Carol's Travels

This morning we toured one of the premier makers of culatello.  They showed us the process from the pigs to the selection of the best meat to the curing.  The meat hangs in the cellars for several years before it is sold.

Eight of us, including our bus driver, began our excursion down the Po River.  There has been so much rain this year that the roots won’t hold the trees up.  A lot of trees at the edge of the bank have fallen over, so now they won’t ever stand up again.

We stopped to have a picnic lunch in a park by the shore.  We we each given several  boxes of food from a one star Michelin rated restaurant.  There was way too much food for each of us, so I saved what was left of mine for dinner.  We also celebrated the other Carol’s birthday.  She blew out a candle on her mini cake.

Our captain has written a book about some pieces of pottery and bones that he has found in the Po River.  The pottery dates back 2000 years and the animal bones are thousands of years older than that!

When retuned to our hotel, Grand Hotel de la Ville, I got my clothes and bags ready to leave tomorrow.  Sadly, we will have to say good-bye to Alessandro tomorrow afternoon when we arrive in Lucca.  I hope the guide for the rest of the trip will be just as much fun and knowledgeable.

We walked to the center of Parma this morning at 9:00 AM. There we met our city guide.  He took us to Parma’s unique baptistery which is considered one of the most important medieval monuments in Europe.

Next, we spent some time in Fabbriceria Basilica Cathedral Parma to see the ceiling and dome.  Gorgeous!

We then walked by the river, the palace where royalty lived and ruled, and through upscale shopping areas.

We had lunch at a small wine bar where Alessandro had arranged for us to sit in the back room.  We enjoyed tasting  approximately seven appetizers, cheese, and wine.  The owners encourage people to write and draw all over the walls, so I wrote my name in crayon.  It brought back memories of the wall my parents had in our basement in Denver where people autographed it.

He found a cracked guitar, tuned it as well as he could, and played a couple of minutes of a classical guitar piece.  He played classical guitar music when he was younger, and he has a very beautiful instrument at his home in the country.

Five of us then walked to the puppet museum, and it was free.

Three of us then continued on to tour the opera and sound museums which were also free!  This was a very economical afternoon.

This evening we are going to have a very special dinner.

This region of Italy is known for making delicious Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. We checked out of our hotel at 7:00 then boarded our small bus. We first stopped at Lazzaro Spallanzani an institute where they make this cheese.

I took lots of pictures and short movie clips of the process. Later, I decided to buy a small package of the cheese. During our trip each room has a small refrigerator, so if I don’t eat it before I get home, it should arrive in good shape.

After we left, we drove to a small family-owned balsamic vinegar business. We were given a tour of the vineyards and the rooms where the barrels of vinegar are stored. We tasted the difference in the 12-year, 25-year, and fairly new vinegar.

We were served appetizers, such as bread, cheese, and veggies drizzled with balsamic vinegar. We also tasted some of their very fruity red wine which is family made but not for sale. (I am liking the very fruity red wines of this region.). For lunch we had a tart and ice cream drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

While we were waiting for Emilio to bring us dessert, I took my peepers puppet out of my pocket and sang this song:

Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmigian, Ricotta,

You should eat it every day and you should eat a lotta,

It is great with chino, and it’s even good with watta,

Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmigian, Ricotta!

When Emilio returned, we sang it again for him. My peepers asked him if he could sing a song. Emilio went back downstairs and came up with his guitar. He sang an American folksong with his lovely voice. Alessandro said that Emilio had never sung for a group before this, and he was very surprised!

Before we left, I bought some 12-year vinegar and had it shipped home. Just before we got back on the bus, Emilio set up his tripod and took a picture of us with his iPhone. He then sent the picture to my phone since I was the only one with an iPhone.

We then rode for a while to Parma where we checked into our hotel. Alessandro took us on a short walking tour of the area around the hotel to show us the location of a few stores and restaurants.