How about “Tombolo” Jewels?

Posted on 02/11/2013 by upetrucci

We aready introduced Maria Cristina Bravi and her “Le Mani d’Oro, Tombolo Acquilano”

Now we would like to introduce you another amazing application of Tombolo: Tombolo Jewels. Above is a gold and nickel bracelet with coral finish.

And here is a very fine design pendant with silver frame and tombolo.

Here in another example of gold and Tombolo Jewel . It is very interesting to see how the tradition of gold filigree that we discovered in one of our previous posts talking about “Presentosa“ combines with the fine art of Tombolo.

And here is another beautiful example of what we just said.

In recent days we have seen the booming fashion of wearing lace braclets of different colors and styles, very simple but very precious. I was personally very surprised to see how an italian producer who had launched those colored bracelets as a promotion for his main business had to happily face the “explosion” of a fashion around those items and I remember being in Tokyo with people lining outside a store to get one of them!
How about making these Tombolo Jewel start another fashionable style?
We will be happy to keep telling you the story of this amazing art and the story of Maria Cristina Bravi and her work. Stay with us!
If you want to make contact with Maria Cristina Bravi can visit her web site www.lemanidoro.com and email her at info@lemanidoro.com

“Mugnaia” Pasta (The Miller Pasta)

Posted on 02/05/2013 by upetrucci

Try “Mugnaia” Pasta with TANTO Sangiovese
This is a simple, tasty recipe using very simple ingredients:
For the Pasta – (Serves 4)

1 pound of all purpose flour
Warm water as needed
A pinch of salt

Make a well with your flour and simply using your hands mix flour and warm water

Until it gets thicker and you keep working on it mixing it well

Keep working until it gets smooth under your hands

Then cut it in small pieces

Start rolling it to make each piece flat

In Abruzzo we then use a special rolling pin that while rolling cuts the pasta. If you do not have this rolling pin you can still make it (with a little more patience) cutting pasta with a knife in thin stripes. You will have to obtain thick, irregularly shaped spaghetti.

This is how it looks when you’re done!

Then boil water in a large pan, salt it and when it boils put the pasta in the boiling water for approximately 3 minutes. Drain it and…

Serve it after dressing with any red sauce to your taste. Do not forget to sprinkle it with lots of grated Parmesan cheese or Pecorino Romano cheese.
Buon appetito!
Credit to TrabocchInFood. Images taken in Torino di Sangro

The beautiful Abruzzese Shepherd dog

Posted on 01/28/2013 by upetrucci

Today we are going to meet Marco Petrella near Pratola Peligna, at his Kennel located along the old sheep-track named “Regio Tratturo”. This sheep-track was used, in the old days, to move flocks from the mountains to the sea plains, in winter, and back before the summer. Along the track shepherds would find houses and farms where they would stop for food and a good rest.
In Pratola, Marco, has a passion that became his business, he is one of the very few who breed Abruzzese Shepherd dogs.

Above a beautiful example of Abruzzese Shepherd dog born in Marco’s Kennel and currently living in Russia. At Marco’s I learnd that these dogs can be of many different types and apparently this depends on fact that, at the time shepherds where using these dogs has a great help for their work, they would train and select them to the point that this would influence the structure and the body of the dog.

You can have Abruzzese Shepherd dogs relatively small in size and you can find some that are huge and massive. You can have the Aquilano, the Pescocostanzo, the Marsicano, the Majella, the Peligno and the, probably best known, Maremmano type that still originates from the Abruzzese breed. I also learned that each type has specific differences such as, for example, a different type of “byte” ! I would not like to try it though!
Above meet Orco, 8 months, and a female puppy getting curious about his meal!

Above is Lena a beautiful example of this breed, she is 2 years old. Marco also told me that in the old days on the Morrone Mountain there were many shepherds and many flocks and water was a problem. Sometimes shepherds had to walk long distances to get it. Over this problem of water shortage there were many fights between shepherds so the dogs job was not only to fight their number one enemy, the wolf, but also to chase away sheep from other flocks that would come “to steal” water.

Above is a beautiful example of Abruzzese Shepherd puppy, a female, 40 days old. For those of you who want to know more about Marco Petrella and his dogs you may contact him visiting his web site www.abruzzese.org

The “Golden Hands” and the “Recovered Fan”

Posted on 01/21/2013 by upetrucci

Today we will tell you the story of an amazing woman, Maria Cristina Bravi, who lives and works in L’Aquila

We already posted about the old tradition in Abruzzo of “Tombolo” (Lace typical of Abruzzo). Maria Cristina started to “work Tombolo” as a hobby, in 1984, as she rediscovered the 3000 “fuselli” (spindles) her grandmother used to work with.

She started learning with the help of a friend and then took classes (organized by the Region to preserve this old tradition from disappearing). In the meanwhile she kept going with all things that had interested her to that point and, for example, graduated in piano.

Over the time she began to participate in national and international exhibitions. Her interest and passion grew as she wanted, more and more, to make a technical and historical research about Tombolo.

Realizing that the Tombolo lace was about to be forgotten and disappear from her hometown, L’Aquila, was the driving force that ultimately led her to turn her hobby into a job and, in 1990, she opened her workshop: the “Golden Hands”.

Now let’s talk about the “Recovered Fan“. She started working at it in December 2008 and suffered an interruption of work due to the earthquake that badly hit L’Aquila and Abruzzo in April 2009.

It became her utmost challenge when her brother recovered the work under the debris of their collapsed house. Lucky enough it was not too badly damaged and Maria Cristina managed to patiently and carefully save it. The Fan was completed in January 2013, a few days ago, as she is proud to announce!

It took 576 “fuselli” (spindles) and over 1 pound of pins along with a lot of patience to make it!
The original idea for this fan, as Maria Cristina tells us, came from a family tradition that included her paternal grandmother. She had a Tombolo fan! It was Maria Cristina’s father that made the drawing of the Grandma fan and it took about 15 years before Maria Cristina had “the courage” to face this challenge! We are glad she did! Complimenti!
If anybody wants to make contact with Maria Cristina Bravi can visit her web site www.lemanidoro.com and email her at info@lemanidoro.com

Fara Filiorum Petri and the “Farchie” Festival

Posted on 01/14/2013 by upetrucci

We will celebrate the anniversary of St. Anthony at Fara Filiorum Petri a small town overlooking the Foro River in the Province of Chieti. Here on January 16^th, every year, the “Farchie” Festival takes place.

The Farchie are lit and when the night comes they offer an amazing scene

The Farchie Festival represents a sort of transition between Christmas celebrations and Carnival. This is quite evident in the mix of late Christmas customs, found especially in the type of food typical of this celebration, while the verve and joy seems to foreshadow Carnival.

Happy moments for happy people on the Farchie Day

The symbolism of the “elements” in this Festival and especially the fire can be summarized with the strength of the purifying fire that wards off evil and prepares the return of the sun after the cold winter as a good omen for a good harvest.

Farchie on fire

Tradition has it that the Farchie Festival has been originated by the miracle of the intercession of St. Anthony at the time of the French invasion of 1799. Back then, Fara was protected by a large oak forest that stretched up surrounding the entire village. The French wanted to occupy Fara but the appearance of St. Anthony in the shape of a general stopped them. The Saint ordered the troops not to cross the forest and as the soldiers kept marching the trees became immense torches on fire pushing back the French.

One of the 12 Farchie is ready to be brought to the main square and put on fire

During the rest of the year each of the 12 districts of the town prepares its own Farchia. They are cylindrical bundles of reeds tied with red willow branches generally having a diameter of 3,5 ft cm and a length that can reach 33 ft.

A perfect example of Farchia

Tying the Farchie is a particularly difficult and delicate operation, a major effort but also a good opportunity for great fun all together.

Tying the reeds together

Then on January 16th all Farchie are loaded on separate tractors (tractoirs get dressed up for the occasion!) and brought to the main square, in front of St. Anthony’s Church. The procession is accompanied by music and choirs.

People following one of the Farchie being taken to the main square

When the Farchia reaches the main square a group of men, from each town district, carefully works at raising the “tower” and there is when the quality of the Farchia shows! When competitors criticize each other and look at each other defects!

Raising the Farchia

When all Farchie are up they can be put on fire. They use firecrackers to ignite the top

Final check before putting it on fire!

According to the participants the technical perfection of a Farchia comes to light only after it is raised: the verticality, the proper alignment of the knots, the correct location of the ties to prevent swelling or twisting, are the principal requirements of proper skill along with the size of the Farchia.

Farchie on fire at night

“Ciaspolata” (Snowshoe hiking) on the Majella Mountain

Posted on 01/07/2013 by upetrucci

Here we go! Our friends (and professional hiking guides) Tiziana Dicembre and Alessio Massari have led their first “ciaspolata” (the Italian word for snowshoe hiking) of 2013.

It happened this past Sunday, January 6th, on the Majella Mountain that offers the possibility to make easy, amazingly interesting, scenic walks.

The group moved from the so called Majelletta and reached the top of Mount Blockhaus.

You may contact Tiziana (dicembre.t@virgilio.it) and Alessio (massarialessio@hotmail.it) for more information about the above described places and the possibility of going on a real tour with them.

Making Tortellini for Christmas Day

Posted on 12/28/2012 by upetrucci

Try it with TANTO Montepulciano !

I need a full day in the kitchen to make my Tortellini! It usually happens on the last week end before Christmas Day.

Best is when I manage to be home alone and I know I have a full day in front of me (as it takes ages!!!!). “My procedure” requires to be tuned in to my favorite radio station and I am ready …for my long “Tortellini Day”.
I work on a board that is dedicated to making handmade pasta (you can use the top of your counter trying not to scratch it!) and I use a pasta machine (I have seen them sold in many parts of the world) and a cutter. This is all the hardware I need!

(Ingredients for 4 people)
To make the dough:
11 oz of all purpose flour, 3 eggs, salt (a little pinch per each egg)

Beat the three eggs taking in more and more flour until it becomes thicker.

Then you can start working on it with your hands to reach the right consistency as you can see below.

To make the filling (see pic below):

1 oz of butter
3.5 oz of very finely chopped turkey breasts
3.5 oz of very finely chopped pork meat
2.7 oz of very finely chopped mortadella
2.7 oz of very finely chopped row ham
2 eggs
5.3 oz of grated parmesan cheese
Nutmeg (to yr taste)
Salt and black pepper

To prepare the filling put the butter in a saucepanand place it on the stove to melt. Add the turkey breast and pork. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes, adding, if necessary, a little water. Do the same thing in another pan with the chopped mortadella and the ham. Then put all the meat chopped and cooked in a bowl (drain it if there is cooking water in it), add the eggs, Parmesan cheese, a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper to your taste. Mix well and let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Now we have our dough ready and our filling ready too! It’s time to start using the pasta machine. Using a little quantity of pasta dough at a time, I roll large, thin layers of pasta.

The pasta machine has a device on the side that you adjust as you go from rolling a thicker layer to medium to thin…thin to perfection!

Then you cut the thin pasta layer (see the cutter I use) in small squares (1.5 inches side approx).

Using a tea spoon, you put a little quantity of the filling on each little square of pasta.

Then you fold the pasta square shape over and make a little triangle.

As in the picture, you start turning the two corners and rise the third corner of the triangle up to form like a little hat.

Then, by pressing, you stick together the two corners and here it is, your Tortellino is ready…except that you have to make hundreds before you are done with all your dough and all your filling! That is why you’d better have some good music on!

This year I decided to make “Tortellini in Brodo” which means that I cooked my tortellini in a meat broth (made with chicken and beef meat) however you can enjoy them with almost any sauce: tomato sauce, creamy sauce and much more. It takes so long to make them but I can tell you it takes a couple of minutes to disappear when I put them on the table at Christmas Lunch!

It’s “Presepe” time!

Posted on 12/17/2012 by upetrucci

“Presepe” in Italy is the representation of the Nativity Scene made, at Christmas, by families and communities.

Here I am going to share with you the preparation of my 2012 “Presepe” at home! It all starts on the December 8th, the date that is traditionally dedicated to the preparation of “Presepe” and the Christmas Tree. I have no much space at home and this year I decided to make it around the top of the fire place, in my living room. Here is what I used to make it:

These are objects found and gathered from the garden or from the woods nearby. I have also used regular cardboard and a few shoe boxes lids.

First I cut the cardboard, the thicker one used for shipping boxes, shaping it in waves to make the sky and two levels of mountains. Then I have lined the cardboard with a “sky like paper”

Then again I have lined the card board for the mountains with two different shades of “mountain colored papers”. I have also used the “mountain like paper” to line the edge of the Presepe made with the shoe boxes lids.

Then , using natural color cardboard, I have shaped the skyline of a town, here again you can give one or more levels to give more depth, I have made two levels of skyline.

Then I have positioned the stones, resembling mountains and heights using pebbles on the “plains” of the Presepe.

I have sprinkled it with sand and put moss, on the side of the streets, to simulate lower vegetation. I have also added twigs, from an oak tree near my house, resembling trees.

This year my Presepe is not very crowded (not much space for people!) however there are a few characters that you cannot miss, shepherds.

Or the Three Wise Kings walking to the Crib.

And of course you have to include a Bagpiper.

And here it is my Presepe….I am very proud of it and, as always, it was great fun and pleasure making it!

With these images we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy 2013!

Juan Alfredo Parisse, an artist in love with his town, L’Aquila

Posted on 12/10/2012 by upetrucci

I would like to introduce you a great watercolor painter that we have discovered while travelling in Abruzzo.

A detail from Juan Alfredo Parisse painting of the famous Fountain of the “99 Cannelle” (99 Spouts) in L’Aquila (XIII Century)

To introduce him I will use his same words: “……….I was born in Buenos Aires (Argentina). Both my parents were originally from L’Aquila, in Abruzzo”.

Painting by J.A.Parisse of San Bernardino Church in L’Aquila (XV Century)

“When I was little they decided to move back to Abruzzo as they yearned for their homeland and their beautiful town. Many years from then I am still here and here I started my own family!”

L’Aquila at dusk by J.A. Parisse

“My love for nature, for the colors and the magical atmosphere of Abruzzo inspired my artistic journey. Watercolor technique proved to be the most suitable to paint my favorite subjects: shepherds, glimpses of everyday life, landscapes and peasants at work in the fields”

Peasants working in the fields by J.A.Parisse

“…..There has been a time in my life, as it often occurs to artists, when I took a pause from my art, a pause of reflection. It started around year 2000 and abruptly terminated with the aftermath of the tragedy that struck L’Aquila on April 6, 2009, a devastating earthquake that raped my beloved city , causing it to fall into a black hole of sadness and despair”.

Walking under the arcades in L’Aquila by J.A.Parisse

“In that very moment I realized it was time for me to go back to the path that I had stopped, but not abandoned. I deeply felt that painting watercolors for me was no longer just a nice technique but a philosophy of life, a way of being and feeling that life would stubbornly continue, that my favorite subjects were still there”.

Women selling vegetables at the street market in L’Aquila by J.A.Parisse

“………….Now I see things through new eyes, “I am still here” and I am here because I want L’Aquila, my town, to be back to full life and because I know deeply inside that the way I am and feel I owe it largely to this place”.

For more information about the artist you can visit his web site www.juanalfredoparisse.it

Bagpipers from all over the world, let’s get together!

Posted on 12/03/2012 by upetrucci

Christmas is coming and back we are to talk about “Zampogne” (Abruzzo traditional Bagpipes) and about our friend Francesco Sabatini, from Luco dei Marsi, in L’Aquila Province: Math Teacher, Bagpiper and one of the very few Italian Artisans who hand makes Zampogne (bagpipes).

Francesco Sabatini, on left, performing with a friend

2012 has been an important year for Francesco who finally moved into his new lab.

Francesco’s new workshop where he builds bagpipes all by hand

Here he does amazing things using natural wood that, for the most part, he sources and ages himself:

He sent us a very interesting video that, although is in Italian, I am sure you will enjoy and you will get a good idea of how “Zampognari” (Bagpipers), here in Abruzzo, get ready for Christmas.

In this video Francesco says that Christmas is definitely the time of the year when Bagpipers get more attention. However, he says, he plays with his friends all year long: for weddings, church and popular festivals or just for fun when friends get together.

A good pic from the recent Bagpipers Festival, “Soffi d’Abruzzo”, in Manoppello, Province of Chieti

While in the old days playing bagpipes was part of the shepherd life nowadays it is a passion for young and not so young to discover or to safeguard a tradition and more than anything else is a lot of fun!

A good pic of Francesco, on left, taken this past 25th of November at the Bagpipers Festival, “Soffi d’Abruzzo”, in Manoppello, Province of Chieti

TANTO Wines Blog would like to launch an initiative and we are addressing to people from all over the world, who have a passion for bagpipes: play them, build them, collect them or simply like to listen to bagpipers. Let’s get together virtually and exchange nice pics and experiences about bagpipes! Anybody interested please write us through the blog and we will publish your pics and experiences!

If you want to contact Francesco Sabatini for more information about his passion for Bagpipes (he is one of the very few who still hand makes bagpipes, in his lab, from scratch) you may email: sabatinifrancesco@hotmail.it

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