appunti di viaggio nel centro italia - notes for a travel

LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
APPUNTI DI VIAGGIO NEL CENTRO ITALIA - NOTES FOR A TRAVEL IN CENTRAL ITALY
A DROP IN MANTOVA
Gem of Lombardia and most representative evidence of the influence of the Gonzagas who made of it one of the most
important cities during the Renaissance, in Mantua you cannot miss:
Il Palazzo Ducale
One of its most beautiful areas is with no
doubt the la Galleria degli specchi, where
from the frescoed ceiling some of the
portrayed gods follow you along the gallery
with their eyes ...
Il Palazzo Te,
outside the walls of the city center is a palace
inteded for distractions, with the magnificent
frescoes of Giulio Romano.
... and you also must have a walk through its
nice streets until Piazza Erbe (paying
attention to the houses facing on the street,
among which is the particular Casa del
Mercante)
Let's have a break for Lunch!
Antipasto
POLENTA E GRAS PISTA' (GRASSO PESTATO)
Primo
RISOTTO CON LA SALAMELLA MANTOVANA
... and why not a glass of fine Lambrusco too!
Secondo
BOLLITO MISTO with the PEERADA
Dolce
SBRISOLÓNA
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LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
... better if with a sweet wine, spirits or zabaglione
Why don't you try and prepare it yourself?
RECIPE: Polenta e Gras Pistà
Ingredients (for 6 persons): water, coarse salt, cornmeal (500g), lard (200g), parsley (30g), garlic (a slice)
Polenta: make the salted water boil and springle the cornmeal in it, keeping stirring. Let it cook, continously stirring for
about an hour and adding boiling water if necessary, until the polenta gets thickness and it peels off the the sides of
the pot.
Lard: when the polenta is almost done, beat lard, parsley and garlic with the blade of a knife heated on the flame, until
they become a mush.
Now you can turn over the polenta on a chopping board and divide it into slices. On each slice you can spread some of
the mush. With polenta still warm and the mush melted on it, there'as nothing left to say but Buon Appetito!
...Not enough? Save the date!
Every year in October the "Gusto & Buongusto" fair takes place in Mantua; here you'll find more typical food and
handycraft from all over Italy!
APPROACHING EMILIA ROMAGNA AND TUSCANY
BRESCELLO
The "Little World" of Giovannino Guareschi
Video - Don Camillo
Ecco il paese. Ecco il piccolo mondo di un mondo piccolo
piantato in qualche parte dell'Italia del nord. Là, in quella
fetta di terra grassa e piatta che sta tra il fiume e il monte,
tra il Pò e l'appennino. Nebbia densa e gelata l'opprime
d'inverno, d'estate un sole spietato picchia martellate
furibonde sui cervelli della gente, e qui tutto si esaspera.
Qui le passioni politiche esplodono violente e la lotta è
dura. Ma gli Uomini rimangono sempre uomini e qui
accadono cose che non possono accadere da nessun' altra
parte.
- Cosa fate qui? Cosa volete?
- Non ho mai dimenticato che mi veniste a salutare
quando andai in esilio. Ora siete voi ad andarvene.
- Io non vado in esilio. Parto perchè ho vinto, non perchè
Here is the village. Here is that small and little world,
raised somewhere in northern Italy.There [it is], in that
piece of fat and flat land that lays between the river and
the mountain, between the [river] Pò and the Appennino
[chain]. During winter, is dominated by a thick fog; in
summer time a ruthless sun hits furious and heavy blows
on peoples' heads, and here everything becomes
exasperated.
Here politics feelings violently explode, and it's a hard
fight. But humans remain men and women still and here
things happen that can happen nowhere else.
- What are you doing here? What do you want?
- I haven't forgotten that you've come to say goodbye
when I was exiled. It is you now the one who leaves.
- I'm not going into exile! I'm leaving for my victory, not
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LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
ho perduto!
- Hai perduto tua moglie, che ti ha votato contro. Hai
perduto il tuo paese, dov'eri qualcuno. E cosa ch'hai
guadagnato? Di diventare un anonimo? Una pallina da
buttare nell'urna...
- Io sarò sempre quello che sono!
- Ah sì? E allora quando ti metteranno a sedere in una
grande aula triste, come a scuola, allora penserai a tutte
quelle cose che hai lasciato qui, al paese. penserai a
quello che vedevi dalla finestra la mattina, quando ti
facevi la barba. Penserai al tuo lavoro nell'officina e a
come ti divertivi la domenica. E penserai anche a me, che
non sarò più lì a darti un cazzotto in testa quando te lo
meriti... vale a dire almeno una volta al giorno...
- Quando ritorno... vi riduco in briciole!
- Ma se lo sai che non torni più! E che non posso neanche
dirti "Arrivederci Peppone!" ma soltanto "Addio,
Onorevole!"
because I lost!
- You've lost your wife, that didn't vote for you. You've lost
your village, where you were somebody. And for what? To
become an anonymous?
Just a little ball for the ballot box...
- I'll always remain what I am!
- Really? But when you'll be seated in a large and gloomy
room, as in a classroom, then you'll remember all that you
left here, in your village. You'll think of what you saw
every morning from your window, while shaving. You'll
think of your work at the machine shop, and of how you
enjoyed on Sundays. And you'll think of me too, that won't
be there to sock you one on your head when you deserve
it... at least once a day...
- When I come back… I'll smash you to bits!
- But you know you never will (come back)! And I cannot
even say "See you soon Peppone!" but only "Farewell,
Honorauble!"
- Facchino! Facchino!
- Mi ha chiamato, signor deputato?
- No, è il sindaco
- Ah...! Bene, andiamo! No grazie, il servizio è gratuito
- No, riprendetevele pure tutte queste cinquemila lire,
Galantuomo...
- Porter! Porter!
- Did you call me, Mr. Deputy?
- No, I'm the Mayor
- Oh, good... let's go! No thanks, the service is for free.
- No, you can take all these five thousands Lire back, you
Gentleman...
(Peppone hands Don Camillo the same fake note that don
Camillo previously used to pay him)
Ecco, è ricominciata l'eterna gara nella quale ognuno dei
due vuole disperatamente arrivare primo. Però se uno si
attarda, l'altro l'aspetta. La strada è la stessa, pur se Don
Camillo marcia a destra e Peppone a sinistra. E assieme
continueranno il loro viaggio.
Che Dio li accompagni!
Here we are, the eternal race has begun again, and each
one desperately wants to arrive first. But if one lingers,
the other waits for him. The road is the same, even
though Don Camillo is on the right side and Peppone on
the left. And like that, they'll proceed together with their
journey.
May God be with them!
CASTLES NEARBY: SORAGNA E FONTANELLATO
The area of Parma is rich in amazing castels and ancient fortresses, evidence of a long and and complex history. Those
in the small towns of Soragna and Fontanellato are two of them.
Part of the Rocca Meli Lupi is still inhabited by
its owner, the Meli Lupi family, houted by a
terrible course...
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LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
Visiting Rocca dei Sanvitale in Fontanellato
you'll be also shown a particular darkroom
located in one of the four donjon...
ARRIVING IN FIRENZE
Godi, Fiorenza, poi che se' sì grande | che per mare e per terra batti l'ali, | e per lo 'nferno tuo nome si spande!
(Dante Alighieri)
Be Glad, Fiorenza, for you're so great that across lands and seas you spread your wings and in hell your name
resonates!
Florence, the authentic centre of Italian language and culture, is a city rich in museums, gardens and monuments to be
seen. The most important and famous ones are of course
Piazza della Signoria and its Palazzo Vecchio
has been the political and goverment centre of
the city. In 1520 the Palazzo is turned into a
Ducal Palace, for Cosimo de Medici's will.
Nowadays it has been converted in an
impressive museum, where its features of
great residence for Medici family are still
noticeable.
Santa Maria del Fiore with the
Campanile di Giotto represented
instead the religious centre of the
city.
So impressive and austere! but could you imagine
why there's a bull's head carved on one of its
esternalbroadside?... while thinking about it, we
can take a walk to Ponte Vecchio
Time for something to eat!
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LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
Antipasto
AFFETTATI MISTI
...with a glass of Chianti!
Primo
RIBOLLITA or a more summery PANZANELLA
Secondo
TRIPPA ALLA FIORENTINA
or a vegetarian alternative
BACCELLI E PECORINO
Dolce
SCHIACCIATA CON L'UVA
Why don't you try and prepare it yourself?
RECIPE: Panzanella
Ingredients (for 4 people): White wine vinegar (three spoons), basil (15 leaves), one small cucumber, one big red
onion, extravirgin olive oil (just enough), 400gr of sliced Tuscan bread, minced black pepper (as you like), two
tomatoes, salt (just enough)
Peel and cut the red onion into thin slices and put it soaking in a small bowl with water and a spoon of white wine
vinegar for at least two hours. Peel the cucumber, cut it into thin washers and put it aside.
Finally, peel, wash and cut the tomatoes into small pieces, remove the seeds and put it aside too.
Now, take four slices of Tuscan bread and using a knife take its crust; after that, dunk it in a mixture of water and
vinegar (one spoon) but without soaking it too much. Once the bread will be softened, squeeze it, break it into pieces
with your hands and put it in a large salad bowl.
Strain the red onion and put it together with the bread, add tomatoes, cucumber and basil leaves broken into pieces.
Gently mix all the ingedients using a spoon and dress the whole with extravirgin olive oil, then add if necessary salt and
pepper. Mix again, taste and in case add some more vinegar. Leave the Panzanella in the fridge for at least one hour, so
that it becomes even more tasty. Take it out from the fridge at least fifteen minutes before serving it... Pronto!
... Panzanella changed so many times and many ingredients have been also added, such as lattuce, eggs, tuna,... you
can set your creativity free and try to make it in your own way!
Save the date!
On June 24th Florence celebrates its saint, San Giovanni, with great fireworks!
On Easter's Sunday is instead Lo Scoppio del carro, the burst of the cart. It's a symbolic tradition: a big cart adorn with
festoon is brought to the cathedral square by white oxes. The cart is tied to the altar by a steel cable; during the Holy
Mass the Archbishop lights a dove-shaped rocket that is shot through the cable 'til the cart, full of fire works.
SAN GIMIGNANO
It is a small village of Etruscan origin and rises on a hill from where it dominates the Elsa Valley with its towers. Here
you can find a particular wine, the Vernaccia of San Gimignano
Save the date!
June 15th Ferie delle messi: Medieval Commemoration
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LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FIRENZE AND SIENA: LAJATICO, ANDREA BOCELLI AND HIS LAND
"Questa è la mia terra. Una terra che come me ama il silenzio. E se con la mia voce rompo questo silenzio lo faccio per
rendere omaggio a questi luoghi e alla mia gente. La musica penetra la terra, la percorre e vola lontanissima. è un
messaggio d'amore."
This is my land. A land that loves silence, as I do. And if I'm now going to break this silence with my voice, is to pay
homage to these places and their people. Music permeates the ground, runs through it and then flies far away. It’s a
message of love.
Questa mia canzone
Inno dell'amore
Te la canto adesso
Con il mio dolor
Così forte, così grande
Che mi trafgge il cuor
Melodramma
This song of mine
Hymn of love
I'm now singing it for you
with all of my pain
so strong, so great
that pierces my heart.
Ma limpido è il mattino
Tra i campi odor di vino
Io ti sognavo e adesso
Ti vedo ancora lì
Ah, quanta nostalgia
Affresco di collina
Io piango che pazzia
Fu andarsene poi via
But the morning is so bright
among the fields the scent of wine (is)
I dreamt of you and now
I still can see you there
Oh, all these memories
Fresco of a hill
I'm crying what an insanity
was to leave and go away.
Questa melodia
Inno dell'amore
Te la canto e sento
Tutto il mio dolor
Così forte, così grande
che mi trafigge il cuor.
This melody
Hymn of love
I'm singing it for you and I can feel
All of my pain
so strong, so great
that pierces my heart.
Ma limpido è il mattino
tra i campi un gran mulino
lì è nato il mio destino
amaro senza te
amaro senza te.
But the morning is so bright
among the fields (is) a big windmill
there my destiny was born
so bitter without you
so bitter without you
E questo cuore canta
Un dolce melodramma
È l'inno dell'amor
Che canterò per te
È un melodramma che
Che canto senza te
And this heart is singing
A sweet melodrama
It's the hymn of love
I will sing for you
A melodrama that
I'm singing without you
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LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
VOLTERRA, A VILLAGE OF STONE
Volterra as well has ancient Etruscan origins, still visible in her structure and especially in the gates of its well
conserved defensive walls. Besides the town itself, it is also famous for the mining and manifacturing of alabaster
SIENA
Said to be founded by Senius, son of Remus, one of the two legendary founders of Rome ,Siena is probably Italy's
loveliest medieval city, with its famous square and the Palio... definitely worth a visit!
Piazza del Campo is something unique, with
her shape of a shell. It is also wonderfully
conserved and can be certainly consider as
Medieval masterpiece.
A break with Panforte, Cantucci e Vin Santo!
RECIPE for Panforte di Siena
Ingredients (for 10 people): flour (60 g), Honey (150 g), sugar (100 g), peeled almonds (100 g), peeled hazelnuts (100
g), peeled kernets of walnuts (70 g), 1 spoon of powder of bitter cocoa, powder of cinnamon and nutmeg, 3 cloves
crushed in the mortar, candied citron (100 g), candied pumpkin cut into small cubes (100 g), candied orange peel (100
g), a pinch of black pepper, confectioner's wafer
Put honey and sugar together in a casserole and let them cook over low heat, stirring it continously.
When sugar is completely melted add the ten peeled almonds, the hazelnuts, the kernels, the spoon of cocoa, a srinkle
of cinnamon, and a little grate of nutmeg, the cloves, the citron, the pumpkin, the orange peel cut into little and thin
strips, and the pinch of pepper. Finally add the flour and stir,to avoid lumps. Let it cook (keeping stirring) for a couple of
minutes with low heat.
Pour in a round (22-25 cm as diameter) baking pan, and cover it (bottom and rims) with the wafers. Level off the top
with a knife and bake it in the oven (160°) for half an hour. Let get it cold inside the oven. Once it is cold, turn the
casserole over or remove the rims (the important is the waffel to remain on the bottom. Then,sprinkle with
confectioner's sugar mixed with cinnamon... Fatto!
Save the date!
The famous Palio di Siena takes place every year from June 29th to July 2nd and from August 13th to 16th. Do you
know about its origins?
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LA BELLA FIGURA – EXPERIENCE ITALIAN CULTURE
Cultural Lesson 1
SAN GALGANO ABBEY AND THE SWORD IN THE STONE
SATURNIA
After such a long travel we can stop and relax a bit in Saturnia and its hot springs, in its natural environment... or in
proper baths. Enjoy!
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