relaxing for the weekend

I just got back from an excellent lunch at Marios's (ribollita). This place is becoming one of my favorites and will be something greatly missed when I am forced back on that plane for America. After lunch I finally went to Vestri which, I have been told, has some of the best gelato in Florence. Were they wrong? No. Not at all.

But let's focus on the weekend. API took us on a trip to Siena, the thermal baths, Perugia and a vineyard for wine tasting. It was a relaxing, well done trip despite the long time spent on buses. Siena is a nice little city that is built completely in the ancient style in order to preserve the heritage. We saw the requisite churches including the basilica (brief lesson on churches: a basilica is a church that has relics, a duomo is the main church of the town/city, a church is any Christian house of worship (chiesa in Italian), and a cathedral is a church that seats the bishop). The relics in this particular church were the head and thumb of saint Catherine, one of Italy's most important saints because she was one of only two to receive stigmata.

One of the interesting parts of the city is the large, seashell shaped main piazza where a horse race takes place every year. Usually abotu 30,000 people show up to watch this race, which is over in about a minute. While we were there some sort of karate exhibition and dance recital was taking place at one end to such amazing music as Pirates of the Caribbean and "I like to move it". Good times.

After touring the city (and a rather disappointing lunch) I bought a flag for one of the various contrade, the Civetta, who are represented by an owl and were historically formed by shoemakers (I bought it because I liked the owl, not because I have thing for making shoes.) and tried some panforte, a kind of bread made for soldiers with nuts, fruit and other ingredients. Then it was time for the thermal baths!

Despite the smell (which I got used to quickly) the water was amazing. Not boiling hot but very warm and comfortable, especially in the outdoor baths where the air is chilly but the water is so nice and warm. This particular bath used water beneficial for the skin (and my skin got really soft afterward) kidneys and liver. An appropriate combination for the weekend because of Sunday's wine tasting. After the baths we went to our hotel where API was providing dinner (and they actually did, unlike in Venice where they said they would be providing dinner and never did, the liars). And boy, did we have dinner. A full four courses, antipasti (bread, cheese and fried/breaded vegetables and rice balls) primi piatti (vegetable soup, not that great, and an excellent vegetarian lasagna that was really creamy and good) then the main course (chicken and french fries for them, a spinach pie thing for the vegetarian me... really really yummy but I was so stuffed I couldn't finish it) then dessert... tiramasu cake! It was moist and delicious.

We then had to wake up for the bus at 9 for Perugia, the capital of the nearby region of Umbria. Yes, that's where the whole Amanda Knox thing happened and we saw her house, but that's the unimportant part. Perugia is a really cool city built in three layers: Etruscan, Roman and more-or-less modern. These layers are distinct and can be seen on the buildings with the bottom being Etruscan, the middle Roman, and the top any time after that. The neatest things I saw were the enormous Etruscan arch, still standing and functional after 2,000 plus years and the Roman aqueduct that is still used as a road.

There wasn't much to do in Perugia after the tour besides buy the chocolate the city is known for at Perugina, the chocolate store par excellence. (heehee I like that phrase, especially since my Age of Heroes/Mythology prof uses it at least twenty times per class.) Usually we find a good lunch place and try some of the local cuisine but because we were all full from last night and the large hotel breakfast we decided to sandwich it up closer to our departure. So we chilled and had gelato (duh).

On to the vinyard! Called Castello Verrazzano, the man who "discovered" the bay of New York once lived there. (I use quotes because he only discovered it for the Europeans, other peoples already knew of it.) Four stones from their tower are in the Verrazzano bridge and four of its stones were here. Its beautiful with many flowers and fountains. The current owner, before showing us the cellars where the wine is aged in oak barrels, admonished us to taste the wine, to experience it, the color, the smell, and not just get drunk. Anyone can get drunk, he said, but few can enjoy the flavor and its many subtleties, in which he included violets, the oak, cherry and so much else beside the alcohol. Along with the wine, we were served foods that compliment wine well like cheeses, salami (which I abstained from), salad, biscotti with the dessert wine, bread (of course) toasted bread with olive oil and garlic and beans with pepper and oil. We were also taught how to properly taste the wine: first you look at its color against something white, then you swirl it to let air touch every part of it, then you take a small sip and "chew" the wine in order to properly taste it, last you let a little air into your mouth so the scent can enter your nose. Its a complicated process. But now that I'm an experience sommelier (NOT) wine tasting has no secrets from me (and... cue laughter).

Good trip, API. You did a lot to make up for your Venice disaster.