This time I am going to share with you some of my favorite dishes and moments throughout the trip. I will start with Torino where I was very happy to meet my dear friend Francesca who I met during summer school in Germany. Spending time with her, her friends, and family was memorable because I got the real Italian atmosphere and they were like my own family. Grazie!!

Now...I was very excited to try the famous ''Bicerin'', which is a traditional coffee drink from Torino and it consists of layers of espresso, hot chocolate, whole milk, and whipped cream. It was very good, very rich, great for winter months. Bicerin itself means a small glass.



This is a traditional Piedmontese desseet called ''Bunet'' and it is basically like creme caramel, but it has cocoa powder. Delicious! We made this at the cooking school we attended in Torino; we made stuffed pasta, risotto, and vitello tonato, and of course Bunet.



And a very important information - I had the best gelato in Torino at a place called ''Fiorio''. I had the gianduja flavor which was so rich, smooth, and creamy, I was blown away! If you didn't know, Torino is known for gianduja - a treat made of hazelnuts and chocoloate.
Now lets move over to the region of Parma. Oh Parma and all its beauty...



We visited a place that it's famous for the production of ''Culatello'' - the same part of the muscle as for the prosciutto, but the difference is that Culatello is cured in the ancient basement and it's not exposed to the wind. It is seasoned and lightly salted, then stuffed into a pig's bladder, tied, and then hung 8-12 months.





I really enjoyed it, but my absolute favorite is, and always was, ''Lardo'' - seasoned solid pork fat with coarse salt and herbs....The best thing in the world.



And one more thing that I truly enjoyed (as well in Parma), was the cold drink called ''Sgroppino'' - a drink made of lemon sorbet, Prosecco, and vodka. Fantastic refreshment for a hot summer day!


This would be all for now...June is almost here! :)

After Bologna we went up to the mountains in the region of Piedmont. This was in the province of Alessandria where, for me, was one of the best experiences of the trip. It was this beautiful stone house in the middle of nowhere, surrounded with bright green trees, mountains and fresh cool air.



The family that lives and worls there are a part of the Slow Food movement and their are known for the production of this fabulous cheese called Monte Bore. It is a sheep and cow's milk cheese, with actually only 20-30% of sheep milk. There are of course different aged Monte Bore's, and each one tastes comepletely different. We had an opportunity to try 4 different ones and I didn't know which one I liked better! Stunning.



After the little tour, we sat down and had one of the most memorable lunches. Just so you know, the least courses we had throughout our trip was 4. If you think that's easy, it's really not. I had to have a few little bites form each and I was still so full. As you can see, the cured meats are mouthwatering.




This was something similar to ricotta, but 100 times better and it was served with a sweet and spicy red pepper sauce. It blew my mind.



Monte Bore cheese softened under the broiler and topped with caramelized pears.



And finally....dessert! I felt like I've been to heaven and back after I had the first taste. Fresh raw milk gelato, slightly sweetened, with fresh strawberry sauce.




Ciao!!

Bologna was a city I didn't enjoy as much, but I definitely enjoyed the food! As you can see on the photo above, it's an example of a deli store that has anything you can think of! Bologna is also called ''La grassa'' or the ''fat one'', because of the fatty foods they eat - lots of butter, lard, pork, and such things. Let me tell you, I had the real Mortadella and it was one of the tastiest things ever.

The city itself isn't that clean, but I had an interesting two days. We had a tour of the city and attended a pasta course in ''La Vecchia Scuola'' where we got to do handmade pasta (no pasta machine!). In Bologna they make it with just eggs and flour 00, no salt or oil. It is usually about 100g of flour per one egg.





I was really excited to make it by hand, and I must say, it's not an easy process at all. Rolling it out is the hardest part!








We made many different kinds: tortellini filled with pork and parmigiano reggiano, tortelli with parsley and ricotta, tagliatelle with ragu, and tagliatelle with sugar and lemon zest. They also showed us many other forms and also how to use the leftovers to make soup pasta - great to know!








After 2 hours of work, we sat down and ate what we made! It was fabulous!!



The dessert was the fried tagliatelle with sugar and lemon zest and then dusted with powdered sugar!
I definitely never had this much pasta, I have it each day! :)

Now this was a fabulous day!
First the Parmigiano Reggiano factory and then the REAL Aceto Balsamico from Modena.



The production of the cheese is a lot of hard work + the aging process that can take upto 48 months, so it's no wonder it has a high price. It was a lot cheaper at the factory and I must say that my favorite was the 24 month old one. It is good to know that Parmigiano is made of raw cow's milk and has both skim and whole milk.




There were also many ohter items that the Parmigiano company produces such as fresh pannacotta, spreadable Parmigiano Reggiano (fantastic!!), yogurt, etc.
Also, each wheel of cheese has to be checked by a professional in order to get a DOP seal which represents the authenticy and quality of the cheese. Each weel weighs 46kg and it needs 500L of milk to produce it.



Now, Aceto Balsamico. Memorable! The Leonardi family have been producing it for 4 generations already and except getting a whole tour, we had a tasting.
They gave us the opportunity to taste a bit of history, by trying an 30, 40, 60, and 130-year old Balsamic vinegar.



I never had anything like that before. The one you get in the store is not even a shade of this. It literally tastes like prunes with an acidic kick!



And Aceto Balsamico can only be produced in this area, nowhere else. It was really a once in a lifetime experience!

A week has been passed and I feel like I have been in Italy forever! This trip is one of those once in a lifetime experiences and I am enjoying it with all my senses.
You have no idea how much I have seen already. We move along from region to region, eat like kings and queens, and sightsee. I literally feel like I'm in heaven. But the FOOD. And WINE. I am eating and drinking the best things Italy offers.



Alright, lets start from the Veneto region...As you may now, Venice is a world for itself. I felt like I was in a fairytale!
Here are some of my favorite snapshots - I took about 300 photos only in Venice, so it was hard to select just a few.

I do my best to try the famous pastries of each region I visit, so here are a few from Venice:




Tiramisu, of course, which was fantastic.



Different types of Zaetti - soft, kind of chewy pastries on the right, with different variations. On the left hand side are these swirl pastries filled with either almond paste and raisins or chocolate and cream.
Among other traditional pastries was ''Pan dei vini'' and ''Pincia''.



And this is just a usual selection of various sweet and savory baked goods.

There was my little review of Venice, next post will be of Modena - Parmigiano Reggiano and Aceto Balsamico! ;)

Since I'm running out of my paid-inernet time here in Bologna, let me just say it quick..I am having most fantastic time here in Italy and we've just started!
I am tasting most delicious meals, drinking fabulous wine, and sightseeing all day long!
As soon as I get wireless again, be ready for some more detailed updates...until then...Ciao!!!

The day I was counting down the days until, has finally arrived. I have finished my Junior year very successfully and this past week I had orientation for my Food and Wine seminar. It is a 3 week course/trip to a selected destination and 2 months ago we got to choose between Italy, Spain, North California, South California, and the Northwest. I made my decision for Italy and I can't even express my excitement.
Even though I visited Italy before, I was a lot younger and this time it will be from a very different perspective. This will be an intense gastronomic trip where I'll get in touch with the Italian tradition, culture, and of course wine and food. We start in Venice and go all the way down to Naples.
Once the trip ends, I will be continuing my trip over in Sicily for the two weeks I have off with my parents and Stacey :)

I will keep you updated by sharing my experiences, thoughts and of course photos! I am also very enthusiastic about a big project I was assigned to, which is taking pictures for a slideshow that I'll create after the trip. As you can see, my camera equipment is all ready, I was excited to show you my new wide angle lense.



Goodbye CIA and Ciao Italia!!
(I will do my best to apply the Italian I learned so far! Wish me luck with that!)

My dear friend Xavier decided to enter a potato innovation contest that I was privileged to take photos of. After many different attempts I decided to use a black plate which resulted in a great contrasted with the egg.
The recipe consisted of potato strings that were shaped in a nest and then fried. Inside of it there are some sweet caramelized onions, a dollop of aioli sauce and on top of that sits a soft-boiled quail egg. The egg has a sherry vinaigrette glaze and it is garnished with some spring onions.

I think we make a pretty good team, dom't you think?