San Bernardino, Salsa & Serendipity

It's funny how some things just fall into place. We were in class with Sofia, chatting about pizza -- it's hard not to when you can smell Vanni prepping their soffrito in the morning. (Soffrito, I've since learned, is Italy's answer to mirepoix: finely diced celery, carrots and onions sauteed to form the base of countless dishes. But I digress.)

Naturally, pizza talk led me to raving about my favorite Vanni creation, the Tartufata, a white pizza with crema al tartufo (aka truffle cream). That's when Sofia mentioned there was a "new" truffle shop in town. A quick look online revealed it was that place across from Andrea and Melissa's we'd been meaning to try. I filed that away.

Then Tammy Tiger suggests aperitivo. So.......obviously, that truffle place became our destination.

The owner, Elis, turned out to be Albanian. He and his family moved here from Florence to raise their four-year-old daughter. His brother still lives up north, his reason for moving? Simpler life, smaller town. (Relatable!) Tammy, of course, understood his Albanian, why wouldn't she -- and Ira bonded with Elis over his 90s hip-hop vinyl collection playing on an old turntable. Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang--it was a vibe. Fingers crossed the food matched the playlist.

And it did! Everything was fresh, flavorful and beautifully presented. Another spot added to the regular rotation--and another friendly face in town.

Speaking of wins...

We finally did it. After what felt like a marathon of paperwork and persistence we opened an Italian bank account.

This wouldn't have happened without Niccolo, who set up the appointment for us after another one of his American clients had walked into the bank cold, hoping to open an account on the spot--bless. Apparently the Follonica branch manager told Niccolo it couldn't be done. But the Massa branch? They were like, eh, va be.

So, up we went to the local bank right above our neighborhood Coop. Niccolo came with us to help navigate the process. Two hours and fifteen minutes, a stack of documents, and a LOT of signatures later, we walked out with a bank account and a debit card. Cha-ching! Now we can finally automate our TIM bill for phone and internet--goodbye trips to the Tabacchi, where, fun fact, we've also gotten passport photos, bought stamps, cough drops. (Don't ask why we can't pay at the actual TIM office. Italy says no, so we go with it. LOL)

Chips & Salsa Update

The avocados were finally ripe, which meant one thing: Operation Mexican Night was a go. Ira whipped up homemade pico de gallo and guacamole, with classic and "Mexican" tortilla chips (thank you MD in Grosseto). The only snafus? The peppers we bought turned out not to be jalapeños, and cilantro remains elusive in Tuscany. Still, it hit the spot and quieted Ira's craving...for now.

Homemade pico de gallo, guacamole and tortilla chips (Classic & Mexican)

But Wait... What About San Bernardino?

Right, the title. So here's the connection.

Elena had invited us to a free tour organized by the comune -- a deep dive into the life and legend of San Bernardino. We agreed enthusiastically... only to later find out it started at 9:15pm. I know. Mamma mia! Thank goodness for afternoon naps.

So there we were, perched on the steps of the Duomo with 30 or so other history-loving night owls, ready to hear all about one of Massa Marittima's most beloved saints. The only catch was it was all in Italian. Well, no time like the present to practice your listening skills, right?

15th-century Crucifixion fresco

In the crypt they directed us to a fresco depicting the Crucifixion, accompanied by figures of the Virgin Mary, St. John and Saints Cerbonius and Bernardino of Siena. The inclusion of St. Bernardino, who was canonized in 1450, indicates that the fresco was created or modified after that date. This suggests that his figure was added later to honor his sainthood and his influence in the region.

From the Duomo we walked down the hill to this fresco which represents Saint Bernardino delivering a sermon to the people of Massa at the steps of the Duomo. While the specific sermon in this fresco is not documented, San Bernardino was known for his dynamic sermons, which were known for addressing social and moral issues of the time.

From here we walked to the ancient walls behind our rental apartment and stopped at the top of the steps at the historical city gate which we learned is the Porta San Bernardino, named in honor of the saint. I never noticed the plaque until they pointed it out this night.

Then it was off down Via della Liberta to this building. Which if you recall from the picture of the foyer, was the same building we tried to buy an apartment in way back when we started this whole adventure.

Only this time, they let us into the very apartment where San Bernardino was born back in 1380. An artist lives there now. It was a beautiful apartment, jammed with art.

Interesting to see, but a little strange being part of this huge group parading through the lady's apartment. She didn't seem to nonplussed about it though.

From here we continued up the street to the Chiesa di San Francesco, which if you recall is where I went to practice piano when the Ronzoni's left for Modena during the holidays. Though instead of the room with the piano, they brought us into the church where they had set this painting.

It's a modern painting of San Bernardino, but the reason it was so familiar was because it used to hang beside the piano. Elena mentioned that hall was in the process of being renovated, so probably all the paintings that were hanging there have been relocated.