I sat on the terrace and wrote in my travel journal for a long while. The terrace is on the second story of the villa that Mimma and her husband Fernando have restored. When they bought the Villa it was in ruins and they have lovingly restored it to it's glory today. The main house is dated in the 1400s. The property is 150 acres with 4 houses as part of the villa.
Our session today started at 10:00 with an Olive Oil tasting and then we followed with lunch on the terrace. Mimma and her husband own the Olive Grove that is seen from the back acreage of their home. Here they harvest the olives then bottle and sell the olive oil in Italy and other parts of Europe as well as some areas of America. New York for one.
We sat at the farm table in the kitchen which seats up to 12. Also in the kitchen is a large fireplace with a hearth about 3 feet deep and 6 foot wide. In the kitchen is an old white enamel oven that Mimma rescued from a house where the owner wanted a new oven. It is in pristine condition. What a find! Atop the oven she displays an oversized hand painted Italian ceramic urn filled with fresh flowers. Also in the kitchen is a large standing height chest that Mimma uses as her desk and above it is an extra large plate rack where she has blue and white porcelain, copper chargers, and beautiful Italian painted dishes. Ohhhh. The other side of the kitchen is her gas stove and refrig and stainless sink. Her countertops are....white marble! There are no over the counter cabinets as we would have in America but since they shop almost everyday for fresh food, they don't have a lot of need for canned goods in the pantry. Her furniture in the kitchen and the dining room house her dishes. A huge old barn beam floats like a mantel the length of the kitchen wall where she has wonderful platters pitchers and terrines. I guess this would describe the kitchen of a great cook and Mimma is that for sure. We talked about the table "in" the kitchen. In America most of us have a table in the breakfast room. However, as Mimma described her table it is a place to eat, a place to work and a place to gather with family and friends. Also her family sits and talks while she and others are cooking.
At our Olive Oil tasting lesson, Mimma told us about her harvest and production. She grilled fresh bread and served it hot to us so we could taste the different oils she had from Australia, from other producers as well as her own. Mimma was at the oven grilling hot bread a few at a time so it was fresh and hot during our tasting. Then we tasted hot bread with different balsamic vinegars. Yummm.
Lunch was next outside on the terrace. We were served PASTA of course! and a salad with a bowl of tomatoes so we could add our own to the salad as much as we liked. Everything was so fresh! A pork dish with a cream sauce with tuna was served.(OK you know how I feel about seafood so I passed on that and ate more salad). For dessert we had an apple tart with a warm cream sauce. Wine was served of course in abundance.
That afternoon I drove to Radda, Italy. It is a town about 20 minutes away. I wondered the cobblestone streets waiting for a few shops to open. Here everyone takes an afternoon nap. The shops close from 2:00 to 4:00 everyday. A few stores were open and Mimma says to this that "there are a few shops being more 'modern' by staying open" but 90% of the shops close for the afternoon. A little cafe was open and I sat outside and did a little people watching-something I love to do.
In Radda I bought a small terra cotta piece to hang on the wall in our family room. It is the sun God with grapes around the face. I thought this would remind me of Mimma's sister Franca who owns the wine vineyard. Tomorrow night we will go to Franca's to cook in her farmhouse kitchen.
While in Radda I walked around and took photos too. Along the way I saw a young lady with her easel set up and she was painting oils. I asked if I could take her picture and when she answered something sounded tooooo familiar in her voice. I asked, where are you from? Her reply...Georgia near Gainesville, but I live now in Oxford Mississippi. Small world indeed. Her husband was in his last year of Law School and he is interning this summer so she was taking a week of painting classes while she was traveling in Italy with her parents.
On to Gaoile. I drove another 20 minutes and found a small village of shops and started strolling down the cobble stone streets when it started to rain. No more photos for a while so I ducked into the nearest shop and stayed for a while. So did many other locals so it was fun to step back and listen and watch their interactions.
I met my group in front of the old church where we gathered to drive up to the top of a mountain for dinner. My group consists of 2 couples from Milwaukee who drive together and a Mother/daughter from Boston who drive their car, myself in my strawberry colored cute little car, and Franca-who is one of the Tuscan Mommas(our teachers).
When we get to the top of the mountain we have a fantastic view of the countryside below. The name of the restaurant is called the Poppy translated from Italian.
Here are a few photos.
I must close to get on to the next adventure.
Ciao,Mimma's terrace
Kathy
walking down to the terrace from Mimma's pool
this is the view from her kitchen window
Radda, Italy
Gaoile Italy
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