Mamma e Io: i Monumenti

Mom and I at the Colosseum

Italian: i Monumenti
English: The Monuments

My program at the UC Center Rome gives us two one week long breaks. The first of which happened during the week of September 15-September 23. My mom came to visit me, and essentially we conquered Rome. We did a lot of touristy things, which was fine by me because I actually had yet to see some of the many historic places we went to. On Mom's first day in Roma we did the "trifecta," as I call it: Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. 

Circling the Massive Structure

The Colosseum (if it isn't obvious) is huge! Mom and I spent a great deal of time just circling the outside of it trying to find the correct ticket line to enter. A few tips for anyone who wants to visit just the Colosseum, or all three: book your ticket online and in advanced. This will save you a couple of hours waiting time. Also, if you do pre-order your ticket, head right for the line that says, "group tours." It may be deceptive, but if you choose the other line, you'll be waiting with all of the ticketless tourists for quite some time. In addition, the ticket is only 12 Euros to see all three monuments, which you can split over a two day period upon activating your ticket. My Mom and I did all three in one day. It was really tiring, but we were happy we visited all three monuments. 

Miniature Mock-Up of How They Used to Pull the Animals Up into the Ring 

Throwing in Some Humor Amongst the (noseless) Remains

The Colosseum also offers a nice little museum on the inside. Plenty of history can be read, and many ruined structures as well. I had to throw in some humour amongst these nose-less heads. 

A few quick facts about the Colosseum. It was built at the peak of the Roman Empire in A.D. 80, and it is a great representation of the "grand," environment that Rome possessed at this time. Essentially, the purpose of the Colosseum was similar to a theater. However, the production focussed on killing, which was the spectator sport at the time. The fights varied, either between humans, animals or human versus animal. I found the model above, showcasing how they pulled up animals into the ring, to be quite interesting. The description had a distinguished line that read,"and each gladiator would not have the slightest idea as to where, or what, would pop up from the ground..." The games lasted for almost 500 years (!), and ended in A.D. 523. Today, only a third of the original structure is present, and is where tourists flock to. Regardless, it's a must see for anyone that goes to Rome. 

Palatine Hill Stadium

Museum on Palatine Grounds
Mom and I were fans of the detailed statutes

Out of all three monuments, Mom and I enjoyed Palatine Hill the best. We loved the vastness, sculptures, layout, and it definitely had the most variety out of all three sites. Palatine Hill is packed full of history. Essentially this historic site was the home to all of Rome's emperors for three centuries. As we walked the grounds, we encountered huge spaces, such as the stadium, which is where the emperors exercised, large gardens, foreign plants from oversees, and various kinds of architecture.

We loved the museum, home to all of the lovely sculptures that were once all around the grounds. We couldn't get over the detail that was still present. Mom's seamstress self, favored the two female sculptures above (for the detailing of the dresses, of course!). 

Palatine Hill Gardens; View of Roma; Outskirts of the Hill

The views and structures are unbelievable on Palatine Hill. It is quite easy to get lost amongst the grounds, and with such variety of structures it is evident of how lavish of lifestyle royalty truly lived in Roma during the empire. 

Roman Forum

In brief, the Forum was the place for all political, religious and commercial centers of the city. It possessed some of the most important buildings and ceremonies too. During the Roman Empire, it was considered the center of Rome. 

Historically, the Roman Forum is more important than Palatine Hill, but neither Mom nor I were very impressed by the grounds. Although, we both were unaware of the lavish history it possesses, so for everyone who takes a guided tour, or has a decent amount of knowledge of the grounds it will definitely be more interesting.

My descriptions are very brief, but all three monuments possess an extremely rich history. Currently, I am taking Ancient Roman Civilization, and I will be revisiting all three sites with my Professor where I will receive a proper tour. Already, I've learned quite a lot about the Roman Empire. Something that everyone should note about Rome, is although it may be considered a major city in the world, it has yet to meet the same expectations or power it once possessed during the Roman Empire. The presence of Rome's old structures (which make up the city center), are pivotal parts of Rome's current image and foundation as a major city in the world. 

Mamma e Io: Cooking Classes in Rome

 Mom and I Holding Pumpkin (Zucca) Blossoms in Front of Our Menu

Italian: Cucinare

English: To Cook

As I mentioned, my Mom came to visit me in Rome for my first break of the school year. We did a whole lot of exploring, sight-seeing, eating, amongst other adventures, but by far my favorite day was the cooking class we participated in at Cooking Classes in Rome, with Chef Andrea and his wife. 

 Our Family Style Table (Il Tavolo); Homey Wall Decor: Past Participants Notes

Cooking Classes in Rome is conveniently located in my current neighborhood of Trastevere. It's about a fifteen minute walking distance from my apartment (only ten from the hotel Mom and I were staying at). Chef Andrea and his family have lived in this area for quite sometime. His parents own a restaurant called Le Fate, where Chef Andrea's cooking classes were originally held. 

A couple of years ago he, and his wife, opened up this quaint location a few blocks away from the restaurant. Andrea's wife explained how they were aiming for a very welcoming, homey-Italian vibe with the decor. The table was perfect for embracing the tradition of family-style dining with the rest of our class. I quite enjoyed reading the wall decor as well, which featured photographs, reviews, miscellaneous notes, and Italian wine boxes.

 Our Menu; Fresh Produce; Mom grating Pecorino Romano; Chef Andrea instructing

Our cooking class was made up of twelve individuals, Mom and I included. It was quite a diverse bunch, mainly American. There was a family of five who had returned their third year in a row to Italy, and in turn their third time taking Chef Andrea's class. An American couple from Ohio/California/Nebraska...(we lost track of where they were from after a while). A pair of girl friends who meet up annually in a different country, one was from Australia and the other from Chicago. Lastly, there was a lovely woman from Japan who was in the midst of a speedy Italy trip.

Mom and I were amazed as to how Chef Andrea had set up the kitchen. It was a pretty small space, and yet there was exactly enough spots for twelve people to each have a work station. We were slightly cramped, but the bright lighting, cleanliness, and combined with Chef Andrea's enthusiasm while instructing, made it so incredibly comfortable.

We immediately started cooking once all the guests had arrived by 10 a.m. Chef Andrea began explaining our menu, and the process of prep-work in the kitchen. He also questioned our group as to what we thought true "Roman," cuisine is. Very few of us were able to answer properly, and it made me realize not only how passionate a chef like Andrea is, but also the importance of really knowing the regional dishes of the various parts of Italy are, (An easy example is: If you go to Napoli (Naples), their pizza is going to be significantly better than Roman pizza because that's where pizza originated) and most importantly what ingredients are actually used.  For example, Chef Andrea asked one of the people in our group what type of meat is used in Spaghetti All'Amatriciana, I was surprised to see that I was the only one that knew the meat is guanciolo (pork cheek).

Pasta Making; Sifting the uncooked Gnocchetti; Hand-Made Gnocchetti!

In order to have everything finished on time, we had no choice but to split up the prep-work and actual cooking. Mom and I made sure to volunteer to work with the dishes we were particularly excited for. We stuffed the delicious pumpkin flowers, worked out our arms by making the beer batter to deep-fry the blossoms, made the pasta dough, kneaded it (well, I did), and shaped the little gnocchetti, as well as prep a few other dishes. 

I particularly enjoyed making these little gnocchetti. Can you believe all this dough takes is Semolina flour and warm water? Somehow I ended up kneading our dough (I was the youngest in the group, so I guess I possessed the most "youth"), which left me with a pair of very sore arms the next day. Shaping these little guys was super fun too. They're essentially a baby-version of regular gnocchi, but not made of potato. 

 Freshly Fried Zucca Blossoms; Chef Andrea at Work; Pasta Dish in the Works

 Chef Andrea took over with handling the majority of the stove work (a.k.a. frying our blossoms and lighting the massive stove-top). It was around 2 p.m. when we were told to sit and relax at our table while Chef Andrea and his wife assembled our dishes.

 Pumpkin Blossoms; Pumpkin Blossoms with Southern Style Pesto; 
Fresh Homemade Pasta with Broccoletti & Sausage; Grandma's Meatballs in Fresh Tomato Sauce;
Side of Sauted Roman Zucchini; Lemon Custard with Peaches; The Wine

Every dish was absolutely delicious. Mom and I were most excited for our stuffed pumpkin flours, which had mozzarella with eggplant and prosciutto, accompanied by a delicious tomato-walnut pesto for dipping. It was hard to restrain ourselves during the first course. Although I don't usually eat fried foods, these are some of the tastiest things I've eaten in Italy.

Our pasta dish was surprisingly light, and very flavorful  I'm a big fan of mixing veggies and meat with pasta, versus just having a sauce. Mom and I agreed it was a tad over salted, possibly because we all had a different idea of what a "pinch," of salt really is, but I still enjoyed the lighter elements of this dish. Also, I was pretty proud of the gnocchetti.

The meatballs (polpette) are the best meatballs I have ever eaten. They were so incredibly moist, and flavorful. They literally melted in your mouth. The trick is to soak solely the inside of a fresh baguette of bread (no crust), in whole milk, versus using bread crumbs. This is the first dish I plan on making out of our menu.

Our meatballs were accompanied by a side of sautéed zucchini. Since I'm always grateful for vegetables, I found these enjoyable. They possessed a lot of flavor for simply being sautéed  but every dish from this day was fabulous.

Lastly, the dessert! I will be honest in saying that I've never been a big fan of fruit as, or in, my desserts. However, every since I've been in Italy I've definitely been eating a lot more fruit considering how fresh it is, dessert included. This was wonderful. We caramelized the peaches and made a light lemon custard to go along with it. Mom and I are usually not pudding fans, but we both thought it was very refreshing.

We did the wine pairing with our meal, which is yet another great way to learn about local and regional wines in Italy. I smiled when I saw the Frascati from Vini Principe Pallavicini, which I blogged about here. Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I would definitely take another class from Chef Andrea. Not only is he friendly, but he really caters to his guests. Whether you know how to cook or not, he makes you feel immediately at ease in the kitchen. In addition, he emails all his guests the recipes and instructions for the dishes we make (downsized to serving 4 people, rather than 12). Now I have no excuse but recreated the fantastic dishes I ate this day (pumpkin blossoms included). Stay tuned for more posts about the mother-daughter adventures!

Second Weekend Excursion: Formaggio

Forming Fresh Formaggio

La Porta dei Parchi Cheese Farm

Last Saturday, my school hosted yet another wonderful excursion. This time to La Porta dei Parchi Cheese Farm. The farm is located in Italy's L'Aquila province, in the region of Abruzzo. In Italy, this region is known for possessing some of the strongest flavored meats and cheeses in the entire country!

This excursion encompassed a private tour by the co-owner, Nunzio Marcelli. Marcelli is well-known for making some of the best Formaggi in not only all of Italy, but in the entire world. The Marcelli Formaggi brand is recognized as some of the finest organic artisanal farmstead cheese. All of their cheese is made by hand (as shown in my photos below), and comes from sheep and goats milk. During the tour, Marcelli emphasized his belief in producing solely organic products, not only for the sake of all of us who are consuming his product, but also for the sake of the livestock on his farm. 

The Marcelli Formaggi brand has been noted for winning countless Italian Slow Food awards, and written up by noteworthy publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post,  and other publications in San Francisco and New York. This "biogriturismo," farm is noted by the Italian government as an "Organic Village," and all of their products are EU certified organic. 

Fresh Ficci Eaten Right of the Farm's Trees

Mac, Kate, and I, got a little carried away with the figs on this farm. As I noted in my description above, this farm is not only known for making cheese. In correspondance to being a local and organic business, Nunzio explained how they grow an immense amount of produce themselves; ficci (figs) being one of them! Fig trees were lined up all along the main seating area of this farm, and they were simply delicious. 

To be honest, I've only ever eaten fig in a prosciutto-fig sandwich back in the States. However, after last Saturday I have consumed more figs than one can imagine, and am currently on the hunt for a Pizza Biancha con Prosciutto e Ficci!

Facciamo Uno Spuntino

"We Snack"

Marcelli Formaggi's Goat Cheese, Salami, and Pizza Rossa

Nunzio kept us well-feed throughout our entire experience at his farm. Immediately, upon meeting us at  our bus, he lead us outside the restaurant where we were to enjoy a simple "spuntino," which simply means snack, or light meal. All of the products came from the farm. The minute I tasted the goat cheese, I knew myself, and my stomach were in the right place.

Sheep!

These sheep are separated from the main heard, because they are either too young, or too old to be left to graze on their own. The farm is surrounded by the Gran Sasso mountain range, which is the highest in all of Italy, hence home to other wild animals such as bears and ferocious felines. Therefore, these sheep must be looked after inside.

Inside the Production Room

The Cheese is heated close to 100 degrees F;

then stirred with the serrated tool to separate the fatty enzyme chains;

 that are produced after the milk is heated.

The Cheese Maker is collecting all of the cheese into a solid mass;

making it easier to take out;

this took a few minutes because the goat's milk is extremely hot.

Fresh Formaggio on the forming table;

the liquid rain off the side of the table into a bucket, as to not waste any milk.

Formaggio (Cheese) gets its name from this process;

simply "forma," means "to form."

We watched him form the cheese in these containers, which will be left overnight/for days depending on what cheese they're making.

Ricotta!

Nothing goes to waste.

The remaining goats milk gets recooked, 

which is the meaning of the word "ricotta,' and alas a new cheese is formed!

We had to wait about twenty minutes after they put the goat's milk in, to watch the cheese making/forming process. We all proceeded to cram into the tiny tiled room, where the cheese maker was proudly awaiting. I didn't catch his name, but he was a great sport while we all snapped countless photos during Nunzio's exclamation. 

Essentially how basic formaggio is made (excuse my lack of proper terminology), is the milk, either sheep or goat, is placed into this steel heater. It heats the milk, and rotates it. This milk is heated up to, or a little over, 100 degrees F. The high temperature causes a chemical reaction to occur amongst the enzymes and natural fats in the milk. The result, is the milk becomes a solid form, and forms the wonderful mass we know as cheese! 

The "cheese maker," for lack of a better title, was fascinating to watch. He obviously knew what he was doing, and was very meticulous with how he handled the cheese. We cut us up a bunch of slices and allowed us to taste it! It was pretty bland and chewy, since it has yet to be fermented or seasoned, but I still found it refreshing. 

Nunzio explained that in Italy, only four kinds of milk are used to make cheese: goat, sheep, cow and sometimes buffalo. He only works with goat and sheep milk. The Mercalli Formaggi brand produces about ten different varieties of cheese, but there are up to 460 different types of cheese out there, for our taste buds to enjoy. 

The Gran Sasso Mountain Range

After viewing the cheese making demonstration, we walked along the farm's grounds. Surprisingly, the actual farm area is not very big. It's pretty lengthy, but most of the grounds are all along the mountains, for sheep herding. The views were breathtaking, and the mountains really are expansive.

Antipasto Pecorino Cheese, Meat and Jam Plate; Mercalli Formaggi Cheese; 

Primo: Gnocchi e Pasta con Formaggio; Secondo: Meat Dish

Moreso Italians, than foreigners, will make the trip over to La Porta dei Parchi to dine at it's restaurant. The restaurant seats about fifty people. It had a very homey and rustic feel to it, and I could definitely feel the family-style vibe. 

Prior to lunch, we assumed we would be trying a few more cheeses, and probably having something simple like a pasta dish, and be on our way. None of us were expecting the four course long meal that was provided.

My favorite dish, of course, was the first: the cheese platter. We were instructed to start right, and continue left while trying the different kinds of cheese. Italian cheese makers, obviously, know how to work your palette. We started with a mild formaggio, on the right, and as we moved across the plate, more and more flavor eluded on your tongue. I particularly liked the formaggio with spinach, the peperoncini covered cheese (nice and spicy), and I even liked the cheeses on the left, in particular the blue cheese! The only cheese I did not care for, was the second to last one. Kate, Mac and I concluded it truly tasted of "farm." Needless to say, I ate it anyway. The purple jam in the middle was made out of cherries and applies. We were instructed to pair it with the softer, younger cheeses. All of the salami is from the farm itself. All in all, this was a spectacular platter. To be honest though, I think I'm a true cheese lover, since a lot of my classmates barely touched their plates, or couldn't even eat it all. Many people complained about the cheese giving them a stomachache. My stomach was completely fine after this tasting.

The following two platters were quite hefty, but still good. The pasta was delicious, but at this point, I think I was on cheese overload, since I could barely finish half of the dish, but the quality was definitely there. The third dish, was comprised of various meat. I'm still not exactly sure what I ate, but I was so full at this point that I made a point to try everything before setting it aside. We were also provided a dessert, which was a ricotta-based pudding. It was quite tangy, but I was so full that I didn't really enjoy it (hence no photograph).

Moreover, this was the closest I've come to eating the full Italian meal, which is comprised of an(sometimes) apertivo, antipasti, primi, secondi, insalata, formaggi e frutta, dolce, and caffe or digestivo. These type of meals are meant to carry over at least three hours if not longer, and are great for digestion. On this particular day my stomach was just filled with cheese, but I wasn't complaining.

Walk into Town 

After our filling lunch, Nunzio walked us down into the nearby town. He told stories of the various buildings as we walked by, and pointed out a few churches. The town is so small, and everyone was shouting out their windows as Nunzio walked by. 

Overall, I deemed my experience at La Porta dei Parchi Cheese Farm as one of my favorites. I know a few others didn't find it to be anything special, but I really connected with the philosophy behind the food, and motto the company runs by. I am grateful my school was able to organize such a great excursion. The farm was really out in the mountains, and took a couple hours to drive too; a place I would never have known about or even have been able to get to as a tourist. 

There is a lot of great articles and information about La Porta dei Parchi:

If you want to know about Life in Abruzzo, or learn about Nunzio's adopt a sheep initiative, or just go to their main page and scroll through the tabs to learn more about this great company!

On a side note, I've officially finished my three-week intensive Italian course. Today my Mom is arriving in Italy, and we'll be spending my one week break together. We're about to take Roma by storm, and then head off to Venezia (Venice) for four days come later this week. Expect posts of the mother-daughter adventures soon!