Lunch Time On A Rainy Day...Back in May 2023

I'm writing this post in September 2023, but this was a lunch way back in the springtime....maybe May 2023, on our last visit here.

Sometimes I don't get to writing everything I want to at the time it happens! 

Anyway, since all we've eaten out here so far is basically pizza, I figured I'd add in this yummy lunch we had back in May.

We almost didn't go out because we don't like to drive on rainy days, and this place is a good forty minutes away...but we bucked up and went for it, and I'm glad we did. 

Just a couple of great plates of house made papardelle pasta with some veggies and beans. And dessert. A perfect meal.

Johnny always likes a nice red sauce, and this one was a spicy version
"Arrabbiata" means angry...so a good, angry(spicy) sauce.

My pasta was a very delightful parmesan cream with arugula.
Subtle and light, considering the cream sauce.

Next, we shared a bowl of white beans and some grilled veggies, which
had been marinated with garlic and herbs. Nice.

A good combination eaten together.

Now that's a perfect bite...

Well, you know...we were hungry...

We even went and visited the dessert table! A rare event.

A slice of pistachio cream pie and a slice of chocolate /walnut cake.
We shared, of course...with espressos.

What can I say...we were hungry!

More to come.....

 

Getting Settled In...Finally!

Whew. 

It was a rather long flight here... but having a direct flight, San Fransisco-Rome, was great!

No pesky 4-5 hour layover! Big YAY! Sadly, our return trip will have that pesky layover, but I don't need to think about it right now.

I've had a rough entry....the amount of stress leading up to any of these trips is overwhelming, and the older I get...the more anxious and stressed out I seem to get. 

Anyway, I came down with my usual nasty head cold. Hey, it's my fault. I need to learn how to calm the heck down! And yes.. we wore masks the whole way...it is not covid. It's just loads of snot. Feeling much better now.

It's warm here. Much warmer than we are used to on the coast of California...so we get out early, nap and chill in the afternoon, then do stuff after the sun gets low in the sky. Learning a new routine is always good.

So happy to be back in our Nut...seeing this view...

You can see that it's dry.

We did an early morning walk the morning after we arrived (before the cold set in), and I was so happy to see some sunflowers still blooming! They bloom here in July, so we were lucky there were some showing their faces still!

Lots of bees and little orange butterflies were zooming around these beauties.

We arrived just before the big wine festival here in the village, so the piazza has been packed with people, music, noise and dancing. Fun to watch from a table tucked in a corner, but I'm glad it's over. I like the piazza best when it's quiet and not so many people ...

After spending a couple of days just laying around feeling funky, I finally feel better, so we are doing our early morning routine of walking. Where? Well, we have several routes we take, but most start by heading down the dirt road where we live. I love this view, too...

We had our traditional first night in Rome pizza, but once we're home here...we have a couple of local spots we like.

Below, two rather jet lagged folks waiting for dinner. We've been waiting for three months...

Where's my pizza?

Jeez, I look whooped!

Once pizza is in front of us, we are very, very happy campers! 

Johnny is like a kid! Pizza !!!

We both like our pizza cooked "ben cotta", well cooked...
I love this sweet onion pie with it's charred edges. Oh, yum.

Because we tend to eat and drink quite a bit more while here, we need these early morning walks. 

Now that we have joined the people who "count their steps",  it's all over, man. 

Back home, we walk twice a day now that we closed the gallery and work from home. We'll do it here, too. 

This morning, we hiked down the hill and through the fields below. It was cool and crisp and lovely.

I think I'm really feeling better!

I love this lone tree in the field. I've watch it go through a few seasons
over the years...

Wildflowers along the way...

And another favorite view. Part of a favorite morning walk.

 

It's wonderful to be back at The Nut, and I hope to do more writing.
Stay tuned...

Flowers In The Wild

I've been well aware of the "Super Bloom" of wildflowers in California right now, and I'd love to have seen it! Since I'm here, I'll share a bit of wildness from Umbria...

Anyone who has visited central Italy in May or June is familiar with the wild red poppies that bloom all over the fields, roadsides, etc. These amazingly tenacious wildflowers are iconic. You will see them on postcards, in calendars and loads of cheesy tourist paintings. They are as much a symbol here as the Italian cypress trees...And for good reason. 

These red wonders bring a smile to my face every time we see them. We have them along the tractor roads where we walk in the morning...

 

Red poppies as the sun rises...

They grow everywhere, even in the most unusual places.

Popping out of an old stone wall, they look gorgeous.

I spotted this loner the other morning, and just had to capture it.

The poppies are wonderful, for sure, but there are loads of wildflowers to enjoy. 

These tiny cyclamen are all over the forest right now.
They are so fragrant!

Earlier in the trip, the wild euphorbia were the thing.
These are annuals, and I love them!

I don't know what these are, but I spot them almost everyday now.

We see big patches of thyme along our walks.
Especially pretty now!

Wild honeysuckle in the forest.
Also very fragrant.

I don't know this one, but it's blooming now, too...

I like seeing something blue!

I look forward to these every year. 
I'd like one in my garden. It's a shrubby plant.

The lunaria, or "money plant" blooms all over the shady road side. They are always purple, and as is their way, they make the coolest seed pods that look like delicate coins...

These were blooming last month

A closer shot...

This month, they have gone to seed and I love seeing the sun shine through  the seedpods.

Though far from being a wildflower,
I still enjoy seeing the wheat growing and making seed heads.

Wild clover all up and down our dirt road.

To me, they are still special.
I really love the soft yellow color.

Gorgeous small flowering thistle plants.
We saw these out on the island.

Also on the island, gigantic wild fennel.

A fantastic mix of color and texture.

These plants below are really cool. I've only seen them growing out of the old stone walls all around the area. Sometimes in the sun, sometimes in the shade. They start as just pretty leaves, then the spike of bloom comes on.

In a sunny spot...

Mixed with other lovelies in the shade.

Aren't they fantastic?

A green wall of moss, ferns and wildflowers...

We came across this scary looking thistle on a walk last week...

Yikes!
Really big, too.

And last but not least, a couple of shots from our long dirt road...

I hope you enjoyed these...