cappellacci – Null & Full https://blog.nullnfull.com Travel Off The Beaten Track Sun, 03 Dec 2017 23:15:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.8.23 What is an ‘osteria’? https://blog.nullnfull.com/2017/02/15/food-valpolicella/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2017/02/15/food-valpolicella/#respond Wed, 15 Feb 2017 11:28:46 +0000 https://blog.nullnfull.com/?p=7662 Food of Valpolicella, Osteria del Bugiardo, Italy

A winter stay in Valpolicella would be incomplete without a few visits in the local restaurants. There is a lot to choose from! Even if the AirBnB house we rented is located in a small village there is a variety of places that serve a high-quality food. Italy is famous for its food and sometimes you might get lost is a variety of names. You might wonder what is the difference between ‘osteria‘, ‘trattoria‘ and ‘restaurant’ thus here is a simple explanation. Osteria The least formal of all places that offer you food in Italy. It sometimes is run by a family and offers you a place at the common table, shared with other guests. The food is always fresh, prepared from the local ingredients and often there is no menu: the owner of a waiter tells you what is served today and you choose from it. It serves wines, often produced by the owners (‘produzione propria‘), brought to the table is carafe rather than a bottle. Recently there is a new trend to make the osterie more attractive by using a modern design or hosting ‘aperitivo‘ in late afternoons. The one I visited here, in Negrar, was called Osteria del Bugiardo and it was fabulous! Trattoria Less formal than a restaurant more formal then osteria. It always serves local food but the main focus is on wines. The food is always simple, the choice is limited and the customers are in major part locals. It has been always an important place for the meetings of the residents and a common space for exchanging the ideas and gossips. Restaurant Obviously, there is a huge variety of the formality here. There are exclusive restaurants that serve a high quality, expensive food but there are also those less expensive and well connected with the area. It is true especially in Italy where many people visit a restaurant with their families, friends and colleagues. It is worth checking with the locals which restaurant is good but if you can’t do it just pass the restaurant in the evening (20:00-21:00) and judge it out of the number of cars parked in front of it. If the restaurant is not in the city centre, next to the famous touristic spots, this strategy works just fine. Especially in the countryside: good restaurants are always full of locals! Bar or pasticceria Pssst! I know that there’s a lot of people who love sweets thus I would strongly encourage you to visit bar or pasticceria in the morning. The best place to start a day in Italy is the one that bakes their sweets in situ, in their backyard. Fresh, warm sweet brioche in the morning will lift your spirit!  

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Food, Wine, Cooking Classes and Art of Emilia-Romagna https://blog.nullnfull.com/2015/10/01/food-wine-cooking-emilia-romagna/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2015/10/01/food-wine-cooking-emilia-romagna/#respond Thu, 01 Oct 2015 08:40:30 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=7164

I love Emilia – Romagna and I consider this region my second home. I was very happy to go there again and spend a week on visiting a variety of places related to its food and wine. Settimana di Buon Vivere – a week of good living is an annual event organized to promote Emilia – Romagna. Indeed, I think that Emilia – Romagna is the best place to learning the Italian kitchen. I had an opportunity to meet the local wine producers, cooks, restaurant owners and managers focused on the promotion of the local excellence. Here is my short review of best places to eat and drink in Emilia – Romagna, places I can recommend you to visit and taste high-quality Italian food. Pizza Gourmet – Col Basilico Nel Cuore, Forli I was sceptical when we were told we got invited to a place where gourmet pizza is served. After all, pizza is not about gourmet nor elegant cuisine at all. Col Basilico Nel Cuore was, however, a perfect place to learn that food is not only about eating but also about the mood and the people you are with. I was lucky to sit at the table with one of the co-owners. A charming man, Fabio, was eager to share the secrets of double leavening and the top quality of pasta used for the pizza. This was a good start of learning about food but later that evening I got known that Fabio not only likes poetry but his favourite author is Wisława Szymborska – a Nobel Prize winner from Poland. This was a blast! The conversation about her lasted for hours. Fabio asked me to read aloud her poems in Polish and he was listening to it as if it was pure magic. He read a few poems in Italian and we were discussing the quality of the translation. I told him a few anecdotes about the private life of Szymborska from a book I have recently read. Every fifteen minutes the new kind of pizza was brought and we tried at least five different kinds. Fabio was explaining me all about wines, both sparkling and white ones. I had an impression that the poetry was all over the place. The food was excellent! I normally have some problems with digesting a traditional pizza, but the one leavened twice was so good for my stomach! I normally find it difficult to appreciate luxury or elegant places but this pizzeria I can recommend with no hesitation. Especially if you like poetry! Wine of the highest quality – Tenuta Carbognano, Gemmano The winery we visited the other day was a totally different place. Ornella e Marco – the owners of Tenuta Carbognano – hosted us like their own relatives. Their hospitality was deeply touching. Our visit started with a long walk around their modest vineyard. They are the owners of only 3 hectares and they have started their wine adventure about 10 years ago. All of the information I got from Ornella destroyed the myths I had in my head. I thought that wine business is only for the people who inherit not only the ground and the company but also the secret knowledge. The ancient families where the knowledge and skills are passed from one generation to another. Ornella told their story of starting with sommelier course and their previous bar business as years of preparation to get their hands dirty in grapes. Walking around their vineyards was a pure pleasure. Gentle hills, autumn warmth, well-kept lines of grapes and interesting stories were wonderful. Ornella told me that the major part of the grape harvest is done manually and also the plants’ treatment throughout the year. As their vineyard is modest their business is focused on a small quantity of the best wine called superiore. Even though their business is young their wine won a few local and national competitions. The best part of our stay on their farm, where you can rent a room too, was their attitude towards their vineyard and the guests. Ornella was laughing every five minutes and her smile was a proof that if you do business with joy and engagement it brings you not only good money but most of all fulfilment and happiness. I had a wonderful stay there, a delicious lunch and obviously excellent wine. Cooking classes – Al Vecchio Convento, Portico di Romagna I had a few cooking classes in my life. In fact, I run my own cooking classes in Ferrara, thus, I didn’t expect anything outstanding out of our visit in Vecchio Convento in Portico di Romagna. This was, however, one of the best events of the whole week of Buon Vivere. First of all, the town Portico di Romagna was charming. It was very small and located on a hill which always makes the tiny little streets even more delightful. There was a beautiful old bridge and also a few elements of modern art by the local artist Il Castello Errante. Further, we got a fantastic cooking class by Massimiliano, who happens to be an experienced and professional cook. Through working on a dough, precise instruction on technique, stories from his professional life up to creating hundreds of ravioli, the whole lesson was really nice. I felt I was learning new things and gaining new skills. Brilliant! I love to eat afterwards food I prepared, but this time the pleasure was magnified by the setting of the lunch. The old building where the cooking classes took place has a beautiful garden with lush green vegetation and relaxing view. Massimiliano opened a few bottles of excellent wines just perfect to accompany our handmade ravioli.     This was not the end, though. We spent the afternoon in the nearby forest hunting for truffles. A weird looking dog was our guide and we even found a few small truffles. The best part, however, was a walk with stunning views over the gentle hills and fields. This was a very relaxing time and...

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Holiday with a blogger! https://blog.nullnfull.com/2014/07/15/ferrara-holiday-blogger/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2014/07/15/ferrara-holiday-blogger/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:02:15 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=5909 Driving a scooter around Costiera Amalfitana

Holiday with a blogger is my recent idea. It is pretty simple: through a website of the project iloveFerrara.it you can book a week stay in Ferrara with me. I traveled a lot in last 10 years and I think this is the perfect time to share my experience with others. And I am very interesting in meeting some of your – My Dear Readers and Followers. Interested in details? Here is the full story. Why with a blogger? There are two reasons why this holiday is fun. First is because the guidance I offer is very particular. I’ll tell my own story in Italy rather than a very traditional and rigid guided tour. Second, this travel idea is based on very individual treatment of every participant. I think about this idea as showing my favorite places to my friends, so the group is limited to 4 people! That’s right! Only 4 people so we could drive through the region by car, just like ordinary Italians do. No crowd, no buses, no traditional tourists around you! I think the beauty of this idea is in my expertise, familiarity with the area and international experience. This holiday is just how I like it best: slow, tasty, funny, interesting and in a good company. The best thing about it is that I tried the major part of local attractions and I picked up the best for you. So what you really buy is a very particular experience of Italy that employs all your senses. You will taste Italy, see Italy, smell Italy, hear Italy and touch Italy. There is no better way to experience and remember any country. Why Ferrara? Simply because I lived there and because I love this city. I have many reasons for this particular tie with this UNESCO site: many of my friends live there, I have many happy memories from this place, I like the way it looks, I appreciate all seasons in this city and I also visited it many times with my foreign friends showing them my favorite places around. I think it is beautiful, elegant and so friendly! The way locals ride their bikes or chill our in front of the cathedral makes me smile. Every single time I’m in this city this makes me happy! Why September and May? Because the weather is sunny enough to feel the Mediterranean climate and it is cool enough not to get tired and drained out by the summer heat.These are my favorite months in Italy. In May spring usually explodes with green and flowers and you can feel the warmth and sun. In September you still feel the warmth. More importantly, however, September is the best month to taste the traditional dish of Ferrara: cappellacci di zucca and it’s because the main ingredient is pumpkin, which is exceptionally sweet in this area. Also, these months are just perfect for two events I particularly like: Palio and Street Dinner. Both of these events were described earlier on my blog so if you wish to want know more click the links. This year 5th edition of Street Dinner sounds already super cool: the rule is the same as previous years. You need to dress total white and you don’t know the location of this event until the very last minute. Ferrara is full of people dressed in white that evening and it looks so elegant! I enjoyed last year 4th edition and so I think if you wish to visit Ferrara you should do it this September! So watch the video below, visit the site iloveFerrara and book today! Ah, and share it with your friends! They might come too. See you in September in Ferrara! I am looking forward to meeting you!  

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Quick Look At My Recent Trip To Italy https://blog.nullnfull.com/2014/05/05/quick-look-italy/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2014/05/05/quick-look-italy/#comments Mon, 05 May 2014 08:44:01 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=5453 Ferrara, Piazza Municipio

Two days ago I was having a typical Italian breakfast: brioche and cappuccino. And when I’m sitting in my office 1400 km further north it is really hard to believe. Especially when this morning temperature dropped below zero. But here I am. I got back after 2 weeks of a combined car, train, scooter and bike voyage. What can I say? Italy was awesome. As always. (Just like the last one). Drive The drive is long. It takes about 12 hours to drive through Germany, Austria and Italy, to cross from Poznań to Ferrara. And if the traffic is heavy or the road works are carried out then it can be 14 hours. So it is rather challenging in terms of driving. How to survive a long drive? Well, I found a good way to stay focused on the road: I listen to the audiobooks. This time I was listening to a book by Bulgakov The Master and Margarita. This is not my favorite book but you know what? I am still thinking about it. About the cat, Russia, Moscow that I have never visited and the main plot. I can tell you this: this book gets into you and it is very hard to stop analyzing it, remembering the crucial events, trying to imagine the main characters. Train Thanks to the book I drove safely to Ferrara where I joined some of my Italian friends and we went further south by train. With 2 changes – one in Bologna and one in Napoli – we arrived to Sorrento. This was a Frecciarossa train which meant it was a really short journey. The train goes with a galactic speed of almost 300 km/h and it crosses numerous tunnels. As a side effect of this fast journey and many tunnels you get your ears clogged. This is very similar to a feeling of being aboard of a plane that takes off. While on a plane it takes few minutes at most in the italian Frecciarossa it takes hours. So think twice before you decide to use this mean of transportation. My personal preference? Scooter, what else? Scooter This was one of my big dreams: to drive a scooter in Italy. So when I received a scooter as a gift for my birthday I was unbelievably happy. I was proudly driving it in Italy for couple of years and loved every minute of it. So when I went to Sorrento I knew I would love to do it again. Plus, there was my birthday. And the route from Sorrento to Positano is one of the most scenic routes in the world (Costiera Amalfitana was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The weather was fabulous that day so I had an absolutely wonderful time! I had my GoPro camera with me and shot more than a hundred short clips. I will share them with you when a short movie was created (later, I mean…). Bike The final stage of this journey was done by bike. In one of the hotels I stayed in Ferrara the bikes were available to the guests so I took a long ride through my favorite Italian town enjoying the sun and the spring air. It totally convinced me that Ferrara is a bicycle town, very friendly to bikers. I participated in an extraordinary feast of the Hebrew literature (La Festa del Libro Ebraico in Italia) and joined a guided tour around the town, focused on Jewish traces, that are numerous and well preserved. So here is what I’ve been doing for last two weeks. I hope to share it with you in few episodes in next few weeks. Keep in touch! …and start from the first post about Sorrento. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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Guest Post: Going Beyond In Italy https://blog.nullnfull.com/2014/01/13/guest-post-italy-2/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2014/01/13/guest-post-italy-2/#comments Mon, 13 Jan 2014 07:48:06 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=4638

Let me share this short story with you: it is published at a very interesting travel blog called Travelling with Sweeney. I met Catherine – the founder and editor – in Dublin and we exchange our business cards. After few months you can have a look at the result of this meeting and my guest post at her blog. She is an enthusiast of Italy and traditional cooking so I thought it is a very good idea to share my story with her. All comments published under this post made my day! So even if you know the story already, please visit Catherine’s blog and read some other posts related to Italy. Enjoy your week! UPDATE This is great news! Due to high interest in this post and in my experience in Italy I’ve decided to make the participation in Italian life possible for you! Yes! It is possible to join me for a week this autumn! Check the details here! The project is called iloveFerrara and it is the essence of Italian Dolce Vita. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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Street Dinner is coming! https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/08/23/street-dinner/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/08/23/street-dinner/#respond Fri, 23 Aug 2013 07:28:34 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=3377

What is it? Broadly speaking, Street Dinner is an annual event- a dinner- that brings together people passionate about food and entertainment. It grew from a global movement of unconventional restaurants and eating habits. There are at least three very particular features re this event. First, the place where the dinner is set is not revealed until the very last moment. The only thing you can be sure is the it is UNCONVENTIONAL (like having your dinner in a square or in a public garden). Second, the participants are asked to follow the dress code, which is TOTAL WHITE. Finally, this is an opportunity for local vendors to delight the participants with their specialities, which means excellent food. In Ferrara the Street Dinner has been organized for 5 consecutive years. Here is super cool news: you can participate this event! I have prepared a holiday package for you that includes a 1 week stay in Ferrara and pass to all Street Dinner events. Join me and book today! This year, 2014, it takes place on Saturday, September the 6th. How it works? When you register online you are asked for a cell phone number which is used to let you know: the place where you get table and chair from and the location of the dinner. However, you get these messages JUST before the beginning of the dinner. So, you dress white, you wait until the very end to get informed about the location, then you take a table and chair and join few hundreds of other food enthusiasts having your dinner like nowhere else. What is so special about it? Many things. Most of all the atmosphere of the event boosts amazingly through the whole city. In the late afternoon there are small groups of people dressed in white walking around and slowly in the early evening the city is full of them. What I consider really nice is the gathering of so many people to celebrate good food, excellent wine, medieval buildings and- surely- beautiful weather. This is really FUN and THRILLING event. I simply can’t wait to be there! Practical Information: Don’t forget to join before August, 28th! http://www.facebook.com/streetdinner http://twitter.com/streetdinner http://www.youtube.com/user/StreetDinner http:// www.streetdinner.it Find out how was the 4th edition of Street Dinner here!   Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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How to prepare cappellacci rossi? https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/05/01/cappellacci-rossi/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/05/01/cappellacci-rossi/#respond Wed, 01 May 2013 08:00:36 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=1797 CappellacciRossi_feature

Sharing a recipe on how to prepare cappellacci rossi is a tricky job to do. Mostly because of the language issues. The Italian cook who shared this recipe with me called the basic ingredient rapa rossa. Dictionary translates it to the English beetroot BUT when you translate it back to Italian the dictionary says it’s barbabietola rossa. In order to avoid misunderstanding I’m pasting below a photo of this vegetable and call it as you want! This recipe was given to me while I was assisting an Italian cook in his preparations therefore all quantities are proximate. He was preparing huge amount of food designed for the whole bunch of hungry people rather than for a small family. And of course just like all professional cooks: he has never used any sort of a scale! I saw the famous Italian quanto basta (“to taste”) in practice. Ingredients to prepare pasta: 6 eggs 600g of flour a cup of grind beetroots Ingredients to prepare filling: 4 patched beetroots 300g of ricotta (sort of the Italian white cheese) 100g of parmiggiano (sort of the Italian cheese) salt pepper The way you prepare pasta is similar to the one published already here. The only difference is that when the pastry is almost done you add a little quantity of the beetroots. You need to grind it carefully in order to get a smooth pasta. The trick to prepare filling is finding a good proportion between ricotta and beetroots. When I was observing the cook he was adding ricotta fervently. The  cheese added to his cappellacci was produced by the farm located within agriturismo. I filmed a few short clips on how to prepare cappellacci but I still need to work on it before it’s published. The final effect of this dish was also strengthened by the way of serving it. The final touch was up to the poppy seeds mixed with small amount of mascarpone and sweet cream. Exquisite dish! Credits: photo of beetroots was downloaded from Flickr on the Creative Commons license, author of this photo is Marj Joly.  

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6 Best Italian Dishes https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/04/02/6-best-italian-dishes/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/04/02/6-best-italian-dishes/#respond Tue, 02 Apr 2013 07:00:57 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=1655

Probably you are right when thinking this list should be titled ‘Best Food of Emilia-Romagna’, however, I added two delicious foods popular outside the region and I thought the title ‘Best Italian Dishes’ is justified this way. Fair enough. I spent years in Italy eating the best food in the world. Months after months I have been discovering nuances, particularities and exceptions of the Italian taste. It seams to be obvious but let me say it loud: not EVERY Italian food is of high quality. Being a tourist in this lovely country makes you vulnerable for cleaver tricks of dishonest people. So, to try the best food in the world you need to be ‘vulpine’. Here is a list of 6 best Italian foods and if you’re ever in Italy you can’t leave without trying them! And you can now taste all of them! How? Well, by coming to Ferrara of course! If you join me this September you will taste them all! For more details click here. Tigelle or gnocchi fritti con affettati misti Let’s start with a starter or as we call it in Italy antipasto. In Emilia-Romagna, but also outside the region, one of the most delicious starters contains a variety of local ham, sausages and beacon. If you’re a vegetarian you can always try the local cheeses instead. All of these goodies are eaten with traditional bread which also varies across regions but you should try it with warm tigelle or gnocchi fritti. Quite often along these two you can also try the local marmelades or honeys. It is simply delicious. Beware: it’s so good you need to control yourself not to be full before the first course come! Pizza Naming pizza one of the best Italian foods is not trivial, I assure you. This is simply one of the things that are impossible to eat with delight outside Italy. Even if you find an Italian cook somewhere in the world he/she will tell you that flour, leaven, tomatos or even water (!) is so different than in Italy. The best pizza I have ever eaten is served in one of the local restaurants in the countryside of Emilia-Romagna. As I am a huge fan of very thin bottom I truly enjoy pizza at La Corte del Duca. This pizzeria is so good that at the weekends people are ready to wait for a table for about an hour. The service is excellent and you can also drink a local beer. I think that the secret lies in good sfoglia but also exceptional compositions of the ingredients at the top of it. One of my favorite ones is called Pinuccio and it has smoked cheese (scamorza affumicata) and sort of mountain bacon (speck) on it. If you add a bit of spicy oil on it you’ll get the best pizza ever. Cappellacci di zucca I have the impression that on my blog I’m talking about this dish over and over again. Whatever the truth is I still think this is one of these things that you should try while visiting Emilia-Romagna. Mainly because of its particularity of combination sweet and sour, which is often associated with Chinese food rather than with typical Italian dish. After years of eating cappellacci especially during the season which starts in september I realized that the best filling comes from the sweetest pumpkins. When the summer is sunny and considerably dry the pumpkins are incredibly sweet so you don’t need to add any sugar.  The combination of mashed pumpkin, nutmeg and parmigiano ‘swaddled’ with soft sfoglia is unforgettable. So do not hesitate to plan your Italian experience including this dish. Ah, right, there is stil an ongoing discussion between two cities: Ferrara and Mantova, how the real cappellacci should be eaten. While in Ferrara and Bologna you eat it with meat sauce (ragu) in Mantova you’ll eat it with butter and salvia. Just recently I got one explanation why is that. It says that in Mantova you add amaretti (sweet grated cookies) to the filling and it would be distasteful to combine it with meat. In any case, you should absolutely try it. Tortellini alla panna This is one of my favorite dishes of all kitchens in the world. Tortellini are very small dumplings staffed with meat and served with cream. There are two particular things about this plate: the dimension and the filling. The perfect dumplings are really small, so you could place at least three of them on one spoon. It takes a lot of time to prepare a hundred, and it takes even more time to prepare thousands so each customer receives a substantial plate. In Italy beside the possibility to eat it in a restaurant you can prepare it by yourself at home. You simply buy 300g of filling and using 3 eggs you prepare sfoglia. Then you spend the whole morning in the kitchen and you can enjoy your evening meal. However, the filling is not available outside Italy, so to try these you need to visit Emilia-Romagna. My favorite way of serving is, as I said, with cream but in a cold winter day I equally appreciate it when served in brodo. Tiramisu As you’ve noticed this list contains starter, first course and now it gets to the desserts. This is what I normally do in Italian restaurants: I skip the second course. It’s not that I don’t like meat but for me the best part of the Italian kitchen is hidden in pasta however eaten (dumplings, lasagne, cappellacci or simply pasta asciutta). Let’s get back to the point and discuss tiramisu- the famous Italian dessert. The main problem related to this dessert is its frequent presence in foreign menus. Everybody tried tiramisu whether they did it in France, the US or on the moon! Most of them, however, has nothing to do with the real Italian dessert, prepared of high quality mascarpone cheese. This dessert is not difficult to prepare but if you have a lousy cheese you will never get an exquisite tiramisu. The one eaten recently was really delicious! Ah, and the cafe used to...

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Agriturismo: the Italian way of doing things https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/03/27/agriturismo-la-rocchetta/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/03/27/agriturismo-la-rocchetta/#respond Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:00:07 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=1627 Pane

My recent stay in Italy was full of marvels. I booked a room in so called agriturismo, just as I did many times before. What I mostly appreciate in such accommodation is high quality local food and friendly owners who share their passion with you. I consider myself lucky to know Italian and to be honest it is very helpful while travelling around Italy. Speaking Italian is useful but not necessary while visiting large cities it is crucial if you want to experience how the real Italian life looks like. What is agriturismo? The rules concerning agriturismo are pretty straightforward: most of the ingredients used in food served need to come from your own garden or farm. Therefore typical agriturismi are rather large properties with fields, gardens, orchards or pastures. Such business is usually family run and the owners are usually the previous farmers, but this not always the case. The owners are normally the locals and are well inserted into the context: they are familiar with history of the place, they know the traditional recipes, and most of all they are usually passionate about their activity. Using their own ingredients each company serve some exceptional dishes, which- obviously- has roots in the local kitchen tradition. How to find a decent agriturismo? There is an association established in cooperation with Camera di Commercio called Strada dei Vini e Sapori. I will publish a separate post focused on the activities of this association later but their website is a good resource to find a nice place to stay. They gather owners of B&Bs, agriturismo, shops, travel agencies and restaurants. Membership in this association is restricted and regularly monitored so choosing one of the companies listed on their website you can be sure that you support the local business, you get know the locals and the quality of food and vines is really high. Strada dei Vini e Sapori is divided into 3 routes. Along one of them called Via delle Corti Estensi the agriturismo I was staying at is located. What to expect from agriturismo? There are three basic strands of the typical agriturismo activity defined: providing accommodation, food and their own products to sell. While the quality of the accommodation of the particular agriturismo might vary the quality of food is always exceptionally high. La Rocchetta– the place where I was staying at- provides exquisite traditional kitchen with some modern variations. The company runs their own garden, orchard, small vinery, and they also keep livestock. They have two specialities that are worthy to try: cappellacci rossi and duck. As I had the opportunity to see the process of preparation I can assure you the cappellacci are really hand made. I hope to publish short movie on how to prepare these delicious dishes so please be patient. La Rocchetta also prepares their own marmelades of various tastes. The breakfast I had everyday contained of fresh yogourt, home made juice, freshly baked bread or cakes, home made marmelades (fig, apple, pumpkin, plum and cherry), and cappuccino. Each day I could practice my Italian talking to the owner about kitchen, recipes and weather. What I really like about La Rocchetta, beside their excellent kitchen, is their educational scope. They host school age children to show plants and animals and to explain the process of production of typical Italian food. Moreover, they organize workshops focused on handmade pasta sfoglia. This is excellent opportunity to get closer to the Italian tradition. And you know what? You can do it as well! La Rocchetta is organizing such workshops regularly. Before you book your stay there ask if Franca will teach you how to prepare this Italian goody. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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Quick look at my recent trip to Ferrara https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/03/25/quick-look-ferrara/ https://blog.nullnfull.com/2013/03/25/quick-look-ferrara/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:16:13 +0000 http://nullnfull.com/?p=1583 My temporary workshop in a cafe

I have just returned from a short trip to Ferrara, a lovely little town in Emilia-Romagna (Italy). I brought unbelievable amount of pictures, films, new friends, interesting conversations and- most of all- delicious food! Before I will handle with this huge amount of raw information let me share with you my first impressions. The best part of this trip was definitely a marvelous time of the beginning of spring. The whole region was exploding with flowers and the tint of green reminded much more Ireland than Italy. Birds were singing so loud that I got sometimes woke up during the night. And the sun, seen for the first time after a long and dark winter, was totally overwhelming. I crossed the snowed Alps and the Italian sun was waiting for me from the very first moment. This was a fascinating time for me as it was the first trip while I was totally online. If you followed the Facebook fan page and Twitter profile you saw my daily updates and some quick ‘photos of the moment’. I am currently working on the update of my Flickr account so you could watch all photos taken in one place [update: it’s right here!]. I must say this was a rewarding experience. Even though the modern technologies sometimes failed me in terms of quick upload of the status or pictures it made me feel that there is always somebody who is waiting for the news. From the point of view of the numbers I am more than overwhelmed with the growth of new fans and unique users of this blog. We’re more than 648 at the moment and still counting! I’m more than happy to share the Italian adventures with so many of you. I really hope to publish good quality posts on Italy so you could get the whole picture. Las but not least I met a substantial number of new people, most of whom are connected to the touristic and food business. There are some interesting opportunities coming but I need more time to work on it. I will keep you posted. To sum up: I spent a lovely week in Ferrara, met all my Italian friends, ate amazing amount of Italian pizza and drank the ocean of cafe. And I am going to tell you this story in episodes, one after another, so you could get the insights from the first hand perspective. Have a lovely week! And let me know in comments if there is anything in particular I should write about. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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