Day 2 Dinner after a very full day!

Our dinner after touring Pompeii was another feast and such a culinary delight.   Enjoy the photos, and look for some of these coming to our menu!  

It is now time for us to retire.  Bouna notte!  

The Ancient city of Pompeii

 POMPEI WAS OUR NEXT ADVENTURE: HERE IS A SMALL HISTORY ALONG WITH A FEW PHOTOS

Mount Vesuvius did not form overnight, of course. Vesuvius is part of the Campanian volcanic arc that stretches along the convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates on the Italian peninsula—it been erupting for thousands of years.

Sometime around 1995 B.C., for example, an unusually violent eruption (known today as the “Avellino eruption”) shot millions of tons of superheated lava, ash and rocks about 22 miles into the sky. That Bronze Age catastrophe destroyed almost every village, house and farm within 15 miles of the mountain.

Villagers around the volcano had long learned to live with their volatile neighbor. Even after a massive earthquake struck the Campania region in 63 A.D.—a quake that, scientists now understand, offered a warning rumble of the disaster to come—people still flocked to the shores of the Bay of Naples, and Pompeii grew more crowded every year.

The exact date of the eruption remains a matter of debate. August 24, A.D. 79, is the traditional date derived from manuscripts of Pliny the Younger’s account, but archaeological evidence has led some scholars to argue that Vesuvius erupted later that year, possibly in October. It started when a number of small earthquakes rocked the Pompeii region. The people there shrugged off the temblors since they “were not particularly alarming because they are frequent in Campania,” according to Pliny the Younger.Then, shortly after noon on that fateful day, Mount Vesuvius erupted again. The blast sent a plume of ash, rock and scorching-hot volcanic gases so high into the sky that people could see it for hundreds of miles around.

Pliny the Younger, who watched the eruption from across the Bay of Naples, compared this “cloud of unusual size and appearance” to a pine tree that “rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches.” (Today, geologists refer to this type of volcanic blast as a “Plinean eruption.”)

As it cooled, this tower of debris drifted to earth: first the fine-grained ash, then the lightweight chunks of pumice and other rocks. It was terrifying—“I believed I was perishing with the world,” Pliny wrote, “and the world with me”—but it was not yet lethal: Most Pompeiians had plenty of time to flee, and many did.

For those who stayed behind in Pompeii, Herculaneum and other towns, conditions soon grew much worse. As more and more ash fell, it clogged the air, making it difficult to breathe. Buildings collapsed under overloaded roofs, but still some people remained in the city, now covered under several feet of ash.

Then, on the morning of the following day, a “pyroclastic flow”—a 100-miles-per-hour blast of superheated gas and pulverized rock—poured down the side of the mountain and vaporized everything and everyone in its path.

By the time the Vesuvius eruption sputtered to an end on the second day of the eruption, Pompeii was buried under millions of tons of volcanic ash.

Some people drifted back to town in search of lost relatives or belongings, but there was virtually nothing left to find. Pompeii, along with the neighboring town of Herculaneum and a number of villas in the area, was abandoned for centuries.

About 2,000 Pompeiians died in the city, but the eruption in total killed up to 16,000 people in Pompeii, Herculaneum and other towns and villages in the region.

Bodies of men, women, children and animals were frozen right where they’d fallen—many of the bodies uncovered later were still clutching valuable household objects they’d hoped to carry safely out of the city. Some bodies were found with their arms poignantly wrapped around children or other loved ones.

Later archaeologists even uncovered jars of preserved fruit and loaves of bread. Most of the city’s buildings were intact, and everyday objects and household goods still littered the streets. 

Lunch at the winery.

Our lunch after the winery tour.   Our lovely host Mimma took time to explain to my nephew what happens when a glass is broken.  

Every time I take a trip to Italy I am reminded of foods I ate growing up or find new incentive ways to use real ingredients.   It is always a joy to bring these flavors home and share them with our customers.  There will certainly be new menu items coming soon!  

The meat platter had prosciutto, coppa, and an awesome truffle mortadella.

Trabucco Winery

We were lucky enough to witness the grape harvest.   From checking the grapes sugar content, selecting the clusters ready to pick, and visiting the cellars, we truly had a wonderful time.   Here are some pictures of our experience.   If you ever have the opportunity to be hands on in the field of a grape harvest, we all highly recommend you do so!  

Ruins and Grapes

 Today we started off enjoying lovely cornate for breakfast.

Our plans for the day are to stroll through the streets of Pompeii and then tour the Trabucco winery.   

This will be the first time for many of us to see the ancient city of Pompeii.   This city was basically preserved under the massive eruption of Vesuvius.   Pictures to come.  

For now enjoy this video at the winery.  

First day in Italy!

We have arrived! Early morning at baggage claim then we loaded up the fiat vans and headed to our home Domus Marina for the rest of our time here.   

We were greeted by Mimma, her husband and friends who own Trabucco winery. A nice prosecco toast was waiting for us along with some beautifully made pastries from Lisita Pasticceria which is in walking distance from our place. Heard they also carry amazing panninis!   

Here is the only photo of our pastry!  

My sister Michelle and her son Anthony took a bike ride and took in the spectacular seaside views.   

Others took walks in the town, enjoyed a nice shower and rested after the long flight.  

After settling in and freshening up we prepared ourselves for dinner at Cielo di Mare, within walking distance.  

Just arrived at the restaurant, getting settled in with a nice glass of Falengina wine.

Here are some photos of our delicious meal.  

Our bellies are full and we are all ready for a good night's rest.   It is a blessing to take these trips with family and friends.   The return to the home country is always welcome.  May you enjoy our journey as you follow along.    

Boun viaggio tutti, Italia here we come!

Here we are in Atlanta before our flight for Italy.   We are missing Dan, not sure where he went to.   Luckily we all got on the plane.  

Seasonal Pasta for October, 2020

This was a recipe that many of us had when on our tours in Puglia with Peppe Zullo.  This meal is a very simple, plant based, entree for those who are looking for alternatives.  It is a wonderful old world peasant meal. 

 

Orecchiette di grano arso con cime di zucchini

“Burnt Wheat” Orecchiette Pasta with Courgetti Tops

Take the small leaves from the zucchini plant, choosing the most tender parts and the smallest leaves (the filaments should be removed from the larger leaves)

Serves 4

 200 grams orecchiette (di grano arso or regular orecchiette)

500 grams tender courgetti leaves and shoots

2 garlic cloves

Aged sheep’s milk ricotta cheese (ricotta salata)

Extra virgin olive oil

A touch of chili pepper to taste

Salt

Cook the vegetables in ample salted water.

When cooked, add the orecchiette pasta to the same pot.

In a pan, fry the garlic in oil until soft.

When the orecchiette are almost done, drain everything and saute well in a pan with the garlic and oil to the point that almost a cream forms.

Serve with grated aged ricotta or cubed.

 

Remembering Traditions...and the Dead.

During the colder months of less and less sunshine, it seem that winter pulls us downward.  The earth dies back aand the seeds hide underground, while they must wait for spring and rebirth.  Some say this is a time when the dead feel an attraction to the living and hope to return for a visit, as they are said to do in Orsara di Puglia.  Families set the table for ancestors returning from their graves.  

Long before a calendar told us when the new year would begin, many would celebrate this time as the new year.  This is the end of the harvest when people would gather and prepare for the long winter. "The wheat has been sown and the fruit all crated."  It wasn't until the 9th century that the Church in Italy drew a veil of religion over the festival, and renamed it Ognissanti, All Saints Day.  The festival of death as birth into the church and eternity, commemorates the death of saints and souls by celebrating traditions in Italy on November 1st and 2nd.   These nights provided the opportunity to honor, reconnect and pay respect to the spirits of loved ones. 

 

It is said that the night is a magical, spiritual experience for everyone to experience.  The Orsaresi who live in other parts of Italy and Europe come home for the festa, and visitors come from all over Puglia.  Since it is a holiday, many families are able to take an extra long weekend known as il Ponte dei Morti.

Many believe that the night between November 1 and 2, the souls of the recently departed return among the living to visit their relatives and their former homes before moving onto Paradise.  The  entire city of Orsara is lit with Bonfires of wood and branches of (ginestra) or broom.  The light of the fires, the crackling and sparks from the brooms reach out for the sky attracting the spirits so they may reunite with the living. 

 

The pumpkin lanterns are carved to look like heads or carved with crosses to light their way so the spirits can find their former home.   The preparation involves gathering of firewood, preparing food for family and friends and picking hundreds of locally grown pumpkin or zucca which are carved and placed all over Orsara. This is the busiest night of the year for restaurants and bars.  The town hosts a pumpkin carving workshop and there is even a contest for the best decorated pumpkin.

Now when the campanile, the church bell tower, strikes 1900 hours, Orsara di Puglia  "catches fire."  Bonfires are simultaneously lit in every street and piazza. where they remain lit through the night.  The fires, illuminated pumpkins, music and people in the streets create a magical enchanted atmosphere.  There are three large squares in the city and every quarter neighborhood, and many families also light their own.

Now the food in honor of the dead, is simple but symbolic, seasonal foods.  They are cooked on the open fires and also served as we would call street food.  Potatoes, onions and sausages, roasted chestnuts and pane cotto-bread cooked with garlic, potatoes and greens are some of the favorites.

The one I remember my grandmother Maria Antoinette Dedda-Fragassi always making was Muscitaglia a traditional dish she served on November 1st.  This dates back to the ancient Greeks and Byzantines.    The ingredients are symbolic of fertility and abundance, but also of honor and respect for the dead. Muscitaglia is made up of the Greek and Latin words mosto (wine must) and talia (grain).

While in Orsara, a few weeks ago, we were serve Muscitaglia for dessert and it reminded me of Grandma the only difference is that she made hers for breakfast and ate it with milk and honey.  So that brings me to  MOSTO COTTO- A thick, molasses like syrup made by boiling down fresh grape must.  Mosto cotto is served as a kind of poor man's honey.  Now when my grandma was here in American she couldn't find mosto cotto, so that explains the honey and the milk.  Or maybe she felt America was the land of milk and honey for her.