Judul : Flavors of TOSCANA and FIRENZE
link : Flavors of TOSCANA and FIRENZE
Flavors of TOSCANA and FIRENZE
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Usually I try to avoid using generalization and cultural stereotypes but Italians are people who know how to enjoy life fully - I would say. The fine art, music, food, wine, love, literature, fashion... the most beautiful things for me are somehow connected to the Italian culture.
Preto som najšťastnejšia na svete, že ma Viktor a naši super kamoši Róbert & Lenka (& Rudko & Pucko) vzali cez Sí Toskánsko na pôžitkársky výlet. -----
I am the happiest person in the world because Viktor and our dear friends Róbert & Lenka (& Rudko & Pucko) took me to Italy for the hedonistic trip via Sí Toskánsko.
TOSCANALen čo sme prišli do Toskánska, srdce sa mi naplnilo krásou a dojatím, že toto miesto existuje nielen vo filmoch. Všetko bolo také krásne - ako keby naštylizované do časopisu o dokonalom živote čakajúc na fotografa.
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The moment we arrived in Tuscany my heart filled with beauty. I was so touched that places like this really exist not only in the movies. Everything was so beautiful - perfectly stylized just waiting to be photographed. It looked like from a magazine about an ideal life.
Milujem túto izbu, všadeprítomnú vôňu jazmínu a levandule, milujem toto nekonečné ticho. Ešte aj jazda v aute sa mi zdala čarovná, keďže v rádiu hrala talianska opera a za oknami sme míňali kilometre viníc a olivových hájov.
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I loved the room, I loved that I could smell jasmine and lavender flowers everywhere. I loved this infinite silence. Even a ride in the car seemed magical as we were listening to the Italian opera from the radio while we passed miles of vineyards and olive groves.
Prvý večer nás Róbert vzal na gurmánske orgie do miestnej La casa mia vo vedľajšej dedinke. Samozrejme sme museli všetko ochutnať. Dovidenia starostlivo schudnuté bruško, vitaj ambrózia a obžerstvo. Vyvrcholenie celého večera bol pre mňa tanec svätojánskych mušiek okolo našej vilky počas splnu (uf, ako gýčovučko to vyznieva, no zážitok to bol naozaj magický.)
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The first evening Róbert took us to a gourmet orgy in the local restaurant called La casa mia, which was in the near village. We had to taste everything of course. Goodbye flat tummy, welcome ambrosia and gluttony. The climax of the evening for me was when fireflies were dancing around our villa during the full moon (it sounds so kitschy, I know, but it really eas a magical moment.)
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The moment we arrived in Tuscany my heart filled with beauty. I was so touched that places like this really exist not only in the movies. Everything was so beautiful - perfectly stylized just waiting to be photographed. It looked like from a magazine about an ideal life.
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I loved the room, I loved that I could smell jasmine and lavender flowers everywhere. I loved this infinite silence. Even a ride in the car seemed magical as we were listening to the Italian opera from the radio while we passed miles of vineyards and olive groves.
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The first evening Róbert took us to a gourmet orgy in the local restaurant called La casa mia, which was in the near village. We had to taste everything of course. Goodbye flat tummy, welcome ambrosia and gluttony. The climax of the evening for me was when fireflies were dancing around our villa during the full moon (it sounds so kitschy, I know, but it really eas a magical moment.)
FIRENZE
Výlet do Florencie sme si rozdelili na dva dni - na prechádzky a múzeum. Tak dlho som sa tešila na Zrodenie Venuše. Predstavovala som si ako moja noha bude kráčať po rovnakom chodníku, kde kráčali DaVinci, Botticeli, Michelangelo... No, Stendhalov syndróm sa nedostavil. Možno to súviselo aj s davmi turistov, ktorí narúšali atmosféru hlučným "Bondžornouu" a " Špagetí end Kouk".
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We decided to split our trip to Florence into two days - the walking day and the museum day. I was looking forward to see the Birth of Venus for so long. I was also imagining that my feet are walking the same pavement as DaVinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo did... Well, the Stendhal syndrome I expected didn't come. Maybe it was caused by crowds of tourists who ere disturbing the atmosphere with their noisy bad accented "Bongiorno" and "Spaghetti and Coke".
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We tried to hide from them and suddenly we discovred a lovely restaurant called Moyé. Imagine us sitting with Viktor in the terrace of the restaurant. We can hear Daft Punk playing inside and somebody singing opera outside. Don't forget to imagine cars, mopeds and bicycles everywhere despite the fact we were in the historical heart of Florence. Nevertheless, we were smiling, eating bruschette adn drinking white wine. So idyllic.
Okrem talianskych oblekov som sa zamilovala aj do malej milej pekárničky Vecchio Forno. Neviem prečo, ale v každom meste si ma vždy nájde jedna chutná pekáreň. Raz musím mať vlastnú.
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One of the most interesting things in Florence for me were elegant men in suits riding urban bicycles. Most of them had Gucci bags in the hand. It's a pity I didn't take some photos of men street-style in Florence.
I have fallen in love not only with Italian suits but also with the little lovely bakery called Vecchio Forno. I don't why but in every city I visit ine cute bakery finds me and then we love each other. I must own a bakery one day.
CANTUCCINI
Domov som prišla celá motivovaná, že musím upiecť niečo, čo som ochutnala na talianskom výlete. Rozhodla som sa pre všade populárne Cantuccini, ktoré skvele chutia ku káve, čaju alebo dezertnému vínu. Dlho som googlila a zistila som, že existuje naozaj veľa verzií, ale ževraj pôvodná je bez masla.
Nakoniec som si vybrala recept od Emanuele Ridi. Keď chcete toskánske cantuccini, urobte ich podľa neho alebo podľa tohto receptu, no ja fakt nemám rada citrónovú kôru. Taliani ju dávajú asi do každého dezertu v Toskánsku. (Pokojne ma opravte nejakým super receptom.)
Tu je moja bratislavská verzia Cantuccini:
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When I came home I was very motivated to bake something I have tastes during our Italian trip. I decided to bake the popular Cantuccini, which taste awesome with coffee, a tea or desert wine. After long hours of googling I found out that there are a lot of versions of the Cantuccini recipe. They say that the original one is butter-less.
I've chosen the recipe from Emanuele Ridi (the Italian cook popular in Czech and Slovakia). If you want Tuscan Cantuccini, follow his recipe or this one but I really do not like the taste of lemon zest. I feel like Italians in Tuscany put it in every dessert recipe imaginable. (Prove me wrong, please.)
This is my version of Cantuccini from Bratislava:
INGREDIENCIE
POSTUP
1. Predhrejeme rúrú na 180°C. Vystelieme plech papierom na pečenie.
2. Vyšľaháme 2 vajcia s cukrom, vanilkovým cukrom a polievkovou lyžicou rumu.
3. Pridáme mandle a lieskové orechy.
4. Postupne primiešame kypriaci prášok a preosiatu múku.
5. Cesto vypracujeme a uložíme ho na plech do dvoch valčekov.
6. Valčeky potrieme rozšľahaným vajcom. Pečieme 25minút.
7. Nakrájame upečené valčeky na rovnako veľké kúsky kým je cesto teplé. (Vychladnuté sa ťažko krájajú, lebo stvrdnú).
8. Necháme úplne vychladnúť. V uzavretej nádobe vydržia ozaj dlho.
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INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat ovet to 180°C / 356°F. Put baking paper into baking pan.
2. Whisk 2 eggs with sugar, vanilla extract and a tablespoon of rum.
3. Add almonds and hazelnuts.
4. Gradually stir in baking powder and sifted flour.
5. Make the dough and put it on a baking pan in two rolls.
6. Brush rolls with a beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Slice still warm baked rolls. (Cooled Cantuccini are dificult to slice.)
8. Let cool completely. They will last a long time when stored in a closed container.
Nakoniec som si vybrala recept od Emanuele Ridi. Keď chcete toskánske cantuccini, urobte ich podľa neho alebo podľa tohto receptu, no ja fakt nemám rada citrónovú kôru. Taliani ju dávajú asi do každého dezertu v Toskánsku. (Pokojne ma opravte nejakým super receptom.)
Tu je moja bratislavská verzia Cantuccini:
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When I came home I was very motivated to bake something I have tastes during our Italian trip. I decided to bake the popular Cantuccini, which taste awesome with coffee, a tea or desert wine. After long hours of googling I found out that there are a lot of versions of the Cantuccini recipe. They say that the original one is butter-less.
I've chosen the recipe from Emanuele Ridi (the Italian cook popular in Czech and Slovakia). If you want Tuscan Cantuccini, follow his recipe or this one but I really do not like the taste of lemon zest. I feel like Italians in Tuscany put it in every dessert recipe imaginable. (Prove me wrong, please.)
This is my version of Cantuccini from Bratislava:
INGREDIENCIE- 3 vajcia
- 200 g trstinového cukru
- 200 g mandlí
- 100 g lieskovcov
- 250 g hladkej múky ( ja som použila špaldovú)
- 1 čajová lyžička kypriacieho prášku
- 1 čajová lyžička vanilkového cukru
- polievková lyžica rumu
POSTUP
1. Predhrejeme rúrú na 180°C. Vystelieme plech papierom na pečenie.
2. Vyšľaháme 2 vajcia s cukrom, vanilkovým cukrom a polievkovou lyžicou rumu.
3. Pridáme mandle a lieskové orechy.
4. Postupne primiešame kypriaci prášok a preosiatu múku.
5. Cesto vypracujeme a uložíme ho na plech do dvoch valčekov.
6. Valčeky potrieme rozšľahaným vajcom. Pečieme 25minút.
7. Nakrájame upečené valčeky na rovnako veľké kúsky kým je cesto teplé. (Vychladnuté sa ťažko krájajú, lebo stvrdnú).
8. Necháme úplne vychladnúť. V uzavretej nádobe vydržia ozaj dlho.
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INGREDIENTS
- 3 eggs
- 200g / 2 cups cane sugar
- 200g / 2 cups almonds
- 100g / 1 cup hazenuts
- 250g / 2 and 1/2 cup plain flour ( I use spelt flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract / vanilla sugar
- 1 tablespoon rum
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat ovet to 180°C / 356°F. Put baking paper into baking pan.
2. Whisk 2 eggs with sugar, vanilla extract and a tablespoon of rum.
3. Add almonds and hazelnuts.
4. Gradually stir in baking powder and sifted flour.
5. Make the dough and put it on a baking pan in two rolls.
6. Brush rolls with a beaten egg. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Slice still warm baked rolls. (Cooled Cantuccini are dificult to slice.)
8. Let cool completely. They will last a long time when stored in a closed container.
ZHRNUTIE / CONCLUSION
Zistila som, že ísť v Toskánsku do supermarketu je ako ísť do neba plného prosciutta, syrov, morských príšer, vín.
Tento úžasný výlet ma naučil, že piť víno ku každému jedlu je vlastne skvelý nápad. Taktiež mi prvý krát začalo úprimne chutiť červené víno.
Ak pôjdete do Florencie autom pripravte sa na taliansku premávku. Predstavte si ako v najužšej uličke historického centra snažíte nájsť miesto na parkovanie - na chodníku stojí 30 mopedov, sprava sa tlačia cyklisti, zľava vespisti, za vami trúbi ďalšie auto a zpredu sa rútia turisti stredom cesty, ktorí sa neboja o svoj život.
Keď už budete v okolí, rôzne výlety stoja naozaj za to. My sme si pozreli turistov podopierajúcich Šikmú vežu v Pise a okúpali seba i psíčky na pláži.
Toskánsko odporúčam najmä zamilovaným párom, novomanželom, vyčerpaným workoholikom a gurmánom. Rozhodne treba mať auto so sebou alebo požičané na presuny medzi dedinkami. Podľa mňa najideálnejšie je kombinovať pokoj Toskánska s výletmi do okolitých miest (najmä ak ste neposední ako ja).
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I found out that going to the supermarket in Tuscany is like going to a heaven full of prosciutto, cheese, sea food and wine.
This amazing trip taught me that drinking wine with every meal is actually a great idea. I also truly enjoyed red wine for the first time in my life.
Be prepared for Italian traffic when you got to Florence. Imagine us trying to find a parking spot in the historical center - streets are narrow, there are 30 parked mopeds on the sidewalk, cyclist are coming from the right side, Vespa riders from the left side, some car is honking from behind and in the middle of the road there is a group of rushing tourists not worrying about their lives at all.
When you are in the area you should definitely visit the closest towns and places. We decided to visit the Leaning Tower in Pisa and bathed ourselves and the dogs at the beach.
I recommend Tuscany particularly for lovers, newlyweds, exhausted workaholics and gourmets. You will definitely need a car with you for transfers between villages. In my opinion the best option is to combine the beautiful calmness of Tuscany with traveling to nearby cities ( especially if you are restless like me).
ITALY with LOVE
Po návrate domov sme zistili, že nám chýbajú orgazmické chute Talianska. Preto som viac než šťastná, že sa Róbert a Lenka rozhodli priniesť s krásnym projektov Italy with Love najlepšie toskánske mašrkty na Slovensko. Augustový balíček som nestihla, no tento septembrový chcem zjesť!
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After returning home we found out that living without orgasmic flavors of Italy is hard. Therefore, I am more than happy that Róbert and Lenka decided to bring the best of the Tuscan delicacies here to Slovakia with the beautiful project called Italy with Love. I ddin't order the August package, but I hope I will this September one.
ĎAKUJEM / GRACIE
Ďakujem Natália, že si sa o nás tak pekne postarala, za domácu pizzovačku a že sprostredkuváš úžasnosť Toskánska komorným spôsobom. Ďakujem Róbert a Lenka, že ste nás vzali so sebou, robili nám výbornú spoločnosť a všetko zaujímavé nám poukazovali. Ďakujem Viktor, že mi plníš každý deň sny, že si taký úžasný a že si mi požičal krásne fotky do tohto blogpostu. Ďakujem vám všetkým.
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Thank you Natália, that you have taken care of us, for the home made pizza and that you made this Tuscany heaven happen. Thank you Róbert and Lenka that you took us with you, for your nice company and for showing us everything interesting about Tuscany. Thank you Viktor that you are fulfilling my dreams everyday, you are such an amazing person, and thank you for lending me your beautiful photos for this blogpost. Thank you all.
Photos:
Analog - Viktor Kamenický
Digital - Zuzanka Zázračná
Thank you for correcting my English:
Tammy Nižňanská
Analog - Viktor Kamenický
Digital - Zuzanka Zázračná
Thank you for correcting my English:
Tammy Nižňanská