This month has been mellow and nostalgic as it’s often in October in Umbria. While still reeling after a summer of record-high temperatures, we have enjoyed a string of magnificent sunny days and Technicolor sunsets. It’s been like a balm for body and soul. We miss our own olive harvest. The extreme temperatures and drought… Continue reading green stringozzi noodles with creamy roasted squash and ricotta sauce
Sometime I wish to have a year that is entirely made of September. This is especially true after the record high temperature of this past summer. However this month is always my favorite as our home is lively with guests who come to visit us from all corners of the world. Most often than not,… Continue reading figs preserved in spiced wine syrup
My quest to unlock the secrets of Umbria’s rural culture, traditions and foods often gives me the opportunity of new and interesting explorations. Nothing makes me happier than sharing all this with those who seek a deeper understanding of the locals and their customs. This week I have had the pleasure to host food-photographer… Continue reading how to make Umbrian pork sausages and other pig stories
I remember being on a plane a long time ago, probably on my way to a conference or other project abroad. The gentlemen on my left side was flying somewhere to embark on a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railway, the legendary train line which is connecting Moscow with Vladivostok since 1916. He was alone, a… Continue reading lazy basil eggplant sformato
Hi dear friends, how are you? I hope spring is treating you well wherever you happen to be. Spring is in full swing here in Umbria and more gorgeous than ever. As for myself, these are the first quiet days after half a year of excitement and travels. I can hardly believe we were in… Continue reading Umbrian-style braised sausage with fresh fennel (and my travels)
Easter in Umbria is not for those with a delicate constitution. A cheese-egg-meat-wine-chocolate binge starts at 9 am on Easter Sunday with breakfast and ends into a food induced coma sometime at 5 pm. By then, some of the aunties are passing around giant mounds of broken chocolate eggs and slices of colomba just in… Continue reading Bucciotto, a cheese-bread doll for Easter
My hometown Perugia is well protected from evil. We have 3 patron Saints to look out for us: San Lorenzo, Sant’Ercolano and San Costanzo. Nationwide, San Lorenzo is the most popular. One of the Seven Deacons of Rome, and therefore among the first to have been subjected to martyrdom, he is the patron of over… Continue reading Torcolo di San Costanzo, a medieval sweet bread from Umbria
