It is also home to Bologna’s most iconic landmark, the Two Towers, the leaning Asinelli and Garisenda. Asinelli is taller, at 319 feet high, with 498 steps to the top, and more dangerous than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Currently, and rightly so, it is closed due to obvious safety issues.

Bologna is also known as the red city, with its terracotta-tiled roofs and an infinite number of oranges and ochres, traditionally known as Bologna red and Modena yellow. 

The Piazza Maggiore, in the heart of the city, has been the undisputed symbol of Bologna for centuries. It is one of the oldest in Italy, dating back to the 13th century when the municipality decided to buy land there to dedicate to a market.

What I found most intriguing was that the Pope and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome constantly blocked construction because the Pope wanted to prevent the construction of San Petronio from exceeding the size of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. (What happened to all that Christian love???)

San Petronio was born into a noble Roman family. He later converted to Christianity, became a priest, and, in the fifth century, was the bishop of Bologna and a patron saint of the city until he died in 450 AD.

Construction of the Basilica di San Petronio 

(above and below) began in 1390, and its main facade 

has remained unfinished since. The building was transferred from the city to the diocese in 1929, and the basilica was finally consecrated in 1954. It has been the seat of the relics of Bologna’s patron saint only since 2000.

 

Our local guide, Izzy, was amazing with her “hidden stories of the basilica,” especially regarding the private chapels. 

This fresco, painted by Giovanni da Modena, represents a scene from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno. It depicts Muhammad in Hell being devoured by Lucifer and other demons. (It is amazing and hard to unsee.)

However, the Fountain of Neptune provided Rome with multiple challenges. Neptune’s outstretched left arm blocks the winds to calm the sea in a symbolic gesture meant to glorify Pope Pius IV and the power of the Catholic Church over the city of Bologna.

But when the Pope and Catholic Church protested Neptune’s distracting significant penis and the females spouting unending streams of water from their breasts, the church ordered the sculpture to shorten the penis or return the fountain.

The outcome?

The sculpture was slightly rotated, and if you stood in the correct spot (which I did immediately), you could understand why it stopped there with its left hand at the waistline. LOL - hard to miss (no pun intended).

The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, was the first higher learning institute in the Western world. To expand, Bologna had to fight the church and Rome. (There is no clear winner to this conundrum yet.)

Inside the University of Bologna’s anatomical classroom

(above and below)

In my day, as a high school student in advanced Biology, I dissected frogs and worms. I’m not so sure how I would feel with fully exposed, naked cadavers front and center on this table during their dissections. 

Lavish displays of graduates’ coat of arms throughout...

After pizza and beers at a small pizzeria, we walked as quickly as possible to catch the 1:30 train to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca to challenge the 100+ steps to the top of the cupola. Betty and I made it!

The Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca.

(from the bottom to the top).

The rooftop view after ascending a spiral staircase of 100+ steps.

When we headed to the return line to board the train for the ride back, we worried there wouldn’t be enough seats for us to get back in time for our next meeting. It was clear where the line ended, but, some entitled people thought they could squeeze in the line wherever they wanted. 

One guy, in particular, used a baby stroller (holding his own baby hostage) inside the parking area specifically for the train, inching and inching to cut in front of me (his first mistake). I told him to go to the end of the line just like his wife did. His response? “I speak no English.” My response? “Well, I do, and I fully understand you.” Thankfully, the train’s supervisor directed him to the back of the line, where he belonged.

Dinner at Osteria IL 15 was so impressive that even Mona Lisa was drooling...

Our prix-fix dinner included Antipasti (appetizers), Primi (first course), and Dolci (dessert). 

New antipasti included pesto modenese (aka lardo pesto), rosemary, garlic, and cured pork fat; squacquerone (cheese); and riccota al balsamico carmellato (Panna cotta). The best? 

All three! (But I and others, preferred the pork lard pesto). 

I tried zucchini pasta for the first time and loved it.

And the super creamy Panna cotta was amazing (as always).