Our rural friends remain a treasure, not to be replicated. Ever. Now nearly 84, Peppe cuts, bales, transports and stacks about 5000 hay bales every June, still prunes and hoes his vineyard, makes his own vino, raises his pigs for prosciutto, capocollo, salami, and prunes his olive trees and picks all the olives for the family olive oil. He grows all the feed for the family poultry, rabbits, cows, goats and sheep – meat for the family.
After Peppe, who will carry on the rural life labors we remember from our life on the Umbrian land in the 1970’s?
No one.
If you wish to fully live Umbria, you must meet the people. Like Peppe.
And after he proudly shows us his vineyards and animals, we have to try his vino:
[lcaption]Peppe in his wine cellar: proud of his vino and his salami[/lcaption]
…and after our visit with Peppe, on to Peppa’s farm nearby to to try hers:
This visit, we found a surprise in her wine cellar: edible mushrooms were growing right near the wine casks, alongside the crate of onions.
(No doubt about it: Peppa will cook them up in a tasty pasta sauce).
After our visits to our rural friends, back to our restored farmhouse for a rural dinner.
Bud, Irma, Scott and Diana, for an afternoon, you lived the end of an era. Thanks for sharing in treasured moments with treasured friends – and for your reflections on our time together:
“Anne, this wonderful afternoon and evening spent with you has been a dream come true. We wanted to meet, learn about and get to know these wonderful Italian people and you made it happen. Thank you!..” Bud and Irma
“What a splendid afternoon ….Thank you for sharing your life experiences with us. We will forever remember our visit with you and the people we met…” Scott and Diana
Read more about Peppe, Peppa and other rural friends here
Meet our farm friends, givers of the greatest gifts
Click here to read about “memorable moments” or our rural visits
Read about – and see – our first years on the land in Umbria
Read more about treasured rural friends
Read more about indefatigable Peppe
Click here to read about an “Auntie Annie” rural tour
You really can’t miss a rural banquet cooked by Chiarina
Read about the “regal welcome” Chiarina and Marino give to their guests
Read about our rural friends – and their “green gold,” olive oil
Read about why a visit with our rural friends makes any Umbrian stay unforgettable
Click here to see how a visit to rural friends can make your stay “the experience of a lifetime”
Click here to read about a treasured Umbrian rural winter tradition
Click here for many more insights on our rural friends
Read about Chiarina and Marino – and the use of broom
Read about making wine with Peppa
Click here to read about – and see – why rural visits offer “unforgettable moments”
I remember my own rural visit with great fondness. This could not have been experienced without you Anne.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful, hard-working people with us. Beautiful traditions. I hope we can meet them on our next visit.