Nevicata Posted by Serena on Feb 4, 2015
Preface by Geoff: Dear readers, when I opened the shutters and saw our valley transformed by an unexpected overnight snowfall, I immediately suggested to Serena that she described the vision in Italian for your edification. Little did I know that she would pen what to me is a rather beautiful poem ………………. Photo by Geoff…
A Very Smelly Blog! Posted by Geoff on Feb 2, 2015
Inspiration can arrive from the strangest of places or event. Take the other day for example, when our sweet little kitten Ambra deployed one of her deadly Weapons of Mass Destruction whilst we were sitting enjoying our afternoon coffee. Yes, Ambra paid an urgent visit to her lettiera (litter tray), and was so moved by…
Our Italian Journey – Part 2: Florence Posted by Geoff on Jan 29, 2015
Text and photos by guest blogger Bill Auge. Find Part 1: Venezia HERE Ponte Vecchio con i passanti (with the passers by) The Italo train left la Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia and glided through the flat agricultural plain of Veneto, through the Appennino Mountains toward Firenze, reaching the impressive speed of 300 km an…
The Tree of Life – Part 2 Posted by Geoff on Jan 28, 2015
essiccare = to dry/desiccate sbucciatura = to de-husk/peel metato/seccatoio = chestnut drying barn farina di castagne = chestnut flour gràfié e bigungia = dialect name for a large pestle and mortar malàta = hemp sack used for removing the husk from chestnuts vasùra = tray for winnowing the chestnuts, from vassoio = tray In part…
A Poem For January Posted by Serena on Jan 26, 2015
Here’s a lovely poem by Giacomo di Michele (1280-1332), better known as Folgòre da San Gimignano, from the beautiful Tuscan town of San Gimignano, near Siena. Folgòre was a knight and courtier who wrote in the Tuscan language just before the time of Dante. He is famous for his set of sonnets known as La…
Our Italian Journey – Part 1: Venezia Posted by Geoff on Jan 22, 2015
Photos and text by Bill Auge with an intro by Geoff This autumn we had the very great pleasure of meeting Bill Auge a long time reader of ours, and his wife Victoria. Recently retired, Bill and Victoria took a long anticipated trip to Europe, with Italy as their main goal. Serena and myself spent…
The Tree of Life – Part 1 Posted by Geoff on Jan 21, 2015
Castagno = Sweet Chestnut Tree Castagna (plural castagne) = Sweet Chestnut/s Castagneto = Chestnut Plantation Up until just a few decades ago, the humble castagna was a vital part of the Italian contadino’s (peasant’s) diet. Il castagno, often referred to in times past as l’albero del pane (the bread tree) proliferated around small towns and…