- 54,000 Steps and Exhausted
- A Fumble and Some Spikes in Corniglia
- Hot Hike: Corniglia to Vernazza
- The Cinque Bust
- A Tour of the Castle
- An Unforgettable Umbrian Pizza Party
- Siena v. Florence: The Rivalry Continues
- Mi Piace Formaggio di Capra
- Yummy for my Tummy: Pizza and Gelato
- Hill Town Trekking, Part 1
- Hill Town Trekking, Part 2
- Three Days at Sea, and Almost No Sleep
- Just Call Me Skipper
- A Day in the Ruins
- Cooking in Italy
Prepared in the Pizza Oven at the Farmhouse
I walked quickly up the path that led back towards our house, leaving the pool in a hurry to take a shower. Every member of our family was looking forward to tonight, where we were going to have our pizza party!! The people actually making the pizza for us (in our pizza oven) were supposed to come at 7pm, and I didn’t want to be in the shower when they got here. The process of making the pizza seemed interesting, and fun, and I didn’t want to miss watching them create the pizza from scratch. However, as I picked up my pace to a jog, I realized that two women, one old enough to be the other’s mother, waving at me from our driveway.
“Ciao,” chorused the two women cheerfully, standing next to a car that I assumed was theirs. At first I was confused. Why would two ladies be in our driveway? And then, it hit me. The pizza party! They were already here! They were early!!
Uncertainly, I muttered, “Ciao,” to the still waving ladies, sprinting towards the house to tell Mom, or Dad, or my siblings, that the pizza party was here!!
When I got in the house, I couldn’t find Mom and Dad. Going back outside, I realized that Mom was already talking to the two women, who actually happened to be a mother and daughter team. Luckily, they were in no rush to get started, needing to prepare and set up first, so I was able to take that shower and not miss anything.
After the shower, I headed downstairs and realized that the people making the pizza (Lucia and her mother) were already taking stock of the kitchen and laying out ingredients. Cupcake was down there too, chatting with Lucia and checking out the multi-fruit juice that they had brought. Once Lucia had put the multi-fruit juice in the freezer, she explained to our family that they were going to start making the pizza now, and that they could show us how to make our own dough as well. All of us smiled at that, and we watched in awe as the mother (who didn’t really speak English) stirred flour, yeast, water, salt, and some olive oil (I think) to form a perfect ball of dough. The art was so precise, yet so experimental as well. Mom, Kaitlin, and I all tried to knead the dough as best as we could, adding flour to our hands and cutting board whenever we felt it was necessary. According to Lucia’s mother, Mom was a natural! Dad took video of the whole dough making process, not even trying to knead the dough himself. After we had finished, Lucia told us that they had lots of dough already made for us, so our dough wasn’t needed, though it would be interesting to see how it turned out.
Soon after, Lucia declared that it was “Happy Hour” and that they had brought drinks for all of us (“Happy Hour” means a period of the day when drinks are sold at reduced prices in a bar, though I guess here it just meant that we were getting drinks). We sat outside, discussing how much work needed to be put into just the making of the dough, and enjoying the view, when Lucia came out with the drinks. Of course, only Mom and Dad got the wine that Lucia’s father made, while the three of us kids got the multi-fruit juice we had seen before, mixed with fizzy water. The result of my drink was amazing! The sweet fruit juice mixed with the hard edge of the fizzy water and a squeeze of grapefruit made the drink go “POW!” in my mouth with every sip. “Delizioso,” I had told Lucia, which is Italian for “Delicious”.
Eventually, Lucia told us about all of the toppings that they had brought- mozzarella cheese, sausage, zucchini, potato, onion, mushroom (truffle). Then, she ushered us inside to watch the rest of the pizza-making process. The way that they made pizza (real Italian pizza) was very different than anything I had ever seen before. We watched as they mixed sliced zucchini with some olive oil, as they mixed the shards of potato with fennel and olive oil as well. They also had diced tomatoes. Then, to my surprise, they took three circular pans filled with dough and started putting a topping on each one. They sprinkled diced tomatoes on one, and spread out the zucchini and the potato on the other two (one topping per pizza). After showing us how it was done, the mother kindly allowed Kaitlin and I to finish spreading out the zucchini and potatoes. By the time I was done, you could barely see any dough, because it was covered with zucchini! Lucia’s mother had made sure of that!! Lucia added cheese (mozzarella) to the tomato and zucchini pizzas (on the top) but did not add any to the potato pizza. I was surprised by this. Cheese on top of the toppings? Pizza without cheese? This was very different from what we know from home!
While they cooked the pizzas, my family sat down at the dining table outside on our patio. We all chatted, and made jokes about each other, and admired the beautiful views. Cupcake and Steve decided to run off to play hide and seek, or whatever they were doing, and for a while, we sat in silence, deep in thought. Then, the first pizza came out of the oven and found it’s way onto the table.
Quickly, we called back Cupcake and Steve. As soon as everyone was seated at the table appropriately (with napkins on their laps), we each took our first piece. Unlike every restaurant we have been to so far in Italy, these pizzas were meant to be shared. Every pizza was taken out one at a time, each having its own course. The tomato and mozzarella one came first, and I was amazed at the flavor! Fresh tomatoes, not tomato sauce, seemed to make all the difference. The melted cheese, gooey and flavorful, made it just that much better. But the first pizza was only the beginning! After the tomato and mozzarella pizza, there was a zucchini pizza, a potato pizza, a just tomato pizza, an onion pizza, a sausage pizza, and a sausage and mushroom pizza, each one as good as the one before it. These pizzas made me see pizza in a whole new way, with a new definition. After tasting these wonderful, perfect pizzas, how am I ever supposed to go back to eating Little Caesar’s? The crisp, thin crust…….the right textures and consistencies……..the unusually appetizing toppings…..the lack of cheese on every bite…….the pizza I tasted that night was definitely beyond compare!! By the time the last pizza was finished (well, not finished, since we decided to keep some pizza for the next day), I was stuffed, having eaten at least 10 slices of the pizza. My favorite had been the zucchini, with a close second of the onion and the sausage. It seemed like everyone had their favorites, and no one really wanted to stop eating. Once we had, though, they brought out a whole second course, of sausage and pork ribs. Those were delicious as well.
Once it was clear that dinner was finished, Cupcake and Steve again went off to play, and I talked with my parents. We talked about their travels when they were young(er), and their many funny and daring stories. Apparently, they had had, and still have, the travel bug. I enjoyed their stories, though I had heard some of them many times before, and I wondered if I had caught the travel bug. I knew that I never wanted this vacation to be over, how I wanted to travel and explore for as long as I could. I felt so happy talking with my parents about their stories, and it made me want to have some stories and adventures of my own. We started to talk about life back at home, and how far away it seemed. Weirdly enough, I didn’t miss it at all, except for my friends. As my parents talked, I began to get inspired. Really inspired. I am excited for what the future holds. I am excited to discover, and enjoy, and remember. I don’t think I will ever forget that feeling. For a moment, we stopped talking to admire the breath-taking and peaceful sunset. The colors were all there, ranging from light pinks and oranges to deep blues and purples. I tried to snap a picture of it on Dad’s phone, but I doubt anything could capture the absolute beauty of the moment. There are no words that I could’ve used to describe how I was feeling at that moment. It was….perfection.
And then it got even better. Dessert time. I had never tasted something so sweet and lovely in my entire life. My tastebuds felt like they were on heaven. Tiramisu. And not just any tiramisu. Homemade tiramisu, so rich and finely made, sprinkled with chocolate shavings. A great end to a great evening.
That night, I stayed up late writing in my journal about the wonderful evening. As I recounted it in my mind, I still couldn’t believe it. The unrealistic wonder that the night had brought. When I finally fell to sleep that night, it was with a happy smile still clearly sketched on my tranquil face.
Hello! I'm Potter. I am 13 years old and I LOVE anything and everything to do with Harry Potter. I'm a Ravenclaw, and I really enjoy school, especially math, language arts, and history. In my free time (or anytime I’m not doing something), I'm a voracious reader. Anything from fantasy to historical fiction and everything in between. In addition, I'm passionate about acting, singing, and dancing. I can’t WAIT to explore Europe, and try new things with a smile on my face!
2 thoughts on “An Unforgettable Umbrian Pizza Party”
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can’t with till we make some zucchini pizza!
great post Potter!!!
When Amy came home from Siena..she made us and our next door neighbor’s fresh home made Pasta and tomatoes sause, with Tiramisu for dessert. Everything was out of this World. Our neighbors talked about that meal for Many Years!!!! The family she lived with taught her how to make the meal.