by Krista | Sep 25, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
A fat, bewhiskered dog snoozes happily on the floor of my room as church bells ring and roosters crow.
It’s morning at Casa Scaparone outside Alba, Italy.
I’m in Italy with my dear friends Margo and Kathy, exploring the Piedmont area and learning all sorts of things about the history and culture of this amazing part of the world.
My first moments here I could do nothing but happily wander the grounds, inwardly oohing and aahing at the rustic vignettes of life at an Italian agriturismo.
By night the wonderful old farmhouse serves as bed and breakfast for several guests from around the world, but by day it is a working farm. Four families labor side by side tilling the earth, gathering in the harvest, and preserving glistening jars of fruits, vegetables and preserves.
I love every bit of this rambling place, from the amazing bricked ceilings and floors worn smooth and polished to the old wooden crates full of apples and wrought iron lanterns covered with wisteria vines.
But my favorite spot is the dining room, the hub of activity here. It is the center of jolly weekends when it is filled with guests and locals devouring hearty meals and singing along with a piano and kazoo.
It’s also the scene of quiet mornings when I find a sunny spot to eat my breakfast of homemade cake, home-canned peaches, and delicious fresh cheeses, and watch little blond Swiss boys chase each other on the wooden dance floor set up outside.
Where is your ideal place to stay when you travel? Are you a hotel girl, a bed and breakfast man, or do you prefer pitching a tent in the back country?
(For more information on Casa Scaparone, visit their website here.)
by Krista | Sep 23, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
Good morning, luvs!
It’s a beautifully sunny day in Amsterdam as I bustle about washing clothes, sorting toiletries, and getting last minute errands done before flying back to Italy tomorrow morning.
I will be there for the next two weeks with my dear friend and editor Margo from The Travel Belles and my fellow writers and adventurers Kathy from Food Lover’s Odyssey, Kate from Tales of A Brit Abroad and Katy from Starry-Eyed Travels. I’m so excited to finally get to meet them face to face and experience beautiful Italy together.
We’ll be learning all about the Piedmont area, exploring a rice farm, trying local dishes and recreating them in the kitchen, and challenging and inspiring each other in our writing and publishing pursuits.
I can’t wait!
I’ll be taking notes and pictures and will tell you all about it in the days ahead. 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, dear ones! Now I must get back to packing. 🙂
xo
by Krista | Sep 22, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
After a lovely amble through a Tuscan farm in the early morning light, my family and I headed over to my brother and sis-in-law’s villa at San Gallo for breakfast and a visit.
How beautiful it looked, the bricks golden and russet in the warm light of mid-morning, .
There were hugs all around and then we tucked into delicious cold sausages from our Tuscan-style BBQ the night before, and a plate of fresh peaches and warm figs picked from the yard.
It was so nice just being together, everyone in comfy summer clothes seated on couch, creaky wooden chairs, and the cool tile floor, visiting happily and discussing wedding details as we noshed.
After breakfast the others had some work to finish up, so I went off for a ramble around the property.
The countryside may have been baked brown by the intense August sun, but it was still beautiful, the sky a stunning blue.
The pool looked so inviting, especially the next day when temperatures soared and we all eagerly plunged into the icy water.
I loved this shady arbor next to the pool, perfect for snoozing and reading and catching up with friends and family.
I wandered further and found this solitary bench with splendid views of hillsides to the front and gorgeous Montepulciano to the left.
At last everyone’s projects were completed and we headed out the gates for an afternoon exploring the wonderful city of Sienna.
What is your favorite summer breakfast?
(For more information about San Gallo Agritourismo, visit their website here.)
by Krista | Sep 20, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
I’ve had some sort of wretched flu the last five days, but today I plucked up my strength, bundled warmly in jeans, sweater and scarf, and went for a walk on a very grey but oh so beautiful Amsterdam day.
I’m so glad I did.
Although I’m camera-less these days – a rather crazy story I’ll have to tell you about later 🙂 – I have my trusty phone with me, and managed to capture a few shots of Amsterdam in the Jacob van Lennepkade area.
I was so pleased when I turned them black and white instead of color. Don’t some of them look like stills from an old WW2 movie, or something out of an old history book? This is my familiar neighborhood, but removing all color made it brand new again. 🙂
What’s the first thing you like to do when you start feeling better?
by Krista | Sep 20, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
My first night in Montepulciano, Italy I found myself sitting at the train station in the glow of the setting sun, watching the local gang of old men assemble at cafes and under trees for their evening ritual of chit-chat with their mates.
My family arrived just as the sun disappeared and whisked me off to a stunning old villa rented by our friend Pia. She had invited us all over for a Tuscan BBQ to celebrate our first day in Italy.
It is a splendid place hidden far down a maze of gravel roads so twisty and turny that we couldn’t actually find it until Pia rode out on her bike to lead us in. It was well worth our haphazard journey though. Peaceful, secluded and so welcoming you really felt like you’d arrived home.
We were entranced by the splendid old wood-fired oven that was just perfect for grilling plump sausages, pork chops, chicken breasts and steaks. My brothers, Ryan and Dana, were grill masters for the evening, churning out massive platters of succulent meats that smelled heavenly.
We sipped glasses of Prosecco and nibbled on marinated beans and crisp potato chips while Pia and the others whipped up one delicious veggie dish after another: raw fennel drizzled with olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper, fresh tomato salad, fresh cucumber salad, oniony steamed spinach, pasta with sausage, green salad with radicchio, on and on it went.
When everything was ready we piled our plates high and sat outside to eat by candlelight under a moonlit sky, marveling that we were really, truly in Tuscany.
After thoroughly stuffing ourselves, the makers of our feast relaxed with Prosecco or played wild games of Foosball while the rest of us clustered around a couple sinks to wash up mounds of dishes and wrap up leftovers.
It was a grand evening, a splendid way to get acquainted with new friends and soon-to-be family members as we started our week of wedding festivities.
What is your favorite must-have dish at a BBQ?
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