Bocconcini (Tidbits from Italy)

My husband and I took a nonstop flight from Chicago and arrived in Rome the day after there was a fire at the Rome Fiumicino airport.  Because of the fire, we spent quite a bit of time on the tarmac before a bus transported us to the terminal, where we waited in a massive, chaotic line to get through passport control.  We noticed airport workers wearing dust masks and although we didn't smell smoke, I imagine if you were there for the entire day, you'd want to protect yourself from the smell or particles that might still be in the air.

I've mentioned before my abhorrence of the ubiquitous "selfie sticks" in use by every tourist in Rome and, because of that, I never got my camera out of its case in Rome and took only a half dozen photos with my phone's camera.  We visited the Vatican on arrival day and along with St Peter's Basilica, my other favorite was the ceiling of the Map Room, or Gallery of Maps, in the Vatican Museum.

Ceiling of the Map Room at the Vatican Museum

We saw many classic sights in Rome and had the added bonus of getting restaurant, gelato, and sightseeing suggestions from a young friend who recently spent a semester studying in Rome.  It's nice to get some "insider" tips!  Those tips resulted in a wonderful lunch that included pear pasta at Osteria Del'Anima near Piazza Navona.  We also enjoyed fabulous gelato at Frigidarium (near Piazza Navona) and Verde Pistaccio (near Termini train station).  My husband's favorite gelato flavor was lemon and mine was hazelnut!  On our friend's recommendation, I had the cacio e pepe (cheese and black pepper) pasta more than once.  I think I need to look for a recipe for that; it's a winner!

The quiet of Cinque Terre followed the hectic sightseeing schedule that we set for ourselves in Rome (see blog post here:  http://marygtheknitter.blogspot.com/2015/06/ups-and-downs-in-cinque-terre.html) but after that, we went to Firenze (Florence) for another sightseeing frenzy.  To make the most of our time, we decided to splurge on the Firenze Card which was helpful in saving time at many museums, although I'm not sure we saved time at the Accademia (where Michelangelo's David is located), which had a long line for reserved tickets as well as unreserved tickets and each line moved rather erratically (at the whim of the museum staff), but eventually we were admitted.

 Courtyard in the Museo del Bargello, Firenze

On our first day in Florence, we were looking for lunch and specifically went to All'Antico Vinaio, a little deli-like place that was highly rated on TripAdvisor.  However, it had hordes of customers lined up out the door and down the street and we decided we didn't want to wait so we walked on.  After viewing the Museo del Bargello and still not having had lunch, we returned to the street where the deli was located and it was now between normal meal times so the line was gone and we walked right in and ordered a roast pork sandwich (panino) with toppings of zucchini, eggplant spread, cheese, and red pepper spread.  There were so many toppings to choose from!  The restaurant also offered self-service wine for 2 euros per glass and had indoor seating at large tables where we were able to relax, rest our feet, and share our sandwich.  It was SO good that we made our way back there the next day to get another fantastic sandwich for lunch.

We found a tiny little pizza place, I'Pizzacchiere, just below Piazzale Michelangelo, where you definitely need a reservation (you can make reservations online), and enjoyed a White Tiger pizza and mixed salad.  Delizioso!

View from just above Piazzale Michelangelo

Although we missed the Gregorian chanting at the church of San Miniato al Monte, just a short walk further up from Piazzale Michelango, we toured the church at dusk and looked down over the city on a gray, drizzly day.

After Florence, we rented a car for just two days to get into the Chianti and Tuscan countryside.  We drove through the curvy, hilly roads of Chianti and then made a stop in Siena to see Il Campo, the Duomo, and a little bit of the rest of the town.  Our destination for the night was San Gimignano, a scenic tower town located on a hilltop which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We found a little restaurant, DULCISinFUNDO, with a beautiful view over the surrounding countryside and when they opened, we were able to get one of two outdoor tables that were put out just under the umbrella you see in the picture below.  We had the spaghetti with boar sauce, laurel, and juniper which was a regional specialty, the roasted vegetables prepared like ratatouille, and a wonderful tiramisu to end our dinner.

Side street in San Gimignano

The next day, we stopped in Volterra, another Etruscan town built on a hilltop.  You can see that we had the option of the stairs on the right or the stairs on the left to get from our car to the center of Volterra.

Volterra

Our trip ended in Pisa so we had an opportunity to get a glimpse of its claim to fame.

Imagine the number of selfie sticks we saw there!

Ups and Downs in Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre (Five Lands) in Italy has been on my list for a while.  A friend raved about it 10 years ago when she went and now I know why.

Of course, we had to see some sights in Rome and Florence along with the throngs of other tourists (many with their ubiquitous "selfie sticks" which made me want to hide my camera away and not take a single picture), but the sights in Cinque Terre were so beautiful that my camera came out.

Manarola

We chose Manarola for our base in Cinque Terre and liked the smallness of it and it's quiet nature when the day trippers were gone in the evening and early morning.  We were warned about pickpockets in the Cinque Terre train stations and, in fact, in all of Italy, but we were conscious and deliberate and had no problems.  We were a little surprised when the train ticket seller in one of the towns said to us, "be careful, there are two pickpockets on the platform right now."  They know who they are, but apparently still can't control them.

We had a little apartment to ourselves, the Limoncino apartment, that we rented from Nicoletta at Manarola Vista Mare.  It was on a quiet Ligurian alley (really a steep walkway with some steps just off the main "road") where we could hang our laundry out to dry from our second-story bedroom window on the clothes lines provided.  Dinner options in our little town were varied and our favorites were Trattoria dal Billy and Nessun Dorma.  Nessun Dorma has outdoor seating only and beautiful views out over the Mediterranean and the village of Manarola.  Trattoria dal Billy is up higher on the hillside and reservations are recommended, especially if you'd like outdoor seating.  Again, a beautiful setting, wonderful food including a regional specialty of Trofie al Pesto (a pesto pasta dish) and the BEST Panna Cotta with dark chocolate sauce, and entertainment as we watched the waiters run up and down the steps as they served food on at least three different levels.

For this trip, my husband and I decided to travel with only carry-on luggage and I thought I would miss having a hiking pole, which is restricted by TSA regulations.  The hiking in Cinque Terre is very challenging - there are many stone steps and very steep trails rather than switchbacks, and I prefer to use poles for this type of hiking.  However, it turned out that we were able to rent poles from Cinque Terre Trekking, a small gear shop in Manarola, and we were very glad we had them!

Start of the trail out of Manarola

 Hiking up to the crosses above Manarola

The roads in these towns are not designed for cars.  You might see a few cars or trucks making deliveries early in the morning but then the road is only open to foot traffic the rest of the day.  To travel between the five towns, there are trains, boats, or many hiking trails.  Although three of the four sections of the most-hiked coastal trail were closed (landslides cause much trail damage in this hilly region), there are still many trails that will get you from one village to the next.  It just requires going higher up the hillside to travel from one to the next.

 

Our first day-hike was from Manarola to Corniglia via Volastra, a fairly strenuous hike that I had read about on the Life in Liguria blog:

http://lifeinliguria.blogspot.com/2014/05/wednesday-hiking-corniglia-volastra.html

Another helpful blog about Cinque Terre hiking was Italian Fix:
http://www.italianfix.com/hiking-cinque-terre-trails/

My husband on the trail above Vernazza

 

We found it interesting that the most common greeting on the trail that day was "Bonjour" rather than "Buongiorno."  Since Cinque Terre is located in the northwest part of Italy, relatively near to France, I suppose that makes sense.  That day, a train ride took us from Corniglia to lunch in Vernazza, followed by a boat ride which returned us to our home in Manarola.

Still life in Monterosso

Another day, we hiked the coastal trail from Vernazza to Monterosso.  This was a much busier trail than the prior day's trail.  It is the most difficult section of the coastal trail but also the only section of the coastal trail that was open to hikers.  We finished that hike fairly early and after a look around Monterosso and its various bakeries (yum!), we hopped on a train to Riomaggiore, the fifth of the Cinque Terre towns.  We did one more hike up to the Santuario della Madonna di Montenero, high above Riomaggiore with a view out toward Portovenere before we returned to Manarola where a gift of wine and grappa was waiting for us from our host, Nicoletta.

Unfortunately, the Via dell'Amore, or Pathway of Love, was one of the closed sections of the coastal trail, but walkers are allowed to travel a little way down the path before access is denied to the rest of the trail.  The Path of Love may be blocked, but the many, lovely (and more strenuous) paths of Cinque Terre are waiting to be explored!

Italia!

While our trip to Italy was not a knitting trip, there's no getting away from fiber connections!  My husband and I traveled to Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, the Chianti and Tuscan countryside, and returned home from Pisa.  Our focus was museums, sightseeing, and Italian food; there is so much to see and so much to eat!  Our favorite area was the Cinque Terre (Five Lands) which is a Unesco World Heritage Site.  We spent three nights in Manarola, one of the five villages in the Cinque Terre, and we hiked every day and enjoyed beautiful views of the Mediterranean, the charming little towns with their housing stacked up the steep hillsides, and vineyards galore.

But how about that fiber?  We were in Florence having a look at the Palazzo Vecchio when we happened upon the Sala del Cinquecento (Hall of the 500) which looked like it was being set up for some sort of fashion school exhibit - 50-60 elaborate costume pieces, each made from muslin.

Although we mostly traveled by train or other public transportation, when we left Florence we did rent a car for two days for a scenic drive through the curvy, hilly roads of Chianti and Tuscany.  We stopped in Siena and had a wonderful, casual lunch at Gino Cacino di Angelo, a little deli on Piazza Mercato, near the outdoor market.  Then we had a look in the Siena Duomo (cathedral).  We really liked the black and white striped columns and then fell in love with them even more when we found some sporting sheep's heads!

 

Of course we had to do a little window shopping while we were in Italy and that included looking at leather goods.  If these leather knit-look purses hadn't been just a little too small, I probably would have gotten one.

Telling the Truth

Why is it that I must answer "Yes" when all I want to do is answer "No?" 

When returning to the U.S., we are required to complete a U.S. Customs Declaration form.  I know that all the customs agent wants to see is a series of X's in the "No" column.  But, it seems I can't do that.

Excerpts from the Customs Declaration form:

I am (We are) bringing fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, food, insects:  Yes or No?
Um, well, yes.  But, no I'm not trying to smuggle in fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, or insects.  I'm simply bringing home Laima chocolate from Latvia and Kalev chocolate from Estonia.  But, technically, yes I have food.  Okay, the answer is Yes.

I am (We are) bringing soil or have been on a farm/ranch/pasture:  Yes or No?
Um, well, yes.  I guess I've been on a farm and maybe I have some soil on my shoes.  So, okay, the answer is Yes.

I have (We have) been in close proximity of (such as touching or handling) livestock:  Yes or No?

Um, well, yes, if you count me petting a sheep for a photo op when I visited friends and their farm.  Okay, I guess the answer is Yes.  You can read more about this farm visit here.

In spite of that, my return to the U.S. through Chicago was quick and uneventful.  I guess the truth WILL set you free.

Fiber Finds

Yarn shops come and go, so keeping up-to-date on current locations of wool shops can change day by day.  Last year I blogged about fiber shops in Tallinn, Estonia here.

But this year brings some updates.  Pronksi Lõngapood, a yarn shop on Aia Street that carried  a variety of colors of 8/2 wool yarn for mittens, was gone.  8/2 wool refers to the weight or thickness of the yarn.  The 8 indicates the thickness of a single ply of the yarn and the 2 tells us that the yarn is a 2-ply yarn.  In the wool numbering system, the larger the first number is, the finer the yarn.  To make things more confusing, Americans refer to this same yarn as 2/8 wool AND there is a separate, unique numbering system for cotton.  8/2 cotton yarn is not the same weight as 8/2 wool yarn AND in the cotton numbering system, the larger the first number is, the thicker the cotton yarn is (not finer, like wool).

While making my way to Liann Lõngad, a yarn shop near the Kaubamaja department store, I found a new shop, Käsitööpood Pärl ja Lõngad, in the Solaris shopping center. 

Käsitööpood Pärl ja Lõngad opened in September, 2013, and they carry yarn and beads and even some handknitted Haapsalu shawls!  If you can't make it to Estonia but want to buy a shawl, you can find some lovely handknitted Haapsalu shawls on Etsy:  here.

But maybe you're a knitter, like me, and want to knit your own.  Jolleri käsitöö at Müürivahe 11 had some nice Haapsalu shawl yarn (really fine, 32/2 wool!) as well as some nice colors of Leeni, their brand of 8/2 wool, that will be nice for mittens.

Haapsalu-style shawl knit by MaryGtheKnitter

When I got to Riga, Latvia, I was also on the lookout for yarn shops.  Hobbywool, at Maza Pils iela 6, is a popular stop for many knitters.  Yarn bombing on the building, mitten kits so that you can "Knit Like a Latvian," and cards and postcards for knitters grabbed my attention.

Tīnes, located at R. Vāgnera 5 in Riga, is a wonderful shop that sells handknit mittens and other knitwear but also carries their own brand of 8/2 wool for knitting your own mittens.   They have a website here.

And one of my favorite finds for yarn was the bookstore, Zvaigzne ABC.  A new Latvian friend, Mara, told me about Limbažu Tīne, an 8/2 wool yarn made in Latvia, that is available in a wide range of colors and at a great price (just under 2 € per 100 grams in July, 2014).  Zvaigzne ABC has many locations.  I found a good selection of colors at their K. Valdemāra iela 6 location.

Whether it's yarn or knitwear you're looking for, I think you'll find it in Estonia and Latvia!

All That Glitters

I've never been one for expensive jewelry.  What I like in the way of jewelry is handmade, artisan jewelry and jewelry with ethnic origins or connections.  Our house was broken into once and I think the burglar was disappointed in what he found in my jewelry box.  It's not very lucrative for the ne'er-do-well to fence the type of jewelry that you'll find in my jewelry box, but it appeals to me, and for that reason, I treasure it.

I added a few items to my collection on my recent trip to Latvia.  Baltu Rotas, a  shop located very near St. Peter's church in Riga, has lovely jewelry based on ancient Baltic pieces and incorporating traditional Latvian motifs.  I chose a beautiful ring known as a Seven-Day Ring.  I love the movement of the dangling charms and find it very enjoyable to wear. 

The ring is also known as an Engagement Ring.  According to the information that I was given, the ring was originally worn by girls and unmarried women during the 6th-12th centuries in Latvia.  It has seven pendants, or charms, with ancient Latvian symbols that keep away evil spirits and bring luck.  A legend says that there was a beautiful, young girl who had seven admirers and she couldn't make a choice.  She asked the blacksmith to make a ring with seven pendants with different signs on them, each one symbolizing an admirer.  She decided to marry the man whose pendant would come off first.

You can find the website for the jeweler, Baltu Rotas, here.

I found a silver pendant at Senā klēts, the national costume center in Riga.  The pendant is a thundercross or firecross which is an ancient Latvian symbol.  It is a symbol of the sun's energy and fire, and it is believed to attract happiness and good luck while repelling evil.

On a whim, I stopped into an interesting shop on Šķūņu iela, just off the Dome Square, in Riga.  There was no identifying name on the outside of the shop but a small hand-written sign said "Creative Goods/Made in Latvia."  It appeared to be a pop-up shop.  I found a group of earrings that were all based on designs from knitted mittens!  I chose one from Pērkone in the Kurzeme region of Latvia.  I love the balance between the distinctive "cuff" at the bottom and the overall design in the upper portion of the earrings.  Very knitterly!

Knit Along With Me

Before my trip to Estonia and Latvia this year, I was approached (electronically) by Jeannie, a moderator for the Knit Like a Latvian group on Ravelry.  (Ravelry is an online community for knitters - you can find my prior blog about Ravelry here). Jeannie inquired about my interest in hosting a Knit Along (KAL) to showcase some special Latvian knitting technique.  I agreed to host a KAL in August and decided to teach the Diagonal Squares Cuff.

Mittens with Diagonal Squares Cuff

The cuff instructions are from my self-published book, A Distorted View of Cuffs, which features twelve different Latvian cuffs.  I saw these various cuffs in Latvia, on mittens in museums and on mittens that friends or I purchased, and then proceeded to decipher many of these and write instructions for the techniques.

Having recently returned from my trip to the Baltics, I was happy to see Mara from Latvia join in the KAL (Prior blog about Mara). 

Lizzy, a French woman who lives in Germany, also joined the KAL.  I met Lizzy last year in Estonia at the Conference on Traditional Sweaters Around the Baltic Sea.  She was also at Estonian Craft Camp this year and we attended some of the same classes and had time to get to know each other a little better over a number of cafeteria meals.  Lizzy is an excellent knitter, has a keen interest in Baltic knitting, and is a translator with a knowledge of many languages. 

Lizzy wearing her Muhu cuffs

Photo courtesy of Penelope Craft Amsterdam



I remember a conversation I had with Lizzy last year where the phrase "speak of the devil" came up.  Lizzy mentioned that the French have a similar phrase but they say "speaking of the wolf and you already see the tail."  I liked that and made a note of the phrase at the time.


Lizzy's fingerless mitts from the Ravelry KAL

Photo courtesy of Lizzy

If you're a member of Ravelry and are interested in trying out the Diagonal Squares Cuff or would like to see what others did with it, you can find the August KAL here.