It finally, finally feels like Italy. It's a combination of my kinda being out here on holiday long enough, and of kinda being able to relax since the whole day's program is more or less decided. And being out of the city, moving around and seeing the sights on the bus, it feels like I'm finally getting to know Italy. And what a day it's been, I couldn't be more thrilled with how this day has turned out. I'm pretty excited with the photos on the DSLR as well, I'd estimate most of them are usable.
The tour today took us to several places in the nearby Emilia-Bologna region. We went to a parmesan cheese making factory. It's incredible, they take the milk, boil it for awhile in large copper vats, and then basically use cloth nets to lift out huge, seventy kilogram blocks of cheese. Then they take those blocks, cut them in half, and slide them into rounded wheel containers, where they sit for a few weeks. It's nice how you just need milk and a parmesan cheese process, and the cheese basically makes itself. Those rows and rows of stacked cheese, like a Tom and Jerry cartoon episode, the smell of it is so rich and strong - sharp, salty and tasty. The cheese tasting we had after that went over well with the group, and the sweet, bubbly red wine was a big hit.
The next stop was a meat curing house - Prosciutto de Moderna, by Nina Gianfranco. I may not have eaten a whole lot of cured meat in my day, but god, that prosciutto was the best I've ever had. It's unreal how tasty and fragrant it is, not salty or overly porkish, just wonderfully tasty, delicate and soft. Those hindlegs! I took some home with me, but I'm not too sure where I'll get the meat sliced up.
Well, there's more after that. We went to a balsamic vinegar house - I mean, we call it vinegar, but really the Italian is Aceto Balsamico Naturale. Which is fine because all they do is they boil the grapes a little longer until the juice is very fruity and flavourful, kinda like a soft, sweet strong port. There was the fifteen and the thirty year aged versions, and the latter was very thick and wonderful. It goes well with gelato, naturally, but I didn't think it needed it, because it's wonderful by itself. It's pretty expensive for the thirty year one; there was even a one hundred and fifty year aged version, but it didn't have a price displayed. Well, I liked the flavour, but I didn't take any because it's pretty expensive (and deservedly so).
The Ferrari museum after that - well, it's all the old and fast cars. It's no secret, I love bikes more than cars. But this was still impressive, of course. The 2002 Enzo Ferrari is the coolest cat I've ever seen though, yes, cat. The Spider parked outside was nice too, curves and all. A test run on that baby, on normal streets, not the track, was a hundred and twenty euro for ten minutes. Well, I can't afford that, guys.
Finally, we had a long lunch at a country restaurant, Ca Bianca, the white house. It was very, very good. We had three types of pasta, including tiny tortellinis, all fresh and hand made. Then we had this incredibly soft, warm tissue sheet-like pastry with prosciutto on it - that was fabulous! I wish I'd asked what that pastry was. For the meat course, they brought out roast beef, which was delicious! I ate a lot of that. We also had desert, chocolate cake and ice cream I think, I can't remember, and coffee. There was plenty of food for the group, and we had a good long talk over lunch, with lots of good wine. I enjoyed the crap out of that. Our super cheerful tour guide, Andrea, mentioned that the price of lunch might have been about forty euro, which I think would have been good value.
That was a lovely tour. I really did enjoy having a few chats with an Italian, our guide Andrea. That was a nice thing to get out of my system - to kind of be, well, connected. And Andrea was warm and wonderful, like a jovial uncle who praises everything effusively. After the tour ended, I walked around the city centre a little bit, and some of the cathedrals. Bologna is nice. I would totally visit again, knowing a local or two. But I'd have to reconsider coming in Summer. Well, a drive to Vernazza tomorrow. Ciao!
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I spent (in EUR):
160 - Ferrari and food tour
9 - prosciutto
1 - water
2.5 - lighted a candle, and donations
46 - apartment in Bologna
