And then I discovered artichokes

Growing up in the midwest, I didn’t have many opportunities to eat artichokes. Maybe it was just because my parents didn’t eat them. The first time I saw them, they were in a glass jar swimming in vinegar and I just couldn’t get past the idea that you have to eat the heart. But since living in Italy is all about learning to eat new food, artichokes were among those scary vegetables that I eventually learned not to be afraid of. 

Spring is a great time of year for eating fresh artichokes. In fact, I now actually love eating artichokes (even those in vinegar!), you can bake them, deep fry them, sauté them, even cook them on cinders (see photo below), but my favorite recipe is the following: 

Take off the floppy leaves from the stems, strip the stems of their stringy sides, remove a large number of outer artichoke leaves; cut a straight top on each artichoke to remove all the thorns, separate the stem from the heart, cut the clean stems into pieces. Finely chop a couple of garlic cloves and some fresh parsley (most Italians also add “mentuccia” a minty herb whose scientific name is calamintha nepeta). Put a little olive oil in a pot or sauce pan and add the artichoke heads and stems; sprinkle the garlic and parsley mixtures on top of each artichoke and sprinkle some salt (or, as I do, sprinkle some home-made vegetable bouillon). Cover and let cook for 10 minutes on a low flame, then add a small amount of white wine or water and turn the artichokes over. Cook for another 10-15 minutes...and I promise you will not be disappointed!! 

For dinner tonight…

Every year in the spring friends of ours have an artichoke party and cook over one hundred artichokes over cinders…

A Walk on the Snow

As everyone knows, there is quite an array of winter sports to please any enthusiast. In Italy skiing is probably the most popular sport of the season, however a growing number of Italians are experimenting with snowshoeing. Today I went out with my favorite association “Tesori del Lazio” to explore the lower Apennine Mountains around Campo Catino, about 90 km east of Rome. Fantastic weather, warm sun and the absence of wind made the day perfect for trying out the snowshoes and exploring the mountains in the silence of the snowy slopes. What a fantastic day in the fresh air, making new friends and enjoying a healthy walk while feeling high enough to touch the sky!

Happy Epiphany

La Befana: a cross between Halloween and Christmas

When my husband was a young boy, the only holiday gifts most children received were those on January 6 for la Befana, or Epiphany. A stocking full of goodies was given to Italian children (coal was put in the stocking for those who misbehaved). The main character of this tradition is la Befana, a witch who rides a broomstick and fills the children’s stockings during the night. In Rome’s Piazza Navona, every year there is an enormous outdoor market where pre-filled stockings, candies, toys and Befana dolls are sold. It is the main place where families go to choose a surprise for their children. Buona Epifania! 

FARMER’S MARKETS

Local trends in Italy indicate that farming is on the rise, and alternative farming methods are being used more than ever to preserve the environment and guarantee high quality produce. A couple of years ago I jumped aboard the “eco” bandwagon and have been buying and growing organic and biodynamic food ever since. The area around Rome is perfect for agriculture: lots of sun, winter rainfall, moderate climate. That doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges, but it does make for an idyllic setting where we can all plant seeds (even the metaphoric kind).

A local bio-dynamic farmer in Labico provides my family with chemical-free vegetables; an organic beekeeper in Palestrina sells various flavors of honey; an organic, free-range chicken farm produces our eggs; an extensive farm in Rome raises 100% organic, grass-fed beef; a local, organic purchasing group provides us with everything else like fruit, yoghurt, bread, pasta, whole grains, flour, sweeteners, cheese. A year ago I took a short class on how to make bread and now I make my bread every week using a home-made starter and organic, stone-ground flour.

And one of the most enjoyable aspects of local life around Rome is the presence of farmer’s markets. At Zagarolo’s Sunday morning market there is a vast array of stalls manned by local producers (many are organic or bio-dynamic) who bring their fresh products to the piazza. The friendly atmosphere and low prices are reason enough to come and meet the people who toil to make sure we all have the ingredients for Sunday lunch. There are hand-picked herbs, meats, milk products, flowers, freshly baked bread, eggs, fruit and vegetables, hand-made baskets, home-made soaps and cosmetics, organic honey, mushrooms, and much more. I love to stroll through this open-air market and taste the local products. My favorite stand is one where sheep farmers sell their organic cheese. Pecorino, anyone?

Useful apps for traveling in Italy (or anywhere)

I just returned from a long journey through Georgia and Armenia and wish I had downloaded these apps before I left. My husband and I did the classic, foldable, bulky paper map and carried around the Lonely Planet guide book for a month. It has it’s charm up to a certain point. According to “Wired”, here is a good selection of useful apps for travel savvy world voyagers:

TRIPIT-- (for android, apple, blackberry and windows phone)

It works like a personal secretary, so this is good for long trips, because it helps keep everything in order from flights/trains, hotel bookings, events, pre-purchased tickets, maps. The price ranges from free to 89 euro cents.

mTRIP-- (for android and apple)

This is what I could have used as an alternative to the paper guide book which I constantly held for a month. It’s cooler to use your phone and even cooler not to pay large roaming fees. Using the mTRIP travel guides gives you the chance to download maps and guides before you leave, so you already have everything on your phone when you go abroad. The application will suggest itineraries depending on the length of your stay in each place. It gives additional info on your surroundings and you can also write reviews of each place. Price varies from € 3.99 to €4.49.

CITY MAPS 2 GO-- (for android and apple) 

Choose from over 7000 maps which you download before leaving and can consult for free once you’re abroad. The maps also indicate restaurants, shops and businesses, places of interest, banks. It’s also connected to Wikipedia which gives additional info on 500,000 attractions and places throughout the world. From free to 89 cents.

BAN.JO-- (for android and apple)

This app uses social networks to find out about interesting happenings: events, concerts, shows, exhibits, photos and more. It’s free.

FIELD TRIP--(for android and apple)

The app tracks your location and lets you know about the most interesting places in your vicinity: museums, monuments, bars, coffee shops, restaurants and the like. It’s free.

TRIPOSO--(for android and apple)

Almost every travel guide in the world (with contents in a Wiki style) which you download and then consult while off line. It’s free.

WORLDMATE--(for android and apple)

Everything for the world of work: itineraries, agendas, weather, time change. It’s free.

OsmAnd--(for android and blackberry)

Fantastic navigator gps which uses all open source documents in the world from the OpenStreetMap project; vocal assistance, places of interest, you can modify maps if there are imperfections. No connection needed to consult the maps after downloading. It’s free.

Corpus Domini

One of the most beautiful festivals held in Italy takes place each year in June. Corpus Domini is the Catholic celebration of the belief in the body and blood of Christ and his real presence in the Eucharist. What it means for townspeople in Palestrina is a long preparation of picking flower petals in the hills around town, selecting a central theme and choosing designs which are later drawn by hand on the cobblestone streets through the old part of town. The evening before the procession, townspeople gather and dedicate the entire night to making the drawings and filling in the designs with fresh flower petals, seeds, soil, and sometimes colored wood shavings. An intricate floral tapestry is created for the Sunday procession. In Italian, the floral tapestry is called the “Infiorata” and if you’re traveling through Italy in June (this year it’s on Sunday, June 2), make your way to a town where this religious festival is celebrated. Near Rome, the largest floral tapestry is made in Genzano; the tapestries in Palestrina and Genazzano are also worth a look. Pray for good weather!!

Here is the link to the photos: http://youtu.be/PI5w76eHRrY

Ninfa Gardens

Ninfa Botanical Garden

What could be more relaxing than a stroll through the colorful, botanical garden in Ninfa? The gardens were created in 1920 on the ruins of the medieval town of Ninfa, after battles destroyed most of the original structures hundreds of years ago. Today you’ll find that roses and scented climbing flowers have taken over the stone buildings and now gracefully decorate the fallen arches and bridges. It’s a perfume-filled visit with colorful surprises around every corner. Rare plant varieties and scented beauties everywhere. Highly recommended for those who don’t like to rush, for those who love a great photo opportunity and for plant and flower enthusiasts. Definitely an excellent day trip for also viewing the cyclopian masonry of Norma, the town of Sermoneta, the Abbey of Valvisciolo, the Caetani Castle...

There are some great photos accompanied by historical and practical information on the Ninfa garden’s official website: www.fondazionecaetani.org.

Here is a video of some of my photos: http://youtu.be/qNsOIP882sw