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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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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June 12th, 2011
Here are some snaps from Paris. These are just snippets, some tiny details I managed to catch on camera. The whole experience was so much larger and grander, like the city itself. I’ve never seen so much beauty condensed in ten days.
Beautiful spices at the open air market in Montmartre.
Fauchon cakes on display, I raved about them here.
Lunch at the fresh market in the south Latin Quarter, Rue Mouffetard, my favourite area.
Figs from the same market.
Rouge berry sorbet at Georges Restaurant on the roof top of the Centre Pompidou. The most captivating overlook of the city.
Fruit tart from my favourite bakery in Marais on Rue Verrerie. From there, if you cross Rue de Rivoli and walk towards the Seine, you will find the most beautiful picnic spots with delightful views of the islands.
We went a bit wild at Fauchon, took it all to go and had an unforgettable picnic at Jardin des Tuileries.
Red currants from still the same market in the Latin Quarter. We never get currants in Florida, and it’s one of my favourite berries, so this was exciting.
Vegetable Napoleon from Fauchon.
Some things learned in Paris:
♥ Don’t stress about maintaining your usual eating habits, for you are in one of the food capitals of the world. Even the most guilt-ful food in Paris is so unbelievably fresh, that it’s almost good for you.
♥ Refer to David Lebovitz and other insiders to find unique spots in Paris. Tourist books are only good for certain things.
♥ Even if your French is atrocious, don’t be afraid to learn and use as much of it as you can, it will earn you many smiles and much kindness.
♥ You never know when Eric Kayser will run out of passion fruit eclairs, so plan accordingly.
♥ Don’t underestimate the flavour of mogador macarons at Pierre Hermé. Stock up – you will not find ones that equal them in taste, nor will you ever be too full for one more.
♥ Mandatory with a fresh croissant at Angelina is their hot chocolate, which tastes like actual chocolate, melted into your cup.
♥ Markets, markets, markets. Freshest, cheapest, tastiest.
♥ Don’t be frustrated with the métro and their ticketing system. Use your sense of humor. Even if you are locked inside a station with no one around, you will always get to where you are going. Eventually.
Tags: food, life, travel, travel notes
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