I arrived in Fiesole the day before my friend Anna’s 60th birthday party. Her sister Do ( AKA The Baby) and niece, Klara, from Germany, were also early arrivals. Some of you will recognize Novella, the private chef who has cooked for Pronto Marcella’s guests and always creates a taste adventure. When the guests arrived, […]
The day I’ve been waiting for arrives. It’s time to go to the frontoio, the olive press, to witness the oil extracted from the olives. Later will come the first taste, the gift I’ve anticipated since I arrived in Italy. I’ve dreamt of this for the past three years of lockdown. Though I have witnessed […]
Italian Observations: Time, Illumination, Toilet Paper, Laundry and of course, Garbage Please forgive me in advance; perhaps I’m wrong about everything. I have been trying to understand this strange and beautiful country since I first visited in 2004. Even as I write, my arrogance and biases are on display. I have only scratched the surface […]
In the summer, Cristina and Luca live in their house, Acquafregola, in the Vallombrosa forest. With winter coming, they move back to Paterno, a 20-minute drive down the mountain. They will return daily to feed the feral cats and fill jugs with fresh drinking water from the spring. I believe this water has medicinal […]
I left Florence in late November of 2019, expecting to return in the summer to spend time in the Vallembrosa forest with Cristina to learn how she makes her natural remedies. Of course, that was not to be, due to the Pandemic. It is now 2022 and I am in Italy for the first time. […]