Italy

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Making Olive Oil

January 28, 2013 in Travel by traveleatlove | 7 comments

We may never be able to eat regular old olive oil ever again. Between the beautiful oil sent to me by Frances Mayes from her Bramasole Olive Oil Convivium and the freshly pressed, fruity oil we enjoyed visiting family in Italy, we have definitely been enjoying some of the best oil I have ever had. I’ve even been taking two tablespoons of olive oil every morning; it’s said to do all sorts of things including making the skin glow, cleansing the body, and helping to prevent illness.

After our amazing visit to Masciarelli, we headed home to have lunch and play time with our nephews. When my sister-in-law arrived home from work, we all piled in the car and went for a drive, ending up at the facility where their family makes the oil we were enjoying all week.

It may have been the evening, but the olive oil facility was full of activity. Giant crates of olives were being transported in, and people from all over the valley were there using their own olives to make family olive oil.

It was fun to see the process from start to finish. Here, the olives are being separated from the branches and leaves.

Massive stone wheels ground the olives into a paste. That’s some olive tapenade right there!

The olive paste was then spread into thin layers that were stacked in a press, as seen below.

At that point, you could really see the olive oil coming into its own. The smells in the facility were incredible! I wish I could have just filled a big jug to bring back to Boston.

The process of making olive oil was definitely a fun one to witness, and it was even more special because it was at the place where our family has made their oil for a long time.

We went home and had another amazing dinner which included olive oil, of course. This time around, we sampled an oil that my sister-in-law’s mother had infused with hot peppers. It was amazing and something I definitely plan on trying soon.

I’m officially ready to go to Italy again. . . or to Sonoma or somewhere that’s not dealing with single digit temperatures! Do you have any travel planned in the near future?

Tags: family, Food, Italy, olive oil, Travel

San Benedetto and Grottomare

January 13, 2013 in Travel by traveleatlove | 5 comments

Planning a trip to Italy? I highly recommend going off the beaten path and visiting Marche. We likely would have never discovered it if we didn’t have family there. Luckily, we get to stay in their beautiful home and get a local’s view on things to see and do and what to eat.

On our first full day in Italy, we slept in a bit, went for a walk around the village, all while we waited for our nephews to come home from school. They go to school Monday – Saturday until 1:00, and since we arrived from Rome late the night before, we hadn’t seen them yet. Not seeing two growing, adorable boys in over two years meant we were very eager.

Once they were off the bus, we all had lunch (including family wine for the adults) and then my sister-in-law took us for a drive around where they live, to my delight straight to the sea.

Our first stop was San Benedetto del Tronto, a seaside resort area not far from where our family lives. There are all sorts of hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs here, and it’s a nice, laid-back place to visit. The last time we were in Italy was in June, and we thoroughly enjoyed being able to use our family’s beach club membership to cool off in the Adriatic and to lounge in the sun. It gets extremely hot there!

This time around, we had two little boys with us and lots of energy to burn so we walked the long walk out into the sea, taking in the boats, the gorgeous views, and the boulders that line the path which have all been made fancy by artists.

And since I am a cat lady, I loved all of the cats that inhabit the area.

Our next stop was Grottomare, basically up the mountain and over San Benedetto for a stellar view of the sea and villages below.

I can’t get enough Italian architecture. I love the clay and the bright colors!

We wandered around Grottomare to the very top, which was quite the hike, then headed back to the car to head home for dinner. We were all tired from the fresh air, and I may have fallen asleep in the back seat along with the boys. Dinner, more wine, and play time ensued and made for a perfect evening.

If you do ever get the chance, I would definitely recommend staying a night in San Benedetto, especially in the summer time. It’s the ideal place to relax, and the food and wine of Marche can not be matched.

Tags: Europe, family, Grottomare, Italy, Marche, San Benedetto, Travel

When in Rome

December 18, 2012 in Food, Travel by traveleatlove | 6 comments

How are you all doing? I hope that your weekends went okay and that the dark cloud that feels like it’s hanging over all of us right now lets a little bit of light in. I, like so many people, am still struggling with the Newtown school shooting and having a hard time feeling normal. This weekend was nice; we visited close friends with a beautiful new baby boy, had a dinner date at Cinquecento, a get-together with friends at The Reserve, and finally, some quiet time by the Christmas tree, fully participating in the prayer service in Newtown. The weekend was about being with people, truly being there, and we continue to cling to one another, grateful to be home at the end of the day despite both enjoying our work. I’ve been trying to live my own advice and living and healing one precious moment at a time.

Revisiting travel photos helps. It reminds me (and I shouldn’t need to be reminded) how lucky I am not just to have all of my basic needs met, but to have the opportunity to see the world with someone I love so dearly.

We ate well in Italy; as I mentioned in an earlier post, the best food we had was while visiting family. There was definitely some amazing food and wine consumed in Rome though, between traipsing around the ancient city, staring mouths agape at ruins and architecture. What an amazing city.

One rainy night in Rome, we stumbled upon Mercato Hostaria in Campo de Fiori. There we were met with plates of antipasti and bruschetta.

{Olive tapenade bruschetta at Mercato Hostaria}

{Bruschetta at Mercato Hostaria}

And I sipped on a perfect aperitivo, Campari and soda.

{Campari and soda at Mercato Hostaria}

A little more wandering brought us to Al Bric whose cheese display was one of the most impressive I have seen.

{Cheese at Al Bric}

Somehow we made our way back to Mercato Hostaria for Chianti and Carbonara with views of the sparkling, rainy Campo de Fiori. Heaters made for cozy outdoor dining, and we loved the bustling outdoor space.

{Back to Mercato Hostaria for carbonara with a view of Campo de Fiori}

After hours of wandering Vatican City, lunch was found out a spot filled with local working men, some in suits, some in city worker uniforms, all in a hurry, grabbing espressos and cappuccinos and pizzas as they went. It’s always a good sign when a restaurant is full of locals, so we grabbed an outside table and lingered over a long lunch that started with a perfect Aperol Spritz.

{Aperol Spritz at Caffe Castello}

{The Diavalo Pizza, Caffe Castello}

Spicy thin crust pizza and a mixed salad topped with burratta, followed by espresso fueled some more walking and was absolutely delicious.

{Ensalata Misto, Caffe Castello}

{Espresso, times 100}

Gelato is a staple in Italy; I tend to go for a mix of hazelnut and chocolate, and it was warm enough that we had to eat it quickly.

{Gelato near Vatican City}

{Wine in the Christmas market in Piazza Navona}

Traveling in Europe in November and December means Christmas markets, and we stopped at a wine cart to enjoy some local wine for a Euro a cup. It wasn’t the best wine ever, but it was fun to wander around with.

Our final dinner in Rome was our most indulgent, complete with the largest cheese board we had ever seen, lots of pasta, and wine, followed by some wine from our visit to Masciarelli, back in our lovely hotel room.