Finding and Losing One's Bearings and Cooking Class No2

Dear Galavanters,


We decided just to drive around the Chianti area and have a look at the small towns and villages between the hectares and hectares of vineyards and olive groves. Wine tasting in Tuscany (and presumably in other regions of Italy) is not the same as in Australia. Because there are so many small producers and often these are a family concern, they are often working at various aspects of wine production and therefore tend not to have cellar door arrangements. This means that tours and tastings need to be pre-organized. The big ones have cellar door sales but these are the same wines you can get at home anyway. Rather, each of the towns have at least one, if not more, amazing Enotecas that showcase all the local wines and other excellent Italian wines. Here you can taste the range of wines readily and easily and from here follow up with a visit to one or more of the wineries that particularly grabbed your fancy.

We scooted between towns and then got horribly lost so we put the patronizing GPS back on and I could almost here it snickering at me. Italy is a place of incredible contrasts. The ancient and historic towns are simply beautiful not only in their history but in their design as well. Modern towns of Italy demonstrate a total lack of grace, style, or elegance. And a total absence of town planning principles. The modern towns and the suburbs that surround the Centro historico areas are ugly. You can see where the double story brick veneer of Melbourne's Italian populated suburbs, with their concreted front gardens and hideously decorated front fences and patios, have their genisis.

The major road -the A1 is the major road from Milan through to Rome with a sidebar to Florence. These major autostradas are like a huge scar that run through the vastly agrarian countryside of Italy. Where we are in Tuscany is incredibly rural. Rome is a few hours away, Florence an hour and Bologna is just under two hours away - and we are in central Tuscany in Chianti!!!! The Italians, like us, are predominately grouped in or around the major major cities, with very small village or town populations, concentrated and based around the very local industry that has developed through the years of family working and growing either a food or wine stuff, a marble or terra-cotta business or in the case of the coast - a fishing business.

We headed back and Siobhan hit the hay because the cold finally laid her out. I went to a cooking class that our host Edith ran for those interested guests staying at the Fattoria.
We started by making Focchaccia - surprisingly simple and then also made some home made egg based pasta, a ricotta, lemon and rum baked cheesecake, a peccorino and pepper sauce for the pasta and also some zucchini and onion souffles for the entree. Very easy and very tasty so will be able to replicate this all at home.

After enjoying the fruits of my labors, I headed to bed knowing that I was to fall victim to the same cold as Siobhan and was likely to need a day in bed.

Wishing you clear sinuses!!

Kelly & Siobhan
Xxx