flowers and candlelight: Rosa Rosae, magical inn in Veneto countryside | places to ♥ #2

an old mill, careffully restored and tastefully furnished. a building with the typical features of venetian rural tradition on the outside, a magical inn on the inside. I had dinner with my family at Rosa Rosae last weekend, and beautiful things have to be shared.

la pappa col pomodoro. a dish with groovy sixties vibes

Rita Pavone is an italian singer and showgirl that used to be very popular in the sixties. she was an icon, like an italian Twiggy {plus, she could dance}.
some of her hits had been embedded in italian pop culture, so even an eighties kid like me know them by line. one of her songs is called viva la pappa col pomodoro, where the pappa col pomodoro is a traditional tuscan soup, made by bread, tomatoes, garlic and fresh basil.
until a few weeks ago, i had never tasted it!

Lyon #2 the gourmand side

a detail of  la Fresque des Lyonnais, a trompe l'œil painted wall depicting 31 famous people from Lyon, as the Lumiere brothers and Antoine de Saint Exupéry 

torta al testo, the umbrian flatbread

© Enogastronomia in Umbria

during my weekend in Umbria i had the chance to deepen my knowledge on the (delicious) local cuisine, thanks to a workshop which aimed to introduce Enogastronomia in Umbria {ita | eng}, an application to promote tourism and gastronomy of the region, through its food and wine specialities.

spring gathering

how much i love spring! scent of strawberries and flowers, outdoor dining, longer days.

have you ever tried flower tempura? 

when it rains

as a kid, i had this book, called che cosa fare quando piove, by richard scarry. the original title, in english, is best rainy day book ever. you've probably already heard of it, or at least i hope so, cause it's such a great childrens book. if you have not, it is a collection of ideas on what to do on rainy days.

i cannot emulate mister scarry, but here it has been raining for days, so i had some time to make my personal list about that. i hope you like it, and want to share some of what you like to do when it rains {stay in bed all day: not accepted!}.

indoor picnic i am still a kid, i know. i should go back to richard scarry. but it's so fun! you know i love picnics, and i have to wait months (months!) before i get an outdoor one. go outside for a walk i'm aware this is not the "when the sun is shining" post, keep reading.  the only problem we have, while walking in the rain, is that we don't want to get wet {because we're going to do things like work}. but, if we expect that, and we're okay with it because we are keeping in mind the hot shower we'll take back home, it will be lovely. bring an umbrella, some colorful rain boots, make sure you're warm enough. enjoy the drops on the trees, the sound(s) and the reflections, jump on a puddle. if you're lucky, you can catch the best moment: when the rain stops and the sun comes out. isn't that light amazing? it's raining outside, so we're camping inside do you know that photo by tim walker? since i saw it for the first time, i have been fascinated. coziness plus camping! i had to try it, and that was the perfect opportunity. try something new it could be a recipe you've never tried yet. or the start of a new tradition.  marco and i made some canederli for dinner, a typical trentino dish, made of old bread, flour, eggs and salami.  plus, the idea of starting a bookclub with some girl friends is growing!   ice skating date a field trip to the closest (indoor) ice rink. this is the one point of the list i have not done yet.  visit a museum/exhibition we chose an amazing illustration exhibition, called Illustri, held in Vicenza. it featured eleven talented italian illustrators: shout, emiliano ponzi, olimpia zagnoli, bomboland, ale giorgini, mauro gatti, riccardo guasco, francesco poroli, umberto mischi, jacopo rosati, rubens cantuni. we loved it and a piece of it, a fine print by riccardo guasco, is now at home with us, a reminder of that heavy rain day.

osmize in Carso. August, Thursday 15th

for august short break marco and i decided to take a 4 days roadtrip by lambretta. it was our very first trip by lambretta headed abroad, to our neighbor Slovenia. anyway, our first stop was still in Italy, very close to the state line. the Karst Plateau {Carso, in italian} is a plateau area extending in both Italy and Slovenia. 

for a very long time, the first thing that pop up in my mind when it came to Carso was First World War and its memory and legacy still very linked to the territory. but, since last year when a friend introduced me to that, i have a new (and better) feature to think about -and love- about this place: osmize. 

an osmiza (or osmica) is a restaurant opened temporarily from a farm to sell its products. it's typical of Trieste's surroundings and all the Carso area. originally, the opening period was eight days, which in slovenian is said osem, so they're called osmize, even if the opening time is longer nowadays. 

for me, the most fascinating thing about osmize is that they're not easy to find. they're mostly located in the backyards of the farmers homes in tiny villages, and a result of their temporary opening is that you're never sure if they're open until you go there. 

{websites like osmize.net and osmize.com, which host an updated calendar, are an huge help!}

the bright side is that there are so many osmize that if you're wandering around Carso sooner or later you will see an arrow hanging above a bunch of leafy branches: it's a frasca, it indicates that an osmiza is near you.

a frasca, which indicates a near osmiza

it's like entering a secret garden, but full of delicious food. the atmosphere is the same you feel when you're at a family lunch: informal, intimate.
many kinds of salami and cheese are usually the main dishes on the menu, with a side of hard boiled eggs, pickled vegetables, olives and, of course, local wines.

simple food, very (very) cheap price.

osmiza Gabrovec - Prepotto

hard boiled eggs 

visiting Carso again, looking at the bright gold of its summer landscapes, relaxing in a couple of osmize was just the perfect beginning for our roadtrip.

osmiza's tables in a home courtyard

ready to continue our journey towards Ljubljana

{nikon f-801 + fuji superia 200}

i know i've been slow in posting lately, september has been crazy!
i didn't stay out of the web writing completely, though. you can find these photos and more info about osmize on my post for Cosebelle Mag here (italian only), and i did a guest post on Green Holiday Italy, a lovely blog about responsible travel in Italy (in english!). thanks again for the opportunity, dear anna.

the Raganello Valley

our days in Calabria were intense. a endless stream of new words, flavours, skylines, gestures.
we explored a valley located in the biggest italian national park {Parco Nazionale del Pollino}, the Raganello Valley. Raganello is a stubborn stream that carved its way out of high limestone rocks, so the valley's landscape is a mosaic composed by vertiginous rock walls,  great reddish promontories, five small villages {Civita, San Lorenzo Bellizzi, Cerchiara, Francavilla Marittima and Alessandria del Carretto} and the fierce and cold watercourse.

Civita and the timpe. "timpa" is the local word for the hilly rock formations

as my senses were wide open and almost overwhelmed, i want to try to tell you what i experienced through sensations, hoping that from many small details you could catch a glimpse of the whole life and traditions of this little piece of Calabria, still untouched by the mass tourism.

a list of nice sounds

Albanian flag in Civita

- arbëresh language and songs. arbëreshë people are a linguistic minority that settled in some southern Italy villages in 15th century, after the ottoman turk conquest of Albania. i think it's amazing that they still are able to speak their native language, cook the dishes of their own gastronomy, know how to dance and sing their traditional songs and keep their ethnic spirit alive. preserving customs for so long in a different country with such a strong identity and long history it's hard. in Civita there is an ethnic museum, bilingual signs and Albanian flags are everywhere. arbëreshë families still speak arbëresh language at home. 

popular Calabria melodies, played with the accordion, are frequently mixed up with arbëreshë songs. 

a shot from our popular music night 

 - the roaring water stream. it seems that the name Raganello comes from the latin word ragare, which means to drag. when it rains it is said that you can hear noises  in the river gorge, similar to those that make barrels when they roll along a cobbled street downhill.

Raganello's lower gorge, in San Lorenzo Bellizzi

- the silence at the Porta del Pollino. after we hiked in the national park's woods for a couple of hours, we reached a plateau with a wonderful panorama on the surrounding timpe. the silence was made solemn by the presence of  bosnian pines {pinus heldreichii}. the majestic trees watched over the horizon. some of them were dead, and just lied there like great sculptures, or oversized fossils.

bosnian pines in Pollino national park

a list of nice tastes and smells 

short premise: we ate way too much. be prepared if you go there.
- goat milk and goat ricotta. okay, i was an easy target, i love goat cheese. and cheese in general. and milk. but these were insanely good. the goats that graze on the timpe eat lots of aromatic herbs which makes their milk and cheese so rich in flavors.
drinking a glass of warm milk at breakfast made me feel like i was lying on a meadow, with herbs, flowers and a stunning landscape.

ricotta making at Azienda Agrituristica La Grotta, San Lorenzo Bellizzi

- real homemade traditional meals. from tagliatelle to the amazing salami, i loved that everything was local, made at home or in small farms. prosciutto, capocollo, soppressata... and you're still wondering why i said that i ate too much?

making pasta at Azienda Agrituristica Grampollina, San Lorenzo Bellizzi

- spice up your life. small, hot, red peppers are kings. as an ingredient, like inside the nduja {a spicy sausage}, or served by itself as a side dish, you'll meet it at any meal.

hot peppers in a small shop

- smell of oregano. walking on the timpe, we could smell it everywhere. fresh, fragrant oregano. we harvested two big bunches, and used it to make an infusion in the evening. it was relaxing and really helped our overstressed stomach. {thanks to Anna from green holiday italy for having this brilliant idea!}

a list of nice sights

- frank and proud faces. usually, it's the people we meet that make our travels special. even if we barely know them and just exchange a few words.

an old lady, an agriturismo owner, a view of a small square in San Lorenzo Bellizzi. the old lady talked to me in a very incomprehensible Calabria dialect, but i understood that she told me it was going to rain soon (i was very proud of myself). guess if she was right.

- small details of a simple faith. i like when faith is showed in a humble way. i could catch some details that can testimony the spirituality of the places we visited. a bell and a madonna icon in Santa Maria dell'Armi sanctuary; a crucifix in a bakery {did i mention that the bread was delicious, too? try the Cerchiara bread!}; a stone church surrounded by mountains.

- moving landscapes. here my favorite landscape shot of this trip. it was about to rain, just like the old lady  had said.

the view from Sant'Anna

meet the Rossos

during my weekend in the Langa Astigiana, i stayed at the agriturismo Cascina Rosso. it was such a special place that i want to share it and its story with you.

Cascina Rosso is an organic farm and bed&breakfast, owned and nurtured by Adriano and Judith Rosso.

it's located in Roccaverano, in the middle of 12 hectares of fields, trees, gardens. a narrow street between the hazel trees leads to the Cascina, and while you're passing through you can say goodbye to traffic, noises, cellphones (they don't work here!) and worries. 

it's a quiet natural balcony over hills and Alps, but what makes it special is the roaring personality (i swear, this is the perfect adjective!) of its owners.

Adriano in his organic garden

Adriano is a former airplane pilot. he was born in my beloved Veneto, but he has lived for a long time in Miami, with his wife Judith.
Judith is from Chicago. she worked in writing, producing and directing documentary television programs in North America. when she saw Italy for the first time in 1984 she knew that it was the place where she'd love to live. talking to her is to dive in her funny and delightful mix of english, italian, and italian dialects.

about 10 years ago, they decided to change their life: quit their jobs, moved to Italy, bought a farm.
now, he grows organic vegetables and fruits. she cooks delicious breakfasts to their guests (like frittata with robiola cheese!), and teaches english, reiki and EFT.

Judith making blueberry crepes for breakfast

i loved the atmosphere, the silence, the energy. when i woke up, (and barely awake) i went down to the garden and ate raspberries. before coffee (this is an important detail: i usually do nothing before coffe), picking the reddest from the plants, looking at the Alps. they tasted like sun. a sweet sweet sun.

info 

Cascina Rosso

Reg. Caramello Piandonne, 26

Roccaverano (Asti)

where to eat near Cascina Rosso (with their organic products!)

Osteria del Bramante

piazza Barbero, 6

Roccaverano (Asti)

Ristorante della Posta

via Roma, 4

Olmo Gentile (Asti)

colli Berici. May, Saturday 25th

in the first part of our trip in Vicenza province, we breathed the mountain peace of the Altopiano di Asiago. then, with the Vicenza's historic center behind us, our eyes got the power of wander on the lavishly green hills surrounding us. we were ready for the last part, an exploration of the Colli Berici, gentle hills south of Vicenza.

Berici hills map and local products

a roadtrip on the Berici hills {colli Berici} is a journey through the local taste and products. in my mind, now that i'm recollecting those memories, voices and flavours cross each other, to tell the same story, of simplicity and care.
we visited some organic farms, slept in agriturismi with homely atmosphere, drove up and down the narrow streets, looking at the little towns life through the car windows.

i've selected three particular memories, to summarize my experience in the Berici hills. 
the first image that impressed me was the gray sight of the incompiuta, in Brendola. incompiuta means unfinished, and this church is the proof that the crisis was a matter in the past centuries, too: the client did not finish paying for it, and when he died, the work was suspended and never started again. so, the unfinished church still lies there, grim and fascinating, home for crows.

incompiuta di Brendola

the second memory is a feeling. you've seen the map above, where i draw all the local products that are made in the Berici; among those, there are two i like the most: sopressa {aged salami made with the best pig cuts}, and grappa {alcoholic beverage, a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy}. the two rooms, in two different places, where i've seen the sopressa aging, and the distillery equipment, gave me the same feeling. the light and the smell were different, of course, but they were both dark and muffled, chilly and aromatic. and, first of all, the two rooms have the same atmosphere, the one you can feel in places that are rich in traditions handed down from father to son, manual labor, trade secrets. i love this kind of places.

the salami aging room in Agriturismo Monterosso - the Brunello distillery

the third and last memory is a gesture. at the olive oil tasting, and while Marianna was making the goat cheese, the starting gesture was the same: they draw a cross. with the spoon on the cheese, with the oil on the salad. a gesure of blessing.


info
Brunello distillery
via G.Roi, 51 - Montegalda (VI)
@grappabrunello

Agriturismo Monterosso
Via Monte Rosso, 18 - Brendola (VI)

goat cheese and legends. May, Saturday 25th

"behind every cheese there is a pasture of a different green under a different sky: meadows caked with salt that the tides of Normandy deposit every evening; meadows scented with aromas in the windy sunlight of Provence; there are different flocks, with their stablings and their transhumances; there are secret processes handed down over the centuries."

Italo Calvino, Mr. Palomar

nowadays, our modern palates are no longer used to the tastes of biodiversity. this is the first lesson we learned after we got off the Altopiano di Asiago, and arrived to agriturismo Al Cucco, surrounded by woods and stream waters. {if you don't remember what an agriturismo is, check this post for the definition}
when you produce non-industrial cheese, it's difficult to obtain the same taste every time, although the procedure and the doses are just the same: you can not predict what herbs or flowers the goat will eat tomorrow, or if she is going to stay in the stable because it's raining. 
for the one of us who are used to eat cheeses that have all the same taste, this could be disturbing. but it should be fascinating! when you taste a cheese, you're tasting the enviroment where the goat {or the cow}is living, the greens of the pasture, the different wind, sky, temperature, tradition. just like Calvino's quote says. 
 

chamoisee alpine goats

a blonde woman named Marianna is the landlady of agriturismo Al Cucco. she was a chemist but left her job to open this farm, raise goats and make cheese. she's not the only one who make that choice. she told us there is a small but increasing "return to the earth" that they're experiencing around there. people with good office jobs who decide to quit and follow the dream of making something grow with their hands. i think i'll do the same someday.

Marianna showed us how she makes her goat caciotta.

Marianna is a former chemist who had left her job to open an agriturismo, raise goats and produce cheese

Marianna is not just a cheese makers, she also knows a lot of local legends and old stories. while we were taking a walk in the woods, she showed us small tunnels dug into the rocks, excavated during the war and used as deposits.
then, she told us some legends about the anguane. an anguana is a fairy creature typical of the alpine mythology, related to the water, with characteristics that are partly similar to those of a nymph. 

in the Dolomites, anguane are frequently described as young women, often very attractive and able to seduce men, at other times, however, appear as half girls and half reptile or fish, capable of launching loud cries.
Marianna's story described how the anguane live near waters, and spend the nights washing and hanging white sheets to the moonlight. 
another lengend was about the salvanelli, pixies that have fun making jokes to the farmers overnight, like weaving togheter the cow's tails.

legends an old stories in the woods

out of the woods, we arrived at a semi-abandoned hamlet {in the local dialect, a contrà}. lots of rural houses have been abandoned, or, like some of them, are used as a summer house for old people who live in the city and come here to have some fresh healthy air.  

that give to those houses a melancholic look, suspended between being charming and being haunted.

{olympus om10 + fuji superia 200}

info
Agriturismo Al Cucco
loc. cucco, 2 - 36040 Valdastico (VI)
agriturismoalcucco@alice.it

elderflower syrup, pt. I

i am really happy to share this with you! when may approached, my whole family was thrilled at the idea that the elder trees were about to bloom. but let's take a step back.
elder {sambucus nigra} is very common in italy, it especially grows along railway lines, in damp woods and banks of rivers.

last year during this season i told my grandmother that i had tasted an elderflower fresh beverage and really liked it.  we used to make it too, don't you remember?, she cried. i didn't. so, as far as i'm concerned, last year was the first time we made elderflower syrup in my family. it was a test, so we made just a few litres, to see if we liked and if we actually drank it all.
we become sort of addicted, and when we finished it last summer we decided we'd make a larger quantity this year. so, it's a fresh family tradition!

the elder blooms in may, and we waited for the perfect day for the harvest: it has to be warm, no rain from a couple of days, with the flowers fully open and dry.
i wandered with marco on the countryside near home, to find trees not too close to the streets or to the vineyards {for pesticides}, and harvested about 100 flowers.

we (and the camera, too!) were covered in pollen.
at home, my grandma and i carefully washed the flowers, and put them in two little carboys with water, squeezed and cutted lemons. 
there was a sweet delicate scent all over our working table! anyway, isn't my grandmother pretty?

we had to wait for 24 hours, before filtering with a towel and adding sugar and citric acid {needed for storage. without it, it won't last}.
then, it was ready to be bottled and drunk, but i'll tell you about it next time.
the recipe it's below ♥

grandma's hands ♥

{nikon em + fujicolor 200}