From Tennessee to Tuscany

BBQ…it’s a southern thing…

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Melonie

One day my Aunt P who had moved to PA for love called saying she was ready to come back to Tennessee…She said she wanted to come home where BBQ was a noun , not a verb! I have always loved that saying. Here in the southern states of the US we cook our pig, then pull the pork off, then baste in sauce..add to a bun if you like and BAM…BBQ. Usually served with corn on the cob, baked beans and coleslaw to round off the menu.

“Up North”, they use BBQ as a verb…as in …”to BBQ”…meaning we are going to put some meat on a grill and cook it. Trust me there is a HUGE difference.

It’s like sweet tea I guess, you just have to be Southern to understand…anyway, if you are ever lucky enough to be in West Tennessee’s claim to fame town of Memphis, I hope you will visit the Famous “Rendezvous”. This joint is known for it’s ribs , but also serves BBQ pulled pork. Located at 355 N Main St, known as Downtown Alley, this historic site has been dishing up the sauce since 1948.

Charlie Vergo, the owner took an old coal chute from his basement bar and created the famous barbecue restaurant that has since had guests such as Presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton, VP-Al Gore, Mich Jagger, Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby and more! They have been featured on every cooking show and network created and catered food for Presidential Gala’s, Air Force One etc etc. The shop is now run by his 3 sons and still draws a crowd.

On a recent trip I was lucky enough to be invited “behind the line” -the cook’s line and have a peep into the now famous BBQ grill. The racks upon racks of ribs and full shoulders of pork smelled amazing! After we stuffed ourselves, we all took home some famous “rub” spices and sauces for our family.

You can order from www.hogsfly.com or call 1-888-HOGS-FLY for some yummy treats anytime!

There is no lobby…just head down the steps and they will seat you…

The coal chute now the famous grill!

These guys were cranking it out!

This kitchen is far from fancy and no one seems to care.

Lunch offers ribs only but the menu at night is quite large.

Memphis is a fun town, full of energy, live music and great…BBQ!

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A stop in Chianti…

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Melonie

Just a short 3.5 km from the famous SR222 is the wondrous winery called Tenuta di Riseccoli.

We literally just “came upon it” trying to make our way back to Greve and stopped to visit. It was early, we were the first visitors that day as the shop worker, Marianna, was still sweeping and turning on the lights at 10am.

This family run winery encompasses 40 acres of vines, fruit trees and olive trees. It has been producing award winning wines since the early 1900’s. The famous artist from Florence, Romanelli bought the land in 1902 and still houses awards in the tasting room that dates back to 1927! The property is now run for the four grandsons of the original owner and their families.

The grounds are lovely. The garden out back, trails leading to the vineyards, luscious fruit trees, potted plants, marble statues, and he amazing views made for many photo ops. We had as much fun walking around as we did tasting. They produce 5 wines and a pure extra virgin olive oil from there nearly 2,500 trees. We tried the Classico (my favorite), the Riserva and the whites as well.

We didn’t realize how famous their wines were till after we were gone..glad we got a bottle for the road. You can purchase at thier website www.riseccoli.net or google the name and find many online sale stores that carry the product.

This was the beginning of a long but lovely day in Chianti!

A hillside of olive trees…

The garden was pretty even in Oct.

Waiting for tasting room to open…

An old hand sink…

These olives look ready to pick!

Peeping into the bottling room…

Pots of herbs along the walkway…

Bubble Bath in the garden anyone???

Marianna says these “pear like” fruits were used for jams.

Lovely building, nice people, good wine…what more could you ask for?

Label shows they are a member of the wine region…notice the rooster.

Slow down when driving through Chianti or you might miss the signs…we almost did while enjoying the view.

Posted in Chianti, Food, History, Italy, Things to do, Tuscany, Wine | Leave a comment

Staying in a castle….

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Melonie

If you ever find yourself in Rome and do not have time for the 2.5 hr drive to Pompeii you may consider a quick 40 min train ride from the city centre to Ostia Antica, or better yet…stay in a castle!

Ostia is a harbour city of Rome and a great place to visit or stay before flying out of Rome which is what we did. Whenever traveling from Tuscany to catch a plane from Rome it is always smart to go ahead and drive in the day before because you never know what the traffic will be like, if there may be a labor strike, etc. We arrived into Ostia via a busy road but only 4 miles from the airport! Once we arrived at our hotel, part of a castle, Residenza D’epoca Rodrigo de Vivar, we realized we were only 1 block from the wonderous ruins of Ostia Antica!

The remains of this ancient busy port town began in 620 BC! The town served as a major salt manufacturer and later as a naval base to protect Rome. It was located at the mouth of the Tiber River, which years later moved about 1 mile away and left silt and mud..that eventually destroyed Antica, and it was abandoned during the fall of Rome. The ruins are lovely and perfectly maintained. The farther you walk into them, the more amazing they become. I got there close to closing time and was really sad that I had to rush through-one could spend a full afternoon here. You can bring the family and kids and set them out to find mosaic floors, frescos, an old mill, a theatre, communal baths and a cemetery . Then you can have a snack at the cafeteria and finish with a visit to the museum located on site.

The Rodrigo has city and country rooms to rent. The main building is actually part of a medieval castle and sits smack in the middle of a busy curve in the middle of an active community. But if you are driving too fast you will drive right by it! Our room overlooked the courtyard in the back, the views were amazing. There is no ac however and the road noise was loud but we thought it was worth it.

The courtyard also housed a lovely small church where the Pope calls his “family place” and visits often (so the locals told me). The Fort, Castello di Giulro was also lovely and located in the courtyard as well. We strolled down the street and had amazing pizza in a tiny little place , then grabbed some beautiful fruit in the piazza for dessert. While the Rodrigo also has some “country rooms” and a place to eat dinner about 1 mile away…we stayed around our little square for the evening watching the people and walking the streets. For breakfast we were served a quick full meal and then off to return the car. It was a nice way to stay over close to the airport, without being stressed in Rome.

I hope to return to explore the ruins longer…

Part of the ruins of Ostia Antica.

Lovely courtyard leading to our room in Ostia.

The Pope visits here, so they say.

Castello from the courtyard…

The gate into the fort…

The colors and flowers were lovely all around the courtyard and town…

This was the view from our “castle” room.

walking to the ruins was just across the street…we will be back!

Posted in antiques, History, Hotels, Italy, Things to do, Travel Tips | Leave a comment

Watch out Naples…

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Melonie

This is a public service announcement…We interrupt the normal broadcast of my blog to report this announcement ….ha…

I apologize for my subscribers who look for travel tips and memories in my blog but I do feel like it is time to share a personal goal with my family and friends.

I have been sponsored by a family at my church and I am heading to Naples Italy in April. I will be attending a mission training trip in Naples…my mother in law will be so proud as we haven’t ventured South enough for her…this is where part of my husband’s family was from , mostly from Sicily but I doubt I will make it that far South.

For several years now I have been networking and meeting people and reaching out and making friends…this summer I plan to have low pressure, low key Bible studies in Tuscany. I hope some busy Moms will meet with me, maybe expats who have not found an avenue in which to pray or share and anyone else who would like to learn more about God’s Word, His calling and what role we have in HIS plan. The Tennessee Baptist Association has joined forces with the International Mission Board to begin a 5 year commitment to work in Italy. I look forward to being a part of the beginnings of this effort.

I am by no means a teacher, a preacher or a scholar. I am just a wife, mom, busy worker who wants to take the lead and share. If you have any advice, recommended reading, study guides, etc that you would like to share feel free to reply here or message me at mcarideo@crye-leike.com (my email). If you are in Bagni or the Lucca area in June or July and would like to join me and get the schedule please let me know! I hope to have one morning and one evening sharing time (of course there will be food and even a babysitter!) for 3 weeks.

I was just so excited when the funding came through for this training that I had to share it! I know you all will send me good vibes and prayer in April that I will learn from the existing missionaries in Italy to help me in Tuscany this summer.

I hope to learn more about my hubby’s family while I am there as well. I now have an entire new region to begin reading and studying before the trip…yahoo more blogs and books to read!

and now back to our regularly scheduled program….

Three Generations…and the famous Grandma C!

From Naples to Ellis Island (in the back ground)…

Can not wait to see where this jouney takes us!!

Posted in Family, History, Tennessee, Things to do, Travel Tips | Leave a comment

“Off the boat from Italy…”

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Melonie

After being married to Italian’s from New York I have often used the phrase “off the boat” to mean…authentic, original, Mamma Mia, etc,

After our interest in Italy grew so did my hubby’s interest in his past. His Mother and a few living Aunts all had different stories of where his Grandparents were from in Italy, when they come to America, whether they were citizens of the US and more. Like many on the quest of history, we turned to www.ancestry.com. This website is really worth the 30 day free trial or 20 buck a month. We were able to find his grandparents, the picture of the ships they arrived onto Ellis Island, original signatures and some important dates and facts.

After more research we realized that the dates were very important on his father’s side to possibly establish us with dual residency in Italy. This residency would allow us to travel without so much red tape, and other perks. We got to a stand still however…the mystery of if and when his grandfather’s petition for citizenship was granted???

On a recent trip to New York we were invited to visit in person to find out if in fact…he was accessed or denied….?

We took the subway to the gate of NYC and a large State building that was so lovely inside I got in trouble for trying to take pictures. We had an appointment with “Dave” who promised he could help us. We were stunned by the amazing rows and rows of HUGE “Harry Potter” like books on walls and walls of shelves. We gave Dave a number we found online and sure enough, he shimmed up a ladder (he was no spring chicken either) and grabbed the most enormous book you have ever seen and smacked it (dust and all) on a table. He whipped it open to 3 ORIGINAL documents of my hubby’s relatives.

It was amazing to see the original signatures, the dates and information all in tact after 100 years. We were glad to know he was indeed a US citizen but bummed that it happened prior to the birth of my Father In Law which means no dual citizenship for us.

Nonetheless, the journey was very special….Here are a few pictures of the documents and books…

The New York State Building where our search began…

We took the subway downtown to Chambers…

The petition ….

Hubby’s hand beside his grandfather’s signature…

He took the Oath and the Court admitted him…

Now this is a book people!

Could you imagine working here…Dave went right to the book that had 1923 records!

3 original pages including his intent to work and take care of his family.

Today…The Carideo family still thrives -loving both the US and Italy!

Posted in Family, History, Italy, Rules and Regs, Travel Tips, Tuscany | Leave a comment

Now that is just …weird.

Posted on January 8, 2012 by Melonie

We have done a lot of crazy, fun, interesting, educational, yummy and amazing things with my tour guide, turned friend Heather Jarmin with Sapori e Saperi Tours.

But one day last summer was just….weird. We started with an amazing cup of coffee of course, and traveled to a small town outside of Lucca to spend the morning with a young small framed lady named Stefania. Stefania and her family live in an top level apartment but were in the middle of building a brand new house on a small lot right next door. As a Realtor I was sooooo excited-this was the first new construction home I had seen in 3 yrs in Italy. I was amazed when she led us into her new still unfinished home to find a bedroom filled with…SILK WORMS.

Yep-you got that right. Silk worms had literally filled 3 long tables in the new home’s bedroom. Stefania has taken an ancient old farming technique she learned from her Grandmother, and brought it back for all of us to enjoy and learn. Restoring this ancient tradition can only be accomplished by the most passionate.

Breeding and feeding silk worms for the production of the cocoons to be sold at market is dated back at early as the 1600’s in Lucca. The peasant farmers would sell these to factory owners. There were as many as ten factories located around Lucca and silk production was one of Lucca’s most precious resources up until WWII.

She invited us to go into the “living room” where an enormous pile of Mulberry limbs and leaves had been gathered by her children. Seems silk worms ONLY eat Mulberry leaves and they have to be dry-therefore if it rains she also has the task of drying the leaves…gee and I thought my kids were picky eaters! She feeds these little buggers up to 8 times a day for 20 days-she doesn’t sleep much during this important time and the worms grow to 9 times there original size. They also molt 4 times during this time growing new skin-yuck. She had nets under them to catch the waste from all that eating.

After the 20-30 days of eating they start “dancing”. The weaving and dancing of their head is actually them spinning their cocoons. The metamorphis is amazing I am sure. What is left are white or gold (if you are lucky) cocoons of silk. The filament is an entire long patient process as well. She allowed us to take some of these pods and boil in hat water and then using a special comb look for te beginning of the thread-it is actually just one long peice and you do not want to break it!!

Feeding these worms and listening to them crunch was just …weird… ina good way. We could not believe how fast they put the entire pile of leaves away! What a true education for my kid that day. Then Heather took us to a weaving mill to see how this lovely silk is made into thread, then into scarves, etc. We saw them weavers, looms, final product and even bought a lovely scarf for Grandma C!

What a special day…

Covering them with the leaves…

Look how fast the leaves are gone!

These guys are pretty ugle but produce a beautiful product.

Jars of cocoons, looking for the beginning of the silk thread.

Spinning silk into thread….

Finished product…

Shipping off for GUCCI!! so cool.

and it all started with these little guys. Thanks Heather!

Posted in Italy, Lucca, Things to do, Tuscany | Leave a comment

Along the S222…The Chianti Way….

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Melonie

As a Realtor, a “For Sale” sign always makes my head turn.

In Italy, “Vendita” is the word for “sale” and as you travel along the S222 winding road in Chianti you will see these signs. I have often wanted to stop and shop for these local, handmade items like, cheese, oil, and wine but I have never had the nerve to just drive down some stranger’s driveway. If you did that in Tennessee you are liable to get shot at…But I have also never gone to Italy with my BTF (Big Tall Friend)…she is an adventuresome soul like me and together we were unstoppable.

We bought enough wine and oil to sink a ship throughout our one night stopover in this famous area. As usual, it was the people who made the day…a lovely man who pronounced my name right (impossible to most Italians) and we nicknamed him my “next husband” as he seemed to own his own winery and olive grove which looked like most of one entire side of Greve. We sipped his wine, enjoying the amazing views he gets to see everyday.

We had an amazing picnic (in the car as it started to rain) of cheeses, olives, fruit from a sweet short fellow who if you even LOOKED at something in his deli case you bought it! I realized Persimmons are the messiest but delicious new fruit discovery and they grow everywhere!!!

We visited 3 wineries and a winery WAREHOUSE-where you could sample over 120 kinds. That’s where my Prosecco purchase came from…and we were decided that Chianti Classico really is the best and we also decided we were glad we sampled everything there before driving an extra hour to sample what we THOUGHT we would love and indeed…we did not! So we saved an hour for other ventures….and it’s a good thing.

On the way back towards Florence outside of Greve on the left we saw a “Vendita” sign, we made a u-turn and it was the best u-turn ever….down a long gravel drive we parked in front of a series of buildings…little homes really. We walked around the first one as it seemed to be closed into a small courtyard ..to the far right we saw one door open although no light? We cautiously walked over and to our surprise inside was a perfect Italian “nonna” watching her soap opera television show in the dark (to save energy I am sure). As we approached she jumped up and greeted us with a smile and a direct order to “entrare” (come in)! We had found our way to Az Azienda OlmastrinO-an sweet, elegant winery and producer of extra virgin olive oil. And this oil was like Last Week Fresh!

The next hour was one of shear joy-just like I have read in all my books. Sipping fresh green peppery olive oil out of the most superb terra cotta pots! Lucia was her name and she made it known we could never experience her oil or wine in any store or market. She was actually labeling some fresh wine while we were there. She let us help fill up our olive oil bottles, showed us how to cap them, label and…voila…ready to go! She loved getting her picture taken and told us she had been to New York and had family there. I love how every Italian thinks you live in New York when you tell them you are American. I do enjoy seeing people say “Memphis?”, “Elvis?” when we mention we are from Tennessee! It’s a boring 6 hour drive from where I live to Memphis-you could drive across the entire country of Italy in that time. Lucia also told us all the countries her guests have come from and bought her oil. She was proud to list off every country where some kitchen pantry holds her fresh oil. Little did we know that she is famous! I even found her on YouTube!

In my half wit Italian I tried to understand as she told me of her property, rooms to rent, her family business…and again how you can not buy anywhere but in her home! So we did…we bought for all we knew and realized for the first time I would be checking my luggage home.

My advice…follow those For Sale signs…you never know what adventure ..what lovely person…maybe even Lucia ..could be waiting for you at the end of the “bianca strada”-white gravel road.

Pots filled with gold…

Lucia lets me help fill by bottles …

The best Table Wine we drank all week-in Dudda , outside of Greve…

My “next husband”…Marco…what a doll…

If I married Marco, this would be my view everyday!

So many choices…Brunello was not my favorite…

Fresh fruit everywhere and it was October!

Lucia giving us a lesson in capping oil.

This is the symbol for the Chianti S222-this is also my favorite”Chianti Classico”, if you see this sign…STOP the car! Happy trails….

Posted in Chianti, Florence, Food, Italy, Tuscany, Wine | Leave a comment

Italian Secrets-Tiny Twists and Sugar Bread!

Posted on January 1, 2012 by Melonie

Happy New Year 2012….we are looking forward to fulfilling many dreams and goals this year and like many we are making “promises” to ourselves…mine…to learn Italian and run more….I will NEED to run after all the wonderful Italian sweets we had this weekend!!

The best thing about being a lover of all things Italian is all your friends and family start giving you things that you might enjoy…like…our Holiday favorite…Panettone!!

My mother in law introduced me to Panettone…a sugar bread filled with fruit. She told stories of how her family from Italy used to make it in terra cotta pots and wrapped with brown paper bags and ate toasted with jam and butter or straight off the loaf.

I believe this is a true Italian secret…you can only find them here in E Tennessee on the highest shelves in groceries or pharmacy stores around the holidays and you have to be really looking for them. I have buttered and toasted these for several years now and introduced this wonderful bread to my entire family.

Originally from Milan, it is a cupola shaped bread with oranges, lemon citron, raisins and more. It is light and airy not hard and heavy like fruit cake (yuck). Although they have been adding honey to bread since Roman times, this fruit bread has several myths and stories or how it originated. One legend is , the Chef working a dinner for the Count of Sfozas had nothing to serve for dessert and his apprentice Toni threw a few items in the bread and it was such a hit with the court that it was called “pan del toni”. Ha…I have no idea if that is true but it is a cute tale. In 1919, Angelo Motta started the tradition of letting it rise for 20 hrs to get the tall shape it has become today. Several bakers have competed to be named the best around the country using several different recipes.

My favorite brand and the most often found here is the yellow box “Bauducco” which according to the side panel has been the “king of panettone” since 1954 and takes 50 hrs to complete! YUM is all I can say.

This year I was introduced to a new Holiday item…Torcetti…meaning “little twists”. These little sweet cookies originated in the Piedmont area. They are light and crispy. They can be made with left over dough and many recipes can be found on the internet. We dipped them in our coffee but Italians dip them in their…surprise…wine!

No New Year would be complete without some Prosecco. My sweet hubby brought home a lovely Italian bottle for the evening which were paired with fresh peach juice!

Whatever you indulged in this New Year season I hope it was special. I am forever learning more about Italian secrets and still wondering how in the world they all stay in such great shape????

Pannetone -tall, sweet and yummy!

Another good brand we were given this year.

These “little twists” were served with jam and hazelnut spread.

This washed all my sweets down perfectly!

One last look before it’s all eaten….

Posted in Food, Italy, Things to do, Tuscany | Leave a comment

“I wanna wash my hair with snow…”

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Melonie

“Come on weather man, give us a forecast snowy white…can you hear the prayers of every child-like heart tonight?”-the words from my favorite Amy Grant song always ring clear on Christmas.

We also love to go around singing “Snow” from White Christmas…I mean who wouldn’t want to wash their hair in snow! ha

This has been a great holiday for our family-making a change out of the service industry this year allowed us to enjoy the holiday season like normal people!

We finally saw the lovely Fantasy of Trees in Knoxville.

We went to our town’s Christmas festival and ended up with 2 new puppies!

We gave ourselves a glorious (albeit cold) Christmas gift trip to NYC and saw a Broadway Play, the lights, the tree and more…

We cooked and served for our community at our church-over 500 meals…and today we will serve more at another community outreach at our local YMCA.

Tonight we go to our beautiful candlelight service at our church followed by the traditional Italian dinner of homemade pizza!

I hope you and your family enjoy this special weekend filled with CHRIST-like activities.

Godbless-From Tennessee…

Ginger and Lucy love sharing a bed…

The tree at Rockerfeller Center was HUGE..so was the crowd.

Tree made out of orgami decorations at Natural History Museum_NYC

One of a million trees at Fantasy of Trees-this one dedicated to the military.

One of many winners at the Gingerbread contest.

This one was my favorite-and made by a high schooler!

Every street corner was light up in NYC.

The Empire State Building was decorated too….

Skating in Bryant Park…great memories!

Merry Christmas Everyone.

Posted in Food, Tennessee, Things to do | Leave a comment

Gate of Paradise…

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Melonie

Statues sort of freak me out a bit-I must say Italy has helped me appreciate statues more. I know I could stare at the David for an hour and I am amazed at the detail and the strength that glares through the art. He is a hotty!

Florence has a piazza of nothing but statues-each one with interesting stories.

There’s Bacchus-the Roman god of wine which was Michelangelo’s first major work-you can find him in the courtyard of the city’s town hall-the Bargello.

The rape of the Sabine Women is bizarre-I wonder what possessed Giambologna to carve that? You can find it in the Loggia in Piazza della Signoria.

The Grand Duke Cosimo I stands proudly in the courtyard of the same Piazza-he was ruler of all of Tuscany at one time-I guess that alone deserves a statue…Another Grand Duke..that of Ferdinando I has his own statue in San Marco’s Piazza Della Santissima Annunziata ( a block from the Accademia)-he also stands on a horse and is surrounded by monkey statues that totally freaked me and the kid out…they just don’t seem to belong??

The “copy” of David is in that Piazza-the “real” David was getting all wet and destroyed and moved in 1873-although this one is not near as grand it will do if you don’t have time to stand in line for the real one in the Accademia right down the street.

Of course there is also Neptune-This Roman God of the sea can be found in the same piazza or in the Biboli Gardens…the one in the piazza is HUGE and he is surrounded by lovley sea nymphs. Why wouldn’t he be?

My favorite is Perseus-also in the Loggia-This bronze statue reminds me of all the great lessons I learned taking Latin from Mr Hamlet. This statue has Perseus holding Medusa’s head and was to warn enemies of Florence of their fate if they messed with Cosimo 1! I love the story that Cellini, the artist , about burnt his house down while stoking the fire while sculpting…

But I really love one carving that is not a statue at all-it’s the East Doors of the Baptistry. Known as the Door of Miracles, Michelangelo dubbed it the Doors to Paradise. Carved from 1424 to 1452 by Lorenzo Ghiberti. He actually had won the commission to do all the doors in 1401 to commemorate Florence’s deliverance from the plague. He won over 7 artists and his work has been called some of the first of Renaissance style.

I love that the door’s panels tell a different story from the Bible. From Adam and Eve, to Moses, to the Fall of J and even Joseph’s tale…it is lovely. It is impossible to get a picture without people in front-if you are lucky you might can listen in on a guide giving more details about the story of the doors. The original panels are now in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo but the ones hanging are stunning.

A new one I finally found this last trip was the bronze boar in the Mercato Nuovo-this fountain called Il Porcellino is a copy of the same you can find in the Uffizi but this one has a superstition that if you rub his snout you will return to Florence again someday…so I did!