August 2024 News from Elizabeth
Pasta with Zucchini, Citta' della Pieve + links
Both of my sisters are coming to visit in a few weeks, with their families and I can’t wait. It’s been ages since we were all together here in Umbria. Back in the ‘olden days’, (30 years ago) I was the first one to get married and have children so for a while it was much easier for the aunties to visit us in Italy than the other way around. Once my sisters started families of their own, life got a bit more complicated and the visits all together during endless summers were harder to coordinate. But now, in seemingly a blink of an eye, the girls are pretty much adults and we realized if we don’t all get together now who knows when we will get another chance.
As my sisters and I have been Face-timing, planning meals and things to do while they are here, it’s got me thinking of past summers. I remember that when my sisters arrived I was of course excited to see them, but they also came loaded down with gifts: enormous stacks of magazines. They both worked in publishing (Jodi was a photo editor at Sports Illustrated and Robin was an art director at too many magazines to count) so their magazine haul was large. They would come with at least 2 months worth of magazines like Martha Stewart Living, Oprah, Bon Appetit, House & Garden, etc. We would lug them down to the pool and spend two weeks devouring every page while the girls splashed in the pool.
I’m not usually nostalgic about the march of technology and as you know I fully embrace all the advances that have allowed me to share my stories with such a large audience. And I don’t miss magazines per se. But what I do miss are those long lazy summers when somehow the three of us made the time to sit around together reading magazines all day long for a week or two. I’m glad that we’ll be doing that - maybe minus magazines - again soon.
WHAT’S NEW
As always during the heat of summer both Sophie and I are on the road researching. Sophie was down in Puglia last month staying at this amazing villa (you can find all of the rentals from this agency which Sophie 100% recommends here). In between dips in the pool and time at the beach she also managed to visit a few new places we will be including in our upcoming tours to Puglia.
But just to keep it real: we usually end up sharing all the good stuff we discover on our social media feed. Rest assured that for every great place we find to share with you during our tours, we’ve probably visited 10 places that don’t work out. For instance during her time in Puglia Sophie tried out three restaurants that she will never go back to. They just weren’t good. On the other hand she visited a small family run flour mill that we had no real hopes for and it turned out to be amazing. You just never know.
Sophie is currently in Greece which is pure vacation (don’t worry: she is sharing all her discoveries on Instagram highlights and will also be writing up Thatch guide). But next week she’s back in Italy and headed to Basilicata where we definitely hope to be leading a tour in the future. For now our newest tour to Puglia includes two nights in Basilicata, in the ancient town of Matera. We hope to eventually expand that into a full week in Basilicata in the future. Basilicata is the region located in the instep of boot-shaped Italy, tucked in between Puglia and Calabria. At the moment it’s on our radar for the precise fact it is off of everyone else’s. It’s got next to no international tourism which to us is pure heaven. But if you want to see why we are so crazy about it you can join Sophie there next Spring to get a taste.
I’ve been doing a bit of research too, in Umbria (see where I’ve been below) but also sitting at my computer working on our new tour collaborations. It’s been very exciting reaching out to friends and colleagues to host upcoming culinary adventures. We are arranging a tour to Eastern Sicily with Zoe Francois of Zoe Bakes in April; to Puglia with Meryl Feinstein of Pasta Social Club next March; and to Western Sicily with Shereen Palvides of Cooking with Shereen. The exciting part of arranging tours with new hosts is that it gives us a chance to tailor itineraries to their interests and specialties. For instance Meryl’s tour is pasta-centric, while Zoe’s has as much pastry as we can possibly fit into one week. Since they market them to their own followers they tend to fill up quickly. Is there anyone you follow that you’d like to travel to Italy with? Let me know in the comments. I’m happy to reach out.
WHERE I’VE BEEN
Last month we went to Iceland and the full report is coming up next week in a post for Premium subscribers.
Citta’ della Pieve
My friend Rolando visited us here in Umbria for a few days last week and the first thing he said when I picked him up at the train station was ‘Do you want to go to a dinner on next Tuesday night in Citta della Pieve?” My immediate answer was ‘no’, since who wants to make an hour and 15 minute drive back in the dark after a long dinner? Not me! But after a few days Rolando convinced me, by finding a really cute hotel right near the dinner. Also? It didn’t hurt that Nancy Silverton was cooking and that the dinner was at a darling farm that I had been wanting go to for a long time, ever since I saw it on Nancy’s Instagram account.
Citta della Pieve: This small town is technically in Umbria, but since it’s next to the border with Tuscany it feels extremely Tuscan to me. Less rustic, more organised, and all in all more elegant than the usual Umbrian village (in a good way.) I hadn’t been there in about 25 years, so it was fun to have a walk through town (which I frankly didn’t remember at all). Besides being just a gorgeous town to visit, it is also home to one of the most famous artists of the renaissance: Perugino. There are several of his works to see in churches and museums scattered around town. I would definitely recommend spending a night or two here.
Hotel: We stayed at the Hotel Vanucci which was perfect for an overnight in town. It’s owned by the same company that owns the Hassler in Rome, so it’s super comfortable and the breakfast was excellent. Even though they are in the center of town, they have a sweet little garden.
Quinto Sapore: The reason we were visiting was the dinner at Quinto Sapore. I first heard about this farm through Nancy, when she shared gorgeous photos of incredible produce. Once I dug a little deeper I found that the project was started by two twin brothers during 2020. While many people dreamt of starting an organic farm during that year, Nick and Alessandro actually did it. You can read more about their philosophy here (it goes WAY beyond being simply an organic farm) and you can actually watch them here, when Stanely Tucci came to visit. They’ve recently expanded into hosting events like the dinner we were invited to. And I’ll include the video below of our dinner. Nancy (in case you have somehow never heard of here she is the super famous chef and owner of Mozza in LA) and her team transformed the incredible produce of the farm into a vegetable feast.
You can arrange a visit, cooking class and lunch through their website, or visit their store in town or online to buy both produce and their ever expanding line of preserved vegetables, olive oil and wine. I am totally obsessed by their Aioli.
WHAT I’M READING
Thanks so much for all the recommendations for bleak northern European mysteries in my last newsletter. It turns out I didn’t have much time to get to them while on our vacation in Iceland, but I will be turning to them this month as a way to mentally escape the brutal heat. Many of you suggested Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallanger detective novels and Jo Nesbo, so that’s the direction I’m going.
We also picked up a copy of Independent People while we were there. Domenico is reading it now, but it’s my turn when he is finished.
Like everyone else in the world I am arranging my schedule these days to make sure I catch Simon Biles do amazing things. I’m not usually someone who watches sports on TV, but this goes beyond that. When it comes to the Olympics I’m more likely to be interested in reading about the event from an historial architectural perspective.
Love this idea which combines art and culture with nature while encouraging tourists leave a crowded town in favor of the countryside.
When people ask me for the 'best' coffee in Rome, I always suggest that instead they just wander into whatever coffee bar happens to be nearest to them. That's what Romans do and that's your best chance of having anywhere near an 'authentic' local experience. What are some of the things you do to experience the non-touristy side of a city?
I was going to comment that I need an herb garden like this, then I read the article very carefully and realized that most of the herbs grown in this garden actually grow wild here in Umbria and I pass them most days on my daily walk. I am living in an herb garden.
WHAT I’M EATING
While my friend Rolando was visiting he made us one of my favorite recipes from his book Autentico: Spaghetti alla Nicolina. I had every intention of filming him to make a video, but I got distracted and he was way too fast preparing it. But here is the recipe, from his cookbook Autentico
The dish is named after Nicolina Sergiacomo Peduzzi is the matriarch of Rustichella d’Abruzzo, the pasta brand that Rolando’s company imports. When someone is invited to her family table, she makes her famous Spaghetti alla Nicolina. The simplicity and the flavors of the caramelized zucchini and spicy Pecorino Romano cheese make this one of most flavorful pasta dishes you will ever taste.
Serves 5
1 bag Rustichella Spaghetti or Spaghettoni
8-10 medium size zucchini, sliced in different thicknesses.
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste
In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil until it's very hot. Add the sliced zucchini and carefully spread them out evenly into the pan. Once the pan heats up, lower the flame and let the zucchini caramelise well, about 20–25 minutes. Do not touch or stir, just let them brown on one side. They will not be evenly browned. Turn the flame off and let the pan sit while the pasta cooks.
Boil the pasta in abundant salted water, one minute less than stated on the bag for a nice al dente bite. Drain and toss directly into the pan with the zucchini. Toss over a high flame and mix well.
Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl, sprinkle with lots of grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Because the zucchini have been cooked so slowly, the oil has been infused with the sweet, caramelised flavour of the vegetables. Along with the nuttiness of the cheese, this is incredibly appetizing.
…AND FINALLY
I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. I’ll be here in Umbria, at this table under the pergola, waiting for my sisters and to arrive with their families. The one thing that they have all requested? What they call a ‘Todi Lunch.’ That would be pretty much what you see above: tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto and vegetables. Sounds just about right.
x,Elizabeth
Regarding bleak Northern European mysteries:
It's been decades since I read it, but I immediately thought of Smilla's Sense of Snow, by Peter Hoeg.
And a favorite of mine is The Bird Artist by Howard Norman. It takes place in Newfoundland, not Northern Europe, but it's compelling enough to have inspired a trip there, which is well worth your time should you decide to cross the Atlantic!
Have a wonderful visit with your sisters. After way too long, I'm seeing mine In California next week!
Have the BEST time with your sisters!! (My middle of the day, it's too hot do do anything else project is I am going to tackle the stack of boxes under the stairs that are filled with old Martha Stewart , Real Simple, and Gourmet MAGAZINES)