Food Lover's Odyssey

Eurochocolate - Italy's Biggest Chocolate Festival

"One cannot live on memories alone" (Non si vive di soli ricordi). That was the theme of this year's Eurochocolate festival.  The festival, held yearly in the hilltop city of Perugia, is touted as Italy's biggest chocolate festival.  I travel for chocolate, and the memories of this year's  CioccolaTo in Turin were just not enough.  I had to go, see and sample Eurochocolate for myself.

Big it was.  Big name chocolate makers, both Italian and International, were there.  Perugina, Lindt, Venchi, Caffarel, Milka, Motta, Novi, Eraclea, Toblerone, even Nestle (who owns Perugina), and many more chocolate makers and bakers had tents filled with chocolate!

The realization of the festivals immensity and popularity hit me when I arrived to find the 7:43am train from Rome to Perugia packed to standing room only.  Standing the entire 2 plus hours, I could only imagine the lovely Autumn scenes outside the train window: the Umbrian valley in hues of green, orange and red, the stone churches and their bell towers rising above the hilltop towns. 

I was rethinking my decision when the train finally pulled into Perugia's train station. There, we easily found both city buses (3 euros round-trip) and a choco-train (4 euros round trip) available to take us and the masses up the hill to the festival.   During the ride, we circled our way up as gold and orange-leafed trees lined our way.  Once in a while we caught views of the rolling hills and similarly colored Umbrian valley below us.

 

 

 

Possibly because it was the last Saturday of the 10-day festival, the festival was packed.  Not only were there lots of people, but there was lots of chocolate, in many forms, to sample and buy.  Five of the main piazzas in Perugia were filled with vendors' tents, and the streets that connected all these piazzas were also flanked with chocolate vendors.

 

 

 

When there are so many varieties of chocolate, one must try as many as possible, no? The thick hot chocolate was my favorite treat of the day.  Eraclea served dark, milk and white hot chocolates so thick they easily held up the spoons. They also sold 32 different flavors of hot chocolate mix, which you could take home. I was happy to find gianduja in several forms from the Turin chocolatiers in attendance.  Along with the gianduja, I purchased chunks cut from those slabs of chocolate studded with hazelnuts.  It doesn't matter if it's dark, milk or gianduja chocolate holding the hazelnuts, I love them all. 

Besides the hazelnutty goodness that is Baci from Perugina, I tried their Banana - dark chocolate in the shape of a banana with a banana cream inside.  I was surprised that I liked it. Not too strong of a banana taste, it went well with the dark chocolate.  And then there were churros and chocolate sauce.  I mean, fried dough and chocolate, what's not to love?  Many booths were giving samples away and much more generously than at the CioccolaTo Festival.  The Novi vendor won my award for most friendly and most generous with the samples.

 

 

 

Chococard - We purchased a chococard for 6 euros and received 14 chocolate tastings with it. Along with the tastings, we were eligible for discounts off purchases at many other booths.  The girl who sold us the card told us we could spot which booths had Chococard tastings by their long lines.  She was right. In Ciobar's case, I thought I had stumbled upon an Occupy demonstration in Italy.  I don't know how I managed to get through the mob without wearing any of my or someone else's hot chocolate, but I did.

Of the tastings/offers (called omaggi in Italian), I had several favorites. The 6 euros was a good value.  The hot chocolate was divine, as were our mini Domori chocolates with chocolate liqueur.  Other favorites from our sampling included, the mini Toblerone bar, my 200g chocolate frame, and the two chocolate "cones" from Motta.  The cones looked like Drumstick bars, but where you would find ice cream in the Drumstick, we found solid chocolate in the Motta cones.

 

 

The line mass crowd trying to get a cup of hot chocolate

When the hot chocolate is this thick & decadent, the crowd and the pushing is worth it!

My choco-frame didn't survive the trip back to CA, but it's going to make a delicious hot chocolate!

 

 

When on the verge of chocolate overdose, we took a pork break and spent some time being kids again.  The guy making balloon hats made more for adults than for children.

Spalm Beach, on the terrace of Piazza Matteotti, had beach chairs and beautiful views

 

 

Besides the festive atmosphere and all the chocolate love in the air, Perugia has much to admire all on its own; medieval buildings, pretty piazzas, and a hilltop location with breathtaking views -

Fontana Maggiore - This time it wasn't the chocolate version

 

Although I might not plan a trip to Italy around Eurochocolate, I certainly would go again if I were in Umbria (or Rome) in October.  Although I've been known to plan trips for chocolate, it's not necessary as there are many chocolate festivals throughout Italy during the Spring, Fall and Winter months.  Here are a few upcoming chocolate festivals happening in November and December, 2011, and some already planned for 2012:

Cioccoshow: La Magie del Cioccolato in Bologna - November 16 to 20, 2011

Showcolate 2011 in Naples - December 8 to 11, 2011

Cioccolentino 2012 in Terni - February 10 to 14, 2012

Fiera del Cioccolato Artigianale in Florence - February 10 to 19, 2012

CioccolaTo 2012 in Turin - March 2 to 11, 2012

Altrociccolato in Gubbio - October 2012 (unconfirmed dates are Oct. 15-17)

Eurochocolate 2012 in Perugia - October 19 to 28, 2012

 

For a list of even more food and wine festivals in Italy, I update a list and post it weekly in Sunday's Italy on a Plate roundup.

 

 

Related Posts:

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

Italy Monuments in Chocolate at Turin's Chocolate Festival

Italian Hot Chocolate at Carnival in Venice

Easter Chocolates in Paris Windows

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Gianduja-Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day 2010

Torta Setteveli - Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake from Palermo

Nutella Love Cake for World Nutella Day 2011

Chocolate Eclairs with Chocolate Pastry Cream

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

 

 

Paris Pastries Binge - Pierre Herme

 

 

Paris pastry samplings are one of the things I most look forward to whenever I visit the city.  This trip I binged sampled so many I felt a sugar coma coming on. The samplings started and ended with Pierre Herme.  Although some of my friends complain about Chef Herme's higher prices, his pastries and macarons never dissapoint.  Simply and impeccably decorated, the flavors are as flawless as each little pastry jewels' appearance. There is a reason he's the highest priced patissier in town. The problem is that when you start a Paris pastry binge with Pierre Herme, it creates a high standard for the other pastry shops to live up to.  And, many of them don't.

We started with some from the current "fetish" line or special of the season: vanilla and ended with macarons.  Right now Chez Herme has an array of Infiniment Vanille (Intensely Vanilla) specials on offer. We tried two, and each lived up to its promise. All of the various creams in the pastries generously use three kinds of vanilla; from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico. I also really wanted to bite into one of those fat vanilla eclairs, but that will have to be for the next PH pastry binge. 

 

Infiniment Vanille selection of pastries from the rue Vaugirard shop

 

Tart Infiniment Vanille

 

This tart starts off with a crunchy pate sable (shortbread crust) at its base, giving some crunchy texture to balance all the creamy vanilla-ness that follows. On the tart's crust lies a vanilla bean and white chocolate ganache. For more vanilla, a lady-finger disc is soaked in vanilla simple syrup and nestled into the ganache.  At the very top, rests a thick disk of vanilla and mascarpone cream.

 

Infiniment Vanille pastry

 

A dense and slightly crunchy almond-vanilla macaron cake holds a layer of vanilla mousseline cream (pastry cream, butter and vanilla) and a layer of the vanilla and mascarpone cream.  It has less textural contrast than the tart and wasn't as powerful on the vanilla flavor, even though each cream again has a combination of the three types of vanilla.  What it lacked in vanilla overload, though, it made up for in creaminess.  I liked the pairing of almonds and vanilla together, too.

 

 

The thing about macarons are that they can be too sweet, as they already have a lot of sugar in the cookie, which is egg whites, sugar and ground almonds. When the filling is jam, more sugar, the entire macaron is much too sweet for my palate.  Pierre Herme understands how to perfectly balance the filling and the cookie. Although sometimes a bit odd or avant-garde, his fillings contrast use flavors that are fatty, creamy, salty and sometimes savory to create macaron bliss.  These were my favorites from his selection (from right to left):

Infiniment Chocolat - Intensely chocolate filling made with a single origin Venezualan chocolate for the chocolate ganache filling. 

Infiniment Vanille - Again for lovers of all things vanilla, there is the infiniment vanille macaron.  White chocolate and vanilla bean ganache is the filling, and I would say this macaron is more intensely vanilla flavored than the tart. 

Huile d'Olive & Vanille - Olive oil and the white chocolate & vanilla ganache pair to make the filling for the green macaron. I preferred this to the infinement vanille because the olive oil offsets some of the sweetness of the white-chocolate based ganache.

Infiniment Caramel - Still my all-time PH macaron favorite. This is for lovers of caramel, especially the salted-butter kind.  A buttercream of caramel and salted butter is the perfect salty, fatty foil to the sweet macaron cookie.

Caraquillo - One of the new flavors for the September re-entry from vacation line, this ganache filling blends together chocoate, coffee and anice flavors and definitely puts this macaron in my top three of all of them. 

 

Other selections from the Pierre Herme pastry case

 

I'll soon share more pastries from my pastry binge at some of the other best pastry shops in Paris.

 

Pierre Herme - There are several locations in Paris - These are the patisseries I visited:

185 rue de Vaugirard - Metro stop: Pasteur

72 rue Bonaparte - Metro stop: St. Sulpice

Macarons and Chocolates only: 4 rue Cambon - Metro stop: Concorde or Madeleine

Most indivudual pastries cost 6 to 6.50 euros and mini macarons cost 72 euro a kilo (I paid 8.50 euros for the 5 above)

 

 

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Where is your favorite pastry shop, Paris or in another city?  What is your favorite pastry?

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Related Posts:

French Pastries and Ten Top Patisseries in Paris

Paris Walks for Food Lover's - Rue de Seine and Bonaparte

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part One

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part Two

The Dish from France: Viennoiserie

Cooking Classes for the Culinary Traveler in Paris

Fraisier

Chocolate Eclairs with Chocolate Pastry Cream

Meyer Lemon Tart Topped with a Lightened Lemon Cream

Four-Spice Palmiers

Croustade aux Pommes - Flaky Apple Tart Inspired by Lunch at Pavillion Margaux

Saturday Scene: Rome at Night

 

Rome, a walking city? Yes, it is usually included in any list of top walking cities around the world. Ok, so you might need to be a little extra careful of cars; meaning you risk life, limb and camera whenever you step foot off a sidewalk.  Rome is also one of the most beautiful cities to walk at night, when the heat of the day has left with the sun and its monuments are alit both from the night lights and the moon. 

One of my favorite travel memories was my trip last summer in Rome.  Every evening while we were there, my friend Daniel (my roommate in Venice) and another friend Marcello roamed Rome after dark, where we made several wine sipping stops along the way in piazze and even under the moonlit shadow of the Colosseum.

For today's Saturday Scene, I have for you Rome at night; monuments and evening scenes from some of my favorite night walks in Rome:

 

From the Capitoline Hill to the Colosseum

 

Michealangelo's Piazza Campidoglio illuminated

 

Monument Vittorio Emanuele

 

Statue of Garibaldi, in front of the Monument Vittorio Emanuele

 

 

Arch of Constantine

 

 

 

Isola Tiberina and Along the Tiber River

This walk is especially fun in the summer as the Tiberina Island and the surrounding area hosts one of the many outdoor summer festivals.  There's dining al fresco along the river, along with cocktail bars, booths with jewelry, clothes and more for sale, and the biggest outdoor movie screen (cinema sotto il cielo) in the city.

 

Isola Tiberina and the Church of San Bartolomeo during summer festivities 

 

Ponte Rotto (the Broken Bridge)

 

Ponte Sisto (Sisto Bridge)

 

Summer eveing festivities along the Tiber River

 

Lounge along the Tiber River

 

 

Castel Sant' Angelo 

Evening views from the top of Castel St. Angelo are some of the most romantic and  picturesque in Rome.  The star-shaped piazza that surrounds the castel, and the area along the Tiber below it, also host another of the city's summer festivals.

 

Castel Sant' Angelo and the Ponte Sant' Angelo (also called the Bridge of Angels)

 

Ponte Vittorio and the Dome of St. Peter's from the Ponte Sant' Angelo

 

From atop Castel Sant' Angelo

 

St. Peter's Basilica from atop the Castel St. Angelo

 

 

Trastevere

Trastevere is one of the livelier neighborhoods at night.  The streets have a Christmas-like glow as many of the trattorie hang strings of lights above the al fresco dining areas.  Street musicians play for a coin or two everywhere you look.

 

Santa Maria in Trastevere - one of the oldest churches in Rome 

 

 

 

 

 

Campo de' Fiori - Piazza Navona - Pantheon - Trevi Fountain

This walk is probably one of the most popular with visitors to Rome.  Starting at the Campo de' Fiori you go north to Piazza Navona.  From there an almost pedestrian-only path leads you to the Pantheon and farther along.  You end at the Trevi Fountain where swarms of people gather to throw in their coins and ensure a return to the eternal city.

 

Campo de' Fiori under the moonlight

 

Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona

Bernini's Statue of the Nile River shading his eyes from the Church of St. Agnes in Agony (a work of Bernini's rival Borromini)

 

Neptune's Fountain in Piazza Navona

 

 

The Pantheon

 

Trevi Fountain

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Taste of Testaccio - Food Tour with Eating Italy in Rome

Saturday Scene: Italy and France in Shades of Blue

Saturday Scene: The Tricolore in Turin

Roman Pasta Dishes and 10 Places to Eat Them in Rome

Food in Rome: Taste of Testaccio is Offal

Coda alla Vaccinara - Roman Style Braised Oxtail

Best Picnic Spots and Picnic Fare in Rome

Pizza al Taglio at Pizzarium in Rome

Caramel Gelato and Five Favorite Gelaterie in Rome

Cacio e Pepe Pasta in a Parmigiano Bowl - Inspired by Roma Sparita

Pasta all' Amatriciana - A Roman Treat

Potato Gnocchi for Gnocchi Giovedi

Rome with a View - Five Favorite Spots for Photo Ops in Rome

Villa d'Este in Photos - Day Trip from Rome

My Best Souvenir - Launching the Travel Memories in My Mind

 

Souvenirs, those things we bring back from our travels.  The word is French and though it can mean a travel memento, it's most commonly used in French to mean a memory, or to remember (when used as a verb).   Souvenirs are this month's topic for The Travel Belles "Across the Cafe Table"  chat, more specifically, your favorite souvenir.

 

I've been known to buy a trinket or three while traveling.  I have a collection of Venetian masks that grows with each visit to the floating city.  I'm not immune to the cheesy souvenir either; I collect snow globes.  I imagine one day when I'm old and my memory is failing I'll shake each globe, of this hopefully massive collection, and the little white flecks cascading onto famous monuments will help remind me of all I've seen, ate and the people I've met in those cities. Whether cheesy or extravagant, my prerequisite for a great souvenir is one that unlocks the door to your best travel memories.

 

Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories.  Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart.  ~ Thomas Fuller

 

The best souvenirs aren't really the ones that I've purchased.  Some are recipes that take me back to a meal or dessert from "the road." Others are CDs/downloads of Italian music we played during our giro in Sicilia and on the beach in Liguria. Sometimes it's only a word.  Just mention "Spritz" and my mind launches the highlight reel of a month's worth of Spritz drinking and summer evenings in Venice. 

My very favorite souvenirs are my travel stories/memories and the collage of photos that go with them.  The photos instantly transport me back to a specific place, a walk, a vista, a meal shared, a funny mishap, or any of those goosebump moments you get while traveling.  Looking at the photo sends my mind into a blissful reverie and my face alights with a faraway glow.

Most of the time the photos that spark the best memories aren't necessarily the most picturesque or photographic and have a completely different story behind them then the photo might suggest. And, they might not always bring back the best travel moments, but instead the funniest.

Some of these travel stories I've shared with you, others I should share with you in the future.  Here, I give you a glimpse at some of those stories, aided by my favorite souvenir, my photos:

 

 

Night walks in Rome and drinking wine sotto le stelle (under the stars) with friends. One of the best times I've had in Rome was last summer. Two friends and I roamed the moonlit streets, sat in piazze, and sometimes under the shadow of Rome's monuments, sipping wine.

 

 

 

 

New friends in Salento - My culinary journey in Salento felt a lot like a girlfriends' getaway, full of many goofing-around moments. Both the food and the people of Puglia stole my heart.

 

 

 

Certainly not the most photographic, this photo always makes me smile and think of the bus drivers who helped us in Napoli. The sign says "Don't talk to the bus driver." I'm so glad we did!

 

 

 

My first bite of Neapolitan pizza.

 

 

 

While I showed photos of Carnival in Venice that looked like the one above,

 

This behind-the-scene look is the one I love and that really tells the story of my mornings during Carnevale.

 

 

 

 

Summers in Sicily - I've spent many summers near the Castellamare del Golfo area in Sicily visiting my cousins. We'd spend days at the beach or on the boat, which ended in evening dinners on their terrace.   Any photo of the coast near Catellamare replays those summer scenes and makes me long for days at the beach and big family dinners on the terrace in Sicily.

 

 

 

Traveling with Dr. Doolittle Dad - The first photo epitomizes my travels with him. Yes, he talks to animals, one of his many qualities I find irritating amusing. Once he passed up a chance to visit the Galleria Borghese in Rome to instead get some carrots and feed the horses parked near the Spanish Steps.  As he invites me to dad-sit travel with him yearly, I should really start a "Travels with Dad" series. His quips and antics would rival those "Sh** My Dad Says" stories. 

In the second photo, you might see a peaceful night shot of the Cathedral in Cologne.  For me it brings on flashbacks of our Rhine River trip and the looooong walk I needed to get away for a bit and restore my sanity.

 

 

Shopping for anything but rabbit on Rue de Buci in Paris

Traveling with my BFF Shannon - Although she doesn't talk to animals, travels with her are more fun and just as amusing.  One of my best friends, and travel buddies, we share nearly a lifetime of travel stories and have countless photos to match each one.  This photo is from her visit while I was living in Paris, where she refused to eat the Lapin au Moutarde (rabbit in a mustard sauce) that I painstakingly prepared for her with a little skewer of innards as an accoutrement.  Instead she ate a hot dog from one of the stands near Place St. Michel. (I will NEVER let her forget this story.)

Besides walking the streets of Paris with me, we saw a few other sights in France.  We tried to remember parts of the Star Spangled Banner while walking the ramparts in St. Malo, got lost among the fountains of Versailles, and were less than reverent in the cloister of Mont St. Michel.

 

Mont St. Michel - France

 

This very holy door will forever more be tied to a story of cleavage

 

She and I have also binged on chocolate and beer in Belgium & Munich, visited castles in Bavaria, chased windmills and wooden clogs in Holland, were pickpocketed in Prague, sang songs from The Sound of Music in Salzburg, and got lost trying to find Siena when we were already in Siena. There was also the time we were almost banned from crossing through the open-only-once-every-25-years Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica due to supposedly showing too much cleavage. (For me, it was completely a case of guilt by association.) The Holy Door of St. Peter's will now forever be tied to admonishments against cleavage.

 

 

Finally, any photo or mention of Spritz immediately takes me to a summer in Venice and some of my most cherished travel memories.

 

 

This is the third installment in the "Across the Café Table" series organized by Margo of The Travel Belles. Once a month, Margo asks a travel-related question. We who participate share our answers “across the virtual café table,” on our own blogs, and link to The Travel Belles' post. Everyone is welcome to participate.  As Margo says, "Grab a beverage and pull up a chair – there’s always plenty of room!" Why don't you head on over there now, and check out what others' favorite souvenirs are from around the world.

 

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Now, it's your turn: What is your favorite souvenir?  What launches the playback reel of travel memories for you?

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Related Posts:

Foreign Cookbook Obsession and Other Travel Indulgences

Beach Bag Essentials for My Favorite Italian Beaches

Favorite Scenes from Carnival in Venice

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

A Drive along the Amalfi Coast

The Italian Teacher, the Friend and a Magical Chocolate Kahlua Budino

Twist on a Venetian Spritz and Embracing Italian Culture

Villa d'Este - A Day Trip from Rome

Market Day in Sarlat - Featuring Food of the Dordogne Region

Munich Day Trip to Neuschwantein Castle  (Post for Travel Belles)

We'll Take the Cologne (Germany) the Chocolate, and the Beer Bike in Cologne (Post for Travel Belles)

 

 

My 7 Links: Greatest Hits in Food and Travel

 

It's time for a little looking back here at Food Lover's Odyssey.  The special occasion? Well, Corinne from Gourmantic and Nicole from Immersed in the World nominated me to join Tripbase's My 7 Links project.

The goal of the project is "to unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again."  Each of us who have been nominated picks 7 posts from our archives that fit into 7 specified categories, a greatest hits so to speak.  

It was a lot of fun looking back over my posts for the last 2+ years and seeing how things have evolved here on the blog and with me.  For some of the categories, it was almost impossible for me to choose just one, and for others it was easy.  Below are my 7 links, or My Greatest Hits in Food and Travel, after the first 2 years:

 

 

1. Most Beautiful: Favorite Scenes from Carnival in Venice 2011

 

For a blog that's foodcentric, surprisingly, this was the hardest category for me to choose one post. With it being summer now and with my love for the sea, I was looking for a beach post.  I pondered those on Camogli, My Happy Place, and posts on Sicily.  I even thought about my recent photo essay in blue before getting to this one.  After looking back at this post, I wondered how I didn't think about it first! I know I'm a little biased because I love Venice any day of the week, but Carnival in Venice is pure magic.  The entire city is dressed for the occasion and in a festive mood.  Lights line streets and porticoes, almost everyone is masked and in some type of costume and ready for fun.  I believe this photo essay of my favorite scenes, captures the feeling and festivities well.   

 

 

2. Most Popular: Roman Pasta Dishes and Ten Places to Eat Them in Rome

 

This post started out as one that didn't get the attention it deserved.  Then, Anthony Bourdain did a show on Rome, went to Rome Sparita and ate the Cacio e Pepe Pasta in a Parmigiano Bowl.  The first week the show aired, hits on this post went through the trattoria roof. It still continues to be my most popular post.  A big thank you, Mr. Bourdain.   Besides the hits it received due to the No Reservations show, the post breaks down what the Roman pasta dishes are and gives an explanation of each, along with a trattorie dining guide for those traveling to Rome.

 

 

3. Most Controversial: Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream and Berthillon in Paris

 

I know. How can ice cream be controversial?  Well, looking back, I realized that I haven't really written controversial pieces.  Maybe I should start.  What do you think?  The only tiny controversy I've ever stirred up here is when I get myself into trouble making comparisons with French and Italian food.  This post does just that, comparing French balls to Italian balls...of ice cream, that is!  Yes, it's a stretch, but for now, it is my most controversial piece.

 

 

4.  Most Helpful: French Pastries and Ten Top Patisseries in Paris

 

This post and Cooking Classes in Paris were the two contenders in this category.  This post won out for two reasons.  One reason is close to my heart. For me pastries are as much, or more, a part of Paris than the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre.  For those other pastry lovers traveling to Paris, this guide goes beyond the obvious of La Duree and Pierre Herme and gives a fabulous list of ten other patisseries where I am certain other pastry lovers will be happy they indulged. The photos are sweet-tooth inducing, too.

 

 

 

5.  Surprisingly Successful: A Drive Along The Amalfi Coast

 

This post is one of my top five all-time posts, and it surprised me as much as my love for this stomach-turning drive.  Last summer I was in the Amalfi Coast and used the bus daily to get around.  One day while looking down and out from the bus window, I realized that if it weren't for needing to take the bus that first time, because I overslept after a night of too much limoncello, I might never have experienced this amazing ride and would have continued to only take the ferry.  I wanted to share the ride, the story, and the photos with readers, never thinking that others would enjoy the winding road and views as much as you have.

 

6.  One That Didn't Get the Attention it Deserved:

Bella Napoli - Neapolitans Warm My Hearts Like Their Food Warms My Belly

 

This post is a lot like the city of Naples itself, often ignored and looked down upon, where one must look beneath the surface to find its beauty - both in the city and in its people.  This post speaks of the kindness of two strangers, bus drivers in Napoli, during my first visit.  The thing is that EVERY Neapolitan I've met on every visit, whether it be cab drivers (yes, cab drivers), restauranteurs, guys on the street, or nonnas on the bus and in the courtyards, every experience I've had with the people of Naples has been just as positive.  I wish more people would not only read this post, but also give Naples a chance.

 

7.  One I'm Most Proud Of:

Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

 

Again, I had a hard time choosing between this post and the one where I won my first blogging award, Coda alla Vaccinara.  Both pieces speak to the reason I write about food and travel.  Through the food of a place, you learn about the people, their traditions, how they live(d), and the land itself.  By sharing a meal with someone, especially one that you've cooked together, a little of each other is put into the meal and you are forever bound, even if only in the memory of the dish.  I'm most proud of this piece because it best conveys these senitments and the reason why I write about food.  My time in Puglia, was also a rebirth of sorts for me.  The entire trip reminded me why I write this blog and how I want to share my travels with you.

 

 

 

Thank you Corinne and Nicole for nominating me and letting me do a little reminiscing here today.  Now it's time for me to pass this on.

My nominations for the My 7 Links Project:

 Napoli Unplugged

Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino

Beautiful Liguria

Bell' Avventura

Through My Eyes

 

 

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I would love to hear from you! What are some of your favorite posts from Food Lover's Odyssey?

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Related Posts:

Paris Walks for Food Lovers: Rue de Seine and Rue Bonaparte

Best Chocolate and Other Sweet Memories of 2010 

Best Food and Travel Memories of 2010 

A Culinary Travelers Year in Photos

My Last Meal - Preparing for the End of the World

Saturday Scene: The Tricolore in Turin

 

Last weekend in the U.S. was the 4th of July holiday, a fairly big affair.  Even if you're not especially patriotic, it's a four-day weekend in the summer!  Besides barbecuing, desserts dressed in red, white and blue, pool parties, and fireworks, it is traditional to display at least one star-spangled banner somewhere outside one's house.  This being one of a few summers over the last 14ish years where I've actually been in the United States, I decided to attend my first ever 4th of July Parade. 

My thoughts on the parade: Italy has vespas and cinquecentos as their iconic vehicles, and well, it seems that ours are motorcycles (Harley Davidsons in particular) and lowriders.  The parade ended with a stream of lowriders cruising through, hydraulics bouncing up and down, not to the music of The Star-Spangled Banner or America the Beautiful, but instead to the tunes of "Lowrider" (made famous by the Cheech and Chong movie, Up in Smoke). Oh, dio mio!  

The flag-waving festivities, however, reminded me of another holiday in another country.  March 17, 2011, Italy celebrated its 150 years of unification.  For part of that day I was in Naples, for the other part I was in Lecce.  In both cities I saw a lot of Italian flags.  Later that week I was feasting on chocolate in Turin.  The flag display there was a whole other story.  I remember thinking I hadn't seen so many national flags since I left Texas.  Everywhere I looked the city was red, white and green. Not only flags but also food; pastry shops made tricolore cakes. Chocolatiers dressed their chocolates in the tricolore.  Flower displays, storefronts, window boxes, balconies, bridges; all were waving flags or dressed in the tricolore.  While I was there, I think my dreams were only in red, white and green. 

For this second edition of Saturday Scene, I'm sharing a few photos of Turin dressed in the colors of the Italian flag. Sadly, I did not see a vespa in red, white and green....but I'll keep looking.

 

Storefront of A. Giordano Chocolates

 

 

Piazza San Carlo in Turin

 

 

Pastry Shop Window

 

Tables of Caffe Mulassano

 

 

 

Chocolate and Hazelnut Torta at Caffe Platti

 

 

 

Storefront Windows

 

 

 

Torta in honor of Cavour

 

 

Ghigo Gelateria and Pasticceria

 

 

 

Turin is celebrating Italy's 150 years of unification all year long with special events and exhibits.  The site Italia150 has information on these events.

 

 

Related Posts:

History of Chocolate in Turin: Gianduja and Much More

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Turin's Chocolate Festival

Italy's Monuments in Chocolate at Turin's Chocolate Festival

Seven Sensational Gelaterie in Turin - After Over 100 Scoops

Everyone Should Eataly

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Gianduja and Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day 2010

Nutella Love Cakes for World Nutella Day 2011

Saturday Scene: Italy and France in Shades of Blue

Happy 150th Birthday to a United Italy

Saturday Scene - Italy and France in Shades of Blue

 

Welcome to a new series on Food Lover's Odyssey, The Saturday Scene.  I've been tossing around the idea of a day dedicated to sharing a few of my favorite scenes from Italy and France.  Also, one of my friends, who regularly gives unsolicited critiques of my blog, told me that my posts are too long! Yes, he basically said I talk too much. 

After picking both my mouth and my ego from the floor, I decided to mix things up a little and provide shorter posts and ones that are more photo-oriented for those that would like to look more and read less. So committed I am to doing it, I have dedicated every Saturday to posts that are short-on-words and long on lovely views of my two favorite countries.

An inspiration for this week's post has been a Twitter event I've been taking part in called #frifotos. I started participating a few weeks ago, and it's been a lot of fun.  Every week @EpsteinTravels, the founder of the event, and his co-hosts pick a theme. On Friday people from around the world share their photos based on that theme.  Yesterday's theme was "blue."  If you missed the event but still want to see what it's all about, on Twitter you can check out the hashtag #frifotos and see all of the photos there.  There are also two great roundups of the photos: @CorkBilly produces one here, and Wild About Travel shares their picks for the best FriFotos of the week. 

Below are my contributions: the blues of Italy and France.   

 

 A few blues from Carnival in Venice

 

 

Images from the light show at the Bi-Annual Fete du Vin in Bordeaux

 

 

Dusk in the Cinque Terre - Above Vernazza and along the beach in Monterosso

 

 

 

Blue Hydrangeas from the Cours Saleya Market in Nice...

and from a florist near Rue Mouffetard in Paris

 

 

 

Some blues among the colorful houses of Burano

 

 

 

A Rue in Paris - Wouldn't you love to live here?

 

 

Blue window scene at Fauchon in Paris for Easter

 

 

Blue pedal boat at the beach in Camogli

 

Blue sea off the coast of Panarea in the Aeolian Islands

 

Along the shore in Otranto and a few blue boats there, too

 

 

The Bay of Poets in Portovenere - Liguria

 

 

Sailing in the Amalfi Coast

 

 

Blue Umbrellas and the beach in Nice

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:

Villa d'Este in Photos - A Day Trip from Rome

Market Day in Sarlat and the Food of Dordogne

My Last Meal - Preparing for the End of the World

A Tour of Lecce: The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Spaccanapoli and Naples' Historic Center

Pizza Lover's Odyssey in Naples

Scenes from CioccolaTo Chocolate Festival in Turin

Rome with a View - Five Favorite Spots for Photo Ops in Rome

French Pastries and Ten Top Patisseries in Paris

A Tour of Lecce - The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

 

On seeing the facade of Lecce's Basilica Santa Croce, the Marchese Grimaldi said it made him think that a lunatic was having a nightmare. It's too whimsical and merry to make me think of nightmares. Instead the extravagence and frivolity of it had me wondering what kind of happy hallucinogenics those artists were taking, and hey, could I get some. I think the facade has every kind of flower, leaf, garland, fruit, vegetable, cherub and animal known to man.

Rose window and column of the Basilica Santa Croce facade

Leccese Baroque inside the Basilica

 

This elaborate ornamentaion also adorns other churches, building facades, courtyards, terraces and windows throughout Lecce's historic center. The style is the city's own, called barocco Leccese (Baroque Leccese) and carved from the local stone, pietra Leccese. The stone begins as a soft mass and hardens with time, making it easy to carve into intricate decorations.

One of the many Baroque courtyards in the city

During my visit, I spent most of my mornings wandering and wondering through the streets and piazze of this outdoor Baroque museum. I'd imagine the stories and fantasies behind each whimsical carving. Lecce, the capital of its province commonly called Salento, was my base from which I explored this most southern region in Puglia, and the bottom point of Italy's heel. The mornings were relatively quiet in the historic center, but at Noon it's a different story. Opera music rings out in Piazza Sant' Oronzo, alerting everyone to get out in the piazza and drink; it's aperitivo time! The cafes that line the piazza and its side streets fill up with those meeting for a before-lunch drink.

Piazza Sant' Oronzo

As it is a great meeting place and the social center for many of Lecce's festivals and festivities, the piazza is bustling at night. Calling back to Lecce's Roman era and the first century, are the remains of the city's Roman Amphitheater. A little less than half of the theater has been uncovered. The rest remains hidden underneath the piazza. The column in the center of the piazza is one of two from Brindisi, which marked the end of the Appian Way. There's still some dispute as to whether Brindisi gave the column to Lecce or whether Lecce took it. Atop the column is a statue of Lecce's patron saint, Sant' Oronzo, who is credited for saving the city from the plague in 1656. Every August, the city holds a celebration in his honor.

One can easily stroll through the entire historic center in a day. The other Baroque beauty not to be missed on your walk through Lecce is the Piazza Duomo, and the Duomo itself and its bell tower. Also spectacular is the Church of Santa Chiara with another ornate facade and a famous ceiling made of papier mache.

Other things to see beyond the Baroque is the Villa Comunale. The lush gardens are a perfect place to have a picnic or sit and rest your feet. You can visit the cartapesta museum and the many cartapesta shops that dot the historic center's streets. Some even offer lessons in this centuries-old tradition. Wine bars and pubs fill both the historic center and newer city center (it encircles the historic center). Lecce has a vibrant and nightlife, yet one with a very casual feel. Definitely a city, but a small one with a population of around 100,000 people. All the locals seem to be friends with each other.

 

 

Lecce and the entire Salento region are still very much one of Italy's best kept secrets. In July and August, Italians, and some Europeans, flock to Salento's long and curving coastline to bask on the sun-drenched sand beaches. The other months are ideal for a less crowded visit to the area. Even warmer and more welcoming than its climate, and as playful and festive as the barocco Leccese, are the people of the Salento region. Every person I met proudly and enthusiastically showed me a little bit of his or her land. And, how can you not love a city that announces Noon-time happy hour with arias in the piazza?

 

 

 

 

Some places to eat:

Locanda Rivoli - Via Augusto Imperatore 13 - phone: +39 0832 1830128: In the historic center, just around the corner from Piazza Sant' Oronzo, this trattoria serves up traditional Salento cuisine and homemade desserts.

Joyce Pub - Via Matteo da Lecce 5 - phone: +39 0832 279443: Part Irish pub part vineria, they serve up classic Salento cuisine. Also, it is possibly the only restaurant open in the historic center on Mondays. You'll find it a short walk from both the Basilica Santa Croce and Piazza Sant' Oronzo.

Bar Sette di Sette - Galleria Piazza Mazzini, Via Oberdan 13 A/B: Located in the newer city center, Chef Paola puts a creative twist on traditional Salento cuisine. They offer a "Happy Hour" buffet where you can nibble on traditional dishes in finger food portions. The buffet is included with a cocktail purchase. Cocktails range from 6 to 8 euros. Lunch is also served daily.

Le Zie - Via Colonnello Archimede Costadura 19 - phone: +39 0832 245178: The "aunts" serve up traditonal fare with a home-cooking feel.

Pizzeria La Perla - Via Giovanni Antonio Orsini De Balzo 15 - phone: +39 0832 246380: If pizza is what you're craving, this is the place to go. The pizza is thin and crispy and toppings are generous.

 

 

Pasticciotto

To satisfy a sweet tooth:

Pasticceria Luca Capilungo - via Bari 7: For the ultimate in Leccese pastries, especially the pasticciotto, and other sweet specialties from Lecce's top pastry chef.

 

Bar Cin Cin - Piazza Sant' Oronzo: The second pastry shop of Luca Capilungo, this pasticceria is in the historic center, serving chef Luca's pastries and gelato.

Caffe Alvino - Piazza Sant' Oronzo: Another pastry shop in the historic center's piazza to find pastries and gelato

 

Where to Stay:

Chiesa Greca Bed & Breakfast - Piazzetta Chiesa Greca 11 - phone; +39 0832 302330. This B&B was once part of the Greek Church, which is still there beside the B&B, and dates back to the 1300s. They have 5 charming and spacious suites, where you sleep under ancient Leccese walls with all the modern comforts. My room, "La Chiesetta," still had the remains of one of the church's frescoes. I stayed at the Chiesa Greca Bed & Breakfast as a guest of YL Tours Congressi.

 

 

Chiesa Greca in Lecce (the B&B Chiesa Greca is behind it)

Remains of a fresco and the living room in the Chiesetta Suite

 

 

 

 

 

Getting there and around:

 

By train: You can reach Lecce easily by Rome, Naples and Bari on Italy's high-speed Frecce trains.

By plane: From many Italian and European cities, you can find low fares with the low-cost airlines (i.e. EasyJet and Ryan Air) flying into the Brindisi Airport or Bari Airport. From there, you would drive or take a train into Lecce.

Getting around in Salento: It is best to have a car. The roads are tranquil and easy to drive. Trains in the Salento region aren't a feasible way of getting from one town to another. During the summer months, SalentoinBus provides quicker bus transportation from Lecce to many of the region's coastal cities, like Otranto, Gallipoli, and Santa Maria Leuca and more.

 

 

 

 

Join me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll be cooking with our beautiful Italian mamme and professional chefs. We'll also be eating and exploring our way through the region.  There are four tour dates available from which to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013! 

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

 

 

Related Posts:

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand: A Lesson in Pugliese Pasta from Nonna Vata

Cheese of Puglia: Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

The Pastries of Lecce with Chef Luca Capilungo

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented - Sette di Sette in Lecce

Pugliese Pasta: Sagne Ncannulate with Schiattariciati Tomato Sauce

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccese

The Dish from Puglia: Ricci di Mare in Porto Badisco

The Dish from Puglia: Friselle with Tomatoes

Spaccanapoli and Napoli's Historic Center

 

Spaccanapoli, the street that cuts Napoli's historic center in two.  I had heard about this street before my first trip to Naples.  While weaving my way in and out of the narrow cobblestone, sometimes crumbling, streets of the city's historic center (il centro storico) I couldn't believe that there was one street in this tangled web that actually stood out.  

Then, Bonnie of Napoli Unplugged took me up to the Castel St. Elmo.  From the castle walls, high above the maze of streets, I finally believed.  From above, Spaccanapoli, does exactly what its name says.

 

 

 

 
Spaccanapli (via Benedetto Croce) - with Castel St. Elmo in the background far above 

 

The street is one of three east-to-west streets from Neapolis, the original Greco-Roman city. At Piazza Gesu' Nuovo, the tourist office states that Spaccanapoli "officially begins." Here it is called via Benedetto Croce.  As you travel east, it changes to via San Biagio dei Librai.  The street actually extends farther, both east and west, than the official confines.

During my visit last summer, Bonnie took me on a little of both her Saturday Strolls in the Centro Storico - Part 1 and Part 2.  As Bonnie states, "A stroll through the centro storico is filled with many 'Oh my God' moments!"  She was right. There were so many, that on my recent March visit, I returned again to wander along Spaccanapoli and the area.  Below is a photo tour of some of my favorite places along this walk, and some of the interesting stories of the locales.

 

Cloister of Santa Chiara - Although Naples has the reputation for being a city of chaos, and in many cases lives up to it, one can find peace and tranquility in the many cloisters and churches throughout the city.  The cloister of Santa Chiara, with its Majolica-tiled columns and benches is the best of those serene spots. Lush gardens, gorgeous and colorful art, and shade; I could sit here in utter silence all day.

Besides the cloister, the complex of Santa Chiara has a stunning presepe (nativity scene) and ruins of a Roman bath. The church is also full of history. Here, Bonnie beautifully shares a little of the history of the Church of Santa Chiara.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Via San Gregorio Armeno - The alley overflows with hand-crafted nativity scenes (presepi), statues of Pulcinella, traditional Neapolitan tamborines, and other trinkets.   On a cool spring day or even in the oppressive heat of summer, you can feel a little Christmas spirit by walking along this alley (just off of via Benedetto Croce, to the left).

Along with the traditional hand-crafted items, they also have little statues of Napoli's soccer players.  A Fabio Quagliarella statue, one of my favorite players from Italy's squad, is availble with his old Napoli jersey and one with a Juventus jersey (his new team).  I was so tempted to get one or both, but opted for a more traditional Pulcinella instead.

 

 

 

 

 

Ruins beneath Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore - The basilica alone is worth a visit, but even more amazing are the ruins below. A Greek agora, then Roman forum, that dates back before Christ unfolds below the earth.  We wandered without any crowds, or anyone else, among the ruins, imagining a time long ago. 

Note: This is not part of the Naples underground tour, Napoli Sottoterranea, whose entrance is nearby in Piazza Gaetano.

 

 

 

 

 
This begs the question: A pizza oven from over 2000 years ago?

 

  

Duomo - The Duomo with no dome, I realized this while searching for this church from Castel St. Elmo.  This church is also known as the church that holds the treasures of San Gennaro, Napoli's patron saint. 

The main treasures are two vials of the blood of the martyred saint San Gennaro.  The Feast of San Gennaro is on September 19th.  Each year, and on the first Saturday in May,  the city celebrates the liquifaction of  the blood, an omen of good fortune for the city.  If the blood doesn't liquify, that's not a good sign for Naples and possibly the rest of the world. After the two recent times in which the blood didn't liquify, bad things happened.  In 1980, Naples had an tragic earthquake and in 1944, Mt. Vesuvius erupted.  (I'm just reporting what I've been told and read.  Plus, I would never want to suffer the wrath of a Neapolitan nonna's malocchio for ever questioning this miracle.)

 

 

 

 

 

Piazza San Domenico Maggiore - The piazza is home to one of the three "plague spires" in Napoli.  The city began erecting the spires after the plague of 1656, as offerings for delivering the city from the plague.  The other two spires (guglia in the singular form in Italian) are the Spire of San Gennaro and the spire in Piazza Gesu' Nuovo, both in and around Spaccanapoli.

 

 
 

  

Of course, I also found some things to eat.  The centro storico is a haven for the Naples food lover.  Many of the best pizzerie are in the centro storico.  Friggitorie (Fry shops) abound, almost one after the other.  There you can pick up any assortment of fried treats, fried pizza, arancini, fried vegetables, etc.  My favorites are  crocche' di patate (potato crochettes) and mozzarella in carozza (fried mozzarella in a bread "carriage").  Any food fest in the centro storico should end with something sweet, a few Neapolitan pastries.  Scaturchio, the oldest pastry shop in Naples, is right on Spaccanapoli, in Piazza San Domenico Maggiore. 

 

 

 

 

 

Useful Links:

Bonnie has a very helpful page at Napoli Unplugged: Listing many of the Churches in Naples, which includes opening hours and links to websites, when available. 

Complex of Santa Chiara

Complex of San Lorenzo Maggiore

 

 

Related Posts:

Journey Through the Pastries of Napoli

Pizza Lover's Odyssey in Naples

Pasta alla Genovese and Other Classic Neapolitan Sauces at Citta del Gusto

Dining Around Naples with Napoli Unplugged

A Taste of Napoli: Fifteen Favorite Dishes for the Food Lover in Naples

A Drive Along the Amalfi Coast

Bella Napoli: Neapolitans Warm My Heart Like Their Food Warms My Stomach

Dish from Naples: Pizza Margherita

Torta Caprese Recipe - Flourless Chocolate Cake from the Isle of Capri

Cozze alla Marinara recipe - Neapolitan Style Mussels

The Pastries of Lecce with Chef Luca Capilungo

 
 
 

In any city I travel to, you can be assured I'm poking my face into as many pastry windows as possible, searching for the sweets particular to that city.  In Salento, it was no different.  Ylenia and Claudia spotted my penchant for pastries, and on my last night in Lecce, they had a sweet surprise for me.  They organized a little tour of the best pastry shop in Lecce.  The pastry chef who owns the store, Luca Capilungo, gave the tour himself (above), guiding me through Leccese pastries and a few of his own specialties.  And yes, I got to taste them, too! 

 

Chef Luca has been in a pastry shop since he was 13.  He apprenticed under another renowned Leccese pastry chef, Franco Franchini, dedicating himself completely to his work.  He says, "I worked relentlessly, forgetting fun and free time, to dedicate myself to learning all that I could and to my formation as a chef." His hard work paid off and at a very young age he fulfilled his dream of opening his own pastry shop, located only a few steps from where he was born.  Although he's young, he's been making pastries professionally for 30 years.

The pastry shop is very much a family affair.  Initially, he had help from his parents and brothers.  Now he has close to 30 employees. Both his parents and brother were there when we arrived.  His passion for pastries is still going strong, evidenced by the way in which he generously shared his pastries, explaining each with the enthusiasm of a child showing off his birthday presents.  He also shared his secrets to making them....well, all except one.

 

 

 

 

Pastacciotto - Sicily has cannoli, Venice has tiramisu, and Naples has sfogliatelle. The iconic pastry for Salento is certainly the pastacciotto.  What you might call a covered tart of sorts, the oval shape comes from the molds in which they are made.  The crust is pasta frolla (a shortbread crust), made with lard (strutto).  Inside is pastry cream.  Chef Luca's pasta frolla has a perfume of Strega liqueur.  He makes two versions, one with a lemon-infused pastry cream and the other with chocolate pastry cream.  I loved both, especially the crunchiness of the pasta frolla, but the one with the chocolate center was my favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fruttone - Resembling the pastacciotto, the fruttone has in its center almond paste and pear marmalade.  The shortbread crust is topped with an icing of chocolate.  The flavor is more diverse and delicate than that of the pastaciotto with flavors of pear, almond, chocolate and the crunchy crust blending together in each bite. 

 

 

 

 

Zeppole di San Giussepe - Salento has its own version of zeppole to celebrate St. Joseph's Day.  Similar to the one in Naples, you can purchase it baked or fried. It's made with choux paste (the dough used to make eclairs). It is topped with pastry cream, but this version has a dollop of chocolate pastry cream on the very top (Napoli's version has macerated sour cherries).  As I was in Salento around the March 19th celebrations, I had my share, and then some.  

  

 

 

 

Copeta - You will see these thicker versions of what Americans know as almond brittle throughhout Salento.  They are carmelised sugar and almonds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mustaccioli - These ugly nougats look like cookies, but have the consistency of cakes.  Don't let their unattractive shape fool you; they are tasty.  Let's give a nod to Italians who hate wasting food, and come up with ingenious ways to rework leftovers.  An antique recipe, they are traditionally made with what remained, leftovers (rimanenze).  The sponge cake base has  a little bit of cinnamon, cocoa powder, candied citrus, almond paste, and chopped almonds inside.  Then they are glazed with a chocolate coating.  Chef Luca makes them in two sizes, the small nougats and the larger longer version. 

 

 

 

Quaresimali - These biscotti for Lent (la quaresima), chef Luca makes with a bit of muscat wine. Both chef Luca and Claudia said they now can be found year-round in pasticcerie in Salento, but at one time were only around during the Lenten season.  

 

 

Bocche di Dama - These individual cakes, mouth of a lady in Italian, are a single portion of pan di spagna (sponge cake), filled with pastry cream and topped with a sugar glaze and a cherry.

 

Specialty Cakes and cookies - Chef Luca had a caseful of elegantly decorated and colorful cakes that are specialties of his pasticcerie, including an emerald green iced Cassata alla Siciliana.  As is common in almost any pasticceria in Italy, biscotti and little cookies are as popular as the specialty cakes.  We sampled several of those, too. 

 

 

Torta Chantilly - Underneath its bright yellow almond paste decor, are layers of pan di spagna (sponge cake) and whipped chantilly cream.

 

 

 

 

La Giulietta -  This tart was most interesting to me for a couple of reasons.  First I love the way it looked, the combination of crunchy pasta frolla, the cream inside and the almonds dusted in powdered sugar on top.  Above the pasta frolla is another crunchy layer (like a crumble), a layer of dark chocolate pastry cream, then sweetened whipped cream. It's topped with sliced and toasted almonds. There is a secret to this cake, that Chef Luca wouldn't share; why it is named Giulietta. He even blushed when Claudia asked him.  That secret will remain a mystery to me.  Of course, after our visit, we three girls conjured up various stories, most of unrequited and secret love, that could be behind the name and this pastry.

 

 

 

Assortment of Cookies - Perfectly crunchy shortbread cookies filled with jam, almond paste shaped like fruit, almond cookies topped with almonds, or coated in pine nuts or ground pistacchio nuts.  Chef Luca sent us home with a few trays of treats, and each little bite on this tray was tremendously tasty.

 

Chef Luca has two pastry shops in Lecce.  The original one is on via Bari, and a smaller one is in Lecce's historical center in Piazza Sant' Oronzo.  He had just had a huge celebration for the 20th anniversary of opening his first pasticceria.  You can watch a video of Chef Luca working, the pasticceria, and of highlights from the celebration here: 20 Years of Capilungo

 

Join me in Puglia in 2013! For this food lover's culinary tour, we'll learn how to make pasticciotto with Chef Luca, be cooking with beautiful Italian mamme and professional chefs. We'll also be eating and exploring our way through the region.  There are four tour dates available from which to choose! For tour details, check out this page: Culinary Tours in Puglia 2013! 

***Early booking discount: Book and pay by check by January 31, 2013 and receive a $200 discount off the tour price.****

 

 

Pasticceria Luca Capilungo
Via Bari, 7
Lecce
Phone: +39 0832 312406


CinCin Bar Pasticceria Gelateria Capilungo
Piazza Sant’ Oronzo
Lecce
Phone: +39 0832 312406

 

This post is part of Wanderfood Wednesdays, traveling food lovers.

 

Related Posts:

A Tour of Lecce - The Baroque Beauty of Puglia

Lunch Salento Style at Cantine Menhir

The Dish from Lecce: Rustico Leccesse

The Art of Making Pasta by Hand - A Pugliese Pasta Lesson with Nonna Vata

Tour of Masseria L'Astore and a Frantoio Ipogeo in Salento

Sagne Ncannulate Schiattariciati - Pugliese Pasta with "Bursted" Tomato Sauce

Cheese of Puglia: Making and Eating Fresh Cheese in Salento

Classic Salentino Cuisine Reinvented at Sette di Sette in Lecce

The Dish from Puglia: Friselle with Tomatoes

Journey Through the Pastries of Napoli

Pizza Lover's Odyssey in Naples

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part 1

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part 2

French Pastries and Ten Top Patisseries in Paris

Five Favorite Food Words in Italian and Five More Favorites