Sesquicentennial

Around the streets, Italian flags are slowly emerging creating a sense of patriotism. Italy may be a country that’s full of history, but as a country, is quite young. 1861 is the year recognized as the beginning of an independent and unified Italy, when the first Italian Parliament was assembled and the first King of Italy was declared. Around the streets, Italian flags are slowly emerging to represent Milans sense of patriotism and to celebrate 150 years since Italy was first unified as 'Italy'; and, more importantly, this year they have declared the day a ‘bank’ holiday on Thursday.  Friday is also a holiday for us because of this thing called a ‘bridge day’,  (so that the company doesn’t open for just 1 day), creating a long weekend: fare il ponte.

So what does one do to celebrate this day of unification?  Maybe we can go to France where everything is open still?

Permission to stay...AGAIN!

Since my handbag and personal belongings were permanently borrowed by an Italian, I have been slowly starting to replace all those missing items.  A new purse has been purchased, Italian bank card received, some loyalty cards replaced, and I evem managed to persuade my Australian Bank to send my new credit card to my parents address, (after a long heated discussion as to why I can not just collect it at my local Australian branch next time I am 'in the area').  Now it was time to get the ball rolling in regards to my permit to stay paperwork... AGAIN.

I would rather swim in a pool of freshly squeezed lemon juice while being covered from head to toe in paper cuts, then to negotiate the rocky path that is "Italian Paperwork".  I had my appointment at the post office last month, money was paid, paperwork signed and then I received my appointment for the police station one month following, again  This is when you get all your fingerprints done, again, provide photos, again, then wait another month or so before making another appointment to collect an ID permission to stay card, again.  Still perplexed as to why this type of thing is not on record, I have accepted that it is just 'the way things are done here'.  I also accept the fact that an appointment time is about as truthful as a second hand car sales man.  We arrive for our appointment at 8.25, (we are not the first appointment, I think they start them from 8 or 8.15), which is a little bizarre to me considering that the Police Station does not actually open until 8.30...

Finally called into the office, we are told that there appears to be a bit of a problem, again.  Our original permit to stay cards have not been cancelled.  We can not issue another permit to stay card until the originals are cancelled.  It takes one month to cancel the original cards.  So, I have a permit to stay, that I do not physically have, so I need to cancel it to get another one... comprehend?  Guess what?  I need to come back again.  Next month.  To get my fingerprints done then, again.  I should receive my permit to stay, again, a month or so after that, depending on the mood of the 'Italian Paperwork Mafia'.  Oh by the way, legally, you can not leave the country.  Is the EU just one big country?

Here kitty kitty kitty (part A)

So I am sitting on the couch with glass of wine in hand watching a movie.  I really should be ironing, but I am trying to make the most of my justified holiday (weekend).  Without our shutters closed, outside can be be a little noisy at night and I presume the motor sound I am hearing is a street cleaner outside. Hello there Mr Firemen.  Casually two firemen levitate past my window in a cherry picker.  I rub my eyes, check the wine bottle next to me to see how much I have drunk, then look at my husband to see if he saw it too, or perhaps I am napping and doing one of those 'man in uniform' type fantasies?

"Um, firemen just went past our window" soul mate tells me.  Phew, sanity in check.  Being the nosey, I mean concerned neighbour, that I am, we rush out onto the balcony.  There are two firetrucks in the drive way, and the cherry picker has stopped one level above our apartment.  A few minutes later, the firemen return down to the ground.  There are no extra bodies in their cage, nor is a basket of picked cherries visible.  I count 8 firemen that walk out of the foyer of our building and hop into the firetruck.  They drive away.

WHY?

• There was a kitty cat caught on the verandah
• A fellow fireman had locked himself out of the apartment
• There was a gas leak or fire that they did not need to tell other residents about
• New way to deliver a singing telegram
• Perhaps a medical emergency inside but no body recovered

• I think we will stick with the kitty cat...here kitty kitty kitty!

I hate not knowing things and when we went to investigate this morning we discovered that our door man is on holidays for 2 weeks and the replacement was there.  Coincidence?  I think not... very suspicious. Now I have 2 weeks for my imagination and exaggerated thinking to bother me!  (I think I need to get out a bit more!)

It is ok in the face

Saturday saw the close of the week long celebration of Carnevale in Milano.  For anybody that is unaware, Carnevale is an opportunity for children to dress up in costume, (and adults also), and open permission is granted to litter the streets and throw confetti and streamers at random fellow community members.  You are not allowed to frown upon paper thrown directly in your face, nor are you to presume that this is actually some sort of assault. Also screaming "It burns, it burns!" while covering your face, will not deter others from continuing to throw objects at you.  Just smile. 

The commune of Milano organised a forcast of rain for the next week, so the community need not worry about the copious amounts of confetti littering the streets as I am sure it will all decompose quickly enough in the mud piles.  Similar to finding sand in bizarre places after a beach holiday, I think I will be cleaning up pieces of random confetti in the weeks to come.

Doing Duomo

I’ve never been a very religious person. I went to Sunday school under protest with my brother and sister for a few years, then I think my parents gave up with trying to direct us up that particular path. Christmas services were done for a while, Easter service dropped off pretty quickly, but we all attended a religious school; that was pretty much the extent of my religious encounters. (Apart from screaming for help from a higher power during child birth, but I am sure I am not the first female looking for a miracle at that particular white knuckled time!) 

I have spent nine months admiring Duomo di Milano, it can not be ignored.  When I surface from the bat cave that is the metro, my heart always flutters from the visual impact it punches.  It is not only the magnitiude of its size, but the beauty of statues that accompany it.

Dumo Cathedral is a major tourist attraction of Milan. It is one of the biggest Gothic Cathedrals in the world and it is the third largest church in the world, (after St. Peter's and Seville Cathedral). Construction started in 1386 and was completed in 1965. With over 500 years of construction, you'd think they would of put in a couple of public toilets and a coffee shop.

The hollow and large interior is full of history and there are roof terraces, with magnificent panoramic views of Milan. From a height of about 70 meters, you can admire a breathtaking view, framed by oodles of statues, pinnacles, designs and gothic columns. The roofs are covered in slabs of Candoglia marble, in a total area of 8,000 square meters.

The visit to the rooftop offers a closer look at the detailed spires and the gargoyles which beautify this area. There is an elevator which carried us right to the top to avoid the 201 stair climb, (smart move with 2 little ones). There was no where to leave the pram so this had to be folded and taken with us, and then we found a corner of the roof top to 'store it', (was a bit worried it would look like an abandoned back pack at Heathrow airport, but it was still there when we returned).  There were still some stairs to be climbed at the top and the surface was rather uneven; the children enjoyed the slopes and treated it as a playground.  Which was not ideal as hubby had the security guard blow his whistle at him and point to our wandering son.  There was a picture sign of adults holding children hands, no excuse for dilect confusion here.  My daughter did make a good point, "but that is not me mama, I do not have my hair up".  I can tell she will be queen of excuses as a teenager!

After taking in the beautiful views we entered the cathedral.  I have been inside before, but it is one of those places that seems to show you something new each time. I can’t say I had a religious moment, but I did have a spiritual one; I am so taken by this building, to me it is pure art.


IF Interesting Fact

A souvenir model of the cathedral was thrown at the nose of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi during an attack on December 13, 2009

Bella Bellagio

Bellagio

To make the most of some beautiful weather and looking for a tourist destination to impress our visitor from the UK, we headed to Bellagio, the 'pearl of Lake Como'.   Bellagio is a little town that lies in the narrow point that divides Lario into two branches.  It is almost entirely surrounded by the blue water of the lake and looks out to see the snow peaked Alps in the distance. 

We boarded a fast boat from Como and enjoyed the magnificent views of the lake and small towns nestled into the mountains lakeside.  We opened up the back door of the boat to take some evidence of the beauty, to be quickly joined by 50 other passengers keen to click click, joined very quickly by the boat crew to usher us away from the forbidden stern area.  Opps, at least we got in a few shots first, and I felt like a bit of a trend setter, (it's been a long time, and who would of thought that rolled down and layered fluro socks would of been a fashion craze in grade 3?).



View from back of boat

Lakeside towns

Dock at Bellagio, snow peaked moutains in background

Jet ski riders making the most of the view



Bellagio boasts the traditional narrow streets, Neo- Classical Villas, and it has steep steps, not ideal for prams or weak parents. But with a friend in toe, she was told she needed to work for her overnight accomodation and shifts were taken in this weight training. Did you know that progressive resistance training dates back at least to Ancient Greece?  Legend has it that wrestler Milo of Croton trained by carrying a newborn calf on his back every day until it was fully grown.  No offence kids, but this is the general direction I feel myself heading in, that is if the Arthritis does not swallow me whole first; if only my cows would produce milk instead of consuming it.

See... clowns are not funny!

We had a stroll around Bellagio, took in a nice lunch and the unhurried atmosphere that the town provided.  True to form, we did things in the wrong order by collecting the pamphlet for the walking tour around Bellagio at the end of our visit.  For future reference, probably makes sense to go to information points at beginning of day.  We did not really see all that much apart from excited children in the streets dressed in costume and throwing confetti at each other; it was the start of the week long celebration of Carnevale.  I was glad to see that the children enjoyed these festivities and were not spooked at all by the freaky looking clown that accompanied them, (I am pretty sure I watched the movie It by Stephen King at an age that was far too impressionable).  Clowns are not funny people.



Carnavale celebrations in Como



We enjoyed a lovely boat ride back to Como and made good use of the rest of our day by doing some window shopping, consuming some gelati, avoiding confetti in the face by the little ones, and admiring some beautiful frescos in some churches.  Como and the surrounds really is beautiful, and I am glad that it still has so much for us to explore.



Lake Como



IF Interesting Fact

Bellagio is a luxury, award-winning hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip that was inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy.  Bellagio is famed for its elegance, in both Italy and Las Vegas.  One of its most notable features is an 8-acre (3.2 ha) lake between the building and the Strip, which houses the Fountains of Bellagio, a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music.

No spam schnitzel for me

Growing up I was lucky enough to not be subjected to any horrible meals that have scarred me in later life to try flavours or be repulsed by scents or sights.  I was not forced to consume bowls of kidneys, tongue, liver or oxtail; spam was not crumbed and passed off as a schnitzel; and to my mothers dismay, (she hated sausages), the halfed sausages topped with paw paw chutney and cheese then grilled, was actually one of my favourites. There were some darkened memories of having to consume corn beef and white sauce at Grandma's for Sunday lunch, (I thought there was something wrong with a big chunk of meat boiling in a pot of water), but apparently corn beef is 'normal'. Random animal body parts were not forced upon me as food. 

Since moving to Europe and having the opportunity to travel some more, I have been more exposed to whole-animal cooking; top to toe; waste not want not.  I had to ask my husband what tripe was when I spotted it at the markets.  "What, you've never had tripe before?" By reaction, you would of thought I just told him I was part of the Secret Service.  Apparently this food, "Tripe" they are calling it,  is a type of edible offal from the stomachs of various farm animals such as beef, sheep, ox, goats, pigs and deer. Mmmmmm, sounds devine!  In some parts of Europe, scrotum, brain, chitterlings (pig's small intestine), trotters (feet), heart, head (of pigs, calves, sheep and lamb), kidney, liver, "lights" (lung), sweetbreads (thymus or pancreas), fries (testicles), tongue, snout (nose), tripe (reticulum) and maws (stomach) from various mammals are common menu items. So when I spotted tripe in the supermarket, I thought it was time to get adventurous.  I figured for the price of 1.45€, I will not be overly disappointed if my children 'accidently drop their dinner on the floor'. 

Now what?
  After relying on my google translate once again, I discover I have purchased adult ox; I am gathering there is not too much difference in flavour between animals stomach lining? Excuse the inappropriate language, but it all looks like old man scrotum to me, (or old ladies elbow); not extremely appetising to look at!   Time for a recipe search, and I am hoping to make something authentically Italian.  I find 3 options;

1. Trippa alla fiorentina — in Italy (fried with tomatoes and other vegetables)
2. Trippa alla Romana — in Italy (done with white wine and tomatoes)
3. Trippa alla Savoiarda — in Piedmont/Italy (stewed with vegetables, white wine, sauce from roasted beef and served covered with grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Grana Padano cheese)

 Trippa alla Romana (Tripe Roman Style) is my choice. Apparently "The taste of tripe cooked with tomato blends perfectly with the pecorino romano cheese and the fresh mint, giving this dish a unique flavor". After searching on the Internet, I have best adapted several 'authentic' recipes, to suit what I already have in my kitchen.  Beauty of having young children, I will just tell my daughter it is chicken and hopefully she will eat it!  (Come to think of it, my mother gave me lots of chicken dishes growing up... at least I think they were chicken?!?)

Components of concoction

• approximately 1/2 kg tripe
• salt
• 50g bacon, diced (I used 100g prosciutto cotto- ham- told you I was improvising)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• diced stem of broccoli (only because I didn't have any celery)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• crushed red pepper (small pinch of chilli flakes)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• tin tomatoes, (supposed to be fresh tomatoes puréed in a blender, but I like it chunky and was being lazy)
• small bunch of fresh mint
• 60 g pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated

What's next?

1. Rinse very well the tripe in fresh water. Fill a stockpot with water, 2 tablespoons of salt, and the tripe. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 minutes to tenderize. Drain and cut the tripe in slices about 2 cm wide.(I bought my tripe sliced, so I missed this step all together.  Not sure if this was wise?)
2.  Chop the bacon, onion, broccoli stem, and carrot finely together. In a saucepan, put the olive oil and turn the heat to medium. Add the chopped vegetables and pinch of chilli flakes. Sauté until the onion is soft. Stir in the tripe.
3.  Add the wine, turn the heat to high, and let the wine evaporate. Add the tomatoes, 5–6 mint leaves, and salt, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 1 hour or longer, until the tripe is tender. (During cooking time, stir occasionally and add warm water if necessary to prevent the tripe from sticking to the pan, I used some vegetable stock, and cooked for 1 hour and 20 mins.)
4.  When the tripe is almost ready remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate to thicken the sauce.  Add some fresh mint leaves and serve warm with grated pecorino romano cheese.  (I let my daughter add this herself thinking it will encourage her to eat it.) 

 The real test - consumption

To be totally fair, I think I slipped with the chilli flakes and it even tasted a little warm for me.  I served it over some mash potato and drained it slightly from the sauce in hope to illiminate some of the heat from the chilli to save my childrens tongues, (I also added some penut butter which dwindled the heat, I had now definitely abandoned the authentic Italian dish)!  I am a once only dinner kind of gal, only one option is given and if they do not eat it they can have some fruit.  But anticipating failure, (yeh really positive I know), I did provide the kids with a late and substantial afternoon snack.

To my suprise, dinner was a sucess.  The childrens plates were emptied, with minimal food making the floor, walls and ceiling.  I tried the dish, (prior to the penut butter entry), and was pleasantly suprised.  I was expecting it to be tough, but it actually melted in my mouth, and the flavours were that of a comforting stew.  It was not the taste, the look or the smell that I did not like; it was the fact that I knew what I was eating.  I have always thought to truly enjoy a good Aussie meat pie, you need to not think about what critters are in it!  We have now all tried tripe...  Let's leave it at that shall we!

IF Interesting Fact
 

Green tripe is highly recommended by the advocates of Raw Food for dogs.

I will be joining my husband for a salad tonight...

My parents are visiting next month, and yes dad, pig trotter will be on the menu!