Perugino: It's All In The Details

On Sunday, we joined our pals on a trip to the local "big city", Perugia. We went specifically to visit an exhibition at the National Gallery of Umbria. 

Hometown boy Pietro Vannucci, known here as Pietro Perugino, is a favorite son in the area, and his work from way back in the 1400's is exquisite. To have a chance to see a big show, especially in honor of the 500th year anniversary of his death was something we looked forward to.

We rarely go to Perugia, and after this visit we are inspired to spend more time there. It's a lovely hill town full of wonderful nooks and crannies to explore...but that's for another blog post. On this day, it was all about Perugino...

The facade of the Museum...

As always, I don't consider myself any kind of expert on art...especially historic works. I see what I see, which means I focus on what appeals to my personal sensibilities. This often means color, texture...whatever strikes my fancy.

Perugino has much to offer for someone like me. Though most of these pieces are heavy with religious overtones, I tuned into the details. Most, if not all of these paintings were commissioned by the church. There were some portraits, as well, but lots of Madonnas with babies...and lots of Saints.

Case in point...a lovely composition with beautiful color.

I was awed by the little things...these two bouquets blew my mind.

I think this may be a hat of some sort, loaded with jewels...

The intricate detail in the fabrics are also astounding...

I like the wildflowers here, as well...

I always love a good "Annunciation" painting...
There are so many here in Italy, and they are all different...

I love the gesture of the hand, and the one flower stalk.

I want to know everything about this sandal!

I was quite taken by Perugino's ability to capture an emotional moment. He painted skin so silky and smooth. It was amazing to see this and wonder how he did it.

I love this...the hands, the tears, the hair...the fabric.
Beautiful.

There was not just one, but two Annunciations...maybe more? I liked this one very much.

Perugino is working with perspective here. A new concept for the times.

I love this Angel...

Here, The Virgin Mary has such a lovely pose...

This painting, below, is just fantastic. For me, it's all about the surface of the skin, and the detail of the cloth around Saint Sebastian's hips...

This covering is everything. 
Imagine the work...how tiny the brushes must be to create the fringe, etc.

There were several self portraits, because the portrait was a new thing.

I liked this one very much. Maybe because the frame was so over the top!

The tilt of the head, the position of the hands...and that skin like porcelain. Also, the landscapes in the background. Always very stylized. 

I love the baby grabbing her hair...

Again..it's all in the details...

Another beautiful example of color, texture and gesture..

 If you find yourself in Umbria anytime soon, treat yourself to this show. I'm so glad we did!

Settling In To Our Routine...

We've been here in Umbria now for almost a week. Travel takes a toll on me every time. This time, I woke up with my sinuses on fire. I have super sensitive sinuses, and the change in environment can cause havoc. There's smoke, dust, dryness, weird smells from the wet fields....anyway, I tucked in for a day or two to just get some rest and get over the jet lag, as well.

It's been nice to reacquaint ourselves with The Nut...I'm doing some cooking at home, and Johnny loves chopping wood for the Jotul wood burning stove. I wish we could keep our house in California as warm as we are here!

Our first dinner at home...

I feel almost 100% now, and we've been enjoying getting together with pals, walking and driving around to some favorite spots. I'm getting into a morning routine like at home in California...up early for my workout, coffee, then Johnny gets up and we take a nice morning walk in the 'hood.

The weather has been off and on rain and sun, but it's also really windy and cold. It's March.

The weather makes for some lovely light and clouds...

Heading out for a morning walk this week.

Our road to the main road down the hill...

They have redone many of the country roads here since we last visited!
It's so spiffy now...

I never get tired of walking down this driveway to the local
fruit and veg store. It's just a great walk from our place.

You can get a good idea of the weather this last week...
The sun has come out now!

The green fields and grey skies make me swoon...

Of course we have made a visit to our favorite local pizza place! It's noit Rome, but it's really good, and we love the family that runs this little spot...

My fave...onion pizza.

Johnny likes the pizza with arugula...

I have done some cooking, of course, and plan to do a lot more...so stay tuned!

This was dinner the other night when it was really windy, wet and cold:

Olive oil and smashed garlic cloves in the baking pan...

A lovely "Romanesco" cauliflower...

Add a good bunch of chopped marjoram, salt and pepper 
to the garlic...

Add some thin sliced red onion, the chopped cauliflower, and toss well...
Pop into a 375-400 degree oven.

While the veg were cooking, I made a pot of really rustic polenta I had found locally. I just followed the directions. It was slow cook, and took about 45 minutes. At the end I tossed in a nice chunk of butter and some grated parmesan. Because....why not?

This was a beautiful product to work with.
I'll make more soon!

Pull the veg out when they are done to your liking.
I like ours with a little char on the edges.

A glass of wine poured, some simple undresses salad greens on the side, and that was that. A perfect meal for an evening in March...

I'm going to enjoy cooking here!

 

Oh, and that other much beloved routine...popping up to our local drinking hole for a late afternoon sip...

We're settling in.

Dinner: Il Gallo Nel Pozzo...Again!

We don't eat out for a formal dinner as much as we did when we were first coming to Italy. Sure, we'll go for pizza or a quick lunch...but we enjoy cooking at home these days.

That being said, we really wanted to revisit a favorite spot in the village...Il Pozzo Nel Gallo. We've eaten here many times, but not recently, so we made it a priority to dine here as soon as possible on this trip. 

We really adore Simone and Lorena, the owners, and it's always a treat to be in their care. Simone is a perfect "front of the house" fellow, and Lorena does her own magic in the kitchen. We were not disappointed...They know we are vegetarians, and they take time to point out dished suited to us. In fact, they are willing to make changes to help us navigate the wonderful menu.

The first course on this evening was an interesting one...an artichoke that had been cooked fully and stuffed with a perfectly poached egg, served with a cream of Jerusalem artichoke and also super crispy chips of Jerusalem artichoke...This was a flavorful delight, and the mixed textures were just wonderful...The poached egg was done just right and the artichoke itself was cooked to a perfect point. It all came together beautifully...The choke was the edible 'bowl' for the egg! Fun and tasty!

The presentation was amazing!

Simone let us know that the gnocchetti dish of the evening was normally served with duck, but they were fine serving it without. Johnny was all in, as the gnocchetti were served in a 'cacio e pepe' sauce. Basically, a  cheese and black pepper sauce. Creamy and spicy, with little clouds of potato dumplings... I mean, come ON! It was a very good dish.

We kind of fought over bites...

My dish was a typical "umbrichelli", a regional hand rolled pasta made from just flour and water. The menu just said it would be served with a variation of tomato sauce. On this evening, the sauce was sweet and deep with flavor from oven roasted cherry tomatoes and what I would find out was "tomato dust". Dried and pulverized tomato wonderfulness! Honestly, it was one of the best pasta dishes I've ever eaten.

I have never come so close to licking a plate in public. That dust was everything. And the pasta was perfectly al dente.

I'm thinking my date was pretty happy!
A bit jet lagged still, but happy!

We asked about "contorni" or  vegetable side dishes, and Simone told us they had a mixed veg dish we might enjoy, so we each ordered one as our last course. I am so glad we did. 

This dish was a total surprise. We expected the usual grilled mixed veg, or something like that. What we had was so different and so good...

Four elements... Marinated purple cabbage, sauteed chickory, broccoli and porcini mushrooms.

Where do I start? The broccoli (far left)  was cooked to creaminess and melted in our mouths. I believe the chickory (far right) was pan braised, maybe with some garlic and lemon...typical and very good. The purple cabbage was marinated, I'm thinking. It was great...just perfectly crunchy and fresh. 

But those porcini...in the middle...I'm destined to recreate this for Johnny and myself. I must. Thinly sliced...maybe marinated in olive oil with a bit of salt and a bit of garlic...or not? They were almost like jerky...mushroom jerky. Not so chewy, but a texture I loved at first bite. For vegetarians, texture can be everything, and these mushrooms were everything.

I'm not sure if it's just that the products here are so fresh and good, or the kitchen is just so inventive, or it's the Italian vibe...Whatever. This was a perfect meal on a perfect evening.

We had to pop our heads into the kitchen to thank Lorena, and met the two new chefs, Karina and Matteo. It's always a joy to give thanks to those who have prepared your meal. Thanks, Again! You all rocked our world last night!

We also were happy to see a painting again that Johnny had given Simone's parents some time ago, now here in the restaurant. Johnny has always loved this piece, and we actually sat right under it! So fun to see this painting of the village in such a nice spot!

 

Thanks again to the folks here at Il Gallo Nel Pozzo.

If you find yourself in Panicale, Umbria, make a reservation! You won't regret it.

We look forward to another visit soon!

Umbria Beckons...Again

  

Travel is so stressful. And it only gets harder as we get a bit older. 

  

I'm happy to say that this particular trip over went very smoothly, thank you. No real hitches, and we flew out of San Fransisco between major storm systems. Again, thank you. Thank you to The Powers That Be. I certainly had no part in the weather, just the planning.

   

It feels great to be back in our little Nut. All is well here, and we also say Thank You to our landlord, Carlo...he did some wonderful cleaning up in the apartment, so we came home to a nice, warm bit of heaven on earth.

It's good to be in the county side again. I'm feeling all my systems slowing down, and I needed this.

Carlo set a fire a day or two before we arrived from Rome, so The Nut felt really comfortable on our first night here. We popped up to the village to buy some vittles, and enjoyed our first dinner in front of the fire.

  

A light meal of toasted bread, salad and slices 
of tomatoes and baked ricotta.

Unfortunately, I came down with an irritating cold (not covid!), so I kind of chilled out in bed most of our first day here. It was super windy and raining, so why not just sleep it off?

In the afternoon, when the winds died down and the sun peeked out, we took a little drive around the area, just because it was so damn pretty...

 

We had a nice bowl of soup at home, watched something on Netflix, and hit the bed early.

Day two, today, I woke up feeling much better, and ready to walk. It's what I do here, you know? The weather was grey, but comfortable for walking... It was nice to enjoy our little neck of the woods again.

I'm so glad Johnny has gotten into walking!
Here he is, heading down the path to the main road.

I love our main road. It's just steep enough to let
you know you are working it!

We were happy to see the newly paved road! 
This part of the public road was a real mess...it's nice and smooth now.
I will never get tired of this view.

A favorite destination for a walk...

We got back home and spent the day doing more settling in and cleaning. Johnny is getting his studio in order, as well. He's excited about doing artwork here this spring.

We actually ended up taking a late afternoon walk so he could do some sketching...

A moment of pure beauty on our walk home.

All in all, I'm ready for this adventure. And right now...I'm ready to go out and have some pizza!

Follow Johnny while he is working here:

Instagram: #johnnymackapodaca

Blog: http://galleryapodacablog.blogspot.com/