In life you never stop learning … I think this is the main reason that pushes me to keep on going, to not give up when faced with difficulties, to cheer me up when I’m a bit ‘sad. Why exactly?
In twenty years you will be more disappointed by the things you did not than by the ones you did. So throw off the tops. Get away from the safe harbor. Catch the winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. (M.Twain)
Behold, at my age, I can say that the experience we had at the Rio Grifone Frantoio, has really enriched me and I discovered a world, that one of the oil, which in addition to being fascinating, approached me even more to my land, Tuscany.
Yes, because you can find tastes and smells of this land, not only in fields, woods and gardens … they are also in the ingredients that this land gives us from ancient times: they are also in the oil.
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| Nicola Bovoli |
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a must in Tuscan Cooking and many dishes would not be the same without it…I’m thinking to Bruschetta (recipe below) or Zuppa Toscana they probably would not exist!
The Oil mill we visited, named after the flowing stream to his side (the Rio Grifone in fact) that until the early twentieth century it was running its millstones. Old mill “Rio Grifone” in Tuscany, is located on the ground floor of the farm; from here you can enjoy the beautiful view of the tower of Vicopisano, typical medieval Tuscan town, boasting a production of handmade ceramics and is an increasingly sought destination for tourists and travelers.
The crushing system is traditional, rigidly and completely “cold”, and it’s the place for all the steps: defoliation, washing, milling, mixing, “decanting in two phases,” centrifuge. Here you run the strict controls and continuous level of acidity, peroxides and polyphenols of each batch, essential measure to ensure the highest quality in finished product.
The extra virgin olive oil is then stored in basins of stainless steel in a protected environment under nitrogen at a constant temperature of 18 ° to bottling immediately before release.
The year 2014 was bad for oil: the problem of fly joined the rainfall that has destroyed entire olive groves.
Despite this disappointment, the family of Nicholas Bovoli always maintains a high level of enthusiasm, while the seriousness lavished on work has favored the finding of widespread acclaim:
In 2003 the Diploma of Special Mention in the category Fruity Delicate XII International Competition Golden Lion Oil Masters
The Gold Medal “obtained in 2005 in the” Los Angeles Country Fair Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition ”
And finally in 2009 the 1st Prize in the category BIO of the exhibition “PISA, only land … Oil”.
How tasting Oil?
After visiting the Frantoio, Nicola and Francesco were offered a tasting of dishes made with the Extra Vergin Oil, and they then proceeded with a very interesting lesson about our “green gold” tasting.
– Pour the oil into a glass, okay although plastic, about a tablespoon. Needless amount
excessive that instead of improving the taste makes it worse;
– Smelling the sample trying to capture all the pleasant or unpleasant sensations;
– Heat it up with the palm of the hand to release and enhance the volatile aromatic components, take on oil sucking air with a suction before slow and gentle, then more vigorously, so vaporize it in oral cavity, bringing it in direct contact with the taste buds;
– Draw up again with the tongue against the palate and lips slightly open;
– Repeat from step 4 for several times, keep the oil in the mouth at least 20 seconds;
– Eject the oil;
– Continuing to move the tongue against the palate, carefully evaluate the retro-olfactory
sensations.
Here at Frantoio are cultivated not only Olives, but also Kiwi; and it is with these fruits that are produced a delicious kiwi jam (Nettarina) and a liqueur to drink after a meal, the “Kiwino”.
My favorite, however, remains a cocoa cream emulsified with oil instead of cocoa butter: the Cioccolina … yummy.
I realize how lucky I’m to be called to discover new places through the flavors: the craft of the writer of experiences and travel is the most rewarding to exist.
And so, in addition to cooking classes and private dinners, it was really exciting this new role for which I was called… and yes, I’m no longer just a cooking classes trainer, I’m a food and trip Blogger too…just a bit…it sounds good! 🙂
Gala Dinner and Music
Well, going “tripping” here and there you can also meet “magical” situations; as the evening we spent in Villa Alta, complete with a Gala Dinner and a flute and harp Ensemble.
And what about the suits? For the occasion, we in the Blog Tour, we wore the gorgeous dresses kindly offered by the Cerratelli Foundation.
The Cerratelli Foundation was founded in 2005 by the will of: the House of Art Cerratelli, Floridia Benedictines (owner of the famous atelier “Carnet”), the Municipality of San Giuliano Terme and the Province of Pisa. It was born picking up one of the most historic, prestigious and substantial collections of Theatre and Cinema’s costumes; 30,000 artifacts which represent an existing and extraordinary testimony of historical value and a heritage which placing in the world this collection as the best example of made in Italy with regard to the historical costume and scene.
Today costumes are preserved at Villa Roncioni, in San Giuliano Terme in the Province of Pisa, with its distinctive exhibitions of costumes.
The table was sumptuously laid and the food, offered by Chef Luca Micheletti was exquisite, I think the pictures speak for themselves;)
When I went to bed, I had only to climb stairs. I had a shower, I wrapped myself in white linens of my suite and I abandoned to a deep sleep, excited for the adventure that I would live the next day: a morning at the SPA!
What could be more “cuddly” than plunging in warm and salt water, drinking a herbal tea made of fragrant herbs and licorice aftertaste, diving into a swimming pool that overlooks the rooftops, lying in the sun over the terraces of San Giuliano Terme houses, munching a Granny Smith apple comfortably sitting in a Relax room, and finally enjoying a great lunch at the SPA Restaurant, where a very skilled and esteemed Chef presents his elegant dishes?
So that’s exactly what happened to us.
And ‘here that I learned what “SPA” means: Salus per Aquam … did you know?
And the Terme dei Bagni di San Giuliano accommodate the Wellness Center inspired by this principle, where East and West come together in an environment full of colors and parfumes, suitable for a personalized path to wellness. In this side are an outdoor pool and an indoor pool, always with thermal water.
The Center is directly connected to the hotel and offers a varied bouquet of proposals vitalizing, aesthetic and sensory. This is the ideal place to be pampered by the experts of the wellness, where you can find a wide selection of spa treatments with traditional and holistic massages, from Swedish to Pindasweda, from relaxing facial and body, through the pluvial, jets under the rain of the Spa.
There are also ‘specials’ rituals: the wellness program dedicated to the man, the anti-aging treatment for the face, body and hair with Eco-Bio Cosmetics Domus Olea Toscana®, (high performance) based on extracts of Tuscan plants, the acupuncture and the colon hydrotherapy treatment.
If you look a little ‘relaxation, combined with the psychological well-being, I assure you that there is nothing better than the “Terme” (SPA).
In winter, when the cold is biting, immerse yourself in the warm thermal waters is a unique feeling, doing it outside on the terrace, it is even more rewarding.
I got home that I seemed to be light, to walk at 10 cm from the ground …
As soon as I opened the door of my house I have received my girls with open arms, while my mother-in-law was ironing and my husband preparing dinner.
It was great to come home and tell this adventure first and foremost to the people you love, huging my loved ones and living in a different way, again, like everytime I leave for a trip.
However the emotion to describe territory where you live, has been really strong and now I look around with new eyes, knowing a little more of history, secrets, gastronomy, and the hidden and not realities of this country.
The trip brings the inexplicable signs of the past caressing the future, because everything we see for the first time, is often linked to memories that make it familiar, even if unknown.
Anyway, by the way, I’m more than ready for the next Blog Tour!
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