Only in America.

I thought this was a Jimmy Durante quote.  Wikipedia does not agree.  Nonetheless, we have a sense that certain things can happen only in America.

We keep returning to Italy, to Umbria, because days like yesterday can happen only in Italy.

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Only in America.I thought this was a Jimmy Durante quote.  Wikipedia does not agree.  Nonetheless, we have a sense that certain things ...

Wow.  It’s hard to find another word to describe Fabriano.  Yesterday was our third visit to this little town tucked away in an obscure corner of our next door neighbor province Le Marche.  Fabriano definitely has it goin’ on.

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Wow.  It’s hard to find another word to describe Fabriano.  Yesterday was our third visit to this little town tucked away in ...

Some of our experiences here in Italy just cannot be written about.  Others, like the impact of seeing a particular painting for the first time, the joy of spending a day cooking with a local chef, the taste of a great meal or an unforgettable bottle of wine, lend themselves to recreation through words and pictures.

But others are so elemental that have to be lived to fully understand and appreciate them.  Picking olives with the Palermis is one of those experiences.

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Some of our experiences here in Italy just cannot be written about.  Others, like the impact of seeing a particular painting for ...

In this blog, in which I primarily recount our daily adventures here in Italy, I often try to tie together the day’s disparate activities by employing a common thematic strain.  Often, many of you will agree, doing so is a real strain.  Yesterday’s activities, at least for the first part of the day, however, lend themselves well to a theme.

Benozzo Gozzoli.

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In this blog, in which I primarily recount our daily adventures here in Italy, I often try to tie together the day’s ...

Sometimes it’s difficult to see something that’s right in front of your face until someone points it out to you.

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Sometimes it’s difficult to see something that’s right in front of your face until someone points it out to you.Read more »

In with the new.  Today our second weekly installment of Umbria Food & Wine 2011 began with the arrival of Mary Ellen and Robert.  You might recognize their names.  They joined us on our 2010 Umbria Food & Wine tour.  Some people just don’t learn from their mistakes.
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In with the new.  Today our second weekly installment of Umbria Food & Wine 2011 began with the arrival of Mary Ellen ...

Yesterday marked the end of our 2011 Umbria Food & Wine Tour I, our Friday being a sort of super add on bonus day for our one remaining guest.  This morning – very early this morning – we said goodbye to our last guest and begin the turn around before shifting gears and welcoming our guests to 2011 Umbria Food & Wine II. 

La dolce vita in high gear.  Like a Ferrari.

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Yesterday marked the end of our 2011 Umbria Food & Wine Tour I, our Friday being a sort of super add on ...

And so we come to the end of our 2011 Food and Wine Tour, having said goodbye a day early to some of our guests, but adding an extra day for others as compensation.  And we get ready to welcome tomorrow our guests for our 2011 Food and Wine II Tour, a second week of eating, drinking, chattering, laughing and smiling in English and Italian.  We’re looking forward to it.

But there is some unfinished business to take care of on week I.  There is still food to be tasted, smelled, studied, looked at and learned about.  There is still wine to be sniffed, swirled, squinted at, slurped and quaffed.  So yesterday we set off in search of olive oil and cheese.

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And so we come to the end of our 2011 Food and Wine Tour, having said goodbye a day early to some ...

Wednesday is pork day on our Food and Wine itinerary, a day dedicated to driving to the far corner of Umbria to visit Norcia, the capital of pork butchery of Italy and the hometown of Saint Benedict, the patron saint of Europe.  Thursday is also hiking day in Castelluccio, the beautiful mountain valley town just beyond Norcia, whose vast lunar-like valley is blanketed with fields of lentils prized throughout Italy.

The itinerary says Wednesday is pork and hiking day.  But the weather says no.  A steady rain, which started the previous evening has thrown the proverbial spanner in the works.  We scramble to make new plans.

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Wednesday is pork day on our Food and Wine itinerary, a day dedicated to driving to the far corner of Umbria to ...

To spend time with Salvatore Denaro is to step into a fantasy world.  His personality literally bends and reshapes reality to suit himself.  From the numerous times we have been fortunate to spend a day with Salvatore, we can say it suits us too.

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To spend time with Salvatore Denaro is to step into a fantasy world.  His personality literally bends and reshapes reality to suit ...

Seven o’clock rolls around pretty early here in Italy.

I am aware that in reality it comes right after six o’clock, just like back home, but it sure seems earlier.  Maybe it has something to do with the euro/dollar exchange rate or the English/metric conversion.  But it seems awfully early.

Maybe it has something to do with our daytime activities.

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Seven o’clock rolls around pretty early here in Italy.I am aware that in reality it comes right after six o’clock, just like ...