We kind of felt as if we had been given a bonus day as we had expected to have to get right up and leave for Milan. Instead since it was almost on our way anyway, we spent the afternoon in Lucca. In fact we spent way more time in Lucca than we had hoped. One reason was a pleasant one and the other…well not so much.

After parking in an unmarked parking area we made our way into the maze of ancient streets.

In particular I was taken with the circular piazza

where I found a beautiful shop with an ancient stone wall exposed on one side. The clerk was lovely and she must have assumed that I spoke or understood more Italian than I did because she merrily chatted away and I really did not have a clue what she was trying to say to me.  In spite of my inability to understand her language, I would say that we had a lovely visit nonetheless.

I was originally going to use my birthday money to purchase a trio of ceramic hearts but when it was decision time, I switched instead to two drift wood pieces adorned with ceramic pieces of orange and turquoise. The images included a heart which had initially attracted my attention and an interpretation of Lucca’s tower. The pieces are now hanging in our new kitchen and I am very happy with my choice.

We continued to wander through the quaint streets and shops of Lucca until it was meal time.

Kath’s quote: “I love the language, that soft bastard Latin, Which melts like kisses from a female mouth, And sounds as if it should be writ on satin With syllables which breathe of the sweet South.” -George Gordon Noel Byron

Love never fails.

On this rare day, I still had enough energy to do another walk through Montecatini (this wouldn’t have been the case if we had driven to Florence).

D had discovered a brand new spot where they served every beverage you might imagine including more beer taps than D had seen on this particular trip.

The owner was just putting out offerings of meat and cheese. He said they do so every evening free of charge so that patrons will stay and continue to imbibe instead of heading home or out for dinner.

I wandered through Montecatini before we headed home to get ready for our last Tuscan evening.

For dinner, we went back to Toscano Doc where we were anticipated by Francesco, the waiter we had befriended earlier in the week.  He was busy in another area of the restaurant but had a chance to send us over a complementary focaccia.

It was so simple and so exquisite! The crust was a thin as a cracker and as crispy and flaky too. The char from the wood fired oven was delicious as was the drizzle of oil and sea salt that we applied.

We started by sharing a pasta dish of sea bass and gnocchi. D loved the fish and I remember thinking that the gnocchi was the lightest I had ever tasted, anywhere. I guess made sense given our locale. Earlier in the week D had ordered the fried seafood and I had been so taken with the dish that I selected it again.

Doug’s eye was caught by pork tenderloin served with crispy red onion and rosemary potatoes.

We returned to the hotel to get organized for our departure the next day.

Kath’s quote: “My idea of heaven still is to drive the gravel farm roads of Umbria and Tuscany, very pleasantly lost.”  ― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun    

Love never fails.

It’s the last week of October and I have, with a heavy heart, come to the realization that mushroom picking season is over for 2016. This year was very gratifying and successful for certain varieties but also disappointing. I went foraging for chanterelles about 5 times and came home with 2-3 pounds each time. It was only enough to share with friends and enjoy them for breakfast and suppers during the growing season.

From friends, I heard that there were huge quantities of chanterelles and peepdenky growing in Dryden and Kenora. I discovered a new, incredible spot for peedpenky which yielded more boxes of mushrooms than I could handle. We picked 8 full boxes and several bags in two hours. They weren’t buttons but they were very solid, meaty and delicious.

If conditions are favorable next year this new spot will be amazing. I will have to remember not to leave town in the first week of October as I almost was panicking that I would miss the peedpenky picking completely. What was disappointing was that I did not find any boletes. I did go out to my never-fail spots 5 or 6 times to find none growing.

The other very sad event that almost made me cry, was to arrive in my favorite picking spot for 30 years in the Belair Forest only to find that the vast section of the forest was being clear cut. But maybe this is to rejuvenate the forest with young trees. Next fall I will be hoping that the stumps left behind may grow wonderful and abundant mushroom gardens.

Whether you are in the forest for picking mushrooms or quadding, enjoy the beautiful ferns and mosses growing there. There is nothing more refreshing than a walk in the forest and taking in the natural beauty. I will spend the winter researching mushroom books and watching videos on mushroom picking. Can’t wait till spring.

Kath’s quote: ”It’s the forests where silence has lease; It’s the beauty that thrills me with wonder, It’s the stillness that fills me with peace.”-Robert W. Service

Love never fails.

After enjoying the wonderful sunshine in Montecatini’s Piazza, we strolled to the train station for our journey to Florence. We had been briefed that driving was restricted and parking difficult and we were quite ready to sit back and relax on this day trip.

The country side scenery was beautiful and the train so efficient -we were in Firenze station in no time. Centrally located, we walked from the station in the direction of the piazza with the throngs of other travellers.

Our main intent was for D to view Michelangelo’s David and we had asked for directions while still at our hotel base in Montecatini. Unfortunately, we were either misinformed or had misunderstood as we were told that David was at the Ufizzi Gallery.

We made our way there purchased a premium ticket so as not to have to wait in line, but we still had a short wait, had to go through a security check and D had to check his backpack (even though others were allowed to keep theirs if they wore them on their fronts).

We began to wind our way through the galleries in pursuit of David-the prize.

When we thought that we were coming to the end of the path, we asked a security guard if David was still ahead.

Boticelli- who I loved when studying art history at university.

I also studied the exquisite Bernini.

Even with our limited understanding of Italian, we could interpret that we were indeed in the wrong gallery.

We exited soon after but not until we had our photo taken on the terrace at the restaurant

and viewed the Rialto Bridge that I had visited some 40 years prior. After hiking over to Acadamea to see more line ups and required ticket purchases, D made the decision to give up on the goal.

The consolation prize was that we did get to view David’s replica by the Ufizzi

along with a gallery of other exquisite replicas.

By this time we were hungry and D found us a spot in the sunshine right on the piazza of the Duomo.

I indulged in Tuscan sausage, truffles and cream pasta

and D the fruitti de mare

along with our customary half carafe of house wine.

Soon after we hopped the train back to Montecatini.

Kath’s quote: “Even now I miss Italy dearly, I dream about it every night” – Eila Hiltunen

Love never fails.

I felt badly that I had missed their anniversary. When they married over thirty years ago, there was a very small gathering of parents and siblings but we were one of two couple of friends. I realized that the significance of my visiting on that weekend was not lost on them when R said sincerely “Thanks for being at our wedding” for I stood beside M as her maid of honour. The night of their anniversary, I was at another restaurant across town with my friends from FBC 2016. They were at a little spot in their neighbourhood. The next evening they cooked filet mignon’s with all the trimmings. So my opportunity to celebrate with them came on my last evening in town. They suggested Ascari Enoteca, not far from where they lived. They had visited there before. Ascari Enoteca is named for famous Italian race car driver Alberto Ascari. The Enoteca (wine depository) was celebrating half price wine night and the little spot was jammed with Monday night diners. In fact, I could hardly follow our conversation over the din. This did not embarrass me as friends R & M are half a year older than me and our conversations often centre on a part of our body which is no longer working. M had told me about an item from the list “In Compagnia” (things to share) that they liked to order. Broccolini Fritti was lightly battered broccolini crowned with lemon zest and pecorino cheese. The batter was light and salty like a tempura batter and the citrus and cheese was so satisfying that I tipped the serving bowl onto my side plate and scooped it up with a spoon. R made me perfectly comfortable with my brazen table manners by saying that a friend of his had done exactly the same. When we each ordered our pasta, R selected another sharable of Cavoletti di Bruxelles. The shaved Brussel sprouts were tossed with guanciale (an Italian style bacon made from pork jowls), garlic chips and toasted walnuts. They too were so satisfying that I plan on getting my mandolin out and shaving some Brussel sprouts sometime very soon. M chose a salad of charred romaine hearts that she was happy to share with us. Dubbed Insalata Americana, the boats of blackened romaine were filled with oven-dried tomato, tiny slivers of radish and a creamy oregano dressing. Sunflower seeds and fried shallots added extra crunch. I was eager to have a taste of M’s Linquine alla Puttanesca with the traditional ingredients of tomato, anchovy, caper and olives. She liked the unusual addition of smoked cod. My taste of the latter revealed an overwhelming salty and smoky taste. I was glad that I had not been tempted by her choice and tucked into the evening’s special of Tajarin Ai Fungi. My favourite pastas are lightly tossed with a few simple ingredients reminiscent of our recent time in Tuscany. Fresh and delicate Tajarin noodles (like spaghettini but square not round) had been tossed with beurre fondue (melted butter), tarragon, chanterelles and “heavens be praised” truffle oil!  We have travelled through many regions of Italy but not yet Piedmont where Tajarin noodles are a specialty. Each spin of the pasta was concluded with a spearing of chanterelles. The fungi (mushrooms) complemented the musky dab of truffle oil. Simply divine. We washed everything down with a wine of R’s choosing-a light and slightly acidic Basadone from Casetto Di Verduno. The wine also hails from Piedmont, so it was a tremendous choice. Upon further research, this is what I discovered: “The Barbera d’Alba label has a drawing of poppies which are called Basadone in local dialect (papavero in Italian). Basadone in dialect also means a little kiss – local tradition has it that Pelaverga is an aphrodisiac!” We concluded the evening with a lemon pudding and three spoons, remembering a time when they as a couple took me under their wings and provided companionship after a bumpy time in my life. Although my timing was a couple of days off for this dinner, it was a lovely celebration of their love, marriage and our long lasting friendship. Kath’s quote: “You may have the universe if I may have Italy”.-Giuseppe Verdi Love never fails.