My parents were just here in Italia, and we packed in a good week of food, travel, and visiting friends, which also normally involved eating.
They arrived last Monday evening in Salò where I got them settled into an apartment I rented just off the lungolago. On Tuesday morning they came to school, met some of the teachers and one of my classes. We spent the afternoon around the lake in Salò and ate dinner at a nice, traditional trattoria, which turned out to be owned by the father of one of my students. They served us huge portions of Garda cuisine, local vino, and an extra focaccia on the house.
Wednesday we toured Verona, spending our time lounging in piazzas eating well and drinking aperitivi in between the sites. On the way home we stopped in San Felice to eat paninis along the Garda lakeside.
Thursday was
il Vittoriale the house and garden of Garda's poet, war hero, writer, and eccentric personage Gabriele d'Annunzio.
Needless to say, he was crazy and his home and lifestyle keep this legacy intact. From the reconstructed boat in the garden to the thousands of religious trinkets from all over the world inside to his "personalization" or manipulation of famous pieces of artwork... it was an odd experience. We ate a picnic in Gardone Riviera and spent the rest of the day by the lake in Gargnano with dinner by the lake in Salò.
Friday we headed to Parma, wandered town and my friend Johnny took us to Tri Siochett, an authentic restaurant outside of town in the middle of nowhere. He proceeded to get lost for about a half hour while we crossed the same bridge about 4 times.
When we arrived, we ate way too much delicious Parmigiano food from prosciutto di Parma and other varieties of salami and ham, to pastas filled with creamy, buttery herbs and cheeses, to horse steaks and eggplant parmigiano and numerous preparations of beef... the food was so amazing that it was oppressive because there was simply just too much.
Johnny and I went out after dropping my parents at the hotel, and we couldn't even finish a drink because we were so full. But the bravi Sardi (Marco e Marco) made us stick around. Around 3 AM or so when we thought we were just dropping them off, they literally drug Johnny out of the car and pushed us inside feeding us bright pinkish-red cured fish eggs
(basically the entire feminine organ) on flatbread with olive oil and pepper. Interesting but good. And after busting out the vino and guitar, it looked like this at 6 AM as we stumbled down the street to Johnny's apartment.
Saturday night my parents and I returned to Salò, and the family whose kids I have been tutoring had us over for dinner. We ate with Virginia, Alberto and the kids Alessio, Matteo, and Gioia, and my dad finally got his sample of grappa.
Sunday was our amazing drive in the hills above Lago di Garda with the absolutely beautiful and untouched Val Valvestino and its lake and the following lakes and small villages around Lago d'Idro and Lago di Ledro.
In Idro we found the most amazing market I've ever seen. The kind that offers all-you-can-eat free samples of fresh baked bread from focaccia with cherry tomatoes or rosemary to fruit filled croissants and other local breads and sweet cakes. The market was in conjunction with the local elementary school, and the kids were there learning how to make bread. A woman told me this was the first time they'd ever done it, and she hoped that this initial experiment would lead to a weekly or monthly market. I'd definitely return just for the bread samples, who cares about the ridiculously gorgeous lake and scenery around. It was like Costco times a billion.
After entering Trentino-Alto Adige in the north and eating paninis, we eventually came down from the hills through a series of extremely long tunnels and followed the lakeside road to Limone sul Garda. We strolled the lungolago while navigating between the masses of German tourists (just like all over Lago di Garda).
And last night a large table of friends and dinner awaited us in the hills above Gardone Riviera overlooking the lights of Garda. After a walk by the lake today, my parents left this afternoon for Amsterdam before catching their flight back to PDX tomorrow.
I ate way too much and I am exhausted just thinking about it. It feels like I ate more this last week than I have in my entire duration here in Italia... and that includes studying abroad 3 years ago.
I'm fasting until Sardegna. Or performing some other kind of miracle.
By far my favorite food from Sardegna is the flatbread, pane carasua, originally created to last for weeks so shepherds could take it into the fields and mountains without having to worry about it spoiling. But the ultimate way to eat it is as pane guttiau, where it is sprinkled with salt and olive oil and then warmed in the oven or over a grill. Who knew stale bread could be so simply amazing!!!
We watched a few matches of EuroCup, drank wine, beer, coffee, and liquore in the piazzas and cafés, ate well, lived well. Sassari is a very authentic city with a unique Sardo culture and identity. Mi mancherà la Sardegna.
