To Market....

  There is nothing like the weekly markets in Italy. Or anywhere, really....

  The colors, textures and smells are always a delight. and you can't do any better people watching. The veggie displays are always full and stacked so beautifully, showing off the awesome abundance of the season. In the early spring, there is a fine array of artichokes, fave, wild asparagus and greens that have been forged from the surrounding fields and forests. The summer brings on the tomatoes, beans, and squash, and in the fall you can expect lots of mushrooms. Texture and color, texture and color....

There are lots of varieties of "carciofi" (artichokes) available. I love the purple ones
 They have a deep, nuttier flavor.

I know, it's pretty, right? This photo and the one above are from the
Testaccio Market in Rome.

 Also, there can be tables and tables of household knick-knacks, cleaning products, shoes and used clothes. Sort of like a combo thrift store/kmart. There are often local artisans showing off their wares...wood work, weaving, candle making...that kind of thing. 

  I like it when there are vendors selling little vegetable starts and farm equipment. You can get packets of really cool seeds, the packets are so pretty. I've brought some home before, just to have in my potting shed.

  Another great plus are the open trucks selling all sorts of cheeses and meat products. Though we are vegetarians, we both oooh and ahhh over the "porchetta" that is always on view. Often it is a whole slow roasted pig, stuffed with herbs and seasonings. The skin is always super brown and crispy looking. The vendor just takes off some super tender looking hunks and stuffs it between bread, then it's rolled in wax paper and handed over. No, I can honestly say I have never tasted this particular item, but as a kid I did love the crispy skin of Mom's pork roast, so I have a good idea.

 

Deli in a truck. You can just order a couple of slices of whatever, and it's ok.

  While in Rome last February, we strolled through the Piazza dei Campo dei Fiori, well know for it's daily market. The day started a little wet, so all the umbrellas were up, but it was nice when we arrived, and I enjoyed all the pretty "ready to take home" packages for tourists...lots of colorful pastas in funny shapes, little bottles of various liquors, spices and herbs... but lots of local Romans doing the daily shopping, too.

I love the grim dude overlooking it all.  Philosopher Giordano Bruno,
burned at the stake in 1600 for his unconventional ideas...hmmm. I best keep my mouth shut.

  I love when we stumble upon a market, and take sweet advantage by buying what we didn't know we were going to have for dinner later. This is actually the case more often than not. I have an idea of the market schedules around Panicale, but on our day trips, we just never knew where we would end up. Below are some shots from Orvieto.

All things honey. Honey elixir, bee's wax, honey mustard and more!

Love the guy with olives, dried fruits and nuts. Snack time!

  The giant indoor Mercato di San Lorenzo in Florence is fun. There is an outdoor market, famous for its leather goods, but I go for the indoor food market, too. Here is a last chance to get gifts for my foodie friends before flying home. They will package dried porcini, or whatever, so it is luggage safe. I still have porcini from last year, but I will get more this year anyway! Never enough dried porcini... a small handful in any soup adds a depth of flavor not to be missed. Don't get me started on risotto or polenta with porcini..

All grades of porcini, plus truffle oil and sun dried tomatoes. This place smells awesome.

Well, what can I say...hard to bring back home, but still fun to drool over!
I like to watch them being made in the back.

  Being as Italy is known for its "snout to tail" cuisine, here's one for all my offal loving readers. And may I just say "so sorry" to my fellow vegetarians... This is also from the market in Florence.

For Mom and Tasha, among others....

Day Trip To Montalcino

  It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted something new. As we get closer to our travel date, I've been busy doing the checklists. Between work, walks, laundry, shopping, bills, etc., we are finding moments to get all giddy about being back in Italy soon. 

  What we love to do, of course, is go over what we did last year, and what we want to do this year. One of our day trips last year was to Montalcino, in Tuscany. We wanted to do some Brunello tasting, and maybe even buy some to send home. We did, and it was a fab day. I love a good day trip. Get up early, grab a cappuccino at Bar Gallo, and head out. 

  We had been to Montalcino before, but really wanted to go back. The day we chose was a beauty, with just enough clouds to make the sky magic. To get there, we went by Montepulciano, Pienza, and San Quirico d'Orcia. This would be along the SS146 to the SR2, two of the most classic and beautiful roads you will ever want to drive. Stunning scenery through out, with rows of Italian Cypress, Umbrella Pines, ruins of old farmhouses to die for, and hill towns perched in the distance. If you have a calendar of Tuscany, you have at least one picture from this area.

  

A perfect Umbrella Pine

Tuscan Landscape in all it's glory. Well, at least it's late winter glory!
(I do love me some good cloud shadows.)

  We like to stop at the little turn outs along the way, just to breathe in the air and see what we can see. Poor Johnny always drives, so he needs to get a break to look around.  Sometimes these stops will turn into a painting session, and I'll take a walk along the road, scoping out wild flowers, or taking photos. Or both.

Little wild euphorbias I spied on one of our breaks along the road. Once I started looking,
 I saw that they were everywhere. So sweet!

The much photographed Capella di Vitaletta, a scene along the SS146.

  We mosey along to Montalcino, tummies beginning to growl for lunch. Parking was a breeze, being off season and all. We parked below the Fortezza, in a big lot with a machine that took coins for a ticket. No problem. Once we hiked it up the hill, we were at the backside of the impressive Fortezza. The views from the ramparts are spectacular, giving you the birds eye of town. Also, great wine tasting in the cantina.

Fun to climb up the rickety wooden stairs to get to the top of the ramparts.

Town views from the ramparts. I love the colors of all the tile roofs.

Another view of the roof tops. I like the "tumbling down the hill" look of it.

  After our first trip to Italy, when we spent time there with my folks, I couldn't get enough of the "travel memoir" books that featured Italy. Two of my favorites take place in Montalcino. They are both by expat Isabella Dusi. She writes about the trials and tribulations of becoming part of a small Italian community. She also does much public outreach and education on restoration projects in Montalcino.
  What I really enjoy about her books is the attention she places on the history of the region, and the generations of families that have worked the land. She respects the reality that most locals have roots that go back hundreds of years. There isn't a lot of sugar coating... it was hard for her and her husband to be accepted into everyday village life. She gives the reader a nice look at day to day life in a small Italian village...one that swells with thousands of tourists at certain times of the year.  I also got a much deeper understanding of the pride that these villages have for their "contrade". Most towns have several completely separate contrade, or neighborhoods, each with it's own church, flag, and community gathering space. You can see flags flying the colors in each different contrada. It's a big deal, and there are age old rivalries that become paramount during festivals featuring various contests.
  If you love to read about this sort of thing, check these books out. The books can be found on Amazon, for sure. I actually bought them both in Siena one year. ("Vanilla Beans & Brodo" is the first, "Bel Vino" is the second)

Nice view that really lets you know you are in a "hill town".

Flying the colors of this particular "contrada". There are four in Montalcino.

   We had a wonderful lunch at Grappolo Blu, unfortunately the pictures came out less than appetizing.
I can tell you that I had a wonderful, rich pasta "cacio e' pepe" (pecorino cheese and lots of black pepper) and Johnny had polenta topped with a vegetable stew. We also enjoyed a mixed green salad, and a salad with apples and pecorino. We splurged on a half bottle of local Brunello. A perfect lunch.
  After lunch, it was off to taste Brunello to decide what we wanted to ship home. We chose a mixed case of three different varieties and vintages. Luxury? Yes, for sure. But we are so frugal most of the time, and I don't buy clothes or shoes..... I refuse to feel guilty! Anyway, it was a really fun experience, and isn't that what traveling is all about?
 

Brunello, here we come. I love the couple on the bench.

  After all that, we ended the afternoon driving down the way to the awesome Abbey of Sant'Antimo, a place I have wanted to visit for years. It was everything I hoped for, and will be featured soon in another post, I promise.
 Until then, so much to still get ready, though many things have been done. I'm very excited to see what Johnny paints this year. He keeps talking about "finding a new language", which sounds inspiring. We will have to wait and see.

Clouds In Spring

  As we look forward to soon being in Umbria again, I pour over photos, remembering days spent like they were yesterday. We spent many, many days just driving in the countryside, no place in particular to be going to. Other days, we would know just where we were headed. Funny, we don't ever do that here. Of course we aren't on vacation much here. Our days of leisure are generally not full of much leisure. Always, there are chores.... That's ok. We live in an area of divine beauty, and there are no complaints. Just not much time to do "nothing".

  I totally get it... this is a huge component of vacations, and why we love them so. The ever elusive leisure time. Sigh.

  We have been lucky to have had more gorgeous days than not on most of our trips. Sure, it was only 22 degrees last time we were in Paris, but man, was it beautiful... the dusting of snow on everything, and the hot drinks all the more delightful. Plus getting to wear our "Big Coats", and really meaning it. We've had rain, snow, wind, and hot, hot, hot days. But only in little bits, and it's all good.

  While in Umbria last spring, we were stunned by the clouds some days. I snapped shots from the car, driving along, or would have Johnny pull over to get even better shots. As the perpetual passenger, I am spoiled by all I get to see and enjoy. It's my job to make sure Johnny at least gets to enjoy the photos, if he's missed it all while behind the wheel. Thankfully the roads are mostly empty, and we can putt-putt along, at....  dare I say, our leisure?

I love the color of the hilltown against the blue sky.
Pretty sure that is Pienza, in Tuscany.

A classic drive-by shot. Near Porto.

Just a moment later...

No one around but us.

  We do love to take our little day trips, with the radio cranking out Italian Top 40, and the windows open just enough to let in all the smells of early spring. This can be anything from olive branches burning, to sweet grass, briny lake smell, or piggy stench. The warmth you only feel when driving in a car on a sunny day.... 

Fields planted with fave, to dig under later for extra nitrogen goodness in the soil.

Blue,White, Green, Grey. It works.

I'll take the house, and the car, too.

 The vibrant colors of both the sky and the hills knock me out. We had arrived when there wasn't much grass yet, and still snow on the far hills. As our trip went on, so did spring, and the electric green of the new grass. The deciduous trees didn't quite leaf out while we were there, but they had just started to. We did get to enjoy "Primavera", the first day of Spring. It coincided with all the wild red tulips going off in the olive groves. I had seen the red poppies before, but had not known about the tulips. A beautiful thing.

Fields starting to bust out in glorious green. 

Softness of the hills undulating.

  Living near the coast, we have a different take on late winter/early spring. The waves crash bigger, the smell of the dune plants are so herby and sweet. Not so much of the feel of farmland and fields. Though they are close by. I like it all, and hope I don't take any of it for granted. Watching the seasons change is one of life's best treats. Whether here, or there.

A parting shot of Heaven right here on Earth.

The Countdown Begins.....

  The eve of the New Year. 

  I'm going out and dancing my way into 2012 so I can shake off some of the energy that is building in me day by day. The Panicale countdown will officially start at midnight! With this knowledge firmly wedged in my back pocket, may I take a few moments to share some of why I can't wait?

  I know, I know, be here now... but it's sooooo hard. This morning we were watching the little movies we made last year, like we hadn't seen them already dozens of times. Oooo-ing over the sounds of the birds and the churchbells, while reliving the moments like they were just happening.

  When it gets like this for me, it's time to whip out some beauty shots, and just climb right in. These are  pictures that really convey what comes to my mind when I dream of Umbria. The light, the subtle textures and colors of the season, that smoky haze from olive trimmings being burnt. So much beauty that my heart wants to stop, just thinking about being back in it again. It does skip beats, I swear. That feeling of excitement mixed with a kind of poignancy. 

  I need a soundtrack.

View across the valley towards Lago Trasimeno, barely there in the upper left corner.

A stunning ruin on the walk to Paciano. The colors in this floor me.

The other-worldly landscape of the Italian countryside.

 Painting in process. Can't wait to see what paintings come from the 2012 trip!

Sunset from Panicale. 

Panicale skyline.

   Sometimes we come across little vignettes...moments in time that just need to be captured. We really like to walk the back streets and white roads, peek into abandoned buildings, generally poke around as much as we can. As I've posted before, there is an incredible sense of freedom to roam where ever you want to. Always with respect, of course. Never know what you may stumble upon...

Really? Can't I sneak just one into my rucksack to put in my garden at home? (No, I wouldn't...)

My kind of decorating..

Another find as we wandered a back pathway behind the main part of town.

  When I imagine the countryside around Panicale, I see these dream-like scenes, shrouded in a hazy elegance created by the nearness of Lago Trasimeno, and the olive tree clippings being burned. Early in the morning, the effect creates an incredible opportunity for photos. It's all about the light, man.

The geometry of the agriculture is pure photo heaven.

Monochromatic magic.

  And we can't wait to be back in our favorite watering holes, whether for due bicchieri di vino at sunset, or due cappuccini in the early hours of the day... Such a good way to catch up with the locals, or just relive the day we had. Nice to know there is this sweet routine. We love our regular spot in Panicale, but also have fun discovering little places in near by towns.

A favorite of ours at sunset time. We can take our glasses up to the nearby veterans memorial park to watch
the sun go down over Lago di Chiusi.

 Bar Gallo in beautiful Panicale. Our local spot, and the heart of this small town.
 We'll be seeing you soon...! 

On December

  Several years ago, December started to be my least favorite month of the year. It crept up on me like that... over a few years, it just became the month I wanted to sleep through, hoping to awake sometime mid January. Why, I'm not 100% sure. 

  When we were kids, for my brothers and me, Christmas was the beginning and the end of everything. First came the Sears-Roebuck catalogue, with all the goodies any little tyke could possibly dream of. We would scour that thing, dog-earring pages that had especially fine gift ideas, circling the Incredible Edible set,  MatchBox Car racetracks, and the always popular Walkie-Talkies. We wanted bikes, we wanted kid size kitchens, we wanted microscopes, we wanted huge stuffed animals, we wanted table top football and pinball sets... we wanted, wanted, wanted. For the most part, we received most of the things we asked for, thanks to our parents, grandparents and various aunts and uncles. It was the 60's, and all was good in our little kid world. What we didn't receive at Christmas, we would work for, instilling an awesome work ethic into each of us.

  On Christmas Eve, neighbors and relatives would gather at our house, passing around gifts and eggnog. The parents would spike it with, what? Brandy? Something....and we kids would be bouncing off the walls from eating cookies and chocolates. Plus the unbearable anticipation of the Big Guy coming down the chimney. The night would be like magic, all colored lights and presents waiting under the tree. Cookies and milk for Santa at the ready.

  Then, just as everyone was about to conk out, or pass out, we would get in the car and head down to midnight mass. Catholics, you know. It was tough, man. All the little old ladies dressed to the nines, and heady with too much perfume, parents starting to nod out, kids barely hanging on...can't we just GET TO THE POINT?!?!! Always seemed like the longest mass ever. 

  My poor parents would then have to try to get us home and to sleep, put together whatever big gifts needed putting together, get the stockings stuffed with little goodies, drag out whatever gifts were hiding away in closets... Saints on Earth. The final touch was the wrapping paper taped across the hallway entrance, so we couldn't sneak into the living room and see "Christmas" before they woke up. Now I know this was because they only had an hour or two of sleep, and needed all the minutes they could get, before we became crazy with the wanting.

  On their mark, we would come busting out and through the paper, Dad filming it all on 8mm. I remember being blinded by those lights on the camera-and that overwhelming happiness at seeing that yes, you did get a kid sized kitchen. I loved that freaking kitchen, all pink and made of, well, cardboard, really. But it rocked my little world. Just my size. My other favorite gift was the "Horrible Hamilton" toy I got one year. It was this green plastic monster/bug thing that walked on it's 6 legs when you pulled his long string. Even way back then, I loved my monsters. The wooden circus wagon filled with all the cool wooden circus animals lasted for years. Loved by all of us kiddles. 

  As we got older, it was all about record players, reel to reel tape players, guitars, drums, and record albums,(6th grade it was Neil Young's "After The Goldrush") and, of course, cash. Sweet thing was, even into our adult years, we still got a stocking filled with fun little gifts...tiny mustards and cheeses, funny pencils, bags of chocolate "coins", silly wind-up toys...and always, always, always walnuts & tangerines. Good times, good times.

  Some years, we would have all the family, cousins and grandparents, for the sit down dinner of 25 or so. Honestly, to this day I do not know how my Mother did it. She, a professional working woman, would not only bake several types of cookies, but shop, wrap, cook, write and send cards, etc., etc., etc. In earlier years, we would all be at my Mom's parents, Grandma & Grandpa Dottie's house. They lived next door, and our L.A. family would be there, too. All us cousins would play ourselves silly in the yard, trying out our new toys. Grandma Dottie had a silver tinsel table - top tree with a little village in the snow underneath- trees, deer and everything. It enchanted us all. Grandma Bea had a big silver tinsel tree with one of those slow turning round lights on the floor that made the tree change color every few seconds. Oooo. Love the Grandmas. 

  Then there were the years we would drive down to my cousin's house for Christmas day. It was so cool because the house had this great space to hide in. We were awkward pre-teens in those days, so having a place to escape to was the bomb. Also, there was the boa constrictor.... Being a kid is such a trip. So many sweet and fractured memories of family.

  And that's what's so odd about my rather gloomy feelings on December. True, it's also my birthday month, but I would rather that just slides by under cover. Just not into the birthday thing. (And yet, I do try to honor other's birthdays...hmmmm.) For some reason, December just makes me kind of sad. And overwhelmed. And full of anxiety. And cynical. And so f-ing tired. Like most people, no doubt. I start feeling dread right after Thanksgiving, and it smolders. This year it tipped into hellishness for a few days, but I'm getting better at fighting it back. It is exhausting trying to maintain. Making biscotti every year saves me, that's for sure. 

  The shining, sparkling, warm and cozy light at the end of the tunnel is knowing that I will see my Mom & Dad, have a special evening out, play some dominoes, drink some wine... share some family time. It may not be the big scene it was back in the day, but these couple of days with them will make all of the December doom and gloom vanish in a good, tight hug.

A Little Venice Rant

  Well, we didn't make it to the Venice Biennale this year. Sigh. Heard it was a good one, too. We will shoot for 2013, fingers crossed. In previous posts, I've mentioned my love of contemporary art and the Venice Biennale in particular. But when I sit here at the gallery, fantasizing about Venice, it's the overwhelming beauty of the place that I am picturing in my mind. I won't even try to wax poetic about Venice. It's been done and done and done by the best. For me today, I just want to revisit some moments and dream about being back, creating more. 

  We are in the throes of planning our next trip to Panicale, and I'm going nuts looking at pictures from the last trip. It's such a tease. So going to Venice today is kind of a distraction, I guess. It is like going, too. I have an uncanny ability to conjure up in my mind the sight, sound, smell, and even the emotion of being someplace. While sitting here at my desk, on this cold December day, I will feel the warmth on my skin as I sit sipping my Aperol Spritz in Campo Santa Margherita, listening to the bells go off and the kids kicking around a soccer ball.

  What gets me, is how many people I've talked to that dislike Venice... "the crowds", "the smell", "the cost of a cup of coffee". Give me a break. For sure, you can expect to see masses of people in Piazza San Marco, or pay through the nose to sit in said piazza drinking a cappuccino. As for smell, well, we have never experienced this particular complaint. Live a little, and get the hell away from the hoards of people, lose yourself in the back streets and find the glory that is Venice. Stand at the bar in the neighborhood cafe and toss back an espresso like the locals. It will cost you less than a euro. 

  Try to discover the small squares where the few "true" locals hang around in the evenings. Grandmas gossiping on benches, moms with strollers watching the kids run around, dads catching up on the latest sport news. It does exist. I hear Venice is a slowly dying community, turning into a Disneyland for grown-ups. This is probably too true, like in so many Italian hilltowns that have been bought up by foreigners and turned into high priced short term rentals. This chases out the locals, who can't possibly pay the price to live in their own home towns. I have mixed feelings, of course. I am one of those who pays to "live" short term in a rented apartment where ever we go in Italy. But I also try to embrace the local culture, make friends and participate at what ever level I can. 

  I don't know the answer. I don't even know the question. What I feel I do know, is this - There are a couple of very different ways to experience travel:

  This way:

Sheesh.

Yikes.

  Or this way:

Just a couple of pigeons. 

  

  Yes, this is Venice.... graffiti and all...

  By strolling just a few minutes away from Piazza San Marco, you will find yourself walking down uncrowded calles (streets, in Venice), enjoying impossibly beautiful scenes of canals, or lovely small campos, and even public gardens and laundry drying in the breeze.

Pretty as a picture. Oh, wait....

Yep. The public park of Venice. It's huge, too. This is a main area for the Biennale. 

Normal folk,  just taking the kid to school... I love the "street signs" in this shot.

More empty, lovely calles to explore.

This is actually Burano, one of the outer islands near Venice. So pretty. Also, totally uncrowded when
you get away from the touristy main area.

  Now the money shots, because that's what we love to see, eh?

All together...."Oooo, Ahhhh..."
Oh, and I'll take that awesome water taxi on the left, please...

Cruising down the Grand Canal during the "Golden Hour".

Gondolas doing their gondola thing...

  So now you have no excuse, or at least not that lame "it's too crowded" one.... Venice is like a world wonder. Really. You should try to see it once in your lifetime. Just spend at least several days, stay off the main drag, get lost, and stop into the neighborhood osteria to enjoy some cicchetti with a glass of the house red. You will never regret it.