Countryhouse Number 2

After Christmas, we went back to Florence for one night, before heading out to another house in the countryside, this time on the other side of Florence. We were hosting, this time, so there was a lot of work to do. We had to heat and set up the house, and cook massive amounts of food (this will have a separate post). It was certainly fun to help out in the kitchen, and I learned a lot about Italian cooking. A key point that I noticed, was how simple the ingredients were. Most of the food we made involved very few "exotic" ingredients (though some cheeses might seem exotic to some Canadians). And it always turns out so good.

Though cooking did take up a good amount of time, I did manage to go for a few walks around the countryside. The first day I wandered around, finding overgrown roads crisscrossing in the trees. I made it my goal to get to the top of a small hill nearby, despite it getting dark and being unable to see anything because of the trees.

Otherwise it was pretty uneventful. It was certainly my tamest New Years in a while (though perhaps the most delicious!).  We had a few other couples over, and ate tons of lentils for fortune in the new year, as well as many other items (31 by my host moms count!). In fact, the evening went a little like this: appetisers, pasta, main course with meats, vegetables, and lentils, dessert, fireworks and champagne, and then it had been at least two hours since anyone had eaten, so a midnight snack of fruit, nuts and chocolate was required. 

Between dessert and snack, roughly 11:15 pm, the men decided it was about time for fireworks. The women all tried to stop them, asking to wait until midnight, but in vain. And so began a one hour session of fireworks. I'm not the biggest fan of fireworks - they're too loud, smelly, produce garbage and release chemicals - but it was amusing to watch a bunch of grown men shouting, dancing and singing with happiness as they light explosive items. I also enjoyed watching the fireworks go off at nearby houses and towns.