You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘food’ category.
In July two very good friends from Cardiff, Kay and Elsie, came to visit us. During their stay we decided to take them to the seaside town of Terracina which is 35 km from “Tre Cancelle”. As it was a Thursday we headed first to the enormous general market, on Viale Europa, which runs parallel with the seafront – there were so many stalls selling a whole array of goods, they seemed to go on forever.
Having “shopped ‘til we dropped” and having worked up a good appetite we went in search of a place to have lunch, which had been recommended to us several times by friends.
On the Terracina quayside there are a number of fishing co-operatives which sell fresh fish, straight off the boats.
Some of these establishments also have simple little eating places attached. We went to the Cooperativa La Sirena, which is a delightfully simple self-service restaurant where a wide variety of typical fish and seafood based dishes are daily loving prepared.
The cheery helpful staff instructed us to take a tray and proceeded to help guide us through the wonderful range of fishy delights on offer. Our selections included a salad of calamari, swordfish steak, fried mixed seafood, grilled squid and prawns. We found the prices to be remarkably reasonable.
We munched the tasty fare “al fresco” gazing out over the fishing boats in the harbour.
Feeling suitably replenished we next drove up to Terracina’s old historic centre which is located in the upper section of the town. Here is the ornate 11th century Cathedral of San Pietro e San Cesareo, with its elegant tall bell-tower made of intricate brickwork and decorated with brightly coloured discs of majolica.
Here, by chance, we bumped into an old friend, Luigi.
We strolled together along an original section of the ancient Roman Via Appia (the Appian Way) where there are several interesting Roman ruins including the remains of an ancient Roman Forum.
Luigi knows a great deal about the history of the city, and he explained that the Town Hall currently have something of a dilemma as archaeologists have discovered traces of yet more important Roman remains laying under certain historic medieval structures. Indeed, Terracina could be likened to an onion, where its countless layers of historical past can slowly be peeled back, piece by piece.
It was a pleasure to explore the old town on foot, browsing in the tiny shops, wandering through the narrow streets, discovering items of interest around each and every corner.
Leaving Luigi to get back to work, we then drove further uphill along the road that leads up to Monte San Angelo and the impressive remains of the Temple of Jupiter Anxur. This imposing edifice was constructed by the Romans in the year 1 BC.
It was a very hot afternoon, and in dire need of cooling refreshments we stopped at the “Piano Bar” and sat on the terrace indulging ourselves with some delicious refreshing gelati.
On a clear day, from the Temple, there are panoramic views of the Terracina: of the old town, the newer section of town with its lively fashionable shopping centre, the harbour, the long promenade and sandy beaches that stretch for miles along the Riviera di Ulisses. In the distance can be seen the mountainous headland of San Felice Circeo and out to sea – the Pontine Islands.
* photo by tittimi
Terracina has so much to offer – We would highly recommend a visit.
For more information about Terracina please see our Terracina webpages:
http://terracina.shapcott-family.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the best things about what we do is meeting so many interesting people and making new friends from around the world. At the end of May we welcomed our first visitors from New Zealand – a couple of lovely ladies, Rosie and Susan from Christchurch.
They had planned their trip well before the tragic series of major earthquakes had struck and brought Christchurch to its knees. Both had been deeply affected by the quakes, but after taking stock, with careful consideration they courageously decided to go ahead with their holiday. These plucky ladies had organised, all by themselves, a three week whistle-stop tour of many European countries such as Holland, France, Switzerland, Greece, Italy and Malta.
Rosie contacted us as, after having read about the tiny little village of Campodimele. For several years she had had a burning desire to visit this location and see it for herself. As she and her travel companion were lacking their own transport we agreed to put them both up at “Tre Cancelle” and personally drive them to Campodimele which is not so far from Itri.
One afternoon we pootled off and ventured inland, navigating the sharp twists and turns of the road that snakes its way up into the Aurunci Mountains. First, en route, we headed up to the nearby Sanctuary of the Madonna della Civita to take a look at some of the splendid panoramic views from this point.
View of Itri and beyond the Gaeta Peninsula and the Island of Ischia in the distance
We then continued along the meandering mountain road which finally led us to Campodimele.
The picturesque, medieval village is perched high on a hilltop overlooking a sheltered fertile valley. It is encircled by formidable turreted walls, which were built many centuries ago to protect its citizens from attacks by marauding Saracen pirates.
Rosie at Campodimele
A path, known by the locals as “Lover’s Lane”, winds itself around the town walls, from which there are stunning panoramic views of the surrounding verdant countryside.
In the village square stands an ancient elm tree which was planted in 1789 to commemorate the French Revolution.
As I mentioned earlier, back in New Zealand, Rosie had read of the village’s renown. This tiny little town has been awarded the European title of “The Village of Eternal Youth” as it is noted for the longevity of its citizens. It seems that they are a particularly hardy breed, who seldom have the need to visit a doctor, rarely die before the age of 85, and it is not uncommon for its citizens to attain the age of 100. The World Health Organization sent researchers to the village to try to discover its secret.
Some of the contributing factors must surely be: the clean salubrious mountain air, the locally grown fresh ingredients that make up the typical good wholesome diet, which of course includes the excellent local extra virgin olive oil. Also the fact that the elderly do not retire early, preferring to keep themselves busy and active as possible. Campodimele’s senior citizens are not left to grow old alone, they are well cared for and supported by their family and others in the close-knit community. Indeed, even here in Itri, our 89 year old neighbour seems to be living proof of this, as he is still fit enough every morning at 6 am to climb his ladder, with secateurs and pruning saw in hand, to lovingly tend his olive trees.
The locals of this area are indeed resilient people who have a strong connection with the land. The old folk have toiled relentlessly over the years and also had to overcome indescribable hardships during WW2. Thankfully they now can enjoy better stress-free times in their twilight days.
Leathery skinned, elderly residents can often be seen sitting in the town square under the shade of a tree, or on a chair outside their front door, where they watch the world go by, not that much does go by in tiny Campodimele !!!
However on the particular day of Rosie and Susan’s visit, which was a Sunday, there wasn’t even one aged inhabitant to be seen anywhere. Very strange we thought, had they all suddenly died off ???
Then we came across an announcement that had been posted on the village notice board. -
“This Sunday - A Special Coach Excursion For The town’s Senior Citizens To Visit Rome and See The Pope.”
That explained it all !!!
Find more information about Campodimele here at
http://campodimele.shapcott-family.com
Susan and Rosie at Sperlonga
Rosie and Susan, we continue to think of you all in Christchurch,
and of course all of those reeling from the earthquakes in Japan.
It was a pleasure to meet you. Keep safe girls.
We hope you will return to Campodimele and Bella Italia one day .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A recent article in the Telegraph Newspaper about Campodimele:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8627933/The-secrets-to-a-long-life.html
On the last Sunday of October our friends invited us to accompany them on a trip to the annual Chestnut Festival in the small mountain town of Norma. We travelled along the SS7, the ancient Roman Via Appia towards Rome, until we took a right turn signposted to Ninfa and Norma. Eventually we negotiated the abrupt ascent to Norma and route to the Lepini Mountains following numerous vertiginous hairpin twists and turns. The surrounding hillsides are covered with the greenery of chestnut and olive trees.
The town of Norma, at a height of 435 metres is precariously perched on a sheer wall of rock overlooking the botanical oasis of the Giardini di Ninfa with a panoramic view of the expanse of the Pontine Plain.
Ninfa
Norma is a popular haunt of enthusiasts of paragliding and hang gliding who take full advantage of the rising warm thermal currents.
Norma’s Sagra delle Castagne is held annually over the last weekend of October, to record and celebrate the chestnut harvest and other ancient traditions, culture and folklore.
We strolled along the long central street to absorb the festive atmosphere. Various wooden shacks and booths been set up decorated with leaves and woodland greenery, as well as small rustic pens made of chestnut poles, containing sheep and goats.
Everywhere there was the appetising aroma of chestnuts roasting on glowing hot braziers, while other food stalls tempted us with an array of traditional dishes, both savoury and sweet, all based on the humble chestnut.
* photo by avlxyz
At one time this produce had been regarded as merely a food for the poor peasant, however due to its nutritional properties and delicate, sweet nutty flavour it became a valued ingredient in many traditional Italian recipes.
Other stalls offered diverse local delicacies such as olive oil, wild mushrooms, honey, cheeses and sausages.
As the weather sadly turned against us, with spells of cold showery rain, we headed for the large “camp kitchen” which was doling out plates of traditional hearty warming fare such as homemade pasta with a mushroom sauce, polenta and sausages cooked in a flavoursome tomato sugo, washed down with some excellent local wine. Then, of course, more bags of hot roasted chestnuts.
After lunch we leisurely made our way down the twisting road to Lower Norma in search of the Museo del Cioccolato, the Chocolate Museum and factory where Cioccolato di Antica Norba is produced. It is housed in a rather uninspiring industrial building, however once inside we were invited to sample a small cup of molten chocolate from “the Chocolate Fountain”, which I found rather too sweet, but would be just perfect for the typically sweet -toothed Italians.
The museum houses exhibits portraying the history of chocolate making, the processing and machinery, advertising posters and packaging.
Once having made our way through the museum we entered the Cioccolato di Antica Norba Factory Shop where you can choose to buy from an array of chocolate products of all shapes and sizes.
An interesting visit especially if you are a chocoholic !!!
Click Here for more information about the beautiful nearby Gardini di Ninfa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the seaside city of Gaeta, the festival known as “Le Vie di Gaeta”, is held over a long weekend at the beginning of October. This a popular event with people coming from near and afar to take part. It is a celebration of local ancient traditions, culture, history and gastronomy and there are informative guided tours of the town where one can learn more about Gaeta’s colourful history, art, culture and nature.
On the Saturday evening a wonderful Food Festival is held in the charming setting of Via Indipendenza which runs parallel with the sea front Lungomare Giovanni Caboto. Via Indipendenza is a quaint, narrow pedestrian alley, approximately half a mile in length, and is paved in dark volcanic stone, with many little adjoining alleyways known as vicoli. Here you can find many small shops selling fresh local food and an array of items, such as souvenirs, handicrafts, leather goods, clothes, jewellery etc.
The food festival is a gastronomic extravaganza of traditional local Gaetana food, recipes and where locals offer samples of their freshly prepared delicacies.
We arrived in the early evening, and watched as the locals were still in the process of setting up numerous colourful stalls along the narrow street. The participants are generally all volunteers, a great example of the locals coming together to keep alive their community and traditions, which they hold so dear.
There are small tables at strategic entry points to the Via with people selling vouchers which represent an ancient coinage of the old duchy of Gaeta known as the “Follaro”, which is valued at about 50 euro cents. With these vouchers you can then purchase samples of the various delicacies on offer.
Gaeta residents come together to offer the very best of their native ingredients and cuisine, for example Gaeta olives and freshly caught local seafood, cicinelli (tiny baby fish) octopus salads, cod or vegetable fritters, anchovy meatballs.
Then there is the renowned Tiella, which is a cross between a pizza and a calzone. Typical fillings include diced calamari with parsley, garlic, oil, hot chilli pepper and a little tomato sauce. Other fillings include escarole (a variety of endive) and baccalà (dried cod), egg and zucchini, spinach, and ham and cheese.
There was plenty of local vino on offer as well, as dolci such as Bignè made from a type of choux pastry filled with delicious crème patisserie, cakes made with honey and Struffoli, small balls of fried batter, rolled in honey.
Some of the stallholders had even taken the trouble to dress up in traditional costumes of the Gaeta area.
It seemed that everywhere along the route our tastebuds were tantalised by the deliciously temping aromas. By now Via Indipendenza was buzzing with throngs of people filling every nook and cranny of the narrow street, and forwards progress was slowed to a virtual standstill by people stopping and chatting with neighbours and friends every couple of yards.
Indeed it was an excellent evening of good food, conviviality and merriment.
Click Here for more information about the seaside town of Gaeta
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At the end of August we were delighted to have our younger son Ben, his “other half” Emma and “Baby Bump” to stay. They are expecting a little arrival at the end of November and were both much in need of a relaxing holiday. This was to be Emma’s first trip to Italy.
Although their stay here was all too brief, Ben and Emma managed to fit in ….. a couple of days at the beach …..
some local sight-seeing (Sperlonga) …..
and a day in Rome.
We were all kindly invited to our friends, Luca and Loredana’s home, for a special meal to celebrate Luca’s 50th Birthday. Buon Compleanno Luca !!!
By the way -such a landmark birthday is shortly looming for
Paul this October !!!
One day we were also invited to San Donato and Atina in the Val di Comino and enjoyed another delicious meal with our Italian cousins.
Emma is a very passionate and creative cook and during her stay, delighted in preparing some srumptious food for us all.
Local tomatoes, Mozzarella di Bufala Drizzled With "Tre Cancelle" Olive Oil
Breakfast - Emma's Tasty Potato Cakes
Please come back soon Emma !!!
“Papa Woods” and Emma are about to move into their new home together in Cardiff, in time to get settled before the little addition to their family arrives.
We wish them all lots of love and all the very best in their new home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
some local sight-seeing
One morning, in amongst the normal chatter of the birds and chirping of the ciacadas, we could hear voices coming from down the hill, and recognised that they were different from those of the normal olive workers trimming their trees. Very soon it became obvious that the noise was coming from one of our neighbours who has a tiny country villetta on a corner of land adjoining ours. The whole family had gathered for the annual ritual of making tomato passata. Being curious we wandered down to check out what was going on.
We were warmly greeted by the family, all three generations, who were working on the terrace, under the shady pergola of the grape vines.
They were keen to show us the preparations and procedures of the task in hand. We learned that they had ordered and taken delivery of 350 kilos, or three and half quintale, of fresh ripe plum tomatoes.
To make the passata, batches of the tomatoes were first chopped into quarters.
These were added to a large saucepan and cooked for a short time over a wood fire until the tomatoes began to soften and the skins loosened.
Next they were passed through a special type of mincer or masher which separates the pulp from the skins and seeds.
Using a funnel the tomato mixture was then carefully poured into an array of clean beer bottles that had been carefully gathered by the family throughout the year. Then, there was another device for fitting crown caps to all the bottles to seal and make them air-tight. The bottles were than stacked in beer crates.
We walked down into the lower section of their olive grow where the men folk were busy preparing three large empty oil drums, which had been placed on metal frames to allow a large wood fire to be set underneath. In the bottom of each oil drum some old rags had been thrown, upon which the filled beer bottles, some 250 of them in total, we being arranged on their sides in layers, gradually filling up the drums.
A hose-pipe was then used to add water to a level to cover the top layer of bottles. A fire was then lit under the three barrels and the water slowly but steadily brought up to the boil. The passata bottles were then kept in the boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes, and then removed and left to cool.
Meanwhile some of the women folk were busy chopping yet more tomatoes into quarters, which were then being placed into large wide-necked jars, which were to be sealed and boiled in a large container of water in a similar fashion to the passata.
These ancient methods of preserving capture the very essence of summer, allowing tastes and aromas to be released in the darker winter months when the delights of fresh grown juicy tomatoes are a distant memory ….. well until the next summer.
Later that day we were the very happy recipients of three bottles of lovely homemade preserved passata, still warm to the touch, and ready for storage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in June we welcomed a couple from Massachusetts in the USA, who had rented for a week, our friend’s nearby holiday villa called “Casa di Campagna”, which is a stone’s throw from us here at Tre Cancelle. You can see full details of this lovely comfortable villa by clicking here.
David and Karen’s trip to Italy was primarily to visit the seaside town of Gaeta, from where David’s ancestors, the Petricone family, had originated. David was also researching the surnames: Capobianco, Di Tucci, Miele, Spinosa and Uttaro.
Gaeta
David’s deceased father had visited Gaeta on a couple of occasions, however this was to be David’s very first visit. He had come armed with a bundle of papers, mainly notes that his father had made about his family, and an assortment of photographs, some of the people in which, sadly they were unable to identify. We offered to help them trace their ancestry by escorting them to the Comune, or Town Hall, in Gaeta and by acting as personal translators.
We arrived at the Comune just as it was opening up after a lunch break, and there was already a mass of people waiting to be served at the Anagrafe, the local Register office. We patiently waited our turn, having established our position in the queue by using the well trodden phrase: “Chi è l’ultimo?” We explained that David had travelled all the way from the USA to trace his family ancestors who originated from Gaeta. At first the frosty official seemed rather brusque and off-hand, saying that they were really busy that day, however he did thaw a little when he realised that one of the surnames being researched was in fact his very own. He summoned another young man from the back office, who beckoned for us to follow him.
We went through to an inner sanctum where hundreds of volumes of hand written registers dating back to the early 1800’s are kept, and where a young archivist started to try and help us with our search. Some of David’s dates were very vague, so the young man was seemingly struggling, despite his best efforts, to make that all important initial find. Then another more senior gentleman, the head archivist, who had been sitting quietly working away in the background, began to offer useful pointers to his younger colleague. Thus, before the end of the afternoon session, not only had David found the ancestors he had been looking for, confirming his grand-parents and their siblings, but they had also managed to trace back a further 2 generations to a Carlo Petricone born circa 1814, who was David’s great-great grandfather. Of course, David and Karen were absolutely delighted by these findings.
Since the Comune was just about to close, we decided to show David and Karen Gaeta’s charming ancient street of Via Independenza.
This colourful and lively shopping area runs parallel with the sea front. It is a quaint, narrow pedestrian street, approximately half a mile in length, and is paved in dark volcanic stone, with many little adjoining alleyways known as vicoli.
Here you can find many small shops selling fresh, local food such as Mozzarella di Bufala, Olive di Gaeta, fresh pasta and tiella- a type of local pizza pie. Also dotted about the place are colourful and beautifully displayed fruit and vegetable stands. There are also many shops selling an array of items, such as souvenirs, handicrafts, leather goods, clothes, jewellery etc.
Eventually we headed back to the car. Embarrassingly, during this period, our car had been intermittently refusing to start, as the battery seemed to be failing to hold its charge. Paul, known for being conscious of saving a few pennies here and there wherever possible, insisted that with regular top ups from our battery charger, our battery wasn’t considered to be ready for replacement just yet !!! Hmmmmmmm !!!
Consequently having got back to the car, we once again found that it wouldn’t start. “Managia la Miseria” !!! So, we then all had to bail out, push the car out of its parking space into the middle of the car park, open up the bonnet, attach some jump leads and stand looking hopeful ……..
Thankfully soon a good Samaritan offered to help give us a jump start.
The following day David and Karen spent further exploring Gaeta, and also visited the Cemetery in search of family gravestones. Unfortunately, they were so engrossed in their search that they were unaware of the warning bell which was to alert people that the cemetery was about to close for lunchtime. Consequently they found themselves locked in, and were only able to make their escape by climbing over one of the high cemetery walls, much to the amusement of the flower shop owner opposite, and I am sure an experience they too will recall and laugh about for many years to come !!!
To say thank you for our help, David and Karen insisted on taking us out for a couple of lovely meals and also, either out of kindness or perhaps pity for me, bought us a new car battery, so that I, Louise, wouldn’t have to push the car anymore !!!
Mille Grazie David and Karen !!!
Read another article about the Gaeta Car Rally
Read another article about the October Gaeta Food Festival
Visit our Gaeta and South Lazio Website for more information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This year at Tre Cancelle we seem to have had a bumper crop of soft fruits, especially of Amarena cherries, Susine plums and apricots. The branches of the trees were so heavily laden that many were weighted down to the ground with the luscious juicy fruit.
We were keen not to waste any of this free and abundant fresh produce, so we got cracking on finding creative ways to use it up and to capture some of the fruity essence of summer. We started by making numerous batches of jams, but still the plums and apricots kept growing and ripening.
We then experimented with creating some more savoury preserves adding other ingredients such as apple, onion, fresh ginger, dried fruits, spices, vinegar and brown sugar. The Plum Chutney was absolutely delectable, even if I do say so myself !!! A perfect accompaniment to cold meats and cheeses.
We also cooked some simple but traditional plum crumbles, and tried out some other recipes such as: Plum and Ricotta Crumble Cakes and Baked Chicken with Plums and Ginger, which amazingly all turned out to be quite delicious. We even tried our hand at making a plum liqueur.
However I think we have seen quite enough plums and apricots for a while – well, until next year anyway !!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We also cooked some simple but traditional Plum Crumbles, and tried out some other recipes such as: Plum and Ricotta Crumble Cakes and Baked Chicken with Plums and Ginger, which amazingly all turned out to be quite delicious. We even tried our hand at making a plum liqueur.
However I think we have seen quite enough plums for a while – well, until next year anyway !!!
We have a favourite little Restaurant / Pizzeria in Itri that we tend to frequent quite regularly. It goes by the name of the “Bellavista”. It is perched on a hill-side overlooking the town and the view of Itri is truly magnificent, both by day and by night.
We like the restaurant because it is a well run, small family business, it is unpretentious but it serves good food and good wine at reasonable prices. We have become good friends with the owners.
From the menu you can choose from a good selection of pizzas which are prepared to order and baked in their own wood-fired oven.
Alternatively, if you would like a traditional Italian meal then you can choose from the following courses:
Antipasti (starters)
Primo Piatti (a selection of traditional pasta dishes)
Secondo Piatti (main courses of meat, fish or sea-food)
and Contorni (side dishes of vegetables or salad)
For Dessert they offer a selection of cheeses, fresh fruit salad or a variety of ice-creams.
Unlike some local restaurants, if you do not wish to have a huge Italian meal of numerous courses, you can choose to order just one or two. The staff here do not make you feel pressurised to order more than you really want.
The atmosphere is informal and relaxed and it is open from 7.30 pm each and every evening.
We would highly recommend it.
Ristorante Pizzeria “Bellavista”
Via Mezzabrino, Itri (LT)
Tel: 0771 729 698 Mobile: 392.8686006
For More Information about Itri and the surrounding area please take a look at our South Lazio Website
http://itri.shapcott-family.com
http://southlazio.shapcott-family.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recent Comments