Calzones in our very own pizza oven!

One of the things we were really excited about when we looked at this house was the pizza oven! The Linguist loves to do Dutch-oven cooking and, as you know, I'm a die-hard bread baker. A pizza oven just seemed like the next logical step! It only took us 7 months, but we finally got around to trying out this new toy!

To get it going, you build a fire near the back. The bricks in the top of the oven begin to turn white as it nears the target temperature of 700 degrees! The Linguist got a little too close at one point and has some singed hair to prove it!

Our first dilemma was what to cook the calzones on...none of my bakeware is approved for use up to 700 degrees! We finally settled on using the Dutch oven lid. Who knew we'd need our cast iron griddle in Italy?

Yummy! Calzones filled with chicken, ham, pepperoni and lots of cheese were a hit with the adults and the kids.

Since I had leftover dough, we opted to try a dessert calzone -- apples with cinnamon and sugar baked up perfectly. 

Delicious!

Perusing Vicenza

So we had a few hours to kill a couple of weeks ago in Vicenza.  We go up there regularly for Church and weekly activities and hadn't really had a chance to peruse the local sites.  Below pictures are a quick look at what we saw...

Inner courtyard of a governmental building on one of Vicenza's oldest streets

Italian Piazza area view from the backside of the Basilica Palladiana

View of upper level of the Basilica Palladiana

Downtown Vicenza from rooftop level of Basilica Palladiana.

Belltower of Basilica Palladiana.
The blue clock is reminiscent of the one in St. Mark's Square.

Catedrale de Piazza Duomo dates back to at least 1560.
Definitely has some Gothic flare.

Teatro Olimpico dates back to the 16th century if I remember right.
Beautiful grounds...we were too late to get to see inside.  Maybe next time

Testing trip day 3: Villa Manin, part 3 (final)

It sure would be rough to have a 30-acre backyard cared for by a team of gardeners, full of 16th century Baroque statues, a couple of ponds, hundreds of exotic and local trees, surrounded by a huge 14 foot (4 meter) tall wall with guard shacks and special entrances.  I just think that would have been so tough to live with...they didn't have to heat or cool the entire place.  Enjoy the photos.

You won't see this available at Lowe's, Home Depot or Bricoman.

The Net and Deep Thinker were both amazed at the size of the grounds...Hide and seek here would be totally awesome!!

One of a number of select entrances to the grounds

On of the multiple roads cutting through the grounds, the trees were literally buzzing...bees were busy at work.

Close up of another Baroque Period statue on the Villa Manin grounds.

Deep Thinker posing for a happy snap behind the Villa...huge!

Looking from the backyard area where Deep Thinker was above to the back of the grounds.
There's a hill in the back affectionately called Mount Etna.  

Testing trip day 3: Villa Manin, part 2

Blogger was not cooperating....grrrrr!!

Here are the rest of the photos....

Deep Thinker really like the collections of weapons/armor.
Nice examples from 18th & 19th century
Persia, India, Japan, China, Europe & Scandanavia.

We decided this is the White Witch's sledge
from the CS Lewis books Narnia series.

Lovely hood ornament, no?

18th century Mercedes Benz

Lovely headlights too.

Testing trip day 3: Villa Manin, part 1

Our final day of tripping around included a trip to a lovely villa that housed an aristocratic family that made its way into Venetian royal circles.  The building was huge and lovely.  We opted to walk the grounds "Pride and Prejudice" style.  The grounds were enormous and lovely.  Hope you enjoy them.

Not too shabby, no?

There are two of these in front of the main house area.

Testing trip day 2: La Risiera di San Sabba

Our next trip took us to Trieste on Italy's most northeastern border with Slovenia.  During WWII, Trieste served had a significant Nazi presence.  One example of that is found in an old factory that was converted into a concentration-camp type facility.

From their website: “Risiera di San Sabba” is a former rice-husking facility that was built in 1913. After September 8, 1943, the Nazi occupation forces used the premises as prison camp, headquarters where deported prisoners were sorted out to be sent to Germany and Poland, raided goods depot, prison and extermination camp for hostages, partisans, political and Jewish prisoners. On April 4, 1944 a crematory plant was installed and made operative. In 1965, a decree issued by the President of the Republic raised the “Risiera di San Sabba” to the status of National Monument. As of 1975, following restructuring interventions according to architect Romano Boico’s plan, the premises house the “Civico Museo della Risiera di San Sabba.” http://www.retecivica.trieste.it/triestecultura/new/musei/risiera_san_sabba/

This sobering visit helped us understand some of the horrors of war and man's inhumanity to man.

Street entrance.
During its time, prisoners entered close to here.

Area where prisoners made shoes and clothes for their captors.

Close up of above.
Up to six were held here normally political prisoners, partisans or Jews
to be executed in a few days.
This cell specialized in torture or property confiscation.   

Part of four-story building used as a holding cell
normally to ship prisoners to Germany. 

Same four-story structure as above.

View of the three & four-story buildings from the courtyard area

Building that housed the Nazi troops "employed" at San Sabba.
Outline in center and pool in front is where the crematory was.
An estimated 3000 to 5000 Jews and others were killed here. 

The plaque reads: In memory of those who knew how to accept suffering and death with courage and dignity.

Testing trip day 1: The Castle of Udine (il Castelo di Udine)

So I had to take a few tests a few weeks ago.  Luckily the testing took place in the morning which left us the afternoon/evening to wander around northeastern Italy.  We were really blown away by the beauty of the things we saw.  The area just behind the hotel where we stayed was bursting with mountains (the Dolomites, a part of Italy's north eastern Alps).  The photos in this post and the next two cover our travels in this beautiful part of Italy.

Apartment over Via Daniele Manin entrance to older portion of town

Backside of apartment from above photo

The Net in front of the Porch of Sant Giovani (part of the Piazza della Libertà)

The Journalist and Pianogurl happy to see the sights

Statue at northeast end of the Piazza della Libertà (photo courtesy of the Net...our older son)

Cool photo the Net took of a statue in the Piazza della Libertà

Another of the Net's pictures...this is a closer up shot of the lady two photos up

Looking slightly southeast across the Piazza della Libertà, you see Udine's City hall.
You may not see an ornate, beautiful window like this on a city hall building in the US.

Here we are before we go up the steps (seen in the background) to Udine castle.

Via Sottomonte, Udine, Itlay

Rear view of Porch of Sant Giovanni from Udine castle's entrance.

Udine castle's church on Piazzale del Castello

Foot path leading up to the top of the hill where the castle is located.
Old legend says Genghis Khan's soldiers this hill throwing
helmet-loads of dirt one on top of another.