Biding Our Time

  Well, it's getting to be that time. 

  Time to head over the pond to our our little piece of heaven in Umbria. 

  There is way too much to do in the meantime, as always, and I should buckle down and get to it...but I'd really rather look at photos and dream a bit.

  Is that so wrong?

  No, no, it isn't.

  That being in mind, I'm looking at our visits from last year. Spring and Autumn. Both were a blast.

  Upon arrival in late February, we were greeted with a blanket of snow...

Our 'first morning' view from the terrace.
Um, Brrrrrrrr!

  Fortunately, the snow only lasted a couple of days, and eventually the area warmed up and got green and pretty...

Now, this is what I dream about!
Lunch with a view.

 Unfortunately, the winter took it's toll on our marble table, and it broke! We had to borrow another table from our dear landlord, Carlo, for the rest of the year.

This temporary table worked just fine.
Thanks, Carlo!

Lunch at The Nut is always a dream come true for me.

  We are having a new marble piece cut to fit the old iron base, though, and I can't wait to see the new terrace table when we finally have it in place.

  Another new addition will be a much more efficient wood burning stove. I'll miss the fireplace, which has been knocked down and removed, but we really need a warm Nut to come home to, and the new stove is going to be great.

  We loved the romance of the old fireplace, and it was a blast to cook in, but if we weren't right in front of it, we were really cold. We'll be super cozy during those brisk days now.

  We ordered wood in October, so we'll be all ready when we arrive:

Johnny will still have his work cut out for him!
Good thing he likes to chop wood.

We have lots of good, green Umbrian oil waiting for us, too. We helped with the harvest, and the trade off for our hours of work was oil, oil and oil. Oh, boy, I can't wait!

Green Gold.

Watching the olives from the trees at The Nut being turned into oil.
That was a treat to see!

  

There are many things I'm looking forward to, but one of my very favorites is to spend time watching sunsets at Lago Trasimeno. With a glass of good Umbrian wine, of course.

  This never gets old, man...

Isola Polvese, one of three islands on the lake.

  I'm always up for a day trip, and if we go by train, even better!
  I love looking at the train schedule. It gives me wanderlust.

Let's go, Baby!

The train is perfect for catching up on reading.
Or sleeping, like the dudes over my shoulder...

  We love being able to relax with a little treat to sip and a little something to munch...

Mid-day Proseco enjoyed in a pal's garden...

Wine with a view in Spello...

...or with a view in Montepulciano.

  

  If you have spent any time at all on this blog, you know I love to eat.

  I'm holding back calories now so I can enjoy double doses in Italy. I enjoy eating out as much as cooking and eating in. It's all good, and to have the time to do either is pure luxury. When we are here, in California, I'm working full time, and on my days off, we do chores, etc. We do enjoy ourselves when we can, don't get me wrong, but it's usually work, home, sleep...repeat.

  I love being able to enjoy a leisurely lunch out, especially in Umbria...

  

Cheesy good pasta and grilled eggplant, why yes, please!

My favorite pizza in the world.

Spring veggie risotto for Johnny, simply wonderful
stuffed pasta with tomato sauce for me. Mmmmm.

  The thing I don't usually share?

  What my reality looks like after one of these meals:

Just find me a sunny, warm spot, and I'm good.

Real good.

  I don't know if I'll get another post done before we leave, but I'd like to.

  If not, just know that there will be many more once we get there, and this year we'll be stopping in Paris for a week, so that will be big fun to blog about.

  While we wait, I'll just think about stepping onto the terrace at The Nut at the crack of dawn to enjoy the sunrise....

Ahhhh...I can already hear the birds singing.

Two Years, Two Lunches In Valiano

  I'm hungry.

  I'm thinking about how great it would be to snap my fingers and be magically transported to Valiano, a small town just on the border of Umbria and Tuscany. It's just off the road between Castiglione del Lago and Montepulciano, the SS454... a lovely little drive, indeed.

  We happened onto Valiano like we happen onto most places we love….by chance. A drive in the countryside to look for a painting location, turns into the discovery of a great place to stop for a wonderful lunch.

  In this particular case, I'm hungry for Piccola Trattoria Guastini, in Valiano. We've eaten here twice, two consecutive years, for lunch. I think this will be a must visit every year now. 

The entrance to the trattoria, and it's patio area.

  I didn't write about our first visit in 2013, so I'm going to now… 

  It was a really warm day, and Johnny and I had rented bikes which we had fun riding around the nearby Lago di Montepulciano. On an earlier visit to this charming little town, we had stopped to take a look at the menu here, and liked what we saw. The plan was a bike ride, lunch, and painting. afterwards.

  We were so happy to have made a reservation for one of the outdoor tables. They have a lovely patio, with views over the valley and hills. 

  

An extra treat…all the cool light fixtures are made by our pal, Tonino!

  

  We made ourselves quite comfortable, cooled down a bit, and ordered a wonderful Tiburzi Santambra, a sangiovese blend from the Montefalco area. 

  We enjoyed a first course of locally produced mozzarella, paired with sweet tomatoes from the south, and drizzled with local olive oil, of course.

  It made for a nice bite after our biking adventure…ahhhhh.

The colors of the Italian flag, in all their deliciousness.

  I was happy to see a few vegetarian options on the menu, though one of the specialties is a pigeon ravioli. Maybe in another life, but probably not.
 
  Johnny just asked me to order whatever I thought would be good, so I did. For Mr. J, the house made tagliatelle with forest mushrooms of the season:

Mmmm, mmm, mmmmm.

  And for me, the ravioli stuffed with pecanzola, a pecorino cheese infused with gorgonzola, served with really well caramelized onions. 

  Oh. My. God. The sharpness of the cheese combined with the sweetness of the onions…deee-vine. 

  Perfect.

  We shared a side of braised field greens with olive oil, garlic and lemon. Typical in this area and season.

Doesn't this look good? 

I can't get enough of the field greens. They just taste so right.

  Since we had taken that long bike ride earlier, we just had to have a sweet treat to end our lunch. Johnny chose a mix of home made biscotti with a small tumbler of vin santo, a dessert wine that is sweet, nutty, and oh-so-smooth.

You must dip the biscotti in the vin santo for full effect.

  I loved my panna cotta with a marmalade of blood orange and fig, if I remember right. 

  Panna cotta is a cooked cream, and a very rich indulgence, for sure. But, hey….the bike ride, remember?

Panna cotta, I just gotta…….la la la la la.

  The inside dining room is nice, too. I can just imagine it at night, with all of Tonino's lights giving off a soft, warm glow….we'll really have to try dinner here next time. It's not that far to drive. You just have to keep your eyes peeled at night time for hedgehogs and porcupines….

  So, as I mentioned, we've been twice now, so I want to share the equally amazing lunch we had this year at Piccola Trattoria Guastini.

  This time the day was perfect…not too warm, and clear views all around.

  We started with a nice white….I think a vermentino, but I honestly don't remember. With whites, we will usually go with vermentino, grechetto, or trebbiano. These are all easy going, and "nice on a warm day" sort of wines.

Pretty as a picture….

  Again, I ordered for both of us, and it was really easy. I wanted to try both of the vegetarian antipasti available on this day, so….we did.

Their version of "Panzanella", or bread salad. So lovely and so refreshing.
The tomatoes were sweet, with some crunchy celery in there, too. Just a nice touch of garlic….

  I couldn't resist trying this vegetable "tortino"…it's sort of a small baked veggie "pie", only this definition doesn't come close. Just look at it, and you'll get the idea...

Tortino di Verdure…Vegetable pie.
I liked the little crispy, just this side of burnt, bits...

  On the day we went this year, there was only one vegetarian pasta dish, so I ordered it for both of us, and it was wonderful. Ravioli with ricotta and wild asparagus, served with more asparagus on top. 

  The wild asparagus is nothing like the kind we buy in the markets here. It has a sweet and subtle flavor, with a touch of "mineral" to it. It's so thin. 

  Reminds me of those old fashioned asparagus plants we all had in our bedrooms as little hippie kids. 

So good with a dusting of parmigiano reggiano.
I remember the filling being so warm and succulent-creamy.
Perfection on a plate...

  Even though we hadn't taken a long bike ride, which is just a lame excuse anyway….we both ordered a sweet treat…and didn't have a single millisecond of regret.

  Johnny loves cinnamon, honey and cheese, so it was natural for him to try this very interesting dessert…It was a locally made soft cheese, drizzled with local honey, and topped with special pistachios from Sicily, and a good sprinkling of cinnamon.

  Not a yogurt, not mascarpone, I think it may have been a sheep's cheese. It was quite nice.

  Me? Well, why fool around with it. I just had the most chocolate-y thing on offer. It was served with preserved blueberries in syrup. Not bad….not bad at all….

  I liked it very much, and we dipped into each others plates and mixed stuff up even. A great combo together, in fact.

I can see myself taking this photo in the spoon..hehehehehe.

Oh, and espresso, natch.

  Shockingly, because all I wanted to do was nap, we stopped nearby afterwards and Johnny set up and painted. 

  Go figure. Must have been the espresso.

Painting just below Valiano

  Ok, maybe I did sneak a nap in the car….just a weensy bit. 

  It was a hard day, man.


If you are anywhere near the Lago Trasimeno area, you'll want to visit Piccola Trattoria Guastini!!