Almost actual size

We went to an awesome Giocattoli (toy shop) the other day which was filled with the most interesting of things.

For instance, they had very authentic toy swords, knives, shields, helmets and even crossbows replete with soft leather-headed bolts.  Jason was very taken with the crossbows, and we tried them out in the shop...they fire really well.

I then found, and purchased a toy FIAT Cinque Cento (Fiat 500).  As you can see, it's almost actual size.

Ciao,

David

Mascarpone...and pizza

So, in reading "Under a Tuscan Sun" the author is a bit of a chef, and she describes a lot of the food she cooks.    The traditional cooking in this part of the world is "la cucina povera", the poor kitchen, and a lot of the time only a few ingredients are used.

A very popular ingredient is Mascarpone, so we figured we'd buy some and try it out.

The first dish is just three things:  1) Mascarpone, which turns out upon purchase and subsequent tasting to be a very thick creamy-type cheese, actually more like English clotted cream....cream so thick you can stand a spoon up in it, 2) pasta, for which we use our favourite gnocci 56 shells, and 3) a jar of palpa di pomodoro, which is just crushed tomatoes, although this particular one also has basil and garlic in it.

Now, I appreciate it does not look fabulous, but it does taste fabulous...and it was all of 15 minutes to make. We put parmigiano on it (the good stuff...freshly grated), but it was way better just on its own.

Given the fact that Marscapone tasted just like English clotted cream, Mary figured that she would make scones so we could have English scones with "clotted cream" and jam.  The scones turned out perfectly...even Mary was impressed and she has a very high bar when it comes to these things.

These tasted absolutely fantastic!!

Finally, we thought we'd try our hand at making pizza.  You can buy the pre-made dough at the supermarket, so we unrolled that and put on palpa di pomodoro with freshly sliced mozerella.

After rubbing the edges with olive oil (which Mary is doing here) we put on a little garlic and salt.   A quick 20 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees celsius and it was done.  We garnished with fresh basil, and we had crazy good margherita pizza.

Seriously, this Italian cooking thing is not that hard.

Cheers,

David

St. Peter's Basilica...

February 25, 2012

We finally had some nice weather and so we took the train down to Rome.  There is so much to see there that we decided to take it one step at a time.  This trip was all about St. Peter’s Basilica. 

We woke up late and walked down to the Perugia train station and took the three hour train ride.  Jason wanted to be the one to punch the tickets before we left.

We arrived at 12:30 p.m. and took bus #64 over to St. Peter’s.  We waited in line to get through security.  The line went surprisingly fast because David had his kindle out and was reading facts about St. Peter’s while we waited. Once inside we decided to climb to the top first.  Yes, we climbed all 551 stairs, and after hiking all over the many steps in Perugia, it was a piece of cake. Even Jason (who was worried about doing it before we began) was surprised at how easy it was. We came outside for a bit of a break before we went all the way to the top of the Duomo. 

There was an inside balcony area at this level, where we could look down into the church below.  The only sad thing is the wire mesh was so high that it was difficult to get a decent picture looking downward, but I tried to get a few through the mesh anyway.  The mosaics on the wall were extraordinary. 

Next we climbed up the stairs around the Duomo.  They were really interesting as the walls curved inward and we walked on a slant.

Then we came to a very narrow spiral staircase with just a rope up the center to hold onto.  I was wishing I hadn’t been eating so much pasta at this point as it was a tight squeeze J  

Then we arrived in beautiful sunlight outside.  The views were spectacular.

On the way back down, I have to admit to feeling a bit sick after so much spiraling… I wonder why it didn’t bother me on the way up?  Once we were down I felt the need to unwind myself for some reason. 

By the time we got down from the top, the place was starting to shut down as it was 4:00 p.m. and there was a mass at 5:00 p.m. We were not able to go to the statue of St. Peter where everyone kisses his toe.  But we could take pictures of the entire back portion of the church.  We will have to go back there next time.

Next we spent time looking all through the church.  The place truly is awe-inspiring.  I think even the non-religious had to feel something whilst inside.  The sheer beauty of all the artwork is overwhelming.  I wanted to touch everything, it was all so magnificent.  Danika’s and Jason’s favorite was this copy of Raphael’s transfiguration.  It looks like a painting, but when you get up close, it is really a mosaic.  Unbelievable…

The Chapel of the Pieta (where Michelangelo’s sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus’ body after it came down from the cross, he did this when he was 24 years old) was cordoned off and behind glass, so I couldn’t get a decent picture of the sculpture – but hopefully you get the idea.  It is the supposedly the only sculpture that Michelangelo ever signed. 

Of course I had to get a picture of the kids with the guard all dressed up!

Next we went to the Pantheon.  We stopped along the way because Jason wanted his picture trying to hold up this building.  

When we finally got to the Pantheon, we didn’t have time to go inside.  Again, we will have to save it for the next trip.  However, we did have time to stop for a gelato and a picture outside!

Then it was a quick grab of some dinner and back to the train station and the three hour train ride back to Perugia.  All in all, a very nice outing!

~Mary

Deruta Ceramics

February 23, 2012

David and I took a trip to Deruta while the kids were in school.  This is where all of the famous Italian pottery comes from.  It is only about 20 minutes from our apartment.

One of our favorite places in Deruta is the Ditta G. Grazia and Company.  This family business has been going for 500 years. 

We were the only ones there and David asked for a tour.  So, they gave us a full personal tour of the place.

We were able to see the painted pottery before and after firing.  They also fire it again after putting a clear glass coating on.

They let us watch the artists as they painted the pieces. The second picture is the  same pattern she is painting so that you know what it looks like after firing.

 She even let me paint a little.  It was so much fun J

There is a possibility that I may be able to go back there and take a few classes.  I am so excited…  This last picture is my favorite one.  I just love all of the colors…

Hopefully there will be a follow-up to this post detailing my adventures in pottery class!

~Mary

My, that’s a large salami you have there...

So, we’re at the IperCoop in Collestrada earlier this week (basically, the large “Walmart” about 10 minutes out of the center of Perugia by car) and we come across the largest salami I’ve ever seen in my life.  It’s enormous.  And it’s edible.  

We did not have the camera with us, but we happened to go back there today, and thankfully (so I can take a photo) the guy is still there.  The salami is now a good three feet shorter, but nonetheless, quite the salami.

For the record, this stuff just takes like Oscar Meyer Bologna…which is to say we did not buy any.  And yes, we did get the fridge magnet.

Mail, Glorious Mail...

Mail is such a funny thing.  Now that we are half-way around the world and I am missing all of my friends terribly, I realize just how much each little contact means.  I cherish every little comment on facebook and our blog, and I really get excited when I actually get a personal email instead of all of the spam.

However, nothing can compare to getting a handwritten letter the old-fashioned snail -mail way.  Our first letter arrived in our mailbox and a great celebration ensued.  David was the one to retrieve it and he had us all guessing who it could be from.  We started out guessing from all of our family members, but that wasn’t it, then went on to guessing friends, but we just couldn’t get it.

Finally David gave in and told us we had gotten a letter from Ingrid Holliday, Danika’s piano teacher!  We really enjoyed gathering around the kitchen table and reading her handwritten letter out loud.  She wrote a postcard as well as two full pages on paper.  It was so great to hear all about the happenings in Missoula.  This little letter made our entire day!

~Mary

Finally Getting Out...

February 19, 2012

So, I’ve been sick for over a week now, can’t seem to shake this thing.  I always seem to forget when the kids go to school they usually bring something home and I get sick…   The kids had it for a bit, but they don’t seem to be bothered by it, gone in a day or two.  Now David has it now too, so at least I have company.  It kept us inside for quite a while, but since the sun decided to shine on Friday, we decided to make a break for it and get outside. 

We headed to the Piazza Italia because there is free WIFI there.  We pay for internet at the apartment.  At $30 a month, we only get 3 gig a month.  That goes really quickly, and it isn’t wireless.  So, we head up to the piazza to download books to the kindle and try to do things that take up a ton of bandwidth.  It is still really cold outside as you can see by the fountain in front of David that is frozen solid.  However, the sun feels fabulous after being stuck indoors for awhile.

While the kids were in school, we explored some of the backstreets (always loads of steps, which I have begun to love… I know, shocking)  We stumbled upon a Falafel/Kebab place and just had to try it.  It was phenomenal J  We took our lunch up to the Piazza IV Novembre and sat on the steps to eat in front of the fountain.  The sun was so warm there that we spent an hour and a half just soaking it up before we had to go pick the kids up from school.

After school we took the kids on a panoramic walk of the historical part of the city.  We actually ended up walking completely around the city and the views were amazing. 

Of course we had to stop for an afternoon snack.  This little place is supposed to have the best gelato in Perugia. 

We had some even though we were sick.   It is no wonder we aren’t getting over this thing… gotta stop the sugar intake… But, it was oh so good J

~Mary