Author: LaLaItalia

Livorno’s Pallio dell’Antenna is an ancient race held since medieval times. This July race consists of four rowing boats battling it out for the prize. The race culminates with one member of each team climbing on the antenna, a stake driven in the water 10 meters high, to win the Palio, which is the classic “purple cloth.” 

With a distance of 600 meters the race lasts for a duration of 6 minutes.

To qualify for the Palio dell’Antenna, the vessels, which represent Livorno’s quarters, compete against each other in a pre-palio race called Palio della Terrazza Ma scagni. The first four boats must then row clockwise within a designated area of the sea before heading for the pole.

Prior to the race there is a historic costume parade with seventeenth-century clothing. The parade starts at the heart of the city culminating at all’Andana of the Rings.

No Bulls – Just Barrels

Each Italian festival has its own particular charm, but if you are looking for a curious and original event, then I suggest the exhilarating spectacle offered by the “Bravio delle Botti”, an annual event that always takes place in Montepulciano on the last Sunday of August.

The wonderful and scenic medieval city of Montepulciano located south of Siena and boasting spectacular panoramas, becomes the special setting for this amazing exhibition.  The “Bravio delle Botti” is an exciting race between the 8 “contrade” (districts) of the town that seek to win the “Bravio”, the painted cloth banner depicting the city’s patron saint. The winners receive the “bravio” at the end of the race.

The competition is very challenging and will literally take your breath away; the contestants for each contrada push huge and heavy “botti” (wooden wine barrels) for about a kilometer uphill along the narrow streets of Montepulciano’s historical center. Each barrel is pushed by two strong “spingitori” or pushers up to the finish line that is right in front of the beautiful Duomo inPiazza Grande.

“Il Bravio delle Botti” is steeped with the town’s traditions, its origins going back to the 14th century when the race was actually run on horseback! Only in more recent times the race has been transformed in a competition with barrels. Indeed, since Montepulciano is famous worldwide for its fine red wine “Nobile di Montepulciano”, the idea came about of using wine barrels for the districts to compete against each other.

Il Bravio delle Botti can be a perfect excuse (if one was needed!) to visit one of the most beautiful art cities of Tuscany and enjoy local traditional dishes and the superb wine of Montepulciano while enjoying a special event for the locals.

On this occasion, the city itself is even more beautiful, totally adorned with flags and decorations displaying the various contrada colours. The day of the race starts early, with a series of suggestive and fascinating ceremonies and events taking place.

The costume parade which winds along the streets of the historical center is a real delight! Knights, noblemen and noble ladies, all in their spectacular costumes, will take you back in time to enjoy the magical and suspended atmosphere of the Middle Ages – truly a unique experienceto enjoy in Tuscany.

 

Italy is roughly the size of the state of Arizona, yet within this small nation lie a large number of varied and interesting regions. Travelers often seek to visit at least several areas of Italy within the same trip. Here are some tips about transportation that might be helpful for those planning a trip to this glorious country.

Good Maps – Detailed walking maps are an essential item for visitors to Italy.  I like Eyewitness or Streetwise maps.   Many Italian cities are very old. Streets may not have an easily discernable pattern. They may meander. Streets may not have street signs or street signs may be very hard to spot. It is rather easy to get lost in cities where small alleyways are the norm in much of the city. While getting lost is often part of the fun and may even lead to unexpected discoveries, travelers will want to find the way back to their lodging eventually. If you are planning to drive in Italy, a good road map is also essential.   Buy an up to date map for every region and city that you are planning to visit. My personal recommendation is to use a GPS programmed for Europe.  If you do not want to bring your own they are available for rent.  I, personally, never drive in Europe without bringing our my own trusty Garmin, aptly named Goddess.  There are also some GPS models programmed for walking.

Bus Travel – Public bus travel allows the visitor a close-up view of an area. Major Italian cities like Rome are well served by a network of buses. Buses are also a very economical form of travel, with costs per trip typically under 5 euros per person. Bus travel is also ideal for exploring regions such as the Amalfi Coast, where the roads are very narrow and wind along high mountain passages. Many travelers find it dangerous to drive a car on these roads and sightsee at the same time. Buses travel fairly frequently between Amalfi towns.

Car Travel – Some Italian regions are not well served by public transportation, for example, Tuscany. Car travel can allow the visitor to see many more small villages and eliminate reliance on bus and train schedules. Car rental in Italy is available to those with an American driving license. Cars rentals are available at airports and larger towns.  The trusty cab is always a good solution to get around in small towns if you do not want to walk.  Of course, there are cars for hire, but you will pay a high price for that luxury.

Rail – Italy has an extensive network of high-speed trains that travel between major Italian cities such as Rome and Venice. Rail service is generally easy to use even for the American traveler confronting it for the first time. There are many signs in English in Italian rail stations. A ticket may be purchased in advance with an automatic ticket machine. Train service is usually divided into first and second classes. First-class service offers plusher seats and more legroom. Second-class service is pleasant with seating comparable to Amtrak. Trains have toilets. Snacks and light meals are usually available for purchase on board.

 

All in all, there are many options for getting around Italy!  Go for it!

 

 

 

To welcome in the New Year, it is traditional to light petards (a kind of firecracker) and fireworks that set the night sky aflame on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. This tradition is recognizable nearly around the world, but in Italy, many folks still throw old possesions out the window, in the hopes of forgetting past misfortunes and clearing the decks for good luck in the new year.

A more common way to salute the beginning of the year is to toast it with sparkling Italian wine. For the New Year’s Day dinner, eating pork products accompanied by lenticchie, or lentils, is a tradition followed in most regions of Italy. The pork is said to represent the fat, or riches, of the land, and the lentils symbolize money or good luck. Some say that the lentil dish should be enjoyed on the last day of the year, some say the first. Whichever, the traditional pork accompaniements are the zampone or cotechino.

Zampone and Cotechino

This wonderful description of zampone and cotechino comes from Paolo Maietta, an authority on all things delicious. According to Paolo, both of these traditional New Year’s dishes are centered around casings stuffed with minced pork meat. “The zampone is made (by) filling the skin of the lower pig leg (the shin) including the toe little bones; the meat is minced to bigger chunks than usual sausages and it’s a bit greasy. The original place from which it comes is Modena, in the Emiligia-Romano region of Italy.”

It became a tradition there to eat zampone with lentils at the New Year. Sources give differing opinions on just whether these treats are to be enjoyed on New Year’s Eve or on New Year’s Day. It doesn’t matter which you choose, and people across Tuscany and the rest of Italy all seem to do just as their families have done, choosing one day or the other to eat these traditional dishes.

It is said that the lentils served on New Year’s Day are traditionally representative of money, and that the casing of the zampone (the pig’s shin and trotter) represent the bags to hold the incoming money. Since I practice a money-gathering tradition of my own on New Year’s Eve (leaving money outside the house, in the hope that it will bring more in during the coming year), I find this idea appealing.

An old story has it that a seige conducted by Pope Julius II during the winter of 1511 left the people of an Emilian town facing starvation. In order to continue to eat, they were forced to use every bit of their native pigs for food. Zampone was invented when they decided to take all the scraps of pig innards that they had left, and mince and stuff them into the only thing available to hold them: the skin of a pig’s shin and trotter. It is said that they even stuffed the toes of that pig!

Zampone is not readily available outside of Italy, and even in Italy it can sometimes be difficult to find. The best time to try it, is, of course, at the New Year. Both lo zampone and il cotechino are eaten with a combination of mashed potatos and lentils. According to Paolo, “the cotechino is a sort of big sausage, with the same filling (as zampone) but much more finely minced and more spiced. It has a very distinctive taste and it comes in smaller sizes (max 500 gr.) than the zampone (750/1000 gr). Both are served as traditional New Year’s Eve food, served with mashed potatoes (pure’ di patate) and lentils (lenticchie). The latter are believed to be a good sign of much money for the New Year.”

Recipe: Sausage With Lentils

Recipe forsalsiccia e lenticchie is a modern and convenient take on the traditional lentils and zampone. This recipe should serve 4 to 6 people and should be accompanied by mashed potatos for the full Capodanno effect!

• 1 1/2 cups green lentils
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound prociutto, pancetta, or bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small fennel bulb, diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage with fennel
• 1 medium can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 small dried chili pepper, or red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste

Most lentils sold these days do not need to be soaked ahead, but it is best to follow any package directions that come with the lentils you buy. Put lentils in a pot of boiling, salted water; when the water boils again, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or according to package directions. Drain..

Saute the bacon, onion, carrot, fennel, shallot and garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet. When vegetable are soft, remove and brown the sausage in the same skillet. Set sausage aside on paper towels.

Remove all fat from the skillet and return the bacon and vegetables to the pan; add the tomatoes, hot pepper, and bay leaf, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the sausage and heat through, simmering for 5 minutes or more.

Season with salt and pepper and serve on a large platter accompanied by mashed potatos.

A chianti is a good wine to enjoy with this dish. Enjoy!  Happy New Year!