The Beginning of Break - Göteborg Sweden

Instead of going south for Spring break like most people I ended up going north. 

I began my week long adventure (3/18/11) outside the city of Göteborg Sweden visiting Lenny a good friend from the farm school. He is the farm manager of the Farm school his mom runs. We spent the first day in the city of Göteborg with two of his friends. We got to go "backstage" in Universeum a science discovery center with one of his friends who is in charge of the reptiles. The Universeum takes you through Sweden's natural habitats in which you begin walking in north and going down to the south. The science center interactive activities as well as real animals that lived in the habitats. After "going through" Sweden we got to behind the doors. Lenny's friend offered to let me hold the snakes, but I opted not to. We also learned that the center works on peoples phobias. For example if you have a phobia of snakes they have a room where you can work out a time to come and they will work with you to get over that fear by holding them. After the Universeum we walked around the city and then went on their version of the Lodon eye. After having dinner in the city we went back to Lenny's friends apartment to hang out. We ended up playing scrabble (they played in English for me), but I still came in lost. It's not something I was really surprised about.... 

The next day (I was staying in the farmhouse) I woke up around 9 to help Lenny with the farm chores. It was almost like being back on the farm. After chores we had fresh bread and made breakfast with the eggs we collected and cheese that had been made from the milk. After we got ready and headed out into the countryside. We took a short hike to a waterfall that overlooked one of the many lakes in the countryside. Lenny informed me that in the summer they take the boats out and go fishing all the time. In the winter when the ice is still thick enough they also go ice fishing (but not as much). After our hike we went into a small town to try and find a traditional cake that he said I had to try. The small cafe that we went to was run by one of his neighbors. Unfortunately they were out of the cake so instead we had two other desserts with an orange soda. The first was a coconut chocolate cake and the other was some sort of paste covered in chocolate (I don't know the actual names or what exactly it was, but they were both amazing). Deciding that we needed to do something else to counter the treats we went back and picked up basketballs and headed to a elementary school to play. Lenny really wanted me to try this "special" pizza for dinner so after we headed to pick it up. It turned out to be a "kebab" pizza meaning it had all the meat, sauces, lettuce and french fries on it that would come in a "kebab". To my surprise it was quite good, just a little heavy. Also you cut pizza with scissors here in Italy as well as in Sweden (it works quite well). We spend the night eating pizza and reminiscing about our time at the farm school.

Sunday morning I got up again to help with chores. We then hung around on the farm for a while until he took me to the airport where I was off to Copenhagen.  

Tuscany & It's Wines

On our third Cultural Introduction to Italy class field trip we explored the Tuscan countryside (3/11/11). Starting in Pienza, a small town in the province of Siena is known for its renaissance architecture as well as Pecorino (a cheese made from sheep milk). The town was built under Pope Pius II on top of the medieval castle of Corsignano and then was transformed leaving several landmark works of architecture. We were given a short history and then free time to explore the small town.

We then moved on to a wine tasting at Bindella a famous winery outside of Montepulciano. Bindella was founded in 1984 by a Swiss entrepreneur who took over the estate outside the city of Montepulciano. With Sangiovese grapes as the base of the wine Bindella's aim is to create a genuine authentic Rosso Montepulciano and a Vino Nobile Montepulciano docg (which as I have explained before is a traditional label given for a certain process or protocol to make the wine). After a tour of the winery and some of the vineyards we sat down for the tasting of three red (rosso) wines accompanied by traditional light lunch.

After our wine tasting we got back on the bus to go into the city of Montepulciano. We were dropped off  outside of the city walls, which meant we had to climb. Montepulciano is built upon a hill overlooking the tuscan countryside so to get to the center we had an uphill almost hike to get there. After reaching the top our guide for the day Mossimo (one of the schools wine teachers) began to explain the city. One thing we learned was that the second twilight film took place and was filmed at the city center. Apparently that has made the town quite a bit more famous. After hearing a brief history we were given free time to explore. With views from every opening you couldn't go wrong in any direction you walked.  After our free time in the city we headed back down to the bus for the ride back to Florence.

Roma

After arriving home around 8:30pm after our Parma and Moderna field trip, I got my pre-packed bag and headed to the train station (about a 3 min walk from our apartment) and got a ticket for Roma. I got on the three hour train (it can take an hour, but its about 30 more euros and I had the time) and arrived just after 1am in Roma where my roommate met me and we went to the hotel our program had set up (the program I am studying through has set up a couple of trips that are included). Unfortunately I missed the first day of visiting Tivoli because of my class field trip, but met up with the group for the rest of the trip.


We woke up early (7:30) got ready ate breakfast and met the school group in the lobby by 9am to begin our walking tour of Rome. We got tourist headset pieces, which clearly point you out as a tourist, but I assume being in such a big group anyway would do the same thing. We were divided into two groups (because our program is so big), I was put in the group with my teacher from my cultural class and began walking to the Colosseum. After walking through the Colosseum, we continued on our guided tour to the Foro, Palatino, Pantheon, and Fontana di Trevi. After we had free time until dinner.

We stumbled upon a restaurant near the Pantheon ate lunch and then headed to the Vatican for the rest of the afternoon. Rome is much bigger than Florence, the maps of the cities are comparable, but we found out the hard way that the street sizes while on one map might be a 5 min walk in Florence are more of a 20 min walk in Rome. So we ended up not having a lot of time after walking through the Vatican (we spend 2 hours there) and arrived back at the hotel changed our socks (it had been raining all day) and got ready to leave for dinner. We had a traditional Italian dinner with the entire group near the Pantheon. After my roommates and I headed back to the Trevi fountain to see it at night. Then we headed to the Spanish before going out for the night.

Sunday was a big more relaxing, we still woke up early again and after breakfast had a sightseeing bus tour of Rome. After we had a bit of free time for lunch before we boarded the buses to head back to Florence. We arrived back in Florence around 7. I went straight to bed after the really really long weekend of sightseeing. 

Parma & Moderna

On our second Cultural Introduction to Italy class field trip we traveled to Parma and Moderna (which are in the region of Emilia Romagna) to learn the process of making parmigiano reggiano cheese, parma ham, and balsamic vinegar. We had to leave Florence Friday (03/04/11) morning by 5:30am, we found out later this was to see the process of making parmigiano reggiano.

When in Italy all the food and wines have certain qualifications that they must meet to have a certain assigned name (there are different levels). This then influences the factors in growth and creating original products. Ultimately the knowledge of each product specification has been handed down over generations becoming part of Italy's cultural heritage. So when you see a quality label such as DOP (protected designation of origin) on your product it means that it has followed very rigid rules established  by the production specifications and has the specific characteristics which depend basically or exclusively on factors (climate, environmental characteristics) and human factors (production techniques passed on from one generation to the next). When these are combined together create a unique product. A quality label such as IGP (protected geographical indication) is given to agricultural products, which is dependent on the quality reputation and characteristics depending on their geographical origin where the production and processing occur in a determined geographical area. To have and IGP label, at least one of the productive phases must take place in a particular area. Like DOP, IGP products must also follow rigid productive rules established by the production specifications.

Back to Parmigiano Reggiano: the origin dates back to eight centuries ago. Parmigiano is the Italian adjective for Parma and Reggiano is the Italian adjective for Reggio Emilia. It is exclusively produced in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bologna.  We arrived bright and early to see the entire process of how Parmigiano Reggiano is made and produced. It is made from raw cows milk (whole milk from the morning milking and naturally skimmed milk from the previous evenings milking). Once mixed together the milk is pumped into copper-lined vats (copper is able to heat up as well as cool down quickly) and a whey starter is added. After raising the temperature calf rennet is added and the mixture is left to curdle. The curd is then broken up mechanically into small pieces then te temperature is raised again after the curd is settled it is left until the compacted curd is collected in a pice of muslin before being divided in two and placed into moulds. At this point the curd making up each wheel weighs around 100lb (there are 1100 liters of milk per vat - 2 cheeses). The remaning whey in the vat was traditionally used to feed the pigs from, which parma ham comes from. The cheese is then put into a stainless steel round form that is pulled tight with a spring so the cheese retains its wheel shape. After a day or two the buckle is released, when this is done you put a plastic belt which will imprint the wheel numerous times  with the Parmigiano Reggiano name, the plant's number, and the month as well as year of production. After a day of imprints on the rind the wheel is put into a brine bath to absorb salt for 20-25 days. After the brining the wheels are then transfered to the aging rooms and placed on wooden shelfs (the shelfs can be 24 cheese high x 90 cheeses long or about 4,000 wheels per aisle) in the plant for 12 months. During this 12 months the shelf is cleaned every 7 days while the cheese is turned. At the end of our tour we got to have a cheese tasting. There is definitely a plus to having real parmigiano reggiano cheese.

After our morning of cheese we all got back on the bus to find out about the famous Prosciutto di Parma. With two thousand years of success Prosciutto di Parma is "A tradition of Excellence". As I was saying before with the quality labels Prosciutto di Parma has a Protected Origin status where the production is watched over by the Parma Ham consortium to make sure everything is in compliance with the specifications in order to guarantee a totally natural product prepared according to the traditional processing methods. The label of the Consortium - the five-tip ducal crown - represents a real "quality label. So to the process, it is a long and painstaking one. The curing is controlled carefully so the ham absorbs only enough salt to preserve it. By the end, a trimmed ham will have lost more than a quarter of its weight through moisture loss, which helps to concentrate the flavor. Where is beings is with the selection of the pigs, which are born and raised only in 11 regions of central-northern Italy. Their diet is specially regulated blend of grains, cereals and whey from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. This diet ensures a heavy pig with moderate daily growth while in an excellent state of health. After slaughtering the hind legs are isolated in cellars at a temperature of zero for 24 hours. This is then where the key step of timing comes into play. At the processing plant some skin and fat are removed to the give its shape. Salting then takes place by a "salt master" who rubs sea salt into the meat to be refrigerated for about a week. Residual salt is removed and the ham gets a second thin coating of salt, which is left on another 15-18 days (depending on the weight). Making daily adjustments in the temperature and humidity, the "maestero" ensures the legs absorb just enough salt to cure them (this continues the reputation of parma ham being "sweet"). After the salting stage it hangs for 70 days in refrigerated, humidity controlled rooms (the resting stage) where the meat darkens. The next stage is washing and drying where the hams are washed with warm water and brushed to remove excess salt. They are then hung in drying rooms. The Initial curing begins after where the hams are hun on frames in well ventilated rooms with large windows that are opened when the outside temperature and humidity are favorable (this is said to be critical to the development of Parma Ham's distinctive flavor). This lasts for about 3 months. The next step is "greasing" the surfaces of the hams with a paste of minced lard and salt, which softens the ham. The last step is the final curing where the hams are hung and moved to dark cellar like rooms until curing is completed (at least 1 year, but some are cured as long as 30 months). After 12 months a quality testing takes place (an inspector pierces each ham at five critical points with a horse bone needle, sniffing it after each puncture and inhaling the aroma. This helps determine whether the ham meets the high quality specifications fo be sold as Parma Ham). 

After our tour of the Parama Ham factory we were served lunch in the upstairs restaurant. This was an interesting experience where the meal was heavily meat based with lots of prosciutto di parma. After the primi piatti of pasta they brought us each a plate of just Parma ham. It took me a little while to finally try the ham after walking through the process of curing the meat, but eventually I did and it was quite good.

After lunch we got back on the buses for a short trip to a traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena. The traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena is unique in the world of food dressing. Opposed to vinegars obtained from a alcoholic liquid, balsamic vinegar is obtained from boiled white, sweet grapes. Ture balsamic vinegar is made from a reduction of pressed Trebbiano and Lambrusco grapes, which result in a thick syrup called "mosto cotto" in Italian. This is then aged for a minimum of 12 years in a battery of seven barrels (the syrup is moved over time  from larger barrels to successively smaller ones). This process of aging allows the flavors to intensify over the years with the vinegar being stored in the wooden barrels becoming sweet and very concentrated, because a good portion evaporates , which is said to be the "angels share". None of the product can be taken out until the end of the minium aging period of 12 years (it can be 12, 18, or 25 years) which is then bottled only by the Consortium in specific traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena bottles. While we did not get to actually see the process because it takes so long, we were given and tour and got to see all the barrels. After we were given a tasting of 6 different balsamic vinegars (only two of which were traditional a 12 year and 25 year). During the tasting we were told the pairing of foods and vinegars while experiencing the sweetness of some and sourness of others.



After our long day of food touring we got back on the bus and headed back to Firenze

Carnivale di Venizia

We went on a one day adventure to Venice for Carnival. Carnivale di Venizia is one of the most famous carnivals in Italy. It starts about two weeks before ash Wednesday and ends on Fat Tuesday originally it was a time when everyone would wear masks hiding the identity and therefore social class the person.

We got up at 6am on Saturday morning and took a 3 hour bust to Venice. After getting off the bus we had to take a water bus to actually get on the islands (Venice is made up of 117 small islands). Upon reaching the major "downtown area" we began searching for the perfect masks.  Halfway though the day Mady, Libby and I met up with my roommates John and Caleb who were on a school trip to Venice. We continued to walk to the streets of Venizia (or at least tried to) seeing the elaborate mask and costumes. The streets were so crowded so moving with a group was quite hard with everyone pushing all ways trying to get everywhere. In the late afternoon right before sunset we bargained for a gondola ride, which took us through the water ways of the main downtown area. Our guide / rower Diego explained sites as we passed them (he has been doing this for 4 years and has only fallen in 3 times). On a side not if you ever have the chance to go to Venice do not go swimming or put your hands in the water. It is essentially their waste system. After the gondola ride we left the major city area to get away from the crowds for dinner. By 10:30pm we were back on the bus tired and full and ready to sleep the 3 hours home.