Three months away - Italy & UK

[Antoallison]

So did you drive up there or did someone come and pick you up?

No the B and B offered a transfer service to and from their home (with a stop for gelato) and also private tours to a variety of nearby attractions for an extra fee.

We were collected in Bologna and dropped back at the AV station in Reggio Emilia ..refreshed and ready to continue the rest of the journey.

Nightly rate including breakfast was about 60 euro per night. There are only 3 double rooms.

 

[Antoallison]

Tasted my first meal of the wonderfully tender wild boar (cinghiales) at the local La Taverna del Brutto. Served with a local speciality called crescinte to mop up the superb tomato sauce base with peppercorns.

The entree was Baccala,
all served with wine and a beer and dessert to finish.

 

[VPS]

Aaah Baccala - love it. I must make it again one day soon

 

[Antoallison]

Visit to a Balsameria in Reggio Emilia region. No cost for this tour and tasting, just please purchase a small bottle of balsamic vinegar !

Our B and B hostess arranged the visit at this family run business. She acted as the interpreter for the afternoon. After a short drive through wonderfully cool forrest we arrived at the family home and cellar area for the balsamic production. After the tour we called in at an organic farm to buy some strawberries for dessert that night.

White Trebbiano grapes are bought in and the freshly crushed must (skin, seeds, stems) used to produce the finest balsamic. Then the ageing process which takes place in wooden barrels. the minimum is 12 years, some are 50 years old. We bought a bottle of 40 year old balsamic which was carefully brought back to Perth in hand luggage.

I learnt a lot of ways to serve the viscous sweet, smokey liquid besides in salad - with meat, fish, risotto, egg dishes, vegetables, strawberries and even pannacotta or icecream.

 

[Antoallison]

 

[Antoallison]

A day trip to Ravenna.

Using Bologna as a base and accessing different towns by train each day for a day trip was ideal. Local train 70 km Bologna to Ravenna was E7.50 1 way.

The train is a pleasant walk away from the ancient city and most of the major Unesco WH sites are within the flat and mainly pedestrianised centre. I recommend buying a combined ticket to see 4 of the 8 sites that require admission. The day in Ravenna was mainly to see the famous mosaics and I am glad I did.

The town was a capital of Roman (402 till 476) and Byzantine culture and was a major home port for the Roman fleet with easy access to Constantinople.

The 1,400 year old Basilica di San Vitale is stunning. In the cupola and apse the mosaics look as fresh as they must have when they were laid. That is because they are made from glass with various brilliant pigments and gold leaf for the shimmering gold highlights. (floor mosaics would be of hard wearing marble).

Another attraction is the tomb of the poet Dante, built 1780..and Lord Byron lived here - but that is modern history !

 

[Antoallison]

 

[Antoallison]

The mosaics have a post of their own...

 

[Antoallison]

Still plenty of time to discover bars down little alleyways in Ravenna for a drink and snack before the train back to Bologna.

 

[OZDUCK]

Visit to a Balsameria in Reggio Emilia region. No cost for this tour and tasting, just please purchase a small bottle of balsamic vinegar !
. We bought a bottle of 40 year old balsamic which was carefully brought back to Perth in hand luggage.

Enjoying the photos and commentary but what about the LAGS checks? Was it under 100ml?

 

[Antoallison]

Enjoying the photos and commentary but what about the LAGS checks? Was it under 100ml?

good question my ex Customs pal....

I just checked with hubby and he assures me I am wrong and that it was carefully wrapped amongst his clothing in his checked bag - not in his smaller hand luggage !

I saw him off at Milan airport and did not return to Oz until 7 weeks later.

You got me wondering about the quantity so I just went to the kitchen then to check the weight of the liquid/bottle of this “liquid gold” and there is no marking on it ! Even though it is a small bottle, I think it is def over 100ml.

One of the shows he watches on TV is Borderforce... often hear him tut tutti g about the stupidity of the passengers trying to bring back meat, vegetables etc ...so I doubt he would want to end up in a starring role on it.

He bought 2 expensive sealed packets of heirloom tomato seeds at Eataly World in Bologna, after checking with the salesman that they would be allowed into Australia. Hubby of course declared them at Perth airport and they were duly disposed of !

 

[Antoallison]

I told him not to !

 

[OZDUCK]

good question my ex Customs pal....

I just checked with hubby and he assures me I am wrong and that it was carefully wrapped amongst his clothing in his checked bag - not in his smaller hand luggage !

I saw him off at Milan airport and did not return to Oz until 7 weeks later.

You got me wondering about the quantity so I just went to the kitchen then to check the weight of the liquid/bottle of this “liquid gold” and there is no marking on it ! Even though it is a small bottle, I think it is def over 100ml.

One of the shows he watches on TV is Borderforce... doubt he would want to end up in a starring role on it.

He bought 2 expensive sealed packets of heirloom tomato seeds at Eataly World in Bologna, after checking with the salesman that they would be allowed into Australia. Hubby of course declared them at Perth airport and they were duly disposed of !

Ahh good, checked bag seemed more likely. My question at least proves that people read what is written in TR's and don't just look at the pretty pictures It would have been awful to have lost it at security. (I really enjoyed the balsamic vinegar on lots of the restaurant tables in Spain. I suppose they and Italy fight over who has got the best variety.)

 

[Antoallison]

Eataly World or FICO is a surreal Disneyland type theme park outside of Bologna.
I thought it sounded cheesy and read reports that the Italian foodies thought it an awful set up so I was reluctant to go.

However another wet day in Bologna made a trip to this undercover venue sound more attractive and I am now glad I went.

Frequent special FICO buses run from various points in Bologna- 7 Euro return and you are dropped at the door. Free entry.

It was like the Royal Show and comprised such a large area that you can ride bicycles to get around inside !

You can book in for various classes like pasta or bread making at a small fee, wander from section to section to see how salami is made, attend a Gelato University, pay for small servings of any type of Italian food or drink, buy Alessi ware or a pasta maker. I liked stepping outside to see the different breeds of animals and the vegetable gardens.

I thought it was a good fun break from churches and museums and it was easy to have all the food and drink samples of Italy under one roof. I think if you are travelling with children they would enjoy it too.

 

[Antoallison]

 

[Antoallison]

Studying hard for my degree from the Gelato University !

Interesting history of Sulmona confectionery company established 1833, sugar coated almonds originally made by the Poor Clare nuns into bouquets of flowers.

A display of Amarelli Company established in 1926 of sweet making, mainly liquorice from an old 1731 Calabrian recipe but also liquor, herbal tea products.

Lots of information about the purity and pride that Italian producers have in their products.

 

[craven morehead]

I told him not to !

View attachment 194850

Whoops !!

 

[Antoallison]

Ceiling, nothing more than ceilings....
Remember that song from the 1970’s that was a one hit wonder ? Feelings.

Well I had another version of it going around in my head in Mantua when I visited the Palazzo Ducale.

 

[Antoallison]

 

[Antoallison]

The Gonzaga family certainly knew how to decorate

Shakespeare mentioned Mantua in his play Romeo and Juliet, Verdi in the Opera Rigloletto and Vivaldi was inspired to comprise the Four Seasons while working here.

Mantua was quite different from many of the other Italian cities. Clean and well laid out and surrounded by lakes.

Our hotel was right in the main Piazza Sordello so easy access to all the lively restaurants and an easy walk to catch a boat on the lake for an afternoon tour of the waterways. unfortunately it was the wrong season to see the Lotus flowers and birdlife seemed sparse, but it was a pleasant diversion and nice to be off the cobblestones for a while, they can be brutal on the ankles !