Spring in Tuscany

I'm falling in love with Italy...again. I have to admit that the first two months I spent in Italy (in Colorno in school) were not so glamorous. As hard as it was to admit, at that point in time, I did not like living in Italy. Now, I'm rediscovering why I enjoy this country so much. Spring time in Tuscany is absolutely beautiful. I awake to the crackling of a fire outside my window where neighbors are burning the olive branches they have pruned to make room for new growth.

Walking about the air smells of these fires constantly as people all over the hills burn similar kinds of fires in preparation for the coming summer. They smell wonderful like a mix between incense and burning herbs.
Then unexpectedly as I walk along the most wonderful perfumed scent hits me as I pass a purple flowering tree or a small patch of pink flowers on the ground. Although I don't recognize the kinds of flowers, the scent often reminds me of lillies and spring freshness. A lemon tree in the courtyard outside my house.

I've also been traveling on my days off, which is an interesting experience because I travel alone. Three weeks ago I ventured to Florence for the day. It's about an hour by train and I spent the day walking along the Arno, eating gelato, shopping, and hanging out enjoying the bustle of the city that contrasts the serenity of Cortona.

Duomo in Florence.

Two weeks ago I traveled to Passigano Sul Trasimeno, a town that sits on Lake Trasimeno which boarders Tuscany and Umbria. It was beautiful. I didn't know what to expect as I stepped off the train, but I soon found what vaguely resembled a boardwalk full of shops, outside restaurants, and benches that are set up perfectly for watching the sun set. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and the locals were out walking and enjoying the spring day.

I explored the older part of the city that includes a medieval wall as all old cities in this region do, and then I sat and watched the sun set over the lake.

And finally this past weekend I went to Rome. It was a two and a half hour train ride from here, but it was well worth it to go even for just one day. I was able to find one of those hop-on hop-off buses so I saw a lot in a short time - The Colosseum, Spanish Steps, many of the piazzas, and St. Peter's Basilica, where I was able to go underneath and see the papal tombs. This is somthing that I have wanted to do since junior year theology in high school when my teacher told me about it. Most notably I saw where Pope John Paul II was buried, and where the bones of St. Peter are buried directly under the alter and cupola of the basilica named after him.

The Kiss Kitchen

I know, I've been failing miserably at blogging lately. A lot has changed in the past few weeks, and I finally feel like I'm coming up for air. The last couple of days in Colorno (the town where my school was) were actually very nice, but I'm thinking I only enjoyed them so much because I knew I'd be leaving soon. Saying goodbye to ALMA (my school) was a little more difficult as I came to realize how much I enjoyed some of the teachers there. Although I didn't care for our main chef, it was our other teachers, Matteo for wine, Gulia for language, and Bently for history that really enriched my time at ALMA.

I left Colorno on Friday March 19 and came here to Tuscany for my stage. Traveling here by myself was not fun. I had to run up and down stairs at train stations with a 70 pound bag surrounded by Italians who are very inconsiderate walkers. Needless to say, I was happy to arrive in Cortona. I spent some time in the city on Friday night and had a nice dinner of ribolita with glass of sangiovese - two of my favorite Tuscan specialities.

Il Falconiere www.ilfalconiere.it

Saturday morning I headed to Il Falconiere, the hotel and restaurant where I am doing my stage. It is an old hotel with beautiful grounds that over look the hills of Tuscany with the city of Cortona up on a hill to the left. The restaurant here has one Michelin star led by Chef Richard Titi. I really like the kitchen and the people in it. On my first day they told me it was the "Kiss Kitchen" and I'm not sure if it's because they are Italian or just because they are happy, friendly people, but everyone kisses everyone - to say goodbye and hello and sometimes for no reason at all.

The Kiss Kitchen

My first week was tough. I worked 7 straight days which comes out to around 77 hours. So I figure it can only get better. Our schedule is such that we go to work from 9:30-3:30 to do a lunch service, and then from 6:30- 11:30 or when ever dinner is over. I like having the break in between because I get to come back to my house and relax and go for a run.

My living situation is interesting I guess. I live by myself in a big old farm house. It's the staff housing, but no one else lives here. After spending some time here, I think I know why. The house is cold, it makes strange noises, and I'm definitely allergic to something in it. Living by myself is something new for me, and up untill this point something I was not sure I'd be able to do, but I think I'm finally getting used to the noises and I've been sleeping better lately.

At work my tasks mostly consist of cleaning vegetables or other labor intensive tasks. I do however get to make pasta, which I actually like a lot. So far I've made pici, a thick spaghetti made from only flour and water that I roll out by hand, tagliatelle, made from farro flour, semolina, and eggs which I also cut by hand, and ravioli stuffed with a liquid tomato sauce. I've also started plating the amuse bouche for dinner service. It changes every night, but could consist of a fried meat ball served over a creamy bail sauce.

I find that when I'm not at work I am lonely and bored. I don't think that this is going to be an easy experience to get through, but I think I have it better than some of my friends here and I don't think I have much to complain about in terms of my kitchen. I just keep telling myself that it may not be easy, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

Today for Easter we had nearly 60 people which is the restaurant capacity. So today was the first day I got to see what a busy kitchen looks like, and it was fun. I plated the appetizer which was a fresh ricotta served with spring greens, and I helped make the pasta course. The time passed really quickly and it was intersting because we had a special menu for Easter so there were some new dishes to try. They served asparagus four ways as a starter, cannelloni stuffed with a rabbit ragu for the pasta course, lamb was the main dish served with caramalized onions, and for dessert there was a chocolate egg stuffed with an almond and lemon mouse on top of a rhubarb nest served with fresh strawberries.

Although I am away from home and all my friends and family I've really enjoyed myself today. Happy Easter to all of you where ever you are celebrating.