On hidden gems

This morning, we had a wonderful guide and native Luccan tell us more about Lucca and its remarkable history. In the war-happy region later known as Italy, Lucca miraculously managed to avoid attack and maintain its independence from the mid-15th century on. Their neighbors weren’t friendly peace-lovers. The Pisanos were very aggressive. There’s no love lost even now between Lucca and Pisa. And during the Renaissance period, no one was more aggressive then the Medicis in Florence who were even able to defeat and occupy Pisa in the 14th and 15th centuries, and to this day, the Pisanos have not forgot. Lucca, however, not only had their impressive wall protecting them, they also had an advanced practice of diplomacy and a very diplomatic sense of pragmatism.

Lucca maintained a neutrality, for which they are now praised but were historically criticized, but still evident today is the way that they masked their wealth. The buildings are mostly plain and modest from the outside, but inside they reveal Lucca’s riches. Lea, our guide, said that Luccans “have very long pockets” and she told a funny anecdote. Take a Milano (from Milan) wearing Gucci and Valentino and turn him upside down, nothing will fall from his pockets. Take a modest-looking Luccan and turn him upside down, and out will fall untold riches.

Here is an example of a typical building exterior -- no elaborate molding or expensive materials, very unlike Rome -- and a luxurious villa garden that might be tucked away somewhere behind it.



Quite a treat was our unscheduled visit to Attelier Ricci, a friend of Lea’s, who allowed a small group of us to walk through his home. He is a custom designer tailor with an affluent clientele. His building is completely nondescript and here is his studio/commercial space that fronts the street, but the following are his quarters off the street hidden like a pearl.



Chef Valter arranged for us to enjoy a tasting menu for lunch at Buca di Sant’Antonio, one of Lucca’s oldest and most renowned restaurants. It was quite different then Pizzeria Irma which now has a special place in my heart, but was as warm and enjoyable. Our entrée was goat meat and veal served with an artichoke puree. Lunch is such an enjoyable meal in Italy because the shops close from 1 pm – 3:30, so Italians take their time and drink wine and visit and laugh with their friends.

I must mention that I’ve learned that the siesta is an apocryphal concept. Italians are not napping from 1 – 3:30. They are having lunch or running errands or picking up their kids or getting haircuts. Shops are not open from 1 – 3:30 because the government imposes strict overtime pay on a workday more than 8 hours, so in order for shops to be open until 7:30 or 8 pm at night, they must close to give their workers time off the clock, and besides that, most Italians are at lunch so it does not make sense to pay the overtime to keep the shops open at those hours when there are so few people on the streets.

Fish was on the menu tonight – tuna carpaccio, sea bass, and cod. The tuna and the cod preparations were outstanding. Chunks of raw tuna were pounded between parchment paper until transluscent and were served with a lemon olive oil and a garnish of finely diced red, yellow, and green bell peppers. The cod was cooked with leeks and turned into a mousse served atop a pool of smooth chickpea cream. Mom and Bill, I put my trout-filleting skills to good use on the sea bass.




We also prepared a lemon sorbet made with sage. Remember when I was talking about how little I saw sage? It seems a staple of Tuscan cooking – it’s used so often and with such variety. Chef Valter called our lemon sorbet sexy because he added some Italian meringue which amped up its creaminess, but I think the sage is what made it sexy. I know you’re thinking sage in sorbet ? It was a knockout. If there ever was a sexy herb, it is sage. Someone really ought to just bottle its oil and sell it at the counter in Bloomingdales.

It rained today, very hard a while, even a bit of hail, thankfully, after we returned home. Here is a picture after it began clearing up.



Tip of the day
A joke around here has become “extra extra virgin olive oil, “ or “virgin virgin virgin olive oil.” There is only one acceptable olive oil at all times – extra virgin olive oil which is such because it has an acidity below .08%. Anything labeling itself different is either an inferior product that should not ever be used or it is marketing b.s. to get more of your hard-earned dollars which goes for “cold-pressed.”