A food experience called Porceddo
So yes, by now we are day 2 in Tuscany (Thursday June 22) and had a great day - but you'll have to wait for that post. I need to catch up.
Yesterday (Wednesday June 21) was a full day at sea as we took the Grimaldi Lines ferry from Olbia, Sardinia to Livorno, Tuscany. Roughly a nine-hour ride across the Tyrrhenian Sea (that is NOT an easy word to spell...or say) when I planned to catch up on blogging, but there was no free WiFi and when we tried to pay the 4 Euro for WiFi, that did not work either. So, we were Wiffy-less. And you'll have to wait to hear and see more about our journey across the Tyrrhehnanianannan Sea.
So, without further delay, I present to you... (actually I cannot guarantee no further delays, in fact, I would also guarantee at least one... more)...
...Tuesday, June 20 was our last full day in Sardinia, and we had a blast! We started the day at the Baia Sardinia street market - not a huge market, maybe 20 vendors, but it made for a good time and the girls both found some nice gifts. There was plenty of cheese and ham and nougat on sale, but this time I kept my cheese, ham, and nougat speaking skills to a hush and avoided more purchases of cheeses and ham and nougat. That was a much harder task than you might think. Heck, I didn't even partake in the free samples. I swear.
After market, the girls and Jule joined Edo and Giorgio who were already at the beach, while I followed Anna up to their condo so we could relax in the shade (it was already warm at 10am), catch up, talk about family, and while she prepared a nice lunch, I was able to spend some quiet time reading my book. I've really needed a break from the grind for some time - between flood duty and work and life's normal swatch of complications, I needed a vacation where I had long periods of losing myself in a book or just hearing the day pass by one gentle breeze at a time (and maybe one cold beverage at a time too). Also just getting to connect with Anna more has been fun.
I'm not sure if anyone can really grasp the importance of this for me - explanation warning! My grandfather (Rizzardo) died when my dad was 6, thus there really has been no connection between our family in California and the Rizzardo family in Italy (Veneto specifically) since the 1930s - that is until I connected with Anna on Facebook about 10 years ago, we first visited in 2015 in London and Crespano del Grappa (her home town and sister city to Folsom CA). In these 8 to 10 years, I've met and learned about my Rizzardo family. I've learned more about where they lived and who they are. My grandfather remains a complete mystery to me, but through these interactions, I'm learning a bit more about him and "us" - which helps me understand me. Family and culture - I am rich in both and thus blessed more than I could have ever asked for.
Okay, that was a "further delay", but it explains why a lazy Tuesday morning visiting with my cousin ranks up there on highlights for my trip.
The girls returned from the beach along with Edo and Giorgio, an amazing lunch was consumed, and we headed back to our house to get out of the heat and rest up for what would be an exciting and special evening.
In the weeks leading up to our trip, Anna had mentioned on a few occasions introducing us to Sardinian wines. She also made it clear that we had to have porceddo, First stop on our evening agri-tour was at the Surrau Cantina winery. Doing a little research before our trip - because quite frankly "Sardinia has a wine industry?" - I learned that the Vermentino grape may be native to Sardinia - jury is out on that one - but Sardinia produces some really awesome Vermentino wines - ones that would rival those from Spain or elsewhere, but just are not imported very many places. Maybe that is good? Keep Sardinia small. The vineyards of Sardinia also produce wines made of the Cannonau grade - another grape native or somewhat exclusive (I think) to Sardinia. So again, you won't find these wines imported widely, if at all. Have I lost you yet? (90% of you just said "yes"). Here's to the 10%! Anyway, great fun tasting good and easy to drink wines. The Vermentino wines tasted like good Vermentino wines should. The Cannonau wines tasted like a Petit Syrah - good flavor, not bold, easy to drink. (hang on there you 90%). The views from the winery were wonderful, the company superb, and a bottle was purchased to bring home. (welcome back 90%!).
We made a quick stop at a cliff side bar overlooking the bay where the city of Cannigione meets the sea. Nice view, relaxing conversations. But the sun was getting low in the sky and we had reservations at Agriturismo Campagna Amica for a real special Sardinian culinary treat. Porceddo (por-chey-doh) is essentially a slow roasted pork dinner.
Then came the primi piatti - the local gnocchi in a red meat sauce, then a lentil soup, then lamb, then the porceddo served with mixed greens, then a digestivo that I am not sure was the type (it was thick, syrupy, and warm - almost like a plum cordial), then the dolce - it looked like a giant pastry-ravioli but filled with honey and glaze. The experience took about 2 hours and with all of that food and beverages included, the cost was around 50 Euro per person... a heck of a bargain!! And just to add to the ambiance, you could hear the wild boar in the nearby hills on occasion.
Bellies full and memories made, our evening came to an end and with it our visit with Anna, Edo, and Giorgio. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we had to get up early, drive to Olbia, and hop on the ferry to Livorno. We could not have asked for a nicer experience on Sardinia. Had we not had Anna and Edo there to welcome us and guide us, it may have been a bit harder to enjoy our time - or for sure we would not have had such a rich experience. The girls loved Sardinia as did Jule. I enjoyed my visit with my cousin and her family. The island is beautiful and full of its own culture and way of life that is far different than any Italy I've experienced prior. If we ever feel like going back, we k now exactly where my cousin will be each summer - at their condo at Baia Sardinia visiting the beach, sipping their Vermentino or Cannonau, heading to the market, or getting ready to go have porceddo at the agriturismo.
Arrivederci, Sardinia!
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