Farewell to Cagli (with gelato, what else?)

     I'm leaving the Cagli two weeks before the program ends so I can return to Milwaukee for a couple of meetings and a week to get over jetlag before heading off to Australia to welcome to our family its newest member, the lovely Laura Bassed of Melbourne.  It seems weird to think of going to Australia in the dead of winter, but that's when the wedding is taking place.

    But my final gesture in Cagli is, of course, knocking off a final flavor in the drive to sample every flavor of gelato offered. Unfortunately, the overall race goes to the gelato merchants since I couldn't get to all 29 flavors offered at the largest gelato restaurant here. Of course, I was going to pass on some (bubble gum, coffee, etc.) that I didn't like, so I'm pretty proud to report that peach, the 21st flavor sampled, was excellent.  My favorites? Bacio (a chocolate/hazelnut candy flavor) in the chocolate division and frutti di bosco (mixed fruits) in the fruit division.

     But I can report that even without my presence the students will be finishing their projects, which will be available in two weeks at www.marquettecagli.com.  I urge you all to check them out. I know from what I've seen so far that you're going to view better photography than mine, great video and some compelling stories of life in this historic Italian village.

     As for me, it's not arrivederchi, but goodday, mate.

Memories of a troubled past

     Walking around Cagli brings constant reminders of the city's history, especially its connections to the middle ages. Three of them are pictured here. Two are the north and south gates to the city. They are just about all of the walls that once defended the city, towering more than two stories high and built of the same granite that makes up so much of the city. The walls were torn down during the 20th century, but, thankfully, the city's gates were preserved.

     The third is the fortress (above), built in 1481, and considered by military architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini, its designer, as the finest among the six fortresses he considered outstanding.  One of its attractions was a secret passageway to the city's major fortress, which is long gone.  At the time di Giorgio Martini was attempting to design structures that would withstand the problems posed by new developments in artillery. 

  

Market day in Cagli

     Wednesday is market day in Cagli. From about 9 in the morning until early afternoon, most open spaces in town are filled with stands set up by area merchants. They include everything from clothing to meats, and are an excellent place to watch Italians in action.  I've included just a few of the shots to give you a flavor of what all is happening.

Gelato, gelato, gelato!

     Have I tried the gelato? you ask.  Why, yes I have, I reply.

      So far, I've worked my way through the available chocolate flavors (seven), the plain fruits (8) and I'm working on the fruit mixes.  This doesn't count the coconut gelato with dark chocolate as a second scoop (OK, it wasn't as good as the coconut ice cream with dark Mexican chocolate sauce at Rolandi's, but it was still excellent).

     Only three more days to sample all the rest of the gelatos.

     There's something about walking around a city with church buildings that date to 1234 and frescoes from throughout the Middle Ages that ultimately diminishes the "wow" factor upon coming across the odd fortified tower from 1481 or the statue from 1680 or, perish the thought, the new theater from 1878.

     But the Ponte Mallio located just outside the town is definitely a WOW!!!  Depending upon the source, the bridge dates to more than 200 b.c.  Everyone agrees that this was built by the Roman empire as part of its Via Flaminia, the road to the sea connecting Rome to the Ocean. Built with stones quarried nearby, it's considered a superb example of Roman architecture and is still used as a road.

Pizza, Cagli style

    Pizza in Italy is far, far from what we in America know as pizza.  Many do not have any cheese on them at all, and, if they do, it's only a small amount used as seasoning. None, except for the quatro formaggio (four cheese) pizza, are covered with cheese. 

  They are flat bread style pizza, big as a dinner plate or bigger, very thin with a crunchy crust unlike any I've seen in the U.S.  So far, in addition to the Nutella pizza, I've had a Hawaiian pizza in Rome (the ham is prosciutto, cut just as thin as we get it in the U.S. I actually watched a chef carve out the extremely thin slices. It's a skill. I've also had peperoni, which means a crust with a light tomato sauce covered with three kinds of peppers (none of the meat we think of as pepperoni), one with tomatoes, onions and salami, and two kinds of pizza with olive oil, tomatoes and prosciutto.

Cagli is nestled in the Appennines Mountains

     One of the great things about visiting Cagli is looking at the Appennines Mountains, which stretch in all directions. Cagli, although built on smaller hills, is in the midst of the towering, although mature, mountain chain. Still, the ground occasionally shakes. In September of 1997, when earthquakes rocked the entire region, the city suffered a bit of damage the Duomo -- the basilica center of the city -- was damaged, but that earthquake had some beneficial side effects. Cagli was not damaged in the earthquakes in April of this year, although 58 were killed in nearby towns.