My father is obsessed with a tiny town in the Mantua region of northern Italy. It's actually more like a neighborhood...a little bend in the road that one can easily miss while driving past it. Olfino has become part of his identity...making its way to his license placard, his email address, the walls of his apartment, and his license plate frame (“Happiness can be found in Olfino”). I joke around with my siblings about our father’s obsession with this little place over 6,000 miles away from us, but now I get it….because I too am starting to develop a major crush on this town, its residents and its way of life.
My great grandpa Mario left Olfino in the early 1900's, changed his name from Stefanoni to Stephens and created a new life for himself here in the USA. He stayed connected with his family & friends in Italy and continued to sporadically visit his birthplace over the years, as did some of my other relatives. But that was it….until ten years ago when my father decided to return to Olfino after decades of minimal contact. Since then he’s visited at least biannually, reconnecting with distant relatives and forming friendships with other Olfino families. The first two times I went with him were wonderful, but the language barrier and unfamiliarity made things kind of awkward. This last time, though, was totally different. I felt oddly at home.
The catalyst for this short trip was to attend the baptism of Rebecca, the cutest baby in Olfino. Her family runs Ristorante Olfino, which is below where my great-grandfather would stay when he'd visit. The baptism took place in a beautiful, chilly, baroque church and the reception was held at a local restaurant over many, many courses of yummy food.
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| The hamlet of Borghetto, part of Valeggio sul Mincio (close to Olfino) |
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| My dad with the Stefanoni girls |
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Federica's lasagna al radicchio rosso -
intense & delicate & amazing |
Everyone knows that the food in Italy is incredible...but did you know that the tortellini of Valeggio sul Mincio is the most famous & delicious in the world? That sauce just acts as a compliment to the pasta because noodles themselves are so incredibly perfect? That Rita makes a penne arrabiata that makes me cry tears of delight? That if the funghi gnocchi in this picture was the last meal of my life, I'd die happy? I've been back in the USA for a day and all I can think about is returning to Italy. I miss it.
Oh, and by the way, today is my 36th birthday, which apparently means my skin will start to become thinner, my mid-section will start to become bigger, and my fertility will start to drastically drop. The deterioration of our bodies as we age is inevitable, but it’s comforting to know we can continually improve upon our inner-aging process...if we choose to do so. I love who I’m becoming, which is the best birthday present ever!
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| My medieval birthday in Washington, D.C. |
