Well good morning from Milano, Italia.
We are here in Italy.
It is our first day, so we have gone in search of the Italian breakfast.
Now we weren't entirely sure what an Italian breakfast looks like so we did a bit of research
and asked around and apparently it is just a coffee and anything sweet.
So that could be pastries, bread with jam, cake or cookies.
So we've sat down at a little cafe and we're going to have our first Italian breakfast.
So my beverage of choice today is the cappuccino because it is a very cold day.
And why not have some frothy coffee.
It's a cold day.
When is fifteen degrees considered cold?
Look at the way I'm dressed.
I'm cold okay?
Ooh, that is nice.
Excellent cappuccino.
Nice and rich and frothy?
Mmmm.
Indeed.
Wanna try some?
So this breakfast reminds me a bit of breakfast in France and also in Argentina.
A sweet way to start the day and I have to say it is a quite a huge contrast and change
from what we were used to in England and Ireland where we were having full savory breakfasts.
With eggs and sausages and mushrooms.
Lower calories and a lot sweeter.
And this pastry here I've selected, I honestly don't really know what it is.
What made me select it was that I saw walnut bits.
And hey, I'm a huge fan of walnuts so I don't know what is inside.
It looks like it might be apple.
Let's find out.
I thought it was going to be prunes.
Mmmm.
No, no no.
That is like pecan pie.
That's pecan filling inside.
Let's see the inside.
Oh wow!
That is so delicious.
Oh, it's like having pecan pie.
Pie for breakfast.
He's a happy boy.
And what do you have over there?
Well, this is the pastry I chose.
It is a little twisty one with chocolate chips.
That is really good.
It is very buttery and flaky.
And you just can't go wrong with chocolate chips this early in the morning.
I'm a fan.
So we're going to be here for a week in the Lombardy region and I can't wait to try as
much Italian food as possible.
It's one of my favorite cuisines.
And last but not least, price point?
Well, this delicious breakfast for two came to five Euros and that included two cappuccinos
and two pastries.
So not an expensive way to start the day.
Yeah, talk about value.
Mmmmhhmmm.
Okay guys, so I'm pretty excited about today.
We have left Bergamo behind and we're visiting a castle outside in the countryside.
It's called Castello di Malpaga and we are going to be taking a cooking class inside
a castle.
So I'm going to get ready to start cooking and Sam is going to give you a tour of the
castle so you can see what it looks like.
So this is a family owned castle.
It dates back to the 13th Century.
Let me give you a tour.
The first lesson of the day was to focus on dishes that take the longest to prepare, so
we got started with dessert- a delicious tiramisu with a modern twist!
Like that?
More aggressively.
Like that.
So I'm taking a quick break from the kitchen to tell you today's menu.
We are going to be preparing beef tartare as an entree, ravioli for the main course
and then tiramisu for dessert.
So it should be very tasty.
Let's get back to the kitchen and let's keep cooking.
For our main dish we prepared ravioli, and because this is Italy the dough had to be
made from scratch.
There were no shortcuts here and everyone was put to work kneading and then rolling
out the dough into thin layers.
What are we doing over here?
Rolling some pasta.
It requires a lot of muscle work.
More muscle than I have.
Preparing the stuffing was next.
We went with a vegetarian option, which was pumpkin.
Smashing pumpkins.
Like the bad.
Hahahaha.
So clever.
Once again, we took no shortcuts here.
Pumpkins were chopped, peeled, and then boiled, before being pressed into a paste that we
used as our filling.
The last dish of the day was beef tartare.
I skipped out since it's not to my taste, but I was told it was very tasty.
So we have now finished preparing our three course meal and we're going to go have lunch
inside the feast hall which has painted frescoes that are just beautiful.
So let's go in.
Buon appetito!
How is the food so far?
It is delicious because I prepared it myself.
I hardly did any work actually.
The truth comes out.
And now that lunch is over we get to play dress-up.
Let me lead you around my castle.
I am Queen of this kingdom.
Once we had eaten lunch, it was finally time to tour the castle - a very exciting prospect,
especially when you're dressed in Renaissance costumes.
We paraded around like kings and queens, and then explored the former home of Bartolomeo
Colleoni, who was captain-general of the Republic of Venice and earned quite the reputation
battling neighbouring city-states.
We're Kings and Queens from around the world.
And winter is coming.
Winter is coming.
So I had a lot of fun cooking, eating and playing king for a day in a castle but unfortunately
all good things come to an end and it is time for us to go back to Milan.
Well good evening from Milan.
It is our first full day here and it is now dinner time.
So we just found a local little restaurant and we're going to be trying a traditional
dish that is very popular in this city and in the Lombardy region.
We are going to have Risotto alla Milanese .
First impressions from Milan so far?
Ah, it's been great.
Especially the food.
And every time you go to a restaurant I'm looking at the menu and I'm like I want this,
I want this, I want this, I want this.
So I have a hard time deciding and I'm not even sure if we're going to get to cover everything
before we leave.
Well, tonight it is risotto.
First impressions of Italian food here in Milan?
It's been really good.
This bread I'm having right now is really good actually.
I'm already on my forth slice.
I'm a little worried because I may start to get full before the risotto actually arrives.
My Risotto alla Milanese has arrived.
And in case you're not too familiar with risotto it is basically a type of rice that is very
thick, very starchy and it absorbs a lot of liquids.
So this should be good.
It almost looks a little soupy and creamy.
And also my Risotto alla Milanese gets its color from saffron.
So saffron is a bit of a reddish orange color when it is dry but when you stick it and mix
it with the rice it turns it yellow.
So enough about that let's try it.
Surprise!
Mmmmm.
Do you like that?
Oh, wow!
That is so good.
And it is already cheesy.
I mean I know I added a lot of cheese but I think they had already melted some cheese
and mixed it in.
So yeah, very cheesy and very buttery.
You can never get too much cheese.
That is so good.
You're going to like this.
Wow.
Is it heaven?
Seriously that is amazing.
Like risotto might be my new favorite Italian food.
It's that good.
It's so good.
It is that good.
And the thing I like about this one is that it is really plain.
Like I've had other types of risotto and there is a lot of things going on.
There is a lot of different ingredients but this is just really simple.
You've got your cheese, you've got your saffron.
Yum.
Right now it is six twenty in the evening and we've basically got the restaurant to
ourselves and that is because locals would never go out to eat this early.
This is not even close to dinnertime.
I'm thinking more like eight, nine, ten maybe even eleven.
That is what time dinner is.
And we can see all of the empty chairs right behind you.
Judging by your plate I'm assuming you enjoyed it?
That is an empty plate and a happy boy.
And the price was also very reasonable coming in at seven Euros.
Great value, excellent meal.
So we've gone out for our first Italian Aperitivo.
Which is kind of like a pre-dinner drinking tradition.
Basically, you get yourself a cocktail for about 10 Euros and that gives you access to
this massive buffet of like pizzas, pastas, olives.
Anything you could possibly imagine.
And this is what comes before dinner.
So I have to admit I was expecting very simple food for the Aperitivo.
I thought maybe they would just give us some prosciutto cheese and olives.
You know, pretty cheap simple food.
But instead what we've found was this.
So I've got lasagna, I've got ravioli.
I have have stir-fried veggies.
And even french fries which are not Italian but I had to grab a few anyways since they
were available.
So how about you?
What did you get for the Aperitivo?
Give us a tour.
Well, basically I almost exactly the same as you.
The main difference being I got a huge slice of pizza and I think I got some more cold
cuts and cheese.
You know what?
All the pizza was gone when I went up there.
I think you took the last slice.
What can I say.
Alright, so I'm having a Bellini which is made with peach juice and something else.
But I can't tell you what that something else is because I just don't know my cocktails
very well.
It's good stuff right there.
Sweet?
Mmmmm.
Ah!
And it appears you've gone for something a bit more tropical.
Yeah, how can you go wrong with a classic Piña colada.
Now this looks really thick.
I'm hoping that they put a lot of coconut and not too much pineapple juice.
That's a pretty decent blend.
Yeah.
Yeah, I really taste the coconut.
I like it.
So the savory part is over.
What have we got now?
Well, it was time for dessert so I went back for seconds and they had lots of different
cakes.
And then this is really good.
I'm not entirely sure what it is but it tastes a bit like a vanilla pudding crossed with
custard.
I don't know my Italian desserts but I can tell you it is really good.
So I'm not going to share.
Okay, so final thoughts on your first Aperitivo experience.
How was it?
Well, considering we spent several nights in Milan I can't believe it took us to our
final night to actually go and try it.
We should have been doing this every night.
It's fantastic.
You get a really nice cocktail.
You get a nice spread of food and dessert too for 10 Euros.
It's fantastic value.
And what did you think of it?
Honestly, for me that was enough for dinner.
It was a lot of food.
I mean it is an open buffet so technically you can go up as many times as you want but
you don't want to be overdoing it.
Kind of like Vegas buffet style where you're just slapping the food on your plate until
you've got a big mountain.
That's not how it works over here.
But it was really good, really tasty food.
I would also recommend coming early.
Aperitivo is usually between six and ten PM.
We showed up at like six thirty and it was already quite packed so come early, get a
table and there will be more food options as well.
Good morning from Chiavenna.
It is a bit of a rainy morning but we are still very excited to be here and out exploring
because there is a festival taking place here.
Today is the day of the Bresaola and that means that we are celebrating a deli meat.
And there is lots of different stands that have been setup across the town.
So you can just wander around and sample some deli meats.
So we're going to be trying lots of food today.
It's very exciting.
And just to give you a bit of background information, Bresaola is kind of similar to prosciutto
but it is made from beef and it has very little fat.
So that is coming up in this video.
So this is a look at the map of Chiavenna and it shows where are the Bresaola tastings
are going to be taking place.
And there is fourteen different spots across the town, so I think we're going to be eating
quite a bit.
Want to try some?
Later.
Mmmm.
That's really good.
Really tasty.
We are looking for more meat.
Carnivores today!
There is only bread available right now so everyone is waiting patiently while they slice
more Bresaola.
I've got some more Bresaola.
I think by the end of the day we're going to be suffering from meat sweats.
It's so good.
It's so good, I wish I knew how to describe this properly but it is just good.
You need to come to Italy and try it.
What else can I say.
This one here appears to be a bit of a darker meat than we've tried before.
And I'm pairing it with some bread.
One big bite.
Yeah, that's awesome.
More bresaola guys.
You know lunchtime is about an hour away and I feel like I'm just walking around town eating
my appetizer.
It's pretty nice.
First impressions so far?
So what I've been noticing as we've been wandering around is that there is a lot of different
stands open selling all kinds of different things.
As you can see behind me there is rugs being sold.
Oh, so it is not just about the food.
Nope.
So the mood here is very happy, very jovial.
There are lots of different bands playing at every square around town.
I just feel bad for the puppies.
Some people are walking around with their dogs and they just look a little frightened
and startled.
Okay, and this meat appears to be a bit lighter than the last one I tried.
Again, I have the same dark bread.
It is so good I can see why they have a whole festival just based on meat.
So that is a wrap for us from the festival.
I don't think either of us has ever been to a festival that is centered around just one
particular food item.
But it was really cool, a little bit quirky and definitely one of the more interesting
things we did while in Italy.
But not for vegetarians.
Definitely not.
One of the pleasures of coming to Italy is indulging in the local ice cream known as
gelato.
Here we've each got two cones.
I've got the waffle cone over here and Audrey's going to be trying the regular cone.
We've got different flavors and we can't wait to try a taste test now.
Okay, so I went for a medium sized cone with two scoops.
The first flavor is wild berries and the second one on top is a bit unusual.
It is pear and cheese.
I've never had cheese flavored ice cream before unless it was cheesecake.
So it should be interesting.
Mmmmm.
Okay, wild berries are really good.
One more lick.
Mmmm.
Okay.
So that is the pear and cheese.
It has real chunks of pear so it is very fruity.
It has a nice strong flavor.
And you also taste a hint of cheese.
I couldn't tell you what kind of cheese it is but it is coming through.
I'm very happy with the selection.
Now tell us about the flavors in your giant waffle cone.
Yeah, so I picked two as well.
This one over here is black cherry.
Hahaha.
Is that good?
A bit of brain freeze.
I took too big of a bite.
Yeah, you can really taste the cherry.
It is very strong and over here is pistachio.
And pistachio is awesome.
It is one of my favorite ice cream flavors.
I think the only one I particularly like more is rum and raisin but they didn't have that.
So what would be the difference between gelato and regular ice cream that we're used to in
North America?
Okay, so there are a few key differences.
First up, gelato is churned at a slower rate so that means it gets less air and then it
has a thicker, denser quality.
And the second key difference is that gelato has a lower fat content which means the flavors
of the ice cream really come through.
So that is why I like gelato a lot better than ice cream.
So gelato is also served at a slightly higher temperature than ice cream meaning it melts
fast and that is why we're gobbling it down really quickly right now.
Mmmhhhmm.
Yours is already melting.
It sure is.
And how about that price point for that delicious little treat we enjoyed?
Okay, so my medium sized cone was two fifty and Sam's was three fifty.
And those prices are in Euros.
And also a gelato is really easy to find in just about any city.
Just as we were walking down the street we came across maybe like four or five different
shops, so try it out the next time you're in Italy.
So it is lunchtime here in Milan and we figured why not have pizza when in Italy.
I've only had pizza once the whole time I've been here and it was time to try a few others.
So we've been walking around the city and we walked by this one shop and we saw they
had like these extra thick slices of pizza.
It almost looked like a focaccia bread with toppings.
So we went in there and grabbed two slices.
Tell us what did you get for yourself?
So I got the one that had salami and mozzarella.
And this reminds me a lot of the pizza I had in Buenos Aires in Argentina.
These massive thick slices that you would just go into a shop and order.
And I think this is going to be delicious.
Ooh, time for the first bite.
And I like that has already been pre-sliced into small little pieces for us.
Perfect for lunch at the park.
That's really good.
Tasty?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Gooey cheese?
Oh, yeah.
I don't even have anything to say.
Hahaha.
What did you get on yours?
Okay, so mine has what I believe in mozzarella and some small tomatoes and basil leaves.
So it looks really good.
And I was asking the guy who served our pizza, you know, what kind of pizza is it?
What style is it?
And he called it pizza al trancio.
And I looked that up and it basically means pizza by the piece or pizza by the slice.
And as you can see it has already been pre-sliced into little portions, so it is perfect for
you know just getting it to go, having lunch at a park or eating it outdoors.
Yeah, we're having it in a park now as it just starts to rain.
So time to try this.
It looks wonderful.
Oh my goodness.
Wow!
Is that good?
Oh, yeah.
So the dough, I mean it is really thick but it also has a bit of a fluffy quality to it
and that is like a thick layer of cheese as well.
Like that is a generous amount of cheese.
Check this out?
Look at all that cheese.
It kind of reminds me of Chicago Deep Dish style as well.
So the only other slice of pizza we've had in Milan so far was the super super thin slice
of pizza.
How does this over here compare?
Well, you can never go wrong with pizza as far as I'm concerned.
But if I had to choose, one of the two, I would go with the thicker pizza.
I just love the thick dough and the generous amount of cheese.
That is just unbelievable.
And you're getting more bang for your buck so it is more food technically.
Yeah, that is true.
And how much did those two slices of pizza cost?
Okay, so that was seven Euros total for the two slices.
So about three fifty each.
Not bad for such a giant slice of pizza, I'd say.
Good afternoon from the city of Bergamo.
Today we took a day trip from Milan, we rode the train for less than an hour and we arrived
at a completely new destination.
So we've been exploring the town of Bergamo and we also learned that there is a dessert
that is very popular in this city.
And that is what I have right here.
This right here is called Polenta e osei.
And Polenta is made from corn.
It is kind of like a finely ground corn or maze.
And it is usually served in savory dishes with like a tomato sauce or some type of other
sauce.
Um, but it has been turned into a dessert here.
So we're having sweet Polenta.
And apparently the name means 'a bird' osei is meant to be bird in the local dialect.
So yeah, bird polenta.
That is what we're having today.
Time to take a bite.
Mmmm.
Bird polenta.
Mmmm.
It's supposed to be really sweet.
Is it?
I wonder if it is just polenta on the exterior because look at the inside.
It almost looks a little bit like cake.
So I wonder if it is just the yellow coating that is the polenta.
I'm not entirely sure.
And is it sweet?
Oh, very sweet.
Very sugary.
I mean you can see the granulated sugar on the outside.
Super sweet.
But yeah, it is a completely new dessert for me.
Want to give it a try?
And it is unique to here.
We later discovered that the reason it tasted so sweet is because we had a lost in translation
moment with our guide.
The dessert we tried bares the exact same name as a savory polenta dish with a bird
cooked inside.
The dessert was given this name because from the exterior it looks just like polenta but
when you bite in it is cake.
A little confusing but nevertheless tasty.
Your turn to give it a try.
Oh, he's making out with it.
Wow!
That is some kind of sweet.
What do you think?
Some kind of sweet?
It is definitely tasty.
Yeah.
That is the kind of thing that I don't think I could eat this whole thing.
It is too sweet.
It is a little overpowering isn't it?
It is.
You know, I feel quite lucky to have had the opportunity to try this today because we got
a recommendation from a local upon arriving.
And we had no idea that this even existed.
Polenta as a dessert?
Hmmmm.
Who knew?
And now I think you should try whatever is on top there.
Do you think that is marzipan?
It's a kind of chocolate.
I don't know.
What is he doing?
Yeah, I think it is.
Yeah?
It's also really sweet.
Wow.
I'm getting a bit of a sugar high right now.
Do you think you can finish all of that?
Is that like a challenge?
Oh.
Does that mean challenge accepted?
Okay, try and describe this dessert for someone who has never had it before?
Yeah, it is quite unique.
So the outer layer here, you can see it is mostly granulated sugar and polenta.
That is probably the sweetest parts.
And inside it is kind of like a sponge cake with an icing filling.
And upon further research it looks like we've found a secret chocolate layer in the middle.
Okay, so this is the dessert that keeps on giving basically.
Yeah, basically.
So in terms of price point you can pick up this dessert at almost any pastry shop inside
the old town.
It costs three Euros and I found it so sweet that you can probably split it and share it
with two people.
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