Julie Szimon on Truly Tasting Italian Cuisine…
If anyone had asked me before I came to Versilia what I thought the food was going to be like, I would have said good. Good cannot begin to describe the quality of food that we have had since arriving. Yesterday we ate lunch at Bagno Stefanella and they prepared Veal Milanese for us. The veal had been finely pounded into delicate cutlets that were then lightly breaded and panfried. The texture of the slightly crisp beading and tender meat made my palate jump for joy. A squeeze of a tart lemon slice on the veal boosted another layer of freshness to the plate.
Kiersten Rexroat on tasting Torta della Nonna, a typical Tuscan dessert, for the very first time…
After all of classes we had dinner, which was quite tasteful. I’m not the biggest fan of seafood, but I do enjoy the taste and seeing as it was deep fried, well, enough said. But the pie…oh my god, the pie. It was beautifully decorated with sprits of powdered sugar that looked as if light flurries of snow had dribbled across it in the wind. I was a bit hesitant to try it since I’m not a big sweets person, but the first bite had the perfect combination of crispy pastry covering pastry cream and pine nuts scattered on top that crisped and melted in my mouth like m&m’s. The pine nuts added a slight crunch as well as the roasted aroma in my mouth that could only compare to a summer campfire.
Victoria Perkins on the Sounds of a Meal…
The sound of corks popping out of wine bottles like a sucker being pulled out of a child’s mouth in the background, long friends and lovers can be heard from blocks away signaling a good time with some good wine. The clanking of the plates being prepared in the back for my meal sets the perfect stage for the waitress to yell at the cook telling him or her it is time to serve. The wine that was corked earlier has been decanted and the sound of the multiple glasses being poured at once around me sounds like the waves crashing into the ocean near by. When sitting next to the window you can hear the lifeguards outside talk about a pretty girl they saw earlier and they all share a laugh of agreement. The scenery paints its own picture, even with your eyes closed.