T’is the season for beautiful, succulent persimmons. Known here as cachi. As lovely to look at as they are tasty to eat.
Food
Boo!
The long history of dried pasta in Italy
Pasta has long been a part of Italian cuisine, but only quite recently acquired the dominant, pervasive role it plays now.
The oldest form is thought to be lasagna, which is known to have been cooked in ancient Rome, though not quite in the way it is today.
Dried pasta seems to have been invented quite separately, in North Africa, as expedition food for desert caravans. It was probably brought to Sicily by the island’s Muslim conquerors. In a codex published in 1154, a Moroccan geographer and botanist known as al-Idrisi described a thriving pasta manufacturing industry near Palermo, which exported its products to Muslim and Christian countries alike. Among them was a stringlike pasta then known by the name itrija.
Dried pasta had the same advantages for seafarers as it did for camel drivers, so it is hardly surprising that it next appears in Genoa.
It is mentioned in a document written in 1279, and production of vermicelli, which was to remain a Genoese specialty, had begun by the fourteenth century.
The consumption of pasta continued nevertheless to be associated with Sicilians until in the 18th century the nickname of mangiamaccheroni gradually came to be bestowed on the Neapolitans. By 1785, Naples had 280 pasta shops.
Hooper, John. The Italians (pp. 99-100). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
“Enjoy it iced!” There is nothing like a Coca-Cola!
Gustala ghiacciata! = Enjoy it iced.
Seasonal treats
It’s autumn, obviously, so what do you expect in the bakery here?
How about
Schiacciata con uve?
And if that doesn’t float your boat, how about
Schiacciata con fichi e noci?
Delizioso!
Autogrill shopping trips
It is well documented that I love spending time (and money!) in Italian grocery stores. No doubt about it.
But, you should see the Autogrills! Auto grills are the amazing coffee bars, cafeterias, and, of course, gas pumps, that are situated along the autostrade in Italy. I never, ever miss the opportunity to wander through one of these amazing places, not ever!
Last night I was returning to Florence from a trip to the Verona area, and stopped at an autogrill that was almost unbelievable (in its greatness.) It was late and I was tired and so, unfortunately, I didn’t take as many pictures as I normally would have.
But, I did snap a couple of pics. The following one shows the “honey section” of the autogrill. The autogrill has a honey section!! A big one!!
You can click on the “watch on Facebook” words below to see the vanilla gelato machine, in the autogrill!, at work. It was one of only 8 flavors available, of freshly made ice cream late on a Sunday evening. What the hey? Too cool for school.
I can’t wait to get back to another autogrill!
Easily entertained.
(From the sublime [Room with a View, yesterday’s post] to the ridiculous [frozen spinach}:)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I am endlessly fascinated by Italian grocery stores!
Look at this cool product in the frozen section.
It’s for those cooking moments when you want to add some healthy greens to the pot of minestrone you are whipping up, etc. I can think of endless uses for these frozen cubes of spinach! Add to smoothies, stir into sauces,…the options are many!
Absolutely ingenious!
Oggi a Firenze; September peaches
I’m so happy I found pickles (not quite dill, not quite sweet, but better than nothing) here. Of all the things I miss, I never expected it to be dill pickles. But, not to worry; they’re available!
This box on the street spoke to me: do not upset!!
Today’s lesson: how to boss people around (ha ha) with imperativo!
The photo below encapsulates my favorite kind of view in Florence. I love the bars with every good kind of coffee, pastries, sandwiches and all kinds of treats. Humble or ritzy, I love them all!
I noticed this spritely gentleman in the Mercato Nuovo. His face looks like JFK.
And finally, today’s fruits at Mercato San Ambrogio.
I love that Italians sell and buy pesche settembrine. September peaches. What could be better than that!
Dopolavoro, a restaurant
The perfect spot at which to end your day of visiting Val d’Orcia and Iris Origo’s Villa La Foce is at the restaurant owned by the descendants of Origo.
If you look hard at the picture below you will see the words: Dopolavora Rurale – La Foce. That’s the name of this great dining spot and its menu and dining garden will delight you.
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I enjoyed the steak and rustic potatoes.
The al fresco dining area is the stuff dreams are made of.
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The Dopolavoro La Foce was built in 1939 as a meeting place for the workers on the La Foce estate. Country dances and plays featuring the farmers’ children were held on the little stage, movies and news of the war were screened and people came from miles around to share a glass of wine and play a game of bocce (bowls) in the shade of the lime trees.
Along with the kindergarten, the school and the clinic, the Dopolavoro is part of a series of buildings built by the Origos in the 1920s and 1930s, when they carried out a vast plan of land reclamation and social innovation.
When Antonio and Iris Origo bought the vast estate of La Foce in 1924 the Val d’Orcia, for all its spectacular scenery, was a poor and uninhabited region, a land of low clay hillocks and stony, unfarmed soil. Not only did the Origos dream of reclaiming the barren fields and turning them into fertile countryside, they also aimed to improve the living conditions of workers on the estate.
Today the Dopolavoro once more belongs to the Origo family and reopens as a restaurant in which traditional Tuscan dishes are flavoured with the delicious La Foce extra-virgin olive oil and created with the best seasonal local produce. The restaurant boasts its own vegetable garden across the road, guaranteeing a genuine farm-to plate process. A path connects the vegetable garden to the famous La Foce gardens, which can be visited on request.
Today in Florence
Random shots on a random day, dopo la classe, dopo la test, molto buono.
From a yarn shop near school:
Classic Vespa siting. Always makes me smile:
We had a strong thunder storm last evening and what these pictures from today don’t completely reveal is how gorgeous today is! Sunny, cool, fresh, clean, perfetto!
Piazza Santo Spirito. La signora vende i prodotti.
Yes, you see right: Piccadilly tomatoes!
And a new Clet to admire.
get back, lauretta! 
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