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Day 15, Tuesday, May 27
The weather was not the best but we decided to take a drive north to the Chianti wine region. Again our friendly GPS took us on some back roads but eventually we found the Autostrada that took us to an exit to Greve in Chianti, a small town Jim read about that is in the heart of Chianti. Once again we found ourselves on tiny country roads that meandered through small hill towns with roads just big enough for one car to squeeze through which made Lisa very nervous. In addition it rained on and off, sometimes heavy.
About an hour after leaving the farm we arrived in Greve in Chianti, parked the car and found a small trattoria to have lunch. Since it was a little cold the outdoor seating was closed off so we sat inside. The restaurant was known for their very thin crust pizza so we ordered a bowl of onion soup and a spicy salami pizza to share. The person taking our order was a little confused because of the language barrier and the fact that everyone eats their own pizza. The sharing issue was
confusing.
It just so happen that the owner of the restaurant brought the soup to our table. The soup was in two separate bowls and we guess that is because we said we would share. In a low direct tone the owner said, “you share, I get spoons”. It sounded more like a command vs a statement. He reminded us of Lurch from the Adams Family TV series. He is about 6’4”, thin, bald, and wears a small fanny back like a belt (OK, Lurch didn’t wear a fanny pack). To be honest he was kind of scary. Since Jim was driving we decided it was best to just have water instead of wine.
The pizza was paper thin, crispy, and delicious. After eating our lunch the young man who was our waiter brought us a plate with two pieces of dessert, one was a chocolate mousse cake, and the other was pastry crust filled with vanilla custard topped with marinated peach. He said “our gift to you” meaning it was on the house. Both were delicious. Even though we were full from lunch Jim made sure we finished both.
As
we went to the front to pay our bill we were once again met by “Lurch”. The onion soup was thick and creamy so Jim asked how it was made. Lurch asked the kitchen staff and they explained that day-old bread is blended in, very common in this part of Italy to use stale bread in a recipe. Lurch asked, “You like the meal?” We responded positively and he then reached out his right hand in a very slow, sideways fashion to Lisa and neither one of us knew what he was doing. Lisa guessed this was his offering of a handshake that we haven’t experience here. Lisa reached out shook his hand and he said, “you come back to see us again, OK?” He then shook Jim’s hand and gave him a business card. Lurch turned out to be a real nice guy but you would not know it by looking at him. After all, we thought we ordered us to share the soup.
The weather was not improving so we decided to head back to the farm, relax, start another book, and get ready to travel to Salsomaggorie tomorrow. For dinner we did sort of
an antipasti plate with cheese, bread, cured meats, fresh melon, and of course a bottle of wine. Except for the rain another great day.
Day 16, Wednesday, May 28
We finished packing in the morning and then went to say our goodbyes to Gianna. Jim thought for sure we would have to pay for the cheese tour but Gianna said no, it was free. For our first farm stay we could not have had a better host as she provided us with a lot of information on where to go and what to see. We only hoped our next farm stay was just as good.
We left Ciciano about 10:00 AM and headed for the Autostrada going north. Jim always stresses about the toll roads because they are different in every country we have been in and sometimes different in the same country. For some tool roads you pay in advance and for others a ticket is given to you when you enter and then payment is made when you exit the toll road. Some tollbooths have a live person and some are automated and take cash and/or credit cards.
For the stretch of the Autostrada on this trip the first tollbooth gave us a ticket. Along the toll roads every 50 miles or so are roadside facilities where you can gas up the car, get a bite to eat, and even shop for the local specialties. It was about lunchtime so we stopped at one of these facilities called Autogrill. Instead of eating at the sit-down restaurant we decided to pick up a couple of sandwiches. Once we figured out which sandwich we wanted to order Jim did his best to order in Italian and it must of worked as we got what we ordered.
The next leg of our trip took us through a stretch of mountains and at least 15 long tunnels. The Autostrada is a major north / south road so there were a lot of semi trucks on the road and they (like drivers in small cars) do not like to stay in their lanes. After going through the mountains the road flattened out and as we approached Bologna the sky darkened and it began to rain. It was not long before hail began to come down so hard we
had to pull off to the shoulder of the road, as it was difficult to see as it was coming down so hard. We were not alone as other drivers did the same thing, but not all. After 15 minutes the heavy rain and hail changed to light rain so we merged back onto the road. The speed limit on the Autostrada is 130 kilometers per hour, which equates to 81 miles per hour. The large trucks do not travel that fast so the fast lane is only for those that want to go at least 130KPH. Most drivers go much faster and text and talk on their phones at the same time. We will be looking up stats when we get home because that is not a good combination.
We arrived at our farm stay at 3:00PM and were met by a nice middle-aged man that spoke no English. He and Jim shared a few words, hand gestures, and then he handed Jim the keys and said “arrividerci”. Jim was able to find out the buildings on the site are only 7 years old so everything is much more modern than our previous farm stay. The
rooms are large and comfortable and we have our own outside patio with table and chairs that overlooks the city of Parma in the distance.
After unpacking we headed for the city of Salsomaggorie to pick up a few groceries. The town is about 6 kilometers away, not far. We noticed a grill on the property and so we picked up a nice T-bone steak to cook for dinner. When we returned to the property it was quite windy but not too cold to BBQ so we opened a bottle of wine and prepped dinner. Lisa noticed that right outside our patio window was a small black and white cat just peering inside and when Jim went out to cook our steak the cat followed him all the way. Dinner consisted of BBQ steak, mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, and second bottle of wine. After dinner the cat was given some meat scraps and will probably be back tomorrow for another hand out.
Unlike our last place we have a TV but since most channels are Italian we have to play the game of “what do you think they are saying”. We finally
Parmesan Cheese Factory
Getting ready to remove the young cheese into the molds.found a channel showing an old Steven Segal movie with really bad acting but since we could understand what was being said we tolerated it for about an hour. It was time to check out the stars. We are located on the very top of a small hill so it is ideal for star gazing and tonight we could clearly see the Milky Way, very cool. It was a little cold so we did not stay out long.
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Karyn
non-member comment
Singing in the Rain
Glad to know the rain and funny GPS isn't stopping you! How can you do all the cheese and wine and beer and NOT end up at the fat farm!? Hope you continue to have a lovely time :)