Il Tempo...A Favorite In Tavernelle

  There are so many options when it comes to having a meal "out" here in Umbria. We love to have a nice lunch out, and then a very light, if any, dinner. To tell the truth, dinner is often a few small treats at Bar Gallo... bruschetta, chips, olives.... whatever is on offer with a glass or two of wine. 

  

  What we have come to love over the years are the "tavola calda", or hot table restaurants. I have written about these places before, here, and we are still big fans.

  A favorite has become Il Tempo, just outside of Tavernelle, a town about 15 minutes away from Panicale, in the valley.

  We ate here once last year, at the end of our stay...but this year we have become regulars for lunch. Il Tempo is located on the SS220, just a few kilometers east of Tavernelle on the way to Perugia. Look for it on the right hand side of the road on your way out of town.

Il Tempo, located on the SS220,east of Tavernelle. Well worth a visit! 

  Since I'm always on the lookout for another tavola calda, I noticed this one by the sign above the door. When we went the first time, we were so happy to see the many vegetarian choices available.

  The lovely Olympia, who I believe owns the place, and does the cooking, is such a delightful young woman. She speaks English very well, which is always nice, and has a very good way with her customers.

  When we have stopped for lunch, there seems to be a nice group of regulars. Lots of working folks stopping in for a hot lunch...suits and ties as well as dirty jeans and workbooks. Very much a local place. 

A typical plate of vegetarian treats from Olympia's kitchen.
Johnny is in love with the "suppli", little fried rice balls stuffed with cheese.
 How can this be bad? Oh, It's not...

  There is always something new I want to try, and we let Olympia just fix plates for us...it's always yummy....

The balsamic roasted little onions have been my favorite lately.
We both love the stuffed eggplant and squash....it's all good!

  Right after I got over my stomach flu, early in the trip, I wanted to go to Il Tempo and really eat up. We hardly ever have dessert, but I was feeling brave, and we went for it. I had the warm, home made and utterly awesome apple strudel......with cream, of course...

  

Johnny had tiramisu, which was also very fine. Always. I have grown most fond of tiramisu, I have to say.

  So, we usually just get a mixed plate of what ever Olympia brings to us, but I recently was in the mood for pasta, and she recommended the pasta rosa, or pasta in a pink sauce. 

  Olympia let me know that the sauce was home made, and it is wonderful. Sweet, creamy and just enough spice to give it that little kick of heat. I will crave this sauce in the coming months, and look forward to coming back for it next year.

The unassuming looking, yet incredibly tasty pink sauce.

  This same visit, Johnny branched out a bit, too, by ordering the faro salad. It had lots of fresh veggies and some nice little chunks of local cheese. I would try to make this at home, for sure.

  

I know we will return again and again to Il Tempo....the atmosphere is local, comfortable, and friendly to the extreme. We feel at home here now, and that's so nice. The entire staff is easy, attentive and so welcoming.

  And the food is always so good. We just know that everything is made fresh and with care. There are many veggie things to try, and I have a good idea that the meat eaters out there will be happy, too.

  For me, a plate like the one here, is a little taste of heaven.

This day featured an amazingly great ceci bean salad. Lots of rosemary, and so good.

  We both give thumbs held high up for Il Tempo...If you find yourself in the area, just go for it. You will not regret it.

  Thanks,Olympia! We'll be back soon!!

A Slow Start To Spring

  It was bound to happen...

  Spring, that is. 

  Better late than never, I say.

  Walking around Panicale, or out in the surrounding area, I have kept a keen eye on the flowering trees, various wisteria vines, and wildflowers. Waiting, waiting....All of a sudden, it happens. The sun comes out, the wind dies down (a little), and the warmth of the air just makes things pop.

  Boom. I am so ready.

I just hope I get to see these bad boys bloom before we leave!

  On our almost daily walks to Paciano, I have been eyeing a few choice flowering fruit trees...

  The last week they didn't let me down.

Just outside the walls of Paciano. 

A real beauty I've been watching for weeks!

Flowering quince near Paciano.
I especially like it with the olive.

This one has gone from bare branches to full bloom while we have been here.
 Again, on our morning walk to Paciano. I love the lines of this.

A peach, I think. Near Panicale.

  Last year I wrote about Yellow & Green in the landscape here. It is something to behold. As the wheat fields and mustard fields come into bloom again, I am still in awe. 

  This year, I've noticed a couple of yellow and green combos that I really love...

Forsythia in back, with a fantastic Mahonia in front. The Forsythias are in bloom all over now,
and I am loving them. Mahonia is more rare, but super happy here.

  In all the olive groves and local vineyards, the tiny wildflowers are a true carpet of color. I'll readily admit, I don't know the names of these fellows, but I sure enjoy seeing them. Always together, blue and yellow and green...Magic.

More of my favorites, an annual Euphorbia that is a "weed" here.

  A real harbinger of spring, the wild violets just slay me. We don't see these at home, except in nurseries. They are all over the hillsides, and I just can't get over it.

  Oh, and then there are the fields of wild grape hyacinths...this just cracks me up. 

  Really. I don't know why. I guess it's just so unexpected to see them growing wild. They get mowed down by farmers, like any other weed!

Just too beautiful with the olive trees, don't you agree?

Another nice mix of this and that...

  While Mr. J was painting the other day near Valiano, I took a nice long walk into town. I had walked around here two years ago, and liked it very much. When I came across this scene, I remembered taking a picture of it back then. This lovely plant has tripled in size, and looks even more spectacular than before. Especially against this wall...

  Continuing the Yellow & Green theme, I have taken a bunch of photos of the nearby countryside, in all her gloriousness. Spring is here, and we've all been waiting. I just hope the last day or two of sun and warmth continues...I'm not kidding.

  

  I will enjoy these scenes either way, rain or shine, as they speak to me in a way I have come to adore. I have a foot here, in this country, and another back home. Each offers me the chance to walk in worlds I never knew I would have the chance to experience. 

  I do not take this for granted. I am so freaking grateful for this amazing opportunity to see, smell, taste, and listen to a life in two worlds.

  Just to gaze out at these landscapes...it blows my little pea brain on a daily basis. I am brought to tears every day, at least twice. 

  I kid you not.

I see you.

I hear you.

I feel you.

  In a few words....

  I thank you.

Osteria Il Gallo Nel Pozzo: Another Fine Dinner

  Johnny and I had another great dinner at Simone & Lorena's Osteria several nights ago. We both were so ready for the warmth and conviviality of this very local favorite.

  I had scoped out the latest menu, as they are cooking seasonally, and saw a bunch of vegetarian things to try. I like this place a lot. Lorena, wife and chef, always features something different from the norm.

We dressed up a little bit, and walked the very short distance to Il Gallo Nel Pozzo.

  As always, we were happily greeted by both Simone and Lorena...they are so nice. Simone sat us and let us know the specials. We are happy to report that the menu features many options for us non-meat eaters, and Simone helps with suggestions, including wines. He really knows his Umbrian wines.

Fresh, crispy breadsticks and yummy bread to begin....

A special treat, wine from Montefalco, and a great year, too.

  My chic for a starter was easy. "Millefolglie di Parmigiana di melanzane al forno".

  Sort of a stacked eggplant parmesan...only really caramelized, with a sweetness to die for. I loved it.

Really good.

  Johnny totally surprised me by ordering "Uova al tegamino con creme  di tartufo bianco".
  Yes, a fried egg( 2) with home made cream, white truffle and extra virgin olive oil infused with truffle.
  We had never had anything like this...the egg yolk was so pretty...orange, and bright. The truffle, sliced super thin, was plentiful. It is a classic combination here, and this was exceptional.

It was a beautiful thing......

  Yeah, we had more coming. This is why I have now, even after being so sick, packed on a whole bunch of pounds. And happy to do so. We just don't get to eat like this back home!

  Anyway...

  For our main pasta dishes, I couldn't resist the gnudi. I love gnudi. These are little bundles of love....In this case, spinach and ricotta "dumplings" tossed with a butter and sage sauce...toasted pinenuts to finish. Yummy.

So glad I'm over that damn stomach flu.

  Johnny's pasta choice was something I want to go back for. Special ravioli stuffed with Sicilian sheep cheese and served with an amazing pistachio sauce. A Sicilian specialty, as Lorena is from that region. 

  Lorena also brought us a small bowl of pickled spring garlic shoots...her Grandmother's recipe. Sweet and sour, they were sublime and so unexpected. We ate them before I could get a photo....

Johnny loved this, and I will order it next time...

  We almost forgot that we had also ordered a side dish, but thankfully, Lorena remembered! I was so glad, because it was so freaking good.
  For the most part, I think these are little quenelles of local cauliflower, boiled, and mixed with parmesan. No egg or bread. Then topped with a scarmorza cheese, popped under the broiler...presto. Simple, luscious. I will try to recreate this at home.

So silky...so tasty..must have more!

  At this point we didn't need a sweet finish, but what the hell...we're on vacation.

  Johnny had a poached pear with a wine reduction sauce and amoretti... 

  I, on the other hand, had my favorite treat of Lorena's..cannoli, Sicilian style, of course. Like nothing else in town. She follows all the old traditions here. Perfect, again.

  We loved our meal. We will return again and again. Massive thumbs up, all around!

  As you can see below, we were a couple of very happy campers.

A Connection To Olive Trees

  Though I did not grow up with them, I feel a true connection to the olive trees of Umbria. They make sense in the landscape here. They appeal to me on an esthetic level, as well as an historic level. The beauty of form, the blend of color that just speaks to my soul, the sound of them in the wind...it's all too much.

  And the fruit they produce, let's not forget that. 

  I find myself returning again and again to the groves while Johnny is painting. They are everywhere here, and the locals are proud of the traditional oil they produce, "The best in the world", of course. 

  

  

An old soul here.

  This time of year, after the harvest and pressing in November, the olive trees are being pruned. I have noticed that many are being pruned quite severely, and I don't know why. The winter here was very wet, with lots of bad flooding in this region. Many of the groves have taken on a sickly yellowish color from being too saturated.

  There was also snow, which can cause much damage. It is painful to see the olive trees suffering, but I assume these are cycles that they have gone through before. 

  Some of these tress are 7-800 years old, I'm told.

  After finally asking a local, I was told that the trees are pruned "hard" every few years, and this happens to be one of those years. It's a way to keep the trees producing a heavier crop, and it also creates some wonderful wood for next years fireplaces.

An older grove after just being pruned. The cuttings will be gathered and burned.

  My favorites are the older trees, with loads of character...some of them seem to have little worlds inside the lower trunks....

Who lives here?

  Because we are way up on a hill, and there are groves all around us, I am often awestruck by the views from the fields of trees. I wonder how the work of pruning and harvesting can even get done with the "bella vista". I wouldn't be able to get anything done, surrounded by such beauty.

An old grove, just pruned, with Lago Trasimeno in the distance.

  I swear, I take more photos of olive trees than almost anything else. It's hard to resist, because each one is a wonder. They have all this moss and lichen, wildflowers even. I look for toads or lizards hiding out in the nooks at the base of these giants. 

  

  Where we are, the groves are scattered through out the hills and valleys. Sometimes very well tended, and pruned just so. Manure tossed about the root lines, and weeds kept at bay. 

  But there are also lots of forgotten groves...overgrown and wild. Berry brambles compete for sun and the weeds/wildflowers have taken over the fields. We wonder who they belonged to, and why they are not taken care of. I guess I kind of like to see them all shaggy and unrestrained.

  The grove below is just outside of Chianciano-Terme, a hilltown across the valley from Panicale. We were there a couple of weeks ago, and I loved seeing the flowering plum tree in the middle of the grove. A great shot of Spring.

  Seeing the older trees just after they have been pruned is cool. I love being able to see the branches, the"bones" of these old beauties.... Plus, the moss. The greys and greens together just knock me out.

Another lovely grove with a fantastic view.

  A couple of mornings ago, while Mr. Apodaca was in his world of color, I took a stroll into yet another grove. All was going well, birds singing, sun sort of shining, wildflowers beginning to bloom...it was sweetness defined. I was happy, walking along, humming some Italian top 40 tune, looking for a good photo op...
  The path was a classic "strada bianca"...white road.  The shot below shows where I was. No problem, dry, good walking road. Safe.
  Then.
  I see a little side path to the left. Looks good, off the main drag, such as it was. Why not check it out? It could offer an outstanding view, or the most beautiful old olive tree ever...
  Honestly, the path looked fine. It looked like a slightly damp, sandy, gravely, but stable and walkable path. I went ahead. Why not?
  Why not? Because as my right foot made contact with said path, it sunk into 2-3 inches of poo. Really wet, really stinky, really barnyard-animaly poo. I slipped, too. Almost lost my balance and came right down into a small lake of stink. It looked like a sandy path, I swear! And I had my nice boots on, too. What a mess. Mr. Apodaca was not amused, as I went through his entire roll of paper towels, trying to clean the stenchy disaster. Sigh. Got on the cuff of my pants, too.
  Needless to say, we drove home with the windows open.

  I don't care, I still love walking in the olive groves.

  That story being told, let's move on to some more fine examples of the wonderful olive trees I will continue to adore:

Another grove just being pruned.

A tree we walk by a lot, and that I always admire.

I love this small grove, underplanted with artichokes.
 What a great texture combo.

Typical medium sized grove, along our morning walk.

These trees make me think they are dancing. In Gioveto.

I'm trying to get artsy with this shot...I love the moss, and I love the twisting branch.....

 


Now, as we are almost in April, the sun is showing itself a little more, and I am thrilled to see more and more wildflowers popping up in the groves. The shot below I took just yesterday, March 28th.
  Johnny and I were out painting just outside of Panicale. There was this guy trying to go un-noticed as he foraged for wild asparagus....the sun was out and actually warm. It was a fantastic day, altogether.
  We loved the yellow splash under this grove.
  Not 100% certain, but I think we may get some Spring this year, after all..

Buona Pasqua!!