Fontemanna, Farm Fresh In Umbria

  Last year while here in Panicale, Johnny and I were thrilled to stumble across Caseificio Fontemanna, a small family farm just over the next ridge. They sell small batches of the most amazing yogurt, cheese and ricotta we had ever tasted. Bar none. Honestly, this is one of those places I have been dreaming about coming back to all year. 

  Now as we are nearing the end of this trip, I am happy to report that we visited them several times, and have been treated so kindly by the whole family on each visit, we will again look forward to next year and more of the fine products they have to offer.

  We love having one of the yummy glass jarred yogurts for breakfast some mornings... We both love the one with cereal in it...wheat germ, seasoned with just enough sweetness from caramelized sugar and cinnamon, we think. It's delightful. The strawberry and "frutti di bosco", or forest fruits, are both really good, too. I think this is huckleberry....

BEST. YOGURT. EVER.

  The farm itself is located not too far from Tavernalle, in Colle San Paolo. We found it on one of our "strada bianca" adventures last year. There is a sandwich board on the road advertising the place. Once down the road, there is a small area to park, and the little store seems to always be open. At first you may think it isn't, but someone always comes along ready to help. The location is a beauty, too.

Johnny outside the little store on the property.

Beautiful views across the valley.

I believe this is the main family home, with the sheep and milking areas beyond. 

The sign in the window.

   Today, we went out to visit for the last time (this year.. we will be back!) I wanted one last look for pictures, and a few more yogurts to last us until the end. This time, I was able to get a few photos of the amazingly clean and tidy back room, where much of the magic happens.

A small operation, but a most mighty one. Ricotta happens here.

I've always loved milk cans....my Grandpa Pedrotti was a dairy man back in the day. 

The calling card with all info.

  I really appreciate that these good people are true to their aim of making an honest product, in small batches for super freshness. The cheeses and yogurts are made from raw sheep's milk, and I just don't think we can get this at home. We have been told that it is even a rare treat here, too. They only have a few cheeses, either an aged, semi-aged or fresh pecorino. All are fantastic. 

  The ricotta is almost always sold out to restaurants in the area, and we felt lucky to be offered some on one visit. It was incredible, with that slight barnyard flavor you only get from really fresh sheep's milk cheeses. They recommend it with local honey, but we went savory when we brought it home.

What better than local ricotta with local bread, olive oil and tomatoes from the south lands of Italy?

The products list.

 

Johnny chatting with one of the younger generation here. Art, politics, food and weather.

  We have tried all the different cheeses, but today were gifted some pecorino fresca, a younger, softer cheese. We have loads of fava beans ready to harvest in our garden here, so it was a perfect match. This is a Spring ritual here, eating the young fava beans raw with fresh pecorino. I understand it now.

Three stages of pecorino, fresh, semi-aged and aged.

Back home, amazing with the just picked fava beans. Oh, joy.

  We were invited to dinner last Friday and brought some munchies to have with wine before the main meal. I had some ricotta left, and mixed it with some fresh herbs from the garden...thyme and marjoram, salt and pepper. Great spread on crostini and topped with roasted tomatoes. Pretty, too.

Sadly, I forgot to take a final shot of this...it was so pretty! You get the idea...

Looks like something good to me. A proudly displayed certificate of goodness.

  These are the little joys of being here. Finding, by chance, a sweet place like this up a little road in the country. You just have to take the time to check it out, be brave about your lack of language skills, and go for it. You just don't know what you might miss, otherwise. This is a place we will come back to again and again, and look forward to doing so. 

  Grazie per tutti, Fontemanna! Ci vediamo prossimo anno!

  www.fontemanna.it

L'Osteria Il Gallo nel Pozzo

  This last week we have had some super nice weather, and even warm evenings. On Saturday night, we made a point to have dinner out, so we could really take it in. 

  Last year we had a wonderful lunch at the Osteria Gallo nel Pozzo. This small, lovely eatery is run by Simone and Lorena Gallo. Simone is the son Aldo and Daniela, proprietors of the very popular Bar Gallo , where we enjoy hanging out at some point every day.

  

 We headed over for dinner, so excited to be able to eat outside. Lorena greeted us with a smile and sat us right down. We gave her our usual "siami vegetariani" speech, and were good to go. Lorena made some wonderful suggestions, and sent Simone our way to help with a wine decision. Once all that was settled, we sat back to bask in the golden night glow of the piazza.

  Because we don't order a traditional "Appetizer, Primi, Secondi, style Italian meal, which includes a meat course, we always try to get a couple of appetizers. Johnny, being the supreme cheese lover, ordered a young pecorino cheese, served with a house prepared fig "jam" and walnuts. The addition of a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and spicy arugula made for some perfect bites.

So glad we always share...

  I ordered the carpaccio di carciofi, thin slices of raw artichoke dressed in olive oil and really good aged balsamic. I'm pretty certain it was topped with grated, aged parmesan. Super good combination. I love the raw artichoke salads here.

Carpaccio di Carciofi

  We don't normally order the same pasta, because, of course, we like to trade bites. The pasta this evening was too hard to resist, so we each had the same dish. A traditional "umbricelli" pasta, fresh and made right there. I love this type of pasta noodle. Very dense, but not heavy...just great texture. Thick and chewy, it is made without eggs. On Saturday night, Lorena was serving it with a simple sauce of fave and asparagus, the flavors of Spring.

This picture does not do justice to the vibrancy of this lovely  dish.

   We each ordered a plate of grilled eggplant, a favorite of ours. Served room temperature, and slightly marinated, it was just perfect. Roasty, sweet from the balsamic, and acidic bite from the marinade. Oh, yum.
  We learned earlier this trip, that all the plates and stoneware they use here at this Osteria are made very close by, by a local woman. I remember enjoying this rustic touch last year..

  

  Wonder why I have put on all the pounds I lost before the trip..... ? I don't. Simone let us know that dolci this evening was super fresh cannoli, made to order. I'm sorry, I could not resist. Especially here in the land of super fresh ricotta! Yes, we each had one, thank you. You just can't get them like this at home, no way. Crushed pistachio and bit of candied orange peel was a perfect touch.

  Another fantastic eating experience in beautiful Panicale. 

A picture worth a thousand bites.

The view of the piazza, and fountain, from our table

Osteria Il Gallo Nel Pozzo

For more information on Osteria Il Gallo nel Pozza, and Bar Gallo:
http://www.benvenutidalgallo.it/

Sunrise, Panicale

  I'm thinking that the fewer words the better for this particular post. The short video at the end says it all.

  Photos taken from our terrace, at about 5:30am one day last week.... I love all the birdsong at this time of morning...

  Pretty magical.

A Festival For Artichokes

  We live near a town in the States that is called "The Artichoke Center Of The World". There are loads of fields full of big, green, globe artichokes that are just beautiful. And they are shipped all over the world, for sure. We love them, and enjoy them as dinner, with some roasted potatoes on the side. Yummy. 

  This being said, I was pretty excited about being here for the annual event, "Chiusare in Piazza in Primavera".  Each April, weather permitting, (it was, thank god) on the weekend before, as well as the 25th of April, this very small medieval hill town hosts a festa celebrating the regional artichokes known as Morellino artichokes. From what I have heard, they were almost completely gone, extinct, but were brought back as part of the whole Slow Food movement here in Italy. Now the town holds them in high esteem, and people from all around come to eat, drink, and be merry with the little purple wonders.

  We drove close to two hours to partake in this event. The drive is a beauty, and gave us a chance to show our guest and good pal, Tasha, the lovely country side. The drive up the hill to Chiusare is a doozy, but offered some outstanding views. We were glad to have arrived early, because parking spaces were limited. The first artichoke-y thing we came upon was this very cool wall planter...we saw them all over town.

Fantastic color combo here.

  

  There were a few local food producers set up to sell their goods, and we bought some treats to bring home. It was really easy to figure out where the real action was, though...

Arriving into the main Piazza of Chiusare.

  There was a ticket booth with the main "menu", and we checked it out to see what looked good. Everything. A very short, artichoke-centric offering, to be sure. We bought our tickets to present to the main food booth, and moved on.

  One interesting item on the menu were "carciofi crudi", or raw artichokes. We didn't order any, and later, watched a young couple as they each slowly devoured these tasty delights. We ended up buying some to try at home later. They were really good, dipping each tender, but crunchy leaf in salted olive oil...

The artichokes to be eaten raw, plus the lovely color, shows here.

Raw artichokes before and after being cleaned for eating raw. So pretty!

  For me, well.... it was all about the carcifi fritti, fried artichokes. What can I say..... they just looked so good. How could we resist?  Johnny went for two cones, right off the bat. I restrained and had only one, and Tasha totally bowed out and just took a shared bite. Good Girl...(what was she thinking? I could have eaten 5 cones!)

Crunchy, salty, yummy. Oh, kind of nutty, too.

  The other non meat options on the menu were a local pecorino cheese, to be eaten alone, or with the fresh fave. Tasha had a bowl of the artichoke soup, which really was awesome. The plates came with a small bowl of salted olive oil for dipping the fave in. Oh, scrumptiousness.

A lunch fit for Kings & Queens.

  Having stuffed ourselves to the gills, we needed a nap, but went for a walk around town instead. Good choice. The small walkways and arches offered all kinds of great photo opts and views.

A back "street" in Chiusare.

Johnny wants a nap, but takes the high road and walks, instead.

The view from the top of town. It was pretty windy, but the sun was warm.

  It was fun walking all around, because we came across a nice local garden full of the artichoke plants we had just eaten from. The purple color of the artichokes with the grey/green foliage is a match made in, well, Chiusare. So different from our variety at home....

Another great garden we found on our walkabout.

  We sat on a bench in the sun, just soaking up the good full feeling and the warmth... listening to the muted sounds of the festa going on below us, and the millions of birds. After dozing off for a bit, we headed back down to the main piazza again, finding more fun attractions on the way...

What appears to be a row of old chicken coops, or maybe for sheep..

We, too, are grateful for the wonderful Carciofi.

  We all agreed it was a long, but fulfilling day, and a good way to see the countryside, and share a special time with a great friend. I will be happy to attend next year!
  Ci vediamo prossimo anno!

Yellow And Green All Over

  No matter how often we walk around the walls of Panicale, or take the short drive to Castiglione del Lago, I am just stunned at the colors in the fields. I know it's going to change.... jeez, it's changed a lot since we arrived in March. I just can't get over the intensity of the greens and the yellows. Throw in some blue or grey skies, and it's mind blowing. At least for my little mind.

  I've been snap, snap, snapping pictures the whole time we've been here, and it's always fun to comb through what I've shot to get inspired. Pretty easy with this lot... color and texture are my thing, and if I could put down a soundtrack it would be Sigur Ros. The feeling for me is both transcendent and nostalgic....

A dreamy landscape near Villastrada in Umbria.

  Most of the yellow comes from massive fields of wild mustard. Or at least that's what it looks like to me. There are all these fantastic graphic lines created by these plantings, making the landscape look just like an abstract painting from up along the walls of Panicale. It's pretty fantastic to see over and over everyday, changing all day long with the light.

I just took this today, April 28th. The greens are really changing... but the lines are still so cool.

  

    We drive by this casa vecchio, or "old house", several times a week, going here or there, and it is just as enchanting each time we go past it. It isn't really a ruin, but man it could be great if someone would take the money and time to fix it up... The yellow field in front is just a little icing on this old cake....

All I need is a few more euros....

  We drove up to Siena, in Tuscany a couple of weeks ago, and I enjoyed the change in landscape...still all the yellow and greens, but just a little different in some way. The area south of Siena is referred to as "The Crete Senesi", which is a reference to the clay like soil found there. They grow a lot of wheat here, so the hills are just green waves, with yellow wildflowers thrown in here and there for eye candy fun.

The classic Tuscan landscape.

Wow, did I take this shot...? Why, yes, yes I did. Good one, kiddo.
Another Tuscan scene.

  The land just in our immediate vicinity is this lovely mix of the greens, yellows and also the celadon green or heather blue of Lago Trasimeno. The lake changes color with the sky, of course, so it has been  different each day, it seems. Now, as we are getting to the end of April, more and more of the fields are being turned over from their cover crops of just a few weeks ago. It's a real treat to be here long enough to watch these changes.

The field in front was fave just a week or two ago.  I'm loving the splash of yellow with the color
of the lake....

Panicale seen through a field of yellow....

Another shot from the same spot...my camera couldn't decide
what to focus on, and I kept it. I like this.

  I remember once, in my wild youth, looking across the valley at the hills opposite. The wind was blowing pretty good, and the grass covered hills were being blown in a way that made me think of hundreds of bunnies running in unison... I have never forgotten this imagery. It was the softness, and the waviness of it.. anyway, around here it is happening, and I am in awe again. I think this is all wheat,  but don't know for sure. All I know is that it keeps me sighing.

A green and grey wonderland

These moments are what remind me that I am somewhere very different than home.

I just love these fields...

  So the day before yesterday, we head back over to the island, Isola Maggiore, so Johnny can do some painting, and I can explore more. We didn't hike around much on our earlier trip, and I was blown away by the forests of wild fennel growing here! I mean, everywhere...and these plants were huge. Like five feet tall and growing. All through the olive groves on the upper sides of the island. A perfect ending to my yellow and green postcard from Umbria.

Wild fennel gone WILD!

Some up close fennel love.....

  You can learn more about Umbria, and also plan your own adventures by checking out my friend Katia's website:

http://www.umbriamagic.com/