Some days it seems the world is just working against you. This was how I felt a while ago when my roommate Hunter and I set off for the motherland of motoring, Emilia-Romagna. The day began with bad weather — in fact, I’m not sure if it stopped raining the entire weekend. This was followed by missing two trains and having to take a taxi to Ducati, where I realized I had made an error in the schedule. We then attempted to visit Pagani, but missed our stop and ended up in Modena. We decided to take this in stride and go ahead and make our way to Maranello, the home of Ferrari — problem was, we couldn’t find the bus stop! After wandering around for close to an hour, we gave up and decided to head to the hostel. It wasn’t until we were walking the opposite direction that we spotted a sign for the Autostazione.

We finally arrived at the Ferrari Museum and were greeted by the raspy exhaust note of a Ferrari F430. Finally things were starting to look up! The museum was filled with gorgeous old and new Ferraris. I even got to see the new 458 Italia! However, some of the most beautiful objects there were the engines. It was interesting to see a 120-degree twin-turbo V6 used in F1 Racing.

After returning to Modena and checking into our hostel, we asked about a place to eat. The receptionist recommended Trattoria da Enzo. It turned out to be a wonderful, small restaurant with a mom-and-pop feel. As we sat and waited for the food to arrive we watched the owner, an elderly gentleman, straightening the wine bottles and making his way around the restaurant, casually chatting with patrons in an Emilian dialect. It was obvious that even at his ripe age he still had a passion for life and wouldn’t be slowed down. I ordered the pumpkin ravioli with butter and sage. It was very different, but so delicious! The roasted potatoes were delicious as well. It might seem that potatoes are a difficult food to mess up, and in some sense, this is true — you’d probably have to try to make them taste bad. However, once you’ve tasted potatoes done right, there is a noticeable difference. There was a perfect balance between the flavors of the seasonings and the potato. Everything was great. Even a vegetarian such as myself couldn’t help eyeing Hunter’s balsamic roast beef.

The next morning we got up early and caught a taxi to the Panini Museum, home to historical Maseratis, race cars, and many motorcycles. Strangely, this treasure trove of automotive history is tucked away on a quiet dairy farm not far outside of Modena. There was no showy architecture for the museum, just a small warehouse. Inside, the museum had an intimate, hometown feel to it, and it smelled of old oil and vintage machinery, a scent I am font of. Upon entering, I was immediately drawn to the A6GCS. It was probably the most beautiful car there, and possibly one of the most gorgeous cars I’ve ever seen. Everything there was immaculate. Maseratis have always had quite quirky styling in my opinion, but when you’re standing next to them it all somehow works.

We finally made our way back to Modena and decided to head home when the bad luck set in again. Our train from Modena to Bologna was 30 minutes late, resulting in us missing our train from Bologna to Firenze and having to wait at least another hour. There were a lot of frustrating parts to that trip, but the cars were all beautiful and if nothing else I know it helped me learn more about traveling in Italy. I am sure that my journies since then have been smoother as a result of the struggles that weekend.

Last weekend the Arcadia students set out for Napoli, Sorrento and Pompei. The way there brought troubles — there was an accident on the highway and traffic was backed up to a standstill. Thankfully, because traffic wasn’t moving we were able to get off the bus and walk around a little. After the traffic let up, we were able to make progress towards our destination, but still couldn’t make it to Pompei in time for our tour. We ended up rearranging our schedule and going to Sorrento Saturday and Pompei on Sunday.

Driving through Napoli and Sorrento, one of the first things I noticed was the color. The scenery passing by was reminiscent of vibrant houses I have seen in pictures of Latin America. One of my favorite color combinations on buildings was a cool, medium gray with Ferrari red shutters and accents. In Sorrento, the walls lining the narrow streets envelop you in a sense of warmth. It is almost as if the architects based their color palette on the peppers hanging from street stands and storefronts. Even a dome I saw in the city was topped with colored shingles. I don’t recall anything particularly significant about Sorrento, but it provided me with an opportunity to take pictures and I certainly took my share.

After visiting Sorrento, we went to the town of Vico Equense, where we stayed overnight. We ate dinner at L’Università della Pizza, where I had quite possibly the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my life. The desserts were delicious as well. I don’t know what mine was called, but it was a sweet pastry filled with whipped cream, with a sweet liqueur drizzled on top. The view from the hotel where we stayed was gorgeous. From the patio outside I could see Mount Vesuvius from across the bay, and from a balcony on the building I was able to look over the small town and out at the hills dotted with lights.

The following day, we went to Pompei. I was told that it was a major port city at the time, but even by today’s standards it could still qualify as a large town. It was amazing to see the excavated buildings and how they had been preserved over so many years. Many frescoes were still quite visible on the walls, and mosaic tile floors made of tiny pieces were still intact! As amazing as it was to see, it left me wanting to experience Pompei in its former glory. I guess I’ll just have to imagine, but visiting was in and of itself a kind of trip back in time, a glimpse into what it might have been like.

I had some penne to kill off so I decided to make Penne con Ricotta e Noci this week. This Sardinian recipe is another illustration of the simplicity of Italian cooking — just penne, ricotta, walnuts, and some grated Pecorino Romano on top. The flavor of this dish is not overwhelming, as neither ricotta nor walnuts have particularly pungent flavors. Nevertheless, it is an incredibly rich fare. So rich, in fact, that could not finish a normal sized portion and had to put some of my serving with the leftovers — that never happens. I can only assume that this is because of the fat and protein content in ricotta and walnuts. However, that’s not to say this recipe is unhealthy. Ricotta is relatively low in fat compared to other cheeses and walnuts have heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Who says you can’t eat food that’s both healthy and delicious? So far this is one of my favorite recipes and I plan to make it again.

Last Saturday I went to Lucca with some friends. I was supposed to go to Pisa with them as well, but it didn’t work out unfortunately. The day brought several complications (such as missing two trains), but my time in Lucca was good nevertheless. After pulling into the train station, I walked a little south of there and explored the area. It was interesting to see a “suburban” area (if it can actually be called that) with houses and smaller apartments. There were even some houses that looked somewhat influenced by modern architecture, although there was still an Italian flavor to them. A few residents were relaxing and enjoying their Saturday morning at the local gelateria. Outside of the walled portion of Lucca, the city quickly turn into open green areas. One can see the rows of houses disintegrating into the countryside even just a few minutes walk from the station. The city of Lucca itself is quite beautiful, though I can’t put a finger on what makes it different. We had some time to walk along the top of the wall and see the city from up high. The wall itself has passageways above and below that I could have spent hours exploring, as well as plenty of places to just sit down and take in a panorama. As we left the city and I purchased my train ticket, I thought of the town’s beauty and how I would like to go back and explore Lucca and the surrounding area. And as I walked on to the train platform I got there just in time… to see my friends pulling away in the train and wait an hour for the next.

Number two in my cooking series is Gnocchi di Susine, or Plum Gnocchi. Yes, you do indeed wrap a plum in gnocchi — well, half of a plum. It’s then topped with sugar, cinnamon, and toasted bread crumbs. These are so delicious, but very rich. Although I did like them very much, I do think they could be even better with Satsuma Plums, which have red meat and are sweeter. I believe I used Damson Plums, which have yellowish meat and are tarter. Also, when I make these again I will make it a point to have a very large, floured plate to keep the gnocchi from sticking together before being put in the pan. That way I’ll have twelve separate gnocchi rather than one giant one.

Earlier this week I finally got around to cooking a recipe from Fred Plotkin’s book, Italy for the Gourmet Traveler. I decided my first recipe would be asparagus risotto. I didn’t really know what risotto was until I came to Italy. For those of you who don’t know, risotto is an Italian dish of rice cooked in stock, often with meat or vegetables. I got a bundle of asparagus from a nearby open-air market. I chose to use vegetable stock instead of the recommended beef stock because I am a vegetarian. That choice may or may not have also had to do with the fact that I couldn’t find any beef stock. As you can see below, it isn’t much to look at, but I assure you it is delicious. The asparagus was tender and fresh, and the flavor came through wonderfully. That is all for now — I must go attend to another meal I am cooking from Fred’s book. Ciao!