Gastronomy and Gubbio

May 11, 2010

It was cooking lesson day and I was ready to learn.  I am a decent cook, when able to rely heavily on my respectable collection of tried-and-true recipes, but I fall far short of brilliant when left to following my own cooking instincts.  I was hoping for some infusion of culinary genius… Italian-style.

Anna had arranged for two local women, Anna and Ines, to come to the house to prepare our midday meal and show us step-by-step how it was done.  The menu was comprised of homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli, garlic green beans, pork roast with vegetable puree, and fried tomatoes with garlic and basil.  I am salivating at the mere memory.  It was delicious.  Everyone took turns rolling out the pasta, scooping teaspoonfuls of spinach/cheese mixture onto the dough, and then folding, pressing, and cutting to form individual raviolis.  The kids were enthusiastic and attentive, and quickly became masters of the rolling pin and ravioli cutter.  They made sure I was taking good notes so that we could do it again at home.  I am cautiously optimistic.  

Once we had eaten our fill (and then some) and the dishes were done, we were all ready to take a nap.  But instead, most of us took a road trip to Gubbio, a medieval town about thirty minutes away.  Gubbio is nestled at the base and up the slopes of Monte Ingino and it is stunning. 

Just outside the city walls is an old Roman amphitheater, dating from the 1^st century AD.  The kids and I were thrilled to discover we could wander freely and at will, and had the entire place to ourselves.  2,000-year-old amphitheaters are good fodder for the imagination, and we enjoyed visualizing the vast range of open-air performances that had taken place here over the centuries.  Regan wondered if they sold popcorn.

We discovered that the site of the amphitheater was also the location of one of the most important archeological records discoveries in Italy, for which Gubbio is famous.  Seven bronze tablets dating back to 300 BC were discovered underneath the amphitheater in the 15^th century.  The Eugubian tablets were written in ancient Etruscan and Umbrian and provide insight into the traditions, the civilization of Italy, and details about the region and settlement.  They are still kept on display at the local museum housed in a 14^th century palace.  

Enclosed in city walls like the other hill towns we visited, Gubbio felt like it has remained unchanged for centuries and is simply immune to the passage of time and the pressure to sacrifice culture and community for “Progress.”   It is absolutely charming.  The streets were quiet, and shops were empty.  A friendly English-speaking shopkeeper told us that we were visiting just a few days too early; Gubbio was preparing for its big annual Corsa dei Ceri (the feast of the candles), and she insisted that we really shouldn’t miss it.   The festival has been celebrated annually since 1194, and is apparently “quite a party” for young and old alike.  She explained that everyone cheers on three teams frantically racing uphill with massive candle-shaped pillars (topped with statues of saints) on their shoulders.  Wow.  We would have loved to add that one to the memory books, but our travel schedule had us leaving for Florence the same morning.  Pity.  Sounds like a good reason for a return trip someday.

Despite the fact that we would miss the festival, we still enjoyed the colorful flags hanging from windows in anticipation of the big race.  We explored the small town on foot, following narrow streets and ducking into charming shops where I quickly selected some jewelry while pleading with the children to please be careful not to break anything.  Our wanderings took us past the Fontana dei Matti (“Fountain of the Mad”), where local legend has it that walking around the fountain three times will make you crazy.  I kept that piece of information to myself, lest the children be tempted to put the legend to the test.  I’m not a superstitious person by nature, but there’s no sense courting trouble…