The Kerstens in Italy- Il dolce far niente

Back home and I am different

2008-10-31T06:10:00.002+01:00

The joy of a bag is understood by girlfriends and my 'Patricia Bag' is one such joy. I even googled it the other day and had a real giggle at this posting.

"Dolce & Gabbana Patricia tote bag may eat flies.....

It's not just me, is it? Doesn't this bag look like a wide mouthed frog? The bulbous eyes at the bottom of the handles and the seam for the mouth? No? Well if you can't see it or if you want a bag that looks like an amphibian, it's available at Neiman Marcus for $785. Ribbit. "

Well mine is dark green and has its own seat in the car..

Coming back has been about chasing after the ingredients to replicate the food experience we had, thank goodness for Cremelat. My approach to cooking has simplified with a focus on fresh and seasonal produce. I made bruschetta for book club on wednesday using fresh broad beans made into a pesto with chocolate mint, handfull of pecorino, glugs of olive oil and fresh lemon. Fresh porcinis are available too and wonderful in risotto.
Next thing is to source local buffalo mozzarello rather than buying the imported ones, looking forward to a summer of caprese salads.

The holiday sits with me, remembering friends, places, walking, eating and the pervading Catholicism of each place we visitied, glorious Renaisance art and sculpture, such a special time.

Of Churches and Shoes in Florence

2008-09-30T09:18:00.005+02:00

The views from the Duomo gave us a perspective on Florence and the 4 of us spent our day being 'cultural', as best Fred and Brian can be cultured. Explored Santa Croce, Michelangelo's tomb and Cimabue cross among others. Glorious bright blue day and so good to be out and about.

Di and I had the best of time in the Musee

Salvatore Ferragamo, he was the original Italian shoemaker to the Hollywood stars and royalty, we spent a delicious hour looking at the most exquisite shoes!

We had a celebratory dinner for Bri and Di's 20th anniversary at a Trattoria, loads of Chianti good meat,chicken and for me Tortino di Carciofi, a delicate and refines artichoke omelette.

Now off to find some art and sculpture!

On the edge of Corsica

2008-09-28T07:13:00.007+02:00

We were literally and figuratively blown away by our visit to Bonifacio

on the southern most tip of Corsica, it is an intriguing town hanging precariously on the edge of the chalk cliffs.

We had such a great day of walking the ramparts and exploring the place.

Whichever way we looked were awesome views.

It was a great way to finish of this leg off our trip with yet more steps, this time the 'escalier du roi' which are 187 hand carved steps in the chalk cliff leading at 45 degrees down to the sea, strange and special climb down and up, Fred had his last swim in the Med too.

We enjoyed the french, both being able to talk and be understood, and finding french food, baguette to take home for supper and we had a vast plate of Mediteranean food for lunch - artichokes, courgettes, roasted peppers, tapenade, terrine, salade de chevre chaud, tarte de la tomate washed down with wine and water. The Med is the place for good food!

Birding in Italy:

I have been taking my binocs with me on all our walks and the birding has been low key, in fact they shoot them here as I saw one day on the Amalfi.

So my list is mostly the common birds one will expect to see. I did have a great sighting from the ferry across to Corsica though, the Cory's Shearwater, which is a seabird of the Mediteranean, which I was chuffed to see. The gull here is also new for me, it the Yellow-legged and also a bird of the Med. Another quirky sighting was the Spotless Starling, south of the Pyrenees one finds a plainer, oiler looking starling than the European Starling, so my list has grown.

We are now on our way to Florence to meet up with Bri and Di who are coming across from Spain. Looking forward to seeing them and chaffing wine!

Sardinian ports, marinas and local food highlights

2008-09-26T19:13:00.009+02:00

Corsica didn't happen today, we left the passports behind!

So, closer to home we had great walks along the Olbia port as well as at the Marina of Porto Rotondo, which I reckon is the best I have experienced anywhere in the world.
I was determined to find good food today for lunch that speaks to local Sardinian highlights. We went into the old town of Olbia and that's me above looking for a good restaurant that was not filled with tourists. I was not disappointed, we had a feast.

Firstly the island is famous for 'pane Carasau' a paper thin bread that the 'pastori' would take with them into the mountains and is now served with food in restaurants. Pecorino sardo, reaches great heights here in Sardinia and forms the backbone to many of their dishes, we tried two for lunch and had the ewe's milk cheese after the meal too.
The real treat were the 'culingiones' which are a Sardinian ravioli stuffed with potatoes, pecorino, garlic and served with a tomato sauce, loved it! The other meal was also a local staple, layers of bread and pecorino baked with egg and milk, hint of mint until light and fluffy, also really yummy with loads of insalata miste, a mixed salad.

Fred' Chirp

There is a marina around every corner in Sardinia. In fact Sardinia boasts the highest density of marinas in the World. Clearly this place has become the newly discovered playground for the European. The concentration of boats is something to see and we had a pleasant afternoon walking this particular marina and enjoying the vaste array of boats on display. Which reminds me, I have never seen an empty marina ,I have never seen a busy marina , boats coming and going. I only ever get to see marinas "on display" where the boats just bob around , looking fantastic, and waiting patiently for someone to spend some time in them.

Say Henk. lets you and me put our money together and buy one of these playthings. No..............not the red one, No..........not one of the blue ones, the white one silly!

Eat, Walk, Discover

2008-09-26T08:56:00.006+02:00

With thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert.

It has taken time to settle into Sardinia after the bucolic scenery of Tuscany and Umbria and the majesty of mountains and sea along the Amalfi Coast. I am intrigued with the interior of this large island, its size did surprise me as did its population of 2 million...

crumbling stone walls forming paddocks and pastures,
sheep, cows,
parched fields, olives and vineyards, plowed fields waiting for the autumn rains

hooded crows on every telephone line and in the fields
ramshackle farmsteads

rocky outcrops

mountians with sea views

stunted oaks and maples turning red

As we turned one of the corners on our drive across the island to the north western town of Alghero, we were stopped by a shepherd herding his flock of sheep. The noise was astounding, each sheep has a huge bell and I felt as though I was eventually seeing, and certainly hearing, Sardinia.

The wonder of the day was the discovery of the Nuraghe of Sardinia, the Bronze Age, megalithic structures of the interior. There are apparently over 8000 nuraghi in the interior of Sardinia. We spent time at the Nuraghe Santu Antine, which has the central cylindrical tower, a system of ogive corridors and vaults and it was intriguing and its gravitas compelling. Special in the late afternoon sun on a beautiful plain near Thiesi.

From Hemmingway to Garibaldi

2008-09-25T08:25:00.008+02:00

There is no connection between these two men, except for me... visiting their remote island homes. To get to Garibaldi's home and museum here in Sardinia, involved traversing the island from Cagliari to Costa Smeralda, taking the ferry from Palau across to La Maddalena and then the sea bridge to the Caprera Island, to eventually finding his remote windswept island retreat where he lived his last 27 years after his years of battles across Europe. A soulful experience and a treat for Fred as he loves all forms of history.

Garibaldi planted this wonderful pine over 150 years ago on the birth of one of his daughters in the courtyard of the home....

Why Hemmingway? I felt the same way about the remoteness of getting to Key West to visit his home and also loved the intimacy of seeing all the personal trappings of a key figure.

More so was how I did not appreciate all the development along the way, to get to Key West was endless island hopping along an urban ribbon of motor dealers et al; here in Sardinia, mindless development of middle class holiday accomodation on the Costa Smeralda. Although La Maddalena has a more authentic feel, this is the view from the ferry approach.

We too are staying in the same type of accommodation that I decry! Timeshare can be and is random in what one gets, but it is a bed and we have some lovely day trips planned across Sardinia and over to Corsica. And when you get away from the centres the scenery here in Sardinia is wild and captivating.

Do we have a reincarnation here that the world has yet to discover? Brian was nicknamed Garibaldi as a youngster, stranger things have happened.

Walking the paths on Capri

2008-09-23T07:59:00.005+02:00

Our exploring of Capri took us into the top left hand corner of the map above to see the famed "Farraglione', the fascinating rock structures out to sea. They were spectacular too, as was the colour of the sea, deep inky blue with turquoise! Fabulous walking again.

We had no expectations of Capri and felt like accidental tourists, stumbling around and were impressed by what we saw, not least of which is the shopping, could be along any Parisian boulevard with all the high-end brands, Shawni this is just for you as we never got to a Prada shop:

Have to show you this accidental photo of Fred swimming on Capri, I snapped this only afterwards saw Mount Versuvius is in the background...

Breakfast in a beautiful place

2008-09-22T08:09:00.006+02:00

I read a blog article on the garden here at Hotel Palazzo Murat which gave me the name of a glorious tree that I have not yet encountered on my travels, the Chorisia speciosa. Lynda of the New Zealand Garderner describes it as 'armour-plated with fat spines.. in summer it produces pink flowers like Oriental lilies'. Its in full bloom above us at breakfast and Fred has been taking lots of photos in the garden this morning.

"Pathway of the Gods" - Walking to Positano

2008-09-21T19:21:00.008+02:00

I felt reluctant to get going this morning, my body was feeling rebelious about the 10 kilometers to Positano. Once we got started and beyond the steps leading out of Vettica Maggiore we were on the high contour paths leading to Positano. It was peaceful and beautiful and by far my favourite day, Maria tells me this is the famous walk in the Amalfi and I can see why, we loved being out, feeling great and walking strongly. As you can see from the photos the views are quite breathtaking.

'Passagiatta' in Italian refers not only to walking but to the pasttime of taking a stroll at sunset and often with a 'gelato' in hand, which is what we have been doing through our travels, so today we strolled along the waterfront here in Positano. We have agreed that 50 kilometers along this coast is a good walk so tomorrow we will try something different. Well done and thank you Fred for helping me over the last year to get walking fit to do what we have just done, you have been a wonderful support and of course 'packhorse' with all our kit. Baci!

We are on our balcony having a beer shandy with the lights of Positano

around us. The Hotel Pallazzo Murat is gentile with beautiful gardens and I am delighted to be were I find myself.

Conca dei Marini to Vettica Maggiore

2008-09-20T19:28:00.005+02:00

We are midway on our walk across the Amalfi Coast, the map shows the small fishing villages along the coast that we walked today - 8 kilometers. Guide book describes it as a 'fine walk that involves two climbs - take them gently', I tried.

Made one mistake and sent us both clammering up a rope climb to a cave before realising that it could not possibly be the path!

Once again such a priviledge to be here walking, clear skies after yesterday's rain, some wind to keep us cool.

Glorious views, as we walked the paths....

The guide book also recommended having lunch at Serafino Agritourismo about an hour from the end of the walk, so can quaff wine with the meal. It was one of those icon meals in a space that we will not forget, Dom is third generation on the farm which has a vast area of terraces along the slope of the mountain above Praiano.

All the ingredients for our vast feast came from their own farm!

Antipasta: lattaria cheese, courgettes in olive oil, thinly sliced and fried aubergines, tomatoes on bruschetta, prosciutto, salami and pancetta....this was the starter!

Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli in homemade tomato sauce

Oven baked goats cheese with smoked ham in lemon leaves served with ripe tomato salad in loads of olive oil.

Fruit from the garden - pears and white grapes picked from the vine where we were eating.

Dolce was biscotti, pineapple/yoghurt cake with ice cold lemoncella.

Makes for two very happy and sated walkers!

We are booked into Hotel Tramonto D'Oro, music blaring from a wedding next door and the church bells are ringing determinedly with CNN in the background - crikey is this peaceful Italy? ...

We did get to swim in the Med at last after yet again navigating 400 steps both ways, my thighs feel like tight drums.

Moody day here on the Amalfi

2008-09-19T10:02:00.010+02:00

Its been overcast, drizzling with a cool breeze and this different feel of the coast makes for a change from the baking sun. We are Conca dei Marini after our day 3 coastal walk of 5.7 km from Amalfi which took us just over 3 hours, easy walking except for the numerous flights of uneven stone steps which are hard going. I am feeling my knees and cannot decide which is tougher -up or down!

This is a picture that Fred took of me at Santa Rosa Convent, where the nuns were famous for pastries called Sfogliatelle, filo pastries with a custard cream filling, I have been having them whenever I can get my hands on them, light and yummy.

The Conca Marina nestles below a sheer cliff face and we spent time this afternoon on the restaurant deck watching the boats come and go, eavesdropping on a large group of New Yorkers loving their lunch. We limited ourselves to coffee, lemoncella and casata desert as we are full board tonight at Hotel la Terrace.

Our hotel rooms have been a treat so far, huge expansive sea views, mountains surround us and at night we watch the lights along the coastline. Its raining at the moment and this is the view from the room as I am blogging....

2008-09-19T10:02:00.003+02:00

Hiking the Lattari Mountains along the Amalfi

The day 2 hike lived up to its reputation of one of the top 10 walks in the world. We started the hike by heading up through villages above Ravello and we eventually left behind the people, vineyards and sheep with their bells and hiked into the mountains which form a spine along the coastline of the Amalfi.
The sheer cliff faces loom above you as you walk, its quiet and very little bird life except for the crows and the odd falcon. As you walk the lizards scatter into the dry leaves which make for the only sounds.
It’s a long hike; we did about 14 kilometers and also tough going at times as you rise to over 600 meters very quickly. The tiny pink cyclamens were blooming deep in the ravines near the waterfalls.
We stopped at an Osteria in a tiny village with an amazing view and had a sublime bowl of homemade pasta with tomato sauce, aubergines and mozzarella, the joy of good food after a long walk is such a rare pleasure, but less so here in Italy where it is a regular event.
Our hotel here in Amalfi, the Hotel Luna Conventa, was a real treat, feels like we have the presidential suite and once again unbelievable views, best spot for a G&T.

Entertainment along the Amalfi…

The piano concerto at the Villa Rufolo was a gem, the music room has great acoustics and the first piece was Schubert’s La Serenade which is quite beautiful. The evening was memorable, but last night was even more special! Maria, the ATG Route Manager kindly gave us a lift to have dinner with Martie and Marina at their hotel; they are 2 days ahead of us on the walk and were in Vettica Maggiore last night. I loved catching up with Martie, comparing sore knees and feet and just generally reveling in another shared experience, what a wonderful friendship to have. Baci.

Time for a Fred chirp....man this walking is something else , especially with an army rationed backpack weighing 30 Kgrms containing everything from suntan lotion to all the binoculars to every camera lens that I ever owned, Oh then, there is also the 2 litres of water in case we don't find water along the way. The first day for me was all about steps, a real killer on the knees. The second day was all about a seriouss hike. I'm sure no Italians do this and if they do they are sure to bring along their vespa scooters.

Day 1 -Walking from Ravello

2008-09-17T18:20:00.020+02:00

Delighted to have completed the challenge of our first day of walking. We did a round trip from Ravello down to the coastal town of Atrani, then onto Amalfi, which was 11 kilometers and some 6 hours of walking. Had sat in the Amalfi piazza on the way and had sublime pastries and coffee before tackling the endless steps taking us into the hill towns above Amalfi, Postone and Scala. Our day started with a cool wind but we had clear blue skies for the walk.

The views today were quite special and a photographers' dream. The lemon orchards are heavy with fruit, the vines are laden too and the olives are getting fleshier.

steps, steps, and more steps. hard work and we really apprciated the "training" we put in.The rewards for the walking and climbing were some breath-taking views.

An autumn afternoon in Ravello

2008-09-16T19:22:00.005+02:00

We ambled the afternoon away in the piazza, streets and gardens of Ravello. Villa Cimbrone has a spectacular setting with 360 degree views of the Amalfi Coast. I love trees and have fallen hard for the form of the umbrella pines and sweet chestnuts.

Music forms in important part of cultural life in Ravello and we are going to try get into the piano concerto tomorrow night which is part of the summer festival of classical music in the garden of Villa Rufolo.

Our Hotel Giordana room has a view across the hills to Scala and we can hear the kids playing on the Piazza Duomo. The floor is tiled with high gloss patterned tiles with the typical local colours - blue, green, white and red, rather like them.

Off for pizzas, can I claim carbo loading?

The Ferry Ride from Naples to Ravello

2008-09-16T18:56:00.007+02:00

If I am looking pensive in this photo, its because I am feeling just a little intimidated by the thought of walking these hills, Cheryl hope we have done enough powerplate work!

There can be no better way to see this coastline than from the ferry, it is quite spectacular and even more beautiful than the Cape in places. We were not sad to leave frenetic Naples and the serenity of these views makes for such a contrast that the mind reels. Each headland seemed to outdo the last and the towns cling precariously to the hillside as do their vineyards and lemon orchards.
The lemoncello ldrink ast night was thick and luscious.
Sights from the ferry of Seiano, Sorrento and Positano...

2008-09-15T18:46:00.007+02:00

We need a special place on the blog to acknowledge the great time we had with the kids. A great memory , a great week….so here’s a collage of your experience kids

Arriving at Pisa, Italy

Mom and Shawni taking cooking lessons in Umbria

Shawni at the Trevi Fountain

Barry and Shawni in front of the "Gates of Paradise" in Firenze

Mom, Shawni, and Barrry in Monterchi

holding up the proverbial " World" Barry and Shawni at the top of the Siena Campanile

All of us at Assizi
Barry with the two Italian Chefs cooking up a storm in Umbria Barry catching up on some relax time at the Italian Villa
Shawni catching up on some Armani purchases

The family on the Piazza at Siena

no sign of a "Mac" so Barry setlles for second best

Barry sneaks a win against Dad at Bocce
a photographic story is not complete without some Galetaria

2008-09-15T17:54:00.001+02:00

Transition time…

It was tough to say goodbye and leave the kids at Pisa Airport. What a special time we all had together and I loved being with them. Also farewell to all the old friends and new friends we made at La Villa – thank you to everyone for creating an icon holiday. Rosella my friend, well done to us for making it happen.
I leave though with memories and bites! What is it about the northern hemisphere that affects me so, like Nikki in the first week, I am freaking out with all the rashes, bumps and bites; and they are fiercely itchy! So I am not missing the flies or the little creatures that created all the frustration.
Fred and I have spent to last two days getting to Naples, was not a good idea to drive, its far and the coast line has some scenic spots but in the main it was indescribably bleak and grim. We did find a fabulous little ‘pensione’, with a sea view and good coffee. Most probably had my best ever panini at the harbour front of Gaeta; tomato, buffalo mozzarella and proscuitto, all with an amazing view and glorious sun!

We are now in Naples at an ubiquitous Holiday Inn and its familiar and comforting indeed. Naples is hair-raising and has me stressed.
I did call Martie this morning and she and Marina have started their Amalfi walk, they are 2 days ahead of us. We make our way to start our walk tomorrow from Ravello. I have spent a year getting walking fit and the time has arrived. I will keep posting if we have connectivity.

(PS, please keep sending sms’s, however I am not able to reply, I am blocked for some reason.)

2008-09-13T22:35:00.003+02:00

"Arrivederchi Roma". I'd been hearing dad sing this line from an ancient song so many times that it felt a relief to be able to say it......and mean it! Today dad and I headed for a frenetically busy day in Rome. Thanks to Jane (the GPS) and her "minor" detour through the hills of Italy to avoid all toll roads we arrived in Rome at about 9:30am and immediately hopped onto a fantastic typical tourist hop-on-hop-off open top bus. This bus was an absolute must - thanks to Michelle for the heads up! - and allowed us to see all the major sights of Rome. The bus followed a designated tourist route past all the major attractions and had pre-determined stops which people could chose to get off at it. Buses then circulated every fifteen minutes past the stops and the all-day pass ensured we could catch any bus. Our first stop was the ancient and marvelous Colleseum. We had a fantastic time exploring the inside and imagining what the games must have been like in 100 AD! Our next “get-off” point was the majestical St. Peter's Basilica, the queue for which was easily over a km long! We opted to explore the Vatican City and Sistine Chapel but not before a deliciously over priced pizza in a typical café! For all my energy and enthusiasm, the amount of sweaty tourists in the Vatican for mid-September was mind-boggling and challenging at best! We were relieved to hop back on the bus and rest our feet before out last stop off point at the gorgeously trendy Trevi fountain! Rome amazed me with its grandiose statues around almost every corner and surprised me with things that were not as I had imagined. Thanks dad for a fun filled adventure….and who could forget the drive home where we must have said something in the Vatican City to ensure that every possible stressful obstacle which could be thrown in our way was! Arriving home safely, dad and I could happily sing “Arrivederchi Roma”!

2008-09-13T19:28:00.007+02:00

Paying attention to detail and vistas

Our travels around Tuscany and Umbria have taken us to:

Citta di Castello; Pila; Monterchi; Monte Saint Maria Tiberina; Spoleto; Norcia; Castellucio; Pisa; Gubbio; Florence; Citerna; Siena; Lerchi; Assisi; Cortona

I am struck by how I have reveled in the detail of wooden doors, shuttered windows, flowers in pots, creepers on walls, and the vast palette of colours of the stone – from the pink of Assisi, to the burnt orange of Siena, the grey shades of Gubbio, the neutrals of Monterchi and the brick of Citerna.
Each of the hilltop villages were a treasure to explore; ambling along the narrow, steep streets and to stumble across the secret views across the valleys. The countryside shifts from forested areas to the green fields of vineyards, to golden harvested fields, silver green olive groves, to dried out sunflowers, and the parched plains around Siena. It has been a joy both on foot and by car.

Last night it stormed here in Umbria, so we set a table inside for the first time in two weeks. Our meal of gnocchi with black truffle was repeated for the week 2 group and Teresa made this delicious plum pie for desert.

Torta di Prugne, plum custard pie

Use ready made puff pastry and line a pie tin
Spread a thin layer of jam on the base of the puff pastry
Cut the plums in half and remove the stones
Layers the plums in the pie casing
Prepare cream custard by whisking an egg with a cup of fresh cream and pour over the plums until just covered
Sprinkle sugar over the top
Bake at 180 degrees until pastry is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Serve with fresh cream, expresso and desert wine and enjoy while it storms and thunders outside.

We woke up to mist enshrouded hills here at La Villa after the rains last night and the landscape is once again transformed, the village of Tiberina across the valley is floating in the mist and the light is gentle which make a change from the baking summer heat.

Our movie list

Dinner conversation last night was a list of movies we need to see or rewatch that will bring back memories of our holiday here in Italy. If anyone can add to the list please do;

La Dolce Vita
Brother Sun, Sister Moon
Under the Tuscan Sun
Up at the Villa
Room with a View
A Good Woman
Il Postino
Tea with Mussolini
My House in Umbria
Avanti

La Vita e Bell

beat the devil

Umbrian Cooking at La Villa

2008-09-12T17:17:00.006+02:00

Our cooking lesson with Rosetta, a local Umbrian cook was a treat. We clustered round the kitchen table and spent 4 hours preparing the evening meal of Umbrian specialities. Had Barry chopping and Shawni stirring and making gnocchi. I may just be tempted when I get home to make gnocchi.

Menu

Zucchini flowers fried in a beer batter

Gnocchi with a vodka, pomodoro and pancetta sauce

Roast loin of pork with home made apple sauce

Zuppa di Inglese, custard rum desert

Loads of laughter and learnt heaps at the same time.

Sauce for the gnocchi:

Fry finely chopped onions in olive oil

Add chopped panchetta to the onions

Skin and remove the pips from 12 ripe tomatoes

Add little few chilli

Add 3/4 cup of vodka, stir in and flambe the alcohol

Add tomotoes to onion, vodka and panchetta mix

Add 180g fresh cream

Add fresh parsley and grated parmigiano

Rich and rustic food, quite yummy...

To counterbalance all the wonderful food experiences Fred and I are also loving the hiking from La Villa. Each day we take to the country roads and walking trails and enjoy the endless views across the fields. Nothing quite like stopping at a hilltop village like Citerna for a pastry and cappucino before walking back, even walking seems about food.

2008-09-11T14:20:00.013+02:00

Under the Tuscan Sun,
I know it’s been used before but I am under the Tuscan sun….

The colours in the hills around us here in Le Burgne range from the inky dark green of the ubiquitous cypress tress, to the silver of the olive tree and to the zinger acid green of the tobacco crops around Citta di Castello.

La Villa is perched on a hill and the hilly terrain makes for good walking which is how we started the day with Rosella and Neville. Our first morning walk took us through crops, forest and orchards, chased by the pesky horseflies. Plums, apples, pears, grapes and berries are all ripening and what a pleasure to sample the fruit.

Our first delight here at La Villa are the ripe figs, they are the green variety and honey sweet. Food is already the fulcrum for all 13 of us who have descended on Umbria. We had our first long leisurely lunch under the trees after cooking up a storm in the farm style kitchen, piadina with fontina, prosciutto and rocket, figs with prosciutto, risotto with red radicchio and gelato for desert.
We have already fallen hard for Bacetti Perugina, the famous Umbria little kisses chocolates.

Week one visitors at La Villa:
Rosella and Neville, with Bryony
Nicki and Geoff
Wendy, who is traveling out of South Africa for the first time with her 3 daughters, Michelle, Dale and Sindy
Marretje and David who live in near Geneva and have been on the road for a month
Sharon and Fred.

Recipes:

Piadina with Fontina, prosciutto crudo and rocket
Piadina is the Italian flat bread which is heated in a large frying pan, no need to oil the pan.
Shave the fontina cheese wedge, it’s a wonderful melting cheese which a deep flavour.
Place a handful of the fontina on one half of the piadina.
Three slices of prosciutto to cover the melting cheese.
When melted and the piadina crisped up had the rocket leaves.
Fold in half and remove from the stove, cut into wedges and serve immediately with a crispy white wine.

Figs with prosciutto
Pick the figs around midday; they are then warm and juicy. Drap with prosciutto and serve.

Risotto with red radicchio
Fry the finely chopped onions and garlic in vast quantity of olive oil and butter.
Thinly slice the radicchio heads, Rosella selected the purple radicchio which is an extraordinary colour.
Add the shredded radicchio to the onions and garlic and gentle cook until soft and caramelized.
Add half a cup of arboria rice per person. Another option is to use carnaroli rice, which Rosella prefers.
While the onions and garlic are frying get a large pot of stock ready. Ideally make from fresh but while on holiday its fine to use stock cubes. Star Classio was recommended.
Slowly add the stock to the rice and keep stirring; we had two pots going on the gas stove, so Rosella and I kept the stirring going
Add white wine to the risotto as it gets close to being cooked, good cup or two.
Gently stir in the butter and add handful of grated parmigiano.
Geoff and Bryony made a fine salad of greens, cherry tomatoes from the vegetable garden here at la Villa and celery.

Excursions from La Villa

We have to drag ourselves away from swimming and the pool with its endless views across the countryside.
Citta di Castelle is our closest village and we ambled around the walled medieval streets after we arrived in Umbria. We were having pizza at one of the outdoor restaurants when Nicki and Geoff walked past, how quirky to meet, unplanned and so far from Johannesburg. I remember someone a long time ago telling me to orientate to a new place by finding a high point. We stumbled upon the Campanile Cilindrico and used the round tower to marvel at the terracotta roof tiles, tuscan style homes set among the hills and fields.
Last night we all went wine tasting south of Perugia at Cantina Goletti in Pila. Four generations have run the wine farm and we met Sarah the youngest of the clan who guided us through their vast range of whites, reds, desert wines, grappa, brandy and heady, syrupy 10 year old balsamic vinegar. The attitude was one of abundance and we sat under the trees, watched the light change across the vineyards and quaffed wine. Mich and I have stocked up for book club in October as well as treating ourselves to the balsamic vinegar.

Truffles and buffalo mozzarella …

Down the hill from our Villa is the buffalo mozzarella farm, huge beasts in the field and the mozzarella and ricotta are sublime. We are sitting under the trees after lunch with the hills in the background having had a caprese salad made with tomatoes and basil from the garden, figs and proscuito, caciotta cheese, a local cheese which is a cow and sheep milk blend with a truffle honey, pecorino and loads of local wine and good company.
My truffle experience has been heady, the Bianconi company down the road sources local black truffles daily from the truffle hunters – here in Italy with dogs. They shared stories and recipes about truffles and I walked away with the joy of a new foodie experience and having eaten fresh truffles for the first time.

Black Truffle Gnocchi

n Make ot buy handmade gnocchi
n Finely slice the thoroughly washed truffle ideally using a truffle blade
n Gently heat extra virgin olive oil with a crushed garlic clove added to the oil
n When heated add the slices truffle to release the aroma
n Once gently infused add to the cooked gnocchi

Shopping in Florence !

An experience not to be missed, all the best brands at the best prices and after all a 30% discount means an inexplicable urge to buy the whole shop ?

Week 2 visitors at La Villa

Rosella, Neville and Bryony
Sharon and Fred with Shawni and Barry who arrived on Saturday at Pisa
Edi and Teresa
Charles and Gillian

In Italy 27 years ago last

2008-09-10T17:11:00.000+02:00

We were last in Italy in May '81 and looking at my journal notes I write about much the same things - food, countryside, buildings, art and trying to get Fred to behave, some things are so constant in my life.I seemed to have had a quirky obsession with the bathrooms in my 20's, wherever we travelled I journalled about the state of the bathroom and I am not sure why . I also seemed less inclined to walk, whereas now I am loving the thought of walking the Umbrian hills from La Villa.Loved a note about paying a fortune for coffee and beer in Venice - R6!

2008-08-31T17:46:00.001+02:00

Il dolce far niente
-the sweetness of doing nothing.
Italy September 2008

For the Traveller

Everytime you leave home,
Another road takes you
Into a world you were never in,

New strangers on other paths await.
New places that have never seen you
Will startle a little at your entry.
Old places that know you well
Will pretend nothing
Changed since your last visit.

When you travel, you find yourself
Alone in a different way,
More attentive now
To the self you bring along,
Your more subtle eye watching
You abroad; and how what meets you
Touches that part of your heart
That lies low at home.

How you unexpectedly attune
To the timbre in some voice
Opening a conversation
You want to take in
To where your longing
Has pressed hard enough
Inward, on some unsaid dark,
To create a crystal of insight,

You could not have known
You needed
To illuminate
Your way.

When you travel,
A new silence
Goes with you,
And if you listen,
You will hear
What your heart would
Love to say.

A journey can become a sacred thing.

Make sure, before you go,
To take the time
To bless your going forth,
To free your heart of ballast
SO that the compass of your souls
Might direct you towards
The territories of spirit
Where you will discover
More of your hidden life;
And the urgencies
That deserve to claim you.

May you travel in an awakened way,
Gathered wisely into your inner ground;
That you may not waste the invitations
Which wait along the way to transform you.

May you travel safely, arrive refreshed
And live your time away to its fullest;
Return home, more enriched, and free
To balance the gift of days which call you.

John O’Donohue