I am still having the time of my life over here in Italia, surprise surprise. :)
These past few days have been very busy, but in a fantastic way. Since Sunday, we have had many families, friends of Mario and Isa, over for meals. Sunday, for lunch, we got a chance to meet three families over a delicious meal. I sat next to Tonino, who was born in Spain (Barcelona) and is fluent in Spanish and Italian. He was my interpreter and I was really able to express myself well for the first time in awhile! His son was very nice as well, about 20 yrs old. He is a big fan of America and informed me that the Sex Pistols will be playing for free in Torino this Saturday for some festival. All of the families were so much fun to "talk" with (in my limited Italian/Spanish/French). We even gave each other "bacci" (the kisses on the cheeks) at the end! Since then, we have had two young children and their mothers staying here for the past few nights, and just tonight we had the members of Mario and Isa's group "Allegri Pastorelli", which means "The Happy Little Shepherds", over for a dinner of delicious dinner. Just to give you a quick summary of our meal: cucumbers with olive oil and mixed spices; penne with eggplant, tomatoes, spices, and fresh ricotta made today by one of our guests; a selection of fresh cheeses (all brought by the shepherds) with fresh apricots; a dessert made of frozen meringue w/ creme fraiche with four flavors of gelato to choose from on the side (pistaccio, nociotto (hazelnut), crema, and cafè). Yum! But although this may seem like a lot of food, keep in mind that we don't consume large portions, the ingredients are fresh and wholesome, and dinner often takes a long time (longest so far has been 3 1/2 hours). Each meal is a new journey. Here is a picture of me, Isa, and Mario at lunch (arezzo) today:
Today was Marie's last day, so we took some candid pictures while staking tomatoes in the garden. They show how hard we are working...haha:
Marie...
...e io.
Wow, this is very weird writing in English! I've been so immersed in Italian/French (Marie, Isa, and Mario all speak it) that I keep making grammatical errors, etc. Che horrore!
The wild fruits are all in season, especially the cherries. This makes herding the goats and sheep even more exciting! And, I'm learning the names and uses for lots of different plants and herbs from Isa as we herd the animals. Later, I will post a note especially dedicated to this subject for all my Flower Shed sisters out there. :)
My camera was charging today, but I promise more pictures for tomorrow!
Arrivederci!
Love, Katie
1 comment:
The meals sound fabulous and wonderful with the gatherings of different people. I love the lingering 3 hour meals with good friends, good wine and much laughter. We should do that more often here.
As a Flower Shed Sista, I'm looking forward to more plant and herb info! :-)
Wing Nut
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