Civita di Bagnoregio - Il paese che muore

Damn the television personality that travels abroad and shows all of the best places to eat, drink, stay, and see.  You bring tourism to the smallest cities, which then overwhelms the village streets with cameras and foot traffic, and then drive the prices up on almost everything!  Unfortunately though for Civita di Bagnoregio, all the money in the world will not save this city, which when translated to English, is known as the "the town that is dying".  Eventually it will succumb to erosion and always the risk of another earthquake.  As sad as it sounds, this amazing little village of a population, I believe is currently 10, still have pride in what they have and insist on staying put until they no longer have anything to stay in.

The view from Bagnoregio

There is quite a rich history in Civita di Bagnoregio.  in 500 BC, Civita was founded by the Etruscans.  It later fell under Roman rule, then the Franks, then becoming part of the Papal states.  It was the birthplace of St. Bonaventure.

Civita was, at one time, the city and Bagnoregio was the suburb.  Connected by a foot bridge and donkey path.  Since the erosion and earthquakes, it is only connected by a foot bridge, which has been updated over the years.  Still, no cars access Civita.  The town itself sits like an island surrounded by valleys.  And like Orvieto, it is built on Tufo-soft volcanic rock.  It's truly a fascinating town, that I will be returning to in a few weeks.

A little panoramic view of one of the valleys that swallows Civita.

Bagnoregio

We were fortunate, that Chef Lorenzo was friends(I don't think Chef Lorenzo meets a stranger) with the owner of a great little Trattoria Bruschetteria - La Cantina di Arianna - since there is no website, I will include the Trip Advisor page - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g1235481-d3395366-Reviews-Trattoria_Bruschetteria_La_Cantina_di_Arianna-Bagnoregio_Province_of_Viterbo_Laz.html

What an amazing little Trattoria with so much electricity and warmth.  We sat and prepped for our meal.  That day we had the opportunity to try their specially made Hazelnut flour gnocchi and their Ravioli with Pear and Porcini.

The wood burning oven.

Entrance to their cave where they store wine and age cured meat.

Some aged, cured meats.

The hazelnut flour gnocchi was a bit more dense than normal gnocchi, but the sweet flavor of toasted hazelnuts was present.  It complimented the creamy gorgonzola sauce and removed the typical bitterness of radicchio.  I would love to find this made in the states.

Since no one could make up our minds which we would rather try, we had a little sampling of both on our plates.  So, we also had the Ravioli with Pear and Porcini sauce.  There is nothing better than biting into a perfectly al dente piece of fresh made pasta.  It's firm, flavorful, and has a good mouth feel.  You can taste the fresh ingredients that were put into the product.  You could smell the pears in the air.  You could taste the earth that the porcini's came from and with every bite, you could sense the effort and dedicated work that went into making these pillows of happiness.

This is what happens when you can't decide.  I should be more indecisive, more often!

Around every corner of Italy that we experience lies a new surprise, a new treat, a new adventure.  I'm ready for more, but, I'm also ready to return to Civita and see the dying town that refuses to die.

A man, his dog, and the treasure of truffles.

As a child, my taste buds were almost non existent.  My meals consisted of hamburgers, pizza, peanut butter and jelly, nutella, mac and cheese, and tang.  Throughout the years though, my palate developed, probably to the surprise of my entire family.  I learned that life is too short to limit yourself to certain things, and one thing that stuck with me throughout my growing years, something that Mom, Dad, Brother, and Sis all told me repeatedly-How do you know if you don't taste it.  There are things out there that I can not eat.  The thought of these things coming close to my lips or even smelling them brings thoughts of nausea to me.  

I didn't develop a love affair with mushrooms until my late 20's.  I always thought they were slimy little creatures that grew out of things that were inedible, so why would I introduce that into my stomach!  Then I began to experiment.  It was gradual, from pizza to salad, to sautéed and on my steaks.  Finally, I went for it, and tried them raw, as many varieties that I could eat raw(As you know, some need to be cooked).  Then, one day, someone mentioned to me that since I have broken the ice with mushrooms, I should try truffles.  The thought crossed my mind, but after some investigation and pricing, I knew that it would be hard to come by.  Fortunately, shortly after I moved to Chicago, I had the opportunity to dine at Grant Achatz's restaurant - Alinea - http://website.alinearestaurant.com.  On the menu is the Hot Potato/Cold Potato.  It's a piece of art and delicious.  In a small wax cup, you have pureed yukon gold potato, black truffle juice, heavy cream, and salt.  On a pin, yes, a pin, you have a piece of parmesan cheese, butter, chive, potato, and topped with a shaved piece of black truffle.  To eat, you pull the pin, and the items slide into the soup.  And what follows is an experience that can only be described as pure decadence.  It is one bite, but one bite that will stay with you for the rest of your life.  It was after that, I was hooked.

After that I went truffle crazy, truffle salt, truffle honey, salami tartufo and I even bought the most bastardized, chastised truffle item a person could buy-truffle oil.  But I wanted more!!  I wanted my own truffles.  I went as far as looking into growing my own, however, I have neither the climate, nor the landscape to grow them.  I realized that I was ok with that though.  If I have access to them night and day, the special feeling of having black truffles goes away. 

"There are two types of people who eat truffles: those who think truffles are good because they are dear and those who know they are dear because they are good."J.L. Vaudoyer

Here is a brief snippet for those of you that are not familiar with truffles(the fungus). http://www.ehow.com/facts_5136056_truffle.html

When the opportunity to come to Orvieto came about, I read what the trip consisted of.  When I read truffle hunting, I thought to myself, "that besides cooking in an Italian restaurant, in Italy, truffle hunting would be the highlight"!

The day of the tartufo came and I was stoked!  We piled into the car and off we went.  It was a beautiful day, which I'm finding is rare these days.  We were running a bit behind, which is also common.  We pull off the road and there sits a small red vehicle.  As we walk up to it, the gentleman sitting inside - Giovanni, points to his watch and chuckles a bit.  He gets out and walks to the rear of the vehicle where he keeps a travel cage for his sidekick - Perla.  I'm not sure what breed of dog Perla is, but she's a peppy little pup, anxious to find some truffles!

A man and his dog.

Perla

We weren't on the trail 5 minutes and Perla had her first hit.  After that, it seemed like she was finding them like wild fire.  Of course, there were a few times that she almost devoured them.  Not on purpose of course, just out of excitement for the treat she would receive after each find.  Giovanni told us that she occasionally plays the game, just to get a treat.  Dogs are pretty wise creatures.

Perla was going non stop.

Almost swallowed that one.

A truffle in it's natural setting.

Along the trail, we came across some Juniper bushes and another bush with some edible berries.  

Juniper bush

I can't remember what these were, but they were delicious.

And snails everwhere.

Within 30 minutes, we had in our possession, 13 black truffles.  They were amazingly fragrant and I didn't want to let go.  The idea of the magic that occurs when you use these treats was overwhelming.  And the thought of using them tonight for dinner service was inconceivable to me.  I mean, I've seen a black truffle-whole, but never have I had the honor of holding multiple black truffles from a hunt and then clean and serve them to some lucky diners!!  The fortunate portion of this story, we also had black truffles for our staff meal.  A little black truffle risotto to help us get through dinner.  Not a bad way to spend a day.  My trip was made!  

Just holding them in my hand, the aroma was pungent and sharp.  Exactly what you want!

Jose and the catch!

"Whosoever says truffle, utters a grand word, which awakens erotic and gastronomic ideas...."Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)
preface to ‘The Physiology of Taste’ (1825)

Thanks to Chef Lorenzo for this adventure.  Thanks to Giovanni and Perla for an amazing adventure!!

Wine, Gelato, and Pizza, in that order!

It's very hard for me to concentrate on this blog right now.  I've returned to Paris for a few days and it's such an enchanting city, especially this time of year.  The Christmas lights are up and everyone is in an upbeat mood.  We went to visit the Christmas market and overhearing my favorite Christmas music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Bing Crosby made me a bit homesick.  But I will try to pull this off.

We had another gloomy day in Orvieto, however we were gifted with seeing another historic sight, St. Patrick's Well.  http://www.orvietoonline.com/pozzo_di_san_patrizio_orvieto.html Words can't really describe the fantastic sight.  If you go, be ready to walk.  I believe my iPhone counted 18 floors of steps and my legs counted 1,000 flights.  Oh it burned so good.

A Motley Crue.

After a rather dreary, yet charming stroll through the well, we hopped in the jumper and drove off t the countryside for another treat.  We visited Azienda Agricola Fausto Andrea.

When we pulled into the drive, it was another very unsuspecting location.  It looked like your typical farm in Italy, growing acres of olive trees and grape vineyards.  Yet when we peered into what looked to be a garage door, before our eyes was a cave.  It was a cave full of this strange mold that resembled mucus.  This is the mold that helps give their wine character.   Now, you may say, that sounds disgusting, but let's face facts folks, unless you've witnessed first hand how your wines, spirits, and beers are made, fermented, aged, stored, etc, just keep drinking and then go, visit a winery, a vineyard, a distillery and your eyes will be opened.  And the artisan producing the product will be more than happy to tell you the benefits and the magic that is happening because of these crazy microbes.  You'll want to hug them or maybe just shake their hands, the microbes that is or whatever forms the mold.

Anyway, I got off of the topic.  Wine!!  We walked in to said garage door and this cave, seemed a bit daunting, but the massive barrels storing delicious wine led us like we were hypnotized.  It was calling our name.  In true form, we started with a bianco, moved on to the red's and finished with an amazing sweet red.  Everyone purchased a few bottles, except myself.  I'm waiting for a special visitor to come to Orvieto in a few weeks, and return.  But the rest of them purchased, and it warmed my heart to watch them.  They were allowed to fill their own bottles, cork their bottle, and top it.  The excitement was much more fulfilling for me.  Kids their age are not typically fans of wine, and they themselves admitted that they were not wine drinkers until coming to Italy.

Some original pieces, uncovered during a dig in the cave.

Now this is how you carry wine home!

Michelle collecting her goods.

Andrea collecting the nectar of the Gods.

Cody was focusing on his treat.

Purchases were made and our departure was at hand.  I stood outside of the home while they finished their purchases and enjoyed the quiet, serene beauty of the still dreary evening.  But, it was a dreary evening in the Italian countryside, I'll take that.

After an afternoon/evening of sipping wine, in a cave we wandered off to another little village to have gelato at a shop that was home to a gentleman that taught many chefs and gelaterias in the area how to make gelato.  This little shop, Gelateria Sarchioni - http://www.sarchioni.it was an obvious gathering place for locals, to sit, have a cafe', apertivo or digestivo, play cards and catch up on the local news.  It was a welcoming little shop, and I don't feel as though they meet a stranger there.  There may be slight communication difficulties, but in the end as long as you can communicate that you would like gelato, you are in good shape.

There is a twist to this story of Gelateria Sarchioni, they have a menu that you can peruse if you want something other than a cone or a cup.  You can get an amazing adult gelato combination that includes fruit, whipped creams, sauces, and liquor.  You can even get gelato in the shape of a plate of spaghetti or a steak with what else topping it?  A fried egg.  The photos that I took do not do this gelato justice. It was smooth in texture and pure in flavor.  Chef Lorenzo gave a brief lesson on gelato, and one that made me a bit sad.  There is gelato, then there is artiginale gelato(artisanal gelato).  Obviously you want the artisanal gelato because it's pure, right?  No!  BOOO!!!!!!  Everyone now has caught on to the fact that the demand is artisanal, so now everyone simply advertises artisinal, because they make it on sight.  And that's great that they make it on sight, but then it comes down to the quality of ingredients and that's where it gets shady.  You can advertise artisanal, however you can still use powders to flavor your gelato and that sucks.  You either have to be familiar with the owner of the gelateria or know how to recognize true artiginale gelato.  And I'm going to find it before I leave!  I can tell you that this shop, it's true artisanal and refreshing.

Pretty normal with a splash of extra deliciousness!

That's a medium rare steak with a fried egg.

Spaghetti and meat sauce of course.

As we wrapped up dessert, we were informed by Chef Lorenzo that it was time for dinner.  I mean, for me, that seems to be the proper order, right?  So, off to a new style of pizza.  This is also the time I show my bad blogger sense.

We arrived in Castiglione in Teverina. We had a sugar buzz, it was foggy, misty, cool, and quiet.  We approached another very non descript, little door that led down a few steps.  Walking inside was like a nice warm hug.  Our host at Ristorante Pizzeria Borgovejo - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ristorante-Pizzeria-Borgovejo/139717259481623 welcomed Chef Lorenzo and our group, showed us the kitchen and we were able to watch the owner make a few pizzas.  This type of pizza is this villages own.  It was a thin, cracker crust with a bit of char on it, for flavor.  The toppings light, just enough to flavor the vessel(dough).   After watching the magic happen in the kitchen, we were seated, the wine was poured and in no time, the barrage of pizza began.

Me being a bad blogger, can't remember this gentleman's name , but his ristorante is called Ristorante Pizzeria Borgovejo.

13 years of making pizza with this particular rolling pin.  Looks well used.

The first pizza on the menu - Porcini Mushrooms and potato.  Nice way to start.

Next, Speck.  http://www.popsugar.com/food/What-Speck-5164981

Next up, Arugula and Pecorino!!

Pepperoni -

Sausage -

Margherita -

And for dessert, Black Truffle! -

If you can imagine your favorite pizza, thinner, crunchier, less than half of the ingredients, but all of the flavor, then you have just experienced Castiglione in Teverina style pizza.

This is just another unique experience that we've been blessed to experience, thanks to Chef Lorenzo.    I'm going to finished off here, because there is more to write, but hey, it's my last night in Amsterdam, and I need some fresh, freezing cold air and maybe a Delirium Tremens.

Next up - The best black truffle experience I've ever had!