Yesterday started out very early. It was our "excursion" day and the bus was picking us up to leave at 8:45. We rushed around in the morning getting ready so we could at least go have our coffee (espresso) and small breakfast. I think the hardest part was deciding what to wear for the day. We were to visit the town of Arezzo which is an old Medieval town and a home that has been standing for centuries and is now the home of a very small winery. The family that owns the house are a husband, wife and daughter of 20 yrs old. They are all doctors. He only makes two kinds of wine and this year, he took a silver in the very prestigious wine festival in London, England. He is very proud of it and I can certainly understand why. It's so good, Beth and I both bought a case of it!!!!!!!!!! He even passed around small bits of belgian chocolate to try with the second. Yum, yum!! Just what I need--another way to drink wine. Oh well, in Italy, as in France where I've also spent quite a bit of time, they drink wine to enjoy the wine, not to get drunk as we Americans have a tendency to do. It's a whole different mindset in regards to wine.
The grounds of the home are surrounded by vineyards, italian cypress trees, olive trees, and a few orange trees. Man I tell you, it just doesn't get any better than that!
We're off and on our way to walk around the town of Arezzo. I will definitely be coming back to this region of Italy. I could spend days in Arezzo just looking at all the history and feeling as if I were going back in time. I don't think as an American we fully appreciate the truly "old" things.
From Arezzo, we make our way via our bus to a family run olive mill. What a charming little place. A table is set up outside for us and after the short tour and explanation of how the olives become oil, we sit down to a little oil tasting. They also make balsamic vinegar so I am in heaven. Small pieces of bread and pecorino cheese (again my favorite cheese) are passed around so that we may try the true taste of the products. This place was also where we were having our lunch. Thank goodness today's lunch is not really a 4 course lunch!
Back on the bus we go to our next destination. This time, it's to the town of Anghiara which is another Medieval town. It takes us a little bit but we arrive at the Busatti textile mill. It is another family run business. It seems to me that there are a lot of businesses over her that are passed down from generation to generation. The products are quite expensive and I don't think anyone purchased anything. One kitchen tea towel was E20 each!! There are other things I'd prefer to purchase---off to a walk around the once-again charming town. So much history and sooooooo much to take in. We came upon this little old man sitting in the entry of his home down one of the alleys. Of course I stopped to photograph the alley and he watched for a few moments and decided he was going to get up and tell us something. He wanted us to know and be sure to look down this certain well. He posed in a photo with me and I honestly thought he was going to hang on to me forever. Each time I tried to pull my arm out, he would squeeze it tighter. We had a good laugh about that.
Holly has been doing great on the bus. I thought I would mention that because she usually gets car sick and we have been going around some CRAZY roads that are more than just an "S" curve. She even fell asleep at one point. And you know Italian drivers!!! The word slow in regard to driving does not exist. This is another town I could spend days in just exploring. No shopping today. Just a little window shopping.
We're off to visit a sheep farm that makes cheese. We are showed how the cheese is made and once again, it's another family run business. It's actually in the back of the home of the family that owns it. They little couple come from Sardinia where according to them, are too many sheep farmers so they moved to mainland Italy! Quite a story they tell. They speak no English so our tour guide for the day interprets for us. They make three different kinds of cheese. The first I can't remember the name of but the second is riccota and the third, you guessed it, pecorino!! I'm in heaven. She takes us in to the little room in her home where she has prepared a table with all three cheeses for us to sample, along with the yogurt she has made also. For me, it was the best yogurt I've had since I was in France in 2004!! I topped mine with a little bit of honey that, you guessed it, they also prepare. It is a very light, almost white, honey. When I inquire about the color, it's because the bees are getting their stuff from white flowers. It has a totally different texture than what we buy in the states. She has also prepared a little cake with riccota (cheesecake) and another type of cake that she calls a breakfast cake which is also made with riccota. It is heavenly. She agrees to give me the recipe. I will share it on my blog when I return home from Italy. I think my new favorite dessert is small slices of pecorino cheese drizzled with honey and nuts. I will be serving it for my family I can assure you.
When we are finished, the little lady takes me around the front so I can purchase some of her pecorino cheese. I am told that you should never store cheese in a plastic bag. Always store it in a brown paper bag!!!!!!!!!! So, I am passing that information on to you.
Back on the bus for the hour ride back to Casa Ombuto. Ahhhh, home. The grounds here are so very beautiful. I can definitely see why Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun, decided to move here. I would too. I'm even beginning to think I like Italy better than France and I didn't think that would EVER happen. It's just a totally different style of life. One that is definitely enjoyed and not rushed through like we do back in the states.
Once we arrived back to Casa Ombuto, we had "left-overs" on the counter waiting in case we were hungry. None of us really were but I decided that I wanted some vegetables so ate many cherry tomatoes, grown here on the grounds of course, and dipped them in the salt. So good!!!!! Later, I had one piece of pizza that was prepared for us the night before. No wine for me last night. I just drank water. Off to bed. It will be another long day for us on Wednesday as it's Spanish day and we will be making Paella. I can't wait for that lesson. Since I lived in Madrid a long time ago, I fell in love with Paella. Now I'm living out my dream!!
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