So Close I Can Touch It

  Yeah, so anyway, I'm ready.

  All in order, we prepare to depart. 

  And none too soon, let me tell you.

  This year, just to make things extra stressful, we have decided to have our bathroom remodeled while we are away. Madonna. What are we thinking.

  It will be a grand surprise upon our return.

  It's been one hell of a year. Without going into details, let's just say that I am one thankful girl. Things on the family front have evened out health wise, so we feel confident that we can leave without too much drama. 

  I hope to be blogging much more from this point on…fingers crossed! I've been spending a lot of time  away from my normal life, so Live Pronto has had to take a back seat this past year. I hope to be here more often, and especially while we are away.

  As always, we tip our hats and raise our wine glasses to James and Anna, our lovely house sitters. We don't know what we would do without them! Keep an eye on things, dear ones!

  PS….Please…dig up some potatoes…there are tons!

  

  This post is just a bit of fluff…some travel porn for those of us who have been there, are ready to be there, or are dreaming to be there. 

  As for me, I can't wait another f***ing minute.

  Good thing we don't much have to.

  

  We can't wait to see this view…and watch it change over the weeks we are there….

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  Being in the piazza is heaven. Whether there is no one around, or the place is packed, it's the heart of the village, no doubt.

  

Just me and my parents, video chatting away.
What an amazing world we live in.

A busy day in the piazza…perhaps the day after Easter, when
the famous "Cheese Rolling" contest takes place.

A classic scene in Panicale…..

  One of our very first trips will be to Fontemanna, to buy little jars of the best sheep's milk yogurt ever. We'll also get some lovely pecorino cheese, and just enjoy saying hi to the family….and kitties...

Best cheese shop…ever.
Small, but mighty.

My pals.

  

  I love watching Johnny paint…either just outside of town, as below, or away…a drive through the country is a blessing….

Mr. J painting just down the hill from Panicale.

  We both enjoy taking day trips….These can be as close as a twenty minute drive, or as much as a couple of hours. We never know what we'll see, or where we'll end up. 

  It's always an adventure…..

I'm almost certain this is Chiusi, but I can't remember where I shot it from.
I just love it when the sun hits like this, showing off the hill towns...

Dreamsville.

The amazing central "piazza" of Bagno Vignoni.

Along the way to Bagno Vignoni, a fantastic view of
Castiglione d'Orcia.

A bucolic scene.

  Then there's the food….I won't go on. There will be lots more of this coming soon.

Heavenly Parmesan.

You can just tell this is fresh, made by the hand.

Yes. I think I will.

  The colors, and how they will change in the time we are there…I love it.

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  Lago Trasimeno is a constant delight for us. Talk about color changes…we have become more and more inclined to spend time at the lake. Whether painting, taking long walks, or enjoying a glass of wine on a warm day…the lake is magic.

  She shows off the sunsets pretty well, too….

  Since we are serious walkers in our life here, at home, we carry this over the pond, too. It's a must, considering our love of all the fine pasta, cheese, bread, wine, etc….

  I always like to have the camera. Things change so fast, I don't want to miss the wildflowers, or clouds, or moss…..

Just another morning walk in wonderland….

  We have been so fortunate to have had the opportunity to make friends with some of the loveliest and most generous people. I love being invited to their homes, and get the chance to "play" in their gardens, especially. What a joy. 

  I miss my own garden when I'm away, so having the fun of digging in the dirt while we are in Panicale is just what I need. Plus, what better way to enjoy some time with a garden loving pal? We gardeners are a very cozy bunch.

A very special garden, indeed.
A collaboration of artists/gardeners. Beauty.

A favorite of mine, and I hope I can pull weeds here again this year.
Love it.

Stew's beautiful banksia roses going off,
as well as the much photographed wisteria….

My very favorite garden to play in, this one holds a special place in my heart.
See you soon!

  We have a few favorite four-footed friends, of course…..

Dear Zaza….what are you dreaming about?

And Micha, are you dreaming, too?
We will be giving you some love soon!

  I so look forward to setting up my home away from home…especially planting pots and pots of flowers and herbs for the steps. It's so fun visiting all the local nurseries.
  Then I'll get my kitchen all ready, and start cooking!

  Yep. It's so close…so close.

  See you soon, Artisan's House…!

More Panicale Dreaming

  Well, It's mid February, and I guess my heart is being tugged by Panicale. 

  Fortunately, it's a bit quiet here at work, so I can sneak into my iPhoto files and get a good dose of Umbria. Why not? 

  I can't wait to go back, and because it's getting closer to take-off, I thought I might share some favorite things I miss when I'm away. No, not just the food. How dare you? Ok, it's mainly the food. Who am I kidding…?

  But…..between all the plates of pasta, there are other things I enjoy about being there. 

  Honest.

  I love views of the surrounding countryside:

From the walls of Panicale

A nearby olive grove

Just below Panicale.

  I can't wait to be back in the groove of walking to Paciano in the morning, on this small road….It's a lovely walk, and I love it as the season changes.

Our morning walk.

  Walking around the walls of town is a joy, and we'll do this several times a day,  just for the hell of it. Morning, afternoon, early evening….even at night. It's a simple pleasure, and we embrace it.

Views all along this "promenade" around the walls of Panicale.

It's nice to take an evening glass of wine to enjoy on one of the benches.
Sunset time is perfect.

  The stuff we do every day is pretty tame. I'll try to head over to the bakery a couple of times a week for my most favorite onion and sage "pizza". I know I've written about it before…it's because I dream of this culinary delight all year long.

One of the first things I will do…

  I can't wait to go to the small but so amazing Fontemanna, where we will pick up fresh cheese and yogurts. All organic, all from the sweetest sheep ever….. and the sweetest family!

The little cheese shop with the big heart.

  The every day chores can be challenging because of language difficulties, but it's always fun, and sometimes an adventure. I love it, and it pushes me to improve my speaking skills.

Getting some painting tools at the local hardware store in
Castiglione del Lago

We'll take the train sometimes just for a day trip. I like to use the machines, on the right...
This is the station in Chiusi, near Panicale.

I never get tired of scenes like this. 

  I'm really looking forward to having the chance to make another little "pot garden" on our steps. I loved hitting all the different nurseries in the area the last few trips. I just can't help myself. Plus, I need to have some fresh herbs growing, of course! I'll be curious to see if these pots are still there…my poor hostess, Katia, didn't need the extra chore of keeping them watered, so they may have found new homes. I don't mind starting from scratch again.

Working in my little garden.

What's not to love?

  Having a place in town, or very nearby, is my favorite. We can't help ourselves, we walk up to the piazza so many times a day, it's silly. But that's what everybody does. It's a small place, and you have to keep checking out what's going on. Nothing? Hey, it was only a three minute stroll….we'll do it again in an hour or two…that's why we're here.

We walk to the piazza either this way, or that way. Panicale is laid out
in concentric circles that pretty much all lead to the piazza. Nice.

Piazza Umberto 1, with all the usual suspects.

Same piazza, different angle.

Simone & Lorena's very fine 'Osteria il Gallo nel Pozzo'

Our hang out, Bar Gallo.

  What can I say? Bar Gallo is our place. We'll spend way too many hours and euros here, and enjoy every last second. Sometimes we bring books to read, or Johnny will work on a small painting, or in his notebooks and journal….

  I like to spend some time playing dominoes….a little glass of vino, perhaps...

  If we're really camping out, we'll order one of Aldo's fantastic salads...

  So, of course I'm getting excited thinking about food. I'm always thinking about the food.
  I miss the PASTA!
  (cue pasta music…and go!)

mmmmmmm.

mmmmmmm.

mmmmmmmm.

ahhhhhhhh. mmmmmm.
A must every year, at least twice!
Truffle & Leek pasta at Masolino's.  Sigh.

  We have a few animal pals I look forward to seeing again...

The famous Mitchell.

The infamous ZaZa (left) and Briciola.
Hi, guys!

  Of course, there are all the wisteria and wildflowers to look forward to seeing and smelling….

Right below the apartment...

A walk up the hill above Panicale, this was in late April….

  When we aren't having our late afternoon rest-up at Bar Gallo, we find ourselves close by. We've found some extra special places we'll always go back to, though Bar Gallo is home base.

On nice days, it's fun with a view at Pescatore, down on Lago Trasimeno,
just below Castiglione del Lago. 

Another favorite on the lake, the bar in San Feliciano.
Does it have a name? I'll check this year…
We watched these trees go from bare to this in one or two weeks, late April.

Though quite a drive, we always end up at least once here.
La Porta, in Montichiello.

  Really, though…when I dream about Panicale, I dream of the stone, and the color of the stone at sunset. It's warm, it speaks to me…it calls me back.

 And here I come.