Thursday/Rāpare
We started the day at the other Ferrari Museum - this is where Ferrari's are manufactured and there is a test track. We did not see any cars on the track. Here is the Prancing Horse which has been slightly modified each year. It first came out in July 1932 when a friend of Enzo Ferrari said if you paint a horse on each of your cars you will have good luck.
Enzo Ferrari 1898-1988.
Proof I was there.
Bill took photos of me taking photos for the blog. (These ones didn't make it into the blog.)
Just some of the trophies in the trophy room.
Bill test driving a Ferrari. (A Ferrari simulator, Ed.)
The steering wheel is really something.
Then it was time to pick Chiara and Lachie up from the airport, and all drive to Reggio Emilia. We arrive at Chiara's Ficarelli / Prandini home (Paolo and Manuela's.) I take a few photos before lunch. This is Lachie and Chiara in the main living room.
Lachie, Bill and I, and Paolo setting the table in the background.
Then we had the most beautiful Italian pastas - ravioli, salad and bread. I had forgotten salad was coming so I had an extra helping of each of the pumpkin and spinach pastas. It was the best pasta I have ever had! We are in Emilia-Romagna!
This is Chiara and Manuela at the table.
Then a tour of the house. This was the house of the Prandini's - Nonna (Grandma) and Nonno (Grandpa). Manuela was 10 when her parents bought it. Then Manuela and Paulo came back to Reggio Emilia to live six months ago after stays in nine different countries - Philippines, South Africa, Malawi, France, US, Germany and I don't remember the others. Paulo can speak German, Italian, English and French fluently. His English is better than mine and I have no other language I can speak fluently. (Bill says if imagination was a language I would be fluent in that!) Chiara can speak Italian, French and English fluently; Manuela Italian, German and English. Lachie has had a little over a year in Italy and went to Italian classes, and understands better than he can speak, and to me is fluent enough. This is Lachie, Paulo and Bill.
Nonna and Nonno have their apartment upstairs. Nonna is 87 and Nonno 93.
Nonno has recently had a fall and he is recovering. Nonna did all our washing. She is reasonably active and is Nonno's mate - mine too extra specially when she did our washing. Nonno before his fall 2 months ago, was biking around Reggio Emelia - now he is recovering. There are no Ryman retirement villages in Reggio. Family often look after their parents.
Chiara and Lachie are in a bedroom on the top floor which is along from Nonna and Nonno's apartment. Paolo and Manuela live on the middle floor. Chiara has one older brother the same age as Lachie called Mattia. He is a medical researcher in London. Here is Manuela and Bill outside this beautiful family home.
Then the building has shops on the other side from the house. Paolo and Manuela lease these out.
The next room along to the left of the one above is a jewel. It is where Paolo makes the family inherited balsamic vinegar. Emilia Romagna is the home of balsamic vinegar. These barrels each hold a vintage of balsamic vinegar. The little one is the oldest and the others feed into each other and into it. They are made out of vintage wood. Manuela has the inheritance because only women can inherit the vinegar, Paolo does the work with the inheritance. Every year he takes off the vinegar and mixes it with another barrel to mature, or to use. The oldest barrel here is 1970.
This is Paulo and Bill. The room has been set aside for this - it has to be hot in the summer and cold in the winter, with no light. Paulo and Manuela do not sell their balsamic vinegar, it is passed around family and friends. Chiara is bringing some to New Zealand in December.
Then an outing to where Paulo grew up, the family farm.
In this shed there is the same balsamic vinegar barrels with balsamic vinegar that the ones at Ficarelli/ Prandini's came from. Balsamic vinegar started off as a cottage industry, with many Emilian families distilling and then redistilling local wine to form the dark liquor that is then matured in wooden barrels for at least twelve years.
We sampled the family balsamic vinegar at lunch and it was the best balsamic vinegar I have had! We also had strawberries and ice cream and balsamic vinegar. I couldn't think of anything worse. I had to eat my words, it was sensational. We were treated to the balsamic vinegar from the oldest and smallest barrel. It was like nothing I have tasted - a sweet port maybe, but with a far more original fruity flavour and non-alcoholic. It was delicious!
This is Paulo's mother Lori, with Chiara and Lachie. She has the most gorgeous smile and soft skin.
Paola’s Dad wanted him to take over from his business. His Dad was a vet. This would have been easy for him. And he tried. He went to vet school and for six years after that he worked on the farm and learnt a lot in the business. But he just could not do it forever and he ended up carving his own path. He became an agricultural consultant helping with development in many countries, mostly working for a German Government development agency, in many countries around the world. Here is Paulo with his sister who is a nurse and takes care of Lori.
This is a family photo when they were all younger.
Then in the evening it was to a favourite restaurant cafe of Chiara's called Papare for an aperitivo and a walk of Regio Emilia's piazzas. Everybody has left town for the summer holidays so it was quieter than normal. Here are Lachie and Chiara again.
And then to the best ice cream shop in Italy (says Chiara) for an ice cream - she was right!
