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Month: September 2021
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A long-delayed Italian pilgrimage
This month we went on a very special trip to Italy.
As always with these travel posts, I have to put them in context. This one goes way back! Five years ago, I went to a special foodie symposium at the Sydney Opera House hosted by acclaimed Danish chef René Redzepi (from Noma). He was joined onstage by many other chefs, including David Chang (from Momofuku) and Massimo Bottura (from Osteria Francescana). The event was all about the future of food, how we eat as a society, how food and culture intersect and impact the environment, and the responsibility of chefs to educate. Not only are these guys all really smart, they’re literally the best in the world at what they do. When you get a chance to eat at one of their restaurants, you take it.
Fast forward to September 2020, not long after we arrived in Germany. I started thinking about which bucket list restaurants we could visit in Europe, and I discovered that Osteria Francescana takes bookings six months in advance. It’s been rated the best restaurant in the world twice and currently has three Michelin stars. (Also, if you watched Master of None on Netflix, it was featured – along with Massimo himself – in Season 2.) Covid was still making everything uncertain, but we figured it was worth taking a gamble. The restaurant is very small (it only has 12 tables!!), but we managed to get a reservation for the following April. Unfortunately, we went into lockdown over winter and things were still very uncertain in March. The restaurant was open but we weren’t sure if we’d be able to get in/out of Italy without having to quarantine. Reluctantly, we cancelled the reservation and decided to try again. Thankfully we were able to get another booking for the following September, a full year after the initial idea. And happily, this time we were vaccinated and able to go.
As usual, we decided to train it. We caught the EuroCity train from Munich to Bologna, travelling south across Austria through the Tyrolean Alps to Italy. The trip takes about 7 hours and features truly stunning scenery. We were lucky that that weather was perfect and we had great views of soaring bridges, charming villages, and hilltop fortresses. (Note: we wore masks the whole time and I only had him take it off briefly for the photo!)
As we passed through Verona, a cheeky Capulet bit his thumb at me! 😂
At Bologna we had to change trains for the short ride to Modena, our destination for the weekend. Modena is known for UNESCO World Heritage sites, balsamic vinegar, Enzo Ferrari, Luciano Pavarotti, and of course, a very special restaurant. We hauled our bags over to our hotel and the headed out into the city to explore.
We got to Piazza Roma just as the sun was setting. The Ducal Palace runs down one side and has fountains out in front.
I’d found a promising place for dinner so we went for a wander through the cobbled streets of the historic center.
We headed to Sosta Emiliana, where we grabbed a small table outside. The restaurant specialised in local delicacies from Emilia-Romagna like tigella (Modenese flatbreads), meats and cheeses, and sparkling Lambrusco. We went with platters that meant we got to taste a bit of everything!
On our way back to the hotel we passed the Duomo di Modena (Modena Cathedral), a UNESCO World Heritage site. It looked very dramatic lit up against the night sky.
“Have we had too much Lambrusco or… is it leaning a bit?” we wondered. Definitely some funky angles going on there.
The next day the morning dawned hot and sunny. We had time to fill before our reservation, so we headed into the Parco Giardino Ducale Estense, the park that was formerly the gardens of the Ducal Palace. (As you can see, we dressed up a bit for our fancy lunch.)
The old part of Modena is shaped almost like a pentagon so we went for a long stroll around it. This beautiful building on the Viale delle Rimembranze is actually a bank!
The Snook scoped out the local real estate prices.
We also went back to the Cathedral and ventured inside. (It’s where Pavarotti’s funeral was held!) It’s over 800 years old and features lots of different styles of carvings and embellishments. The stone lions next to the entrance date to the Roman times and were thought to have been found while digging the foundations. The Cathedral also features the burial site of St. Geminianus, the patron saint of Modena.
We’d worked up quite an appetite by this point, so it was time to go to lunch! The restaurant entrance is quite unassuming with only a tiny sign, and we probably would’ve walked right past if not for the small group of people waiting nearby. We spent the time taking photographs with some of the other guests and gawking at the Maseratis and Ferraris parked down the street.
And then we were ushered inside!
Rather than a single big space, the restaurant had a few different rooms and we were in one with only four tables. The walls were decorated with fine art and I felt a little daunted to be sitting there in a dress I’d sewn myself!
Buckle up, because you’re about to get a LOT of food photos…
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Shared today on Twitter
The big @canva news was on TV Down Under, and my friend @knitterjp messaged with a screenshot. That’s some old footage! 😂❤️ https://t.co/I39vja7nmS
Heading home to Munich on a grey, drizzly day. Hey, there’s the Bodensee (aka Lake Constance)! 🚄🌧 @ Bregenz Bodensee https://t.co/CWMq0S4jLy
RT @_Mo_Malaka_: Come hang out with
🌟 @rjourdan_net
🌟 @web_goddess
🌟 @ASpittel
🌟 @codebeast
🌟 @mavi888uyand learn about the develo…
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Shared today on Twitter
RT @PathsUncovered: In light of the news @canva today, this seems like an ideal teaser of the latest episode!
Hear about how @web_goddess…
@saberkite Miss you!! ❤️
@MichelePlayfair @melissa_loh KEEP ME IN YOUR HEARTS, AUSTRALIA, AND I WILL RETURN.
RT @unicorn_rentals: Rainbow Day is about to drop, and the demand for unicorns is going to skyrocket in the Nordics vs. Benelux #AWSGameDay…
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Shared today on Twitter
RT @Vel12171: @jeffbarr hold on to it 😊 — also here’s my co-auth on how you can deploy your COBOL code in AWS using #oss https://t.co/Sleg…
@melissa_loh HA! You can never escape. 😂 Miss you all!
RT @melissa_loh: It’s almost like being at a conference with @web_goddess ! 😆
#yowseptember https://t.co/8LH426EkLN
@bec_h2o HA! I look like I’m in a Nescafe commercial. 😂❤️
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Shared today on Twitter
RT @graybookmark: what am i most excited to see in #hawkeye? the in-universe production of rogers the musical obviously https://t.co/vCPwgc…
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Shared today on Twitter
@LapTop006 @minxdragon Yeah, but Din Tai Fung are pretty much international now, aren’t they? I’ve seen them all over. So I don’t know if they’re uniquely Sydney…
@GoldenFennec Ooh. Messina is a very good call, I think.
Another travel day! After a brief stop in Milan to say hello to @alex_casalboni, we are on a train headed to Switzerland. Next stop Zürich… 🚄 https://t.co/2DqXeTANZ5
It appears our journey to Zürich is via Naboo. 😍 @ Lugano, Switzerland https://t.co/pjhx6qQQjX
Me: Bavaria is so pretty. It looks like a fairytale.
Switzerland: Hold my fondue. 😍🇨🇭 @ Zürich, Switzerland https://t.co/u1eEf9Ny66
Zürich at night time is very pretty! Also, CHOCOLATE. 🍫 https://t.co/miO7aDAgEa
RT @atptour: GOLDEN SLAM for 🇦🇺 @DylanAlcott 🏆🏆🏆🏆🥇
He becomes the first men’s wheelchair tennis player to achieve this historic feat 👏 #US…
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Shared today on Twitter
They gave us a little souvenir as we left the restaurant! #balsamic @ Osteria Francescana https://t.co/Hv21B8LMOk
Me: They forgot to put the chocolate sprinkle on my cappuccino!
Rodd, embarrassed: Only Australians do that!! 😂
Today’s adventure – walking food tour of Modena. We had cappuccino and gnocco fritto for breakfast, visited the covered market, and sampled multiple Parmigiano cheeses and Balsamic vinegars! https://t.co/MEFBTMcrrk
Then a selection of tigelle, followed by several desserts at a traditional pasticceria. Check my Instagram for more photos! https://t.co/0hjr5otNSy
@gilmae Feeling very very fortunate we were able to do this, and only slightly stressed that it was a foolish thing to do in light of the risk, and in deep denial that we’ll probably be in lockdown all winter. Mixed bag, really. (But it was nice!)
@bodil I blame you for this ad appearing in my Instagram feed. https://t.co/pfuhoUIBLJ
Final meal in Modena was at a trattoria recommended by our tour guide. I had local specialities tortellini in brodo (broth) and beef fillet with balsamic vinegar, while the Snook went with tagliatelle al ragu and roast goat! (He was in heaven.) 🐐 https://t.co/MSWYAcH1Ol
Inspired by the food tour today, we spent dinner trying to come with the top 5 iconic Sydney food stops. Coffee Alchemy, Batch brewing, Marrickville pork roll were all easy selections. But what else? Fish markets? Meat pie? Chinatown dim sum?
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Shared today on Twitter
@bodil We are. It’s happening in 3 hours. I’ve been waiting a full year for this…
RT @PathsUncovered: 📢NEW EPISODE📢
FILM & THEATRE – WEB DEV – CRAFT STORE RETAIL – BA – TECH LEADER – DEV EVANGELIST – AWS
It’s the fabulo…
RT @GunnarGrosch: On the next episode of AWS Nordics Office Hours, I’m joined by @web_goddess to look at machine learning for non-data scie…
@chixors @PathsUncovered I hold you don’t mind that I’ve dobbed you in as a potential future guest!! ❤️
Osteria Francescana. It’s finally time. ❤️😭 @ Osteria Francescana https://t.co/5S2MJ2nAWQ
OH, 2.5 hrs into lunch: “Onions…. ARE THE BEST.” 🧅❤️😂
That was epic. Details to come once my brain is online again… ❤️ #osteriafrancescana @ Osteria Francescana https://t.co/iiYujtujPX
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Shared today on Twitter
@JasonUmiker @buzzyNZ Rodd informs me that they are ubiquitous and showed me a Google image search! 😂 https://t.co/7W80YbpUAh
Off on a very special trip. Have just crossed the Tyrolean Alps en route to Italy. It’s a STUNNING day… ❤️🏔☀️ https://t.co/cUTdXjeGEq
@charis I just keep gasping and scrambling for my camera! 😂
@msharp That was exactly where we were!!
@dtraub @alex_casalboni We’re having lunch on Sunday!!
@MelissaKaulfuss I’m trying on Insta, but connection isn’t strong enough…
@mavi888uy @dtraub @alex_casalboni Well, he’s not coming to the offsite due to that pesky GETTING MARRIED thing… 😂
Working on a talk, but I keep getting distracted by the view! https://t.co/0UaKeVJ6s1
@liviainberlin It’s the EC85 from Munich to Rimini!
@liviainberlin More info: https://t.co/J21Uo2MDhq
We have a brief stop in Verona, and a rude Italian bit his thumb at me! 😲🖕 #shakespeareaninsults @ Verona, Italy https://t.co/pJZMW25Bi3
Hahaha, I downloaded my @untappd beer history for a data project, and I am cracking up at some of my “beer reviews”:
“I was enjoying it right up until Rodd pointed out it smells like baked beans.”
“I like the horse on the label.”
“Band-Aids”
More gems:
“A fine ale to accompany my cheese baby.”
“REEEEESPECT”
“RADLERS 4 LYFE BAYYYBEEEEE”
I don’t even remember some of these at all… 😂
La dolce vita! We are exploring lovely Modena at night… 🇮🇹 https://t.co/P6Mj2NtHLM
Food was involved, of course. 🍷🍦 https://t.co/waq5u9Cl0U
@dev_el_ops Wait until tomorrow!!!