October 2011: Part One: Modena, Italy

It's been a long time in the making. Between working, dating, my new cat, writing other stuff, trying to assemble all my pictures, and my computer dying it's been a trying month or two to cook. I'll be back to my regular scheduled programming in December. Until then, please enjoy Part I of my trip to Italy.

Day 1:

Goosebumps. That's what I felt as I walked down the tunnel to board the Air France plane that will take me to Paris en route to Bologna, Italy. The last time I was on a plane this big was when my buddy Bob and I went to Australia (That's a crazy story for another time). Here I am: alone and on my way to run a marathon in a small town in Italy I only heard about from my balsamic vinegar bottles back home.

Something incredible about this plane: everyone on the plane has a tv in front of them and it's tuned into a camera that is mounted on the highest point of the plane on the outside. The camera is in the back of the plane and showing us the front.  We are all watching the tv as we twist and turn on the runway. We start to accelerate and we can actually see our plane from the outside lift off the ground. Air France is a hell of an airline. They give us all sleeping masks and headphones. As much as I agree with Anthony Bourdain when he says never eat airline food I must disagree with him here. Our meal is simply wonderful: Edamane salad with roast beef, chicken Marsala and vegetables. This being Air France they serve champagne and wine and both of which I get refills of.

As I eat I decide to watch the Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris. It's about a man (Owen Wilson) who falls in love with Paris and romanticizes about what it was like to live in Paris in the 30's. It was a perfect selection for this trip. All my insecurities and fears of traveling to a strange land by myself washed away when I see Wilson walking around Paris alone and just taking in the scenery around him. It was an "aha moment"." This! This is the feeling and tone I've been searching for for my trip!

 

I land in Paris and have to walk foreverrrrrr to get to my connecting flight. I was not expecting to go through customs to get to my next gate. In true French fashion the customs agent gives my brand new passport the weakest of stamps I have ever seen (This will become a slight problem when leaving Italy, but that is much later.). Finally I get to my gate and board the plane that takes me to Italy. Landing in Bologna and it is hot out! I love it. I board the bus to Modena and eventually find my hotel. "Eventually" being the key word there. I have a knack for getting lost but keeping my cool. This could possibly only be said for when I travel alone. When I travel with others and get lost I get kind of curt. I feel responsible and embarrassed, but when I'm alone the only one I'm disappointing is myself and it's not a big deal. I'm very much in my head at this point. I ask for directions to the train station and a guy at a bodega points me in the right direction. I really wish I did better with those Rosetta Stone courses. Somehow, I find my hotel! I check in and go to my small room. I have a beautiful view of a big church in the distance. 

First thing I do is try to find some lunch. I read on trip advisor about this great restaurant that is only open for lunch. Since it's 1pm I'm thinking I can still make it. The guy at the front desk gives me a map and tells me where to go. I walk past it once, but I get there. Sadly, I am too late. The waiter, who doesn't speak or understand english, turns me away. Fine. I'll just get something quick as I am starving! I find a little deli shop on the same street and ask for a ham and cheese panini. The woman behind the counter sort of knows what I'm looking for. I eat a Prosciutto di modena with provolone cheese on fresh bread as my first meal in Italy.

Amazaballs! After lunch I go exploring. The town of Modena is a small one, but it has beautiful arches everywhere. It's easy to fall in love with them. I find my first gelato stand. Few things are as good as Italian gelato.

Getting lost in a city like this one is a lot of fun. No one speaks english. People are slowly walking around doing errands, playing with their kids and standing idle talking to one another on the sidewalk. Basically the complete opposite of New York life. I've lived in NY all my life, I've been to Rome, Athens, Sydney, Boston, Paris, Los Angeles and there is something beautiful about not being in any of those places. To just, stop. Embracing my surroundings even though in the back of my mind one constant thought was heard: You have a marathon to run in 3 days! Also: Why does your calf hurt?! Yes, my calf has been killing me for a few days now. I haven't been able to fully extend my leg and it has been worrying me. Is this part of my jet lag? Was I dehydrated? No, I had this problem before the flight out here. I pushed the thought away and headed back to the hotel.

After a long shower I decide dinner would be necessary. It's 8pm after all. I attempt to find a restaurant I found on tripadvisor but I get lost. I decide to go here:

It's outdoors with families sharing big plates of pasta and no english to be heard. I figure this was my place.

Dinner: Trattoria del Giardinetto

First course: Pasta with white truffles.

This was my first dinner and I think it's safe to say my favorite. I've never had pasta this fresh and the white truffles are addictive. I am in love.

This is also my first time having Lambrusco! It's red wine with Prosecco! Love it! I polish off a whole bottle with this meal (DUDE! You are running a marathon in 3 days! shhhhhhh).

Second course: Balsamic Vinegar Steak medium raw.

The sauce is a sucker punch to the taste buds, but delicious nonetheless. It was a wonderfully cooked piece of meat.

After dinner I walk to another gelato stand and get another cone. Cones feel appropriate for gelato for some reason. 

By this time it's about 10pm. Dinner took 2 hours! Between the long (and wonderful) meal, the bottle of Lambrusco and the flight out here I was dead tired. Time for bed.

Day 2

In the morning I befriend a Batista at the coffee shop across the street from my hotel. She's a sweet college student who has grown up in this small town of Modena. She dreams of one day visiting New York and seeing the Empire State Building with her own eyes. She makes a good cappuccino.

After I scout the train station and make sure there are trains going to Carpi I am determined to get lunch at the restaurant I was turned away at yesterday. 

Lunch: Osteria da Ermes

Not the best picture, but this is the line outside the restaurant when I leave. 

When I arrive I am seated next to a few other patrons. No one speaks english. The big four eyed waiter is wearing a stained white apron over his shirt. He has a pencil and pad to write down orders. There are no menus. He gives me two options for each course: Tortellini or Ravioli, Stuffed tomatoes or vegetables, Codfish or Steak. I get the tortellini, stuffed tomatoes and the codfish with a bottle of Lambrusco. A couple sits down across from me and they speak a small amount of english. We talk and most of the time I make hand gestures if they don't understand my answer. 

The tortellinis are, like everything else, homemade. They are plump with savory meat. It's a perfect dish.

I'm used to stuffed peppers but stuffed tomatoes are a first for me. I love the sweetness of the tomato with the cooked meat and bread crumbs inside the tomato. Instant classic.

I was unsure about the codfish. In truth, I didn't know what the waiter was saying when he was asking me what I wanted and I just gave him my index finger to signify the first option. The couple sitting across from me assured me that the cod was a good choice. The fish was cooked wonderfully. Salty with a hint of lemon. It melts in your mouth and goes well with the Lambrusco. I was very happy with my choice.

I decide to head to the train station after lunch and go to the town of Carpi to get my marathon bib and explore their town.  At first there isn't much to look at but as I walk towards what I assume is the city center the paved streets give way to cobblestones and that spills out to the town square. A beautiful castle to one side and a large church adjacent to it. 

Workers are preparing for the marathon in two days. Hanging up signage and bleachers for the crowd. This is the finish line. Where I will finally stop jogging. It really does look heavenly. I get my marathon bag and bib from a helpful attendant. She informs me that I'm only 1 of about 20 participants from North America.

I walk around the city square and take pictures. It's basically an outside mall. I stop off and get some gelato (naturally) and a slice of pizza.

Pepperoni Pizza in Carpi

I was hungry but I have an idea of where I want to eat dinner later on in Modena not here in Carpi. The pizza slice was fine. Nothing too exciting.

I head back to Modena and empty the marathon bag on the hotel bed. It's mostly advertisements that I put in the garbage. I like the green shirt they gave me though and decide I will wear that for the marathon.

After a little nap and shower I head out to find dinner at a little restaurant I read about on tripadvisor.com (yes again). I get some directions from the concierge at the hotel but I get lost immediately. I walk a long long time. This is one of the benefits of traveling by myself. I don't mind getting lost. I have nothing better to do anyway. I stumble upon a Ferrari dealership though! It's not very often I see one of those.

I finally find the restaurant (I past the street two times previously. Oops!). When I arrive there's a little woman running around serving plates to a couple. She asks me a question in Italian. I say one with my mouth and finger. She makes a dramatic sigh and reluctantly pulls out a chair for me in the middle of the small restaurant. The restaurant is more like a living room. It's intimate with paintings of fruit and landscapes on the walls and wooden cabinets next to the tables. The cabinets house the silverware and table clothes just like my grandmothers place. Without asking what I would like to eat the woman hands me a plate of pumpkin tortellinis.



Pumpkin Tortellini



The pumpkin is firm inside the pasta. I'm not used to the texture or the size of the tortellinis. Look at those suckers! I enjoy the dish but make a mental note to pass on pumpkin tortellinis in the future. It's not that it's bad it's that the pasta is just so fresh that it only takes a few minutes for the pasta to cook whereas the pumpkin could use a few more minutes. After the tortellinis the woman comes back and slides over a plate of green lasagna and starts to drizzle some grated cheese over it. As I say thank you she rubs my back.

Green lasagna

Let it be known that this is the first time I decline wine with a meal. I tell the woman, who I realize is the owner and cook at this small restaurant, that I'm preparing to run in the marathon (I mime a running motion). She understands and serves me water and asks what I would like for the main course. In her broken English I can make out a leg of meat with vegetables and ask for that. I apologize to her for not knowing any Italian. She pinches my cheek like my grandmother used to. She makes me and everyone in the dining room comfortable.

As my main course is served the woman gets everyones attention and starts to tell a story in Italian. I figure she is telling her customers about where tonight's food came from or something but then I notice her gesturing over to me occasionally. She makes gestures with her body that I'm a strong young man. She then walks over to me and rubs my shoulders and the audience starts laughing like she just told a joke that I am her lover. I pick a moment and say, "Si." The crowd roars with laughter and the woman kisses me on the cheek. Afterwards, one couple assures me that she was saying that when she was young she would love it when single young men would come into her restaurant and she would seduce them afterwards. I blush and laugh while eating my meal. The chicken meat is tender and the roasted carrots are delicious. I highly recommend you all seek out this restaurant if you are ever in Modena. I pay my bill and thank the woman. She gives me a big hug and kiss and the other guests wave goodbye to me as I leave. As I cross the street  she waves goodbye to me. I feel like I just left a family members home.

 Day 3:

An archway in Modena, Italy

I get up early because I spotted the market in the center of town last night (when I was lost) and wanted to check it out today. I was toying with the idea of going to Florence for the day but I wanted to take it easy the day before the marathon. Plus, my calf was still in pain and I wanted to see Florence with a girlfriend not solo.

The market is bustling with people! There's a lot of energy here. Again, no english in the entire place.  I love it. This is life in Modena. People are buying groceries for the week and chatting with friends. 

Look how pretty all these pastries are!

I had to try an authentic Italian mini cannoli. It did not disappoint!

Lunch: Ristorante da Enzo

I read about this restaurant in my Lonely Planet book and decided to give it a shot after a fun morning walking through the market. I didn't know what to expect but I knew I was going to like the food as soon as I walked up the stairs this is what greeted me:

Fresh pasta. Being made right there in front of the world to see. I couldn't wait to sit down. I was slightly saddened to see that the restaurant has an English menu, but I figure it was bound to happen since they're in a guidebook and all. I'm hungry but not starving so I order the green lasagna again and the tortellini. Both are a specialty in Modena and so I order them quite often.

Green Lasagna

Tortellini in broth

The lasagna is just so damn good. I'm running out of ways to describe it. The pasta slices with ease and the meat sauce is perfect really. I could and would have this everyday if I lived here. The tortellinis in broth is something I have never had before this trip, yet it's so simple it makes me wonder why I don't make it like this when I'm back in the states.

After lunch gelato: Pistachio, coffee and cream

After my post lunch gelato I explored the city center a bit. The church and the museum are quite pretty on the inside. There's a limited number of cultural things to do in the city. Once school lets out the streets are mobbed with youthful kids hanging out and walking around. I did a lot of walking the day before the marathon for some reason. After I went back to the hotel and showered I went back out and got a pre dinner gelato! Don't you judge me!

That's biscuit flavored gelato in there! Heavenly!

Dinner: Omer

So this is the first and only meal where I ordered more than I could handle. I made a huge mistake with the pasta. It was simply too much food. I ordered only 2 dishes:

The food...well it's pasta in ragu sauce. Honestly, I don't remember much about this meal because tomorrow is the marathon and I'm slightly and silently wigging out. The pasta was plentiful and good but I was stuffed from all the gelato and pasta from lunch. I head to the hotel and get my bag ready for the morning and set up a wake up call for 5am. 

Coming Soon: Part II