Italian Truffle Enters the Guinness Book of Records

The previous record belonged to Croatia.  It was black and weighed 1.31 kg.  The record stood since 1999.  Then in 2014, the Italian whites took over.  It was a year to remember in the world of truffles.

The story begins with the weather in 2014.  The summer rains of record disappointed vacationers, but, at the same time, delighted passionate truffle lovers.  Then, beginning inRay autumn, truffle hunters continued to discover fantastic treasures hidden in the earth and brought to light by dogs with an excellent sense of smell.  (See my post from October 2014 on the Lagotto Romagnola, the Italian dog that hunts for truffles.)

On November 3 or 4, a white truffle of almost a chilo and a half (1,483 to be precise) was discovered in the woods in the province of Campobasso in the Region of Molise.  Italy was confirmed the country of “tuber magnatum” for the Guinness records.

But not so fast.  There wasn’t even enough time to register the new weight when a week later it needed to be corrected.

Give credit to Ray, the dog who went in search of truffles with his owner Matteo in Bassa Romagna (province of Ravenna, region of Emilia-Romagna) and excavated a white one of a good 1.878 kilograms, at least 400 grams larger than the Molinese one.  But it doesn’t end there.

largest truffleOn November 27 this incredible white truffle was unearthed in central Italy (Umbria region) with a weight of almost 1.89 kilograms (about the size of an American football).  Then the title of the largest in the world was bestowed on this one.  The owner Sabatino Truffleswas Sabatino Truffles (American headquarters are in West Haven, Connecticut), the Italian company of the Balestra family who has exported truffles around the world since 1911. The company put the truffle up for auction at Sotheby’s the next week in New York with the proceeds to go to charity.  Many preliminary offers came from China, Dubai, etc, estimated at more than a million dollars.  If Sotheby'sthis had been confirmed, it would have established a new record of sale for the priciest white truffle.  But, in fact, the price at auction was $61,250.  The truffle was acquired by a Taiwanese gourmand by telephone.

Posted in Cucina italiana, English, Foto | 2 Comments

Dove il gioco del calcio è davvero la religione

Giocare e pregare vanno bene insieme in Vaticano,  dove si tiene un torneo di calcio, che è Calcio con i pretigrande, e sempre più grande.  “La Coppa Clericus” coinvolge più di 350 sacerdoti, diaconi e seminaristi che giocano nell’evento ogni anno.

Il libro delle regole della Coppa Clericus, come la Bibbia,  contiene alcuni comandamenti.  Il primo è  “non commettere un fallo su un avversario che ha un percorso libero per la rete.”   Se un giocatore non ubbidirà, la punizione non è la carta rossa o gialla.  È una carta blu che conduce ad una versione del purgatorio del calcio:  5 minuti di viaggio ai margini per una riflessione spirituale.

Il PapaIn Vaticano, fede e calcio sono entrambi considerati essenziali, secondo il Papa.  “È bello quando la parrocchia ha un club sportivo.  Manca qualcosa quando non ce ne è uno,” dice Papa Francesco, che supporta il calcio argentino.  Ma il Papa non ha una squadra favorita tra le 16 che giocheranno per 2 mesi all`inizio di marzo.    Il torneo si è giocato in cima al colle all’interno della Città del Vaticano al Campo che si chiama Colombo Pio XI, un luogo con un tappeto erboso artificiale ma anche con una vista mozzafiato sulla Basilica di San Pietro.

I giocatori dicono che uno degli aspetti più appaganti del gioco è vedere come i giocatori si I vincitoririuniscono in una squadra e vedere come il legame si rafforza durante tutto il torneo.

La Coppa Clericus  è uno dei pochi eventi calcistici internazionali che è stata vinta dal Nord America.  I “North American Martyrs” hanno vinto nel 2012 e nel 2013.  Ma a volte il mondo fisico e spirituale si scontrano.  Quest’anno “I Martiri” non hanno il lore bravo goleador perchè si e` ferito a un ginocchio.  Lui deve essere in grado di genuflettersi poiche` è un sacerdote.  Quindi si è ritirato presto del gioco per il bene comune.trophy

Posted in Italiano, Lo Sport, Vaticano | 1 Comment

Where soccer truly is religion

Playing and praying go well together at the Vatican, which holds a soccer tournament that’s Calcio con i pretibig and getting bigger.  The Clericus Cup involves more than 350 priests, deacons, and seminarians from the Vatican who play in the annual event.

The rule book of the Clericus Cup, like the Bible, contains certain commandments.  The first is, “do not commit a foul on an opponent who has a free path to the goal.”  If a player does not obey, the punishment is not a red card or a yellow card.  It is a blue card that leads to soccer’s version of purgatory:  a 5-minute trip to the sidelines for spiritual reflection.

Il PapaIn the Vatican, faith and soccer are both considered essential, according to the Pope.  “It’s beautiful when a parish has a sports club.  Something is missing without one,” says Pope Francis, who supports Argentinian soccer.  But the Pope does not have a favorite team among the 16 that will play for two months beginning in March.  The tournament is played on a hilltop in Vatican City on Columbus Pius XI Field, a place with artificial turf but also a breathtaking view of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The players say that that one of the most satisfying aspects of the game is to see how players I vincitoricome together as a team and to see how the bond strengthens throughout the tournament.

The Clericus Cup is one of the few international soccer events that is dominated by North America.  The North American Martyrs won in 2012 and 2013.  But at times the physical and spiritual worlds collide.  This year the Martyrs will not have a high-scoring forward who injured his knee.  He must be able to genuflect when he becomes a priest.  So he is retiring early for a greater good.trophy

Posted in English, Foto, Italia, Lo Sport, Vaticano | 2 Comments