Musings from Mangiacake: A Recap

Impossible a task as it may seem, I want to give summing up my summer in Italy a shot. Now that I'm back home in Toronto, I find myself reflecting on the summer that was. I never bumped into George, but I fully understand the motivating force behind his decision to buy a place on the lake: The area is spectacularly scenic, with picturesque villas scattered throughout postcard-perfect villages. But despite a sweet pad in a sweet hood, George doesn't have what I got—an opportunity to live with and be loved by a fabulous Italian family of five, who have all grown up in the mountains, and on the lake.

I spent days upon days upon days soaking it all in. From hanging out with and watching Seba at work (kiteboarding and windsurfing are great gigs, and he's an even greater teacher), to walking along the lake during the day and down to the pier at night, to gelato dates with Paolo and coffee dates with Giulia, I enjoyed the simple day-to-day living just as much as my travels up North with Mara, and in Rome, Sicily, Venice and Tuscany. I wasn't born a country bumpkin, but I think I could certainly live like one in the future—I never once missed the hustle and bustle of a big city like Toronto, though I did feel like my Italian would have to improve dramatically if I was ever to truly fit in here. That being said, I didn't often feel like the odd (wo)man out—Rosanna often treated me like the daughter she never had (which made it very hard to leave her in the end), and two of my most favourite memories were making gnocchi with Paolo's Nonna and parents, and having supper with the Seba's family and their friends up at mountain rifugi twice during the summer. 

In just three months, I accumulated a lifetime's worth of culture. By immersing myself in another language and lifestyle (and it is a very different lifestyle), I got a crash course in living not only in Italy, but abroad. 

Throughout the summer, riding with Seba on his Vespa, I often thought of how things have come full circle for us—we bonded in Bali in much the same way, with me on the back of his bike—and we have lived and travelled together since in Australia, South East Asia, Canada and Italy. We've been on this road together for a year and a half now, and while it's been bumpy at times, I hope we can keep on adventuring, separately and with one another, for some time to come.

View from Seba's house, at dawn, Gera Lario

Seba's Vespa in the driveway, Gera Lario

Rosanna, Gera Lario

Bocce ball, Gera Lario

Sunset stroll, Gera Lario

Summer storm, Gera Lario

View from Dongo, Lago di Como

One of many, many harbours on Lago di Como

Como, Lago di Como

Blooming magnolia, Como

Laglio

George Clooney's villa, Laglio

Menaggio

Pasticceria Manzoni, Menaggio

Maritozzi con la panna at Pasticceria Manzoni, Menaggio

Seba, kiteboarding (with swans!), in Gera Lario

Seba, kiteboarding, in Lecco

Seba, kiteboarding, in Lecco

Seba, kiteboarding, in Lecco

Seba, kiteboarding/flying, in Gravedona

Seba, kiteboarding/flying, in Gravedona

Me, learning the kiteboarding "ropes", in Gravedona

Seba, windsurfing, in Colico (his office)

Making gnocchi with Paolo's Nonna, in Sorico

Making gnocchi with Paolo's Nonna, in Sorico

Paolo and me, in Sorico

Mountain goats/traffic

Mountain goats/traffic

Mountain goats/traffic

Aww!!

Seba, in the mountains

The family (minus Stefano), in the mountains

Salvia fritta (fried sage leaves) at a rifugio

View of Lago di Como, from San Bartolomeo

Under the Tuscan Sun (and Rain)

In mid-September, Seba scored some time off work. We only had four days and three nights at our disposal, and felt that this was too long to spend in either Cinque Terre or Florence, and so we decided to visit the villages and vines of Tuscany. Unfortunately, Tuscany in September has become mighty popular, and so this was an (somewhat frustrating) exercise in making last-minute arrangements. That being said, our Tuscan trip was a beautiful triumph of togetherness, and I will always look back fondly on that special time spent together. 

First up? “Love at first sight” Lucca. This gorgeous city, hidden behind imposing Renaissance muri (walls), escaped being bombed in World War II, and so its historic centre has remained unchanged for centuries. After checking into our lovely B&B, we grabbed a slice of divine cecina (a salted chickpea pizza—yes, you read that right!) at Da Felice, a buzzing local joint located just around the corner from us.

We spent the afternoon walking around town, strolling through the oval, cafe-studded Piazza Antifeatro, sauntering past the exquisite Chiesa di San Michele in Foro and the Cattedrale di San Martino, and scaling the Torre Guinigi, a tower with a garden on top. We were also on the hunt for an artisanal leather shop that I had read about in a blog a year or so back—to no avail.

View from our hotel, Lucca

Piazza Antifeatro by day, Lucca

View of the Torre Guinigi, Lucca

Atop the Torre Guinigi, Lucca

View from the Torre Guinigi, Lucca

Chiesa di San Michele in Foro, Lucca

Cattedrale di San Martino, Lucca

After grabbing an aperitivo in the Piazza Antifeatro, and a Grom for Seba (his first!), we headed to Trattoria da Leo for a late al fresco dinner. There, we sampled deliciously simple, local and seasonal Tuscan cuisine, and were befriended by a older (drunk) Irish couple (go figure), who spent the evening fawning over us, and even extended an invitation to have us stay with them in Cork. Joan (?) definitely had the hots for "Sebastiano," remarking: “He had you at the name, didn’t he, love?".

A post-dinner promenade gave us a much different impression of Lucca—so many tourists come to see the city during the day, and at night, without the crowds, we both felt as though we had the place to ourselves. 

Piazza Antifeatro by night, Lucca

Trattoria da Leo, Lucca

The next morning, we were much more successful in our shopping. I scored a gorgeous, made-in-Lucca leather borsa (bag), and we stocked up on snacks at a cute corner store. With our goodies in tow, we pedaled atop Lucca’s lovely 12-metre high walls, crowned with a foot and bike path that looks over the old town and out towards the Apuane Alps. It was the perfect place to people-watch and feel like a part of Lucchesi life.

Stocking up on snacks, Lucca

Biking along Lucca's muri

Lucca's muri

Lucca's muri

On the muri's footpath, Lucca

En route to San Gimignano—the next stay on our Tuscan tour—we stopped to have a pizza picnic in Pisa (and take some photos, of course!). While the Leaning Tower is the most immortalized (and mass-marketed), the whole of the medieval Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) is stunning, with the tower, baptistery and cathedral gleaming white against expansive green lawns and blue Tuscan skies (and oncoming clouds!). All three edifices are equally worthy of renown.

Leaning Tower, Pisa

Leaning Tower, Pisa

Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), Pisa

Obligatory shot (with a twist!) of the Leaning Tower

Photo shoot, Pisa

The drive to San Gimignano was typically Tuscan and breathtakingly beautiful—cypress trees, sunflowers and vineyards spread out on either side of the country road, as far as the eye can see.

We arrived in San Gimignano just as the day-trippers were departing, meaning that, once again, we had an enchanting Tuscan town all to ourselves. After checking into our cute guesthouse, we refueled with a couple of scoops from Gelateria Dondoli (pistachio, white chocolate and creamy saffron), before walking around the charming, historic centre. We climbed up the Torre Grossa for a spectacular view of San Gimignano’s 15 towers (there were originally 72), and its surrounding countryside—a medieval Manhattan if ever there was one!

View of San Gimignano

Gelato from Gelateria Dondoli, San Gimignano

Piazza del Cisterna, San Gimignano

Piazza del Duomo, San Gimignano

Atop the Torre Grossa, San Gimignano

View from the Torre Grossa, San Gimignano

View from La Rocca, San Gimignano

Along the city walls, San Gimignano

After a pre-dinner stroll (during which time I scored a pair of knee-high, made-in-Tuscany leather boots!), we ended up at Trattoria Chiribiri, a tiny, bustling place popular with both locals and tourists alike. We shared a delicious antipasto, wild boar ragu, and blue-cheese carpaccio, as well as a panna cotta and cantuccini e vin santo, a typically Tuscan treat. 

Vin santo e cantuccini at Trattoria Chiribiri, San Gimignano

We spent the following day and half in Siena—whose historic centre is UNESCO-listed—with a nothing-special-hotel room that had the most spectacular postcard-perfect view. 

For those of you not in the know, Siena hosts a twice-yearly Palio, which involves a series of colourful pageants and brutal horse races, and awards a coveted palio (silk banner) to the winner of the city’s 17 contrade (town districts). We weren’t in town for the event, but did feel like a part of the spectacle—each contrada has its own symbolic banner hanging from rooftops and lampposts, as well as its own church and palio museum. 

We spent most of the afternoon at the Duomo, one of Italy’s finest Gothic churches—whose intricately carved marble columns and floors were a standout—and at the Piazza del Campo, the civic and social heart of Siena. We then scaled the claustrophobia-inducing Torre del Mangia for views over the city, before retiring to our hotel to enjoy some more of the same.

View of the Chiesa di San Domenico (and our hotel!), Siena

Duomo, Siena

Inside the Duomo, Siena

Inside the Duomo, Siena

Marble floor, inside the Duomo, Siena

Piazza del Campo, Siena

View from the Torre del Mangia, Siena

Piazza del Campo, Siena

Selfie in Siena

View from our hotel, Siena

View from our hotel, at dusk, Siena

View from our hotel, at night, Siena

The following afternoon, we took another drive through the countryside, without a nav or map to guide us. We ended up in Badia a Passignano, an idyllically situated wine estate, and then in Greve in Chianti, a perfectly preserved Tuscan town, hub of the local wine industry and ancestral home of Americo Vespucci. We stopped in Panzano in Chianti for lunch at one of Dario Cecchini’s acclaimed eateries, before catching the “Dante quoting butcher” from Bill Buford’s Heat in action at his store downstairs.

Badia di Passignano

Badia di Passignano

Badia di Passignano

Greve in Chianti

Lunch at Dario DOC, Panzano in Chianti

Lunch at Dario DOC, Panzano in Chianti

Sufficiently stuffed on culture, food and wine, we headed back to Gera Lario, where I was happy to trade in Tuscany’s rolling hills for the Alps, and spend my last couple of days in Italy on Lago di Como, with Seba and his family and friends.