November 6th, 2014
It’s been a long time since we’ve done the last Travel Notes! This one is very special and close to my heart.
Recently, I was invited to TBDI 2014, a travel and blogging related conference in Italy. I’m not normally the conference type, but couldn’t refuse this opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful places on earth. I left Paloma and her papa at home, promising to send photos of my every step. I had no idea what to expect, but luckily it turned out to be an amazing experience, and I am very grateful to the hosts for the invitation.
The conference hosts put us up in a beautiful historic hotel in Cesenatico, an Adriatic sea side town in the Emilia-Romagna region, right next to a charming port canal surveyed and drawn by Leonardo da Vinci. The organization of the conference was great, I met many interesting people and the energy of the whole event (which was gigantic) was truly contagious. We were very well fed – I was generally amazed at the consistent freshness of the food anywhere we visited. It seemed as if I was the only attendee who wasn’t fluent in Italian, even the Americans I met were completely Italianised.
My lack of language skills didn’t prevent me from enjoying every minute of the time spent there. The conference presented many business and personal opportunities, but best of all, I met the wonderful ladies who introduced me to the region of Abruzzo. Anna and our food and wine cluster leader Emiliana both live in Abruzzo and promote local food and traditions. I was so taken by their stories that I decided to spend a few days in the mountains of Abruzzo after the conference. After much strategizing, a friend of mine and I worked out quite an extensive travel plan, which involved several train rides, renting a car and hiking in the mountains. I decided to leave my camera in the safety of home and let my phone do all the work.
We had a brief visit to Venice first, where we stayed in a great airbnb, right off campo San Polo, in a very green and quiet cul-de-sac. We followed Valentina’s recommendation and had the most amazing lunch at Paradiso Perduto in Cannaregio.
From Venice, we took a train down south to Pescara and then drove our rental Fiat to the town of Sulmona in the region of Abruzzo. It was love at first sight. Sulmona didn’t resemble any other place that I’ve been to before – it was all like a dream. It combines the charm of a small, historic town with an innate kind of sophistication. It felt very homey and relaxed, but being there was very exciting at the same time – there is definitely an energy running through the streets. I felt like a very dear guest to all of its hospitable inhabitants – there were no other tourists in sight. It was surprising to see that this true gem of a town, as well as the whole region of Abruzzo, is still completely off the beaten path and hugely undiscovered. It’s the place to see the true Italy, unencumbered, in all its glory.
We couldn’t pick a better season to visit and enjoyed perfect weather and delicious fall mountain air even in the most narrow old streets of town. The locals, all of them unbelievably elegant, gave us the feeling of home when so far away from home. All that combined with the architecture and food, made me never want to leave.
Every morning, we woke up to the cathedral bells ringing right across the street from our charming b&b and delicious cappuccino made by Oscar, our host.
We were eager to visit the big farmers market which is held every Wednesday on Piazza Garibaldi. All the produce photos in this post are from that market. The local produce was breathtaking, it was peak season for local persimmons, apples, figs, citrus and grapes. It felt so incredibly romantic to stroll through the colorful market stalls in the middle of the most poetic Piazza Garibaldi surrounded by the mountains, in the gentle October sun. We didn’t see anyone but the locals, and the vendors were a great pleasure to converse with. I don’t think I’ve ever bought or eaten as many persimmons in such a short period of time. We also sampled a variety of pastries, and I even snuck some leftover potato focaccia on the plane ride home.
If you’re ever in Sulmona, make sure to have lunch at La Locanda di Gino at Piazza Plebiscito for the best fresh, local food.
From Sulmona, we drove higher up the mountains to visit several medieval villages – Pacentro and Santo Stefano di Sessanio are the most well known of them. The overlook of Pacentro in the soft afternoon sun put us into a sort of trance. The air was still and sweet, and there was a feeling of complete happiness radiating from the village. We climbed its ancient streets up and down, witnessing signs of everyday life of the locals who seemed perfectly content. Among the others, we saw a lady who must have been in her 60s, in shape and dressed up elegantly, sitting in a tiny rocking chair right by her front door. The street was quite narrow, so her view was pretty much limited to the neighbor’s wall. “Buon giorno!” – she greeted us with the most welcoming smile, leaving us to wonder why she didn’t feel the need to rush anywhere and whom she was dressed up for. Of course, we realized that we got a glimpse at a slice of her daily life just as it is, no special occasions.
Our next destination is located on the territory of one of the three national parks in Abruzzo. The narrow road to Santo Stefano di Sessanio kept climbing higher and higher between olive groves, and we were glad that we didn’t come across any cars on the entire stretch. We stopped often for the most picturesque views or for foraging wild flowers and rosehips, which were everywhere. Santo Stefano has been named one of Italy’s most beautiful villages and impressed us as a little heaven on Earth. We wandered through the never-changing streets, lively with beautiful dogs and well fed cats. A memorable meal there was homemade fettuccine with zafferano (saffron) from the nearby fields of Navelli, local olive oil and zucchini from the host’s back yard. The area is most famous for their lenticchie (lentils), of course we tried them too. We both noticed that after enjoying homemade pasta, we never felt too full, sometimes not even full enough, nothing like after eating pasta back home. I actually lost quite a few pounds after eating that food and running around in the fresh air.
From there we made our way to Rocca Calascio, the highest fortress in the Apennines, then to Campo Imperatore, an alpine meadow that lies next to the Apennines’ highest peak, Corno Grande. By the time we reached the vast pastures of Campo Imperatore, we realized that our car navigator had died, and we only had about an hour of daylight left. We were in for an adventure, facing a very realistic possibility of spending the night in the mountains, right in our tiny rental Fiat. If you’ve ever driven in that area, you know what I mean. On top of being pitch dark at night, the road signs are rare and not very clear for newbies like us, the roads are narrow and winding. To make things even more interesting, it’s the season for thick night mountain fogs, and cattle often wander onto the roads. Throw in the lack of any cellular or internet connection, cold temperatures and all kinds of wild animals residing in the national parks and you’ll get the picture. We had no choice but try to find our way back to Sulmona on our own. Miraculously, by the time our eyes caught the view of the village of Santa Lucia, our GPS decided to come back to us. It directed us down a serpentine road between olive trees – we would have never guessed to take that road on our own! The sunset we saw then was especially memorable, with soft silhouettes of cypress tress down in the valley and shady layers of the mountains surrounding us. We got back in Sulmona safely, right in time for dinner.
Our last destination was Bologna – sadly I did not get to spend much time there, as it was time to go home to my family.
As I learned from the locals in Abruzzo, I only got a very brief glimpse of the area in the few days I was there, and it may very well take years to explore all of it. From what I saw, Abruzzo is incredibly diverse – from beach resorts on the Adriatic coast to green pastures, lakes and breathtaking mountain views, from lively towns to remote, medieval villages. There is no question as to why Abruzzo holds the title of “Greenest Region in Europe,” with one third of its territory being set aside as national parks.
Diverse topography leads to diverse food traditions, there is lots of variety in the form of fresh seafood, delicious local saffron, truffles and unique kinds of pasta, to only name a few. The local cuisine is centered around sustainable agriculture and seasonality, which always leads to delicious meals.
From this visit arose an opportunity to organize a retreat centered around exploring the culinary beauty of Abruzzo. We’ve been thinking about bringing very small groups of guests to stay in places like Sulmona, Pacentro and Santo Stefano di Sessanio, to forage wild herbs, asparagus and mushrooms, to hunt for truffles with truffle growers and to harvest saffron. To learn from locals how to make true Abruzzian dishes while incorporating our findings into our own meals. We’ll be photographing our every step and learning how to style beautiful plates of food. And of course we won’t forget to sample the region’s famous wine – Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
I left my heart in Abruzzo and would like to see if there is any desire for such culinary retreats. Please email me at [email protected] if you would be interested in participating.
Tags: abruzzo, italy, pacentro, santo stefano di sessanio, sulmona, travel, travel notes, venice
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August 22nd, 2013
When most people think of Florida, Disney World, Miami Beach and the Everglades are sure to come to mind. Having lived here for more than ten years, I’ve discovered many lesser known, naturally beautiful places hidden within this big state. Rainbow River is one of them. Located in Central Florida, it is a natural fresh water spring, with year-round water temperature of 75 F (22 C), which is a very refreshing and welcome temperature in the middle of summer. Filtered through the earth, crystal clear, and turquoise in colour, the water is absolutely irresistible, and diving in will remain one of the fondest memories from this summer for me. The banks are woodsy and picturesque, with Spanish moss hanging from the trees. We visited the river a few weeks back for a very quiet and relaxing few days.
This time we stayed in a cabin at a small, rustic campground where Rainbow river meets Withlacoochee River. Our cabin was great, complete with an all-wood interior, a porch lined with rocking chairs, and, most importantly, a full kitchen.
For breakfast, we ate a whole lot of this musli.
One of the favourite dishes I made for dinner was these amazingly flavorful mung bean (or cellophane) noodles with crispy vegetables. I adapted the idea from one of my (and everyone else’s!) favorite cookbooks at the moment, Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi.
Our cabin faced the tropical forest and we hardly saw any people at the campgrounds.
There was a boardwalk leading from the cabin to the river, right through the forest. It looked magical when lit up at night. The mornings and evenings were especially quiet, the kind of silence you miss when living in the city. Now back home, back to work, and back to school.
Cellophane Noodles with Crispy Vegetables
for the sauce
juice of 4 limes
2 tablespoons minced ginger
3 tablespoons peanut or other nut oil
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
2 teaspoons seedless tamarind paste – optional
1 teaspoon tamari
1 teaspoon sea salt
to make the sauce
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
for the noodles
about 8 oz mung beans vermicelli or other clear noodles
1 handful green beans – ends trimmed and strings removed (if present)
1 handful sugar snaps or snow peas – strings removed
1 cup shelled frozen edamame
1 cup fresh or frozen shelled green peas
2 tablespoons grapeseed or sunflower oil
3 garlic cloves – crushed with knife
1 red chili – seeded and chopped
3 green onions – thinly sliced
1 cup basil leaves, plus more for garnish
handful mint leaves – chopped
1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes – halved or quartered
about 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds – optional
to prepare the noodles and vegetables
1. Soak the noodles in a large bowl of hot water for 5 minutes. Drain over a colander and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil. Blanch the green beans for 4 minutes, remove from the water with a slotted spoon and run under very cold water or submerge into an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process.
3. Throw the sugar snaps, edamame and peas into the boiling water next and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain over a colander and immediately transfer into an ice-water bath or rinse with very cold water. Once cool, drain and pat dry with kitchen or paper towels.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the garlic and saute until it turns golden, remove from the heat. Add the sauce and noodles, stir gently to combine.
5. Add the chili, green onions, all the blanched vegetables, basil, mint and cherry tomatoes. Return the pan to the heat for a few seconds, stirring, just to warm everything through. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
6. Divide between bowls, garnish with sesame seeds and remaining basil leaves.
Note: You can adjust your vegetables to what is available at the moment or what you have on hand. If frozen peas or edamame is the only choice, the dish will still be delicious. Same with herbs – cilantro, parsley or dill in addition to or instead of basil and mint would work great as well.
Tags: cellophane noodles, cherry tomatoes, edamame, green beans, recipe, sugar snaps, travel
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July 2nd, 2012
This post is also available in: French
Here’s the thing, we are in love. Butterflies in the stomach, silly smiles, breath taken away – the whole deal. Our crush? San Francisco.
San Francisco with its tasty, Eucalyptus kissed air, views that become more stunning around each corner, Victorian houses much like pastels in an artist’s box, mindblowing farmers’ markets, friendly locals, and contagious West coast positivity.
We were charmed even before stepping off the plane, while marveling at the velvet-like hills on our descend into the city.
At the Ferry Buidling market
We tried to go everywhere and see everything, which is quite a lot. Let’s get down to business and talk about our favourite places.
Muir Woods
First off, the Ferry building, a waterfront marketplace full of artisanal shops. We went there every day out of the five days in San Francisco, no joke. Think specialty cheese, bread, coffee, pastry, and a whole lot of other unique items. There is also an outdoor farmers’ market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. No wonder we couldn’t get out of there.
Every morning we would get green juice from one of the grocers inside the building. Another amazing indulgence was a candy-cap mushroom popsicle from Far West Fungi, a specialty mushroom shop. Decaf cappuccino from Blue Bottle is always very good.
The majestic Pacific
Cacao nib rocher / lemon meringue cake at Tartine bakery
Apart from the Ferry Buidling, the Mission district completely stole our hearts, neighborhood wise.
Tartine Bakery is in the Mission, and while we heard a lot of positive things about it, we had no idea what kind of crazy treat we were in for. The energy of that place is so happy, you feel it even when standing in line and eyeing the decadent cakes, croissants, scones, and tartines. There is live music on Friday evenings, and every single thing sold is beyond delicious. They have two beautiful cookbooks, which I highly recommend if you are into bread, pastry, or just great food photography.
Bi-Rite Market is right down the block from Tartine, a very nice neighborhood grocery with local produce and lots of other foodie-friendly stock.
Muir beach overlook / Far West Fungi mushroom shop at the Ferry Building
Happy 75th birthday, Golden Gate
Impressive porcini mushrooms at Far West Fungi
Veggie soup / garden roll at Cha-Ya vegan Japanese
Another noteworthy and far healthier place in the neighborhood was Cha-Ya, a vegan Japanese restaurant. They offer clean food, letting the ingredients speak for themselves. We ate there twice and each meal was truly memorable and left us with a light, nourished feeling.
Rose garden in Golden Gate Park
Other notes:
– XOX Truffles in the North Beach/Washington Square area – free small truffle with any drink, our favourites were red wine and earl grey truffles
– The view from Hamon Tower at the de Young museum is great, especially at sunset. Also, the Jean Paul Gaultier retrospective is on view now and well worth the visit.
– SFMOMA has a really nice collection, not as overwhelming as, say, the NYC MoMA. It is possible to see the whole thing in one day, and the building is cool.
– San Francisco is a transit first city. It is so pleasant to see places, where public transportation works so efficiently. We didn’t miss having a car once. Wish this was more common in the U.S.
Tags: inspiration, life, travel, travel notes
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