Food Wine & Friends Page 168

EASTER WEEKEND IN
FIRENZE

I drove from Umbria to the Castello di Masi in Tavarnelle.

Piero Masi, Giulia and I drove into Florence for a stroll around town...

When we returned home, Giulia's, Angela's and Giovanni's little brother was waiting for us.

Since my nephew Brian was along to open the bottles, Angela took that job.

Anna prepared Spaghetti al Cartoccio, a seafood pasta.
She explained the pasta is cooked half-way in water and then 'sauced' with the seafood and olive oil.  Then it cooks in the oven at about 300-350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

Two seafood "stews."
The one at the top is Moscardini (baby octopus) and the one below is Calamari (or seppia?) & Potatoes.
Both were fabulous!!!

And the wine was good...
We started with a Chianti Piero made for a neighbor from a nearby vineyard...then a 2006 Querciabella (excellent) and a 2005 Brancaia (quite good).  And then Piero's Super-Tuscan from a vineyard he once owned in Suvereto.

Dessert was a bowl full of fresh fruit and the raspberry tart we purchased in Firenze.

Giulia had a Cup o' Cawfee.

And Piero watched the Fiorentini play calcio.

And then I drove to Firenze to meet Carla & Lorrane, my new "nieces" in the famiglia Chiettini.

Meanwhile, Francesca and Giampaolo prepared an Easter cake...

We sat down at the dinner table and had a lovely minestrone soup...

And the Garganega white wine made by Giampaolo from fruit grown in the Veneto was quite good...light, dry and refreshing.

The next morning was Easter and we caught the bus to central Firenze...a busy place!

"Weap Cream"

Finally we arrived near the Duomo and all the festivities.

Finally they started to drag the old coach from the piazza and back to its garage.

We, too, began our trek back to Casa Chiettini.

We found Francesca and her parents busy working on lunch...

The kids were busy hanging out with Grandpa...

Then it was time for lunch.

Pasta con funghi.

Grandma prepared a lamb stew for Easter and Francesca presents this...

Giampaolo pours some Sagrantino.

And soon it's time for the Easter "torta" they made the night before...

And so it was time for my departure, but not before Carla presented me with a little regalo di Pasqua...

Tante grazie Carla, Lorrane, Giampaolo, Francesca e Nonna e Nonno!

I hope they will come to visit me in California!

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