Up In the Clouds with Wild Horses

Yesterday was spent in the Sibillini Mountains, hiking in and out of the clouds, soaking up some sun and seeing beautiful wild horses. We started from Castelluccia, a picturesque town located in the mountains. Our destination was Mount Patino. When we first arrived, the valley was covered in a thick dense fog... it was a little spooky, yet very beautiful. The hike was gradual and we started by walking in the valley for about an hour, then an increased climb, until we reached the first peak.. from there we spent the day walking along a grassy ridge with outstanding views.  We took many breaks listening to the silence of the forest. It was the quietest thing I have heard since coming to Italy:  not a sound. No breeze, no insects. Just pure silence.  The pictures don't do the day justice.. but here is a little preview of my day.

Rose Berries and Fog

Summit of Monte Patino- great spot for lunch

view of Castelluccia, with highest mountain in Sibillini, and a beautiful moon

lentil fields

early morning fog on the way to Castelluccia

Tenera Ascoli Festival

Ascoli Piceno held its annual "tenera Ascolana" festival on November 16-17th.   It was a weekend full of typical regional products : olives, olive oil, meats, cheeses, honey and more.  On that Sunday, they held a brunch, serving 5 different courses in 5 different historical buildings.

The first dish was an antipasti: it included cheese, salami, olives, breads and chestnut honey.

The second dish was a typical lasagna of Ascoli:  it had meat, cheese, mushrooms and truffle oil.

The third dish was a fried plate and included: fried stuffed olives (stuffed with meat, chicken and pork), fried cream, fried artichokes, zucchinis and peppers, and fried lamb.

The last two dishes were a small dessert and then an espresso at Cafe Meletti.  Cafe Meletti is a very famous place in Ascoli- the owner and founder is known for his famous Anise Liquor invention.

The best part of this brunch was the many different free wines we got to try (and our fancy wine holders).

Buon Appetito!

Cheese, Lambs and Monk Beer

These past two weekends were spent trekking through the Sibillini Mountains of Italy, enjoying breathtaking views and fresh air.  The Sibillini Mountains are located in the Apennines mountain range, also referred to as the "spine" of Italy.  The Sibillini National Park is a quick drive from Ascoli, only 40 minutes to an hour.  Last weekend we spent the day walking from Norcia to another small town (can't remember the name of it).  The trip took about six hours and we took a few pit stops.   We stopped at a farm that raises sheep for pecorino cheese.  The sheep were busy giving birth... literally.   We got to see a lamb that was 20 minutes old and saw many other ones frolicking in the fields. We also got to taste their pecorino cheese and see where it was made.  Other stops included on this hike were to an ancient church, an abbey (place where monks live) and a hermitage (home to an Irish Monk who served for the United States Marines).  Once we got back to Norcia, which is known for their lentils, pecorino cheese and wild boar products, we stopped at a Monk Brewery. Yes, these monks brew their own beer.

pecorino cheese!

Olives, Olives, Olives!

This past weekend was spent picking olives, watching beautiful sunsets, and making olive oil!  Through the WWOOF Italia site, we found a farm that was willing to put us up for the weekend.  We arrived to the farm early Friday morning and were soon picking away.   The farm was 5 Hectares and had 50 olive trees, tons of grapes, and other fruits and vegetables.  We primarily worked on the olive harvest.

These trees were not small.... It took us a whole day to do just ONE tree by hand.  We had to use ladders and ropes to get to the top branches. That one tree had 100 kilos worth of olives... thats about 200 pounds. Harvesting olives is very relaxing and fun- there is no wrong way to do.  You just run your hand over the branch and they all fall off... or you can give it a shake.

That night we helped Fabio make the oil.  He has a small machine that produces about 1 Liter , in 3 hours time.  Most farmers will bring their olives to a communal olive press at the end of their harvest, where you pay and it takes one hour to produce...  but Fabio doesn't agree with that.  He doesn't want his olive oil to mix with others.  I had a lot of respect for this man.  He wakes up at 5AM to make a batch of oil, works in the field from 8-5, then makes another batch of oil from 5-8pm.  Talk about a long day!  So far he has harvested half of his trees in a months time putting in way over 100 hours. Fabio has little help on the farm, except for the occasional WWOOFER.  His right-hand women is his 90 year old mother-in-law, who works just as hard as him.  I hope I have that ability at 90...  

The mesh catchs all the olives

Trying to keep our lovely cabin warm! 

Annie on the 6m ladder!

Fall Break!

After Terra Madre we left Torino for a long week of traveling through Italy.  We headed straight for Bergamo, a nice quiet town north of Milan, which is at the base of the Alps.  The train ride there was beautiful as the snow-covered peaks dangled across the horizon. We only had an afternoon in the town, so we went to a highly recommended restaurant called Circolino. I had an amazing pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala, salmon, shrimp, and ricotta.

Citta Alta Bergamo-where we went

My pizza

After our day in Bergamo we headed to Milan for the night.   Milan was a little overwhelming for us, but luckily we only had to spend the night there.  The next morning at the crack of dawn, we headed to Cinque Terre for a day of hiking on the coastline.  We made it to our seaside town of Manarola and checked into our hostel by 11.  We then grabbed a quick lunch and set off on our day hike adventure.   The scenery was breathtaking and the trail was steep and narrow, but we made it.... five hours later.

Wednesday we left Manarola and took a train to Parma.  Unfortunately by the time we got there it was dark and rainy, so our sight seeing was limited.  We were all famished and tired so we decided to find the best restaurant we could for some authentic Parma food.... We talked to the first person we saw on the main street and asked what their favorite place was.  The old man then directed us to this little alleyway with his favorite restaurant in Parma.  The food was amazing and we spent three hours enjoying every bite.  For my primi (first dish) I got Tortelli di Zucca, or handmade pumpkin raviolis. It was the perfect starter for Halloween night.  My second dish was gnocchi, smothered in gorgonzola cheese and chopped walnuts.  I left the place feeling very full.

On Thursday, I set out for Bologna, my final destination to reunite with my best Italian amica, Cecilia. Our time together was well spent and I got a personal tour of Bologna for two days.  We climbed Tower Asinelli, the highest tower in Bologna, with 498 steps, made pancakes and fresh pasta, went shopping, and went to a beautiful sanctuary overlooking Bologna.  My vacation could not have ended more perfectly and I am so grateful to have her as a friend.

Terra Madre/Salone del Gusto

To start our week long break, we traveled to Torino for the bi-annual food festival, Terra Madre and Salone del Gusto.   It is sponsored by Slow Food, an international movement that promotes Good, Clean and Fair food.  This event was a foodies dream come true; there were over 1,500 food vendors from all over the world, representing more than 150 countries. There were also numerous free conferences with topics ranging from edible educations to pasta making, to seed freedom. Some big names in the food world were there including Alice Waters, Vandana Shiva and Carlo Petrini, and I got to see each of them speak.  We spent Thursday-Sunday at the event... I am pretty sure I spent over 40 hours there and didn't even see everything it had to offer.  The event was held in the old Fiat factory as well as the olympic speed-skating arena.

I got to try a variety of foods and drinks ranging from Palm Tree Beer to Rose Gelato to Reindeer Meat from Sweden (yes, Rudolph).   Almost every booth had some sort of sample with their country or regions signature food.   There was one room devoted to international foods and another two rooms solely for Italy.  The Italy room had enough meat, cheese and wine to last a life time.

On Saturday night I went to a pizza making workshop put on by the men of Naples.  Napoli was the birthplace of pizza. I tried five different pizzas and got the secret crust recipe to bring home....

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

homemade tagliatelle pasta!

palm tree beer from Brazil....apparently high in antioxidants

eating an Arancini- fried rice ball stuffed with peas, carrots and meat

Enoteca- wine tasting room.. over 2000 wines from Italy!

pizza with broccoli rabe, sausage and mozzarella di bufala 

Overall the weekend was very inspirational and gave me hope that this food movement is about to take over the world.

When in Rome

The girls and I took a day trip to Rome this past weekend.  We left Ascoli on the  6AM bus arriving to Rome at 9AM.  We left Rome at 8PM... it was jam packed day but we saw all the big sites in rome!

First we went to the Spanish Steps- they were pretty cool but I thought it was a little overrated and there was a tourist mob scene. 

After the Steps, we walked to the Trevi Fountain.  The fountain was very beautiful, but also PACKED with tourists. We took some pictures, ate our lunch and then moved on.

We walked to the Pantheon and took a quick tour of the inside before moving to our next destination.... the Vatican.

When we got to the Vatican we signed up for a tour through the museum, which then ended up in the Sistine Chapel and then St. Peter's Basilica. It was truly amazing to see how intricate the artwork was in these monuments.  Unfortunately we didn't see the Pope, but being there was pretty cool. 

The last stop of the day was to the Coliseum. Unfortunately it was too late to go inside because it closed at 5, but we still got to check it out.  

I haven't been doing much traveling the past two weekends... We had midterms this week.  Tomorrow I am off on a 12 day adventure.  We start our journey in Torino at the Terra Madre and Salone Del Gusto food conference.  This event is put on by Slow Food and it only occurs every 2 years.  Luckily, it just so happened to take place while we are in Italy :) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6PJX3LvEk8&feature=player_embedded

^^Press Video of conference

After 4 days of that, I head to Milan, Cinque Terre, Parma, and Bologna to see the beautiful Cecilia Riccardi who I have not seen since high school!!! 

Amalfi Coast

Our trip to the Amalfi Coast was very relaxing, yet packed tightly with many places to see.  We left Ascoli that Thursday night and took a bus straight to Amalfi.  After a 6 hour bus ride, we checked into our Hostel.

During this weekend we hit Capri, Positano, and Pompeii.

We took an early morning boat ride on Friday to the island of Capri.  The deep crystal blue water was mesmerizing and for a second I thought I was in the caribbean.

Arriving into Capri

When we got to Capri, we transferred to a smaller boat to go on a tour around the island.  It 

was about a 2-hour tour and had some breath-taking views.  We saw many caves, Denzel Washington's house and a house Michael Jackson tried to buy.

we took the boat through the hole

This part of Italy is known for it's coral jewelry.  This is how it is obtained...  This is a picture of coral.   Pink coral is known as "summer coral", and red coral is known as "winter coral". 

After the boat ride we walked to AnaCapri, which is the northern village on the island.  We had lunch and enjoyed slushies made from fresh squeezed lemons and oranges.  To digest, we took the chairlift to the highest point of the island which had amazing views.  I am always skeptical of taking a chairlift if its not for skiing but I did it anyways.... It was a single chair just like Mad River Glen.

looking down from the top 

the rock we went through on the boat.. looking down

blue waters of the Mediterranean

The next morning we woke up early and headed for Positano for a day at the beach. It was a warm October day... 80 degrees! We laid on the beach for the morning and early afternoon, then took a small private boat to do some cliff jumping and cave swimming. 

enjoying the warm waters- swimming in the ocean in October????

Sarah taking the plunge!

On Sunday we traveled to the city of Pompeii.  Pictures and documentaries don't do this history-packed city justice.  It was so surreal to be in Pompeii... the buildings, plastered bodies, artifacts, red light district, art, and Mt.Vesuvius were all right in front of us.

Streets of Pompeii

Inside theater.. the white marble stairs are ORIGINALS

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