Sella Ronda

During our Dolomite ski trip, we were fortunate to have wonderful weather in order to ski the Sella Ronda.  A loop that runs either clockwise or counter clockwise around the Sella Massif, the Sella Ronda is 26 kilometers of ski trails that takes you through 4 passes, 4 valleys, and 3 provinces.  The loop starts/ends in the lovely town of Corvara, where we followed the signs that took us to the series of lifts and gondolas. 

Just follow the signs

We enjoyed the breathtaking views...

...from many vantage points...

...stopped on occasion for a refresco (or two)...

...and prayed that at the end there would be a wonderful spot for lunch...

...and what better place to stop...

...than at a hidden vinoteca!

Recommended by a local ski guide (who clearly doubles as a local gourmand), the Vinoteca Ursus Ladinicus is a charming spot located on the mountain at the Punta Trieste next to the Utia Punta Trieste.  This is one of those spots that you don't want everyone knowing about.  However, it is too much of a gem to go unmentioned.  They offer a nice selection of local wines in one of the most quaint settings on the mountain.  The menu changes daily, depending on availability.  There is no written menu, so we settled in to enjoy the daily specials.  We were offered an appetizer of prosciutto and local cheeses, and an entrée choice of either Nebraska steak or Speck knödel (ham dumplings).  Interestingly enough, many restaurants were offering Nebraska steak on their menus.  I could not find an answer as to why Nebraska steak would be enjoying this kind of popularity in Northern Italy.  I can only surmise that there is a very smart marketing guru in Nebraska, because this Texas girl is here to tell you that it is amazing steak.  
At Vinoteca, hopefully you will be lucky enough to encounter Chef Alma behind the stove.  She is a dream, and if you get on her good side, she will fry up some local specialties for you try.  With my smattering of German, and please excuse if I butcher this, I think she made us a Ladin dish by the name of Turtrese, which were delicate fried "empanadas" (if you will) filled with spinach and ricotta.  

Prosciutto y vino

Nebraska steak with grilled radicchio in the background next to ham and spinach dumplings

A Ladin dish by the name of turtrese (I think!)

The interior of the Vinoteca

So, why such a long, strange name for a restaurant?  Owner Willy Costamoling made a fascinating discovery while hiking in 1987.  At 8,000 feet, he found a cave with the fossil remains of a now-extinct cave bear.  The fossils were analyzed and found to be a new species of bear, since named Ursus Ladinicus in honor of the Ladin people who live in the valley.  The findings have been instrumental in the study and understanding of the prehistoric times of the Dolomites.  You will find the Museo Ursus Ladinicus in San Cassiano which is a fun spot to take kids, with a reconstruction of the cave Willy found on the basement floor.  Willy is quite the entrepreneur as we found out.  He was in Peru at the time getting ready to launch an olive oil line that is a mix of Italian olives and a Peruvian nut that is said to be very high in Omega 3 fatty acids.  We availed ourselves of the samples they were passing out at lunch.  Whatever you do, do not try Willy's homemade grappa...it is the closest thing I can imagine to moonshine and will make your last run down a doozy.  You cannot say I didn't warn you...    

Willy's EVOO

A replica of the cave bear skull found in the cave

Museum Ursus Ladinicus

Strada Micurà de Rü 26, San Cassiano, Italy
Tel.: +39 0474 524020
Fax: +39 0474 524263 info@museumladin.it www.museumladin.it


All photos by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com.

On The Road To Alta Badia

The first leg of our Italy trip led us from Milan, where we arrived by plane and rented a car, to a small town on the western shore of Lake Garda called Gargnano.  After having been awake for 24 hours at this point, I could not have driven much further.  We enjoyed the views, had a big lunch, and hit the sack in our comfy room at the Lefay Resort.  The Lefay Resort is a beautiful, modern spa resort opened in 2008 that is set high up the hill from the quaint town of Gargnano.  Gargnano was a great stop-over and I am vowing to return one day, if only to see Villa Feltrinelli, which is only open April through October.  Villa Feltrinelli was Mussolini's last home, and after a $30 million dollar remodel is a 20-room hotel.  Maybe I would split my time between Lefay and Villa Feltrinelli...

Sunset at the Lefay Resort

Sunday Brunch

Fully rested the next day, we were ready for the 3-hour drive to San Cassiano in the Alta Badia.  The drive was stunning on a crisp, blue Italian spring day.

Gargnano, and our destination, the mountains, in the background

The church of San Martino, Gargnano

Just north of Lake Garda lies the Trentino-Alto Adige wine region.  Due to the fact that it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until 1919, you will find many Germanic grape varieties, such as Gewürztraminer and Riesling, as well as some of Italy's most famous sparkling wines and red varietals.

Driving north into the Trentino-Alto Adige wine region

More from Trentino-Atlo Adige

There are over 400 castles in the region

Gaining altitude in the mountains, we started to see more Austrian influences in the architecture.  As part of the terms of the Treaty of Saint-Germain of 1919, at the close of the First World War, Italy annexed Trentino-Alto Adige (also known as South Tyrol), which, according to a census in 1910, showed that 92% of inhabitants were German speakers.  The area is an interesting mix of Austrian and Italian influences, and I ended up using a lot of my college German (how I dusted off those cobwebs, I will never know!).   

Coming up to the first of the ski villages

Our introduction to the Dolomiti, the Dolomite mountain range

Arriving in Alta Badia, an area encompassing 1,200 km of ski trails

The Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Centre in 2009 and are comprised of 18 peaks, each of which surpasses 9,800 feet.  Our ski destination was a town called San Cassiano, located in the Alta Badia ski region.  Below was a welcoming sign after spending 3 hours in a car on a winding, mountainous road with 2 carsick children.  The languages spoken, as indicated on the sign, are Ladin, which is the local language, followed by Italian and German.

We chose a charming abode for our week-long stay called the Lagaciò Mountain Residence.  Built in 2009 from locally sourced materials such as pine, spruce and larch, the Lagaciò has 29 apartments, each spacious and tastefully appointed. 

The Ammonite Suite comfortably accommodated five people

There was a small kitchen with all the modern amenities

Master bedroom

A sauna was located in the guest bathroom

Purified drinking water from a spout

A tea bar should that capture your fancy

Good night spelled in the local language, Ladin

San Cassiano at sunset

Bëgnodii and sweet dreams!   Stick around for some good eats in the next few posts!


xoxo M

Bonjourno!

We have just returned from a two week eating extravaganza in Northern Italy and I wanted to post a teaser for you with some photos I posted on Instagram from the trip.  Stay tuned for a fun ride...

Preparing to ski the Sella Ronda

A perfect spring ski day

Vino and prosciutto

View of the Dolomite mountain range

Eating squid ink pasta with scallop carpaccio on the slopes

This lovely city needs no introduction

xoxo M

Hey Baby Let's Go To Vegas

A birthday tradition for me the last 5 years has been to go to Vegas for a fabulous dinner and a show.  The first trip set the bar very high, as we saw the incomparable Tom Jones and then ate an outstanding 7 course meal at Joël Robuchon in the MGM Grand.  I wish I had been a blogger back then.  This was Vegas before the recession, and it was mind blowing.  I have been back to Joël Robuchon once since then, and it is still fabulous and beautiful, but not what it was before the bottom fell out of the Vegas economy.  The cheese cart was a little smaller, the menu not as diverse, and the cute French waiters were gone.  Needless to say, I wish I had known then that that evening would be a very difficult one to recreate.  Maybe I would have taken a few pictures of the meal, maybe I would have asked for another glass of rosé champagne (they were $75 a piece!!), maybe I would have savored it a little more. 

Not to be discouraged, we have returned year after year, and have never been disappointed.  We have paired an evening of Garth Brooks with dinner at Guy Savoy, Cher with Nobu, and Beatles Live with Wolfgang Puck.  Last year, we stayed at the Aria in the (then) recently-opened City Center and dined at Julian Serrano before heading over to the Venetian to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in their Soul2Soul show.

A two-time James Beard Award winner, Julian Serrano was raised in Spain and made his mark in the States working at Masa's in San Francisco and later as executive chef at Picasso in the Mirage.  His namesake restaurant specializes in tapas and other Spanish food, and has received the Best of Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine.  The menu at Julian Serrano is lengthy, with close to 60 plates from which to choose.  But they are all small plates, so one person can choose several.  With the help of our charming waiter from Belgium, we ordered the following smorgasbord: Tuna Tartar Cones, with cucumber avocado ponzu in crispy wontons; Gambas, shrimp sautéed with garlic and chile de arbol; Rabo de Toro, oxtail with Iberian pork and mashed potatoes; Black Rice, with calamari and lobster meat sofrito in squid ink; Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, with goat cheese and mushrooms; and, last, but not least, Pata Negra ham, described as "the most delicious ham in the world", and it is (which reminds me that I should write a post about our trek to Montánchez, Spain, which is one of the main centers for the production of pata, negra, also known as Jamón Ibérico).  

The design of the restaurant is a colorful mix of orange, red, yellow and purple mosaic tile throughout, even in the bathroom, where you will hear Berlitz-type tapes teaching you Spanish.  Our waiter said the layout of the mosaic tiles were designed by Pablo Picasso's son.  I will take that and run with it. 

I normally don't take pics of bathroom, but this was too fun

Floor, walls, bar front: everything is tiled

I snuck in before the restaurant opened to take most of these pics

With a belly full of Pata Negra, we made our way to the show.  Tim and Faith sang many duets and took turns singing each of their big hits, with costume changes in between.  Highlights included a tribute to the Eagles with "One Of Those Nights" and "I Can't Tell You Why", Faith's hits, including "Piece of My Heart" and "Breathe", and Tim's "One Of Those Nights", and the ah-mazing "Live Like You Were Dying".  (Tim had me from the beginning with the black cowboy hat and the tight silk suits...I love that guy.)  I highly, highly recommend the show.  Catch it on Fridays or Saturdays through April 12.  The lyrics of Live Like You Were Dying strike a cord with me, reminding me that everyday is precious, and to treat it like a gift.  I wish the same for you.   

I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me

When a moment came that stopped me on a dime

I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays

Talking 'bout the options and talking 'bout sweet time

I asked him when it sank in that this might be the real end

How's it hit 'cha when you get that kinds of news?

Man, what'd ya do?  And he said

I went sky diving 
I went rocky mountain climbing

I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu

And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter

And I gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'

And he said, someday I hope you get the chance

To live like you were dyin' 

Written by Nichols, James Timothy/Wiseman, Craig Michael 

 


What is next on my list?  Britney, for sure!  If you have any suggestions on restaurants, shoot me a line, or leave your comment at the end of the page. 
xoxo M

Patagonia, Chile

It seems a bit irrational that when the weather in AZ is at its finest (to rub it in, highs in the 70's, lows in the 50's), we should find ourselves traveling to colder, wetter climes.  But when Spring Break rolls around, we find ourselves leaving this idyll to seek something different.  As I prepare for our Spring Break trip this year to Northern Italy, I find myself looking back at some great trips that I feel are worth a post.

Hubby and I took a Happy Anniversary trip to Patagonia, Chile, in 2005, specifically to the Hotel Explora in Torres Del Paine National Park.  This type of trip appeals to Hubby's sense of adventure, and, truth be told, I was interested in exploring this part of the world that is the neighbor of Antarctica.  To get there, we flew from Atlanta 10 hours due south to the capital of Chile, Santiago.  We caught up on our sleep a couple of days there before heading south again, another 5 hours in a plane to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world.  From there, it was a 5 hour drive, mostly on dirt roads, to Torres Del Paine and our hotel.  To travel this far, to a place this remote took a leap of faith for me.  But the reward was incredible.  

Near Punta Arenas, overlooking the Straights of Magellan

The view from our hotel room.  For reals.

What does one do this far south, you may ask?  A little bit of everything.  We hiked a lot, rode horses a couple of times (galloping through the pampas is a highlight), pampered ourselves a little (many salt baths to ease those aching muscles), and met some wonderful characters over delicious meals and Chilean Carmanere, a red varietal that is considered Chile's signature grape.

I am the yellow dot

Up and up we go...

...to our destination, a glacier lake (brrr)

The views everywhere were fabuloso

I have never experienced wind like this, however

Hiking to a glacer was a highlight

We returned to our hotel on a barco

The local cuisine, lamb

The saddles were quite comfy

 

But the best part of the ride was sitting around the fire with the gauchos

And taking sips from the bota bag

Happy Monday!