Sarzana details

I’ll just put it right out there: I love Liguria, and centrally situated Genoa is the perfect home base from which to delve into and savor Liguria’s many enchanting qualities and seaside cities. A maritime marvel, La Superba (the proud or the haughty, as it was once known) rivaled Venice as a powerful city-state for over 500 years. And while the splendor of its storied past as a seafaring legend is evident in the magnificent UNESCO-protected Strade Nuove and Palazzi dei Rolli, Genoa’s real charm is its present-day incarnation as a working port city.

Cinqueterre

This is a city that doesn’t bend over backwards to market itself to tourists. The result is an authentic Italian metropolis, more accustomed to the visiting Milanese than Manhattanite. As a traveler who thrives on finding and experiencing those places that aren’t (yet) teeming with fellow Americans, Genoa is a joy for me. Plus, I’m a sucker for labyrinthine medieval lanes, which Genoa has in spades.

A statue in Genoa

Genoa is a unique pleasure to explore.

I have fond memories of wandering Genoa’s intriguing medieval old town by day, the largest in Europe. Just as one must get lost in Venice to properly know and love it, losing yourself in the Genovese alleyways or “carrugi” is key to becoming familiar with the city and its character. In this way I happened upon both silent squares and those bursting with the bustle of daily life, tiny Chiesa di San Matteo and grand Cattedrale di San Lorenzo, unspeakable architectural beauty, and artisans of all kinds. Best of all were the palaces.

Genoa

Sori

By chance I was in town over Rolli Days, when the city opens the doors to many of its priceless palazzi for free to the public. Oh. My. Palazzo. And I thought Venetian palaces were grand. Some of the Rolli mansions I meandered through put Venice’s grandest of dames to shame, the latter winning only by a canal!

Genoa

The beauty of rooting yourself in Genoa for a Ligurian sojourn is that you enjoy the best of both worlds: a big city with all the corresponding perks, and proximity to the smallest and most delightful seaside towns that one could possibly imagine. Really. It doesn’t get any cuter than Liguria, as cute Italian towns go.

The beach at Cinqueterre; students in Portovenere

And don’t just limit yourself to the (rightly) celebrated Cinque Terre. I love the Five Lands, but so does every other American tourist with a dog-eared Rick Steves guidebook in hand. The same goes for glitzy Portofino. See it, but make sure you see other less touristy towns as well.

Lerici

And now to the Rivierahhh …

A thin, crescent-shaped sliver of terra firma, the Ligurian Riviera extends in one direction from Genoa toward France along the Riviera di Ponente (“the coast of the setting sun”) and in the other direction along the Riviera di Levante (“the coast of the rising sun”) to Capo Corvo and the Tuscan border.

Camogli

On this particular trip I focused on digging into the Levante, with day trips by boat, train, and bus to places that most Americans have never heard of, even if they’ve been to the nearby Cinque Terre or pretty Portofino: Bonassola, Camogli, Lerici, Tellaro, Portovenere, Sarzana, and Sori, to name a few.

Camogli

Best of these sensational day trips was the reigning peace and quiet characteristic of each town. Portovenere can get a bit clogged with fellow day-trippers (mostly Europeans), but everywhere else I went was enchantingly empty when it came to tourists. I enjoyed candid conversations about food, life, and trompe-l’oeil with laidback locals who were as tickled to talk with an American as I was to chat with them. More than anything I look forward to returning, and continuing the conversation.

Related Links:

• Want to indulge like the Genoese? Here is a recipe for traditional Genoese pesto
• In Genova In, a delightful blog on Genoese happenings
• Kasia, from Love in the City of Lights, visits Vernazza

Written by Marisa Williams for the HiP Paris Blog. All images by Marisa Williams. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

A square in Montepulciano (Stefano Piemonte)

Yesterday I drove up to Montepulciano to meet (in person) Erica Berman of Haven in Paris and her friend Mattia after literally years of email and skype exchanges.  I’ve guest blogged on her popular HIP Paris blog, and we list a few of her flats on Cross-Pollinate, but we’d never actually met in person.

Bagno Vignoni near Montepulciano where Erica was staying for a night (Elena Vataga)

She was coming from Genova to Bagno Vignoni (above) to see some flats in Tuscany for her site, so we decided to meet nearby.   I checked my trusted Osterie d’Italia published by Slow Food Italia, which has NEVER let me down, and we placed our bet on Acquacheta in Montepulciano.

Giulio Ciolfi, owner of Osteria Acquacheta

They were very insistent on us being there at 12:30 sharp. They will only accept reservations at 12:30 or 2pm, and they were passionate about giving us only one glass per person for both wine and water (per tradizione, apparently). The food was good – started with some amazing pecorino cheeses, one aged in walnut leaves, one with black truffles.  Without a doubt, the closer you get to Pienza, in Tuscany, the better the pecorino.

The kitchen at Osteria Acquacheta, alleyway in Montepulciano (Jean-François Gornet)

We then had pici pasta (thick, eggless noodles) with porcini mushrooms.  Then some sautéed zucchine with pecorino and a salad of green radicchio with a sauce called “aglione”, a cross between garlic and leeks.  For dessert I had a baked whole pear covered in chocolate sauce.  Mattia was adventurous with a spuma di mascarpone, flavored with local white truffles.  Erica, at that point, was stuffed.

Chef Giulio of Osteria Acquacheta with a lot of mushrooms!

As it was nearing 2pm we left them their table and wandered up the monochromatic streets with nothing but tourists (Italian and foreign) to a central piazza where we sat in the sun and talked shop.

At that point I’d taken no pictures.  Not of the food.  Not of the views.  Not of the town.  Zilch.  Erica had to point out that even though it might be commonplace for me to jump in the car and spend the afternoon in a picturesque, medieval hill-town in the lush Tuscan countryside, for others it’s the stuff of dreams.

Scenes from Montepulciano (Patrick Keogh, Quotta)

We said goodbye and as I walked to my car, I realized she’s right.  But I don’t take the beauty of Italy for granted.  I just don’t think to take pictures, or to write about it, as it’s been the constant backdrop of my life for so many years now.

Before my car was a lookout point over the countryside.  So I stopped and took out my iphone.  Snapped a shot outward toward those famous rolling hills and back at the town behind me, and realized that of all the things one could be spoiled by, Italy is a pretty good one.

Osteria Acquacheta di Giulio Ciolfi: Via del Teatro 2, 53045 Montepulciano Siena – Partita iva: 00846290526 (+39) 0578 717086 (tel & fax).

View of the Tuscan countryside from Montepulciano Bruno Conquet

Related links:

• Where to stay in Italy? Steve Brenner’s company Cross-Pollinate can help.
• Jack Dancy of Truffle Pig shares some Tuscan food advice
• Over a Tuscan Stove – Divina Cucina shares her delicious Italian recipes

Written by Steve Brenner. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Shades of Italian architecture

I did a very bad thing.  I left Paris to spend some time in Naples.  There are some jealousy issues there.

Since I moved to Paris, I have never spent as much time in another European city as I have in this Italian port town. After just a week of feeling and acting like a local, I knew I was in love with Neapolitan culture. People actually stop you in the street to help you, to recommend which souvenirs to buy, or which beach to visit. Literally, pull up a chair and join the street sitters – it is Mediterranean culture at its best.

Everyday life – Italy

On my last day, I feared returning home to my first love.  The piazzas, the sun that turns your skin a leisurely brown, the gesticulating yet welcoming Italians – how could I leave this? Paris all of a sudden seemed lacking in so many Italian essentials – and not just the perfectly ricotta-filled cannoli. What’s worse, I knew Paris would be able to smell my new Italian love affair all over my clothes.

A Genovese stoop

Thankfully, as I started walking through the City of Lights again after my week of Italian bliss, the familiarity of it all made me feel at home. All of the things I usually take for granted stood out a little more –the things that, as a visitor, I didn’t have with my Italian fling.

I strolled past my favorite bakery, du Pain et des Idées, and I realized that Parisian bakeries, with their choices of fresh baguettes and sweets, far outnumber those in Naples.  I loved Napoli’s cannoli and biscotti, but not every bakery I found carried my favorites or baked them to perfection. That rarely happens in Paris, but all too often I take this abundance and expertise for granted.

Scooters, a part of daily life in Italy

After taking the metro back from Gare du Nord, I realized that Parisian transportation, efficient and varied, is something I often forget to cherish.  After dodging scooters in Naples for a week, I was more than happy to hop on the metro and whizz past the loud, zigzagging scooters zipping down pedestrian streets.  Don’t get me wrong, nothing seems more romantic than a scooter ride through an Italian town, but after you’ve almost gotten run over 18 times, the veneer on this fantasy starts to fade.

Back in Paris

Strutting along the streets lined with people sipping drinks, it dawned on me that Parisian cafés, while a hallmark of the city, are so often overlooked.  I forget that I can just sit in a café for hours reading or writing with a café allongé next to me.  In Naples, we threw down our tiny, albeit superior, espressos at the bar without the leisurely people watching inherent in Parisian cafés.

Parisian cafe culture

Lugging my Limoncello-laden bag along the boulevard, I was thinking about how sweat-drenched I must look to passers-by. My fellow Parisians were so put-together, and there I was, in dire need of a shower and clean socks, imbued with the laissez-aller attitude towards fashion Napoli had drawn me into after just one week.

And even though the Parisian sun was beating down when I arrived, powdery Parisians surrounded me everywhere I went – despite, presumably, having just returned from their month of requisite August vacances. Call me vain, but I was delighted to discover my Napolitan-sun-soaked-skin was the tannest of them all.

Montmartre, Paris

Although I was tempted by Naples’ Mediterranean delights, more than anything, my summer fling helped reinforce my devotion to my one true love. Give me my boulangeries, fromageries and, yes, even my powdery white skin, and I’ll leave the cannoli, pizza and biscotti to the Italians.

Related Links:

• Gomorrah Girl -  Photos from another Napoli
• We love Andrew Grosso’s Italian experience in Florence
• Back in Paris, Bryan writes about La Rentrée on his blog, Where’s Bryan
• We love to daydream about living here

Written by Bryan Pirolli for the Hip Paris Blog. All images (Genova and Paris) by Erica Berman. For our amazing rentals in Paris, Provence & Tuscany check out our website Haven in Paris.

In Italy, coffee is delicious, quick, and to the point.

You arrive, you order, you drink, you go. Now, your day can start or your afternoon can continue.

Your barrista probably knows your name, the name of first born child, where you live and, most importantly, what kind of coffee you want and how you want it.

Small and quick, the morning coffee fix

Your coffee will be served velocemente…. you will stand at the bar, you will chat about the weather, your vacation, your work, your kids, your partner, your pet ….

You might have a pezzo di foccaccia, a cornetto or a brioche. You will be given water for which you will be charged. You will be in and out within a matter of minutes. You will leave your spot to the next fast coffee drinker.

How do YOU get your morning coffee fix?

Cappuccino and fresh baked donuts in Genoa

Related links:

• David Lebovitz eats his way through Rome.Yumm!
• Where to get great coffee in Paris
• How to order coffee in Italy

Written by Erica Berman for the Hip Paris Blog. All photos taken by Erica Berman. For our amazing rentals in Paris, Provence & Tuscany check out our website Haven in Paris.

Pasta Carbonara (no cream!) and garlic: two Italian staples (Ghirson; Sivandsivand)

Everyone agrees – Italian food tastes better in Italy. Part of this is due to the superiority of the ingredients when bought locally.  When you buy mozzarella in Naples or Gaeta olives in Gaeta or pecorino in Pienza, you are partaking in an experience that will not be the same even just an hour or two away.  In Australia or the US, or any other really big country where things are produced to last long distribution distances, even people who live near the source are eating something made to withstand days of transport.  A tomato in California or an orange in Florida tastes the same as they would in Montana.

Spaghetti Vongole; A typical Italian doorway (Erica Berman)

Yet there’s another reason Italian food tastes better in Italy  – it’s the cooking techniques that are not easy to adopt elsewhere. It’s not about precision and elaboration.  Instead, it’s about knowing what to leave out and how to combine a few simple, but seriously tasty, things for maximum flavor.

If you read non-Italian language cookbooks in an attempt to find these secrets, look out – you are being deceived.  Perhaps it’s a conspiracy by Italian grandmothers to keep the uniqueness of the Italian kitchen from being too accurately reproduced outside the boot, but the truth is (and I may be at risk with the food police for spilling this information) Italian recipes are not reproduced faithfully by English speaking writers.  Italians would almost never use 1 whole onion in a pasta sauce (and Italian onions are about 1/4 the size of an American one).  Two tablespoons of oil?  Ha!  I guffaw when I see a recipe that asks for 2 tablespoons of oil.   I go through about a liter of oil a week.

Orecchiete con Broccoli and Parmiggiano (Sarah Maternini; Anne@74)

An example of this can be found in a quick search for the Pugliese dish – orecchiette with broccoli.  A Google search of “orecchiette with broccoli recipe”  in English and a search of “ricetta orecchiette con broccoli” in Italian turn up two very different recipes – the English one calls for 2 tablespoons of oil and 4 cloves of garlic, while the Italian recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of oil and one glove of garlic.

I learned to cook in my early 20′s because I was living in Italy with no money. If I wanted to eat cheaply, I was going to have to fend for myself.  So I asked lots of questions and kept my eyes open and found that Italian cooks are very willing to share their “secrets”, because there aren’t many actual secrets. They make things the way they’ve always made them, true to tradition with subtle varieties based on location and availability.  When Italians ask their Mamma, who learned to make orecchiette from her Mamma, how much garlic or oil needed to make the dish, she would say, “poco e tanto”.  If I asked my mother, she’d email me the recipe.

Extra virgin olive oil; Cappuccino (Lulazzo; Erica Berman)

For those of you without a bona-fide Italian Mamma, here are a few pointers to start you out based on many years of scrounging around Italian kitchens and the Mamme who preside over them:

1 -  Don’t be shy with the oil.  When first learning Italian I was searching for the word for lettuce and asked my friend, “How do you call it – the main part of the salad?”  He replied, “Steve, the oil is the main part of the salad.”  Don’t forget that wisdom – oil is liquid gold in Italy.

2 -  Salt.  Invest in good salt (sea salt is my preference) and salt your pasta water well – and I don’t mean a sprinkle or a pinch.  In Italian it’s a pugna (fistful), and a couple is the right amount.

3 – I don’t care what you’ve heard or what arguments this might spawn:  there is no cream in pasta carbonara.  When in doubt, leave it out and add more oil (see nr. 1).

4 – Grana Padano is NOT the same thing as Parmiggiano Reggiano.  Second rate cheese makes for second rate pasta.

Italian scenes (Erica Berman)

Try these tips and see how it helps.  Keep in mind that if you really want your home-cooked meals to taste the way they would in Italy, well, the sad truth is – they won’t.  That’s the beauty of Italy – you just can’t export certain things, and the food will always taste better here.  The good news is you can still try to get close, and to help you do that, I’ll share with you the most important secret of all, the most crucial measurement used in Italian cooking:  quanto basta, or otherwise commonly seen as q.b in Italian language recipes.  Quanto basta means “however much is enough”.

Related Links:

• Steve and his wife own the Beehive, an eco-friendly hotel in Rome, as well as Cross-pollinate, a vacation rental service for apartment rentals in Rome and Italy
• To raise money to make their hotel in Rome more eco-friendly, Steve and his wife made this cute video
• Looking to stay in Italy? Haven in Paris also has some Havens in Tuscany…
• La Petraia, Agriturismo with fabulous organic restaurant in the heart of tuscany
• Erica Berman on life in Italy vs life in France, part 1 and part 2
• Also check out this great blog on the Liguria region of Italy

Written by Steve Brenner for the HiP Paris Blog. Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

In Part 1 of this series, Erica Berman shared her most telling anecdotes about the difference between life in France and life in Italy. While most of us can only envy the lifestyle that makes intimate knowledge of those details a part of daily life, Erica’s insight into the particularities of French and Italian culture helps us live the dream. In part two, she moves beyond general life to get to the juicy stuff : how the natives operate.

Photos Erica Berman – Seafood Pasta in Italy this summer

Differences between the French and the Italians…

• Nothing is a problem for the Italians…everything is a problem for the French. I think there are numerous posts to be written on this thought… a suivre!

• Italians miss pasta and coffee when away from their beloved Italy. The French are hands down pining for bread and cheese when far from home.

Croissants in Paris

• The French do not ask personal questions. Italians ask many. The French find asking questions a sign of indiscretion, and they take the utmost pride in being discreet, sometimes to the point of ridiculous (when applying for a job they may not feel comfortable asking the salary).

• The Italians are curious and their inquiring minds want to know.  In elevators in Italy I have had personal conversations on where I’m from and why I’m in Italy with people I have never seen before and will probably never see again. In France a bonsoir or bonjour is possibly all the chatting you will get after years of being neighbors.

• Italians remember you after seeing you once. The French might, of course, remember you, I am convinced they do, but will do their very best to pretend that they have never seen you before (my corner bakery in Montmartre is in the running for longest possible non recognition of a regular customer – almost 18 years. The bread is so amazing and their complete neutrality so fascinating, I keep on going).

At the beach in Italy – Finale Ligure / Genoa

• After one or two visits to a café or shop in Genoa, not only do the staff remember me, they remember my order.  Ten months after my last visit to Genoa, the locals immediately recognize me as the La Française or l’Americana and make friendly chatter. I could spend my life in a Paris cafe before I was noticed, and to get the garçon to remember my order I would need to become a cat and have 9 lives.  In Genoa I no longer even need to speak, aside from buongiorno, when going for my morning cappuccino or to the newspaper stand. They just know.

• The Italians are forgiving when you butcher their language. They are so pleased that you are trying to speak Italian they overlook a lot of botched grammar.

Tourists relaxing in front of Eglise St Sulpice in Paris

• The Italians speak Italian to me and do not switch to English or French despite my obvious foreign status. They are invariably patient and delighted by my effort. In France, not always, but often (exceptions of course exist) they will switch to English with a non native as they are so proud that they speak your language.

• The French are truly offended if you want to buy something in their shop, restaurant, cafe or supermarket and you do not have appropriate (ie: small and exact) change. The Italians, are happy you are buying something. Basta! For example, the other day I went to but a 1€ daily paper here in Italy and realized I forgot my change purse and only had a 50€ note. I meekly offered it to the newspaper guy apologizing all the while and expecting him to yell at me and tell me to come back when I had proper change as would be the case in France (or I would have to buy 5 other newspapers to make it worth his time to change the 50). This guy? He smiled, said not a problem, gave me my 49€ in change and wished me an excellent day! I walked away with a big smile on my face just thinking about the equivalent transaction in France and the pain it would have caused.

Always on Strike … the French!

• Improper (ie: not small) change in a cab is a major insult to a French cabbie. Italian drivers, if they do not have the correct change … will ask for it from a shop or passerby, with a smile!

• The Italians seem to prepare less homemade desserts then the French, but make up for it with daily stops to the gelateria!

• Both Italians and French are equally obsessed with Soccer!

Life in both countries is fascinating and there are many observations to be made. What about you, readers – do you have any cultural anecdotes (about France, Italy, Europe, and beyond!) to share?

• Erica’s Life in Italy vs France Part 1
• David Lebovitz eats his way through Rome, Italy
• Cultural Differences Italy vs US by John Talbott on Bonjour Paris

Written by Erica Berman for the Hip Paris Blog. For our amazing rentals in Paris, Provence & Tuscany check out our website Haven in Paris.

I’m back in Paris after 2 months of learning Italian in Genoa, Italy. The cool Paris weather is a shock after the heat of Italy, but I’m excited to be home.

Naturally, I can’t help comparing the (Genovese) Italians to the (Parisian) French with whom I have cohabited for almost 18 years. Little differences and similarities between the daily life in both countries are entertaining, endearing and often surprising.

Doggy love Italian style

Things I have noticed: Life in Italy vs France

• You will be scoffed at in both countries for ordering a cappuccino in the afternoon. Mind you, I do it anyway. How gauche is that?

• Both Italians and French cut lines with zeal. Little old Italian ladies are surprisingly cunning. Be alert!

• Taxis in both cities can, and will, try to rip you, the foreigner, off even if you speak the language. Be aware.

• Both Italians and French love their doggies and bring them in trains, restaurants and just about everywhere they can physically go. In both countries you will see many a person out and about deep in conversation with Fido.

Parisian doggy

• In Italy every respectable home must have a bidet. In France the bidet is mostly a thing of the past.

• Every worthy French kitchen is equipped with a Ginette Mathiot ‘Je Sais Cuisiner’ cookbook and a cocotte minute (pressure cooker). In Italy every respectable home has a fettatrice (cold cut slicer) and a Bimby (an incredible machine that does everything from mixing, steaming and cooking a perfect risotto in 14 minutes… Along with focaccia, ice cream, bread dough, pasta sauce…)
• The train is a source of pride in France. Trains are fast, sleek and modern. In Italy, one cannot quite say the same. In both countries however, to the surprise of many, one can actually take the train just about everywhere.

Train and doggy in Italy

• In Italy clothes are hung out to dry for all to see. And that means all clothes, no matter how intimate! In Paris, there are strict rules against hanging laundry where it is publicly visible.

Laundry in Italy/ 1972 law against hanging laundry in Paris seen in a friends’ building in Paris!

• In Italy, it often feels like there are more scooters then people. The French scoot, but to a lesser degree than their pasta-eating counterparts.

• In Italy everyone has a cell phone. It’s the same in France. The Italians yak efficiently on their phone while doing everything from driving, scooting and eating to walking and working. The French appear more disciplined about not using cell phones in moving transit. It could be that it is illegal in France. Then again, it is probably illegal in Italy too.

• In Italy you can use cafe restrooms even if you are not a customer, without sneaking in like a criminal. Ask politely and admission will be granted. In Paris I have had some desperate moments of urgent need and adamant refusal. I have now resorted to the technique of « don’t look, don’t tell » when entering a café in need of a toilet. I have learned to keep my head down and to beeline straight to the bathroom as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And it works!

• Italian couples on the beach, are, well, comfortable with PDA (public displays of affection). I almost never go to the beach in France so I can’t comment on what it is like.

Need I say more – Beach in Italy  this July!

• In Italy I have rediscovered how to be chatty and smiley with shop owners and restaurant staff, something I had forgotten in France.

• In Paris I have perfected the art of pretending not to see people I recognize as they are pretending not to see me. In Italy they look at you, smile and say hello! I’m gonna try that in Paris and see how it goes….!

To be continued with my observations on differences between Italians and French themselves! What about you? Tell us your personal experiences on life in France, Italy, Europe and beyond …

Life in Italy vs. Life  in France part 2

Some links you might enjoy:

• How to order coffee in Italy
• David Lebovitz’ favorite coffee spots in Paris
• Parisian doggies
• How to use the bidet

Written by Erica Berman for the Hip Paris Blog. For our amazing rentals in Paris, Provence & Tuscany check out our website Haven in Paris.

For some happy reason no one — except the Italians and a few others in the know — has heard of Liguria aside from well-known towns Portofino and Cinque Terre. It is for this exact reason that I have come to adore this small crescent-shaped region of Italy.

I love to be away from mass tourism and well-known places, and the ocean, hills, clement climate, amazing food and lovely people most certainly heighten the appeal of this wonderful area. For my week of vacation from studying Italian in Genoa (my favorite Italian city, also located in Liguria) I rooted up the perfect apartment in the medieval village of Colletta di CastelBianco.

Left to abandon for many years, an Italian developer picked up this empty, decaying hilltop spot and turned it into a sweet little village with 70 small apartments (about 25 of which are available for rent), a pool, a restaurant and lots of lovely outdoor space.

What is even more interesting, aside from the fact that the village is a haven of peace and tranquility despite it being mid- July and supposedly high tourist season, is that the entire village is equipped with broadband internet and all the flats are wired with wifi or ethernet cables.

The location could not be better for hanging by the pool, exploring hilltop towns or being a beach bum at any of the number of easily accessible beaches a short drive away. My personal favorites are Final Ligure and Varigotti.

For reservations in the village you can contact the lovely Alexandra on the site below and let her know HiP Paris sent you!

• Colletta: colletta.it (info on the village, sales & rentals)
• Great blog on Liguria: http://beautiful-liguria.blogspot.com
• Bella Vita Italia – Italian Travel specialist located in Liguria. Megan has amazing rentals and can help with vacation planning
• Two other adorable looking rentals in Colletta:
• http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Italy/Liguria/holiday-apartment-Savona/p6646.htm
• http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/italy/it455.htm

Written by Erica Berman for the HiP Paris Blog. For our amazing rentals in Paris, Provence & Tuscany check out our website Haven in Paris.

Life here in Italy comes with simple pleasures. Each morning I start my day with an eagerly awaited Cappuccino. I have found my favorite little hole-in-the-wall right around the corner from my apartment in the Castelletto neighborhood of Genoa.  Here, I enjoy my morning ritual of cappuccino, a glass of water, the newspaper in Italian, and a chat with the barista. Simple, cheap (only 1€10 for this delicacy), and fulfilling! What is your morning bliss, and where do you go to find it?

You might also like:

• Erica’s musings on coffee in Italy with detailed coffee descriptions
• Focaccia and cappuccino in Genoa
• David Lebovitz on where to drink great coffee in Paris
• Tory writes on her favorite Paris coffee spot the Caféothèque

Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence or Tuscany? Check out our website: Haven in Paris

Photos courtesy of La Petraia, Michael Grant & Sarah Raymond

In the US, the vast majority of food & grocery shopping is done in supermarkets. We cook with canned beans or tomatoes, pre-butchered meats, and shrink-wrapped cold cuts – or consume industrially prepared foods – rarely stopping to consider where exactly these things come from. One item could be fresh from a nearby farm, another from halfway across the world. While many Americans are becoming increasingly aware of how and where their food is produced, there is still a sense of detachment between the food we eat and its origins. Recently, however, following an eye-opening Italian dining experience at La Petraia – in Tuscany’s Chianti region – I was inspired to rethink how I purchase, prepare, and consume food.

La Petraia, owned by Canadian expats Susan and Michael Grant and located just outside Radda in Chianti, is what is known as an agriturismo: literally, the meeting of agriculture and tourism. From the moment you arrive at the property, you know you are somewhere special: perched on a hillside, the main house is surrounded by vineyards, lavender fields, cultivated gardens, and a wild chestnut forest – not to mention breathtaking views. A self-proclaimed “restaurant with rooms,” La Petraia has 4 luxurious guest rooms, and the restaurant boasts a menu composed of items hailing almost exclusively from the surrounding property. Earlier this year, they played host to Michael Pollan (author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma) who, in collaboration with La Petraia, gave the first of a series of Petraia Sessions – several days of good food, good wine, and good discussion. And recently, during a stay not far away (at our Capriolo villa), I myself was fortunate enough to able to try La Petraia for dinner with a friend one evening.

Driving up, we were immediately impressed as the gate opened to let our car up a driveway flanked on either side by thick fields of lavender. As it was late summer, they were not in full bloom, but I can only begin to imagine how intensely beautiful they must be at the height of the season.

We were welcomed by Susan and Marco and handed an aperitif of prosecco and blackberry liqueur, a homegrown blackberry at the bottom of each flute. Susan returned inside to finish preparing the meal – she is not only an owner but also executive chef – while Marco gave us, along with the other guests for that evening, a leisurely walking tour of the property surrounding the house. Followed by the friendly pets – one cat, one dog – we saw squash & zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and much more.

We were then led to an area of the property separated by a fence, which we learned was home to their three Cinta Senese pigs – a local semi-wild variety that was at one time near extinction.  They came wandering over to investigate us as Marco gave us a bit of background information. The tour continued down a slight incline, where we walked past the grapevines and then wound back up through a small orchard where they grow pears, figs, peaches, plums, and other fruits. Finally – it was time for the meal!

Dinner itself was a parade of distinct flavors and beautiful, minimalist presentation, served with the option of white or red wine produced by a local winemaker. On the table when we were seated was a selection of homemade chips & crackers served with two purées: one eggplant, one chickpea. Reminiscent of baba ghanoush and hummus, the dips were flavorful and amazingly fresh – unsurprising, given the ingredients came from the garden just steps away!

We moved on to a whimsically presented course of various greens picked from the property – some cultivated, others wild – and a smooth carrot purée that contradicted my usual ambivalence toward carrots.

Wild salad similar to the one we were served. Photo Michael Grant.

The courses that followed included a prosciutto made from one of the Cinta Senese pigs and served with melon sorbet; sausage and a pork steak made from the same animal; a beet risotto that got better and better with each bite and was probably one of the best dishes I have ever tasted; a fresh ravioli that tasted of summer. And dessert – lavender meringue followed by a few intense bites of perfumed chocolate & biscotti, these two served not with wine but with mead, an ancient alcohol made from honey and water. It all concluded with the requisite Italian espresso, over which we pondered the meal we had just enjoyed, noting that even the service had been top notch.

When the time came to leave and drive home, we were sorry not to be staying in one of La Petraia’s beautiful guest rooms. We did however get to take a peek into one – it was peaceful and comfortable, with original photographs done by Susan’s husband Michael.  The attention to detail was impeccable, even down to the latch on the bathroom door. For those who do stay the night, they are rewarded with complimentary breakfast, also consisting entirely of products originating from the property.

For me, the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – it challenged the way I think about food and even now, back in the US, I am trying to shop and eat differently. I would urge anyone spending time in Tuscany to give it a try.

The menu we enjoyed during our evening at La Petraia; click image to enlarge.

For more information on La Petraia and its accommodations, restaurant, and cooking and foraging classes, see their informative website at www.lapetraia.com.

Photo Sarah Raymond

Photo Sarah Raymond

Written by Sarah Raymond for the HiP Paris Blog.  Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.