On Saturday we went into Vasanello and bought a chicken leg, a pork roast, vegetables (including wild asparagus), bread, and fresh pasta for our Easter feast. We took it back to the villa and then headed out into a light rain for a trip to Lago di Bolsena. This is a volcanic lake about 40 km from here. We again had a lovely drive, and walked around in the town of Marta. We found a great local place for lunch. We had seafood antipasto, some pasta primi piatti and then three of us had the local lake fish, a white carp they call coregno. Jean ordered lake perch that said it came with egg noodles in the English translation, but what they meant was breaded! She said it was delicious however it came!
We walked more in the town and found some gelato. We headed home again, stopping along the way for parmigiano reggiano, cream, and we just happened to buy another Tre Marie Columba! (We had already stolen a march on Easter and eaten the first one we bought.)
The rest of Saturday was slow and easy, and the sun came out enough for a little more Bocce.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Le Terrae, Day 14
Good Friday. We had a leisurely start to the day, and then decided to go to lunch in the old town of Orte where we would also go for the Good Friday procession that evening. Just 7 km down the road, it's the hill town for this area. On Tuesday before the Faddens left, Del and Larry and I went to a hillside sanctuary across from the town to take morning light pictures.
We had lunch at Taverna Roberteschi, which specializes in fish. It was excellent! We returned to the villa and enjoyed the evening. We left about 8:30 for the "Dead Christ Procession" in Orte. These processions happen all over the hill town areas of Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany, but the one in Orte is the oldest in Italy. They've been doing it for over 1000 years. It's basically a torch-lit procession made up of robe-clad groups from the contradas (districts) of the city.
We arrived in time to get seats on the stairs of the main church. At 9:30 p.m., the torch-lit processions came out one by one from all the streets around the piazza. Each group of about 60 people had 7 cross, including one very big cross carried in the middle of the group. All the cross-bearers also had chains around their feet, as did many of the others. Many were barefoot or in sandals. The colors of their robes went with the contrada from which they came. Orte old town maps on the walls of Orte show the districts by these colors. The groups were in red, white, black, blue, green, and black and white.
The groups walked into the piazza and then walked down the main street to the piazza down a ways. Then they all came back into the main piazza by torchlight, with the town band playing. At the end was a huge bier with an image of the dead Christ in it, carried by 16 men. That was followed by an image of Mary also carried by many men. Everything was candle-lit.
It was all very impressive. After the local Archbishop/Monseigneur gave a sermon, there was some medieval chanting, then the whole works left the piazza by a different road, and everyone followed. It was very impressive to listen to the band, to the rosary said as the procession paused, and to see the candlelight reflected off the narrow stone streets. Many people were in the windows of their houses, some with candles as well.
We walked down the road and then kept going to our car, down the high road that drops off to nothing on both sides. We passed the villa that is literally built into the ancient Roman acqueduct that also belongs to the Vernaldi sisters. Quite a place. Anna's daughter is using it for her masters thesis at the University of Washington, and Peter Cohan is her supervisor!
We had lunch at Taverna Roberteschi, which specializes in fish. It was excellent! We returned to the villa and enjoyed the evening. We left about 8:30 for the "Dead Christ Procession" in Orte. These processions happen all over the hill town areas of Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany, but the one in Orte is the oldest in Italy. They've been doing it for over 1000 years. It's basically a torch-lit procession made up of robe-clad groups from the contradas (districts) of the city.
We arrived in time to get seats on the stairs of the main church. At 9:30 p.m., the torch-lit processions came out one by one from all the streets around the piazza. Each group of about 60 people had 7 cross, including one very big cross carried in the middle of the group. All the cross-bearers also had chains around their feet, as did many of the others. Many were barefoot or in sandals. The colors of their robes went with the contrada from which they came. Orte old town maps on the walls of Orte show the districts by these colors. The groups were in red, white, black, blue, green, and black and white.
The groups walked into the piazza and then walked down the main street to the piazza down a ways. Then they all came back into the main piazza by torchlight, with the town band playing. At the end was a huge bier with an image of the dead Christ in it, carried by 16 men. That was followed by an image of Mary also carried by many men. Everything was candle-lit.
It was all very impressive. After the local Archbishop/Monseigneur gave a sermon, there was some medieval chanting, then the whole works left the piazza by a different road, and everyone followed. It was very impressive to listen to the band, to the rosary said as the procession paused, and to see the candlelight reflected off the narrow stone streets. Many people were in the windows of their houses, some with candles as well.We walked down the road and then kept going to our car, down the high road that drops off to nothing on both sides. We passed the villa that is literally built into the ancient Roman acqueduct that also belongs to the Vernaldi sisters. Quite a place. Anna's daughter is using it for her masters thesis at the University of Washington, and Peter Cohan is her supervisor!
Le Terrae, Day 13
Maundy Thursday. We decided to go back to Amelia and look at some the shops we had seen on Tuesday. (They were all closed for lunch when we were there.) So we headed out with plenty of time. We had a very enjoyable time walking the streets, dodging cars, and finding little treats. There was a charity sale for disabled people. They were selling wonderfully painted egg cups that were made in Amelia. They each had chocolate eggs. We all bought some. We also found the traditional Italian big chocolate egg for Easter. You crack them open and they have treats inside, but the real treat is the delicious chocolate! Here's a picture of the sale table:
We walked a bit around the town outside the old town as well. We picked up a tourist map, and there was an advertisement for a restaurant in a hotel across the canyon on the other side of Amelia that looked beautiful. So we headed over there and enjoyed an excellent lunch with a fabulous view of Amelia. Here's the view:
After lunch we went to the big Coop grocery in Amelia and bought some of our Easter provisions. We headed home and enjoyed more bocce and a light supper to round off the day.
We walked a bit around the town outside the old town as well. We picked up a tourist map, and there was an advertisement for a restaurant in a hotel across the canyon on the other side of Amelia that looked beautiful. So we headed over there and enjoyed an excellent lunch with a fabulous view of Amelia. Here's the view:
After lunch we went to the big Coop grocery in Amelia and bought some of our Easter provisions. We headed home and enjoyed more bocce and a light supper to round off the day.
Le Terrae, Day 12
Larry and I got up early to bid farewell to the Faddens. A little after that we took Wally, Eileen, and Jean to the train to go to Rome. Wally had never been before, so they thought they would take this opportunity.
Larry and I had a nice day at the villa, doing laundry and catching up on various things. We went into Vasanello in the late morning to check out the market and to see what time church was on Easter. We wandered into places we hadn't seen before, and marked a fresh pasta place and a meat shop where we could get things for our Easter feast later in the week. We were also curious about what was open and closed in Holy Week. We learned at the Tourist Information office (where we also had never been) that everything is open normally except on Sunday. Very interesting. Since the main worship events are very late on Good Friday and Sunday morning, that makes some sense. We get the impression that the Italians have a deep reverence for their Roman Catholic faith with a rather casual informality about its observance.
We picked the group up at the station at around 7:35 p.m. and heard about the crowds in Rome. Holy Week is not the best time to be there! We went back to Eureka for pizza - the end to another good day.
Larry and I had a nice day at the villa, doing laundry and catching up on various things. We went into Vasanello in the late morning to check out the market and to see what time church was on Easter. We wandered into places we hadn't seen before, and marked a fresh pasta place and a meat shop where we could get things for our Easter feast later in the week. We were also curious about what was open and closed in Holy Week. We learned at the Tourist Information office (where we also had never been) that everything is open normally except on Sunday. Very interesting. Since the main worship events are very late on Good Friday and Sunday morning, that makes some sense. We get the impression that the Italians have a deep reverence for their Roman Catholic faith with a rather casual informality about its observance.
We picked the group up at the station at around 7:35 p.m. and heard about the crowds in Rome. Holy Week is not the best time to be there! We went back to Eureka for pizza - the end to another good day.
Le Terrae, Day 11
After the rigors of Monday, we made a more leisurely start to the day. We decided to drive to Amelia, a lovely nearby hill town that we had really enjoyed in our last two visits here with Bob and Sandi Dexter.
It was a beautiful drive up the hillside, with great views and all the glories of springtime - including lots of sheep! We parked outside the gate of the old town and made our way up the very steep roads. There was a lot of traffic - we hadn't remembered that from 9 years ago - and the roads are very narrow. So it was dodge vehicles and keep yourself pressed up against the wall! Here's Wally checking out the only cars that should be allowed on the roads in the old town of Amelia:
We had hoped to see the extensive Roman cisterns that are under the city, but sadly they are not open during the week until the summer. So we continued up to the church from where there are gorgeous views. Here's picture of us at the top:
We found a little shop open that sold pizza, tramezzini and beverages and stopped there for a little lunch. Then we made our way out of the old town and headed down the beautiful drive back to the villa.
When we returned, we had time for some Bocce on the court behind the villa. It was girls against boys. Sadly, the boys won. The cats didn't care one way or another!
We had Dolores leftovers (there were plenty!) for dinner and celebrated the Faddens time with us all here at Le Terrae.
It was a beautiful drive up the hillside, with great views and all the glories of springtime - including lots of sheep! We parked outside the gate of the old town and made our way up the very steep roads. There was a lot of traffic - we hadn't remembered that from 9 years ago - and the roads are very narrow. So it was dodge vehicles and keep yourself pressed up against the wall! Here's Wally checking out the only cars that should be allowed on the roads in the old town of Amelia:
We had hoped to see the extensive Roman cisterns that are under the city, but sadly they are not open during the week until the summer. So we continued up to the church from where there are gorgeous views. Here's picture of us at the top:
We found a little shop open that sold pizza, tramezzini and beverages and stopped there for a little lunch. Then we made our way out of the old town and headed down the beautiful drive back to the villa.When we returned, we had time for some Bocce on the court behind the villa. It was girls against boys. Sadly, the boys won. The cats didn't care one way or another!
We had Dolores leftovers (there were plenty!) for dinner and celebrated the Faddens time with us all here at Le Terrae.
LeTerrae, Day 10
Today was another special day, with two memorable events. First we drove back to Orvieto and went to Le Velette winery. One of the members of the family who owns it, Cecilia Bottai, is a tour guide colleague and friend of our daughter-in-law Sarah. Sarah thought we'd really enjoy going there, so she arranged the contact. And we really did enjoy it!
The property itself is amazing, with glorious views of Orvieto. 
It has been in their family about 150 years, but is very ancient with roman walls and ruins, and a whole history of overlays of cultural renovation after remodel! We had a tour of the house itself, including the 1/3 mile long tunnel under the house that serves as a wine cellar. Different owners added to it over the centuries. We didn't go down the whole distance, but it was pretty cool to be down there.
She showed us the current winery operation, and had us choose which wines we'd like to try. Then we went back to the house and went into the dining room for a lovely cold lunch and wine tasting. Over lunch we learned a lot more about the wines and the region and the family and the pleasures and perils of being a tour guide! We really enjoyed her and every part of this experience.
We got back to the villa just in time to welcome Dolores, our Italian cooking class instructor. Dolores is a friend of the Vernaldi sisters who own this place, and is a wonderful local cook. She speaks almost no English at all, so the class went on with lots of hand motions and a great deal of laughter! She showed us how to make fresh egg pasta, the techniques used to roll the dough, and make the noodles. No pasta machines here! She also made a dough from just water and flour which we all learned to form into little hedgehog pastas by a flick of the thumb on the back side of a cheese grater! She also made real ragu from various meats, a chicken dish called spezzatini di pollo, some fabulous thinly sliced and sauteed eggplant with a spicy olive oil sauce on top, and a kind of parsley/garlic/oil/vinegar pesto to put on vegetables. Oh, yes. There was also the thinly sliced veal with cheese and prosciutto. Needless to say, we had a wonderful dinner that night!
Here are a couple photos of Dolores showing us the ropes.
The property itself is amazing, with glorious views of Orvieto. 
It has been in their family about 150 years, but is very ancient with roman walls and ruins, and a whole history of overlays of cultural renovation after remodel! We had a tour of the house itself, including the 1/3 mile long tunnel under the house that serves as a wine cellar. Different owners added to it over the centuries. We didn't go down the whole distance, but it was pretty cool to be down there.She showed us the current winery operation, and had us choose which wines we'd like to try. Then we went back to the house and went into the dining room for a lovely cold lunch and wine tasting. Over lunch we learned a lot more about the wines and the region and the family and the pleasures and perils of being a tour guide! We really enjoyed her and every part of this experience.
We got back to the villa just in time to welcome Dolores, our Italian cooking class instructor. Dolores is a friend of the Vernaldi sisters who own this place, and is a wonderful local cook. She speaks almost no English at all, so the class went on with lots of hand motions and a great deal of laughter! She showed us how to make fresh egg pasta, the techniques used to roll the dough, and make the noodles. No pasta machines here! She also made a dough from just water and flour which we all learned to form into little hedgehog pastas by a flick of the thumb on the back side of a cheese grater! She also made real ragu from various meats, a chicken dish called spezzatini di pollo, some fabulous thinly sliced and sauteed eggplant with a spicy olive oil sauce on top, and a kind of parsley/garlic/oil/vinegar pesto to put on vegetables. Oh, yes. There was also the thinly sliced veal with cheese and prosciutto. Needless to say, we had a wonderful dinner that night!Here are a couple photos of Dolores showing us the ropes.
Le Terrae, Day 9
This was a very special day. We went about an hour southeast of here to Tivoli, which is these days a big Rome suburb. We went to visit the people who produce Tibvrtini olive oil, which we've used at home for quite a while now. The owners' American partners are the daughter and son-in-law of one of Larry's bosses from Boeing. (That's how the pit got into the olive, as it were.)
We had a couple of screw-ups at the beginning of it all because we had a wrong post code to punch into the GPS, the wrong villa to meet at (we ended up at d'Este instead of Adriana), and Nancy had added one too many 5's in the phone number when she wrote it down! So it took us an extra hour to get to the right place, but eventually we did. We had a lot of help. Here's Wally getting help:
When we got it all sorted, we met Emanuele Lolli at the entrance to Villa Adriana, or Hadrian's Villa. He took us on a wonderful tour of the ruins of this ancient place, telling us all the stories of this emperor who traveled so widely (the eponymous wall in north England, as one example) and who had a great love of beauty, nature, conversation, and the arts. It is an amazing place and our guide, who teaches high school as well as growing olives and is, by the by, the Count of Tivoli, knew everything about the history of his area. Here we are walking up into what is now a huge park:
We're learning here about the construction of the walls:
Hadrian didn't get here very often, and after his death the place fell into disuse. The local people came around and took the bricks and the marble and the columns and all and smashed them up for cement to build their houses and add to their farm fields. So there's a little bit of Villa Adriana in everyone's property round about the place. When the British and the Germans started all their archaeological trips in the 19th century, they started uncovering much of what was there. (The British, of course, took it home to the British Museum!) That began what has now been a couple centuries of discovery that is still going on. This pool, supposed to be a form of the Nile River (complete with crocodile!) was just a big dirt hole until it was excavated. They found the statues that lined the edges in the bottom. The current statues are copies of the originals.
Our tour ended with a climb to an tower that had a fabulous view right out to Rome. We could see the tower of St. Peter's in the far distance. Amazing.
After our tour of Villa Adriana, we went to the Lato's son's restaurant, which is in an old villa on a corner of the bigger piece of Hadrian's land. We had an amazingly wonderful meal of regional specialties and great wine. Emanuele then took us to his olive groves, and we wandered through the trees and met the donkeys who live among them.
All in all, it was a terrific day. Click here for more information on Tibvrtini Olive Oil and the area. Larry and I can also get you some if you're interested.
We had a couple of screw-ups at the beginning of it all because we had a wrong post code to punch into the GPS, the wrong villa to meet at (we ended up at d'Este instead of Adriana), and Nancy had added one too many 5's in the phone number when she wrote it down! So it took us an extra hour to get to the right place, but eventually we did. We had a lot of help. Here's Wally getting help:
When we got it all sorted, we met Emanuele Lolli at the entrance to Villa Adriana, or Hadrian's Villa. He took us on a wonderful tour of the ruins of this ancient place, telling us all the stories of this emperor who traveled so widely (the eponymous wall in north England, as one example) and who had a great love of beauty, nature, conversation, and the arts. It is an amazing place and our guide, who teaches high school as well as growing olives and is, by the by, the Count of Tivoli, knew everything about the history of his area. Here we are walking up into what is now a huge park:
We're learning here about the construction of the walls:
Hadrian didn't get here very often, and after his death the place fell into disuse. The local people came around and took the bricks and the marble and the columns and all and smashed them up for cement to build their houses and add to their farm fields. So there's a little bit of Villa Adriana in everyone's property round about the place. When the British and the Germans started all their archaeological trips in the 19th century, they started uncovering much of what was there. (The British, of course, took it home to the British Museum!) That began what has now been a couple centuries of discovery that is still going on. This pool, supposed to be a form of the Nile River (complete with crocodile!) was just a big dirt hole until it was excavated. They found the statues that lined the edges in the bottom. The current statues are copies of the originals.
Our tour ended with a climb to an tower that had a fabulous view right out to Rome. We could see the tower of St. Peter's in the far distance. Amazing.After our tour of Villa Adriana, we went to the Lato's son's restaurant, which is in an old villa on a corner of the bigger piece of Hadrian's land. We had an amazingly wonderful meal of regional specialties and great wine. Emanuele then took us to his olive groves, and we wandered through the trees and met the donkeys who live among them.
All in all, it was a terrific day. Click here for more information on Tibvrtini Olive Oil and the area. Larry and I can also get you some if you're interested.
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