August 9, 2019

So far, my record for encountering vehicles on “The Road” is eight cars and one (very large) utility truck (the kind with a cherry picker for getting to the tops of poles).  This doesn’t count the motorcycle that I waved around me on the same journey.  Only once did I have to back up to enable both of us to get by.

The day after setting this record (August 5th) I nearly equaled it with another eight cars and a truck but the truck was smaller so it wasn’t quite a match.  On the 6th though, I was going downhill rather than uphill as I was on the 5th.  In theory down is the easier direction to be going as the unspoken rule is that cars coming up are supposed to be the ones to go into reverse, if necessary, to pass.  That hasn’t always been my experience, however.

Passing cars on the main part of the road though, is child’s play compared to incurring oncoming cars in the gauntlet, an experience that I knew was going to happen even as I dreaded it.  I really didn’t expect it to happen three times in one day as it did on the 7th!  Though I was going downhill, I was the one to back-up on two of the three encounters.  Not only does one need to negotiate the looming stone buildings in reverse.  One must be aware that there are multiple outcroppings of pipes, walls, directional signs, and other structures that are tall enough to hit one’s car but are not easily visible using any of the mirrors.  The car I’m driving doesn’t have a rear-view camera which would be a major asset!

The main point of yesterday’s jaunt into town was to go to the market in Fornoli, a market that is slightly bigger than the one in Bagni di Lucca and with a few different types of vendors.  As we approached the market, Zia Fidalma ran into Elvira, a friend from decades ago.  The two of them, along with Zia Ida chatted long enough that I walked the entire market before they said good-bye.

We came back with cauliflower, white peaches, Saturnia peaches, la gentilina (a type of lettuce), Friggitelli (little peppers that look like shishito peppers), and finocchio.  We stopped at the Coop near the market for a few other items then went to the Conad supermarket in Bagni di Lucca for even more items based on where Zia Fidalma wanted to get each item.

The Coop had Jack Daniels!! I won’t be bourbon-free after all!

We got a late start on the 6th because I spent eleven hours in bed after being sleep deprived from the happenings at the piazza in Bagni di Lucca on the previous nights.  That was mitigated somewhat by the fact that we had no water so we weren’t spending time taking showers!  Zia Fidalma was awake just as the water was ceasing its flow and she was able to fill up several large containers for essential uses.  Other than that, we used bottled water for brushing our teeth and moist towelettes for basic cleansing.

As we were leaving, there were three men and a backhoe listlessly digging a hole in the road.  None of us had much confidence that we would return to running water.

Knowing that we were going to be out for the morning, we planned a lunch of Peperonata (which we had made previously), melon and Prosciutto (from the market), whole grain bread and, for dessert, Torta di Frutta.

While in town, we made a stop at the pharmacy.  I bought some medicine that the pharmacist neatly wrapped in beautiful paper.  There was none of the clumsy bags, pages of warnings, and staples that accompany medication purchases in the States.  There’s such a sense of style to life in Italy that pervades everything.  (You may remember my amazement over the ritual surrounding my first haircut in Calabria earlier this year.)

We were all very pleasantly surprised to find running water on our return along with a neatly patched hole in the road.  Wine with lunch had a soporific effect and we all rested before reassembling in the kitchen to prepare dinner as well as to make Panzanella for the next day’s lunch.

Since I didn’t have to drive down the road for the second evening in a row, I enjoyed some bourbon while we made dinner.  First up, though, I made an antipasto of Galetta Croccante con Peperoncino (large crisp crackers with hot pepper) broken into pieces, goat cheese, plum jam (made the day before) and hot pepper oil.

Dinner was a simple, but truly yummy, Pasta ‘Sciutta (literally “dry pasta”), a general term used for pasta that is not in broth.  The sauce consisted of sautéed onions and Speck (smoked ham from far northern Italy), Radicchio, Gorgonzola Dolce and a bit of Grana Padana cheese.  After a salad of lettuce and tomatoes, we had the ever-present Torta Di Frutta.  The torta reminds me of the loaves and fishes, it seems to never end.  Perhaps I’m partially to blame as I have only had two slivers over the entire past week, with Zia Ida and Zia Fidalma picking up the slack in the dessert-eating department.

The morning of August 7th we went to the “big” Conad supermarket in Gallicano.  In addition to a larger array of products due to the larger format of the store, they have local items from the Garfagnana that are not available at the store in Bagni di Lucca.  I found the W-180 flour that I needed to make pasta.  I also scored a bottle of Jack Daniels for €3 less than the price at the Co-op in Fornoli.

In the front entryway is a box of ever-changing vegetables: some from the garden, some from the open air markets, some from the supermarkets.  This box becomes a source of inspiration when planning meals.  We only occasionally have a specific purpose in mind when purchasing vegetables.  We usually just buy what looks good.

Zia Fidalma’s Panzanella, which we had for lunch on our return from Gallicano, is pretty amazing, if not entirely traditional.  But, hey, she’s Tuscan so if she makes it, I’m going to say it wins the seal of approval.  In addition to the usual several-day-old bread, which in this case was from a rustic whole grain loaf, tomatoes, olive oil and wine vinegar, she added onions, tuna, capers, and matchsticks of pickled celery and carrot.  Cubes of mozzarella were added at serving time.  White peaches made a light dessert.

Just before lunch we started the Osso Buco that was planned for dinner.  Mid-afternoon saw the preparation of Champignon al Funghetto (Champignon is used to refer to cultivated white mushrooms).  The name, which literally means mushrooms mushroom-style, might seem strange until you realize that many things can be cooked “mushroom-style” (like eggplant, for example).  Mushroom-style simply means sautéed with herbs and (usually) garlic.

Zia started Ragu for later in the week, to be served with my fresh pasta.  That meal hasn’t been scheduled yet and it’s possible the Ragu will get put in the freezer awaiting its appearance on the table.

As cocktail hour approached, I poured a very small glass of bourbon as I was planning on tackling the road and spending the night in my apartment.  With two good nights of sleep behind me, I felt able to brave the sounds of the Piazza!

For dinner we had the Osso Buco (which was amazing), Champignon al Funghetto (that tasted more like mushrooms than any mushrooms I have ever had) and a salad.  We forgot to sauté the Friggitelli, however.  The bottomless well of Torta di Frutta had ended with Zia’s breakfast that morning so we had fruit for dessert.

The road was kind, only one “reverse” and one screeching halt around a blind curve and I was home.  The piazza was quiet for the night with little more than muffled voices from the pizzeria.  The internet, however, lasted just about an hour.  After putting the second load of laundry in the longest-wash-cycle-ever washing machine around 11:30 I headed to bed at midnight.