The Wonders of Rome - Part Two

Piazza Navona is a beautiful Piazza in Rome, some would say, including us, the most beautiful.

It occupies the site of the Stadium of Domitiam which was built in the first century AD.  It now follows the form of the open part of the stadium.

It's area is bigger than the Colloseum and it was originally used for festivals and sporting events.

The Piazza Navona is situated in the historic centre of Rome, west of the Pantheon. It is one of Romes liveliest squares with many artists and outdoor cafes.

Piazza Navona today sits metres above the original stadium level and at the northern end you can see some of the remains of the original buildings.  We often hear about the Romans just building on top of the other buildings and hence there are so many excavations around Rome which are still bringing new discoveries.

Piazza Navona is a classic example of Baroque Roman architecture. In the centre of the Piazza stands the famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiume or Fountain of Four Rivers (1651) by Bernini. The four rivers depicted through the four statues at the base are the Nile, Danube, Ganges and Rio Della Plata. The base of the rock supports an Obelisk.  This Fontana has just been renovated and was covered with boarding when we first arrived in April, but the boarding was taken down in early June when restoration work was completed.

The two other fountains are the Fontana di Nettuno (Neptunes fountain) at the northern end and Fontana del Moro (Moor fountain) at the southern end.

The fontana del Nettuno was built in 1576 by Giacomo della Porta. The statue, Neptune surrounded by sea nymphs was added in the 19th century.

Giacomo della Porta also built the Fontana del Moro. The central statue of a moor holding a dolphin, a design by Bernini, was added in the 17th century. The tritons are 19th century additions.

Another highlight on the square is the Church of Sant'Agnes in Agone. It was commissioned in 1652 by Pope Innocent X and completed in 1670. according to legend it was built on the site where St. Agnes was stripped naked and only saved from disgrace by her extraordinary growth of hair. The front facade of the baroque church was designed by Borromini, Bernini's main rival.

So dear firends as we leave this wonderful Piazza Navona......

amore e baci a tutti

Carolyna e Alan

The Best Red Wine in the World

At a recent drink with friends in Montalcino, one of them said "did you hear that Montalcino can now boast the best red wine in the world".

At the prestigious London Wine Show in June 2010, 10,000 wines competed for "The Best Red Wine in the World" trophy. The outcome was great news for Brunello and Montalcino with the 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from Castello Romitorio being declared the winner.

The judges comments were "deep, intense and slightly brooding on the nose. Leather, hints of tobacco and violets. Red fruits dominate on the palate".

The winemaker is Sandro Chia. He said " The Tuscan climate regularly bestows on us a gift of excellent wine, but every so often fortune shows an extra measure of generosity. Only a careful selection of grapes from a truly exceptional harvest can produce a Riserva, and 2004 was just such a year. The 2004 harvest was one of the best of the decade; the highest possible score of five stars was awarded to this exceptional vintage by the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino".

Sandro Chia was working as an artist in his studio in New York in 1984 when he received a call from an old friend asking him if he was interested in a castle...or what was left of it. He had previously considered buying a property in Tuscany, the region where he was born. So he got on a plane and eventually bought the castle and this year his wine produced at the castle was named "Best Red Wine in the World". His art work helped him pay for the castle and as you can see above his label is very artistic. At the time he bought the castle he was working on a large piece for a restaurant in New York called Il Palio, named after the great Sienese horse race.

We are now the proud owners of some of this wine. Ageing optimisation will probably mean that drinking will be somewhere near 2020 or beyond. Let's hope we are around to enjoy it.

Amore e Baci a tutti

Alan e Carolyna

The Wonders of Rome - Part One

Rome is an amazing city. It blends antiquity with modern superbly.

We have decided to "blog" some of our travels within this beautiful and historic city over the next few months.

The first takes us to an area near the Roman Forum known as Trajan's Markets. Thought to be the world's oldest shopping mall this area was only rediscovered in the late 1920's and re-opened to the public about three years ago. It is superbly maintained and in great condition for a structure almost two thousand years old.

Love the cobble stone streets. Rough on the chariots but okay in your Roman sandals.

The complex, mostly of brick was built around 100-110 AD for Emporer Trajan.

The structure was built in a semi circular form over three levels. The facade is made of brick.

On the ground  and second floor are a series of small tabernae (shops) with wall frescoes and floor mosaics. The shops and the area in front of them would have been a hive of activity with produce such as oils, wine, seafood, fruit and vegetables being sold.

The upper levels consisted of "office style" administrative and government areas.

And as always, in places of such historical interest, you always come across the tourists.

Well must go now...more walking to do in this wonderful city.

Amore e baci a tutti.

Carolyna e Alan.

Piedmonte - Vino, Vino and Cibo......(wine, wine and food)

Piedmonte is in Italy's far north west and believes it is the wine and food capital of Italy.  More English was spoken than in other parts of Italy and far more northern European languages could be heard, particularly German as it is so close to Switzerland and Germany.  The architecture and cities we visited were also markedly different to Toscana and other parts of Italy.

Piedmonte is the the second largest of Italy's 20 administrative areas (after Sicily). It borders France and Switzerland with over 40% of the land covered by mountains.

It is a fertile agricultural area producing a substantial amount of Italy's grains. In addition it is an acknowledged wine producer - primarily it is well known for its Barolo vino rosso.

And home to some wonderful white tartufo (truffles) particularly around Alba.

We stayed in the hilltop town of La Morra which is centrally placed in the wine growing district.

We travelled with two wine making couples, the Speddings (on the left below) from Ten Minutes by Tractor and the Lloyds from Eldridge Estate in the Mornington Peninsula Victoria.

Piedmonte has two wines which it calls the king and queen of Piedmonte wines. These are both made totally from Nebbiolo grapes with the king being Barolo and the queen Barbaresco. The only difference between the two is the area where the grapes are grown. Both are grown under strict DOCG guidelines. The Barolo must not be released for four years and the Barbaresco for three years. Most plot holdings are relatively small with the exception of a few major growers such as Gaja. Below are just a few pics of the various vineyards we visitied

Tasting

Some grape pickers. The picking season was just starting when we were there.

It looks like another great vintage!

Well someone has to do the work!

French bariques for maturing the wines for between 1-2 years.

More bariques.....what an amazing cantina (cellar).

And more tastings

While some watch.....

Some talk

And others work

And just some of the wines we tasted.......

The home of Moscato D'Asti and ever so divine!

Our favourite Barolo

Piedmonte is also known for its food including the famous white truffle from Alba.

Street markets were prominent with local and national produce from around Italy. The display below was principally from Puglia.

Street market in Asti of pugliese (Puglia) food.

Sundried tomatoes

Garlic

fava beans

onions

stuffed peperoncini

capers

Restaurants in general were very good with excellent food outcomes.  Serious food sampling occurred and  below are some examples of the food produced in Peidmonte restaurants.  Specialities of the area include Risottos, Taglionini pasta, truffles (black but especially white), raw sausages from Bra, veal, pork and more pork and of course all washed down with a spumante from Asti to start and then magnificent Piedmontese vinos followed by our favourite Saracco dessert vino.

mmmmnnn...tartufo bianco (white truffle) shaved over al dente taglionini pasta

Pesce (fish) covered with zucchini

nougat torte with chocolate

amuse bouche of zucchini flower fritters, proscuitto on a pastry and rabbit terrine on polenta

asparagus risotto with raw egg stirred throughout

pork chops with pimento

vitello(veal) stew

stuffed vegetables with ricotta mixture and a tomato coulis

local cheeses including ewes, cows and goats

Piedmonte is well worth a visit. Towns are not as "antica" as in other areas such as Toscana but they do have an appeal. Here are just a few snaps of some of the towns...

Alba Cathedral

A typical Alba street

Part of main Square in Alba

Barolo

La Morra Cathedral

Bra Townhall

And finally, as always, the tourists

Martino e Carolyna

Carolyna e Alan

Alan e Martino

So on that note it's,

amore e baci a tutti

 Carolyna e Alan