Celebrating Summer

Summer in Umbria, and probably in all of Italy, means being outdoors in the evening, taking your evening stroll (passeggiata) to see and be seen, having a gelato on the piazza, or visiting the local sagra or festa. A festa is just a big party, but a sagra will usually feature food as a theme. The food might be something the town is famous for, something that's being harvested now, or simply an excuse to eat a favorite local dish.

Most of the feste around here run Thursday to Sunday, but some of the larger ones run every night for ten days, encompassing two weekends. Advertising for these events is limited – apparently enough locals know when they are, so if you're in Italy be sure to keep your eyes open for posters both large and small, advertising these local treasures.

 When we arrived in Italy in 2003 we mistakenly thought the feste and sagre were similar to church picnics, but we quickly found out how wrong we were. Instead of being held during the day and running into the evening, an Italian festa rarely starts before 7:30. There are of course, exceptions to this rule, but for the smaller, local feste, 7:30 is pretty standard.

The first order of business is food. Well, maybe the second, because after all, it's all about socializing, so a quick turn around the site to see who's there, as well as where you want to sit is always a good idea. If you're ordering your food at a central location, you'll definitely need to know your table number so that the locals (usually teens) know where to bring it. On rare occasions, like the other night when we were in Fontignano, near Lake Tresimeno, people came around to the tables to take our order, and menus were conveniently supplied on each table. In San Venanzo you read the large posted menu, which might vary slightly from night to night, then pick up an order form and pencil. After noting how many of each item you want and what you want to drink, you add your name and your table number then proceed to the cassa (cashier) where you pay. Drinks are usually available at a different stand, and the choices are as you might expect: water, both still and fizzy, red or white wine, usually very local and very reasonably priced, and for the kids, the standard assortment of sugary drinks. Coffee for after dinner is also available. There may also be beer, but since that's something I never think about, I honestly don't remember. I would guess it is, because in addition to the more famous national brands like Peroni and Moretti, artisanal beer is also very, very popular now.

Music and dancing is also a traditional part of every sagra or festa. The music doesn't start until 9:30 or so, and is usually a local group playing traditional music. The music is well-suited for two types of dancing: line dancing, which is extremely popular, and waltzes that have everyone swirling around and around the dance floor. Normally everything is over by midnight, but we do have to think about driving home on curvy, unlit two-lane country roads, so we usually leave before the final song. It was so easy when we lived in San Venanzo and could just walk up the street!

I was a little disappointed when I discovered that the Street Food Festival – definitely a break from tradition! - in Marsciano wouldn't have as many trucks as the one in Foligno a few weeks ago. There, the trucks had been not just from various regions of Italy, but also from Spain, Greece, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico and one, while perhaps not from the U.S., featured American-style barbeque. Marsciano featured trucks from several regions of Italy – Sicily, Abruzzo, Piemonte, Calabria, Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany. There might have been other regions I'm forgetting, but there was a good selection of food (except for the truck offering horse meat! Neigh!!!). The only international truck there was one from Spain, so we knew we wouldn't be eating BBQ and/or Mexican.

I had a huge American-style hamburger and Art had a burger made from the pork of the Cinta Senese pigs, a particularly flavorful pork. Both were delicious, cooked fresh while we waited, and Art enjoyed sampling a few Sicilian beers with our friends to go along with his burger.

 And then, off in the distance I heard a very surprising, but very distinct sound: bagpipes! I turned my camera on and walked towards the sound. It was dark by this time, but eventually I saw them coming down the stairs from the hill above, and once in the parking lot where the festa was being held began walking through the crowd. I would later learn that this was a Palestinian group called Bagpipes For Peace.

We knew there would be another musical act, presented in conjunction with the Musica Per i Borghi program, something that's been bringing diverse music to Umbria for many years now. The large stage was set near the road, with way more chairs than I expected to see. The first act, who I heard but did not see, was a woman who sang exclusively in English - “My Heart Will Go On”, and other similar songs. I think there must have a different woman, or women who sang after her, and we heard both “Imagine” and “Hey Jude” - another surprise! After that another act was introduced. I could hear the announcement but wasn't really paying attention, so when I heard a lot of drums I immediately jumped up. Bagpipes, Beatles AND percussion, all in one night?! The act was a drumline – eight boys, and a man playing a regular drum-kit.

We left shortly after that – we had ridden with a friend who needed to get up early the next morning, but I have to say the night turned out much better than I expected. I knew we'd have good food, and I knew we'd enjoy the company of our friends, but to have these musical surprises was really the cherry on top. You just never know what's going to happen in Italy!

Update: The following day, Saturday, we joined friends for a festa in tiny San Faustino, just outside of Massa Martana. Although the village is small, the festa, called the festa of good eating, no less, was amazing. On the menu was melon with prosciutto, goose (oca), pork shank (stinco), tagliatelle with tartufo, guanciale, torta al testo, and on and on and on. Everyone shared bites and we all groaned as we left the table. We walked down to the dance floor to watch and listen, and met more friends along the way. Another delicious evening!

BAGPIPES FOR PEACE



DRUMLINE IN MARSCIANO


DANCING IN SAN FAUSTINO


LINE DANCING IN SAN FAUSTINO

 COOKING IN SAN FAUSTINO

More Of Umbria

Because Kim and Bill's time in Umbria was so short we tried to maximize every moment.  Our first day together was spent in Orvieto, my favorite Umbrian town, included a fabulous lunch, then a visit to Todi.  The day ended with our arrival at La Locanda del Tramonto Infinito where Kim and Bill experienced the love, warmth and generosity of the Italian culture.  They instantly became part of our extended Umbrian family, and we wanted to make sure that this experience continued.

My previous post was about our morning in Deruta, visiting Tassi Ceramiche.  There we experienced warmth and generosity from Marco and Valeria, and although brief, I think during our time there we made friends for life.

We wanted to continue the Umbrian experience with as much tradition as we could, so we stopped for lunch at il Testone in Santa Maria degli Angeli. Il Testone is known for their torta al testo, a flat bread made on a hot griddle, cooked over hot coals.  Hot coals are also placed on top of the torta to ensure even cooking, then quickly brushed off when the bread is ready.  A raging fire provides a continuous supply of hot coals, as seen here:

 

The hot, flat bread is cut into wedges, then sliced horizontally and filled with meats and/or vegetables.  I think the most traditional filling for torta al testo is grilled sausage and cooked spinach, but there are many, many options, including prosciutto, which is what Bill chose.  And yes, when you're in Italy, is really IS all about the food.  And the wine.  And the people.

AN UMBRIAN MENU

If you were in Umbria you could be eating some of these dishes.....

DESSERT - AND A WORK OF ART!

A few weeks ago I wrote about our lunch with Brad and Palma, and about how all the dishes were works of art. Not surprisingly, the desserts were the most elaborate and over-the-top.....here's one. with close-ups!

THE CANADIANS AND A BIRTHDAY

In 2006 we received an email from a family in Canada who'd just bought a house in San Venanzo. They introduced themselves and told us they'd be arriving in the spring...would we like to get together? Of course we said yes, and from the moment we met Virgil and Jean, along with their two adult children Damon and Rachele and their families we've had so much fun.

Last year we missed the Canadians completely since they visited while we were in the states, but this year we're all here at the same time. Damon is a landscape architect, so we'd introduced him to Giacomo and Belinda who were just beginning their building project. Damon was thrilled with the idea of having a project in Italy....who wouldn't love to say to a potential client,"Yes, I've just been working on my design for some clients in Italy."????

The Canadians arrived at the beginning of July but Giacomo and Belinda were busy organizing activities for Larry and Shelly's guests, so we weren't all able to get together until Sunday. Giacomo was returning from Holland after picking up his two children, Santi and Mara, and Mara's cousin who'd come too, because after all, when you're a teenage girl you need someone to talk to and giggle with, right?

We'd been anxiously waiting to take Damon, his wife Jamie and their son Marcus up to our favorite San Venanzo eatery, Angelino and Peppa's. It's one of those places where you sit down and the food just starts arriving, course after delicious course. The wine flows and before you know it you're so stuffed you can barely move...but the food is so good you're still sorry you couldn't eat more!

Belinda called us on Sunday afternoon, and surprised us with her questions: did we have any birthday candles? Unfortunately we didn't, but whose birthday was it? Giacomo's!! We wished we had known, and I offered to bake a cake myself, but Belinda had already taken care of that, and just needed to find some candles.

The Canadians followed us up the road towards Ospedaletto until we came to Angelino and Peppa's, which sits on the side of the road. Our table was ready outside, surrounded by the pine forest. We sat down and the food began to arrive immediately. Our waiter was Stefano, the son of the owners, and he brought us bruschetta with tomatoes, crostini with chicken liver pate and with porcini. We had tagliatelle with fragrant truffles, so delicious and tender, yet we had to remind the Canadians (and ourselves!) to go slowly...there would be lots more food to come, including a second pasta dish.

After the second pasta...this one with a simple tomato sauce, the grilled meats arrvied....fat sausages, chunks of grilled pork and pieces of grilled lamb. Spinach was served as a side dish, along with hot torta al testo, a local bread similiar to pita. We'd chosen not to have a salad knowing that we just woulnd't have enough room for birthday cake if we ate any more!

I'll admit I was lax in the camera department. My only excuse is that I was just enjoying the food and the company way too much, but I did mangage to get my camera out just in time to snap Giacomo's cake with sparklers on top! The cake was surprisingly good, and Belinda told us she'd had it made at the Coop in Marsciano. Umbrians aren't the best when it comes to baked sweets, but this one was really good.

By the end of the evening, after food, wine, water, cake, champagne, grappa and coffee, it was hard for any of us to think about ever eating again. Damon was so excited by everything...the food, the setting, the unbelieveable prices! I think we paid €18 euro per person for our magnificent feast...all made fresh that day, from the bread to the pasta. The meats had been raised locally, the fruits and vegetables grown right in our town. The wine was Angelino's own, served in bottles with no labels. Everything was served family style, and before you could say "basta!", your bowl was filled to overflowing...but we somehow managed to persevere!

We absolutely LOVE to bring guests to Angelino and Peppa's because it's so much fun to watch their faces as they taste the food, and as they realize how much food there is to sample! Maybe they've had good food before, but never in such quantities, never with such quality and freshness, and never served with such obvious pride and joy! This evening was no exception, and we had the added bonus of being able to celebrate Giacomo's birthday with him!

I'm betting that when the Canadian's return to Canada this evening will be one of the highlights...until tomorrow night's dinner when we all gather at Giacomo and Belinda's house for yet another fabulous dinner! Buon appetito!

SOCIALIZING, ITALIAN STYLE

From the beginning, Art and I have been in our own little world, just the two of us. It’s not that we don’t have friends, or don’t enjoy socializing, but our work schedules always made it very difficult. Both of us had to get up very early for our jobs, and most days Art went to his second job at Churchill Downs after his job at the Post Office was finished. He worked every weekend, sometimes both jobs. Additionally he never had a day when he didn’t work somewhere! His off days from the track were really the only time we could socialize or be together, so usually on Monday and/or Tuesday afternoons we saw a bargain movie and treated ourselves to a Mexican dinner. Socializing with friends on a Monday or Tuesday evening was nearly impossible because we both still had to get up very early the next morning. And so, it was just the two of us for the most part.

Now that we’re retired and in Italy, socializing is a bit different. Of course we have the time, but the choices of where to go are somewhat limited. We don’t understand Italian well enough to take in a movie, and other than local weekend festivals, there’s not much else to do besides hosting friends for a meal, or being hosted. And so here we are, still somewhat on our own for the most part, joined at the hip for better or worse!

This past week has proved to be the exception to the rule since we’ve been invited to dinner not once but several times. We feel as if we’re on a social merry-go-round! We’d had both lunch and dinner with Larry and Shelly when we helped them pick olives on Sunday, and after having Rhonda visit for a few days, we thought things would be quiet, at least until Thanksgiving. We were wrong.

After we dropped Rhonda off at the train station on Monday, Beverly and Ron called to say that Hurray!, their heating problem had been identified AND repaired, could we possibly come for lunch the next day? We were happy to accept, not just for their wonderful company, but also for the chance to see their house, just south of Todi.

I’m a house nut. In the states HGTV was my friend, and I loved every house show that was on TV. I loved going to open houses on Sundays and checking out new housing developments. I wasn’t planning to move, but I just love looking at houses! Here in Italy there are a few home renovation shows that I can watch, but open houses don’t exist. I love to see what other people have down with their houses…how they’ve renovated, what changes they’ve made, and what wonderfully creative ideas they’ve come up with. Not only would we get to spend time getting to know Ron and Beverly better, but we’d get to see their house!

Their house, placed down a quiet lane, almost a communal driveway, offers peace, tranquility, and wonderful views if you peek through the trees. The house itself, like so many here, is a work in progress, and I enjoyed seeing the “before” rooms as much as the “after”. The house is composed of three sections, all opening onto a central courtyard.

The large fireplace in the kitchen made it cozy and welcoming, and the stone walls, terra cotta floors and doors salvaged from a medieval monastery gave it a sense of history. After a wonderful lunch (thanks for sending that pear dessert recipe, Beverly!) we had a tour of the house and of the grounds, complete with olive, fruit and nut trees.

You know, I have to admit this…sometimes when people contact us to say “I’ve read your blog and we’ll be in Umbria…..”, sometimes a part of me says “Noooo!” Maybe I’m afraid I won’t like them, or more probably, I’m afraid they won’t like me. On the positive side, I know that anyone who’s read my blog knows where I stand politically, that I say ‘fuck’ with some regularity, and that I’m very opinionated. Okay, they’ve been forewarned, so usually I welcome visitors with open arms and an open mind. All in all, I’d have to say that 95% of the time we’ve really hit it off with everyone we’ve met thanks to the blog or various message boards. Maybe because we all share such a strong love for Italy, maybe because like-minded people seem to find one another, whatever it is, it’s almost scary how easily we’ve fallen into friendships with people, and Ron and Beverly were no exception. We had such a good time with them and really look forward to spending more time with them when they return to Italy.

On Wednesday the day was dedicated to making the pies for Thanksgiving dinner with Larry, Shelly and friends. Those recipes have already been posted, and I have to say that I really liked the apple pie with the dried cranberries, so if you thought you might like to try it, I can now heartily recommend it.

Last year we’d all been hopeful that this year’s Thanksgiving dinner would be celebrated in Larry and Shelly’s new. larger kitchen, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The project seems to drag on and on, but Shelly remains vigilant and continues to push for the work to be completed. Luckily the group was small this year….me and Art, Wendy, Judith and Alison, and of course Larry and Shelly.

Judith made a jellied cranberry dish with grappa…a nice way give our American tradition an Italian twist, huh? If you’re looking for a way to spice up your cranberries, you can find the recipe HERE. Alison made an apple pie with a wonderful crunchy crumb topping, and Wendy brought pumpkin bread. The dinner itself consisted of roasted turkey…not a whole one, but rather smaller parts roasted in the oven….whole turkeys like we have in the states aren’t easily found here in Italy! We also had dressing, sweet potatoes (again, not easily found here), turkey gravy and broccoli. Did I forget something? If I did it was only because the typical excesses of the day overwhelmed me!

With our house for sale, the thought that is might be our last Thanksgiving in Italy made it a little bittersweet…but definitely delicious! As usual, it was a real challenge to eat dessert, but we all made a valiant effort!

During the course of the evening Shelly passed on yet another dinner invitation….for dinner at the house of her friend and Italian teacher, Milena, and her husband Marco. Since Milena didn’t have our number she asked Shelly to contact us, and of course we were happy to accept. We agreed to meet at Larry and Shelly’s house on Saturday evening, and we’d just follow them to Milena and Marco’s house, just outside the centro of Massa Martana.

Another friend, Quinto, also joined us for dinner. Quinto does work for Larry and Shelly, taking care of their property when they’re in the states, and we’d met him when we’d picked olives. Although Shelly is teaching English to Milena, and despite the fact that she understands a fair amount of English, like all beginners, she’s very hesitant to speak English, meaning it was an all Italian night!

The table was set when we arrived, and at each place was a plate filled with our antipasti: a slice of salami, a small ball of mozzarella, prosciutto wrapped around a prune, and a few other simple yet delicious treats. Once this course was finished we were served roast beef, cooked on the stove-top I would guess. What was interesting about this dish was that there were olives sprinkled throughout. After the beef came another meat course, this time sausages and pork ribs cooked over the fire.

Dessert turned out to be familiar….the apple/cranberry pie I’d made for Thanksgiving, as well as a slice of Wendy’s pumpkin bread. After that was cantucci with Vin Santo, coffee, then a wonderful treat….a homemade blackberry liqueur, made something like limoncello, with a base of grain alcohol. It was smooth and delicious, not at all harsh as I had feared.

Facing a drive of 45+ minutes home, we made it an early evening. Larry had to catch an excruciatingly early flight the next morning, and I’m not sure he and Shelly got more than a few winks of sleep that night. At least Larry could sleep on the plane, and Alison had asked Shelly to stop by on her way back from Rome, so maybe a few cups of coffee helped her make it back safely.

I’m not sure what’s next, but Alison was talking with Wendy about organizing a Sunday lunch based around some wild boar that Wendy has tucked away in her freezer. Here’s hoping…….