by Krista | Aug 9, 2012 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Bread is rising on the counter, beef simmering in the crock pot, and a Christmas pudding cooling on the stove. Yep, a Christmas pudding in August. I had a hankering. 🙂
After bustling about the kitchen most of the day, I am more than ready to find a good place to sit where I can be warm, put my feet up, and rest.
Like this lovely spot at an agriturismo near Montepulciano, Italy. Add a good book and a chilled glass of limoncello and I’d be a happy girl indeed.
Or this sun-warmed wooden bench just across the valley, with a vista of Tuscan hills and clear blue skies.
Perhaps this one, clustered around a little wrought-iron table with a few girlfriends, laughing and talking as we sip chilled Sangria and enjoy stunning views of Montepulciano perched on the hill above us.
Maybe this spot would be best of all.
How I’d love to curl up on this wicker lounge bed and have a luxurious nap in the glorious Tuscan sun.
How about you? Where would be your ideal place to sit in the sun?
by Krista | Feb 13, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
It was a gorgeous autumn evening when my friend Margo and I headed downstairs to try dinner at our beloved and quirky agriturismo, the Casa Scaparone outside Alba, Italy.
In spite of ancient plumbing with water that needed to be heated by wood fires every morning, and a charming host who warned us frequently to prepare for the coming Changement (the technological meltdown of the world), we loved it.
We’d already spent many happy hours writing in the sun-warmed garret, going for walks through the tiny community, and visiting happily in the beautiful courtyard, but tonight would be our first dinner and we were excited.
We arrived far too early, as evidenced by the empty dining room inhabited only by staff members bustling about setting tables and creating a ruckus in the kitchen. But we didn’t mind. It was a gorgeous night and we headed outside to wait for our feast.
We found seats near the outdoor dance floor and waited contentedly under the glow of thousands of tiny lights. Slowly but surely local couples arrived out of the darkness, strolling through the big metal gates and greeting each other like the old friends they undoubtedly were.
We heard music begin and soon our host beckoned us in. At last it was time to eat. With tummies rumbling we took our seats in a far corner where we could people-watch to our hearts content.
Soon the restaurant was filled to capacity, the babble of voices just audible over the jaunty strains of a local band playing Italian country songs. The mood was jolly and vivacious and we grinned as our sociable host made his way from table to table greeting folks with kisses and back slaps and hearty handshakes, welcoming one and all as if they were treasured guests.
Then the food began to arrive.
We started out with a basket brimming with flour-dusted fresh bread, copious amounts of local red wine and a glistening bottle of water. These were followed by:
- a platter of warm, chewy flat bread
- chilled asparagus frittata with fresh tomatoes
- fork-tender slow-roasted beef with carrots and parsley
- thin crust pizza with savory roasted garlic, tomato and eggplant
- glossy strands of fettuccine with sausage and cheese
- tender gnocchi with a rich cream sauce
Imagine our surprise when our waitress then asked us if we were ready for the meat course!!! Apparently we were just getting started. Alas, we were already about to burst, so we begged her to skip right to dessert. Such a choice captured the attention of our host who came to our table to verify that we really only wanted the “small menu.” I love Italy. 🙂
Duly assured that yes, we were perfectly satiated with the small menu, our waitress arrived with dessert. All three of them:
- heavenly dark chocolate studded with crushed cookies
- silky custard cake with crumb topping
- luscious caramelized apples with custard
It was truly marvelous. We settled back in our chairs with one more glass of red wine, feeling warm, full, and contented.
After draining our glasses we bid farewell to our host, assuring him once again that we had adored and were satisfied with every last morsel of our small menu. Choosing the teensy elevator over three flights of stairs, we collapsed happily into our beds and grinned as the band was joined by the crowd bursting loudly into song. Normally such goings on would keep me wide awake, but after such a feast, not even a restaurant full of raucous Italians could keep me from drifting off into luxurious sleep.
What is one of your favorite dining memories?
by Krista | Dec 7, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
September mornings in the old town part of Vogogna, Italy are wonderfully dark and quiet.
The darkness is not from lack of sunlight, but from the inevitable shade created when tall, stone buildings rub shoulders with each other, towering over the narrow cobbled streets that keep them from knocking heads with the buildings across the way.
It’s a lovely kind of darkness, soft and gentle. The thick stone walls of the aged homes muffle any sounds from within, and the streets are still save for the occasional workmen whistling as he passes.
I loved those mornings spent in a wonderful old house where I was staying with some amazing women writers – Margo, Katy, Kate, and Kathy. I loved waking up before everyone else, wrapping a pashmina snuggly around my shoulders and walking barefoot down steep stone steps worn smooth from generations of barefoot wanderers like me.
One morning a few of us decided to gather outside in the newly discovered courtyard out back for breakfast and brainstorming.
The courtyard had been hiding behind a lace covered doorway in the kitchen, and there were gasps of delight when we creaked open the door and found it there just waiting to be occupied by the chatter of women and the smell of a hot breakfast.
I’m at my best first thing in the morning, so I took on breakfast duty and was soon bustling about brewing coffee, cracking eggs, and sauteing spinach with sun-dried tomatoes over the big gas stove.
Minutes later all was ready and we took our seats on cheery red striped cushions and tucked in. Mmm, it felt so good to wrap chilled fingers around steaming mugs of coffee, and the piping hot fried eggs on savory spinach nests warmed our insides and fortified our brains.
It was a leisurely meal with frequent stops to exclaim at this cheery pot of flowers or that wonderfully weathered window shutter. We waved at our Italian neighbors who were amused by our cluster of foreign ladies chatting happily over breakfast in a back alley.
It is nearly impossible not to get inspired in such a delightful hideaway, and as soon as breakfast was over we pushed our plates aside and hauled out notepads, pens, and other accoutrements. We talked and listened, learning much from each other’s areas of expertise. The little courtyard was filled with the sounds of scratching pens and flipping pages as we filled line after line with ideas for stories, books, and articles. We cheered each other on as we wrestled through fears and doubts, and hurrahed when solutions were reached and decisions made.
As writers, so much of our work is done in solitude, quiet hours spent gathering and organizing information and sifting through words to find just the right ones for each job. As much as we love it, such a life can be isolating and lonely, and it was immeasurably comforting to spend the morning together commiserating, challenging, and inspiring each other.
All too soon it was over. Pens capped, notebooks closed, computers turned off.
We stretched and sighed, laughed and stood up to clear the table.
After all the brain work it was time for a walk.
What do you do to inspire yourself in your work?
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
