PAN OLIO ( Panicale)

OLIVE OIL FESTIVAL

Festivals to celebrate The Harvest are, and always have been, common

in Italy. After all, a good harvest is never taken for granted.

After a couple of disappointing years, this year's harvest, raccolto, is a 

very good one. Smiles are as abundant as olives.

Panicale

Olive oil producers, wine makers, and just about anybody who is local and 

makes something delicious converge on Panicale to offer samples (and hopefully sell) 

their wares.

 The new olive oil  drizzled on bread. for a taste.
Divine.

Despite some challenging weather we set out to explore some of the Cantinas.....

Our friend, Laurie, encouraged us to stop at Cantina 6 and sample the Cherry Dessert Wine. It was

very good, along with the cherry biscotti and cherry grappa! Of course, we did not walk

away empty handed!

This woman is selling local saffron. Along with the small jars of saffron,

she also has products that she has made using saffron.

Saffron.....'zafferano '

Just about every nook in town is occupied. With our tickets 

came two pouches, each equipped with a wine glass

 for tastings, and a map, with so much wine to sample we will need

it to find our way back home !

In this Cantina there was cheese, capicola, salami's  and wine to sample.

James bought some capicola.

Local honey

More wine and oil...... This years olive oil is extraordinary in taste and color.

Here is a still life with our harvest from the vendors!

Buona  giornata!

LAKE TRASIMENO and PIZZA (Umbria)

LAKE TRASIMENO

We watch the lake in constant flux. We watch as billowing clouds fill the sky. We watch
storms and lightening over the lake. The water is sometimes green, other times blue
and sometimes the shadows  overhead clouds are cast upon its water in a myriad
of patterns.

Castiglione del Lago



The Heartfelts are here in Panicale and lent us their map of Lago Trasimeno.
They have been busy touring around the lake and boating out
to the islands to explore. Yello Hoodie Boy likes visiting the castle up in
Castiglione del Lago

PIZZA.....

La Campannina

After all that walking we began to think about lunch and instead
of going back home we decided to find someplace to eat by the lake.
We walked past a Gelateria, but we thought it better to have something other
than gelato for lunch, walked on and the next place was closed. Then
we found a place with cars parked it seemed open and it was....a  pizzeria .

People that were already seated were eating pizza!
We both ordered pizza. James asked for the red pizza with anchovies
capers  and bufalo mozzarella. I ordered a white pizza, quattro formaggio.
Most  true pizzerias, so we are told, only serve pizza in the evening when the
wood ovens are hot......so, we didn't  know what to expect , but , then again, we
just wanted a bite to eat....here by the lake.

We were surprised at how crispy and thin the crust was and
on the red pizza the tomato sauce was flavorful.

The white pizza also had the same thin crispy crust and just the
right amount of cheese topping.

We had a half litre of house wine and a bottle of water, and
a view of the lake.
All good if you are craving a lunchtime pizza!

' Abbiamo finito!'

James said, "Siamo finito" .......we are finished!
The waitress gave us an on the spot Italian lesson. She said.."you
are not dead! "
Then she told  us the more correct thing to say is, "Abbiamo Finito!"....we have finished!

Then, as we left, he said to the waitress...
"Abbiamo mangiato molto bene, grazie!"

We both enjoy these type of Italian lessons!

OLIVE HARVEST LUNCH

The Olive harvest in underway in Umbria. The trees are full of olives
that soon will be the world's finest olive oil.

The olives are harvest by hand using a variety of  simple tools that gently rake the olives from the branches and into the large nets that cover the ground under the trees.

TIME FOR LUNCH!

Intervallo per pranzo

Tools are put down and ladders descended. Everyone heads up to the lunch table.

James opens the wine. The food is brought out and introductions are made.
Elida and Gunter are fabulous hosts and you can be certain
of a great meal here, meeting up with old friends and always meeting interesting new people.
Complimenti!

The food is arranged on a table in the shade of an olive tree.

From Elida's garden.

Elida makes what could be the best bread in all of Italy, and today we have
the chance to sample this season's olive oil drizzled......or soaked, whatever your pleasure,
on a slice of her bread. The olive oil we were pouring was 2 days old and beautiful in color.
Heavenly feast.

  A two hour lunch, among the olive trees, short by Italian standards, but, after all it
was a working lunch, we headed back to the car.
Along the way these cheerful Cosmos caught my eye as well as this
view of Panicale.

Panicale

Can't forget to include a picture of Mokie. He  greeted us when we arrived,
and was part of the festivities.




Thanks Elida and Gunter!
The olive oil is superb and you two are delightful!

CITTA DELLA PIEVE ( Umbria) Saffron, Perugino and Lunch with White Truffles

CITTA DELLA PIEVE

 Flanked on each side by olive trees, heavy with fruit, is the town of Citta Della Pieve, 

about a 20 minute drive from Panicale.

SAFFRON FESTIVAL

ZAFFERIAMO,  October 19-21

This is the weekend of the annual Saffron festival, so James and I along with Betty

took a drive over to  medieval Citta Della Pieve to take a look, do a little shopping, look at some art and have lunch. The sky was clear blue and the sun was warm.
Sounds like the makings of a pretty good day.

As the vendors were setting up for the Saffron Festival we had a chance to buy some of this unique

local product, as I am quite fond of saffron risotto.

The saffron from this region comes from the stamens of fall flowering purple crocuses.

It is a labor of love to remove the tiny stamens from the flower and it takes hundreds of them to

fill a small jar, as you might imagine.

PERUGINO

It is not possible for us to be in  Citta Della Pieve without a visit to see 

the the paintings by Perugino in the Duomo.
  On our first visit here, many years ago,

it was with great disappointment that after making the trip here James and I were not 

allowed entry because the floors had just been washed.

Behind the alter is this Perugino painting. It is hanging  quite high

above my head  as to be seen above the main alter. Although I had a difficult time

Getting a picture, I love the angels above the flags.

If you are in this church, take note of the walls and columns, they are

faux painted marble....not real marble as you would think...making them that much more interesting.

Faux marble on the Duomo wall.

A plaque dedicated to Pietro Vannucci, aka. Perugino, who was born 

 in Citta Della Pieve in 1450,
 and died  of the plague in 1523, in the small Umbrian town, Fontignano.
A true Umbrian.

ON TO LUNCH......
WHITE TRUFFLES, SAFFRON ....and more 

 Our destination for lunch was Trattoria Bruno Coppetta. 

White Truffles are now  being found on restaurant menus, as the season has started!!

James opted for the pasta with White Truffles. Betty ordered pasta with a white Chianina

Beef ragu, and I chose Risotto with Saffron and Porcini Mushrooms, we are

here for the Saffron Festa after all!

The truffle dish James ordered was worthy of a performance....
and we got one!

The waiter was sure to toss the pasta just enough.

Then the special part, shaving the White Truffle on 

to the hot tagliatelle.

Everything was delicious!

After lunch, a walk back to the car, a look down a couple of
Citta Della Pieve's side streets.

Città Della Pieve is a lovely Umbrian city that can boast of it's art,

it's buildings and history, wonderful food, lovely small shops of all sorts, and nice people.

Umbria, The Green Heart of Italy

This site is dedicated to Umbria, a place that has a long history.

It is a place of beauty, of lovely people and great art. The wine, food and olive oil here are precious and  a deep part of Umbria's land and culture. This is an agricultural land.  From Panicale one can see Lake Trasimeno, one of Italy's larger lakes. Lake Trasimeno is partially ringed by flat geometric shaped parcels of farmland that run to its shore.

For those unfamiliar with Umbria, it is called the Green Heart of Italy for it lies near the centre of Italy and is landlocked, although it does not take too long to get to either the Mediterranean the Adriatic Sea.

We are in the last bit of the waning Harvest Moon. The grapes have been cut from the vines and will be made into wine. The Olives will be picked later in October then pressed into the best olive oil in the world.

James and I had been looking for a small farm stand to buy local tomatoes and possibly some farm fresh eggs. We had seen a sign down in Macchie, just down the road from here, that read,

Cocomero, pomodori , melone and fagiolini , in other words...

....watermelon, tomatoes, melons and beans. This was looking hopeful!

The signora at the farm was very friendly. We asked about fresh eggs, and Yes!, there were six available. We bought Roma tomatoes for sauce, red peppers, and some garlic.

We left without buying one of these grand pumpkins, but we are going to have a wonderful fresh tomato sauce cooking on the stove!

James and I took a short ride past silvery olive trees and freshly plowed fields before driving back  up the hill to Panicale. This is our first visit to Panicale in October and the landscape is certainly different, but no less beautiful than in the Spring.

Happy to be here.

,