Out in the country

In the week and half since we got to Fidenza I've met with Franca, our wonderful Italian teacher, several times, whenever we both have a morning free.

Franca hates being photographed

Our get-togethers are no longer outdoors (it's too cold and rainy) and they are no longer formal lessons; instead we take turns forcing each other to speak in English (her) and Italian (me). Franca and her husband, Gianluca, traveled to the U.S. Southwest this past summer (Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon) and now she is keen to improve her English. She is amazed that we want to spend time in a flat little borgo like Fidenza when we could be hiking around mountains in the American West.

She's not without some local pride, however. On Tuesday she and Gianluca took us on an outing to two medieval hill towns in the neighborhood, Castell'Arquato and Vigoleno. They are both eerily well preserved and very beautiful, especially on the first brilliantly sunny autumn day after a week of rain and fog. They are reputed to be among the most beautiful towns in Italy, and I can believe it's true.

The fortress at Castell'Arquato

Franca and Gianluca admire the view from the parapet

The Vigoleno fortress

Vigoleno's main piazza

After hiking up and down cobbled hills for a while we went to Trattoria da Luigi in nearby Vernasca and had a typically spectacular lunch, including a lovely local wine and a full array of salumi, served with crispy cubes of fried polenta.

This photo really doesn't do the tortelli justice

I followed that with tortelli colored red with tomato, filled with shallot-infused ricotta, and lubricated with butter. Danny had chicche della nonna (little green dumplings in a creamy tomato sauce). I don't know if he took a picture.








We also had a couple of crostata--one filled with plum jam, the other with jam and amaretti cookies--but by the time dessert arrived I'd forgotten all about keeping a photographic record.


It was a wonderful day and a delightful, if very temporary, break from worrying about real estate. Grazie molto, Franca e Gianluca!