Parma

Well here we are finally in the big cheese of cheeses in Parma! Ok so some may know Parma for its famous brand of air cured hams but for me this is just a nice extra next to the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese that is made in these whereabouts. Otherwise known to most people as Parmesan cheese but that mearly indicates the style of cheese.

Parmigano-Reggiano logo vigorously defines this brand

The Parmigiano-Reggiano is the original cheese of this style and a very strict set of cheese making methods must be adhered to. Most importantly is the regional basin where the cows must graze. This extends right down to the coast near San Marino and was once covered by the sea and is fed by alpine rivers. This along with a mix of skimmed afternoon milk and full morning milk that is never pasteurised helps to make this unique cheese.

We made sure that we were able to make it to the 8am start for the guided tour of a nearby Parmigiano-Reggiano factory. The tour took us through the whole process from receiving the fresh milk through to placing the cheese in the mould. Amazingly the whole process only takes two hours, but after that it needs to be aged for at least 12 months before being able to be sold.

After the rennet is added the cheese starts separating from the whey

Adding the fresh morning milk, that's the good stuff just ask any mum!

Separating the congelled cheese

Once the cheese gets to just the 'right' consistency it's allowed to settle to the bottom

This cheese house has just 12 vats, each makes 2 cheeses. that's 24 a day. Just about enough for me?

Freeing the settled cheese from the vat

100 kilos in each big cheese

Molding in its first stage mould

Eeeuw!!! Getting a bit stinky in here

The day being Thursday also means that it's Ricotta day, with the soft cheese being made from the leftover whey... OK, so it's a tradition that goes back centuries but one that's not enjoyed very much by the cheese makers.

The loathed task of making the Thursday batch of ricotta

Bathing in salt baths, which act as a natural preservative

The stencil used in the secondary mould to identify the cheese, nothing but cheese is used

Hmmm, the cheese aging warehouse

Mine all mine! OK, a whole new meaning to having cheese dreams??

Gratuitious pack shot :-)

The finished product ready to be gobbled up!

Luckily that the ban on importing unpasteurised cheeses to NZ has finally been lifted and next time we won't have to go so far to get our supplies!

Florence

After the sheer laziness of a week on Elba, and the indulgence that was Chianti we really needed to get on that road north. It would be complete insanity however not to spend at least a day in the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence. Especially considering that it was only 28km away!! (and especially if you're still in the market for Italian shoes and handbags!!!).

The fabulous Duomo

The Florentine skyline from the Torre d'Arnolfo to the Duomo

View of the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno river

"Cheese!"

We had spent a good few days in Florence on our last Euro trip seeing the sights and soaking up the atmosphere, and just totally being wowed by the place. This time around we felt that we could get away with less sightseeing and more soaking. Unless of course your definition of sightseeing includes shoe shops, boutiques and gelateria. And so we did.

Reflection on the Arno

Il Duomo. Up close and personal

It brings me much sadness to report however that we didn't manage any shoes or handbags, but rather a solitary leather wallet and a duo scoop of gelato (caffe/straccitella and passionfruit/fig respectively (what was I thinking??!!!)).

Parking, Italian style

Recharging. Electric vehicles!

Shopping, or should that be browsing aside, we did find the time to take in a little culture. This came in the form of a (quick) visit to the Museo del Bargello, which according to the trusty LP houses "Italy's most comprehensive collection of Tuscan Renaissance sculpture", including several Michelangelos, a couple of Cellinis and an absolutely stunning Donatello. The piece in question is a very neat, very tidy bronze David, apparently the the first freestanding sculpture since the time of antiquity to depict a fully nude male (aside from his helmet of course)! Unfortunately I can't share a kodak or two with you as they totally ban photography :( Not even a sneaky one! But here's what he looks like anyway...

David, courtesy of Google Images

Along with the sculpture, the museum was home to quite a lot of overthetop gold embellished religious works, some great Islamic art and quite a number sculptured coat-of-arms from the upwardly mobile Florentine families of the Renaissance era. We've since learnt that the fabulous building that the museum is now housed in was in turns the residence of the chief magistrate of Florence, back in 1254 (can you even imagine??!), and then a police station, complete with city gallows...

Hercules beating the Centaur Nessus (1599), Loggia della Signoria

...in detail

Marzocco, the symbol of Florence

But soon enough, it was time to get back on the bikes, ride back up the hill, and climb back on board for the drive to our next newest country, the teeny-weeny city state of San Marino...

Lunch!

SJ

Il Chianti

We were well keen to leave behind the crowds in Siena and climb back aboard Wickse for a tour of the famous rolling countryside of Il Chianti. These rolling hills, littered with cypress and olive groves, and rows upon rows of well tendered vines were definitely a sight to behold, and allowed me another opportunity to improve my skills at "campercam".

Casting aside the good old Lonely Planet in favour of the Tuscany chapter of our 'Wines Of The World' guide, we followed the SS222, or as we prefer to call it the 'Strada del Vino', as it snaked its way north from Siena through the villages of Chianti.

Vines, glorious vines!

Cypress madness

Recently harvested Chianti grapes

The famous sunbaked hills of Castellina in Chianti

We passed Wine village after wine village, plodding on towards our end destination of Greve-in-Chianti. In a fabulous case of coincidence, we were due to arrive on the final afternoon of the annual Greve-in-Chianti wine festival, or as it is known in these parts, the XVII Rassegna del Chianti Classico, and our very own opportunity to sample some of the world renowned local fare.

A Chianti taste meister

Chianti Classico, as we were soon to learn, is infact a blend of both red and white grapes, and a very tasty drop too. Upon arrival we were each presented with tasting glass and notebook and sent forth to sample the produce from several dozen local producers. For Chianti novices such as ourselves it was quite daunting, but we put on a brave face and ventured forth. It was great to be able to chat with the wine producers themselves, many of whom were good, honest, family outfits, and to see locals of all ages from Greve and the surrounding region out enjoying themselves on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The whole event was just so civilised and tasteful - if only the Devonport Food & Wine Festival could be like this!

The Sangiovese grape, heart of the Chianti Classico

Chianti Classico-ing in Greve in Chianti

The evening was finished with a very Italian style rock concert and an impressive pyrotechnic display, well from what we heard of it later that night whislt tucked up in bed in Wickse, it did sound pretty impressive!

But fabulous wine is not only what this little corner of Tuscany has to offer. Greve is also home to Macelleria Falorni, a long established (try 1729!) butchery renowned throughout the whole of Tuscany for its wild boar and Chianti infused pork products....yum! It is indeed rather like the Selfridges of butcheries, you could spend forever browsing the shelves and taking in the sight of meat in all its glorious forms. A true carnivore's paradise.

Salame di Cinghiale or Salame Magro Montanaro?

Skinny white truffle salami

Crikey! These ones still have tails on!!

3 kilos and €30 later

Half an hour later, having been relieved of almost €30, and armed with a few kilos of cured cuts, it was time to hit the road to Florence...

SJ

Siena

Siena is one of those places that I guess you just have to see - people who've been there rave about it, and others still travel all the way from the UK just to get married there. We attempted a visit on our last trip back in '98, but as we discovered then it's no town for a van - parking anywhere close to walled town is a nightmare, not to mention expensive, and you need plenty of perserverence and stamina just to get through a day's sightseeing.

Forewarned is forearmed as they say, so being the smart travellers that we are, scheduled our visit for the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning - free parking, minimal numbers of tourists, and if we could get in and out quick sharp we could still make it to the final day of the annual Greve-in-Chianti annual wine festival some 80km north!

An early morning appreciation of Torre del Mangia

A lone tourist on the Piazza del Campo

...while just an hour later (9am)

Despite my reservations, Siena is one enchanting town. While neighbouring Florence basks in all its Renaissance glory, Siena's architectural and artistic beauty comes from an even earlier movement in history - Gothicism. It's medieval centre is completely brimming with churches (and believe us when we say there are many - having visited on a Sunday morning we heard them all!!) and all manner of fabulous civic and private buildings. It's the kind of place where you don't even need to go anywhere in particular, you can soak up so much of the atmosphere solely by wandering about, drinking espresso, eating gelato - and remembering to look up!

Windows

Hmmm, now that's what I call a real bike!

Washing day

Houses of Siena

Romulus, Rhemus and the She Wolf - Siena being founded by the son of Remus, these guys are everywhere!

As the morning progressed, so did the crowds, as the devout citizens, stopping for post-church cappucinos and martinis, mingled with the tourist groups now arriving by the bus load, alongside the day's first English wedding couple. And you had to sympathise with the pair - posing nervously together for a photo in front of the town's famous bell tower, their photographer jostling for space alongside a dozen or so other tourists also lining up a shot. As a future bride-to-be I was really quite perturbed by the lack of respect for the happy pair - tourists barging in desperate for a photo, bicycle tourists wheeling their bikes if not over, then definitely too close to the hem of the bride's dress. A total lack of respect. It was only 11am yet her hems were already coated in dust and muck. Getting married in Siena, perhaps not as romantic in real life eh?

The imposing Gothic cathedral, begun in 1196

...in detail

Siena's cathedral is one of Italy's greatest Gothic churches don't you know?

Despite the beauty of it all, our tolerance for loud, ignorant Americans and kodak snapping Koreans was running low. To add insult to injury, our much anticipated and overpriced scoop of banana gelato was anything but! Fake banana flavouring just does not cut it for Eric, and as unfortunate as it is, Siena's reputation will long remain tainted by such an insult.

Oh, but it looked just so fabulous!

But it's fake banana!!!

SJ