Cremona

While my parents and sister were visiting for the holidays, they took a few days trips from Milan and I was able to join on a couple of them. The first was to the nearby town of Cremona. Unsurprisingly, a December Sunday yielded few activities in the small Lombard town but we were able to enjoy a delicious meal, walk around town a bit, and peruse the offerings at the Sunday antique market. As Cremona is home to the Stradivari violin, we were a bit disappointed to see the violin makers and museum closed for the weekend - motive for a future trip?


The cathedral located in the center of town started out in the Romanesque design but the Gothic influence took over in the final years of construction. The church is located on the eastern side of the piazza with secular buildings (and the antique market) taking over the western side.

The bell tower, or torrazzo, is 111 meters tall and has a zodiac clock painted on the front. It connects the baptistry (photo on top) and the cathedral (photo below) itself.


It was a leisurely but cold Sunday afternoon. The bitter temperatures were temporarily put aside by some delicious hot chocolate from gelateria Grom but we were soon driven back to the car. However, no Christmas in Italy can pass without mention of the panettone.


A round cake with candied fruits and raisins based inside, this traditional cake makes an appearance to nearly all Milanese during the holidays season. Like fruit cakes (but better tasting), they are often sent as gifts and my office received several during the season. There are lots of stories that purport to explain the invention of the Panettone - wikipedia has the most famous ones - but there seems to be little debate on the cake's Milanese origins. While I find them a little dry, they make for great pairing with a cup of tea or reconfiguration into french toast on Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas!!!

La Fiera Artigianale

Each holiday season, Christmas markets are scattered all around Europe. From Barcelona to Brussels, wooden stalls are set up throughout European piazzas selling kitsch and crafts representative to local culture and...other stuff made in China.


The Fiera Artigianale in Milano is more than just your standard Christmas market. Held at the Milan fairgrounds, the business center is thousands of square feet in size (so big! so much to walk!) there were TONS of nationalities represented. I didn't count the number of stalls but there had to have been well over a thousand.


I went with a visiting friend (well, I went twice. The next weekend, I went back with Mark but these pictures are from the first visit) and we started out in the "world" section. Basically, the fair was divided into four gigantic rooms - World (mostly Africa/Asia with some South America), Europe, Northern Italy, and Southern Italy. So, as I said, we started out in the World. Since my friend has spent a great deal of time in Asia and lived in China a couple years, it was a short visit. This is where Mark and I went back to the next week to buy a beautiful silver mirror (from "Morocco" and pillowcases from "Pakistan").


We perused the offerings of "Europe" including a host of spices and teas (various nationalities), marushka dolls (Russia), polish pottery, and foods from pretty much every nation in Europe. French pastries, Spanish ham, bratwurst and Irish pubs pretty much rounded out the rest of the offerings. Yum.


Italy was our final stop but by this time, we were several hours and at least a couple miles into our visit. I think every small town and province in Italy must've been represented at the fairgrounds. I bought a crema di pistachio (very sweet, perfect for a future cupcake topping) and some cannoli that would end up as our dessert that night. Despite the pre-Christmas timing of the fair, the offerings were weak on actual Christmas paraphernalia. I was in the market for a tree-topper but came home empty handed on that front. Oh well, some of these other fairs will probably do the trick!

Fodor's Photography Contest

Fodor's is having a photography contest called "Show Us Your Italy". With the help of family and friends, I found five photographs that I'm proud enough of to submit to this contest. Now, I know I'm an amateur but there's no harm in trying, right? So, here are the five submissions that I made - thanks to all who helped me pick them out!

Piazza della Scala, Milan


Piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa


Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Milan


View of Vernazza during the hike to Corniglia, Cinque Terre


Beach at Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre

Running of the Santas

Right before Christmas, Mark and I headed downtown with a couple of our friends to see a most unusual sight. By "unusual", I mean "something you don't see very often here". In actuality, it appears that a crowd of Santas dressed up and running down major streets is an event that occurs around Christmas in many cities throughout the U.S. and Europe.

We hung out by the Duomo, waiting to see where this merry band of Clauses would come from. Since the streets were PACKED with pre-holiday shoppers, we were puzzled about which direction they'd come in from.


In true Italian fashion, we heard the sirens before we saw anything. Suddenly, the crowds parted and we saw many a Santa. However, despite the advertised "Running of the Santas" in a 5k race, they all appeared to be WALKING. So next year, we know better than to be intimidated. Send me a Santa hat cause I'll be running!

Maranello and the Galleria Ferrari

We were prepared for our first married Christmas to be a quiet kind of holiday. With family and most friends an ocean away, we figured that we'd be hanging out with the dog for our long weekend. But, you know, things change. We decided to throw a party on Christmas Day and had our home filled with local friends. Things improved upon the arrival of two friends from Lagos who decided to come in from their current Western European postings to spend the holiday in Milan. After a quiet dinner out with our friends on Christmas Eve, followed by a 2 hour mass at the Duomo, then a big dinner party on Christmas Day, you'd think we'd just spend the weekend eating leftovers and recovering.

Instead, we hopped in the car and the four of us headed south - towards the Galleria Ferrari!


The Ferrari Museum is located in Maranello, Italy and all three boys seemed very excited about our little field trip. Though the autostrada lacked scenic views, the provincial roads from Modena to the Ferrari Museum was very much improved. When we arrived at the museum, we were surprised to see so many visitors just two days after Christmas.

As you might expect, the Galleria was filled with Ferraris! The entry level floor showed all the racing vehicles and the progression of the technology over time. The walls were littered with photographs of the cars - shown during racing, on the road, and in advertisements. There wasn't too much on the history of the company, this was clearly a museum devoted to the visual representation of the Ferrari!


Founded in 1928 by Enzo Ferrari, the company was initially involved strictly in the production and sponsorship of racing cars. The first road car wasn't produced until 1947. At that time, the company only produced street-legal vehicles in order to fund the development of the racing vehicles. Enzo Ferrari allegedly remained contemptful of his road car customers up until his 1988 death.


My favorite (i.e. the one I claimed I'd buy if I could have any one of the cars in the showroom) is pictured below. It's one of the initial street-legal Ferraris produced in the 1950s. I think it looks like something James Bond would drive, if he drove Italian cars.


However, since I don't know how to drive a manual transmission vehicle, the below Ferrari is more in my range of abilities (and price range, I suspect).

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

On Saturday night, Mark and I headed downtown to check out the Christmas decorations at night and to see a free concert that was being held at the Piazza Duomo. A mere 25 minute walk from our apartment, we decided to take Cooper. Coop picked up a stick along the way and we found ourselves waylaid by many passers-by who wanted to coo at our adorable dog and ask us where he's from (answer: America but he's an English Lab, breedwise).


Along the way, we noticed an unusual sight at the Piazza Cavour - a tram decked out in holiday lights! Blindingly bright, I managed to whip out my camera quickly enough to grab a photo. While we see trams all the time, this is the first decorated one we've seen and it definitely set the tone for an evening filled with the Christmas spirit, thanks ATM (Azienda Trasporti Milanesi)!


I recently had a meeting for work near the Piazza Duomo so it was no surprise to see the Christmas decor set-up. However, seeing the tree lit up in front of the Duomo was stunning at night. There was a decent crowd gathered around the stage to hear Natalie Cole sing a mixture of her own songs and Christmas traditionals. While I'm not wild about Cole, I know enough to enjoy her music in the background and though a little slow, it was an enjoyable show. Apparently, the commune of Milan books an artist for a holiday show each year. Our friends informed us that, last year, Michael Bolton had done the honors. Hearing this, I was particularly glad to be seeing Natalie Cole!


We arrived after the show had already started and claimed a comfortably uncrowded standing spot in the back (with a good view of the broadcast screen). I wasn't familiar with the first couple of song we heard but when she busted out "Unforgettable", the crowd was clearly pleased! She sang the song as a duet with her late father, Nat King Cole, and the screen showed footage of him singing the male portion. It was a nice and memorable song and the audiance ate it up. She followed with Jingle Bells and, later, the Christmas Song (you know, "chestnuts roasting" and all that).


On our way back home, we passed through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Instead of peering into the windows of Louis Vuitton and Prada, our eyes were focused above on the magical Christmas decorations. The great glass dome is currently covered in thousands (maybe millions?) of blue lights. In the center of the dome is the crest of the city of Milan. Though close to midnight, plenty of tourists and locals still crowded through the shopping galleria, either to take in the lights or head to another destination...or possibly both.

Bolzano, Trentino Alto-Aldige

On Sunday, I took a day trip to Bolzano, Trentino Alto-Adige, with a group of co-workers and friends. We left in the dark (only 8am but it's still dark!) and returned in the dark - a long trip that was worth it for the fabulous Christmas market. Trentino Alto-Adige is a region of Italy very close to the Austrian border. While our drive from Milan was about 3.5 hours each way, Bolzano is only about an hour and a half from Innsbruck, Austria. As a result of the Austrian influence, this region has road signs in Italian and German AND is known for having some of the best Christmas markets in Italy.


I napped for the first 2/3 of our ride, waking up to an autostrada surrounded by mountains and fog - stunningly beautiful. When we arrived in Bolzano, it was just before noon and the market was packed with Christmas shoppers. Since we only had about an hour before we were scheduled to meet up and visit Utzi the Ice Man (a 5000 year old mummy found in the Italian-Austrian Alps in 1991), I focused on completing a circuit of the market and prioritizing my shopping goals. Given the crowds, this was a challenge.


The Bolzano Christmas market did not disappoint. Hundreds of stands were in place, selling Gluhwein (hot mulled wine), raclette and speck paninis, gloves & hats, crafts, and even CDs.


These beautiful Weihnachtspyramids were made by hand. If you've never seen them before, the lit candles make the fan spin around. The fan spinning makes the interior twirl, a beautiful sight in the candlelight.

Naturally, there were thousands of ornaments. Not all of them were beautiful, some were clearly mass produced and imported from China, but many of them were unique and lovely.


A combination of glass balls, pine cones, and woven twine hang in the candle stand pictured above. Below and to the left, hand-painted glass ornaments and bells with winter scenes. On the bottom right, there are some hand-carved wooden ornaments. As you might have noticed from the pictures, vendors chose to hang some of there nicest (or at least, most eye-catching) ornaments along the exterior of their booths, making it easy to see how they hang and get a 360 view of the product.

I bought a couple but can't show them off - I bought duplicates of the prettiest to give away next Christmas! My shipping deadline has passed so none would make it in time for this Christmas.


Aside from ornaments, there was a wide selection of creches or nativity scenes, ranging from 25 euro for a small set to 600 euro for a hand-carved large set! I also witnessed the work of several resourceful woodcarvers who had perhaps grown tired of the typical Christmas decorations. Witness the below Santas, carved on pieces of branch. Does Martha have this on her website for a DIY gift in this tough economy?


The below elves were far more intricitely designed though perhaps a little more on the odd side. I'd first thought that they were Santa's helpers but now I'm not so sure....


For lunch, our organizer had made us reservations at a restaurant serving typical cuisine of the region. Given the proximity to Austria, there were no big surprises in the menu. The primo piatto was a spinich spatzle in a cream sauce. Spatzle are noodles shaped into tiny dumpling. Made with egg, flour, milk, and (in this case) spinich, the spatzle's origins are primarily in the Bavaria region of Germany. For a second course, they served what seemed to be boiled ham with sauerkraut and a little meatball of sorts that is made out of speck (a dried pork product typical of the region and usually very good) and bread crumbs. I wasn't the biggest fan and ended up being very glad that the spatzle had been so filling!

On the way back from the restaurant to the Christmas market, we ran across Bolzano's typical food market and the most gloriously displays red chili peppers I've ever seen. Hung with garlic, the colors were so vivid on a gloomy winter day that I was tempted to buy up several strings!


After a little more shopping time, darkness fell and it was time to head back to Milan. With some Gluhwein warm in my belly, I bid auf wiedersehen to Bolzano, vowing to return for next year's festivities.

Milan's Christmas Markets

Saint Ambrogio is the patron saint of Milan - each major Italian city has their own patron saint and on their saint's "day", it's a local holiday! Luckily for us, this past Monday was Saint Ambrogio's day and we (along with all the Milanese) had the day off work. This weekend was rather auspicious as it kicked off the Milano Christmas festivities and also hosted La prima de la Scala - the opening night of the 'La Scala' opera house.

We were not invited.

I LOVE Christmas so I was really looking forward to this weekend. The 'Oh Bej, Oh Bej' market was being held (for three days only!) by the Castello and there were a ton of vendors. Wouldn't it figure that I spent most of the weekend resting up after being hit by a vicious head cold in the middle of last week? After going home early on Wednesday and staying quite firmly there through Saturday, I felt good enough to leave the apartment for a couple hours on Sunday. However, since the Castello isn't exactly next door, I was not up for those crowds.

Mark and I thought we'd take the dog for a nice walk around the Giardini Pubblici. He jogs around there and noticed an ice skating rink that was being set up so we figured we'd check it out for future skating needs. Imagine our surprise - and my glee! - when we noticed booths of Christmas vendors set up right behind the rink!


Nothing too elaborate but there were some cute stands. Lots of crafts, typical in European Christmas markets.


A cheesemonger was advertising cheeses from the Trentino Alto-Aldige region and a chocolatier was selling delicious chunks of chocolate from Torino along with hot cocoa that tasted like melted chocolate in a cup. There was even a mini roller coaster for kids. Just the stuff to make me forget my winter cold and indulge in the season's cheer.


On Monday, we headed out with some friends and their one and a half year old to catch the last night of the 'Oh Bej, Oh Bej' market. Big mistake. The crowds were out BIG TIME and trying to navigate it on foot was next to impossible, forget about manuovering a stroller! No photos, it was all I could do to keep a hand on my purse and stay alert for pickpockets. However, I did manage to wrap up my Christmas shopping when I was able to jockey for a spot at a booth. Apparently, it was chaotic due to it being the last night so we plan to make it out for the first night next year, sickness be damned!

No respect for the turkey...

Many people feel that decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving is a sign of disrespect against the turkey. I don't think that the turkey takes it all that personally.

For me, it's all about holiday decorations. As it happens, I don't have much in the way of fall/Thanksgiving decor (hint hint, Mom, for the Black Friday sales) but I have a whole bunch for Christmas. Another contributing factor is that we are traveling for Thanksgiving this year but hosting a Christmas celebration chez nous. This is a roundabout justification to all the haters out there who are going to make fun of my early Christmas decor. We've had it up for a week and a half.


While I love getting out ALL of the decor (candles, pillow, my Santa carvings), the best part of Christmas decorations are the ornaments and decking the boughs. We bought our tree in the post-Christmas Target sales last year so this is our very first Christmas with a full-size tree. Finally, we have a tree big enough for all our ornaments! We have some that we collected from Lagos, some given to each other, some from last year. This year, the first ornament we put up was one we just received from my parents - the traditional "our first Christmas" hanging. While this is actually our fourth Christmas together and third that we actually SPEND together, it's nice to commererate the first married holiday.

To celebrate the ocassion, we turned up the iPod Christmas mix (heavy on the Harry Connick Jr holiday album) and made some Mint Chocolate Cocoa (purchased while at the Lady in London's favorite Hampstead tea shop). No "Polar Express" this year but we had a nice time and have been enjoying the extra-long holiday flavor this year. See below for what we did with all of the extra Ikea ornaments from last year.


Since these photos were taken, we've burned out a transformer (damn lights and european electricity!) and bought both a tree-topper and tree-skirt. There's also a couple more presents under the tree but you'll have to wait until closer to Christmas to see the updates.

Tomorrow, we're out to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends in Lisbon. Happy holidays, y'all!

La Rinascente

There isn't much to do on Sundays in Italy. Most shops in my neighborhood are closed. However, down in the touristy part of town, there's always something open. La Rinascente is a major Italian department store that, like its American counterparts, sells everything from clothes, to housewares, to Christmas decor.

Since it's only a 20 minute walk from my apartment, I headed downtown during a crisp but sunny Sunday afternoon. I wasn't totally sure of where I was going (all I knew is that it was by the Duomo) but decided that if I kept an eye out for holiday window decor, I should be able to find it. And indeed, that did the trick.


Though I liked the ornament and decoration display down in the lobby, I was disappointed not to see a grander window display. I had to remind myself that I no longer lived in Paris where all the grands magasins compete for your attention with out-of-this-world holidays displays designed by the major fashion houses - Chanel, Chloe, etc. Without feeling too sorry for myself, I carried on.

Since I'd come on a Christmas shopping mission, I can't elaborate too much on what I purchased. While the only things I bought for myself were some lemon-scented candles and a small bottle of truffle oil, I was sorely tempted by the incredible housewares collection. The notoriously quirky Milanese design was present in everything from espresso cups to corkscrews and a big selection of products buy the Italian company Alessi. I vowed to return during the January sales period to invest in a bigger Bialetti Mokapot (similar to espresso but easier to make at home and without the expensive machine) or perhaps even a stovetop cappuccino maker. The Amazon.com links give away the fact that you can easily by these items in the U.S., however, La Rinascente has a MUCH larger display with all different colors and designs that you can't get quite so easily in the States!

Once I tore myself away from the housewares section, I started to head up with the intention of eventually making it to the top floor - home of the department store's foodhall and cafeteria. On my way I stopped by the home furnishing section. Why were they six floors apart? I have no idea. However, this is where all the real Christmas decor was. Ornaments, faux trees, poinsetta, and creche sets took up the most space. However, there was plenty of room for neat travel gear and paperworks (journals, stationary, etc).

So I finally headed upstairs. Where La Rinascente splits from the American department store standard and lines up closer to its European counterparts is in the food hall. Yes, Milan has a food hall. In my personal opinion, it doesn't even come CLOSE to Harrod's in London or the Marks & Spencers in Dublin...but it is pretty sweet. Here, there are counters and small bar/restaurants that are geared to specific cuisines. It's like the food court at the mall but way nicer.


Those milky colored boxes are filled with different kinds of mozzarella - fresh mozzarella di bufala if you're being precise - and are the thesis of the Mozzarella Bar in the food hall. If you sit up at the bar, you can watch the wait staff prepare your chosen mozzarella with fresh vegetables, smoked salmon, sundried tomatos, or many other options.

I hit up the juice bar first for a 'Vitamina C blast' smoothie. Since smoothies aren't really an Italian "thing", it was a nice treat to find some in Milan. I scoped out the chocolate counter and made my way outside to the rooftop deck. I knew the store was right by the Duomo but I was surprised at the lovely view - we were practically adjacent!


Once back inside, I made my way to the shelves of pre-made foods available to take home. There was a good selection of teas, some Jamaican coffee, marmalades, spices, truffled products, pasta, and, of course, always lots of olive oil. What really caught my eye was the sign that said "DISPLAY ONLY" in big English letters. I got closer and noticed that it was artiginally produced and aged balsalmic vinegar from Modena, Italy. I had heard that the "good stuff" gets really expensive, just like wine, and there was no question that this must be the really good stuff! For only 250 euros (that's about $320), you can buy a whopping 2.39oz of balsamic vinegar. Think of that next time you reach for the Safeway variety back home.


On my way out, I noticed the packed sushi bar. With a revolving countertop, it reminded me of the versions I've seen in San Francisco's Chinatown. I can't speak for the quality but the design (like the rest of Milan) was top notch.

Exhausted and with heavy bags by my side, I made my way out. When I stepped outside, I realized that I was on a different side of the store. Luckily for me, this means that I got to see the REAL window displays of La Rinascente! Just like the French, there was a crazy theme (space/astronauts in Milan - I believe it's puppets at the Printemps Paris this year) and all the windows were in full compliance.


So I'm still trying to figure out what these displays have to do with Christmas but am glad that I braved the weekend crowds to head downtown for some shopping.