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day 8 : |
sunday, 21 mayToday was the start of our cooking class, the “alumni” version of the course that we had taken on our honeymoon. When Giuliano Hazan told us that there would be an alumni course at Villa Giona, to be held exactly five years after our honeymoon there in 2001, we decided that this would be the perfect way to celebrate our anniversary. Eric woke up feeling under the weather today, so we decided to head out from Bologna immediately after breakfast so that we could spend a leisurely afternoon resting up at the villa before the gala dinner that evening. Luckily, the trip today was only about an hour and a half on a relatively calm autostrada. We breezed northward in quick time, and exited just west of Verona. We pulled up the drive, where the staff greeted us warmly and ushered us to our room. Eric immediately started a nap while Dawn unpacked. After settling in, she wandered outside to read a book under the garden umbrellas, where she met Ali, Jay, Ron, and Carolyn, all returning alumni of previous courses with Giuliano. Everyone seemed excited to be back. After a couple hours chatting, Dawn went back to the room to see how Eric was feeling. He was decidedly unhappy, because he was in no condition to get out of bed for the dinner we had been looking forward to for so long. It was a Sunday, when almost everything is closed in Italy, so Paulo, the owner of the villa, called around to find out which farmacia was open. The pharmacies in Italy alternate with each other to ensure that at least one pharmacy in a region is open on Sunday, while the rest close for the day. Paolo found that the one closest to his home was open, so he drove Dawn to pick up some cold medication and vitamin C. Paolo then prepared a light dinner for Eric and laid it out on a white tablecloth in our room. He could not have been more kind and helpful, during a time when Eric needed it most.
The meal highlighted regional specialties using seasonal produce. Giorgio has recently been focusing on cultivating his own produce, so much of what we ate was grown in his own gardens. One of the appetizers was a simple preparation of sweet white asparagus from southern Veneto, with a fried egg. Apparently, this is traditional in the area — we had a variation on this same dish at Ca' Sette later in the week. Pea soup was another dish that was outstanding in its simplicity. There was nothing to smother the flavors of the sweet peas, and the only garnish was a small bowl of freshly made croutons on the side. Then was a frittata made with tiny shrimp, shells and all, followed by a risotto made with more sweet peas. Leonardo is originally from Sicily, which is one area we had considered visiting during this trip instead of Tuscany and the Veneto. During dinner, several at the table were asking him for tips on traveling to the island. He was emphatic that you need a minimum of ten days to see Sicily, but ideally two weeks or more. He suggested spending about a week in the Palermo area, then take a half day to drive to the other side of the island to finish the trip. We both hope that our next trip to Italy will include Sicily! The meal conversation frequently drifted toward topics of food and especially wine, since Leonardo and Marilisa were sitting nearby. Leonardo described an amazing meal he and Marilisa had enjoyed at El Bulli, the same restaurant we visited in Spain last fall. Apparently, they have been there three or four times over the years! Leonardo asked us at one point if we knew how wine barrels are made. He then led an impromptu tour into the wine
Espresso and grappa rounded out the meal. Marilisa told us about the two types of grappa that she had chosen for tasting, while Leonardo showed Ron how to make a caffè corretto, by slipping a shot of grappa into his espresso. Leonardo and Marilisa then decided it was time to show us Americans how to really drink grappa. He stood up and placed his glass on the table in front of him, then leaned forward and grasped the rim of the glass in his mouth (no hands!) and proceeded to pick it up and tip it over so that the entire glassful went down his throat. Marilisa followed, and this continued around the table for a while, until Giuliano finally suggested that getting up early the next morning might be difficult if we didn't head back. It was about 12:30 AM when Dawn finally returned to the room. ![]() ![]()
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