Week 1 of Italy
Last Tuesday we left for our trip to Italy. We woke up the kids at 3:30, and the plane left at 7:30. We were on various planes all day, and we arrived in Italy at 11 am the next day. The kids (aside from Gideon) binged watched movies all day long, and practically everyone on the entire plane commented on how well behaved they were. Sleeping on the plane was hard, but what can you do? It is a small price to pay.
After landing we got a car (which took an hour at least). The car that we got was an 8 seater van with a huge trunk, which we named the "Behemoth". We had planned on getting a smaller car, but that was all they had apparently. Timmy is sure Behemoth means "A small mammoth".
After we got the car, we went to a train museum and saw some trains and planes. We only really went there because we needed to find a bathroom, but we made the most of it when we were there. Timmy and the other kids loved the whole museum a lot, especially the trains that you could climb into.
Alison and Mike both were able to steal a nap while the kids were playing on a playground. They didn't both nap at the same time - that would have been crazy.
After that, we drove to our apartment in Alba, which took most of the rest of the day. We got a dinner at 8:00, which is standard for Italy, and we got a bunch of well received dishes, and even had a cheese course (mostly goat cheeses, which was cool for us, and had given Mike more ideas).
After we got the car, we went to a train museum and saw some trains and planes. We only really went there because we needed to find a bathroom, but we made the most of it when we were there. Timmy and the other kids loved the whole museum a lot, especially the trains that you could climb into.
Alison and Mike both were able to steal a nap while the kids were playing on a playground. They didn't both nap at the same time - that would have been crazy.
After that, we drove to our apartment in Alba, which took most of the rest of the day. We got a dinner at 8:00, which is standard for Italy, and we got a bunch of well received dishes, and even had a cheese course (mostly goat cheeses, which was cool for us, and had given Mike more ideas).
Thursday we drove down to Alba for the truffle festival, which was apparently not open yet. Bad timing on Mike's part. We bought the kids umbrellas for the trip because it was raining all day. The kids loved the umbrellas so much that it drew comments from random passers by. We tried to explain to them in italian that it never rains in Utah, so our kids have never had umbrellas before.
We went back to our apartment and had panini from the restaurant downstairs for lunch. Tomato and mozarella was the surprise hit. Even Mike (who doesn't like tomatoes) loved it. Finally, we went down to the center of the little town we were in and bought fruits, veggies, and bread. We also stopped at a gelato shop and played in a playground.
After that, we went to the castle across the street (Grinzane Cavour). The kids were so excited to see a castle, but when we arrived they raced through it at top speed, not letting the parents see as many things as they would have liked, and then when we left, Timmy said that it was "boring".
For the parents it wasn't boring - it was pretty cool.
For dinner we had truffle pasta. We decided that truffles had a brilliant press job done on them, because though they taste good, they are not nearly as good as morels, which are so much cheaper. The truffles in the pasta we bought were sold for 2.50 euros a gram.
Friday morning we went on a truffle hunt with the famous truffle hunting dog Mara, and her handler Aldo. She found three truffles as we watched, and we found some hazelnuts, and lemon balm. We smelled the truffles, and the truffle infused dirt, and then went back to see Mara's home farm. We had really good water, and then we had lunch and went on a 5 hour drive to Tenuta Di Spannocia.
Alison wants to add in here that we had pizza for lunch, and the truffle pizza tasted really really good, so perhaps truffles over pasta is just a waste of truffles.
We took way longer to get to the farm house than we expected to, and it was an exhausting drive, but we did make it in the end at about 8:00.
As we arrived after dark, there were a lot of stars visible, and Rea loved seeing the stars. It was the highlight of her day. Mike loved the truffle hunt, and we all loved eating dinner after such a long drive.
We had fortunately ordered a basket of farm produce to be waiting for us, so we whipped together a quick pasta, and went to bed.
Saturday we officially checked in to the farm, and explored the farm a bit. We had lentil soup for lunch, and then made it to the grocery store and bought oil, cheese, and many other necessities which we cannot cook without.
It is amazing what a difference a little oil makes.
In the afternoon we explored the "Secret Garden", and found the keyhole pond, and a salamander that lived in it. We went for a hike in a forest that the kids named the "Narnia forest", and then on our way back Timmy dropped his shoe in the pond, and we had to fish it out with a stick. We had baked potatoes for dinner and then Nutella bread (since we are where Nutella was invented).
Sunday we drove to church (1.5 hours each way), and had a good fast and testimony meeting with the local branch. We got back in time for lunch (polenta and zucchini and chickpeas), and then we explored the secret garden all afternoon, and found 25 secrets of the garden, which include mushrooms, rock formations, drain pipes, flat rocks, secret staircases, and a divot in the ground.
Monday we had a tour of the farm. The kids loved climbing the tower. We also saw the pig legs hanging up to cure (for prosciutto), and we saw a boar with an eye patch. Apparently the local boars are quite hard core.
Mike and the kids went to see the pigs, while Alison went to get more groceries.
The kids found more lemon balm, and also stinging nettle (which looks surprisingly like lemon balm). We picked enough to make some tea, which was quite surprisingly good. We made potato gnocchi and lasagna for dinner and lunch, which were both really good.
Tuesday we spent all day at Sienna. We went up eight escalators to get up to the city, and then we wandered around the streets all day. We saw the Duomo, the Piazza del Campo, and the Torre del Mangia. The tour book we were following had missions for the kids to accomplish at all of the stops, and the kids liked doing them.
The missions were things like "Take a picture next to such and such a statue, mimicking the expression on its face"
Both well recommended restaurants that we tried to go to did not work out, so we just ate pizza at some hole in the wall, which was pretty good. We got Riccaerlli almond cookies, and ridiculous amounts of gelato.
Rea bought a souvenir race horse with her money from grandparents, but the other kids are still waiting to see what they want to get with their money. Timmy is pretty sure he is going to get a stuffed wild boar, but we are encouraging him to wait till the weapons museum that we are going to tomorrow.
We went back to our apartment and had panini from the restaurant downstairs for lunch. Tomato and mozarella was the surprise hit. Even Mike (who doesn't like tomatoes) loved it. Finally, we went down to the center of the little town we were in and bought fruits, veggies, and bread. We also stopped at a gelato shop and played in a playground.
After that, we went to the castle across the street (Grinzane Cavour). The kids were so excited to see a castle, but when we arrived they raced through it at top speed, not letting the parents see as many things as they would have liked, and then when we left, Timmy said that it was "boring".
For the parents it wasn't boring - it was pretty cool.
For dinner we had truffle pasta. We decided that truffles had a brilliant press job done on them, because though they taste good, they are not nearly as good as morels, which are so much cheaper. The truffles in the pasta we bought were sold for 2.50 euros a gram.
Friday morning we went on a truffle hunt with the famous truffle hunting dog Mara, and her handler Aldo. She found three truffles as we watched, and we found some hazelnuts, and lemon balm. We smelled the truffles, and the truffle infused dirt, and then went back to see Mara's home farm. We had really good water, and then we had lunch and went on a 5 hour drive to Tenuta Di Spannocia.
Alison wants to add in here that we had pizza for lunch, and the truffle pizza tasted really really good, so perhaps truffles over pasta is just a waste of truffles.
We took way longer to get to the farm house than we expected to, and it was an exhausting drive, but we did make it in the end at about 8:00.
As we arrived after dark, there were a lot of stars visible, and Rea loved seeing the stars. It was the highlight of her day. Mike loved the truffle hunt, and we all loved eating dinner after such a long drive.
We had fortunately ordered a basket of farm produce to be waiting for us, so we whipped together a quick pasta, and went to bed.
Saturday we officially checked in to the farm, and explored the farm a bit. We had lentil soup for lunch, and then made it to the grocery store and bought oil, cheese, and many other necessities which we cannot cook without.
It is amazing what a difference a little oil makes.
In the afternoon we explored the "Secret Garden", and found the keyhole pond, and a salamander that lived in it. We went for a hike in a forest that the kids named the "Narnia forest", and then on our way back Timmy dropped his shoe in the pond, and we had to fish it out with a stick. We had baked potatoes for dinner and then Nutella bread (since we are where Nutella was invented).
Sunday we drove to church (1.5 hours each way), and had a good fast and testimony meeting with the local branch. We got back in time for lunch (polenta and zucchini and chickpeas), and then we explored the secret garden all afternoon, and found 25 secrets of the garden, which include mushrooms, rock formations, drain pipes, flat rocks, secret staircases, and a divot in the ground.
Monday we had a tour of the farm. The kids loved climbing the tower. We also saw the pig legs hanging up to cure (for prosciutto), and we saw a boar with an eye patch. Apparently the local boars are quite hard core.Mike and the kids went to see the pigs, while Alison went to get more groceries.
The kids found more lemon balm, and also stinging nettle (which looks surprisingly like lemon balm). We picked enough to make some tea, which was quite surprisingly good. We made potato gnocchi and lasagna for dinner and lunch, which were both really good.
Tuesday we spent all day at Sienna. We went up eight escalators to get up to the city, and then we wandered around the streets all day. We saw the Duomo, the Piazza del Campo, and the Torre del Mangia. The tour book we were following had missions for the kids to accomplish at all of the stops, and the kids liked doing them.The missions were things like "Take a picture next to such and such a statue, mimicking the expression on its face"
Both well recommended restaurants that we tried to go to did not work out, so we just ate pizza at some hole in the wall, which was pretty good. We got Riccaerlli almond cookies, and ridiculous amounts of gelato.
Rea bought a souvenir race horse with her money from grandparents, but the other kids are still waiting to see what they want to get with their money. Timmy is pretty sure he is going to get a stuffed wild boar, but we are encouraging him to wait till the weapons museum that we are going to tomorrow.
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