TV Review: Il commissario Montalbano (1999-2021)

Il commissario Montalbano (1999-2021) directed by Alberto Sironi based on the novels by Andrea Camilleri

Inspector Salvo Montalbano (Luca Zingaretti) is the head of police in Vigata, a fictional town on Sicily. His life would seem to be idyllic with his seaside home where he goes for a swim every morning. But people being people, plenty of crimes occur even in an idyllic seaside town. His station has a lot of other officers who help him investigate, from the lowly (and comic relief) Catarella (Angelo Russo), who answers the phones and does computer work (a rarer skill in the early 2000s) to Augello (Cesare Bocci) and Fazio (Peppino Mazzotta), the main subordinates who do a lot of the leg work. Montalbano occasionally deals with his supervisor, a police chief with political ambitions from a nearby town. The cast also includes Montalbano's long-distance girlfriend Livia (Katharina Bohm) who comes to visit often and is just as often put off by Montalbano because of his duties. So she's long-distance and long-suffering. An assortment of other characters recur, like his cook and some other friends.

The police work is more like a cozy mystery, with a lot of interviews and figuring out what happened based on evidence and testimony. Each show has some action sequences, typically a group of officers searching a building or area for a suspect or a vital clue. Sometimes there is a car chase, though Italian driving being what it is, a lot of the times I was nervous watching how aggressively they drove in the tight streets of the town even when they weren't chasing someone. They mysteries are satisfying, usually having two or three different crimes that tie together by the end of the episode.

The first ten episodes represent the first four seasons of the show (from 1999 to 2002). The episodes range from an hour and a half to two hours, so basically each one is a feature-length movie. The entire series is 37 episodes spanning over twenty years, with most years having two or four episodes and some years skipped. I've enjoyed them immensely (the one where he adopts a dog who was the seeing-eye dog of a murdered blind man was my favorite) and will keep watching.

The show would probably be rated TV-MA in America, because a lot of topless women show up, sometimes in sexual situations that are brief but striking. They have appeared in almost every episode I have watched so far. Is all Italian TV like that? The characters use salty language sometimes too. The violence is fairly minimal, like on Columbo or Murder, She Wrote. It's there but it is not particularly gory and is usually off-screen.

Recommended--highly for adults.

This series is available streaming on Kanopy, available from local libraries.

Book Review: The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

Four British women flee the rainy, dull end of winter at home for a month-long holiday in a small castle in Italy. Mrs. Wilkins saw an ad in the newspaper that caught her eye, promising flowers and sunshine. She noticed another patron at her club, someone she barely knows from church, staring at the same spot in the paper. Miraculously she talked to Mrs. Arbuthnot about the ad and they started making plans to go without their husbands. The cost was pricey, so they advertised for other women to come, winding up with older, widowed Mrs. Fisher and younger, single Lady Caroline Dester. Having little in common other than the desire to get away seems like a recipe for disaster but the Italian castle's atmosphere brings out the best in them as they get past their inner barriers and open themselves to beauty and love.

On the face of it, this looks like the sort of book I would never be interested in--the inner monologues of unhappy women brought together by circumstance. Instead of wallowing in their misery (I am looking at you, Joy Luck Club), they have a transformative experience that is unexpected and delightful (for the reader and the characters). They learn about their suffering, which comes from a combination of external factors and their own choices and dispositions. They realize they can change as they learn more about each other and open theirselves up to goodness. The tale is so sweet and uplifting, I am glad to have read it.

Recommended.

This book is discussed on A Good Story Is Hard to Find Podcast #350. Check it out!

Sample quote, Mrs. Wilkins describing her home life:

"The great thing is to have lots of love about. I don't see," she went on, "at least I don't see here, though I did at home, that it matters who loves as long as somebody does. I was a stingy beast at home, and used to measure and count. I had a queer obsession about justice. As though justice mattered. As though justice can really be distinguished from vengeance. It's only love that's any good. At home I wouldn't love Mellersh [her husband] unless he loved me back, exactly as much, absolute fairness. Did you ever. And as he didn't, neither did I, and the aridity of that house!" [p. 109]

Food in Europe 2023

We did a lot of cooking in our airbnbs, but we went out to eat too on our European trip. Here's some highlights!

Outside of Stonehenge, we went to The Wheatsheaf Pub where I had a Steak and Tangle Foot Pie (Tangle Foot being a beer used in cooking). It came with a mashed potato bed, braised carrots, kale, and a Badger beer (the brewery that makes Tangle Foot) gravy. It was yummy and the quote outside the pub was groovy. 

Steak and Tangle Foot Pie

A Sting by any other name would be as loquacious

When visiting Winchester, we had some Chinese food in a shop along the high street. It was quite delicious though not as quick as I would have liked.

Arty shot of steamed dumplings and noodle soup

At Mottisfont (a National Trust property) we had a snack. I had a scone with clotted cream and jam. It was delicious.

A British classic, with tea, of course!

Whilst staying in Harrogate, we went over to Ripley, a small town on the way to Ripon. Ripley has a castle but more importantly it has fantastic ice cream!

English Butter Toffee Ice Cream

Ripley Town Square

One of the many beers I tried was Hobgoblin Ruby Red, which was a delicious red beer that was smooth and tasty.

Hobgoblin Ruby Red

In Spain, I tried the local beer, Estrella Damm. It was a typical lager, ok for a hot day. 

The local lager

For a snack, we got some baked goods. We ordered a churro, macaroons glued together by caramel, raspberry cakes, and a large slice of chocolate cake. The cake was ordered by our youngest. He did share with the rest of us.

"What have I done?!?"

In Sete, France, we stopped for a snack and I had a Nutella-filled crepe. We had a little trouble ordering because the waiter thought we wanted a regular meal, some fish item, and he couldn't figure out why we'd want Nutella with it. Fortunately, it got sorted.

Crepe and cream

Later, the kids stayed home and had pasta while we parents had a little date at a waterside cafe two blocks from our place. Since Sete is by the Mediterranean, seafood was a common item. We ordered a half liter of sangria, the mussels appetizer, and grilled tuna with potatoes and salad for the main course.

Having already poured half the pitcher

Great presentation (except for potatoes on the salad)

On the train trip to Sete, we drank water, when we were awake. We also packed sandwiches--French bread, cheese, and ham (though no picture).

Refreshing

My daughter and I got some simple plates for lunch in Nimes. They were delicious but minimalist on the serving size. I am glad I did not get an alcoholic drink to go with it!

Manchego and potatoes

Ham and potato croquettes

Later, we had some ice cream. I had a scoop of banana chocolate with another scoop of cherry on top.

Nimean ice cream

Our last day in Sete we bought some special treats from the local bakery which we had sampled the day before.

Sampling

Unnamable joys

In Lyon, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant. I had the pineapple chicken, which was delightful.

My favorite fruit

On the train, we tried a new flavor of potato chip, Herbes de Provence. It was just okay

Now with authentic French potatoes!

We tried some bakery treats we brought with us. Swiss rolls were yummy, even if Switzerland was not too far into our future. Sete's Zezettes are sweet bread sticks that hit the spot.

Two treats in one photo!

In Switzerland, my wife and daughter got cheese fondue for dinner while I had another Swiss dish, spatzli with melted Valais Raclette cheese. It was scrumptious.

Fondue!

Spatzli

The next day, we went the Restaurant Altes Tramdepot, which brews its own beer along with serving food and ice cream. I had a tall glass of their wheat beer, which is one of the best (a regional standard, so no surprise). We ordered other local (or localish) foods--a pretzel and rosti--a shredded potato dish with various things on top. Mine had baked onions, cheese, and a fried egg.

Restaurant

Weissbeir

A great pretzel

So many toppings, it's hard to see the potatoes!

We had more rosti at a restaurant on top of the hill south of town the next day.

rosti with sausage and onion gravy

For dessert, we had some chocolate from a local store. Counts as Swiss chocolate, right?

Swiss chocolates

Our last meal in Bern was at an McCarthy's Irish Pub! I had fish and chips, but the beer was a local brew.

Two countries in one meal!

On our first day in Italy, the first meal the kids wanted was pizza. We went to a shop that offered individual pizzas, but they were so big that we had leftovers to take back to our apartment.

A pizza as big as me

The next night we went to a regular restaurant where I ordered my favorite, carbonara, that tasted great. My kids commented on the lack of vegetables. I've modified the recipe to add onions, peppers, and mushrooms to make it even healthier, though less authentic.

Pure, Italian carbonara

On our way back to our apartment, we stopped for gelato. I had biscotti-flavored cream that was super-delicious.

Yum!

Enjoying his own

The next day was Sunday, so we went to the Duomo for an early Mass. Then we went for a treat at Princi, a small bakery chain in the area that makes amazing pastries. I had a banana-cream cheese pastry. We also had a plain brioche, a chocolate brioche, a croissant/brioche hybrid, and a piece of cheesecake (we think). They are great and we'd gladly go back. 

Princely pastries

Our last meal out in Milan was at Pepe & Sale, a restaurant with all the local dishes. I tried the eggplant parmesan, which was appetizer-sized. My wife got the PepeSale pizza with local sausage on it. My son ordered a cutlet with tuna sauce on it, though when it came it looked like a plate of nothing but sauce. A little exploring discovered the very thinly-sliced pork underneath.

Eggplant parm

The house pizza

Is this just hummus?

He also ordered potatoes on the side, which turned out to be a delightful hybrid between fries and chips.

Best potatoes ever?

We ordered desert--panna cotta in rich chocolate sauce and tiramisu. They were both delightful, inspiring a desire to make them at home!

Lucious panna cotta

Tiramisu 

Our last trip was to Como, Italy. After a ride on a boat, we had a snack at one of the local bakeries. We had a strange soda that tasted sweet and slightly bitter. I had an apple strudel and my wife had a biscotto.

Pastries and soda

Lunch was my first taste of local beer, Peroni's Grand Riserva, which was a nice red beer.

I should have filled the glass first!

For lunch, I ordered the lasagne alla bolognese, which was shorter than I was expecting. 

Lasagne

It was delicious and I shared some of the other dishes (pizza and a tuna steak) from the other members of my family.

Como, Italy

Our last adventure was a train trip to Como, Italy. The original train we booked was canceled, which was a problem since we had set up a boat tour starting at 9 a.m. After some panicked work at Milan's central train station, we had an alternate train that just barely made it. We took a taxi from the Como train station over to the docks, where we started our boat tour.

A view of the city from the water

The Black Pearl and driver

More of the city on the lake

The driver pointed out the Volta Museum, dedicated to Allesandro Volta, the inventor of the battery and Como citizen. The kids were happy because we visited on a Monday and the museum was closed. On the other side of the picture below is the town's World War II memorial. 

Volta and WWII honored

Leaving the city behind

The view north

Hotels along the lake

Construction still going on, a sign of vitality

More villas

Us on the boat

The guide pointed out a lot of the villas that are owned privately or are civic buildings that get used for weddings and film locations. 

Romantic view of the area

A little town with its church

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel is a high-end property that has its own dock, a pool in the lake, and an area for guests to sun themselves.

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

This house was originally built by a Russian aristocrat. It's only accessible by water or the elevator in the upper left of the photo. It's now owned by the head of Apple in France.

Russian Villa

More of the lake

Back by Como

More of the town

We really enjoyed the boat tour of the lake. Keeping up a vacation theme, we rode the funicular train up from Como to Brunate. It is a very popular attraction, though we did not have to wait too long to ride up.

Funicular Station in Como

The train

View from the Brunate station

View on the other side of the mountain

Enjoying the view

Not far from the station is the church of St. Andrew the Apostle. All the buildings up there are on the hillside, so there's always some stairs to climb or ramps to go up.

St. Andrew's

Nave

Main altar

Back of the church

Like most every other old church in Italy, the art is fantastic.

An unidentified saint

Trinity dome

Symbol of John the Evangelist over St. Joseph and toddler Jesus

Nativity fresco

Fake statue!

Saint in chains

We thought about going out to the lighthouse, but it was a half-hour hike and we were out of water. A jeep takes people over in ten minutes but the line was long to get on (and it was a little pricey). We headed back down the mountain.

Happy riders

View of Como

More of Como

Back in Como, we found a small beach and enjoyed the water a tiny bit.

Checking water temps

A swan nearby

The swan getting close

Back by the harbor

A last view of the lake

Como is a great place to visit.