It was a race against time this year. We’d hoped to get our olives picked before the predicted rainstorms arrived. I was up early on Saturday to make an olive harvest lunch…
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Rain these past few days and warm sun: mushroom time. I spotted a couple yesterday under the oak trees. What memories of past mushroom hunts – and here is a note on…
I wish I had taken photos of Concetta but I still remember the twinkle in her eye, the way she cocked her head when recounting her stories. In a recent visit to…
Few tomatoes remain in our garden, the grapes are in and as the days grow colder, we head towards olive-gathering time. The olives will be in and milled for oil before the…
Sorting through old photos recently and came across this one… which brought back so many memories of our years (late 70’s and early 80’s) working the land here on our farm outside…
I was at Ristorante Da Giovannino down the road the other day, listening to appassionati truffle hunters, Severino and Italo, talking about when they’d finally find truffles this year. Deluging spring rains…
Splashes of bright yellow broom intrude now on the deep greens of the woods, the silver greens of the olive trees of our Umbria, “Italy’s green heart.” The fragrant broom flowers highlight…
During my Umbrian hilltown guided tours, I’m always pointing out examples of Italian passione; after all, if you don’t get la passione, you don’t get a hold on Italy. Examples are endless…
“You’ve brought the world to us,” Olga once told me with a hug after a banquet dinner at her home. Olga and Americo have warmly welcomed everyone into their home and both…
Pino’s way to season a Thankgiving – or Christmas – turkey is a far cry from those U.S. “butterball” birds, complete with inserted thermometer to tell you how long to cook it!…