Poking Around Another Ruin...

What can I say...I like to stick my nose where it just doesn't belong sometimes...especially if there's a chance to find some hidden treasure!

This was the case a day or two ago when we came across this building on our walk. We could tell that we weren't the first to slip through the slightly open gate...and most likely we won't be the last. There were no signs posted about trespassing, and I just had to peek inside that door!

Hello, Gorgeous!

There were just a few steps leading up. They were almost hidden by the overgrown plants all around.

The front door was open...though maybe not quite "inviting"... unless you are like me, and you can't wait to see what's inside.

Well, I was pretty darn stunned when I peeked inside...It was really cool! Just enough stuff left behind to really give me the feeling of "adventure", and the ceilings were supported somewhat by new lumber, so I felt reasonably safe walking around.

I love the corner sink with the "perfect green" tiles! There were quite a few light fixtures still hanging around, too.

Then I took a good look up, and saw those beams! Wow....

This place would be great in a film...a scary film. The spiders have been having a good time here. Loads of dusty old webs hanging all over ...

Time for the heebie -jeebies!
Super cool tiles, though.

There was an amazing fireplace...I mean, I easily could have walked right into it.

It was quite bright throughout, so I went in a little further. Around the corner, there was a bathroom and a couple of other rooms...I assume they must have been bedrooms.

Yeah, I didn't get too close to this one.

I just kept on moving forward, room to room.  There were a few different levels with stairs leading up to the next area. 

The floor tiles were beautiful. They would be worth a small fortune in the states, I bet. Just need a little reconditioning.

I couldn't get over how bright these rooms were.

Of course, this room, below really had me interested. What's with the bucket and the one old shoe on the floor? Where do those stairs go? I'll never know. I'm adventurous, but not that adventurous. Those stairs led up to a steep and very narrow space.

No, thank you.

That old shoe! What the?!?
Trippy little stairs, too.

A smaller fireplace in a back room with really nice blue/grey paint.

I looked out the window of one of the rooms and saw a large but really overgrown garden area in back.

I can't help but wonder what lives went on in this old gal...

I've poked around in many old ruins around here. I'm always careful, and if there is a "no trespassing" I won't go near. I'm always amazed at what's been left behind...This old place had those beautiful painted borders at the bottom of some walls. I think it's so you wouldn't notice broom or mop marks ...

These walls had lovely color....

Someone is trying to keep this one alive.
It will be interesting to see if it gets any other restoration work done...

Beautiful doors, stunning light..
There must be a story here.

 

One last look out at the garden before we went on our way...

As we exited the main building, we noticed this signage on the outbuilding...

The best translation we could find is
"The Land". Hmmmm.

I hope I never stop exploring these old buildings. It gives me such a feeling of history and just curiosity.

I've written several blog posts on these type of adventures...one of my favorites is found here.

More adventures to come, no doubt!

Views and Moments

Johnny & I walk...and walk...and walk. And then we walk some more. 

It's a great way to start the morning, and we usually take an afternoon walk, as well. It helps with all the eating and wine consumption, that's for sure. 

For me, it's also good for my mental health...

Being here in Umbria, in the countryside, I can't help but be overwhelmed by the views. The light is so different. Back home on the coast of California, we have lots of foggy days. When the sun shines, it's gorgeous, but a different kind of gorgeous. 

I am always taking photos of the texture of the fields, the repetition of form in the vineyards and olive groves, and the sky...the lovely sky with it's ever changing clouds. 

I love the color combinations here. Blue and silvery grey/green with the soft yellow of the fields...

Layers on layers of color and texture...

A favorite view. If you follow my little bloggy, you've seen this many times.

Living in a big valley with a large lake means interesting storms blow through...

This one came in last week with these cool cloud formations.

It's always nice to see color in the sky!

The start of our morning walk. A nice place to start.

Sunrise can be very pretty.

The color only lasts a moment.

On an afternoon walk way across the valley from home.

I do enjoy seeing the colors of a small borgo combined
with the colors of the fields.

The olive trees are beautiful in the sunlight.

I suppose my favorite view is from the terrace outside the door, though...

Evening light at the perfect moment.

 

Day Trip: Arezzo

When we read that there was an exhibition in nearby Arezzo of paintings by a favorite Italian artist, Afro Basaldella, we made a plan to take the train and make a day of it.

Arezzo is a lovely town in Tuscany and we used to go there when they have the monthly antique sales. The streets are filled with vendors selling everything and anything you can imagine as far as antiques go. We don't go every time, and haven't been for a couple of years...we have all we need, and it's just too tempting! 

But...we couldn't wait to go for this exhibition. 

It was so nice to be in Arezzo without the mayhem of the antique sales...it was lovely to have the town to ourselves...

We arrived early, and there were very few people about...

It's a wonderful town to walk around...though lots of steep streets!

One of the main squares in Arezzo.

If you've seen the Roberto Benigni film "Life Is Beautiful", you've seen Arezzo. He is a hometown boy, and the town is featured in the film.

Enjoying the beauty...

We stopped for an espresso, walked around until the museum opened, and headed in...

We have been lucky to have seen works by this wonderful artist, known as "Afro" on several occasions, including during the Venice Biennale. 

This exhibition tied some of his earlier works to those of Piero Della Francesca, which was interesting. I prefer his later abstracts, myself...but it was a great treat to see the show.

Read more about Afro here.

Afterwards, we stopped for lunch. There was a place we have been to a few times in the past, but it is now under new management...we decided to give it a try anyway, after looking at the menu.

It was still ok, but not as good as it's predecessor...

Oh, well. I hate change. That's all there is to it.

We started with 'pappa al pomodoro'...a bread and tomato "soup". This one was really thick...but tasty. I'm glad we ordered just one bowl to share. It was a bit heavy...

With a drizzle of good olive oil, it was yummy. Just a bit thick...

We both had ravioli as our main dish...I liked that we could choose our type of pasta and then which sauce we wanted to go with it.

Mine were filled with ricotta and wild fennel.
Really good with a butter and sage sauce.

Johnny opted for ricotta and spinach, also with butter and sage.

We shared grilled veggies and wonderful roasted onions...

The place was good, but not sure we would return...

After lunch, we walked around the upper part of town to visit the park at the top, see the views and visit the duomo. It was a great way to walk off our lunch.

All in all, a fun day trip! We took the train, which is always a treat, and Johnny even bought a new pair of colorful reading glasses!

 

Who knows what we'll do next. Every day here is a wild adventure!

Two Weeks In...

Tomorrow we will have been here in Umbria for two weeks...it feels like we just arrived, but looking back at photos...well, we've already done quite a bit...especially considering days of jet lag and feeling punky from a head cold.

Those of you who follow me on Instagram (#gistellij44), have seen most of these photos already. I still like to share with the story!

First of all, we were so fortunate to fly out of San Fransisco on a beautiful day! It's the first time I can remember that we had this kind of view from the window...

Amazing to see the City from above!
A pal said it looks like a computer chip...!

As I mentioned before, we had a direct flight to Rome, which was such a treat. First stop was at a little kiosk bar near the metro we take into town...We always like to stop here as we walk to our little hotel.

It's good to be back!

After dropping our bags off and freshening up a little, we headed out for the evening.

I've always wanted to stop into this particular church to see the amazing sculpture inside of Saint Cecilia. I'm so glad we made it there...finally...

The Basilica di Santa Cecilia in Trastevere

Inside, you are amazed by the delicacy of the sculpture...it's impossible to think that this is marble.

We walked around for a couple of hours. It's good to keep moving after such a long flight, and we wanted to work up an appetite for our favorite pizza place...

It was so pretty out. Too warm for us, but still gorgeous.

Yep. Good pizza!

After a very good night of sleep, we took another walk around the 'hood and stumbled on a film being made. We hung out and watched for a good hour or more. It was fun!

All the cars were cool vintage "stand ins"!

Finally back at The Nut, we're settled in. Johnny has been painting, I've managed to cook a few meals...
 

Beans, onions and chard!
Beans and greens...it's a great and simple dish.

Rustic polenta with buttery leeks. Best served on the terrace, below!

Our favorite place for a meal.

We've taken the train to Florence for a day trip. Johnny had supplies to pick up and I was craving fried food...Oh, and Johnny did some painting, too.

A nice little first painting.

I love these fried peppers...mmmmm.

I also love Florence.

I think we are starting to get into a routine. We walk early in the morning, figure out the work for the day, take another late afternoon walk...then either head home for a meal, or to the piazza for a drink.

It's just nice to be back.

Night time on the terrace...

Sunrise from the terrace this week...

Watching a storm roll through...

All in all it's good. Can't wait to see what happens next. in the meantime...I'm going to enjoy the show.