No... not another big lunch!? Il Giorno di Santo Stefano

Today is the 26^th of December (also known as Boxing Day in the United Kingdom). It is still a holiday in Italy – il giorno di Santo Stefano. Now mind you if both sets of relatives were nearby (and not one set on the other side of the pond) it would mean another big lunch. Luckily for me it means taking a nice passeggiata with my family and friends, and well, maybe eating a light lunch (yummy quiche leftovers from the day before or just fresh fruit).

So what is the deal with this guy Stephen? And why is he celebrated the day after Christmas? Like most saints, Stephen was an early Christian martyr. In fact he lived in the first century and was the first who died (in 34 ad) for believing, preaching and encouraging the Christian faith. This is the reason Saint Stephen is considered a protomartyr and also why his saint’s day is celebrated the day after Christmas, when Jesus Christ was born. Saint Stephen was stoned to death by an irate crowd of Jews led by Paul of Tarsus (who later converted and became an important supporter of Christianity). Saint Stephen is rather easy to identify in paintings, because he usually has two stones sticking out of his head! I guess you can imagine why he is invoked by people suffering of headaches!

Here is a very famous painting of Saint Stephen by the 14^th century artist Giotto which is in the Horne Museum in Florence.

A fun video watch, snowboarding in Florence...

Check out the new way to get downtown from Piazzale Michelangelo! These are the stairs of San Niccolo!

Powdered Sugar in Florence

Il cupolone

San Domenico

My favorite cute bridge at the foothills of Fiesole

Last Friday Florence was magically covered by the most beautiful fluffy white snow…it was like the cherry on the cake. The last thing needed for a classical picture this Christmas season. Florentines, like Africans of the desert, get astonished and behave like children during a snowfall! They act like this perhaps because the last serious snow in Florence was nearly 30 years ago and belongs to our parent's memory.

The city was not prepared for these “three snowflakes”! Mayor Renzi declared the disservice which occurred in town his responsibility. In fact public and private transportation, internet, and other services were blocked within 3 hours. Busses were left on the side of streets and cars were left on bridges by frustrated drivers. As the result of this, tons of people walked home, some with worry on their faces, some with blank stares, and some with amusement!

The scenery was enchanting and in this ideal Christmas atmosphere I decided to take a 3 hour walk- up to Via San Leonardo, Torre del Gallo and down to the church of San Miniato- to get there in time for the Gregorian Mass. I was the only person in church, beside the monks. The oldest Benedictine after the sermon looked at me by nodding his head… which meant, “what kind of sin brought you up in here in this weather???”. But my answer to him would have been simple, “it is the charm of being part of this magnificent manifestation of nature.” … I cannot tell you how happy I felt during this time!

The next morning I walked 2 hours, reaching Fiesole and took pictures of olive groves in the snow and pine trees whose branches had fallen from the weight of the snow, hitting cars also.

The same day in the afternoon I hiked in the opposite direction, to Pozzolatico’s hill (3 hours) to visit my friend Beatrice. We made homemade pizza at her house. Upon returning home the town still looked surreal, with very few cars moving around. Funny comments were easy to overhear in the silence. One woman was speaking to her husband and said, “it looks like Cortina d’Ampezzo," (a schi schi ski resort area in the Dolomites). Her husband replied, “Yes in your dreams, my dear… see the Arno River over there?!”

In two days I’ve walked all over, I’m exhausted but satisfied by the unusual beauty!

Ortigia - Sicilian Passion made in Florence

I had the pleasure of meeting Sue Townsend recently, part owner and the creative force behind a line of exquisite bath and home products called Ortigia. Originally from the UK, Sue has travelled the world and now makes Florence her home, living in an ancient palazzo near the Arno river with her dogs and cats. Her tale is that a creative spirit, a little luck, and hard work can pay off. From modest means as a young woman she landed a job with a small design firm in “swinging” London which eventually led her to become one of the founding partners of the famous toiletries brand Crabtree & Evelyn.

After selling her ownership in the company she became part of the Duchy Originals project under Prince Charles, which encourages organic farming and sustainable goods. After moving to Italy, however, it was sun soaked Sicily - the light, the Mediterranean sea, the stone and marble buildings and the quality local products - which inspired her to go back into the soap business again. The company’s name Ortigia comes from one of the oldest sections of Syracuse, a town located in the south eastern part of Sicily. Ortigia was the greatest city in the Greek empire. This area of town was where Sue sat in an outdoor caffè pondering what to name her company when she decided, “Why not name it where I am sitting?”.

This Florentine company of Sicilian inspiration creates soaps, oils, salts and creams along with home products such as sachets, candles, and scents based on the natural and traditional essences found on the island. The products are made using only high quality primary ingredients such as lanolin, glycerin and olive oil. Sicilian lime, pomegranate, almond and neroli honey are just some of their fragrances. I think Zagara, or orange blossom, is my favorite. The packaging of the soaps is a work of art in itself – essential and modern styling but traditional at the same time, using colors which carry us off to southern shores. 

Ortigia has two stores in London and one in Florence (on Borgo San Jacopo, just off of Ponte Vecchio) and select world wide distributers, however none in the United States… as of yet.

PS By the way we haven't been sponsored for this post. I decided to write about Ortigia because I love the products and the unusual scents. I also believe it is important to support small local businesses and also because the company is owned by women! 

http://www.ortigia-srl.com

Christmas Cooking

Christmas is getting closer and closer, as the coldest time of the year, even in Florence… grey damp winter weekends are great opportunity to stay home cooking and baking bread, trying new recipes and preparing cakes. Last week I followed step by step suggestions on how to bake bread, by watching the popular TV show, “La Prova del cuoco”. I said to myself… It looks a game for kids, so lets try it…

…And SURPRISE…the bread was so good that even my nephew Giovanni said, “Zia, why aren’t you a professional cook?!”

Here is the recipe for my homemade bread:

Pane mio

500 grams flour 00 (grano tenero)

500 grams semola

80 grams walnuts (optional)

3 table spoon Olive oil

600 grams water

yeast 20 grams melt in warm water.

- Stir flour and water in the bowl with a spoon. Add yeast with water & olive oil. Work a bit with your hands. Rest it for about 3 hours, by rolling and covering it in a dish towel (sprinkle with a little flour to avoid it sticking!). Place the dough in a bread pan lined with flour so it maintains its form. Then take the dough out and put it on a cutting board and simply fold it in four parts, outside in, like a handkerchief. Put the dough back in the bread pan and rest 1 more hour.

Bake the bread in a very hot oven for about 40 minutes at 180° C or .

PS: you could change this recipe by adding 600 grams of olives to replace olive oil.