Wine-tasting in Chianti

I've wanted to visit an Italian vineyard since seeing Diane Lane's rural villa in Under the Tuscan Sun. This is a great film that my older sister enthusiastically recommended and which I too enjoyed for the first time somewhere around the mid-2000s (and probably every other year since then). After spending the morning with David in Florence, we took an hour bus ride south to Castello di Verrazzano near Greve, Italy. We wanted to do an afternoon tasting rather than a whole day excursion and chose this particular vineyard because it was easy to get to and not too expensive... always a plus :)

This beautiful view awaited us when we got out off the bus at the bottom of what would come to be the most challenging 30 minutes of our two weeks traveling together... The website mentions "a 30 minute walk ... through the vineyards of the property" to get up to the castle (if you take public transport). I thought this sounded pleasant and told Angela the 30 minutes was probably more of an overshot estimation because who would walk 30 minutes uphill to a castle for a wine tasting. Well, we did. 

Here's Angela about one third of the way through our hike. It really wouldn't have been that bad except we weren't dressed for any sort of physical activity and it got SO warm as time passed. Oh and it seemed like we would never get there... And about ten cars and one vespa (all heading to the same tasting as us) passed us on the road. 

We did make it though- after an accurate 30 minutes of hiking through the vineyards/forest of the property. The gardens of the castle were absolutely beautiful though and provided a calming welcome upon our arrival. The noise from the fountain above helped mask my uneven breaths as we learned about the history of the vineyard. Giovanni da Verrazzano was born here in 1485. He discovered the Bay of New York along with much of it's coast and the Verrazzano Bridge in New York is named after him. 

Wine has been produced in this location since 1150. I couldn't really wrap my head around that but I knew we were probably going to be sampling the products of some very fine-tuned methods later that afternoon. Northern Italy is known for their red wines and southern Italy specializes in whites so we would be sampling a few reds and possibly a rosé. 

The views from the castle were incredibly beautiful. Tuscany was kind of dreamlike. I could imagine a very nice life sipping coffee as the sun rose, working the fields during the day, drinking the best reds in the evening, and falling asleep in a hammock each night. The hammock just because it's relaxing not because I saw any evidence that this is something people actually do here. 

We toured the castle and cellars before our tasting. The grapes below were picked specially for the vino santo that takes three years of preparation before it is ready to drink. The grapes are picked at a certain ripeness and then hung in the attic of the castle where (with the help of an insane amount of fruit flies) they mature and begin to ferment. After a couple months hanging like this, they are put into the wine casks where they mature for another two and a half years. Although this wine wasn't part of our tasting, Angela and I got to sample it because we hung around after the tasting with our awesome tour guide. It was really sweet and very strong. 

The wine barrels in the cellar were all massive. All the wine there could keep you stocked for your wine and cheese parties for the rest of eternity. I loved the barrel designs but only chose one to feature below. Well, two technically as you got a bonus pic of me modeling next to this year's Chianti harvest. 

After the tour we sampled three wines, a balsamic vinaigrette, and olive oil that is all produced at Verrazzano. The wines were all very good but the vinaigrette is honestly what blew me away. It was incredible. It's typically served with fruits or cheese and we had it with the cheese below (also delicious but that's almost a given). We were taught the official way to taste the wines which I will now describe in detail. 

1. Grab your glass by the stem. Never hold the goblet because that will alter the temperature of the wine. Look at it, observe the colors, think about what you are going to drink. 
2. Smell the wine. Don't just sniff the edge though- no, you place your entire nose into the glass and breathe deeply. What scents did you notice?
3. Now, take a small taste, swish it around your mouth and swallow. 
4. Put the glass back on the table, give it a good swirl. 
5. Take another taste. The wine has been given a chance to breathe and develop in the glass and will have a fuller flavor.
6. No need to continue swirling after each taste, simply enjoy the wine. 

A bit of an extreme process for my unrefined pallet but it was nice to play along... 

As I mentioned, we stayed after the tasting to chat with our guide and a group of Australians that were traveling Italy for a few weeks together. One of the couples was actually a year into a two year trip around the world... something to work towards in life if I've ever heard of one! We sampled the Vino Santo, bought a bottle of rosé, got a ride down through the vineyards (thankfully), and caught our bus back to Florence. We took a train to Pisa that evening so next post I'll share some stories from those few days... hope the suspense isn't too much to handle!

Ang and I sampling some pretty delicious wine. Cheers friends!

Italia: Firenze

We started our last morning in Milan with the routine cappuccino and then made our way to the Central train station. (Have I mentioned yet that I absolutely love traveling by train?) Despite the chaos of the ticket office, the rest of the station was beautiful and I wondered if an aspiring designer had thought to use it for a fashion show yet... **If this happens next year because someone read this blog please at least invite me to the show.**

A few short hours later and we arrived in Florence. We were greeted by warmer weather, winding streets and the overpowering yet still pleasant scent of leather. We had a leather market set up right outside our hotel window actually!

Angela and I walked through the market for a bit and I got a ~kewl~ sunglasses case. I wish I had purchased more. It was all real leather (they did the flame test on each item to prove it) and you could haggle prices to get a better deal. I will readily admit that my haggling skills are dismal but I love a good challenge and would be up to try again :) Just outside the market was a bronze boar that supposedly brings good luck if you rub it's nose. I suppose it is the explanation for my luck these days... 

After the market we headed towards the the Cathedral. Now, I must say that if I've ever considered having a guest blogger describe a place, it would be this post about Florence. My sister Sarah is incredibly well-versed in this specific Cathedral and art/art history so if you would like more information about either, please contact her! I am too afraid to misrepresent any information though so, as per usual, I'll just leave some rambling thoughts and photos here :)

The Cathedral was amazing. I loved the design that decorated the building and gave it such a unique character. The Tower and Dome are two obvious main features of this Cathedral. Brunelleschi's Dome is noted as one of the greatest engineering feats of the Renaissance. The construction of the Cathedral began in the late 1200s but the technology or tools didn't exist to figure out how to construct the dome without external support (Sarah informed me that the Italian's hate buttresses) and there wasn't enough wood in the region to build enough scaffolding to complete the dome. Brunelleschi engineered a way to complete the dome though with movable scaffolding and it was finally finished in the 1400s. So cool!

 

We climbed the tower and the hike was well worth it! Here are a few pictures of the amazing views from the top of the tower. From up here I could definitely see how people fall in love with this city. It was breath-taking. 

We descended the Tower and snapped a few more pictures before heading for some aperitivo. Again, I loved the exterior of the Duomo- so striking and beautiful. Equally as striking is the photo below on the right- me modeling this season's latest grunge-chic travel line in font of the beautiful front doors of the Cathedral. I hear plaid shirts tied around your waist are making a comeback...  

 

I woke up early the next morning and made my way to the Accademia Gallery. I arrived before it opened but still had to wait in line for 45 minutes before getting in. I had a lovely view though (photo below) and also The Goldfinch on my Kindle to help pass the time. (Quick recommendation for everyone to read that by the way... amazing book!)

There was a temporary musical exhibit at the entrance that I perused a bit. Most of the instruments in the exhibit were all that remains from the Medici collection. The Medici's were extremely influential in so many ways to Florentine society and music was no exception. Below are a trio of violins that made me think of my younger siblings. 

Now, I had to make a tough call on which museum to visit in Florence as I knew I only had time for one. I chose Accademia though because I had to see David. I was not disappointed in the slightest. The building itself was constructed to house the famous statue after it was moved from the Palazzo della Signoria in the late 1800s. At just over 14 feet tall, the statue was so impressive. I don't claim to know much about art but this is some serious talent. Well done Michelangelo. You can walk around the entire statue and I took the PG image on the lower right in case nudity isn't your thing. 

David is of course the most well-known piece in the Accademia Gallery but I did see a lot of other amazing work. The hall of sculptures was unfortunately closed but I reached my phone in anyway to snap the below photo. There was a significant amount of iconography and other decorative pieces from churches through the decades in the Gallery. Again though, I was there for David so I didn't spend too much time elsewhere :)

After touring the museum, I met Angela back at the Cathedral so that we could take a tour inside. It is set up by the people of Florence to showcase their town and the artists/works they are most proud of. We had a pretty good audioguide that explained a lot of the pieces inside. Two of my favorites are below. First, is the 24 hour clock that hangs above the main entrance. The hands of the clock move opposite to our modern-day clocks in a counter-clockwise movement. (I struggled to find synonyms for clock in that last sentence... sorry.) The 24th hour wasn't our traditional midnight either. It indicated sunset which was a crucial indicator of time in the 1400s because that was when the gates of the city would close. The bells were synchronized to the clock to notify the farmers when sunset was approaching. My second favorite within the Duomo was the painting inside the dome. Now, as with many things, the picture below really doesn't do it justice. The dome is massive and standing beneath it, craning your neck as you try to take it all in, is something that a camera cannot really capture. I took a picture anyway though to share :) 

After touring the Cathedral we had some amazing pizza at Dante's. If you go to Florence, this is THE pizza place to visit. I would confidently say it was the best pizza I had in Italy. We left Florence that afternoon for a wine tour which I will write about next :) I'll leave you with two of my favorite pictures from Florence though. First, the woman in the apron below. What a character. This picture still makes me laugh when I see it. Second, is an Instagram aided edit from the roof of the Duomo. Such a gorgeous place- I still feel lucky I was able to experience it!

Ciao friends!

Italia: Milano edition

[Disclaimer: I really have been trying to get some thoughts down on the blog since I got back from my trip. Days turned to weeks though and now I'm a month out from when I left. I will do my best to update more soon. I think the thought of recounting everything was a bit daunting but here goes nothing... part one of who knows how many :)]

Two weeks of Autumn vacation last month provided the perfect opportunity to explore a bit of Europe. After whittling down our grandiose itineraries, my friend Angela and I ended up with an 11 day plan for Italy and then Ireland. We recruited our friend Jessica for the first weekend in Milan, packed our bags (the night before... sorry Dad, old habits die hard), and were ready for anything.

We took a bit of an unconventional route to Milan that first night... Geneva to Zurich to Lugano to Milan. As I've mentioned before, our voie7 passes allow us to travel from 7pm to 5am for free around Switzerland. So, we took a few overnight trains to the last town within the Swiss border and then made our way to Milan with one more train. Would I do it again? Well, actually, yes I probably would because getting to Milan for 6 euros is a pretty good deal. Plus I've lived by the 'I'll sleep when I'm dead' motto since joining the crew team in college so why stop now :)

We fueled up with coffee (and pastries) upon arrival and were ready to explore the city. 

As luck would have it, we had an expert guide to help us traverse both the streets of Milan and the Italian language. Anna and I both had the good fortune of living with Anne before jetting off to Europe and it was great to catch up with her over the weekend. 

Anna is a perfect host. She embodied the Italian spirit of treating everyone like family and made us feel right at home in Milan. She not only showed us all the main attractions but also took us to the best gelato spot! For this I will be forever grateful. They fill the bottom of the cone with your choice of dark, milk or white chocolate and then top it with a scoop or two of heaven in whichever flavor you desire. Special look below at Jess, Angela and I with our first Italian gelato! 

We stopped at the Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio on our tour of Milan. As a self proclaimed Cathedral lover, I always enjoy stopping in to observe Cathedrals, churches and anything in between when I travel. I guess growing up going to mass at the Cathedral in Omaha instilled a love and maybe a bit of curiosity in me that I can't quite shake. I was lucky to have fellow Cathedral lovers to travel with this trip. We happened to go into the Basilica on a whim only to find that the relics of the Magi were kept here for years until being moved to their current position in Cologne at the Kölner Dom. (I got to visit the Kölner Dom last September and was absolutely speechless. It is beyond impressive.) The Basilica was built in the Romanesque style and has a beautiful Chapel that I took way to many pictures in... My favorite part was the rainbow mosaic dome (above) in the Portinari Chapel. So beautiful!

We continued our walking tour and did lots of shopping along the way. Milan is one of Europe's fashion centers and I desperately tried to fit in by wearing a leather jacket... :) Really though I liked the all black look that many Milanese were rocking. I'm a sucker for green (and still struggle to not wear all green on any given day) but could definitely embrace the black silhouette. 

Now, the pinnacle of the day (in my opinion) was when we made it to the Duomo. Anna took us down a cute street with boutiques and great shopping and we turned a corner to be greeted by one of the most impressive structures I've ever seen. The white marble stood out beautifully against some of the more modern structures on the plaza. I loved seeing all of the life happening around the Duomo. There are numerous businesses and shops surrounding it and the subway even runs underneath it! To me, it seemed like it was right in the heart of Milan. We didn't have too long of a wait to get inside but I would wait hours to see it again. 

I didn't take any pictures inside. At first, honestly, it was because you had to pay for a special wristband to take pictures. Looking back though, I'm glad I didn't because I was able to enjoy the experience so much more by just observing and not trying to get the right angle or lighting so that I could Instagram something later. I'm still not sure I can write about what it was like to be inside. The interior is absolutely massive (it's the fifth largest church building in the world). Standing inside, looking up from floor, past the beautiful stained glass, and up to the ceiling simply took my breath away. I don't think I could explain in better in person than I am in writing but truly, this was a highlight of my travels. The stained glass was incredible and actually, this article (Click here!) inspired me to finish writing this post today. It's worth a read if art or history or glass or cathedrals interest you in the slightest. I love traveling and seeing places that have been around for hundreds (or thousands) of years and it's crazy to think that they couldn't be replicated today. 

After touring the Duomo, we made a stop at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (Galleria for short I think...) and admired the beautiful windows, paintings, and storefronts of shops I could never afford to spend any money in. Legend has it that if you stand on the bull mosaic on the floor and turn around three times you will return to Milan. I decided I didn't need a bull to tell me I'd be back... plus the lines were long and we were on our way to lunch :)

The best meal I had in Italy was in Milan on our second day. Anna recommended this place and again, for this I am forever grateful to her. Pictured below is hands down, the best gnocchi I have ever consumed. Actually, best pasta. Period. Full stop. We spent over two hours enjoying pasta, sliced meats (the roast beef here brought a tear to my eye) and some of the freshest cheese known to man. I'm getting a little overzealous with this description but it was really that good. Also pictured is a bowl of wine... yes, you read that right. We initially poured our wine into what looked like water glasses because we weren't given your standard wine glass. The waiter returned later to tell us those were for water and the bowls were for the wine. We were certain he was playing a trick on the unsuspecting tourists but did it anyway. A table behind us later followed our examples so at least we weren't the only ones... we got a good laugh out of it anyway (as did the waiters and one man waiting to be seated).

After touring with Anna the first day, we rested up and enjoyed our first (of many) aperitivo experiences. Aperitivo is a Milanese born tradition of purchasing a drink and then getting a spread of appetizers free of charge. Every place does it differently but we had a full buffet one evening and it was the cheapest meal of my trip haha! I would love to bring this tradition back to the states. Our second day was spent doing a bit more shopping and wandering the streets. We of course went back for more gelato before Jess returned that evening to Switzerland. Angela and I enjoyed another aperitivo and wandered the canals before heading in for the evening. 

I can't remember the name of the above building but I loved the way it looked; lit up just as the sun was setting. Lots of young people were hanging around this plaza and I felt lucky to be exploring Europe and having the experiences I am. Milan was amazing and I don't think we could have asked for a better start to our trip! 

Thanks for your patience as I get back in the writing groove my friends. More to come soon! Ciao! 

Cows, chocolate and cheese

Took a bit of a break from my blogger lifestyle for the past few weeks but want to do some updating now because my horrible memory will surely thank me later. I got back this week from an amazing fall holiday to northern Italy and then Ireland. Before I jump into that though I have some Swiss traditions to share from before I left. 

Each year in Switzerland, after spending about four months grazing in the Alpine pastures, the cows process down the mountains in a traditional celebration know as Désalpe. Some of the cows wear elaborate headdresses and the farmhands are dressed in traditional clothing from the area as they make their way down the mountain. Along with about 40 other au pairs, we went to the Gruyère region early one Saturday and squeezed onto the crowded sidewalks to get a look at the procession. 

The cows wear huge bells around their necks and hundreds of these parading through the streets made for quite an impressive soundtrack for the day! We were able to wander through a market that was set up and sample some wine and cheese from the region. Everyone flocked back to the main street though when the emcee announced the next wave/farm of cows that would be arriving. As a midwesterner, I respect the importance of cows but this pomp and circumstance was a whole new level. The town was very beautiful and we got to take in the views which is always a plus for me. 

After a few hours, we moved on to the second event of our day- visiting the Cailler chocolate factory! 

We started with a history of chocolate that went from the Aztecs to the Spanish and then up to the Swiss legends that perfected the craft. We were able to see the different ingredients and components that go into making their various products as well as watch how they are made.

The samples were the best part though if I'm being honest. You made your way around the room starting with the classic milk chocolate and ending with the fancy creations. Pacing yourself is the only way to make it though. 

The last stop of the day was what I was most excited for- visiting the Gruyère cheese factory! Unfortunately, their museum wasn't as well done as Cailler's but we still got to sample some cheese so I counted it as a win anyway. After visiting the factory gift shop (where I bought a reusable bag... my greatest weakness), we started our hike up to the main part of town. I'm amazed time and time again with how beautiful this country is. 

We finished off the day with an amazing dinner of macaroni and cheese (made with Gruyère of course) and chalet soup which is a delicious melange of vegetables from the region as well as milk and cheese. This was my dinnertime view:

It was a quintessential Swiss day and I couldn't have been happier. I'll leave you with a video of the cow procession and a mini concert featuring the cor des Alpes. This is a traditional mountain instrument that was initially used to communicate over long distances and from what I can tell is now mostly used for show... Video here!

Italy and Ireland coming soon!!

Swiss German Adventures

When I was in the Alps the other weekend (can't believe I can actually write that...) we took a detour to Lucern to see what the city had to offer and it did not disappoint! It was extremely beautiful but that's sort of become the norm here in Switzerland :)

Despite being fairly crowded with tour groups, we maneuvered away from the lake towards the Ruess River and the series of bridges that cross it. Originally constructed in the 14th century, the wooden Chapel Bridge is a well-known landmark in Lucerne. It has been burned down a few times but thanks to new security measures it was standing when we visited. 

The picture above is the view looking at the 'Old Town' from the Chapel Bridge. Restaurants lined the river and lots of people were enjoying the beautiful weather. I think it would have been a romantic place to have dinner- if you're into that sort of thing. It was a quick visit but nice to see another city in Switzerland. Here is my favorite picture from Lucerne. Clouds, water, beautiful architecture- does it get any better?!

We stayed in Zurich for the evening and left for the Rheinfalls the next morning. The largest plain waterfall in Europe, it was formed in the last Ice Age and is currently under consideration for hydropower projects. 

Groupies in front of the Falls

We made the short drive back to Zurich and after dropping Laura off at the train station, walked around Zurich a bit. Even if you didn't know that Zurich was a financial center, you would have noticed the banks and private equity offices that lined every street. We walked down Bahnhofstrasse and admired (and critiqued) the window displays. The best by far was this macaroon display: 

And I didn't take a picture, but believe me the worst was the Chanel display. Felt purses and boucle patterned tennis shoes were heavily featured. (Not saying I'm a fashion expert- my sisters will probably agree- but I just couldn't get on board with what they were selling.)

We got caught in a bit of a downpour while taking in the city so we called our tour a little early and headed back to the train station. I actually enjoyed seeing the city in the rain. It was less crowded and I love the way streetlights look after the rain. I will leave you today with a snapchat pic of me wearing a dirndl! Lena, Patrick and Jermaine left for Oktoberfest after Zurich and Lena let me try hers on. It was enough to convince me to buy one of my own in the next year. 

Shoutout to my German roots!