Last week was my second week long vacation in Italy, and let me tell you... I freaking love that place. This time around, we spent more time in some smaller towns that are more known for food and wine than they are for historical sights and coastlines, but it was absolutely spectacular - peaceful, delicious, interesting, and totally relaxing.
In Switzerland, there is a public holiday that falls very close to my birthday, so I was easily able to take some days off of work to go on vacation! We drove down to Piedmont, which is about 3 hours from Geneva, on Monday morning. Piedmont is close to a lot of delicious things like truffles and wines. It is also stunningly beautiful.
On Tuesday, our hotel helped us arrange a visit to a vineyard to do a tour and a tasting. It was really beautiful, and the wines were great. We were in the Langhe area of Piedmont, which is known for Barbera, Barolo, and Barbaresco - yum!
We stopped for some lunch, some snacks, and some views throughout the afternoon. Piedmont is really just SO incredibly beautiful.
After two short days in the Langhe, we drove a few more hours down to Modena. Modena is known as a city of fast cars and slow food - it has been home to Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini, and it produces balsamic vinegars, meats, and cheeses that are known for their aging processes.
Our first stop was to go into the city and check out the market. We rented a big villa for the long weekend, so we figured that a home-cooked meal might be a fun idea! The market had lots of options for fresh pasta and produce, so we browsed a bit before heading out to check into our villa.
Our villa was absolutely awesome. I cannot recommend it enough if you ever go to Modena! It's not in the city center, but it was an easy drive to a lot of places, and the area was really peaceful. The villa is owned by a super sweet couple who helped us organize restaurant reservations, tours, etc, and the house itself has a magnificent patio and pool to lounge on!
The main reason that we came to Modena was to eat at Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana, which was featured on season 1 of Chef's Table on Netflix. Unfortunately, even though we tried to reserve a table the day that the reservations for May opened, AND we added ourselves to the wait list for lunch or dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we weren't able to get in! Very sad, but honestly, we had such great meals in Modena, that I don't even mind!
I had discovered that Massimo Bottura has a more casual (and less expensive) restaurant in Modena called Franceschetta58, and we were surprised to hear that we could get a last minute reservation there! We ate here on our first night in Modena, and to be honest, I thought it was very good, but I definitely thought the other meals we had in Modena were better.
While in Modena, we explored the "slow food" side of the culture, visiting factories for parmigiano, prosciutto, and balsamic. It was really interesting to learn more about the products and processes, as well as the importance of the "D.O.P" distinction.
When we weren't touring, we were eating or lounging by the pool. It was such a great vacation. We had some absolutely fabulous meals (highly recommend both Antica Moka and Strada Facendo) and did some grilling and cooking at home, including a pasta feast on our final night! We ended the weekend with birthday cake to celebrate - a great way to close out another year with great friends.
In Switzerland, there is a public holiday that falls very close to my birthday, so I was easily able to take some days off of work to go on vacation! We drove down to Piedmont, which is about 3 hours from Geneva, on Monday morning. Piedmont is close to a lot of delicious things like truffles and wines. It is also stunningly beautiful.
Stopped in Asti for lunch.. loved this street lined with flags
We stayed in a little hotel that was so lovely - great staff!
On Tuesday, our hotel helped us arrange a visit to a vineyard to do a tour and a tasting. It was really beautiful, and the wines were great. We were in the Langhe area of Piedmont, which is known for Barbera, Barolo, and Barbaresco - yum!
We stopped for some lunch, some snacks, and some views throughout the afternoon. Piedmont is really just SO incredibly beautiful.
After two short days in the Langhe, we drove a few more hours down to Modena. Modena is known as a city of fast cars and slow food - it has been home to Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini, and it produces balsamic vinegars, meats, and cheeses that are known for their aging processes.
Our first stop was to go into the city and check out the market. We rented a big villa for the long weekend, so we figured that a home-cooked meal might be a fun idea! The market had lots of options for fresh pasta and produce, so we browsed a bit before heading out to check into our villa.
This will do!
Our villa was absolutely awesome. I cannot recommend it enough if you ever go to Modena! It's not in the city center, but it was an easy drive to a lot of places, and the area was really peaceful. The villa is owned by a super sweet couple who helped us organize restaurant reservations, tours, etc, and the house itself has a magnificent patio and pool to lounge on!
The main reason that we came to Modena was to eat at Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana, which was featured on season 1 of Chef's Table on Netflix. Unfortunately, even though we tried to reserve a table the day that the reservations for May opened, AND we added ourselves to the wait list for lunch or dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, we weren't able to get in! Very sad, but honestly, we had such great meals in Modena, that I don't even mind!
I had discovered that Massimo Bottura has a more casual (and less expensive) restaurant in Modena called Franceschetta58, and we were surprised to hear that we could get a last minute reservation there! We ate here on our first night in Modena, and to be honest, I thought it was very good, but I definitely thought the other meals we had in Modena were better.
I love octopus!
While in Modena, we explored the "slow food" side of the culture, visiting factories for parmigiano, prosciutto, and balsamic. It was really interesting to learn more about the products and processes, as well as the importance of the "D.O.P" distinction.
Making cheese
So much cheese!
My favorite was the "red cow" one!
Say cheese!
Making prosciutto
Hams for the camera!
Making vinegar
Balsamic barrels - the vinegar ages through each of these different barrels, going from largest to smallest in order to develop the flavors
When we weren't touring, we were eating or lounging by the pool. It was such a great vacation. We had some absolutely fabulous meals (highly recommend both Antica Moka and Strada Facendo) and did some grilling and cooking at home, including a pasta feast on our final night! We ended the weekend with birthday cake to celebrate - a great way to close out another year with great friends.
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