I am constantly amazed at the connection Italy and it’s people have for the nature around them. They can identify the plants that grow in the woods around their homes and in their yards. They know what each plant is used for and relish using plants that grow naturally.
Here in Itri, Italy we live among the olive groves, in the months since we have moved here we have walked amongst the groves and enjoyed the suns golden rays between the branches at sunset. The olive trees are beautiful with their silver grey leaves and gnarled trunks.
There are so many things to love about Fall, the leaves are changing, the weather is crisp and cool. But especially here in Italy when food takes center stage, there is always something new to try. I’ve been loving the pumpkins and walnuts, pears and apples. But those are fabulous at home in California also. A few things that aren’t so common for us are Porcini mushrooms and Chestnuts! Here, they call Chestnuts “Castagnia”and “Marone”. I see them for sale in little trucks lining the streets as well as in the farmers market and every vegetable stand in town.
It’s Fall in Italy and the early rains combined with the warm October temperatures have created the perfect conditions for mushrooms! Italians love to forage for mushrooms, it’s practically a national pastime.
Mojitos are a refreshing cocktail made with mint, lime, rum and sparkling water or tonic.
As you know from my last post, my fig tree is busting with fruit so in a attempt to keep up with its bounty I have been making this Savory Fig & Feta Tart. I serve it as the antipasta course alongside an Arugula salad. It is an elegant dish made with a pie crust or puff pastry as its base topped with fig jam and caramelized onions that are finished in balsamic vinegar. Then it is sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese and fresh sliced figs. It was beautiful and a big hit!
It’s mid September and the current “fruit of the Season” here in Italy is figs! We have a large fig tree on our property and I have been walking past the fig tree for months eyeing the dangling figs, I reach up and squeeze one hoping it would be ripe but the waiting continued. Finally it is fig season and they are ripe and ready for harvesting.
I loved our stay in Tropea and snorkeling in the clear turquoise water of Capo Vaticano, but it’s time to go and continue the adventure. Next on our itinerary is Monasterace, an ancient seaside city about two hours from Tropea straight across the instep, from the top to the bottom of the sole. We decided to take the mountain pass and we were not disappointed. It was so surprising to start our climb and leave behind the tired roads of the coastal area of Calabria and enter into a totally different world.
The time has come to depart Crotone for our next destination of Tropea. This region of Calabria is called the “Coast of the Gods” because it is white sand beaches, turquoise waters and volcanic rock. There is a beach in Zambrone called Paradiso del Sub that we spent a delightful day lying in the white sand of the free beach, swimming in the warm turquoise water and snorkeling along the rugged volcanic coastline.
We crossed from the Puglia region at the heal of the boot to Calabria at the “toe”. Our first stop was to visit some friends in Crotone, an unassuming city in the “instep” of the boot. Our impression of all beach towns in Italy is that they are a little rough around the edges. Aside from the beautiful cities of Amalfi and the Cinque Terra, or our beautiful beach cities of Sperlonga and Gaeta, which still look “picture perfect” Italian. From the beaches just south of Rome all the way down to Calabria, the beachside cities are less than ideal looking.
