Italy is one big moveable feast
30 May 2009
Italy is one big moveable feast – come prepared to indulge yourself
- 'Lonely planet guide to Mediterranean Europe'
With so much to see in the neighbouring Italian capital of Rome, Ballarat’s crew, in Italy as part of Northern Trident 2009 (NT09), were keen to cross the gangway early in order to see the remnants of ancient Rome, the splendour of renaissance art or to simply experience the buzz of a city of 2.8 million inhabitants. No matter whether their priority was seeing the Colosseum, Michelangelo’s sculptures or simply indulging in some retail therapy in the cobble stone laneways of Rome, they all had one experience in common, the fabulous food on offer in Italy.
“A Colazione (breakfast) of custard cornetto (croissant) and an espresso was the perfect on the run brekkie before catching the train into Rome to see the sights” said Seaman Officer SBLT Brett Schulz.
Many of the ship’s company chose to navigate the streets of Rome by foot as the tourist sites were all within walking distance. Walking the streets of Rome allowed them to experiences the sights and sounds first hand but it also quickly contributed to them having a ferocious appetite and sore feet.
“After walking between the sites all morning, a stop at the Trattoria (family restaurant) in the little side street for a lunch of al’amatriciana (tomato, pancetta and chilli pasta) was great, as I was totally starved by then. All the exploring in Rome gave us some aching feet so stopping in the Piazza’s cafés in the afternoon for an espresso or gelato was a welcome break. We just sat and watched the world go by” said Seaman Marine Technician Jami McDougall.
“The insalata caprese (salad made from tomatos and Mozzarella di bufala) we had at the Trattoria for dinner was awesome. The mozzarella is made from Italian buffalo milk so it was very smooth and creamy while the tomatoes were ripe and bright red, nothing like the store brought ones” said Systems Engineering Officer LEUT Fiona Eggins.
However, eating out was not the only gastronomic adventure Ballarat’s crew experienced. Chief Petty Officer Cryptologic Linguist, Wayne Pengilly was instructed on the fine art of making traditional Bruschetta by the cook at the Ristorante he ate at on his trip to Rome.
“The cook not only told me how to make it using traditional methods, he allowed me to visit the kitchen for a demonstration, provided me the names of the best local ingredients and also the directions to the closest salumerie (delicatessen-like grocer’s store) to stock up on the ingredients so I could make brushetta back in the Mess for everyone” said CPO Pengilly.
The brushetta, in addition to the cheese and antipasto provided by Chief Petty Officer Coxswain Peter Hilton and Chief Petty Officer Stores Naval Shane Dawson, provided the Chief Petty Officers’ Mess with a true Italian style smorgasbord onboard on the last night of Ballarat’s visit to Civitavecchia.
