Tourism

Since the beginning of human settlements people have travelled from settlement to settlement for trade purposes. While doing business, these people would share new cultures, new languages, new views of the world. These merchants lived for travel and would always be on the move. Then, during Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, people started to travel for pleasure. They would go on a “circle”, meaning they would go somewhere and back again. However, these “tours” were only for a selected few.

Somewhere during the Middle Ages, the Grand Tour began to take shape. Members of the upper class got into the habit of travelling through Europe to educate themselves about painting, sculpture and ancient architecture. Each group of people would decide the length of time and the itinerary, often hiring a guide to accompany them. Paris and Italian cities like Venice, Florence, and Rome, were usually part of the trip. Switzerland, especially Geneva, was included in some of the most daring and intrepid journeys.

In the 19th century, due to the development of railways, the price of travel decreased and accessibility increased. This meant that people from the middle class were also able to afford to travel, making the business around tourism to flourish. The tourism industry was born and mass tourism followed. In fact, the travel agencies’ tours are a modern version of the Grand Tour, adapted to a large number of people and very limited in time. Nowadays, you would probably have to do several of these tours to make one old Grand Tour.

Today, many people are keen to distinguish between “tourists” and “travellers”. “Travellers” are those you want to meet people from different countries, who want to immerse themselves in the culture and learn about it. “Tourists” are those who just go and see what is presented to them. In reality, people who did the Grand Tour wanted to learn about art and ancient culture, but they did not wish to immerse themselves in the culture. They were known for criticising the “natives” and would only get along with their countrymen. Pretty much like tourists nowadays.

So, tourism has been around for a long time. It has evolved and now the possibilities are endless. People go touring for all kinds of purposes all over the world. There are pre-defined tours, but you can also plan your own voyage. Different budgets will provide you different trips to different destinations. For the same destination, you can choose different means of transportation, hotels, services. And, if you can afford it (in terms of money and time), you can replay a Grand Tour of your own making.

Key place: ITALY | Wine

Italy is one of the largest wine producers in the world and Tuscany is one of the largest and most prolific wine regions in Italy. Wine has been produced in this region since before the Roman Empire. Rome was not that far away (from Florence to Rome is about 217 km), and this region was ideal to produce the precious nectar that Romans loved so much. Therefore, wine production in this region boomed and it has never stopped since.

Despite all technological advances, producing wine is still an art. For starters, it depends on nature: rain, temperature, sunlight, bugs… and the type of soil is also important (which is different from region to region). That is why it is so important to know where and when the wine was produced. Exceptional weather results in exceptional wine whereas bad weather makes bad wine. Tuscany has good soil for growing grapes and also good weather conditions.

Choosing the right time to reap the grapes is crucial. Grapes transform acid into sugar, which will be later turned into alcohol. If the grapes are reaped too soon, the wine will be too acidic. If they are reaped too late, there will be too much sugar, producing a too alcoholic wine. Therefore, producers start tasting the grapes about a month prior to their harvest to decide the exact date of the big day. Then, people have to cut the grapes in a certain way and prepare them to be transported also in a certain way. All details matter because everything will influence the quality of the wine.

Wines are defined by their grape variety and by their type. The most well-known varieties are, for example, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, but many more are available. As for their types, they can be white, red, rose, sparkling, or dessert. The distinction between the different types of wine comes from the process rather than the colour of the grapes. One of the best-known sparkling wines is Champagne, named after the region where it was originally produced. This wine is usually made with Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes. Porto wine is a dessert wine, named after a city near the region where it was originally produced (the Douro Valley). It can be made from a great variety of grapes, but the most common are the Touriga Francesa and the Touriga Nacional.

Lastly, the same wine can produce different styles, which depend on how long the wine ages and where this process occurs. Wine that ages in wooden barrels will taste differently from a wine that ages in other types of barrels. The time they age can also be decisive on the resulting style. After this process is considered finished, the wine is bottled. It is no coincidence that wine is bottled in a certain type of glass and closed with a cork. As mentioned above, all details matter. Finally, the way wine is stored also hugely influences the preservation of quality. Hence, the cellars.

True wine connoisseurs take all this information into consideration when choosing the right wine. And there is no “one” best of them all. It all depends on the purpose and personal preferences. Well, yes, there are annual awards for those considered “the best”. However, when choosing the right wine for your dinner, for example, there are many factors to consider. For starters, the type of food you are eating. In general, fish match better with white wine and meat with red wine. However, it all depends on the kind of fish/meat and how it is cooked…

Difficult? Well, yes, but with training and experience comes wisdom.

Key place: ITALY | “A Room with a View”, by E. M. Forster

Lucy is an English middle-class young lady that visits Italy with her unmarried cousin Charlotte. When arriving in Florence, disappointment awaits them. They were expecting an authentic Italian hotel, but they find that the hotel is actually managed by an English woman and is full of English guests. In addition, they were given the wrong room: they specifically asked for a room with a view to the river, but they got a room at the back. This was the beginning of several misunderstandings based on English prejudices. However, Lucy discovers a whole new world inside of her that will change her perspective of the world. Something happens in Florence, between her tours around the city, which she will try to forget before returning home. Once there, she tries to go back to her former life, unsuccessfully.

E. M. Forster travelled extensively, especially through Europe. He also had a keen eye for people’s behaviour and was a sharp critic of English society, for his hypocrisy and class stratification. His writings reflected that so accurately that he was nominated for the Nobel Prize several times, but never won it.

“A Room with a View” is about the journey of Lucy, both to another country and of self-discovery. The book starts and ends in Florence, the symbol of such a change in her. All characters in the story have their own important role to play. There is a contrast between native Italians, with a free lifestyle, and English visitors, trapped in a meaningless life full of rules that they themselves struggle to follow. Also, there are English people from different classes and we are informed on the prejudices between them. Lucy wants to fit in, and she almost succeeds if it was not for a certain (impertinent?) young man.

The book was published in 1908, when it was fashionable for the members of the English high society to travel around Europe (and other members of the middle class, with money). In 1985, the book was adapted to the cinema, starring Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy and with the participation of Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Daniel Day-Lewis. There is also a 2007 TV movie based on the book.

Keywords: ROMAN EMPIRE | Pasta

A mother or grandmother cooking pasta on the stove is a childhood image of all Italians. All mothers and grandmothers have their speciality and their unique way of cooking it. A family secret that should never be known to anyone, only passed onto the next generation.

Pasta is unleavened dough. Once ready, you can do the shape you want, by hand or using a machine. You can also stuff it with meat, vegetables, or any ingredients that you prefer. You can use it fresh or dry. If you don’t want to prepare it at home, there are plenty to choose from in a supermarket. And the receipts? Besides the traditional ones, like spaghetti Bolognesi and lasagne, you can imagine and re-invent all you want. You can boil it or cook it in the oven. In the Roman Empire, people used to fry it.

There is nothing more Italian and the quantity of pasta consumed per capita is not as high as in Italy. However, apparently, pasta came from Asia and “travelled” with nomads to Europe. Well, a primitive version of it, at least. Once in Italy, it evolved to reach the diversity and importance it has today.

Yet, as or even more important, is the sauce. Ah, the sauce… Here is really where secrets lie. Even the most basic one, the tomato sauce, can vary enormously depending on the other ingredients you add. And, of course, the source of the ingredients is paramount. The flavour is completely different whether they are fresh or not.

One day, someone thought that pasta was so good it should be a dessert… Back in the Renaissance, pasta was a food only for rich people and sugar was a luxury item. Therefore, putting the two together was a question of time. Nowadays, with cooking promoted to art, imagination is the limit. You can have ravioli with chocolate, cannoli with cream (remember the “Godfather” film), fried pasta that looks like cookies…

So, when you go to Italy, be prepared to be amazed … and fatter, probably (remember the main character of “Eat, Pray, Love”…). You can also try it at home and eat it while watching a Western Spaghetti film. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, Western Spaghetti films were cowboy stories produced by Italians and filmed in Italy. They were very popular in the 1960s and 1970s and featured many famous Hollywood stars, like Clint Eastwood.