Aromas of Italy

Everywhere we go the aromas of Italy are very striking.  I won't talk about the few that are not so pleasant, but of the ones that remind us of something pleasant.  

First flowers, fruits, and herbs.  Patrizia has a garden with herbs and flowers that are very pleasant to smell.  Unlike most people in the town of Cortona, Patrizia has about 2 acres of garden that she keeps well groomed.  She grows herbs such as rosemary and basil that she shares with her guests as well as the fruit from her fruit trees.  The other night she gave us a plate full of cherries that she had just picked from her cherry tree. She uses the cherries to make cherry syrup by putting sugar in a jar full of cherries, sealing them with a lid, and putting in it the sun for a couple of days.  We just ate our cherries with our breakfast for a few days and they were delicious.

The flowers of Cortona are also very aromatic.  There is a vine that grows on the Etruscan walls that contains tiny white flowers.  When we arrive back in Cortona each evening after our daily excursions, we can tell we are back just by the smell of these flowers that fill the air of the town.  It is a light but very distinct odor.

When we were traveling to Orvieto yesterday, we stopped by the road for a bit and noticed another smell.  When we looked around we noticed many bushes of a yellow flower that almost looks like an orchid.  As we continued driving over the mountain we kept smelling these flowers.  

And, of course, the food smells delicious.  When we were at the festival Saturday night we knew, without speaking the language, that the next course was arriving because of the aromas and the gestures of the Italians showing that they were also smelling the next course.  I even tried my own Italian cooking tonight.  I made a pasta dish with chicken breasts cubed up, fresh tomatoes cooked in olive oil and garlic, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil from Patrizia's garden.  When it was cooking the aroma was just like what we had smelled at the festival when the pasta dish was being served.  And it was delicious.  So, I can cook Italian.

And, I cannot forget all of the local wines we have been trying.  We have tested some from Chianti, Orvieto, and the local Cortona region.

So, in the future, when I smell some flower, pasta dish, or a particular wine, I will remember this time I have had in Tuscany with Mike.

Tomorrow we continue the adventure by taking the train to Florence for a day of architecture and art.  Until next time, buonasera (Good Evening)!






Tuesday, June 21, 2001; 8:08 pm