Florence Week 5
Post #9
Monday, November 5, 2018 through Friday, November 9, 2018
Monday, November 5th, 2018
Around 1 pm I went to Ganzo, the school restaurant with Michaela, Ruby, and Bella. I got the Argentina steak, as always it was great. Afterwards we walked around a bit, got an iced coffee and then reported to class for 3 pm. In class we discussed how Balsamic Vinegar, Parmigiana Reggio, and Parma Prosciutto is made. Afterwards we made veal with prosciutto and rosemary, and spinach and ricotta ravioli with a walnut sauce. It was AMAZING!!! We just kind of hung around for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday, November 6th, 2018
Today Michaela and I got ready and went to the Lion’s Fountain Irish Pub right behind our apartment. This was a recommended location from our list of of places to visit and did not disappoint! We split a Chicken Cesar Salad, mozzarella sticks, and loaded chicken, bacon, ranch, cheese fries. SO yummy!! As Michaela said, they were “to die for”. The salad dressing was actually more like Big Mac sauce than Cesar and the marinara that came with the mozzarella sticks was like a marinara and salsa hybrid but was great! This restaurant is popular for study abroad students and even had a JWU shot which consisted of Limoncello and Blue Curacao. They also have student wristbands that give you a free shot for every beer or cocktail you purchase. From there we met up with some friends at the leather market (stopping for a photoshoot on the way) and helped them find some deals. Afterwards we went to class where we made a tomato soup (tomato, bread, and seasonings). It was like a paste and I was not a fan at all. We also made a frittata with egg, eggplant, zucchini, onion, and artichoke. Finally, we made a chestnut and date nut cookie bar thing with a ricotta topping. After class we got gelato at our favorite spot: dei Neri, and were planning on making pasta for a late supper. However, when we got home our roommates told us that we used up all of the water in our apartment so after a few hours of waiting we decided to go to Tijuana Mexican Restaurant right downstairs! I got nachos, Michaela got tacos, and we both got margaritas!
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Wednesday, November 7th, 2018
One month until I turn 21!!
Michaela and I woke up and ran some errands before ending up at Ganzo, the school restaurant. After lunch we went to run a few more errands and went to class. In class we had our Wine Wednesday wine tasting paired with some cheese, salami, and bread! I have decided that wine is gross and I definitely am not a fan. After class we went to the grocery store to buy some ingredients for dinner and then went home and cooked!
Thursday, November 8th, 2018
Today Michaela and I woke up around 10 am and went to La Milkeria (one of the suggestions from our list) for breakfast. I got a waffle with Nutella and a chocolate iced coffee and Michaela got a crepé with Nutella and vanilla gelato and a caramel iced coffee! It was great and I’m glad we went! From there I had a few errands to run (secrets) and of course ended up at the leather market where we got a few small things. After a few hours we met Ruby at the school restaurant, Ganzo, for lunch. I got the steak that I get every time and from there we went right to class. In class we discussed traditional northern Italian desserts and made Grandma’s cake and almond biscotti! Yummy! After class we went to another restaurant on our list, Ristorante Pizzeria Maso. We both got margarita pizza and it was pretty good- but nothing too special. On the way home we stopped for a bite of gelato!
Friday, November 9th, 2018
Today started off like usual, by going to Ganzo (school restaurant) for lunch and then walking around before heading to class. Time always seems to fly and we always end up rushing to class even though we leave with plenty of time to spare. Each Friday our class goes on field learning adventure and today we went to three different wine bars in Florence!
Our first stop was La Divina Enoteca. This was an old shop that opened in 1895 and was known for their baccala (codfish). The shop today still shows the marble baths that were used to house the codfish. In 1998, the shop closed and reopened again in 2009 and is now a wine shop that also sells products from local producers. There is no kitchen and no longer any baccala, however they sell many items such as jarred black truffles that I was excited to see after taking Quiz 2 which focused on truffle. We tried Cascina Boccaccio Celso Zero which was from Piedmont and was made of Dolcetto grapes with a 13% alcohol content. This wine is special because it contains no sulfate and is all natural. Sulfate is commonly used as a preservative and because of this, the bottle must be finished upon opening. This red wine had pieces of grape skins inside, which protect the grapes. No sulfates also force the producers to be more clean so that the grapes do not get compromised. It is more difficult to make natural wine and they are usually produced by small producers. I really enjoyed the taste of this wine which is surprising because I am not a wine fan. Accompanying the wine was Salami Proiscuttato and Pâté. I was nervous to try the Pâté (chicken liver) because I am a very picky eater but surprisingly enjoyed it! The salami (which included meat from pig leg) was also delicious!!
Our second stop was Enoteca Alessi. This shop was amazing!! There was a massive wine cellar with wines divided by region, and a whole room dedicated to Tuscan wine. It was great to see wines that we have discussed in class. Upstairs was different sections of hard liquor and other wines, as well as some other items. We paused by the pasta and discussed that old grain does not have as much gluten so people we able to eat it without having an intolerance. To make it easier to harvest, they modified the plant and this added more gluten which caused more people to become gluten intolerant. Interesting! The wine we tried at this shop was Vernaccia from Pancole, San Gimignano. This was a chilled white wine and again, for someone who is not a fan of wine, I enjoyed it. This was another eco-friendly/natural wine and contained 13.5% alcohol content. At this stop we also had a bruschetta as well as bread with olive oil.
Our last stop was I Fratellini, which is a tiny store front without any seating. Here, we each shared a panini of our choosing (Michaela and I shared number three; Prosciutto crudo e mozzarella). Our panini was fabulous! Because there is no seating, there was a numbered shelf where you could leave your wine while eating your panini! Eating a panini with one hand would have been very difficult. To be honest, the red wine at this stop was my least favorite wine of the day. Unfortunately, I am not really sure what type of wine this was, but I enjoyed the experience of eating our panini right on the street with our wine resting on its shelf. I also found it funny that there were photos of times that the cast of Jersey Shore came here! Pizzeria O’Vesuvio, (I went last week) right down the street is where the cast worked during their time in Florence. What a great class!
After class we went to the grocery store and walked around a bit before cooking dinner.
