Ah...old Italian men

Now I have had my fair share of older Italian suitors...but none have been quite as direct as the gentleman my friend Miss Mira encountered in the Milan train station last week.

She was sitting down waiting for her train when this older man (or "vecchiotto" as Chiara would say, which basically means "old dude") sat down next to her. He proceeded to inquire about her language skills to see if they had a common language.

Miss Mira is not only super cute but also super sweet...and thought this man needed help finding his train.

Ultimately it became clear to the gentleman that he was going to have to utilize the bit of English he knew in order to engage with this bellissima americana.

I have a feeling he was hoping to frame the following proposal to Miss Mira in a slightly more charming and possibly more persuasive manner:

"You. Me. Sleep together. My house."

This proposal took my friend a bit by surprise...and was not the type of help that she was willing to provide to this roughly 70+ year old man.

After picking her jaw up off the floor, she declined his proposal. He simply shrugged his shoulders and said "Ok. Ciao." and went on his way.

Gotta give him credit for trying and for his bluntness (even though this was probably more so due to his limited English vocabulary).

I have spent a bit of time with an older Italian gentlemen recently and can't quite determine his intentions. He did bake me a Pastiera Napoletana (a typical Easter cake from Naples).

Does that translate to "You. Me. Sleep together. My house."??

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

- Zucca

Il mio minestrone!!

Quick story, grazie a Chiara.

this is another reason why I love Italy.

Only here in Italy....would a grandmother ask if someone in the waiting room of the doctor's office could watch her grandson because she needed to go home to check on her minestrone that was simmering on the stove and give it a stir.

Someone agreed to watch him. So she went home. Returned about 15 minutes later.

Grandson was still there. Doctor was ready to see them. Minestrone had not boiled over.

Grazie a Dio!!!

- Zucca

Le gemelle!!

Mission completed!

Naturally once I actually started looking for the "gemelle of Soave," they were nowhere to found.

I did spot one without the other canoodling with her boyfriend when partaking in one of my walks through the hills of Castelcerino with the alluring Laura Rizzotto of the Balestri Valda estate last week. This solo sighting threw me completely off.

Nabbed this photo last night. Was just about to leave the house to meet a distinguished doctor from Verona for dinner when the twins passed right by my doorstep.

I turned around, bound up the stairs, grabbed my camera, ran down Corso Vittorio Emanuele decked out in my finest threads and heels...and finally caught up with the two.

In order not to seem like a total nut job, I told the girls that I just moved to Soave and am doing a photo series on all of the residents of the town.

It is amazing...even their workout outfits match.

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to spot the two riding around the streets of Soave on a tandem bike...They could be the Italian version of the Doublemint Twins.

Raddoppi il vostro piacere. Raddoppi il vostro divertimento!!!

- Zucca

Some Soave wines featured in Wine Spectator

Little bit slow on the take on this one...but a few Soave wines were featured in the March issue of Wine Spectator, within "New Releases" in their Wine Buying Guide.

2 wines from the Monte Tondo estate received 90+ pt ratings:

* Soave Classico Superiore Foscarin Slavinus 2007 ($30) - 93 points...and more so for those who like a late-harvest style wine

* Soave Classico Casette Foscarin 2007 ($22) - 92 points and described as a "real Soave" and "a new benchmark" by James Suckling

La Cappuccina's Soave 2008 ($9) got 87 points.

and I am happy to report that the Coffele estate's Soave Classico Alzari 2007 ($24) was also mentioned and received a 91pt. rating. Not sure I got the banana cream pie notes that Mr. Sucking did...but haven't had banana cream pie in quite a while.

also do not 100% agree that this wine is "like a juicy Chardonnay from the New World in texture." Usually not a huge fan of New World style wines cause they tend to be overpoweringly oaky...and I found Alzari to be slightly more subtle and have just the right amount of oakiness due to being aged in large oak barrels as opposed to barrique.

But, I will be the first to admit that I'm a lot newer to the world of wine tasting than Mr. Suckling.

Cheers!

- Zucca

Gnocca fritta & occhi ricci con il mio agnello e mia futura suocera

While my Italian is fairly decent, occasionally I do make an error or two...to the complete and utter amusement of my Italian friends.

Here are a few recent examples:

#1. Agnello vs. anello. I slept over a friend's house the other week and left my very favorite ring at his place. Was in a bit of a rush and sent him the following text: "penso che abbia dimenticato il mio agnello a casa tua," which translates to "I think that I forgot my lamb at your house." Agnello = lamb. Anello = ring.

Of course this set off a very entertaining exchange of text messages...including, "Spero che il mio agnello non ti abbia dato fastidio ieri sera." (I hope my lamb did not annoy you last night). And of course I had to end all my texts with "bahhhhhh."

That lovely little "g" provided Chiara and I with hours of amusement...and my texts may have caused my friend to consider deleting me from his contact list and de-friending me on Facebook.

#2. Suocera vs. soccia. Went to dinner during the Vinitaly wine fair with a wine producer from Piedmont and a group of his friends. We ate at this fantastic restaurant in Valpolicella called Bottega de Corgnan (www.bottegaitaliana.net). This particular producer and I had just met the day before...and I am not one to toot my own horn, but he seemed to have taken quite a liking to yours truly.

At one point during the evening, one of the other dinner guests asked me the following question: "Dove abita la tua soccia?" Soccia = partner. So, he was asking me where my business partner lives.

And yes. I now have a business partner. More on this recent development a little bit later.

I misunderstood and thought he said "suocera," not "soccia." Suocera = mother-in-law. My smitten Barbaresco producer jumped on this right away, pulled out his cell and said, "Sto parlando con la sua futura suocera!!!" ("I am talking to her future mother-in-law right now!")...meaning his mother.

Everyone at the table busted out laughing. And throughout the remainder of the evening, they kept reassuring me that I had nothing to worry about because they were positive my future mother-in-law would like me very much.

#3. Occhi ricci vs. capelli ricci. Now, I cannot take credit for this one. This was 100% Chiara. Occhi ricci = curly eyes, while capelli ricci = curly hair.

I don't think I need to say which one she was trying to say. She made this error as we were heading back to the car after the 5th and final day of Vinitaly, 2-3 beers and a "panino di merda."

Now, the literal translation of "panino di merda" is a "sandwich of shit" (please excuse the profanity). These sandwiches are called "paninos di merda" because they are usually sold at down & dirty stands on the side of the road outside of venues where they put on conferences, concerts, etc. These stands are a little bit like the Sausage Guy in Boston and, despite the name, their sandwiches are really quite good.

We ultimately came to the conclusion that "occhi ricci" was actually a very accurate way to describe our eyes after the 5 crazy days of Vinitaly!

#4. Gnocca fritta vs. gnocco fritto. I tried "gnocco fritto" for the first time with Chiara about 2 nights ago. They are a typical product from the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia in the Emilia-Romagna region. Basically they are little pillows of fried dough that are usually served with cured meats such as sopressata, prosciutto, salami, lardo, etc. and I challenge anyone to eat just one of these little puffs of deliciousness.

Chiara told me what these tasty treats were called...but of course I forgot after having another beer and asked "Il nome per questi e 'gnocca fritta' si?"

"Gnocca" = a hot or very attractive girl
"Fritta" = fried

So I asked her if these tasty little treats were called "fried hot girl" or "hot girl fried."

after that, it was "Gnocca fritta per tutti!!!!"

Bahhh!!!

- Zucca

Sei in Forma

I have become quite familiar with this particular Italian phrase since my return to Italy a little over a month ago.

literal translation = you are in form

in most cases, if an Italian tells you "sei in forma," they think you are in good shape and you should take it as a compliment. In Italia, a person goes to the gym to "rimanere in forma."

but, it can get a little tricky.

Let's take me as an example.

I have been told by just about everyone in Soave that "sei piu in forma." So according to everyone in the town of Soave, I am actually more "in form" or seem more in shape than the last time they saw me.

But in my case, it also means that I have gained a little weight and have more of a shape to me now. Of course everyone has assured me that I look much better now because I was "troppo magra" before (or "too skinny").

Now. I should take this as a compliment and feel super confident.

...but when a close male friend gives ya a big squeeze, pulls away but still keeps hold of one of your arms like it is a "ala di pollo" (chicken wing), nods a few times and then proceeds to tell you "sei piu in forma," it can be a bit difficult.

It can also be a bit difficult when literally the first thing out of everyone's mouth upon seeing you again after roughly a year is "sei piu in forma."

...and when a toast is dedicated to you being "piu in forma" at your welcome back dinner at your favorite local trattoria.

Regardless, I am going to work on fighting my natural inclination to think the skinnier the better and whole-heartedly embrace this idea of me looking better with a little more meat on my bones...since apparently everyone else has.

Cheers!!

- Zucca

Festa della Donna

also known as "International Women's Day"...took place on March 8th.

While the history and story behind the "Festa della Donna" is sobering and significant, as it started off as a day to commemorate the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City, it has turned into a holiday that some would describe as a combination between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.

and in Italy...apparently it is a day when women traditionally get together and go to a strip club.

Instead of hitting up a strip club, Chiara and I celebrated the "Festa della Donna" on the ski slopes in Carezza. I think we may have been the only two "single" girls skiing on this day...and that was just fine.



Quite appropriately, we started off our day on the slopes with a bombardino. A bombardino is a popular drink in Italy during the winter...and is perfect if you are in the mountains. There a few different types of bombardinos but all are served warm and usually with whipped cream. My preferred bombardino is "vov con panna," which is an egg-based liquor with a little marsala and sugar. Visual reference provided. Cheers!



I highly highly recommend ordering one of these if you ever find yourself skiing in Italy. As I see it, a ski day in Italy just isn't a ski day in Italy without at least one bombardino.

After our first run, of course it was time for bombardino #2. We stopped at this refugio (place on the mountain to nab a bite, a drink, etc.) for a grappa della pruna. Before I could raise my concerns about having grappa made with prunes while skiing, the two small shot-like glasses garnished with a sliced prune were served up.

This refugio is where we met a fantastic group of older gentleman from Rome enjoying a ridiculously large plate of mixed cheeses and salumi and a bottle or two of lagrein. Chiara couldn't resist and told the guy working at the refugio that we wanted a plate like these gentlemen. And that is all it took.



45 minutes later, we were back on the slopes after stuffing ourselves with speck, downing 2 glasses of lagrein, 2 more grappas, a weisbier...and trying some "acqua di Roma," very kindly provided by the eldest Romano of the bunch, who was probably bordering on 75.

It would have been more fitting for this home-made "acqua di Roma" to be served in a flask, as opposed to a plastic water bottle.

The Italians have a saying when it comes to people from Rome: i romani hanno una marcia in piu.

This literally translates to "the romans have an extra gear" or "have one more gear." It refers to their true zest for life, and their super friendly and sociable nature. If everyone in Rome is remotely as friendly and hospitable as these gentlemen were...I definitely need to plan an excursion to Rome in the near future.

So not only did Chiara get in some skiing, but also were thoroughly entertained by these wonderful Romani and were nice and toasty prior to 11 in the morning.

Buona Festa della Donna indeed!

- Zucca