Pizza, Parmigiano, and Christmas in the Air

As promised in the Crane, Chestnuts..... post, we double-checked the back of the Duomo, and compared to the last time we were here in the spring, the scaffolding is definitely lower. 

Current View of the back of the Duomo

Back of the Duomo Spring of 2025

It's nice to see the main feature of the Piazza getting some love. You'd hate to see it run down--this is the photo everyone takes when they come to Massa.

Speaking of coming to Massa, Elena was back in town for a few days, this time with Robby. We barely saw her, as her mission on this trip was to tackle some major gardening in her parents' yard. They replanted a lemon tree, planted bulbs for spring, and she didn't even make it to the organ museum this time. 

They did make time to meet us for dinner at one of the few restaurants still open in November, Le Mura. We'd heard they hired a new chef from Napoli and that the pizza had improved.

Before dinner, Elena stopped by our apartment to drop off a "package". After all the talk about Parmigiano Reggiano at the Ronzoni's, she returned from Modena with a hunk of the real deal--and very specific instructions on how to care for it. I'll share those below once we had a moment to "manage the cheese," as we've started calling it. LOL. 

Elena and my pizzas

At Le Mura, Elena and I both opted for the cinque cereali crust (a whole-grain dough). I went classic Margherita; she ordered the Napoli--Margherita plus anchovies.

Ira and Robby's pizzas

Elena and Ira agreed the pizza was good but Vanni's is better. I think I'd agree, though maybe less emphatically. The atmosphere at Vanni's definitely adds to the overall experience. Robby on the other hand said the pizza was good, but couldn't help bringing up his meal with us in Aggius--a tiny town in Sardinia with only one restaurant, but the dinner was unforgettable!

For dessert, we debated for so long that Robby finally made an executive decision: cantucci and Vin Santo. At the very last minute, I ordered a Crema Catalana, which is similar to a crème brûlée. It was fine--though they lit alcohol on top and I could still taste it, which I didn't love. The cantucci, however, were excellent: large enough to dunk properly.

Cantuccio and Vin Santo

After dinner, we walked Elena and Robby back to the Ronzoni's, partly to help digest. We had full-blown "pizza belly," LOL

Ira took this shot of the top of the Duomo--an angle we don't normally notice.

The top of the Duomo

The next morning, we realized Massa was getting ready for Christmas. They always do a lovely job with decorations; the town feels so festive. We'll wait to put up our own tree until we move into the little house in the country. Our guess is we'll be there before Christmas anyway.

A truck full of Christmas

And then it was time to take care of the cheese. It felt like a major responsibility, but we rose to the occasion.

The Official Cheese Instructions:

1. Remove the plastic from the cheese. 
2. Allow the cheese to air out for 10-15 minutes.
3. Pat the surface with a paper towel to remove any condensation. 
4. Wrap it in the special paper-plastic combo bag.
5. Return to fridge when not eating.

Parmigiano Reggiano and accessories

Big hunk o' cheese

Ira followed the instructions to the letter, and we've been enjoying the cheese with fruit ever since. We also grate it on top of....well, everything! According to Mrs. Ronzoni, 24-month Parmigiano is the perfect compromise between snacking and grating. In our humble opinion, we concur.

Side note

We were walking back from piano practice at the organ museum a little later than usual when I noticed lights on inside Le Fate Briache. I could see Caterina, so without thinking, I went over and knocked. She answered looking mildly perturbed, but once I reminded her who we were--and banked on the small amount of street cred we'd earned via Sofia and Alberto--she softened immediately.

I asked if we could make another reservation. The phone rang mid-conversation, flustering her further, but before answering she told us we could come back Saturday. We asked for a table for four; she said, no, just two. I asked if 8 p.m. was okay; she said no, 7:30. Well, ok then--we had our reservation!

My mission is to win her over and become regulars. The food is too good to risk her forgetting about us. 

When we told Sofia about our 7:30 reservation, she was skeptical (about the time, not the reservation)--and to be honest, so were we. But we weren't about to be late. And if we had to wait for 30 minutes, so be it. We were in!

Stay tuned for the next post to find out how it went!

A dopo!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Few New Updates (#250)

Image
This morning we went over to the apartment. We made sure to go early since there's no electricity or lighting at the moment. Many of the rooms look the same, aside from the pile of old doors and materials that have now been cleared. The biggest change by far was the terrace. From the guest bedroom, you can see the progression: what it looked like last spring, what it looks like now...and the rendering of what it will someday become. Notice that the old bathroom is completely gone--you can now see straight through to the terrace. Guest bedroom Spring 2025 Guest Bedroom Winter 2025 (minus the terrace bathroom) Guest bedroom rendering Unfortunately, it doesn't look like they've been able to save many tiles. Our original plan was to repurpose whatever survived into a medallion or faux rug in the foyer. So...we may be moving on to plan B. Tile demolition Below is the view looking out through the former bathroom door--soon to be a window--looking out on the terrace. The thickness...
Read more

A New Lunch Spot, A Little Bonsai and a Lot of Contractors

Image
Just when we started feeling a little smug about knowing our way around town--having our favorite cafes and go-to spots--something happened to remind us how much we still have to discover. Today we had lunch plans with Tim and Izabella. We told them to choose the restaurant, and they picked one we had never even heard of: Villa La Boccia.  There are no signs pointing you there, no flashy advertising, nothing to catch your eye as you drive past--which we apparently do regularly without ever noticing it. So naturally we were curious about this "secret" local spot.  When we arrived, the parking lot was completely full. Completely. The restaurant itself was large, with indoor dining and a courtyard, and every seat seemed taken. We were stunned. How had we missed this place? Luckily Tim had made a reservation--he told us he had tried before without one and failed to get a table. Good thing he planned ahead.  Inside, the place was buzzing and the menu was extensive. It was hard...
Read more

A Busy Last Week in San Diego

Image
Our last week in San Diego arrived faster than expected, and David is feeling the pressure to get as much bonsai work done as possible. If he'd had his way, Ira probably would have been working every daylight hour and only released at night. Unfortunately for David's plan, we already had a few things scheduled. One of those plans was a long-anticipated trip to the zoo with RC. With everyone's busy schedules, this was the first day that worked for all of us. And really, we had to take advantage of our annual pass, right? Kai arrived proudly wearing the gorilla shirt we'd bought him the last time we visited the San Diego Zoo . He was eager to show us how fast he could move and had a great time climbing and weaving his way through the polar bear exhibit.  This time the polar bear was just as active. It definitely pays to visit early in the day. Sadly I stopped recording too soon because right after he jumped into the water, swam toward us, climbed out, and shook himself dr...
Read more