Vinegar Day-trip

Why is it that there are so many kinds of meat in the supermarket here? Rabbit, capone (that's a castrated rooster, I think), goose, duck, and . . . horse. Here.


On Saturday I took a day trip to Modena, the home of Ferrari and balsamic vinegar. Apparently it's the richest town in Italy, which is hard to believe after seeing Capri. But, it was much smaller and more manageable than Bologna, and lots of nice cobblestoned streets and Christmas lights. About Christmas lights - I love the way Italians light up every street with little lights in different shapes and garlands. In Bologna, even the two towers are lit up. Recently the setting on the lights was changed so that they flicker. It's magical - and always surprising, since there's no continuity from street to street.

Anyway, I went to Modena to see a show by Steve McCurry, one of my favorite photojournalists. He's the guy who took this photo, and a lot of other amazing ones too. The show was a semi-auction being held in a tiny museum outside the city. Following McCurry's wishes, the museum had printed hardcover books covering his work, and they were giving them out for free. I was very happy, and I felt lucky not to be bidding on the prints, which seemed to be making a lot of people depressed and frustrated.

Then I found a shop selling natural balsamic vinegar ranging from a year to 40 years old. The owner let me try a bunch of different kinds, in spoonfuls. My stomach started burning but it was very good. Also, the older it gets, the sweeter the vinegar tastes - and it's very thick, like syrup. Apparently you can eat it with just about anything. (I didn't mean to start talking about food again.)

Here's a photo of Modena - it's crooked, but it still gives you a general idea.

Finally, if you liked Rize . . . The Krumpers came to Bologna! The city sponsored a huge, crazy show in the main square that was supposedly televised all over the country. There were singers, acrobats, tightrope walkers, and special effects (the city hall burst into "flames"). And Tommy the Clown. A very strange combination of things, but it was fun anyway, especially because of all the young people here. The crowd was huge.