A feast to celebrate our last day at work

The basement room containing parma hams & cheese

Martin in heaven with his ham!

Special dinner on our last night

Enjoying Parma ham & parmesan cheese from our field trip

Special dinner - Appetizer - quiche

Primi - homemade pasta with crab on a bed of pumkin puree

Secondi -Monkfish on a bed of porcini mushrooms & eggplant

Dessert - dark chocolate confection

Thursday Nov 24

Final discussion went great. They actually clapped for us! My last audit so not a bad way to go out. I wished everyone a happy thanksgiving and explained to them the traditional meal and the big shopping day on friday. The colleagues were happy with the report and thanked us for the way we conducted it. After the meeting some came up to each of us to give their own thanks. Paolo & Antonio made sure to tell me to look them up if I ever come back to italy. Fabio said that he appreciated having me around because I had a special prescence. Hey, his words not mine so who am I to argue?! Everyone is so nice here I cant get over it.

Our final lunch, I'll be missing the great meals. The chef wanted to give me samples of everything, including his special eggplant parmesan. Alfredo told me how to make it so let's see if I can replicate, doubt it. It's supposedly very easy. During lunch Martin asked the guys where he could buy some Parma ham. He LOVES italian ham (prosciutto), he lights up like a little kid whenever we get prosciutto at one of the meals. Anyway, next thing you know salvatore is on the phone and talking in rapid italian. Anotonio chuckles and tells me that here in italy it's not what you know, it's who you know! Salvatore was asking someone who lives locally and found out that there is a special store near the plant that sells parma ham. THe ham from the renowned region of Parma Italy and supposed to be very good but very expensive. Our friends insisted on taking us after lunch to this special place where they sell it. So off we went for a short field trip. We entered a small cafe/shop and some italian and hand gesstures ensued. Then the girl took us down to the basement to this air controlled room. It was really funny, she had to enter a security code to get into the room. I can see why when we went in - there were rows of ham legs hanging, all kinds of other ham, parmesan cheesed, and balsamic vinegar. To give an idea, the parma ham costs $45 for 2 lbs but costs twice as much abroad. Martin was like a kid in a candy store, he was so happy! Both he and Federico bought 4 lbs of ham. I took a picture of Martin in ectasy over the ham and we all had a good laugh over it. He loved that picture and sent it to his family who also loves the stuff. It's vacum sealed so ok to pack for the plane. I wish I could have bought some but I was pretty sure it's forbidden for the states. I'm not a big ham fan but was really bumming that I couldn't buy any of the parm cheese. No worries, our nice colleagues bought some ham, parm cheese and special wine of the region to bring back to the office for us to try. They also bought fried ravioli which you eat with the ham. OMG, it was so good! What a special treat!

I was worried we were eating too much and not leaving room for our nice dinner that night. As if! Federico ensured me that it's not a matter of being full or hungry, he will make room. How true!

Our restaurant was well away from the town of Como and on a side of a mountain. We drove through some some really really narrow roads. Again, it was a restaurant that you had to know about but it was not on the main drag. Alfredo told me that this is well know and exclusive and they get a lot of local celebraties. Ofcourse I had to ask if George you-know-who was going to be there and ofcourse they all groaned. Apparently it's always big news when George is in town and is all over the news. I'm told he has 3 villas on the lake now - the joke is that he has 1 to live in, 1 for his gym and 1 for his parties! Anyway back to the restaurant. So great. It sat next to a creek and has been owned by 5 generations of family. It's like a big villa with various rooms. The menu did not have prices so I'm guessing it was expensive. We had local wines and a 4 course meal. The service was incredible, I think we had 3 different waiters tending to our every needs. This time Davide also joined and we got to know him a little better. He told us funny stories about his wife being the boss of the household and her love for louis v. purses. All the men ofcourse shook their heads and perplexing why someone would pay thousands for a purse. Being the only girl at the table I felt obligated to defend a woman's right to appreciate to nice purse! Yes, my sisters would be proud.

Homemade chessecake!

Simone was so sweet, he made cheesecake for us today. Cheesecake and crust were ofcourse made from scratch and so delicicious. Federico did us proud by asking for seconds.

I got the recipe from the chef of the cantine for his great minestrone soup, hooray. Can't wait to make it when I get home. He was very proud to give it to me and making the point that he translated it in english for me.

Exploring Milan

Milan Cathedral

Cathedral at night

Maria della Grazia church (to see Last Supper painting)

Cathedral square

Sforza Castle

Sforza castle

Sforza castle

Sunday, Nov 20

I spent the day exploring Milan city center. It's very nice but much bigger than the other towns I've visit (except Rome ofcourse). The center is older and more historic. The crown jewel so to speak is the beautiful cathedral and square. The day was very chilly. OK, it was freezing especially in the morning. Martin & I rode into the city on the tram but went separate ways once we got there. He had already seen the city the day before when I went to Verona so he was only interested in checking out some shops. That's ok, unless I'm with Gary I prefer to wander around alone and at my own pace. To get out of the cold I went into the cathedral and was pleasantly surprised that there was a sunday service in progress. The choir and organ was so nice to hear.

The highlight of the day was to go to the Maria Grazia church to see da Vinci's "The Last Supper" painting. I didn't realize until too late that you have to book tickets weeks in advance because they only let 25 people in at a time and only for 15 minutes. Luckily the admin in the milan office called and got me a ticket due to a cancellation. I really really wanted to see this painting. It was fun to search the net and read the background and history of the painting so you can just enjoy it when there. It's a fresco of sort in that it's part of a wall. The painting is huge and stands 15ft hight and 29ft wide. Leo painted this in 1495-1498 and the inventor in him decided to try a new technique by painting directly on a dry wall (instead of on wet plaster as in the way of frescos). The result was that it deteriorated rather quickly. Over the centuries there were some bad attempts to restore the painting but instead they would botch the job and made it worse. Recent attempt in the 20th century was decent since they finally understood that it wasn't a typical fresco. Now they sealed the room (part of an old convent) and you have to pass through 2 airtight entrances before you enter the room. 15 minutes was sufficient to admire the painting. I've seen so many recreations of this painting so it's cool to see the original. Ofcourse the colors are not as vibrant but you can still appreciate the genius of Leo's work.

It was a cold day so a good excuse to buy roasted chestnuts and walk around with the warm bag in your hands. Ended the day shopping. THere's a famous shopping street here call montenapolean. All the famous designer names are here. Unfortunately all I could afford was window shopping!

Day trip to Verona

The arena

Rooftop of Verona

Arena

Arena (600+years and fully intact!)

Juliet's House (and balcony)

Love locks at Juliet's House

One of many churches

Piazza Erba (and flea market)

Verona Cathedral

Fresco inside the cathedral

Cathedral

Walk along the river

Picture perfect!

Piazza Bra

Saturday, Nov 19

So glad I had the opportunity to see this town. A colleague told me it was a beautiful city and that I should go there if possible. Verona is usually overlooked because you have Venice which is only an hour away to the east. We managed to finish our report by Friday night so I hopped on a train Saturday morning to Verona. It's only a 1 hour 2o min train ride from Milan so it's very easy. However, it's one of the few times I'm actually winging it, meaning I have no map and no set itinerary when I get there. I had hoped that there would be a tourist office at the train station (there wasn't) so that I can at least get a map. We were so rushed on Friday to finish the report that I didn't have a chance to print out any maps or info from the internet. Train stations here are usually right in town but maybe not in the middle of it. So when I got there I didn't see anything obvious to point me in the right direction. I have 8 hours to explore the city so it needs to be efficient. I spotted a general map on a bulletin board and saw that there was a tourist info office in Piazza Bra. That was enough info to hop into a cab and tell him where I wanted to go. It turned out to be the center of town with the arena and tourist office. Got my map and some reccos on a walking tour so off I went with the arena first on the list. I wish I could have caught an opera performance in the arena but that's only in the summer. The sound is perfect. From the top I can hear the people in the arena below speak in normal voices. One guy standing in the middle decided to joke around by singing some operatic songs at the top of his voice. He wasn't half bad so it was actually nice to hear.

Verona is AWESOME! For the first 3-4 hours I just wandered aimlessly and was rewarded with so many hidden gems. Narrow cobblestone streets, old houses with ornate balconies, so quaint. Ofcouse it was a requirement to stop by Juliet's House and take a picture of the famous balcony but honestly, this was the least interesting part about the city yet it's the most famous thing the tourists refer to. Manzini street was an elegant shopping pedestrian street with high end shops. All I could afford was window shopping!

The cathedral was especially nice since it had some beautiful frescos including the "Ascension" by Titian. I studied this artist when I was in spain many years ago so it's always nice to see his work.

The train station was in walking distance so I decided to walk there to catch the 8pm train back to Milan. There were signs along the way to indicate the train station so I was feeling confident. The only thing was, thick fog had set in and I walked right past the train station without realizing it. By this time I was in a busy traffic area for cars but not pedestrian, so no opportunity to ask for directions. I knew I was lost but didn't know what I could do. Walking back to center of town to catch a taxi could mean missing the train. WOuld have jumped in a taxi but ofcourse it wasn't an area to catch a taxi. Add to that was the time pressure of making it there in time for the train. Not my best move I have to admit. Luckily after 15 minutes or so I saw a byciclist coming towards me and I waved her down. She didn't speak english so all I could say in italian was train station and pointed in all direction. She understood enough to confirm that I needed to turn back and make a turn at a light. At the light I saw a woman crossing the street and tried to ask for direction just to make sure. She must have thought I was an idiot since the station was just across the street, except the fog was so thick you couldn't see it! I did make it in time but it was a little too close for comfort!

My fav city now? It's a toss up between Verona and Florence although I'm leaning more towards Verona. Florence has the culture (all the italian masters have lived there one time or another) but Verona is smaller in scale and simply beautiful. I'm so lucky to have had the opportunity to see these cities and get different perspective. According to my colleagues I need to go to the south of italy (as in naples) because it's even more beautiful. And the food is supposed to be even more delicious.

It's pea soup out there!

Hnkl parking lot
Thursday Nov 17

What a change in weather! Since we've arrived in Milan yesterday the weather has been strange. In the morning and evening the fog rolls in thick. It's like I was in san fran! As a result it feels cold and damp. At lunchtime however, it's nice and sunny. After lunch in the cantine paolo and luciano invited us for a stroll outside. Actually we walked across the street to the mall to have a cup of expresso. I have been temporary converted to a coffee drinker while here. I know for a fact that I will not be drinking the american coffee when back in the states. Besides, the whole coffee break is a social thing so it's fun. Luciano was proud to show us around the mall. It's 2 story and relatively small but I didn't want to tell them the malls in the states are at least twice as big. This concept of a shopping mall is relatively new to them.
It's crunch time with our report. I'm staying up tonight until my part is done, taking a mental break with this blog. We gave ourselves a goal to be done with the report by tomorrow night so we can all enjoy the weekend. Federico's girlfriend is flying in for the weekend so he's very motivated to be done. I'm super motivated because I plan to take a day trip to verona on saturday and check out milan on sunday. Looking forward to getting some sleep next week....

Homemade tiramisu, yum!

Simone cutting into his tiramisu
Wed, Nov 16

One day last week I finally said, screw it I'll go on a diet in January. Now I am going to fully enjoy all the good food here. This means partaking in the tray of fresh croissants from a local bakery - they put this in our meeting room every morning. Before coming here I wondered if I would get sick of eating italian food for 3 weeks. The answer would be yes if I went to an italian restaurant back home where they would typically have dishes like lasagna, spaghetti, linguini etc. The food in northern italy is very different and every region has their own specialties. There are so many variations that unless you are going to the same restaurant for 3 wks straight you will have more than enough variety. The only commonality is that a menu will always be split in 3 courses, the antipasto, primi (typically pasta or risotto) and then secondi (main course). Last night we discovered a small long alleyway behind our hotel (based on advice from alfredo) and saw that there was at least half a dozen of small restaurant. We randomly picked one and it turned out to be very local. No english in their menu! We ordered risotto with ragout of mushroom, liver and kidney and steaks that are grilled on stone. The owner warned us that they do not put anything on the steak so you can add salt to it if you want. Ofcourse federico was in heaven because this is how they cook meat in argentina (with no seasonings or sauces). The result is that you just taste the nice meat. It was the best steak ever!

In the first week one of the colleague, simone, asked me what I thought of the food in the plant cantine and I told him it was excellent. However, the plant in france was the best. I guess he told the chef this as a challenge so he has since cooked some special dishes for us. Our lunch is also in multiple courses and I love them all. Whenever the cook sees indecision on my face because I wanted all the choices he offers to give me a little of this and a little of that so I can try. Yesterday we had a local specialty called cassola which is a dish of shredded cabbage and pork skin and pork ribs. The meat is so tender because they cook this dish for many hours. It was so delicious I made sure to give compliments to the chef. I think he got a kick out of that. I also love the minestrone soup here, so different from what I know. I asked salvatore for a recipe that his wife makes and he asked me which kind. There's more than one kind? He said there are dozens of variations so he promised to give me a few of his fav recipes. Can't wait to make it at home. I never order this type of soup in restaurants at home but I have been eating it here everyday!

Today Simone brought in some homemade tiramisu. OMG, so different from any I've had. So guess what, he's going to send me the recipe, lol! Alfredo told me the legend of this dessert which originated from venice. Supposedly an important figure 200 yrs ago who had mistresses in venice told the local baker that he wanted a dessert that will give him some "extra energy" but he was in a hurry. The result was the tiramisu which is quick and easy to make and sweet. Not sure if any of this was true but fun to hear!

I love our lunches together. Usually alfredo and salvatore join us but sometimes others as well. We talk about anything but the audit so it's a nice way to get to know the local culture and people. One funny conversation was my story that involved parents of friends who bought property in hawaii years ago and are now retired there. Immediately salvatore says that is not possible here because they would never think to move far from family. This is coming from a guy that built a big house so his mother and sister could also live there! This is a little extreme but it is true that the italians have a very strong sense of family.

Weekend in Florence!

Train station in Milan

Colorful streetlights of Florence

Typical narrow cobblestone streets

Many statues throughout...

My cute hotel room in Florence

Front of my hotel

Night of opera at San Marco church

Pont del Vecchio bridge at night

Plazzo del Vecchio & Uffizi Museum

Florence cathedral in the background

Michaelangelo David

One of many street musicians

Florence cathedral made of tuscan marble

San Croce church - houses tombs of Michaelanglo, Galileo...

Sat & Sun, Nov 12-13

This is by far my most favorite city in italy! It’s the perfect combo of art, architecture and shopping. Best of all it the perfect size so that you can explore it by foot, it’s lots and lots of walking.

After much planning thanks to my Italian colleagues I got on the fast train to Florence without any problems. It’s about 2 ½ hr ride that took me right into the center of the city. I got to Florence at 11am Saturday and as luck had it, there was a free walking tour that started from the train station at 11! It was a great way for me to get my bearing and some background of the city. The tour ended at 12:30 and I then had to immediately make my way to the Uffizi museum where I made online reservations at 1pm. In the summer the lines to get into this famous museum could be 3-5 hours! I got in right away and spent 2 hours checking out some great renaissance masterpieces. So hard to believe these paintings dates back in the 15^th century. My fav painting was Boticelli’s Birth of Venus. My hotel is so cool. I didn’t realize it but it was an old convent built in 1536! Then when church property was repossessed in the second half of the 16^th century it was converted into an inn. The hotel sits on an old square so it’s very peaceful. It was great when I got into my room and opened my window to views of the red rooftops. I could see the dome of San Lorenzo cathedral church nearby.

I booked tickets to an opera (Carmen) in an old English church that night. Here in Florence anything built after the 15^th century is considered modern, lol! We were literally in a church with pews and everything! They put in chairs for about 150 chairs and the 4 person opera was done right in front of the altar. The singers were professional level and the sound was incredible. Funny but since we weren’t in a real theatre there wasn’t an overhead marquee to translate the opera so in between the 4 acts there was a host who explained each scene to us. It was very different and fun. I got tix in the 2^nd row so it was up close and personal with the singers.

I was walking back to my hotel was walking past the plaza del vecchio and could hear some beautiful live music. It lured me closer. I have read that in this city you can find some street performers that have professional level and this was one of those situations. The guy was playing acoustic guitar and must have had a bose sound system hooked to his guitar. His music reverberated throughout the square and it was so beautiful. There were long benches that were extensions of a monument so it was a perfect place to sit and listen. Many passersby had the same idea. I texted Gary wishing he was there because he would have enjoyed it. It was 11 at night but there were still lots of people walking around.

I guess the late work nights the week before caught up with me because I slept right through breakfast and didn’t wake up until 10:30. My train leaves Florence at 6pm so it was enough time to visit a couple more sights and do a little shopping. I made sure to fit in the Accademia museum which housed Michaelangelo’s statue of David – no intention to walked around for 2 hours, only to see the famous statue. When buying the ticket I asked if they had a map of the place so I can get right to David and she just said no. I realized the reason why when walking through the door you can see it big as life in the distance at the end of the corridor. Didn’t know what to expect but it was awesome to see it on approach. As with other people it was nice to sit and take the time to view the sculpture from all angles. It really was an incredible feat. Michaelangelo did manage to capture all the features of the human body. As the story goes, the artist had gotten permission to start work on this sculpture from an abandoned piece of marble that was laying around in the churchyard of san Lorenzo church. It took him 2 yrs to do it and finished it in 1504. I could hear the museum worker yelling out “no pictures!” every once in awhile so I quietly walked out of her view and zoomed in with my camera and took some pics! I sent Gary a picture that night and he agreed that the details looked pretty incredible. It’s a unique experience to see it up close and personal.

What can I say about the shopping?! Every other store in the whole city is either a shop selling purses or shoes! And it’s all leather! I wanted to buy everything but had to force myself to not do it. Not for the first time I wish it got colder in phx so I could wear these great boots. And the purses were so beautiful! I wanted to buy them all! I didn’t want to carry back too many things on the train I had to limit myself to a couple of leather belts and a wallet. My splurge for the weekend was a patent leather purse handcrafted in Florence. I will have to see how the shopping goes in Milan next weekend, oh boy. Wish I had more shopping time in Florence, after all, this is the birthplace of prada, ferragamo etc.