CITY BOY MEETS TUSCAN FARM!

Friday, November 24, 2023

Port of Livorno, Italy for Florence and Pisa

Aboard the Enchanted Princess

Room Aloha 212

Sunny, 60F—another gorgeous day

 

Port of Livorno near sunset

Another adventure in the Tuscany sun!  TK and I did not know what to expect on our farm tour and lunch in Capanelli, just outside of Pisa. What kind of farm could accommodate us and almost 100 of our closest friends, arriving on 3 buses? City Boy TK knows nothing about farms, and I know quite a few farmers, but none of them serve lunch or dinner to tourists!  Do you know any farmers who do?

(Note to Brother Bill and Marge: What do you think about this for your "party barn?")

Our bus tour guide mentioned that Livorno is the 2^nd largest city in Tuscany, Florence is the capital and the biggest.  She pointed out the white mountain tops, marble not snow, a fact that is always mentioned on tours.  Tuscany is known for its vineyards, olives, corn, wheat, and sunflower, as well as its bread made without salt and butter.  [the guide said there are over 70 different kinds of Italian bread].

After a 45 minute bus ride, we saw the organic farm. Through iron gates stood two 32 passenger wagons, each with two horses ready to pull us to the huge rustic barn for lunch.  The wagon driver, Veronica Vittorio, said her family has owned the farm for 80 years, first owned by her grandfather. She explained they have 200 acres and grow fava beans for livestock feed and alternate each year with spelt, a kind of wheat.  By the way, it was a bit chilly!

Gates to

Fattoria Vialto, Capannoli,Italy

https://vialtofarm.com/

Wagon

As we rode in the wagon, Veronica pointed out their four acres of the “Truffle Reservation,” and they have a dog that hunts truffles for them. Interesting fact: truffles grow underground amid the roots of oak trees.

Truffle Reservation

Truffle acres far back

Gino, the truffle sniffing dog

Poplar trees on the property are grown for furniture and paper.

Another crop is wheat that they use for making their own pasta! We saw their garden of artichokes, peppers, different types of cabbages, and asparagus.

Artichokes

Eggplant

Peppers

Farm Tractor in distance

Great glimpses of the farm area---

There was plenty of room for everyone in different areas of the “barn,” and we could smell the garlic, the truffles, the tomato sauce all cooking in large pots on the stove as we passed through. The tables were thick legged farm tables, the walls decorate with antique farm and cooking tools. It is hard to describe such a huge space with multiple rooms, large stone walls, thick “plaster,” old wooden rafters. Our table mates: a retired firefighter from New Orleans, Louisiana, and a couple from Pittsburgh, formerly of Long Island. Decanters of red and white wine, fresh water, and Coke Zero were on the table.

The open kitchen

Kitchen, another view

Our table

Another room

Antique tools

Soon we were brought fresh bread and the family’s own extra virgin olive oil.

Second: Prosciutto and truffle cheese with olive oil—the cheese was an unusual taste beyond truffles, a sweetness with garlic.  I skipped the prosciutto, but TK said it was better than yesterday’s.

Third: Pasta with plain sauce. I need to step up my game and try to find a tomato sauce that is as smooth as what we are enjoying in Italy—it is tomato based, yet creamy.

To share---

Fourth: Pasta Bolognese, tomato sauce and hamburger. Pasta is always al Dente! 

To share--

Fifth: Sponge Cake

One piece each---

After lunch we were invited to visit the gift shop, with wines, olive oils,

 truffle pastes, pastas, jams, and honey, 

I asked the owner when this farm was established and 

he pointed to this stone in the ceiling--1368

The three buses were waiting for us and back to Livorno we traveled.  We decided to explore the city of 158,000 people—and guess what. We found more sfogliatella!  Admittedly, we went to two different cafes and had one at each. Let me be clear. The portions at lunch were modest and sfogliatella is very small…

One for me and one for TK

One for TK and 1.5 for me

It's the crunchiness that appeals to me. That and

the cream filling!

Livorno

Audi Q5 park job-

can you imagine?? This is a street!

We have been told that Italians park anywhere!

Ferris Wheel in a plaza

Along the way in Livorno

After seeing so many shoes with such soles,

I am imagining this is the fashion now

The shuttle bus arrived and back to the ship we went for dinner.  Because of aforementioned eating, I only had beef and vegetable soup.  

This was another great day--and I will try to limit the photos. I will say these aren't all that I took!

It was a 10,500 step day!

TK’s Takes:  He didn’t see any ATMs in Livorno. He liked the dogs and the gardens at the farm. He was right about one of the vegetables being artichokes. I have never seen artichokes growing—a fernlike top.  The truffle dog is trained to smell the truffle (a kind of fungus) underground.

FLORENCE, FIRENZE, WHAT’S NOT TO LIKE!

Livorno, Italy
Aboard Regal Princess
Stateroom C512
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
Sunny, 70F

 So many moving parts! First, we had to take a shuttle from the ship to midtown Livorno (5 euro each, round trip) after arriving in port, then board our prescheduled bus ($33 each) for a ride to Florence, an hour and a half ride.  The bus drop off was the worst ever, it was a half hour walk to the old city of Florence and there was no easy way to tell where we were-landmarks, street signs. The "guide" told us there was no where to drop off passengers in the old city. This would be our pickup area too. Yikes! Thank goodness for the old firefighter—he is very good at directions!

Coffee was our first stop, amongst the pigeons.  The man at the next table said some very bad words in English when his wife did not shoo away the pigeons that landed on the table when he went to pay the bill.  He probably thought no one else spoke English. That was funny to us.

Cafe Scudieri

TK 

Janie

The Cattedral di Santa Maria del Fiore (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower) was a short walk from the café.  There are churches everywhere, but this is the most famous.

Baptistery with Cathedral and Duomo behind

Closeup of cathedral

 One set of doors was designed by Andrea Pisano between 1424-1452. The door panels depict the 3 theological virtues (hope, faith, charity), the five cardinal virtues (humility, fortitude, temperance, justice, prudence), as well as scenes from the life of St. John the Baptist. Next week when we return I will take photos of the Ghiberti doors, known as the Gates of Paradise.

Pisano doors

Detail

 We continued walking through markets (meat, leather, etc.), the narrow streets filled with people and Vespas, and onto the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge built in 1345, over the Arno River. Soon after the bridge was built, the local government began renting shop space on the bridge, where mostly foodstuffs, such as meat and fish were sold. However, the stench became overwhelming and the shops were converted to mostly goldsmiths and jewelers in the late 16th century. It took them 150 years to smell the stench?? There are only jewelry shops there still today.

Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River

 

So many jewelry shops!!

Markets and shops are everywhere--this is another very metropolitan city. 

Cooler with meat/Market

Breads/Market

Wonderful vegetables. Look closely at the spiny green things at the bottom right.

The young vendor called them bitter melons in English.

What the heck is that and who wold eat it??

Dried fruit

Charcuterie

Soups and sauces served in the market

Another market

There are so many people and languages and motorbikes of all sizes as well as scooters. People walk in the uneven streets and the uneven narrow sidewalks, and one never knows when a bike, motorbike, scooter, car, small bus, or other mode of transportation will be speeding by.  No one seems to know which is sidewalk and which is street either. We were amazed at what seemed like a very dangerous situation to us!!

Random streets--people everywhere, which is the street, which is the sidewalk??

TK wanted to try pizza at a self-serve place—one orders and takes the pizza to a table. He tried a pizza slice with mozzarella and thinly sliced ham, and I had a slice with pepperoni and mozzarella. It was tasty, the pepperoni strong and spicy. The ham was very good.

Piccadilly Bar and Pizza

Pizza in Italy! 

Too soon it was time to meet our bus, so we grabbed a quick gelato (fruits of the forest) along the way.  Great! There is no place but Italy to buy gelato. America, France, not even close.

 It was dark when we arrived at the ship and we headed for dinner—goat cheese souffle and beef medallions for me—very good. TK had Cornish hen. Culinary delight today was sugar free coconut cake.

Sugarfree coconut cake

We are both looking forward to two sea days so we can get into the rhythm of the ship and sea!! 

P.S. Election Day! We already voted in the U.S. election!

Aside to Friend MJ: Happy Birthday!!

TK’s Takes:  There are thousands of pigeons everywhere and he has seen only two flies since we started in Barcelona.

TK: 14,500 steps

Janie:  15,500 steps