Last night, I returned from our annual Italy trip, well fed and wined of course. Those in the know understand that Manuela gets to stay there a “little longer”. This year, instead of our traditional “week at the beach” during our time there, we decided to spend some time in the interior. First stop was Lago di Garda where, from the recommendation of a friend from the area, we stayed at the Bed and Breakfast Nonna Clara in Polpenazze di Garda. It is a relatively new B&B, it has a terrace with an amazing panormic view of the lake.
Our hosts, Barbara and Giancarlo were quite gracious and made us feel right at home. Little did we know, nor did our friend, that we were guests of theLimoncello King in the area. This was discovered after they inquired what we do for a living in the US and we told them we produce Ventura Limoncello. It seems they hold a local Limoncello competition every year to find the best homemade Limoncello, and Giancarlo has won the top award the last few years. We had to share some Ventura Limoncello with them, but, to our dismay, Giancarlo did not have any left to share with us. They were very impressed with the quality of Ventura Limoncello (being from California). Another Italian convert.
We took a day trip up the west bank of the long lake, ultimately arriving at Limone sul Garda. A beautiful coastal village that has a unique feature: They grow lemons. Now this may not seem surprising being in Italy, but this is the mountainous area of the lake where there are many cliffs, and it is very northern, which means cold and snow. Lemons do not like cold and snow. In the Limonaia del Castello di Limone, the lemons (and other citrus) are carefully tended. They are covered in the winter to protect the plants. After several local inquiries, we discovered that not a lot of Limoncello is produced with the lemons of Limonaia del Castello, but they can be found. We spent the better part of the afternoon searching for a bottle. It is in our freezer now, taste review to follow.
Following our time in the Lago di Garda area, we spent a couple of days in the Marche region, Rossana’s home area. While visiting CocoLoco Beach Chalet, in Porto San Giorgio, Giovanni Marilungo created the “V Sour” cocktail: 1 part Ventura Limoncello, 2 parts vodka, 1 part simple syrup, 1/2 lime (squeezed), shaken with ice, served on the rocks. An instant hit at the beach club. We also turned them on to our Limosa cocktail with prosecco and Ventura Limoncello.
We then went “home” to Sugano, our little town outside Orvieto. The rest of the time was spent on day trips in and around Umbria and Tuscany. This is the time of the year the Palio in Siena takes place and the weekend food festivals (Sagra) begin. We didn’t make it to the Palio, but we did spend a day in Monteriggione and San Gimignano. After a nice lunch in the main piazza at Monteriggione, we stumbled upon an enoteca offering Limoncello tasting. How could we resist. They offered Il Convento Limoncello, which is a brand we can get here in the US. After chatting with the proprietor for a bit, I inquired about a more “locally produced” version. He politely indulged me the “secret stash”. Quite nice indeed.
My last weekend was spent eating and drinking until I was ready to explode. Friday night marked the opening night of 17th annual Sagra degli Gnocchi in Sugano. Manuela spent the most of the weekend in the kitchen (with most of the other women in town) preparing the potatoes for Gnocchi and patate fritti. They also prepare a lot of lamb, fried or grilled, steak and sausage for grilling and salad. So, Friday I was at the Sagra degli Gnocchi enjoying the best fresh homemade gnochhi you may ever find, fried lamb and local red wine.
Saturday, we took a day trip to Gubbio, a beautiful medieval mountain town in Umbria. We were given a nice tour by a family friend and treated to an amazing lunch at the Osteria dei Re. They seated us in a underground grotto, nice and co0l, surrounded by wine. The house special: Piatto del Re (King’s Plate), with local white wine. BTW, Oh yes, it was… But that was just the beginning of the downfall. After returning from Gubbio in the late afternoon, that evening, while Manuela worked away at the Sagra degli Gnocchi, I was whisked away to the 9th annual Sagra dell’oca (the goose). Our group feasted on an antipasto, 3 different pastas (all with goose sauce), 2 secondi dell’oca (goose dishes), sides, dessert, local wines and grappa. I was done, but the weekend was not over. Sunday was a return the Sagra degli Gnocchi. The gnocchi is prepared in two styles, so I had to have “the second one” on Sunday. At the end of the evening, we broke out the Ventura Limoncello to share with our Sugano neighbors.
