Author: LaLaItalia

Italy ice cream

Italy ice cream

The history of gelato dates back to frozen desserts served in ancient Rome and Egypt made from ice and snow brought down from mountaintops and preserved below ground. Later, gelato appeared during banquets at the Medici court in Florence. In fact, the Florentine cook Bernardo Buontalenti is said to have invented modern ice creams in 1565, as he presented his recipe and his innovative refrigerating techniques to Caterina de’ Medici.

She in turn brought the novelty to France, where in 1686 the Sicilian fisherman Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli perfected the first ice cream machine [1]. The popularity of gelato among larger shares of the population however only increased in the 1920’s-1930’s as in the northern Italian city of Varese, where the first mobile gelato cart was developed.

Gelato (Italian pronunciation: [dʒeˈlato]; plural: gelati) is Italy’s regional variant of ice cream. As such, gelato is made with some of the same ingredients as most other frozen dairy desserts.Milk, cream, various sugars, flavoring including fruit and nut purees are the main ingredients.
Gelato differs from some other ice creams in that it has a lower butterfat content.

Gelato typically contains 4-8% butterfat, versus 14% for many ice creams. Gelato generally has slightly lower sugar content, averaging between 16-22% versus approximately 21% for most ice creams.
Non-fat milk is added as a solid. The sugar content in gelato is precisely balanced with the water content to act as an anti-freeze to prevent the gelato from freezing solid. Types of sugar used include sucrose, dextrose, and invert sugar to control apparent sweetness. Typically, gelato and Italian sorbet contain a stabilizing base. Egg yolks are used in yellowcustard-based gelato flavors, including zabaione and creme caramel.

The mixture for gelato is typically made using a hot process, which includes pasteurization. White base is heated to 85°C (185°F). Heating the mix to 90°C (194°F) is essential for chocolate gelato, which is traditionally flavored with cocoa powder. Yellow custard base, which contains egg yolks, is heated to 65°C (149°F). The gelato mix must age for several hours after pasteurization is complete for the milk proteins to hydrate, or bind, with water in the mix. This hydration reduces the size of the ice crystals, making a smoother texture in the final product. A non-traditional cold mix process is popular among some gelato makers in the United States.

Unlike commercial ice cream in the United States, which is frozen with a continuous assembly line freezer, gelato is frozen very quickly in individual small batches in a batch freezer. The batch freezer incorporates air or overage into the mix as it freezes. Unlike American-style ice cream, which can have an overage of up to 50%, gelato generally has between 20% and 35% overage.

This results in a denser product with more intense flavor than U.S. style ice cream. U.S. style ice cream, with a higher fat content, can be stored in a freezer for months. High-quality artisan gelato holds its peak flavor and texture (from delicate ice crystals) for only several days, even when stored carefully at the proper temperature. This is why gelaterias typically make their own gelato on the premises or nearby.

Leslie Halloran
Please check out my website at: www.lihdesigns.net

“A frog in the well does not know the sea.” – Japanese Proverb

Parma

Parma

Italian town:  Parma

Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. It is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world. Parma is divided into two parts by the little stream with the same name. Parma’s Etruscan name was adapted by Romans to describe the round shield called Parma.
It has many sights to see:

Churches
▪    The Romanesque Cathedral houses both 12th century sculpture by Benedetto Antelami and a 16th century fresco masterpiece by Antonio da Correggio.
▪    The Baptistery, adjacent to the cathedral was begun in 1196 by Antelami.
▪    The abbey church of Saint John the Evangelist (San Giovanni Evangelista), was originally constructed in the 10th century behind the Cathedral’s apse, but had to be rebuilt in 1498 and 1510 after a fire. It has a late Mannerist facade and a belltower designed by Simone Moschino), and retains its Latin cross plan, a nave and two aisles. In 1520–1522, Correggio frescoed the dome with the Vision of St. John the Evangelist, a highly influential fresco which heralded illustionistic perspective in the decoration of church ceilings. Bernardo Falconi designed a putto in the high altar. Also the cloisters and the ancient Benedictine grocery are noteworthy. The library has books from the 15th and 16th centuries.
▪    Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata.
▪    The Benedictine Monastery of San Paolo, founded in the 11th century. It houses precious frescoes by Correggio, in the so-called Camera di San Paolo (1519–1520), and Alessandro Araldi.
▪    The Gothic church of San Francesco del Prato (13th century). From Napoleonic era to 1990s it was the city’s jail, for which the 16 windows in the facade were opened. The original rose windows (1461) has 16 rays, which, in the medieval tradition, represented the house of God. The Oratory of the Concezione houses frescoes by Michelangelo Anselmi and Francesco Rondani. The altarpiece by Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli is now in the National Gallery of Parma.
▪    Church of Santa Croce, dating to the early 12th century. The original edifice, in Romanesque style, had a nave and two aisles with a semicircular apse. This was renovated first in 1415 and again in 1635–1666, with the heightening of the aisles and nave, the addition of a bresbytery, a dome and of the chapel of St. Joseph. The frescoes in the nave (by Giovanni Maria Conti della Camera, Francesco Reti and Antonio Lombardi) date to this period.
▪    Church of San Sepolcro, built in 1275 over a pre-existing religious edifice. The church was largely renovated in 1506, 1603 and 1701, when the side on the Via Emilia was remade in Neoclassicist style. The church has a nave with side chapels. The Baroque bell tower was built in 1616, the cups being finished in 1753. Annexed is the former monastery of the Rrgular Canons of the Lateran, dating to 1493–1495.
▪    Church of Santa Maria del Quartiere (1604–1619), characterized by a usual hexagonal plan. The cupola is decorated with frescoes by Pier Antonio Bernabei and his pupils.

Palaces
▪    The Palazzo della Pilotta (1583). It houses the Academy of Fine Arts with artists of the School of Parma, the Palatine Library, theNational Gallery, the Archaeological Museum, the Bodoni Museum[4] and the Farnese Theatre.
▪    The Ducal Palace, built from 1561 for Duke Ottavio Farnese on a design by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola. Built on the former Sforza castle area, it was enlarged in the 17th–18th centuries. It includes the Palazzo Eucherio Sanvitale, with
▪    interesting decorations dating from the 16th centuries and attributed to Gianfrancesco d’Agrate, and a fresco by Parmigianino. Annexed is the Ducal Park also by Vignola. It was turned into a French-style garden in 1749.
▪    The Palazzo del Comune, built in 1627.
▪    The Palazzo del Governatore (“Governor’s Palace”), dating from the 13th century.
▪    The Bishop’s Palace (1055).
▪    Ospedale Vecchio (“Old Hospital”), created in 1250 and later renovated in Renaissance times. It is now home to the State Archives and to the Communal Library.

Other
▪    The Teatro Farnese was constructed in 1618–1619 by Giovan Battista Aleotti, totally in wood. It was commissioned by Duke Ranuccio I for the visit of Cosimo I de’ Medici.
▪    The Cittadella, a large fortress erected in the 16th century by order of Duke Alessandro Farnese, close to the old walls.
▪    The Pons Lapidis (also known as Roman Bridge or Theoderic’s Bridge), a Roman structure in stone dating from Augustus reign.
▪    The Orto Botanico di Parma is a botanical garden maintained by the University of Parma.
▪    The Teatro Regio (“Royal Theatre”), built in 1821–1829 by Nicola Bettoli. It has a Neo-Classical facade and a porch with double window order. It is the city’s opera house.
▪    The Auditorium Niccolò Paganini, designed by Renzo Piano.
▪    The Museum House of Arturo Toscanini, where the famous musician was born.
▪    Museo Lombardi. It exhibits a prestigious collection of art and historical items regarding Maria Luigia of Habsburg and her first husband Napoleon Bonaparte; important works and documents concerning the Duchy of Parma in the 18th and 19th centuries are also kept by the Museum.

Leslie Halloran
Please check out my website at: www.lihdesigns.net

“A frog in the well does not know the sea.” –  Japanese Proverb

The adventures of Pinocchio

The adventures of Pinocchio

The Adventures of Pinocchio comes to life in Italy’s Pinocchio Park, in the village of Collodi. Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio’s creator, took his pen name from Collodi, birthplace of his mother. The park tells Collodi’s version of the Pinocchio story through sculpture, mosaics and puppet shows.

Pinocchio Park is a great place to take kids. A winding path leads visitors through the Village of Pinocchio as they encounter statues of characters from the story.
The park also has a snack bar and picnic area, amusement park for small children, a theater for puppet shows, and a museum and gift shop. There’s even an internet train to keep the parents occupied.

Pinocchio Park is open every day, 8:30 to sunset.
The medieval hillside village of Collodi, 17km northeast of Lucca in Tuscany, is an interesting place to visit, too. Also in Collodi, near Pinocchio Park, is the Garzoni Garden. A combination ticket is available to visit both places.

Web-site: www.pinocchio.it

Garzoni garden is a beautiful Baroque garden with pools, waterfalls, statues and a maze. From the entrance, the garden unfolds before your eyes, creating a magnificent scene. The Garzoni garden is considered to be one of the best gardens not only in Tuscany but in all of Italy.
Garzoni Castle dates from the early 1600’s and was built by the powerful Garzoni family from Pescia who were sent into exile. They decided to build a villa in Collodi near the ancient border of the Republic of Lucca. By 1652 the garden was laid out in its present form.

Garzoni Garden is in the village of Collodi, 17km northeast of Lucca. You can buy a combination ticket to visit both Garzoni Garden and the nearby Pinocchio Park. The garden is open all year from 9:00 until sunset but from November 15 – March 15 it’s only open on weekends and holidays.

Leslie Halloran
Please check out my website at: www.lihdesigns.net

“A frog in the well does not know the sea.” – Japanese Proverb

Pienza

Pienza

Pienza, a small town near Siena, is a rare example of Renaissance town building. Defined, from time to time, the “ideal city”, the “utopian city”, it represents one of the best planned Renaissance towns, where a model of ideal living and governing was realized thus working out the idea of a town able to satisfy the need for a pacific, civil and hardworking living. It represented the so called utopia of the “civitas” vainly cherished by people for centuries.Pienza has at present two museum, a third one into being. Its location in the middle of Val d’Orcia, a wonderful and untouched valley, enables the town to perfectly embody the basic interest which the humanistic architecture gave to the relationship man – nature.

Nowadays Pienza is part of a territorial system called “Parco artistico, naturale e culturale della Val d’Orcia”, which aims at preservation of the extraordinary artistic heritage of the five boroughs which constitute it: Castiglion d’Orcia, Montalcino, San Quirico d’Orcia, Radicofani and Pienza.
The center of Pienza was completely redesigned by Pope Pius II in Renaissance times. He planned to transform his birthplace into a model Renaissance town. The architect Bernardo Rossellino was commissioned to build a Duomo, papal palace and town hall, the construction were completed in three years.

Duomo
Piazza Pio II – Open daily

The Duomo was built by the architect Rossellino (1459) and is now suffering from serious subsidence at its eastern end. There were cracks in the walls and floor of the nave, but the splendid classical proportions are remained inctact. It is flooded with ligth from the vast stained glass windows request by Pius II; he wanted a domus vitrea (litterally “a house of glass”), which would symbolize the spirit of intellectual enlightenment of the Humanist age.

Palazzo Piccolomini Piazza Pio II – Open Tuesday – Sunday

The palazzo is next door to the Duomo and was home to Pius II’s descendants until 1968. Rossellino’s design for the building was influenced by Leon Battista Alberti’s Palazzo Rucellai in Florence. The appartments open to the public include Pius II’s bedroom and library. At the rear of the palazzo there is an ornate arcaded courtyard and a triple-tiered loggia looking out on the garden. From here there are spectacular views across to the wooded slopes of the Monte Amiata.

Pieve di Corsignano Via delle Fonti. Open by appointment. 
Phone to the tourist office: (+390578749071)
Pope Pius II was baptized in this 11 th. century Romanesque parish church on the outskirts of Pienza. It has an unusual round tower and a doorway decorated with flower mytholgical motifs. A crib is sculptured on the architrave of the side doorway.

Leslie Halloran
Please check out my website at: www.lihdesigns.net

“A frog in the well does not know the sea.” – Japanese Proverb

Tuscany itineraries

Montepulciano

Montepulciano, is a renaissance town in Southern Tuscany and an important agricultural center, famous for it’s  “Nobile” wine. Montepulciano lies on a hilltop in a panoramic position and is surrounded by the 15th century defensive works by “Antonio da Sangallo”. Birthplace of the famous poet Agnolo Ambrogini, called “Poliziano”. Thanks to its history throughout the centuries, the town has preserved many architectural jewels and artistic treasures along side the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside.

◦   Piazza Grande is the real monumental center of Montepulciano and hosts the “Palazzo Comunale” (Town hall) 15th century, with a big tower from which it is possible to admire the view of the village of Radicofani, the Orcia Valleys and Lake Trasimeno.

◦   The Cathedral of Montepulciano is a stately building by Ippolito Scalza, (1592-1630 , inside, altar by A. della Robbia, a 14th century baptismal font and the ” Madonna del Pilastro” by Sano di Pietro. On the high altar there is a tripthych by Taddeo di Bartolo (Assuunption, 1401).

The overall structure is reminiscent of the palazzo della Signoria in Florence. The rest of the square is surrounded by several elegant buildings: Palazzo Cantucci, by Sangallo, Palazzo Tarugi, in front of the church, by Vignola and next the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo (XIV century). Of note is the ancient well “Pozzo dei Grifi e dei Leoni”, dating back to 1520 it illustrates very nice renaissance work.

◦    Palazzo Neri-Orselli, 14th century palace, hosts the Civic Museum of Montepulciano, a very large exhibition of Tuscan paintings.
◦    Palazzo Bucelli, whose facade is embedded with a patchwork of dozens of Etruscan reliefs and funerary urns.
◦    The church of Santa Lucia, preserves a painting by Luca Signorelli.
◦    Outside the city walls, the church of Sant’ Agnese, with a 14th century portal. Inside, the first chapel on the right has a frescoed Madonna by Simone Martini.
The travertine church of San Biagio, outside of the city, in the countryside, is characterized by a beautiful dome. It is one of the most significant Renaissance works and masterpiece of Antonio da Sangallo the Elder.

Montepulciano has many wine shops, (local name is enoteca or cantina) offering the chance to taste the local wine “Nobile di Montepulciano”, as well as, to have a traditional Tuscan “colazione” or “merenda” (breakfast) with local products: pecorino cheese, salami,  crostini or bruschetta. A real pleasure for the senses!

In Sant’Albino, a small village close to Montepulciano, there are the Thermal Spas of Montepulciano, famous for its waters and mud-baths whose curative benefits have been renowned for centuries.

Web site: www.montepulciano.com

Leslie Halloran
Please check out my website at: www.lihdesigns.net

“A frog in the well does not know the sea.” – Japanese Proverb