Rural Life Richness

What’s the highlight of a visit to our rural neighbors?

Sharing in eighty-year-old Peppe’s pride in his prosciutti?

Tasting his wine?

Meeting Peppa, “Earth Mother,” as I call this warm and joyous spirit? You can see it in her smile as she cuts sprigs of lavender for recent visitors from Australia.

And what pride as she shows us her chickens and rabbits.

…and of course, you cannot leave Peppa’s farm without a visit to her wine cellar…

And the best place to taste Umbrian rural goodness? At Chiarina and Marino’s where lovely daughter Rossanna joins her parents in welcoming us with a feast.

But before our feast, Marino has to show us his prosciutti, spalle, guanciali, capocolli, salami, hanging in the cellar and Marino’s peak of pride.

…and if our rural visit is on June 24th, we’ll all wash in the perfumed sacred acqua di San Giovanni before dinner…

…and then, let the feasting begin! Chiarina’s all ready for us, table set with antipastos at every setting…

The first course follows and as all our Australian group decided, “There’s no better lasagne in the world than Chiarina’s.” After all, how can there be? The sauce is made from their tomatoes, celery, carrot, onion, garlic and olive oil. Marino grows the wheat, turned into flour. Peppe (Chiarina’s uncle) raised the calf which became the veal. The only ingredient not from their farm in the lasagne? Il parmigiano

Verdure gratinate (vegetables au gratin) followed next, served with a beaming smile by daughter Rossanna, proud of her mother’s cooking (and a great cook, by the way, in her own right!)

And then came the meat course: juicy roasted veal slices (from Peppe, once again!)

We all wished we’d known there would be a SECOND meat course! After the veal, Rossanna served us all tasty roasted chicken (raised by Marino, cooked to perfection by Chiarina).

Fresh garden salad – not just with their vegetables and olive oil but with their wine vinegar, too! – topped off our meal, cleaned the palates, prepared us for the dessert.

Rossanna beamed as she presented her mother’s dolce, lovely to look at, delicious to taste.
The perfect “sweet” ending to a rich day of rural life experience with dear rural friends.

Read about our rural friends, “givers of the greatest gifts”
Read knowing the rural life is “the experience of a lifetime”
Read about – and see! – cooking up the rural flavors of Umbria
Read more about our treasured rural friends
Read about Peppe, an Umbrian rural “treasure”
Don’t miss an evening with the rural people of Umbria
Read more about rural friends, a rural tradition
Read more about the experience of knowing our rural friends
Read about “countryside treasures” of Umbria
Click here to read about an “Auntie Annie” rural tour
Read about the most memorable moment of a rural life tour