L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE C a n I b e v e r y h o n e s t w i t h y o u ? T h e i d e a that we Italians all love the sun and the summer is bogus. I, f o r o n e , d o n ' t c o u n t t h e h o t t e s t s e a s o n a s m y favorite: in fact, I quite dis- like it. The heat is too much, sweating is awful, and don't even get me started about mosquito bites. And while not everyone is as anti-summer as I am, the arrival of the fall is often welcomed with joy, because there is a sense of safety in going back to old routines and in the soft, warm colors of nature that characterize this time of the year. Let's explore together some of the reasons Italians, in the end, really love the fall, starting w i t h w h a t I ' v e j u s t m e n - tioned … The colors of nature This is one of the reasons people love the season so much, not only in Italy but everywhere: its colors. The reds, yellows and golds, the deep greens and browns of trees, and the terse blue of the sky: it's the richest of all palettes, the most inspiring t i m e f o r t h o s e w h o l o v e p a i n t i n g . B e c a u s e n a t u r e m a y b e p r e p a r i n g t o r e s t during the fall, but it cer- tainly doesn't look like it. If New England is the home of "foliage" in the US, Italy also counts some hot spots: the Parco Nazionale della Sila, i n C a l a b r i a , t h e R e n o n plateau and the Non Valley in Trentino Alto-Adige, or the Torbiere del Sebino's n a t u r a l r e s e r v e , l o c a t e d between the Franciacorta area, known for its wine pro- duction, and the Iseo Lake, in Lombardia. But, really, every place with trees and vineyards can become a per- fect place to enjoy the bright and cheerful hues of the sea- son. The tranquillity of the sea The sea isn't a summer- only attraction or, at least, it shouldn't be. During the hot s e a s o n , o u r b e a c h e s a r e filled with people and color- ful beach umbrellas, with the smile-inducing laughter of kids playing in the water a n d t h e c o c o n u t s c e n t o f s u n s c r e e n . B u t w h e n t h e stabilimenti balneari close down, calm returns to our seaside towns and a deep, p l e a s a n t s e n s e o f p e a c e invades the streets. Mind, this doesn't mean that locals don't like tourists, quite the contrary: tourists aren't only essential for the economy of our coastal towns but are also a natural part of their everyday life. Yet, there is a l o t t o l o v e a b o u t t h o s e m o r n i n g w a l k s o n e m p t y b e a c h e s y o u c a n e n j o y i n O c t o b e r a n d N o v e m b e r , especially when the sky is free from clouds. And even when it rains, the sea can take your breath away: it is majestic, fearsome even, but always beautiful. There are p l e n t y o f p l a c e s i n I t a l y where you can really get a feel for the beauty of the sea this time of the year. Places like Rimini or Vieste are usually associated with sum- mer vacations, but they can offer a lot to travelers during the cold season too. Rimini, for instance, is known for its Roman heritage, still visible in the town's many archaeo- logical sites, including the forum, where Caesar spoke to locals after having crossed t h e R u b i c o n , o n h i s w a y back from Gaul. In Vieste, you'll enjoy the location and the beauty of nature: the vil- lage developed on a strip of land that juts into the sea, so you really feel like you're w a l k i n g o n w a t e r , w h i l e exploring it. Hazelnuts and chocolate We don't call it "fall" if there aren't hazelnuts and chocolate around. In cer- tain areas of the country, especially in the hills or near the mountains, hazelnut sea- son is a moment of quick a c t i v i t y : h a z e l n u t s a r e picked, they are selected and they are either sold or made i n t o f l o u r t o b e c o m e t h e q u e e n s o f o u r k i t c h e n s . Thing is that hazelnuts go hand in hand with another d e l i c i o u s t h i n g w e l o v e : chocolate. The heat of the summer often keeps us away from this delicious food of the gods, because we're too afraid it'd melt easily to be really enjoyed. But when the fall comes, this undisputed king of the pantry returns w i t h a v e n g e a n c e : f r o m cakes to brownies, all the w a y t o t h e f a m e d I t a l i a n cioccolata calda con panna, c h o c o l a t e r e t u r n s t o o u r table and becomes the per- fect fall comfort food. It's not by chance, for instance, that well-known chocolate f a i r s l i k e C i o c c o l a - t ò , i n Turin, take place during the fall: for ten days, the Pied- montese city becomes the Mecca of all chocolate lovers with producers from all over t h e w o r l d p r o p o s i n g a n d s e l l i n g t h e i r c r e a t i o n s i n s t a n d s a l o n g t h e e l e g a n t streets of the city center. All this talking about chocolate leads me directly into the next thing we Italians love about the fall… Eating more The summer is all about light and refreshing dishes that are quick to make. It's a l l a b o u t c a p r e s e a n d insalata di riso, green salads a n d l o a d s o f f r u i t s , f r o m berries to the iconic water- m e l o n . O f c o u r s e , a s y o u would expect in a country t h a t c o n s i d e r s i t s e l f t h e fatherland of iced desserts, there is a lot of gelato going around, too, often enjoyed as a meal. But when the fall comes, we finally go back to eating for real. I am not say- i n g t h a t a l l t h e d e l i c i o u s things we make during the summer are not real food, b u t o u r a p p e t i t e c h a n g e s and we want filling, deca- dent dishes again: we want luscious risotto and cheesy polenta; we want apple pies w i t h c r e a m a n d c r o s t a t e with homemade jams. We want slow-cooked roasts and potatoes. Cold cuts have just c o m e f r o m t h e f a r m a n d desserts becomes spicy and m o r e f r a g r a n t . W e a l s o know that, finally, we can put back our jumpers and cozy coats, which means we can stop sucking our belly in - something some of us do for the best part of the sum- mer! - and, of course, eat more.So, isn't by chance that the fall is the season most traditionally associated with food fairs and sagre. We have the Pomaria fair in V a l d i N o n , d e d i c a t e d t o a p p l e s ( T r e n t i n o A l t o - A d i g e ) ; t h e F i e r a I n t e r - nazionale del Tartufo Bian- c o d ' A l b a , w h e r e w h i t e t r u f f l e s a r e c e l e b r a t e d i n Piedmont; or the Festa del Torrone in Cremona, Lom- bardia, and the Sfincione Fest, a fair dedicated to Sici- ly's own delicious take on stuffed focaccias, in Baghe- ria. You see? There are many reasons we Italians love the f a l l : i t ' s b e a u t i f u l , a n d i t tastes good, but it's also the most reassuring of all sea- sons: it's the equivalent of an evening spent reading w i t h a c u p o f t e a i n y o u r hand, under your favorite blanket. In the end, they are all reasons you can love in every corner of the world. Four reasons we Italians love the fall CHIARA D'ALESSIO Enjoying nice, decadent food like hot chocolate (Photo: Zi3000/Dreamstime), or discovering the sea and its towns, like Rimini (above), under a new light (Photo: Zoom-zoom/Dreamstime): just some reasons we love the fall.

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