Laurie and Blair live in Rocca Malatina, a small town with about a population of 3,000. They live on the main road but their house is set back on a few acres. The house was built in the 1910 and typical of the region in the Early Liberty style with a central tower in the middle. The sprawling house has a spacious bedroom on the main floor where I stayed, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen and living room. The second floor has a library with old, handsomely bound leather books in glass cabinets. There were many 19th century oil portraits of what appeared to be nobility or aristocrats proudly hung throughout the house.
The house is on a grassy hill and the surrounding property has roosters and hens. Blair bought me some freshly laid eggs for breakfast every morning. The supposed quiet of the countryside came to a rude halt with the sound of roosters crowing, and the innocent notion of a rooster crowing cock-a-doodle-doo is one of the rudest sounds I ever heard. I guess this city slicker prefers the sirens of Paris to the constant cock-a-doodle-doo.
Rocca Malatina boasts a fresh pasta shop, gelato shop, and a down to earth café where the locals hangout and where you can get a fairly decent cappuccino for only 1.50 euro. On the weekend there is some serious card playing among the men. It is also a summer resort for the Bolognese to escape the heat. There is the Sassi National Park, known for its natural rock formations behind the house. We drove up to the park twice to a café overlooking the spectacular view. Cycling is also popular in the region and we spotted cyclists climbing the steep hills in overly colorful spandex outfits.
One of the good things about Rocca Malatina is the central location: It’s 2-2.5 hours to Milan, Venice, and Lake Como. Although we were tempted to visit one of them, we decided against it and to explore the small mountain top villages close by.
We did short day trips to charming places such as Guiglia, Montecrone, and Castelloserravalle; Zocca had an Alpine festival with bright flags festooned over the town center and people were dressed in climbing gear. There was also a food fair with local products.
Another day we went to Vignola and the centerpiece of the city is the 15th century fortress. I climbed up the tower and got a birds-eye of the region and the main floor had beautifully hand painted ceilings.
We stopped in a quaint pasticerria and caffe for an iced coffee. But this was not a Starbucks ice coffee in a plastic cup: it was a shakearato. The bartender took a martini glass filled with coffee and then took a tin cup of ice to cover the glass and vigorously shook it, much like a martini. (Shaken not stirred, a la Mr. Bond). The result: a smooth delicious iced coffee, better than most I’ve had before.
Laurie and Blair are now conducting outdoor painting workshops in Rocca Malatina. Click here to learn more about the workshops.
More next week about our other adventures. Ciao for now!
Noisy roosters
Shakarado- shaken but not stirred, of course!
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New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 195 euros per person (about $210)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
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