Spring in Le Marche.

Lorraine Cotterill from La Bella Italy/Railsavers was recently in the Ascoli Piceno province of Le Marche for the first Buy Piceno Tourism workshop.  The workshop, organised by the Camera di Commercio (Chamber of Commerce), Ascoli Piceno was a great success with some 26 buyers and LOTS of sellers.

Lorraine, Senior Marketing Manager for La Bella Italy, together with the other buyers, were given a taste of some of the delights of Le Marche in the spring - beautiful landscapes as well as great food and wine.  Lorraine captured the experience in some wonderful photos.

Sarnano, Le Marche

Another excerpt from Edward Hutton's book "The Cities of Romagna and the Marches" (1925), this time about Sarnano.

I left Amandola one morning in the public automobile for Sarnano on my way to Macerata. The road thither, delightful though it be, has not the splendour of the way between Amandola and Ascoli, but it gives you Sarnano, which is worth any trouble to see.

Sarnano, unlike almost every other city in the Marches,is not set on a great hill. The automobile passes quite through this picturesque little place with its great tower and piazza and rosy churches. Here in the Collegiata, in a niche, Lorenzo da Sanseverino, the pupil of Girolamo di Giovanni da Camerino, has painted in fresco the Madonna and Child with saints. This noble work is signed and dated 1483. A work, perhaps by Girolamo himself, is to be seen in S.Maria del Rosario, where is a Crucifixion with the Annunciation behind it, as it were the beginning and the

end, the alpha and omega of the Redemption of the world. A more curious master has perhaps been at work in S. Maria in Piazza : Niccolo da Foligno, to whom is

attributed the picture of S. John Baptist with three other Saints.

"Give me a rub"!!!

If we hadn't known Polly was Archie's baby, we would have guessed it from her behaviour. She is exactly like Archie in that as soon as you approach her, she rolls over to have her stomach rubbed. She is a lovely dog with the sweet natures of both parents.

This photo was taken by some very clever guests who were able to capture her before she moved.

Making ricotta at Azienda Agricola Fontegranne, Belmonte Piceno

Next weekend is the 16th cheese festival at Gualdo in the Macerata province. There will be locally-made cheeses as well as cheeses from all over Italy; workshops; tasting of Marchigiani wines; cheese tastings; street performers and musicians; stalls selling porchetta, Ascolani olives, grilled sausages, artisan beer; performances by the local school children; dinner on Saturday night and lunch on Sunday at Osteria "Odissea nello Sfizio" with a degustation menu (by reservation only. Call 339 7131810).

The festival starts at 10am on Saturday and 9am on Sunday....but just remember that they are Italian times!!

San Ruffino Lake with the Sibillini Mountains in the background

For hire at San Ruffino lake, not far from Amandola, are small boats, paddle boats, canoes and sit-on-tops.  There are also courses in kayaking and Canadian canoes.  What better way to spend a sunny day than slowly paddling, or peddling, around the lake.

For more information contact Marco (if you speak Italian) 3483049659 or Pauline info@lamelarosa.net.

Chocolate Caramel slice - Yum!!

Last Sunday for the first time in 5.5 years I made and ate Chocolate Caramel slice. It's taken me that long to discover that Conad, one of Amandola's three supermarkets, sells Nestle's condensed milk - in the tubes, not the tins but I wasn't going to be fussy. Anyway, we'd invited some Italian friends to discover the delights of a Devonshire Tea but the caramel slice was a bigger hit than the scones. In fact, we thought we'd have to call the ambulance for two of our friends who are diabetic as they ate so much of it! 

Bedroom 3 at La Mela Rosa

I guess I'm blowing our own trumpet but Rob & I were so pleased about the comments written in our Guest Book today that I decided to put it in a blog.

Every morning was waking to another day in paradise. What a beautiful, peaceful, amazing place! Pauline & Rob are the nicest, most thoughtful hosts one could have & wonderful people on top of that! The special touches - flowers, soaps, etc - also helped make this a fabulous place. We're so happy to end our 2 months in Italy here!

The couple, who left this morning, had booked in for four nights but stayed on for another four. They found Amandola by chance when they'd tried to book a place in Ascoli Piceno but it was fully booked for the Fritto Misto festival.

Perugina's Baci - Yum!

I haven't been yet but on my list of Things to Do is a visit to Perugina's Casa del Cioccolato - home of the Baci.  I first discovered Baci when travelling to Italy on Lloyd Triestino's "Galileo Galilei" in 1976. My friend and I didn't bother about lunch but bought Bacis from the bar instead. They weren't very expensive, no doubt because they were duty free, but they were good!

At Casa del Cioccolato visitors will find one hundred years of history in the museum - from the discovery of cocoa to the people who made the company great; from pictures, to posters to packaging. The tour ends in the factory just above the production departments in a world of irresistible aromas... with a tasting of Perugina's chocolates to make it all truly memorable.

Perugina also has a Scuola del Cioccolato - Chocolate School - where you can learn to create delicious chocolates under the guidance of a "Maestro Cioccolatieri=.

For more information call: (39) 02 45467868

Giovanni Battista Draghi (aka Pergolesi)

On 18 April, Rob and I were invited by friends to hear their daughter play at the "G.B. Pergolesi" Conservatorium of Music at Fermo. A graduate of the Conservatorium, Giuditta was accompanying one of the sopranos at the Poetry & Music recital held in the Auditorium.  The works of some of Italy's "modern" poets such as Gabriele D'Annunzio, Giacomo Leopardi, Antonio Rubino and Francesco Petrarca have been put to music.  The idea of the recital, one of many during the academic year 2011-2012,  was to give some of the singing students the opportunity to perform.

Although not a great fan of classical music, it was wonderful to see the passion these young people have for their music. The venue was spectacular too - a converted monastery, named after Giovanni Battista Draghi born in Jesi, Le Marche in 1710. The name "Pergolesi" was originally the nickname given to his grandfather, an artisan from the town of Pergola. Over time, the nickname was used to denote his family.

The sails on San Ruffino Lake, Le Marche

Unlike last year, the weather for the second edition of "Le Vele di San Ruffino" ("The Sails of San Ruffino"), which took place on 24 and 25 April, was splendid. Plenty of wind for the competitors sailing their Snipe class dinghies and lots of sunshine for the spectators.

Along the shore of the lake was the CNA tent with artisans selling handmade hats, leather bags decorated with Swarovski crystals and paintings by a local Amandolese artist.

Tomeo fantasy bags had a stall as did Giorgio our local Venetian masseur, who was giving free massages; Agostina selling cheeses for Azienda Agricola Fontegranne; the ladies from Monte San Martino selling homemade biscuits; Pasquale Palazzo selling his aloe vera creams and potions.....to name just a few.

Lunch was available at Osteria del Lago and Il Vecchio Moro or, for those wanting something more casual, there was the option of porchetta in a roll and a beer.

The quince tree on La Mela Rosa's avenue.

Our fruit trees, starting with the plums, began blossoming a couple of weeks ago.  Right now, the apple trees are slowly blossoming but the most spectacular sight is our gorgeous quince tree.  The five-petalled flowers are white with a tinge of pink and stand out amongst the apple blossom because the petals are flat rather than crinkly....if that makes sense. 

Monte San Martino Photo by N.Joseph

Here is another excerpt from Edward Hutton's "The Cities of Romagna and the Marches" published in 1925. This time on Monte San Martino, a medieval hilltop town not far from Amandola.

Another excursion that should be made from Amandola brings one across many hills to the north-east, to Monte San Martino, another of those picturesque hill towns which are so wearying to reach, though always worth the trouble and fatigue of the long climb at the end of which they shine. Here in the Municipio is a Crucifixion by Girolamo di Giovanni da Camerino. Another work, a polyptych, painted by the same master in 1473, is in the parish church of S. Maria del Pozzo. This represents in the midst the Madonna and Child enthroned with four angels ; above in two tondi wc see the Annunciation. On either side stand S. Thomas holding the girdle of the Blessed Virgin and an open book, and S. Ciprian vested as a Bishop holding his crozier. Above in the midst we see the Crucifixion with the Madonna and S. John, and on either side S. Michael and S. Martin, beneath two little half figures of S. Peter and S. Paul — a very notable work.

Lots & lots of Lindor balls!!

A few days before Easter, our postman drove up our driveway to deliver our mail.  Normally it gets left in the letterbox by our gate but there was no chance of this parcel fitting in! It turned out to be the BIGGEST box of chocolates I have ever seen - Lindor balls of all sorts - hazelnut, orange, milk, dark, 60%, white, stracciatella, coffee. We were in heaven!

The sender was a very kind and extremely generous guest who had stayed with us last summer and early this year.

I have to confess that there is literally only one Lindor ball left.  Is it really greedy to have eaten 1.5kgs chocolate in under ten days???

Ryan, from Amandola, in action at San Lorenzo di Treia

Ryan Leutton from Brisbane, currently living in Amandola, is riding for the Smile Bike Team in the Gravity Race Cup, a downhill bike racing competition in central Italy.  On 1 April at San Lorenzo di Treia, Ryan came 2nd in the Master 1 category and 7th overall.

The second heat of the Cup is next weekend, 14 & 15 April, at Nusenna, not far from Sienna. No doubt Ryan will be smiling as he takes on the downhill challenge.

Montefortino Photo by N.Joseph

For those who have given me such very positive feedback about the extracts from Edward Hutton's book "The Cities of Romagna and the Marches", I thought it might be interesting to know that he was highly honoured by Italy for his services to the country (including his role in helping to protect Italy's cultural heritage in WWII). In 1917 he was made a Cavaliere of the Italian Crown; at age 83 the Italian government conferred on him the Commenda of the Italian Order of Merit and at 90 he was awarded the Medaglia culturale d'oro.

Here's what Mr Hutton had to say about our nearby Montefortino and its works of art:

From Amandola I made an excursion to Montefortino, a little castello very loftily and beautifully situated some five miles to the south. Apart from its own beauty,

Montefortino is chiefly noteworthy for the pictures that are to be found in its Municipio. Here is a fine tondo of the dead Christ by Perugino, and a panel of a saint by Antoniazzo Romano, as well as a picture of the Madonna and Child, with Tobias and two archangels painted in 1497 by Pier Francesco Fiorentino, the imitator of Neri di Bicci, and a Madonna adoring her little Son by Neri di Bicci's pupil, Botticini. In the church of S. Agostino is a picture, once attributed to Perugino, of the Adoration of the Magi, and a S. Antony painted on wood that has

much charm. Other works will be found in the Santuario deir Ambro and in the Madonna del Fonte outside the castello, where there are fine frescoes.

Mount Amandola Photo by N. Jospeh

Just as we thought we had seen the last of it and were enjoying the moutains take on their velvety green look of spring, it snowed again. On Saturday we woke to see the peaks covered in dusting of snow and then this morning it was a much whiter mantle.

Oh well...makes us appreciate the spring more when it really IS here.

On Wednesday, our lovely and very elegant friend Norma turned 80. Eight of us had dinner together here to celebrate. Inspired by a Moroccan dinner Rob and I had enjoyed at Il Granaio the week before, I served homous with carmalised onions and flat bread, followed by Moroccan chicken with couscous, a carrot & orange salad and a Middle Eastern eggplant salad. Dessert was the birthday cake - a butterfly this time, thanks again to the Children's Birthday cake Book!

Here is Norma blowing out the candles.  I hope to look as good as she does when I get to 80 but I doubt it....

The beautiful Abbadia di Fistra and it's surrounding parkland and nature reserve

In 1142 Guarnerio II, duke of Spoleto and Marquis of the Marca di Ancona donated a vast tract of land, situated between the Rivers Chienti and Fiastra, to the Cistercian monks. The monks, immediately upon their arrival from the Chiaravalle Abbey in Milan on 29 November that year, began building the monastery using materials from the ruins of the nearby Roman town of Urbs Salvia, destroyed by Alaric between 408 and 410. At the same time, the monks began reclaiming the surrounding land characterised by extensive forests and marshes inhabited by wolves, bears and deer.

Today the surrounding parkland is still cultivated by the monks and wines and other produce are on sale to the public. There are two very good, well priced restaurants, and the medieval monastery, the archeaological museum and beautiful nature reserve are open to the public.

The "gaunt and shadowy tower" in Amandola

Below is another excerpt from Edward Hutton's book "The Cities of Romagna and the Marches" written in 1925. It is a truly delightful description of Amandola and the hospitality that he found upon his arrival there.  The inn may no longer exist but the kindness and friendliness most certainly still do.

It was already night when, after a brief halt at Comunanza, a wretched but beautifully situated village of the lower hills,the diligenza came up to the gate of Amandola and stopped in a bleak Piazza at the foot of the little hill town, of which I could discern nothing but a gaunt and shadowy tower.

There was no sign of an inn, but presently I was led by the hand over the cobbles, for it was very dark, to a little door that opened on a vast kitchen reeking with a most savoury smell of cooking. The place was full of light and warmth, and crowded with all kinds of people, peasants and a priest or two, but especially I noticed an amazingly ugly old woman, who presently came up to me and demanded my business. Then when she knew I desired a bed she too took me by the hand and led me up a foul and broken stairway to the first floor of her house, where, to my astonishment, I saw that all was fair and clean, as was the room and bed she offered me. And here let me say at once that my days in Amandola were all days of delight and happiness.

It is never well in Italy to judge by appearances, and in Amandola, as I soon found, least of all. Nowhere have I received greater kindness ; nowhere have I found so nice a courtesy. Nothing I required was denied me ; everything was done for my comfort and pleasure. I slept soft and I lived well, I fared sumptuously every day. The kitchen became my sitting-room, though I was given one of my own, and there I found the best company in the world, among the shepherds and peasants and priests of the mountains. They brought me fruit out of their little store, the children danced and sang songs for me, the shepherds blew me mountain airs on their pipes and told me tales of the snow, of witches and the evil eye, and of the adventures of Our Lady fleeing with our little Lord from Herod and the Pharisees, which befell, it seems, but yesterday, as is indeed most true. And so I, who had feared to stay a single night in Amandola, remained for my own delight a whole seven days, not one of which I reckoned ill-spent or unrepaid, though Amandola itself is little more than a village.

Fort Malatesta, Ascoli Piceno

Fort Malatesta in Ascoli Piceno, one of the most important and spectacular examples of Renaissance fortified architecture in Italy and one of more fascinating historical sites in this refined Marchigiana city, was re-opened in 2010 after 10 years of reconstruction.

The fort, just outside the historic centre, rises to defend the left bank of the Castellano river: in pre-Roman and Roman times it was a stronghold which blocked access to the bridge.

Destroyed and re-built many times, in 1349 Galeotto Malatesta, Commander of the Ascoli militia in the war against Fermo, reinforced it and it became a typical medieval fort that took the name Fort Malatesta. It continued to be destroyed & rebuilt until, in the first half of the 1500s, a twelve-sided church, dedicated to Santa Maria del Lago, was built in the fortress' ruins.

Howver, in 1543 Antonio da San Gallo the Young, under instruction from Pope Farnese III, erected on the site a new fort in the shape of an irregular star.

In 1828 the fort was restored and used as remand prison until 1978.

Address: Via delle Terme, Ascoli Piceno 

Opening hours:

Saturday & Sunday:  10.00 to 19.00

Monday: Closed

Tuesday & Thursday: 10.00 to 13.00

Wednesday & Friday: 15.00 to 18.00

Public holidays and the preceeding day:10.00 to19.00

The Sibillini Mountains' Gola dell Infernaccio" (Throat of Hell)

Today a friend talked of a book entitled "The Cities of Romagna and the Marches" written by an English traveller, Edward Hutton, and published in 1925. The style is rather old-fashioned but what he describes isn't at all dated. Here's part of his commentary on his journey from Ascoli Piceno to Amandola.

We were to start at noon ; but when at noon I arrived at the office with my wallet there was no sign of departure, and it was only when a good hour had passed, and my fellow-travellers one by one had straggled in from caffe and

market that the vettura was drawn out from its noisome shelter loaded with all sorts of bundles and luggage, the flea-bitten, wiry horses harnessed, their shoes blackened as they waited to start, and we were off at last more than an

hour late.

Of that journey, which brought me long after nightfall to the wonderful inn of Amandola, I cannot speak with all the eloquence it deserves. We left Ascoli by the Roman gate and followed the Tronto up stream so far as Taverna Picci-

nini. There we turned to the north, and presently began to climb into the tremendous pass, the highest part of which is, I suppose, some two thousand feet above the sea. This bald statement of feet, however, gives no idea of the amazing splendour and beauty of that wonderful road

Teatro dell'Iride, Petritoli

This weekend was one for music. Saturday night was the traditional English and Italian music at San Ruffino abbey. On Sunday afternoon we went to hear our friend Angela Boerio sing in a one act musical called "Una illogica allegria" (An Illogical Happiness). Not only did we enjoy hearing Angela's fabulous voice but we had the added pleasure of doing so in the gorgeous Teatro dell'Iride in Petritoli. Rather like Teatro La Fenice in Amandola (but not quite as beautiful...not that I'm biased!), the theatre is shaped like a U as was the tradition for theatres in the seventeenth century.  It was designed by the architect Giuseppe Sabbatini of nearby Montegiorgio in 1869 and was built entirely by local artisans. .

The theatre is situated in the historic centre of Petritoli which was founded in the tenth century by the Farfense monks on the hills in the Valle dell'Aso.

Gastone Pietrucci of La Macina

Saturday was the final of the two evenings of "Sharing" at San Ruffino Abbey. We expected it to be a good night but it was a FANTASTIC one! Pete Cooper and Sue Lee alternated with the Marchigiani folk group, La Macina, each playing/singing 6  pieces before handing over to the others. The two types of folk music were very different but complimented each other. The Italian music was very emotional and from the heart. The English music was very traditional and had it's basis in life in English, Scottish & Irish villages. The finale was Pete Cooper on his fiddle joining La Macina for a traditional Marchigiano stornello....very impressive as they had only just met that evening!!

Pete Cooper & Sue Lee

This weekend we are pleased to have Pete Cooper and his partner, Sue Lee staying with us. They are the "traditional English music" part of "Sharing" that's on at San Ruffino abbey tonight.

We had a private performance this morning when Pete and Sue rehearsed for a couple of hours in the upstairs sitting room. We particularly liked "The Architect's Waltz", written by Pete for Peter Greenaway's film "The Belly of an Architect"(1987).

Pete has taught the fiddle at his London fiddle school for about 30 years. I learnt that it's the method of playing (more energetic bow) and the type of music that turns a violin into a fiddle. They are the same instrument (Maybe everyone knows that and I was the only ignorant one....).

Baby mobile by Tomeo

Elisabetta and Tiziana of Tomeo fantasy bags are now making necklaces, bracelets and,for the English market, fascinators. They have seen and taken note of the creations at Ascot!

This very cute mobile was made for me by Elisabetta as a gift for a friend due to have a baby very soon.

Camp 59 in the early days.

The prison camp at Servigliano(about 30 mins from Amandola towards the coast) was originally built in 1914 on 30,000sq m of land on the outskirts of the village and adjacent to the railway line. It consisted of about 40 wood and brick huts inside the walls to house the Austro-Hungarian and Turkish prisoners with several brick cottages on the outside for the guards. At the end of the war, the prisoners were sent home and the place closed up.

In 1935 the Fascist State put the complex up for sale but it didn't reach it's target price so half of the compound was sold to the Servigliano Town Council for a token sum. It was turned into a sports field and is still in use today (Rob & I watched a good football match there in late February).

The remaining half of the complex was used to hold armaments. In 1938 weapons were sent from there to Spain to the 80,000 Italian soldiers who were fighting alongside General Franco. Then, as war in Europe became a certainty, the complex was reactivated as a prison camp with the first prisoners arriving in January, 1941, not long after Italy entered WWII.

Shortly after the armistice on 8 September, 1943, after some lengthy convincing by a Dr Millar, one of the prisoners, the camp commandant agreed to allow the then 3,000 prisoners (mostly English with some Americans) to "escape" into the countryside. Of course, the area was still under the control of the Germans and it was only through the care and selflessness of the local farmers that many of these prisoners survived the war. They were hidden, fed and clothed by these farmers often at the risk of their own lives and that of their families.

To read what happened to the camp after 1943 see www.casadellamemoria.org/historycamp.htm

Captain Scott and fellow explorers. (This photo is NOT part of the exhibition).

Saturday afternoon Rob & I went with friends to the opening of the exhibition of the lost photographs of Captain Scott from his fatal expedition of 1911/12.

These unique photos were found only recently in the basement of a photgraphic studio in London. They were sold at auction in New York and restored by ATLAS Gallery.

Capitan Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, after the Norwegian Roald Amundsen (14 December, 1911) and died, with his four companions, on the way back.  His black & white photos are extraordinary and quite moving.

The exhibition runs from 17 March to 6 May 2012

Museo Polare, Villa Vitali, Viale Trento, 29 Fermo Tel; 0734 226166

Hours:

Mon - Fri 9.00 - 12.30

Mon - Wed - Fri 15.30 - 18.30

Saturday 15.30 - 18.00

Sun & holidays 15.30 - 19.00

Photo by N. Joseph

This gorgeous photo was taken by Norma Joseph from her home on the hill opposite Amandola.  Norma took some wonderful photos during the six days of snow in early February but I think this is the most beautiful.

The regatta in 2011 on San Ruffino lake.

Last year's regatta on San Ruffino Lake was so popular with the competitors, despite the rain and lack of wind, that it's on again this year.  Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 April will see the return of the Snipes to the lake, this time with a slightly international flavour as there will be Germans and Montenegrins competing alongside the Italians.

For those of us who want to enjoy the spectacle and the various stalls and entertainment provided on the lake's edge, here's hoping the weather will be good.

"Roses" - Choco Festival@Ascoli Piceno

I am absolutely distraught! Yesterday evening I discovered there had been a chocolate festival in Ascoli and NO ONE had told me.  AGH!!  I have been assured by my friend that she will give me a least a week's notice next year...

For three days Ascoli Piceno “wrapped” the best chocolate in Italy with its architectural beauty. Choco Festival, which went from 6pm on Friday 2 March to Sunday 4 March, had more than 20 exhibitors in the evocative setting of the Piazza del Popolo displaying the best chocolate products in Italy. Besides enjoying the quality of the chocolate and recipes from some of the chocolate experts, visitors to Choco Festival were able to admire the various statues and other art works set up to enhance the “chocolate village”.

There was also the wonderful chocolate carvings - roses, a telephone, shoes, a white chocolate chicken emerging from a milk chocolate egg to name just a few.

The crocuses under our walnut trees.

There is still snow to be seen in the corners of the valley but, under our walnut trees, the ground is covered with small, yellow crocuses. Lovely to see these signs of spring as well as to enjoy the blue skies and warm days we are currently having. Tomorrow, some friends are going to join us for our first al fresco lunch.

However, March can be full of surprises so we are crossing our fingers there's not another snowfall in the middle of the month!

SATURDAY, 10 MARCH 2012 - 5.30pm

• Filippo Ieranò - Introduction
   Casa della Memoria Association, Servigliano
   Showing of the video “Servigliano Calling”
• Giuseppe Millozzi - presentation of the book
   “Prigionieri alleati: cattura, detenzione e fuga nelle Marche”
   (“Allied prisoners, capture, imprisonment and escape in Le Marche”)
• Simona Corvaro - presentation of the book
   "Tutti ne avevano uno" (“Everyone had one”)
• Emeka Nigeria - G.U.S. (Gruppo Umana Solidarietà) - An account of modern war
• Rob Betts - Extracts from the book “Love and War in the Apennines” by Eric Newby
• 7,30 pm Tasting - Pani & Breads

SATURDAY 24 MARCH 2012 - 5.30pm

Performances by:
• Sue Lee, piano accordion and Pete Cooper, violin - Traditional English music
• La Macina, Traditional Marchigiani music & songs
   Gastone Pietrucci, vocal
   Adriano Taborro, guitar, mandolin, violin, vocal
   Marco Gigli, guitar, cymbals, vocal
   Roberto Picchio, piano accordion, squeeze box, vocal
   Riccardo Andrenacci, drums, percussion
   Giorgio Cellinese, co-ordinator
• 7.30pm Tasting - Formaggi & Cheeses

The view across the valley from La Mela Rosa

The snow is still on the ground even though it hasn't snowed at La Mela Rosa for about two weeks.  Rob tells me it snowed for 6 days straight whilst I was in the USA. Our neighbour told us it was the most snow in the area since 1956 when the people, who then lived in our house, had to use some makeshift skis to get food up to the family on the hill behind us. No snowploughs to clear the roads in those days although apparently the farmers used two large planks of wood set at an angle to each other and attached them to a cow. Rudimentary but it worked to a certain extent.

Skiing and snow board enthusiasts have been delighted with all the snow which continues to fall from time to time in the mountains.

Forno Moderno, Roma

On Monday, I had a bit of time to kill in Rome between arriving from the USA and catching the bus to Amandola.  At lunchtime, I was very happy to discover Forno Moderno in Via Marsala, just outside one of the side entrances to Stazione Termini. Forno Moderno is an island of genuine food in an area dominated by fast food bars and tourist restaurants. For the visitor who is passing through Termini and wants a good, healthy sandwich and not one with filled with "plastic" and artifical aromas, they offer a true, Italian alternative to McDonalds. Fresh bread (a huge variety including wholemeal and sesame seeds), prosciutto, salami, mortadella, good quality cheeses, grilled zucchini and eggplant, tomatoes, dried capsicum, lettuce - you choose your filling. It's also very reasonably priced. I paid €2.50 for a long bread roll filled with prosciutto and grilled eggplant.

Forno Moderno, Via Marsala 62, Roma.

Lebanese Taverna's attractive dining room

Last Sunday was my final day in Washington, having been there for 2 weeks visiting my son.  We decided to have lunch at the Lebanese Taverna at Tysons Galleria on the way to the airport. The taverna is a very attractive place to eat and the food is sensational. I ate the best Lebanese I have ever eaten....and I've eaten a lot!  We had the trio of hommos served with warm pita bread: TRADITIONAL HOMMOS - with ground beef and lamb, GARLIC HOMMOS - with chicken shawarma & SPICY HOMMOS - with tomatoes and feta plus BABA GHANNOUGE (not sure about the spelling but it was delicious) - the eggplant dip, KIBBEH (stuffed meatballs), SHAWARMA (meat from the rotisserie) and SUJOK (spicy sausage). We had really eaten more than enough but went on to order the traditional baklava but without the pomegranate syrup and honey ice cream. YUM!

Lebanese Taverna, Tysons Galleria 1840 International Drive, McLean (VA) USA.

My first outfit of the afternoon

Sunday, 28 January 2012 saw the start of my modelling career!  At the behest of Elisabetta Temperini and Tiziana Dioguardi, the creative women of Tomeo fantasy bags, six of us took to the "catwalk" at Ristorante al chiaro della luna at Montottone. Dressed in Elisabetta's vintage fashions abd carrying Tomeo bags, we walked out to some vintage Italian music.  Instructions were to look straight ahead and not to smile but it was a bit hard to comply when Rob started clapping and friends called out "Brava, Pauline"!  

It was a very successful afternoon with lots of people turning up despite the rain.  I'm now just waiting on the calls from Valentino and Dolce & Gabanna.....

Montegallo Friday 3 February, 2012

Last Friday, I caught the 8am Start bus from Amandola to Rome.  The first leg of the journey was in a small, 20 seater bus which goes through the mountain villages - Montefortino, Montemonaco, Montegallo.  I have travelled to Rome this way before but never when it has been snowing.  I had taken a  seat a couple of rows behind the driver but he suggested I move to the front row on the opposite side so I could see the splendid view through the windscreen.  He was right!  It was truly a magical scene. The road was like a small, white autostrada that had been expertly cleared by the snow plough drivers;  the branches of the trees were bowed over and the lamps and pillars in the villages looked like snow cones!

That was the easy part!  At Triasungo I transferred into the bigger bus that goes to Rome.  It was snowing as we set off and continued to snow until the outskirts of Rome.  We were delayed by an accident between two buses just outside Rieti and the pace anyway had to be slow. Once we hit the outskirts of Rome, there was a feeling of "we made it!"......except it took another two hours to get to our final stop in the centre of Rome!  But the driver did a brilliant job and was clapped by the passengers when those doors finally opened!

Montefortino

14° edizione del Festival del Tartufo Vero or the 14th True Truffle Festival will be held in Montefortino this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday - 3rd, 4th and 5th February, 2012. The word "true" is used to clarify that the truffles on display and/or available for purchase come exclusively from the woods of the Sibillini Mountains.

The programme starts at 17.00 on Friday at Palazzo Leopardi with a convention entitled: "Tartufo nero pregiato: evoluzioni normative e qualità organolettiche”. (not for those who don't speak Italian!) This is followed by a guided tour of the Pinacoteca Civica and the Museo di Arte Sacra (the public art gallery and the Museum of Sacred Art).

At 16.00 on Saturday. organised by the Associazione Cuochi del Fermano, there will be a demonstration on the preparation of certain dishes based on truffles with sampling of same.

Both Saturday and Sunday, there will be exhibitors and local producers, wine and food stands, local artisans, musical entertainment and street theatre.

Emily & George

We recently had Emily, her older brother, her parents & grandparents staying with us. This is what she wrote in our Guest Book:

I wint to melarosa And played with george. It was relly fun. emily.

Thanks, Emily!

Ristorante Farfense

 On Thursday night, our guests took up our recommendation to have dinner at Ristorante Farfense at Santa Vittoria, about 25 minutes from us. 

The restaurant, part of Hotel Farfense which was begun in 1969 when the Funari family converted an old convent, is in the cellars. It has the lovely,vaulted brick ceiling which helps to create the warm atmosphere.  The food is fabulous. I was reminded what an excellent dinner we had eaten there in early November - antipasto of salami, prosciutto, pecorino cheese, rocket salad and delicious slices of grilled eggplant & zucchini followed by the BEST pasta I have ever eaten - ravioli stuffed with dried figs and aged peccorino and served with a light cream and semi-dried tomato sauce. I really didn't need to eat anything more but went on to have the roast pork (a speciality of the house), slices of potato baked with rosemary & garlic and some spinach.  The pork just melted in the mouth.  Some went on to sample the restaurant's excellent desserts, including a good tiramisu, but I was done! 

If you are interested in eating an excellent meal call 0734.780171 or email info@hotelfarfense.it. 

Our friend Pig - not to be confused with those on the card

Absolutely nothing to do with Italy but I just wanted to talk about the great Hallmark e-card that my daughter sent Rob for his birthday.  It's three little pig tenors singing Happy Birthday (sort of) to the tune of Funiculi Funicula.  We keeping thinking about it and laughing and I keep going back to look at it.  Anyway, here's the link if you would like to hear it too. http://www.hallmarkcards.com.au/ecards/birthday/three-pig-tenors

Not that we are fixated about pigs...

Today is the feast of the Epiphany which passes virtually unnoticed in Anglo Saxon countries but which, in Italy, is a holiday and especially important to children as it the day of the Befana. To quote from www.provincia.ps.it;

Amandola will celebrate at 4.30pm this afternoon in Piazza Risorgimento with music, games and face painting for the children. The climax of the festa will be the arrival of the Befana at 6.30pm with gifts...hopefully!!

Look at that icing!

Our English neighbour in Caccianebbia has a very talented and enterprising daughter. She has been making cupcakes and selling them very successfully via the internet (fantasycupcakes.co.uk). A few weeks ago she finished renovating an old shop at 6 Ormerod Street, Rawtenstall, Lancashire and opened her very own tea shop with the great name of A Right Royal Tea Party. To quote from facebook:

Angela's birds

We celebrated Christmas this year with friends, including Angela Boerio who gave me two small watercolours of some birds she had painted - a cardenello (goldfinch) and a ballerina gialla (yellow dancer). A self-taught artist, Angela has done a lovely job of these delicate paintings.

Angela's talents don't finish there. Trained as an opera singer quite some years ago, she now prefers to sing blues but will sing ballads, rock n' roll, Neapolitan love songs and the occasional bit of opera on request.  Angela sings professionally at weddings, parties, bars, restaurants and hotels.  After lunch on Christmas Day she had us all singing along with her - even that old favourite "Volare"! 

My "owl" bag by Tomeo laboratorio

I finally opened my friend's beautifully wrapped gift (my blog 19/12/11) to find an owl inside. Well, not a real one, but a very cute hand-made bag, stuffed full of some lovely soap, made to look like an owl. My friend, Tiziana and a young lady called Elisabetta are Tomeo laboratorio and they make unique, hand-made bags from recycled fabrics, buttons, cane handles...whatever appeals to their vivid imaginations. Each bag has a name and a history.  For anyone who'd like to know more, their email is tomeocreazioni@gmail.com or you can contact me on info@lamelarosa.net.

A pink-hued Mount Priore, Sibillinis. Photo by Norma Joseph

Whilst there's been a dusting of snow on the mountain tops since late November, the first snow at La Mela Rosa didn't fall until about 19 December when we woke to a white world.  It didn't stay long enough for us to have a white Christmas but the mountains are plentifully covered in snow, much to the satisfaction of the skiers and snow-boarders.

The days are crisp and sunny with blue skies and the snow-covered  mountains forming a splendid, glistening backdrop.

My Jesi chocolates

We called in on some friends on Sunday afternoon and came away with Christmas presents, one of which was especially for me.  Our friends had been to the opera in Jesi and had noticed Pasticceria Gianfelici and it's spectacular range of handmade chocolates.  Knowing how much I love good chcocolate, they bought me a milk chocolate pumpkin filled with individual chocolates. I've been clutching the bag to my chest and yelling "Mine!" since I got them.  Pearls before swine (with apologies to Pig) to give Rob good chocolate....

My beautifully wrapped gift!

One of the many things I loved about Italy when I first lived here in 1976 was the gorgeous gift wrapping.  Even if it was just a tray of pasticcini (small pastries), I would walk out of the pasticceria with what looked like a very expensive gift!  Every shop would offer to gift wrap whether it was Christmas or not. Sometimes, the packaging was so impressive, I wouldn't want to open the parcel. That was what happened on Saturday night when some Italian friends came to dinner.  My friend is very artistic - paints watercolours and makes wonderful hand-sewn bags from recycled materials. I was so impressed by the way she had wrapped the gift she gave me that I preferred looking at the wrapping to opening it. 

The frescoed ceiling of La Fenice, Amandola

Amandola too has a La Fenice Theatre.  It's not quite the size nor is it quite as grand as the one in Venice but it is certainly a "piccolo gioello" (small jewel) as the Italians call it.

In the 16th century, the Assembly Hall in the Palazzo Priorale (in Amandola's historic centre) was used for the first theatrical performances. This continued until the 18th century when the area was modified to include 3 levels of boxes and, in the 19th century, the theatre was decorated in the way we see it today with frescoes on the ceiling and ornate balustrades.

Last night I went with a friend to see "Il Trasporto Umano", a magic show with an excellent illusionist, his side-kick clown and a pianist. Everytime I go, I'm gob-smacked by the beauty of our small La Fenice.

Tim in his favourite chair

Tim, whom we got via the Italian Rhodesian ridgeback club, is a bit of a dill but lovely. Unfortunately, in April he developed a taste for rabbit, our neighbours' in particular.  One night, he opened the gate on their enclosure, somehow managed to open the bolts on each of the hutches and killed all but four of them. After that, we put him in his enclosure every night. About two months ago, as the nights were starting to get cold, we put Tim in the laundry but we didn't lock the door! Once again, over he went to our neighbours, did his Houdini tricks on the gate etc  but this time killed all eleven rabbits.

Since then he's been permanently confined to his enclosure apart from his daily run at the river.  Now, thanks to a German dog charity called adopTiere e.V. and their contact here in Le Marche, Tim has a new home and family in South-West Germany. 

We'll be very sad to say goodbye to Tim on 21 December but delighted for hIm that he'll no longer have to stay in an enclosure and that he will become a tri-lingual dog - Italian, English and German!

My Pirate!

Well, it's about 30 years old, the pages are falling out and the Vienna icing recipe page gets used as the bookmark for whatever cake I'm making. Nonetheless, my Children's Birthday Cake Book is still much in use, even here in Italy.  On Wednesday night, we had friends to dinner to celebrate a birthday. As the Birthday Boy used to sail a lot, I made him the Pirate.  I had a bit of trouble with the lollies - no yellow musksticks for the hair or red snakes for the mouth - but he looked pretty good with black. licorice curls and a streched jubey-thing for his mouth. He should have had a yellow hat but I can only find red food colouring....so pink it had to be, even if not very pirate-like!

My daughter, now 28, still insists on a birthday cake from "the Book"!  Last year it was the Butterfly, this year it was the Giraffe. 

Piazza della Signoria

Last weekend we went to Florence at the invitation of some Florentine friends. It was a wonderful time of the year to visit the city - much less people, gorgeous autumn colours and good weather for walking around. It was Rob's first time so all new to him.

Thanks to our friends, we were lucky enough to have a personal guide to tell us all about Michelangelo's David. I had seen it before but learnt lots of things - Michelangelo was 89 when he died and only 29 when he finished David; he never had a "dummy run" but cut straight into the marble; the ankles bear all the weight hence the bit of "tree" at the base to give support and lots more! 

We wandered over the Ponte Vecchio (originally full of butcher shops!), past the Uffizi to the Palazzo Vecchio (where our friends had been married 20 years ago) and the Loggia dei Lanzi (where you will find The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna) in Piazza della Signoria and on to see the Duomo and the Battistero.  We ate lots of delicious chocolate; had coffee and cake just near the Piazza della Republica and a great dinner at a Trattoria outside the Porta Romana.

Perfect way to spend a weekend. Rob's opinion of Florence - "Stunning!"

Hotel Silla from across the park.

If you are looking for a lovely place to stay in Florence, try Hotel Silla in Via de' Renai, 5 (www.hotelsilla.it).  The position is great - on the left bank of the Arno, about 500 m from Ponte Vecchio, facing both a park and the river. Via de' Renai is a quiet, one-way street so there's virtually no traffic noise.  The bedrooms and bathrooms are a good size, clean, comfortable and well-decorated. The staff, who all speak English, are excellent. The breakfast buffet is extensive - even eggs that you can boil.(However, if you drink tea, make sure you ask for a Twinings tea bag because Star tea is dreadful!)

The best part is that the room rates are very reasonable. Ask for a room with a view of the river.

La Mela Rosa's rather odd fireplace...

We got back from walking the dogs at San Ruffino yesterday afternoon, lit the fire and sat enjoying the warmth and the roaring flames as we drank our mugs of tea.  There's something truly hypnotic about gazing into a fire.

Pig in the garden at La Querceta di Marnacchia

This is Pig, enjoying the snow in December 2007, before La Mela Rosa was finished being restored.

I first met Pig in Sydney and was so overcome by his singing ("My Girl") and his dancing that I had to have him so paid his owner a fortune for him.....well, $15 anyway.  Later, when moving to Italy, I gave him back - seemed silly to take him to Amandola because he can't speak Italian.  Very happily, the owner came to visit us bringing Pig with him. Pig is now very well-travelled having been to Venice, Croatia, Hungary and other places i can't remember. However, he's settled happily into life here at Caccianebbia and intends to stay although sadly, his dancing days seem to be over.

On my walk this morning, I found a porcupine (istrice in Italian) quill.  Being Australian, I had never seen a porcupine until we came to live here.  I would have to describe them as "fascinatingly ugly"- or "ugly but fascinating" - something like that.  To see them caught in the car's headlights with their strange pig-like faces and their quills standing on end is truly an incredible, almost scarey, sight. A couple of nights ago, I saw one running by the side of the road with his quills lying down.  The brown and white quills lying flat like a thick mat on his back certainly made him more pleasant to see!

Together with Petritoli, the communities of Francavilla d'Ete, Montefiore dell'Aso, Monte San Pietrangeli, Moresco, Smerillo, constitute the "The Wild Herb Circuit", which works to rediscover the wild herbs and to use them, as they have been used for centuries, in various ways from traditional cooking to popular medicine to beauty care.

On Sunday, 4 December, 2011at Petritoli the wild herbs marry with the olive oil in the old, traditional dishes and in some new innovative dishes created by our cooks.

In 2011, the ErbaOlio programme will include participation in olive picking, visiting the oil mills open especially for the day and collecting wild herbs. Of course, there will also be the chance to enjoy a themed lunch and the traditional ErbaOlio Fair in the sports ground.

Fireplace in the upstairs sitting room.

Our new woodburning stove is installed and working well.  It has turned the sitting room on the first floor into a cosy place to sit and read, listen to music or check emails (it's the best place in the house for Wi Fi). It's also a good spot for afternoon tea and a doze for those guests who have been out and about all day.

Traditionally in Italy, Christmas is spent with the family but at New Year’s Eve groups of friends celebrate together with a “cenone” – usually about a 10 course dinner. Often these groups hire a house or stay in an hotel or an agriturismo. So, at La Mela Rosa we’ve decided to respect tradition by offering the following NYE package. Feel free to book in even if you're not Italian!

New Year’s Eve in the Sibillini Mountains

3 nights’ accommodation at La Mela Rosa

3 great cooked breakfasts

“Cenone” (the big NYE dinner) at Osteria del Lago (5 minutes from La Mela Rosa)

A bottle of pro seco and hand-made chocolates in your room.

Price per couple: €350

White truffles

This weekend was the Diamanti a Tavola (Diamonds on the Table) festival in Amandola. The area is known for its white truffles and the festival gives locals and visitors the opportunity to see, smell and maybe buy the very expensive truffles.  We had some guests here from Australia, who grow black truffles from innoculated oaks in NSW. I  arranged for them to meet the president of the Amandola Truffle Association who was very keen to hear about how truffles are marketed in Australia and to share his knowledge of cultivating and pruning innoculated trees. Alberto took us to see his trees which have been planted on the side of a hill looking across to Mount Amandola.  The view was stunning especially with the forests' autumn colours. As the interpreter, I certainly learnt some interesting things about truffles....but I still prefer the chocolate variety.

The colours are changing at La Mela Rosa too..

The Sibillini Mountains in autumn offer a spectacle of rare beauty. The yellow-golds, the reds, the ochres of the oaks, beeches, wild cherries and elms stand out in the sunlight against a backdrop of already snowy peaks and an incredibly blue sky.  The temperature during the day sits aroubd 16°C so very comfortable for walking or cycling and enjoying the magical landscape. Once the sun drops so does the temperature and it's time to go home to sit before the fire with a pre-dinner glass of wine and a bowl of olives.

Choir “Don Fernando Morresi” - Mogliano

MUSIC – 29 October, 2011

Time: 7pm - Tasting

BUBBLES AND MARCHIGIANI PRODUCE
In collaboration with AIS Fermo

Time 8.30pm - Concert:

TRIBUTE TO FERENC (FRANZ) LISZT (1811-1886)
ON THE BICENTENTARY OF HIS BIRTH (1811-2011)
Choir: “Don Fernando Morresi” di Mogliano
Soprano: Cinzia Caponi
Pianist and Director: Maestro Licio Cernetti

PROGRAM
F. LISZT (1811- 1886)

- Vexilla Regis - o Crux ( dalla Via Crucis ) (4vm)
O Haupt Blut un Wunden ( VI staz. Via Crucis ) (4vm) 
Ave Maria B flat ( 6vm)
Pater Noster (4vm)
O Filii et Filiae (3vp) dal Christus
O Salutaris Hostia (4vm)
Ave Maris Stella (4vm) 

Mihii Autem Adhaerere dal Salmo 72/73
(Offertory from the Mass of Saint Francis of Assisi )
“Arranged for the organ by Licio Cernetti” 

Stabat Mater Seciosa (6vm) dal Christus 

Cantantibus Organis (7vm) 
( Antiphon for the feast of Saint Cecilia )

Choir “Don Fernando Morresi” - Mogliano
Established in 1997 by Maestro Licio Cernetti who is the conductor.

Time: 10pm Tastings and Greetings
SWEET WINES AND POPULAR DESSERTS
In collaboration with AIS Fermo

Our olives

Well, not here at La Mela Rosa because our trees (all 5 of them) were moved about 2 years ago and are only just starting to bear fruit -about 30 olives all up!.   However, we were happy to add them to our neighbours olives when we went up to help them pick yesterday.  Quite a mix of varieties including frantoia and a local olive that we picked from a 100 year old tree.  We picked all morning then sat down to a delicious lunch.(I ate too much as usual.) Olives should be pressed within 24 hours of being picked so it was bad news for our neighbour when he got a call during lunch to say that owner of the place where he was to have the olives pressed had been gored by a bull and died. Respect for the dead and also an ivnestigation of the accident meant that the press will be shut down for a few days.  Country life is great but it certainly has it's dark side.

George loves the grooming.

Sadly, Archie is not to be a father after all.  Luna had only one pup and it was still-born. A great pity as they would have been beautiful.

Anyway, Archie seems to have taken on a paternal role with George - grooming him, batting him with a paw if he's misbehaving and growling if he tries to eat Archie's food. They are not dissimilar in colour so maybe Archie thinks George is his....

Quinces, quince jam, quince jelly.....

Never having had much experience of quince, I thought we had a special type of fruit tree when I saw the large, furry "apples" on one of our trees. I was told they were "mele cotogne" - words which weren't in my smallish English/Italian dictionary. I later discovered, courtesy of a bigger dictionary, that they were quince. Anyway, mele cotogne or quince, our tree is always full of fruit and I have just finished making lots of pale pink quince jelly and a bucket-load of quince and strawberry jam (I made the mistake of tripling the recipe!). Even though I've given away quite a few kilos, we still have a lot left so now it's time to try making quince paste...

Our frosty Multipla

Summer certainly lingered well into autumn this year but now winter is definitely on the way. This morning I walked out to see the windescreen of our poor old Multipla (the ugliest car in the world!) covered in frost. Not only that, but yesterday, for the first time since April, it was jeans, thick socks, scarves and coats when we went up to Smerillo for the Castagnata (Chestnut Festival). Agh!!  I haven't psyched myself up for the cold yet.....

Chocolate!

Last week I was invited for tea and cake at a friend's home. Apart from sitting in the sun and enjoying the glorious view of the mounatins, I also ate one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever eaten...and I have eaten quite a few in my time!  It's very simple and has a texture rather like a firm-ish chocolate mousse - a French recipe my friend told me. She made it with part 70% cocoa and part 84% cocoa chocolate although the recipe says all 70%. I'm going to make it with 50%!

Anyway, here is the recipe:

Fabulous Chocolate Cake

Pre-heat oven to 250°C

300g dark chocolate (70%)

10 eggs

Melt chocolate and beat in the egg yolks one at a time.

Beat the egg whites until they stand in soft peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture.

Put into 7"(21cm) cake pan lined with baking paper.

Bake for 8 mins.

When cool, ice with melted chocolate.

Our work of art

Splitting and stacking wood is an artform here in Le Marche. Each year we have gazed in delight (and envy) at the beautifully stacked wood piles dotted around the countryside.

This year, thanks to our friend Angela, we have our own "work of art".  We were admiring her "mucchio di legno" (wood pile) one evening and she offered to show us how it was done. So last Monday Rob and I worked under Angela's instructions to get it right.  Our neigbour tells us that farmers having been stacking wood in this way for centuries.  He said that in clearings in the woods the farmers would build very high stacks then burn them to make charcoal which was used in the forges and for cooking.

Montefalcone at dusk

The "Sapori d'Autunno" festival takes place next weekend, 8 & 9  October at Montefalcone Appennino. This 10th century village comes to life for the occasion with the old cellars being opened up and the town being decorated in an autumn theme. Walking through the streets of the village you pass various gastronomic stands offering everything from antipasto to dessert, allowing you to taste the very best delicacies of the local cuisine. The Festival is enlivened by street artists as well as exhibitions of paintings and other creative works. Truffles, cheeses, walnuts, chestnuts, the mela rosa (pink apple), honey etc are all available for purchase. We went last year and it was wonderful to see the village transform as the sun went down and the flames flickered in the ancient metal braziers on the walls.

George - the "good" eye,

This is George, the latest addition to the Mela Rosa household.  He turned up at a house some friends were minding and, not being able to keep him themselves, they brought him to us.  He was full of fleas and ticks, has one pink-rimmed eye and a strange gait but it was love at first sight!  He's cleaned up well and is getting on with Archie and Tim...provided he doesn't go for their food.  Loves affection, in fact, gets a very soppy expression with half-closed eyes when he's stroked.  We won't discuss what else he gets!

Archie

This morning I went up to our neighbours to get some eggs and I discovered that their German shepherd, Luna, is pregnant.  Our beautiful Archie is often visiting Luna but we thought their relationship was platonic.  Not so, it seems. We are very keen to see what the puppies look like....gorgeous we expect.

Our figs

Being born and bred in Sydney and living there nearly all my life, I have found it surprising how much I enjoy living in the country.  Today, I walked down to our fig tree to pick some figs for the guests' breakfast.  It is such a huge satisfaction to put food on the table that we have produced ourselves. Mind you, the fig tree, like the quince, pear, apple and plum trees have been here a lot longer than us and, apart from pruning them, we do very little....

Montefortino, home of Ristorante Da Peppa

Well, after four years we finally discover that Montefortino (scene of our Waltzing Matilda "triumph") does indeed have a restaurant and an excellent one. Sitauted in the historice centre of that beautiful, 11th century village, family owned and run Da Peppa serves the traditional food of the area and is strongly supported by the local community - always a sign that the food is good. Some recent guests loved the whole experience - from the elderly lady they encountered on the street who lead them to the restaurant to the owner/waiter running from table to table with platters of steaming food to the small girl with her doll peeping from the kitchen to the bill - €60 for four people and more food than they could eat.

Ristorante "Da Peppa", Via Roma 18, Montefortino tel: 0736 859136

Simona, your Italian teacher.

A recent guest at La Mela Rosa suggested that we offer a full immersion Italian package. We think this is a brilliant idea as we have an excellent, qualified Italian teacher in Amandola (who speaks fluent English so if one gets desperate...) plus I speak fluent Italian so it will be Italian with the home-made muesli and fresh fruit at breakfast.  The package will consist of 5-7 night's accommodation, a daily Italian lesson with Simona, cultural tours and/or mountain walks (to suit our guests' tastes) with all conversation at La Mela Rosa to be in Italian. If one wants to cheat, there's always Rob who only speaks English...!

For more information email us: info@lamelarosa.net

Last Christmas' duck

Rob and I have had a lot of fun with our guests over the last two Christmases here at La Mela Rosa. This year, in the hope of enticing some others to join us, we are offering a special Christmas package:

• 4 nights' accommodation including breakfast by the fire.
• Christmas Eve - a vist to medieval Force for the live Nativity scene (followed by Midnight Mass for those interested)
• Christmas Day - A feast! Traditional Italian food followed by my Christmas pudding and brandy sauce.
• The essential post-prandial walk to make room for my mince pies and brandy butter.
• Homemade chocolates and a bottle of pro seco in your room.

The total cost of this package is €500 per couple. 

Send us an email info@lamelarosa.net

One of the splendid caverns at the Frasassi Caves

If you fancy a journey to the centre of the earth, visit the Frasassi Caves, located near Genga, about 60 kms from La Mela Rosa. They are one of Italy's largest complex of caves.

Marche Voyager - Guide to the Frassai Caves says: Some 13 km of limestone caverns have so far been explored and it is believed that they may run for up to 35 km. Only one and a half km of this crystalline wonderland is open to the general public. Equipped with walkways and theatrical lighting, it includes the awesome Grotta Grande del Vento, Europe's largest single cavern, so vast that Milan Cathedral would fit comfortably inside, and some of the most extravagantly fanciful stalagmites and stalactites you are ever likely to see.

The guided tour takes about an hour and is well worthwhile.

La Mela Rosa's upstairs sitting room pre-woodburning stove.

Rob and I are very excited about having ordered a woodburning stove for the upstairs sitting room, just outside the guest bedrooms. Of course, we have central heating but the stove will create a cosy atmosphere for the guests. After taking advantage of low-cost skiing at Bolognola or a snow-shoe work at Campolungo on Mount Amandola, guests can settle before the fire and enjoy apres-ski La Mela Rosa style!

The "beach" in Amandola

Last night we went into town with some of our guests to see the "beach volley", as the Amandolese call it.  Since we are 55 kms from the Adriatic Sea and 150 kms from the Mediterranean we were wondering how this was going to work.... However, there in Piazza Risorgimento, was the "beach" (minus the waves) set up by the Comune for the games. The two-a-side women's teams were playing. We sat outside Caffè Belli eating gelato and watched last year's winners from Fermo play Comunanza and Amandola (sponsored by Grand Caffè Belli) play...?? who were those girls in the powder blue tops?? We never did find out.  Lovely way to pass a summer evening! 

Walking in the Sibillini Mountains National Park

Our local tourist association, Sibillini segreti e sapori (Sibillini secrets and flavours), which is based in Amandola, now has a new website. www.vacanzesibillini.it . So, if you would like to see some great photos of this area - the mountains, the hills, the medieval villages - plus find a themed holiday to suit your tastes, have a look at the new site. We like it and hope you do too. La Mela Rosa is featured too, of course!

For anyone planning on catching the bus from Rome to Amandola, the timetable has changed. The morning bus now leaves at 07.20 instead on 08.00. The afternoon bus remains the same - 13.50.  The bus leaves from in front of Viale Castro Pretorio,84. Passengers should arrive 30 minutes prior to departure to buy their tickets. The bus times from Amandola also remain the same - 08.00 and 15.00.

The Select Dance Company coming soon to Amandoal!!

The Select Dance Company from Sydney are to perform in Piazza Risorgimento in Amandola on Sunday, 10 July, 2011 at 7pm. Organised by the Associazione interculturale Australia-Le Marche, the 22 young dancers will be attending a dance workshop at Tina Dance studios in Ascoli Piceno as well as performing at San Benedetto del Tronto, Piazza del Popolo in Ascoli and Comunanza. The students and their families having been working hard since 2009 to make this trip possible. 

The light is their mating signal

Last night we were sitting outside with our guests when the fireflies appeared, darting between the walnut trees. I had never seen them before living here in Amandola but I love them! They are truly magical and make our meadow below the terrace look like Fairyland.

I'm told we have them because the air is clean.... 

Bonnie Franklin

Rob and I were very happy to have Bonnie Franklin stay with us at La Mela Rosa this week. Bonnie, who played Anne Romano in the television series "One Day at a Time", began her theatrical career at the age of 9, dancing with Donald O'Connor on the Colgate Comedy Hour. Since "One Day at a Time" ended in 1983 Bonnie has worked predominantly in the theatre.  On her return to the States, Bonnie is to appear in "Steel Magnolias", playing Ouiser Boodreaux.

Bonnie was very impressed with this area of Le Marche, particularly Amandola, Lago di Fiastra and the Sibillinis.

Osteria del Lago on the outskirts of Amandola

Recent guests were raving about the food at Osteria del Lago, a great restaurant that sits on the shores of San Ruffino Lake.  They ate antipasto - prosciutto, salami, grilled vegetables, cheeeses; primi - Luciana's hand-made spinach & ricotta ravioli; secondi - main course of saltimbocca with salad and patate al forno (roast potatoes Italian style), followed by panna cotta for dessert. Included in the price of €28 per head were pre-dinner drinks and a very good house wine.   Osteria del Lago is about 5 mins by car from La Mela Rosa or an hour's walk if you want to be ready to eat all that's on offer!  It's open every day for lunch and dinner except Mondays.

Piazza San Benedetto, Norcia

So, if you have made the trip to see the wild flowers at Castellucio, why not drive another 30kms to Norcia which is on the western side of the Sibillini Mountains National Park?

Norcia's history began with the settlement of the Sabines in the 5th century BC.  It became an ally of ancient Rome in 205 BC but the earliest Roman ruins date from 1st century.  The historic centre is completely encircled by walls built in the 14th century which have remained standing despite three major earthquakes.

St Benedict, the founder of the Benedictine Monastic Order, was born in Norcia in 480.  The main basilica, dedicated to St Benedict, was built in the 13th century but stands on the remains of some small Roman buildings.  Next to the basilica is a functioning Benedictine Monastery.

New Norcia in Western Australia was named after this Norcia by the two Spanish Benedictine monks who started buidling a monastery there in 1847.

Castelluccio, Sibillini Mountains

Castelluccio, famous for its lentils, is perched high on the “roof” of the Sibillini Mountains at an altitude of well over 2,000 metres. The area is unique, spectacular and unforgettably beautiful and right now is the time to see the wild flowers which grow on the huge plain below the village.  The flowers form wonderful bands of colour - shades of reds,  blues and yellows, white.  Fantastic. Then there's the village itself....but you should discover that yourself when you visit Le Marche!

Ski runs at Pintura di Bolognola

Seems odd to be writing about snow and skiing when summer has finally arrived, but the ski/snow board enthusiaists who are planning their next holiday might like to know about Pintura di Bolognola, not far from the village of Bolognola in the Sibillini Mountains National Park. The ski runs are well-equipped with four modern ski lifts and a manual conveyor for inexperienced skiers. 

The runs are mostly for those with a medium level of experience except for the run that starts from Porta berro, (the ski lift which serves it has the same name).  You can hire the equipment at the ski runs for very reasonable prices. There are a number of places to eat including a mountain refuge or rifugio in Italian.

B&B La Mela Rosa - the front terrace

We're delighted that our guests are always so complimentary of our house, the garden and the splendid views.  And, of course, the beauty and tranquility of the Sibillini Mountains National Park and the hilltop villages. What is even better is that many of them have taken the time to write a review for us on tripadvisor. We greatly appreciate this as we know it's easy to get back home and into work and the holiday soon becomes a sweet, distant memory. So, thank you very much to all you kind people who have written such wonderful things about La Mela Rosa!

Rob staking the tomatoes.

Thanks to the kindness of our neighbours, who ploughed the piece of land for us, we now have a vegetable garden or "Orto".  In fact, we have picked and eaten our first crop which was broadbeans ("fave").We cooked them under instructions from a friend from Florence - fry an onion in a little olive oil, add the beans, some diced, fresh tomatoes, pepper & salt. Cover and cook gently for about 15 mins. They were delicious....well, pretty good.  Apart from the broadbeans, we have garlic, onions (planted too close together our neighbour told me!), zucchini, eggplant, silverbeet, beetroot, pumpkin, lettuce and tomatoes (two sorts). It's very exciting watching the vegetables grow although I could do without the weeding and killing the slugs!

Fancy a massage??

Fancy a massage? Out by the pool, in amongst the walnut trees or in the privacy of your own room? Well, we are happy to say that Giorgio, an experienced masseur, will come to La Mela Rosa to do just that.  Giorgio offers shiatsu, Swedish, sport, relaxing....whatever type of massage you want, with or without oil.  A recent guest, apart from enjoying the massage, commented that the price of €30 was practically a steal, especially when compared with the cost of a massage in Sydney.

Our post-Christmas dinner at Il Granaio.

A few weeks ago, we had another great dinner at Il Granaio, beautifully cooked by Greg and served with charm by Giorgio.  We were there to celebrate a birthday and we chose Greg's place because, as is the norm, it was exclusively ours for the dinner. We started with a complimentary pro seco in the cosy sitting room then moved across to the candle lit dining room. The menu is set but Greg takes into account any dietary requirements at the time of booking. We started with a summer vegetable soup with pesto, followed by a pear and blue cheese tart, then three hand made ravioli with a light pepperoni sauce. Main course was a chicken breast with asparagus in a cream sauce (Or "chicken with custard" as Greg jokingly called it.) The pièce de résistance was the tower of sweet pastry interspersed with fresh strawberries and cream and surrounded by a strawberry coulis.   Our friends enjoyed the wine too.

Chef Greg had a one hat restaurant in Worthing (near Brighton) in the UK for about 17 years so the standard of the food, both in flavour and presentation, is exceptionally high. 

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Rafting Umbria have a multi-sport program that they have called "ACQUA ARIA TERRA" (WATER AIR LAND). Thay have three trips per day during the summer - 10am, 1pm and 4 pm.  They offer rafting, kayaking, hydrospeed, mini raft, hang-gliding, paragliding, canyoning, hiking, climbing, trekking, trekking with mules, speleology, mountain-bike, horse riding, team building, survival, nordic walking, ambiental education for school.  Goodness, not much they don't offer! For more information:

www.raftingumbria.com

Some rapids....

Rafting Umbria is situated at Serravalle, Norcia, about 1.5 hours from Amandola. Cristina and her colleagues offer white water rafting, kayaking, hydrospeed and mini-raft. The river on which you raft is called the Corno and it offers 7 kms (2 hours) of rafting, divided into two sections of equal lengths. It is safe and suitable even for the unskilled. The first section is quiet and enchanting as it passes through the Biselli Gorge, where you can stop to swim and drink some water from the spring in the rocks. The second section is interpersed with rapids and the most courageous can dive into the sparkling water from a natural trampoline.

Rafting Umbria provide all the gear - neoprene shoes, wet suit, water jacket, lifejacket, helmet and, of course, a rubber dinghy, a paddle and a guide to lead you along the river.

For more information go to www.raftingumbria.it

A true receptacle of the Ferrari myth, the Company’s official museum in Maranello collects cars, images and trophies of Ferrari’s victories all over the world.

We haven't been ourselves but guests staying with us at present have and they tell us that the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (Modena) is well worth a visit. They were very impressed with everything but especially the sleeveless jacket purchased from the FerrariStore!

For more information, go to www.ferrari.com

Our strawberry patch.

I don't know why but strawberries in Italy, well at least here in Amandola, are truly delicious! It's very odd, but when we lived in Australia I could take or leave them - the big ones were woody and tasteless and the little ones just tasteless. Here is a very different story! Our strawberry patch is only small but there are enough strawberries there each morning to add to the guests' fresh fruit salad. If I don't eat them first, of course!  Next market day, I'll be buying lots of strawberries to make jam.

Every year the Ducati Museum attracts thousands of fans from all over the world, including us!  Well, actually my son, Daniel, is the fan. We were just hangers-on but we enjoyed the musuem just the same. Located at the Ducati factory on the outskirts of Bologna, the museum higlights 50 years of racetrack heritage including wins by Australian rider, Casey Stoner. There's a small shop that sells Ducati brand clothing, caps, key rings and other items.  It's also possible to visit the factory, but be aware that it closes during Italy's August holiday period. www.ducati.com

We were disappointed this weekend not to make it to the 15th Mostra Mercato dei formaggi d'Italia (Exhibition and market of Italian cheeses) held at Gualdo, a medieval village in the Macerata province of Le Marche.  Wine and cheese tasting; produce from "kilometre zero" market stalls; street food - for those without time for the sit-down lunch and dinners - porchetta, BBQ sausages, pizza, Ascolane olives, artisan-made beer, waffles, good gelato; street performers; exhibition of work by Marche artists.  For those that speak Italian, there was a number of workshops on making butter and a variety of cheeses.  A great weekend!  365 more sleeps until the next one....

Market stalls in Piazza del Popolo

For lovers of antiques, there is a splendid antique market held in Ascoli Piceno on the third weekend in every month.  The market, set up in the town's splendid medieval centre, in particular Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Arringa, starts at 2pm on Saturday and finishes at 8pm on Sunday.  Antiques and  collectables - anything from furniture to silver, from jewellery to paintings, from sculptures to objet d'arte - all from the 1700s to the 1900s. Also on sale are carpets, ceramics, artisan-made products and local food sepcialities. The next market is 18 & 19 June, 2011.

Aren't they pretty?

This morning as I was going for a walk, I was looking at the elderberry trees, or sambuca as they are known here.  With their white flowers, they looked like pieces of lace had been thrown over the trees. I believe they are often considered a pest but they certainly look beautiful and the Italians use the berries in making Sambuca. So...not all bad!

Lo Sferisterio

Every summer there is an opera festival in Macerata. Some of the performances are held in the open air at the splendid Sferisterio.  This year the season commences on 22 July and finishes on 11 August. Open-air performances include Un Ballo in Maschera - Giuseppe Verdi; Rigoletto - Giuseppe Verdi and the Bolshoi Ballet.

In 2008, we went with friends to see Tosca. We had a lovely dinner at a nearby restaurant then walked through the cobbled streets to Lo Sferisterio. It was a magical experience.

For more information, go to www.sferisterio.it

First it was Sabina's Strawberry Tiramisu and now it's her mother's traditional tiramisu...with a few differences!

Giovanna's Fabulous Tiramisu

About 30 Pavese biscuits 

1.5 cups strong coffee

6 eggs separated (use the yolks only)

125g caster sugar

500g mascarpone

400 mls cream

1 dessertspoon Mistra (a strong spirit flavoured with aniseed)

Cocoa

Beat the egg yolks together with the sugar until thick and creamy. Add the mascarpone and mix well. Whip the cream and fold into the mascarpone/egg yolk mix. Add the Mistra.

Dip the biscuits in the coffee and line a large dish. The biscuits should be packed closely together. Pour the mascarpone mix over the biscuits.  Sift the cocoa over the top of the mascarpone to cover well.

This is THE best tiramisu ever!

Last night, our local tourist association, Sibillini segreti e sapori, had dinner at Agriturismo La Conca to sample Mirella's cooking with wild grasses and herbs (erbe spontanee). It was quite a feast! The antipasto consisted of crostini with porcini mushrooms, woodfired bread made with walnuts, ciauscuolo - the local, soft salami, lonza, peccorino cheese served with three types of jams - rosepetal & strawberry, elderberry and primula, a torta rustica, frittata with mint, a delicious dish of chick peas, barley & lentils. Second course was a meat loaf with fresh herbs and a green salad. This was followed by three types of dolce (dessert) - cake made with wild herbs, accacia flowers dipped in batter & deep friend, a riccotta cake.  I ate way too much!

Sabina's Strawberry Tiramisu

A few blogs ago, I mentioned my neighbour's daughter's fabulous strawberry tiramisu...which I discovered was even better the second day!  I asked for the recipe and so now, with her consent is:

Sabina's Strawberry Tiramisu!

About 30 Pavesini biscuits (www.pavesi.it/italian/i-prodotti-pavesini.php) or Savoiardi.

1.5 cups milk

6 eggs separated (use the yolks only)

125g caster sugar

500g mascarpone

400 mls cream

strawberries (in small pieces)

Beat the egg yolks together with the sugar until thick and creamy. Add the mascarpone and mix well. Whip the cream and fold into the mascarpone/egg yolk mix.

Dip half the biscuits in the milk and line a large dish. The biscuits should be packed closely together. Pour half the mascarpone mix over the biscuits and sprinkle over half the strawberries. Dip the other half of the biscuits in the milk and make another layer on top of the strawberries. Pour over the other half of the mascarpone and finish with the rest of the strawberries. Refrigerate.

Art Exhibition Sarnano 21 May to 6 November, 2011

This exhibition, which is to open in Sarnano on 21st May, will present to the public a collection of works by Vittore Crivelli, brother of the better known Carlo, as well as works of other painters and sculptors working in the centre of Le Marche in the second half of the 1400s.

Vittore and Carlo Crivelli, born and formed as artist in Venice, after some years in Dalmatia, transferred to Le Marche. Vittore set up a workshop in Fermo, from which he produced altarpieces and polyptychs that went all over the Fermo and Macerata areas. He worked for both great religious orders and important customers such as the parish churches and small, religious communities.

Vittore, always considered a poor copy of his more famous brother, shows instead an independence and originality in his choice of iconography that differs from Carlo, such as the theme of the adoring Madonna, exhibited in the beautiful painting at Sarnano (Pinacoteca civica). His style maybe less elevated and expressive than that of Carlo, but his technical capacity is exceptional and his works are complete with gold leaf, relief and ornaments. 

A Rosso Piceno Superiore DOC from Fiorano

The Picenum province in the Marche region enjoys a deserved reputation for the rich aroma and velvety smoothness of its high-quality wines. In particular, there’s an inner circle of 13 Piceni villages that have won acclaim for producing their famous DOC Rosso Piceno Superiore. This is one of the area’s best known signature wines with its intense ruby red colour, violet overtones, and a mature red fruit aroma with blackberry to the fore. It has a sweet soft flavour with a long-lasting and harmonious appeal in the mouth. At Azienda Agricola Fiorano, Paolo produces not only a great Rosso Piceno Superiore DOC and a Sangiovese but also a Pecorino - a particular white wine which is made from indigenous Pecorino grapes, a very old vine of the Picenum province of Marche region. All the wines and also the olive oil produced at Fiorano is organic. www.agrifiorano.it

Milan born Agostina is a fabulous cook having worked from an early age in restaurants in Sicily and Marche. I'm happy to say she now lives above San Ruffino Lake near Amandola and has given me her recipe for a simple tomato sauce. 

It's great for pasta, melanzana parmigiana, meat balls or wherever you want to use a tomato sauce.

Agostina’s easy tomato sauce:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy based saucepan.

Fry 2 whole cloves of garlic in the oil for about 1 minute. (Don't let the garlic go brown.)

Add 2 large tins of tomatoes (fresh, peeled tomatoes are better if you are not in a hurry).

Break up the tomatoes well with a fork to give a smooth consistency to the sauce.

Add basil (if in season) or fresh oregano and simmer slowly for 30 minutes. If the sauce is reducing too much, add a small amount of water. Season to taste.

Isn't he beautiful?

Despite nearly being made extinct by man's unwarranted fear of these beautiful animals,  wolves are alive and well In the Sibillini Mountains.  It is extremely rare to see them except in the mountains themselves. However, about a month ago, one paid a 3am visit to La Mela Rosa!  Responding to the barking of our dogs, Rob went downstairs and out the kitchen door to discover a single wolf sitting on our driveway glistening sliver in the moonlight. He, the wolf, was completley unconcerned and unafraid and took off at a gentle trot when it suited him.  He was a magnificent sight.

Strawberry tiramisu. YUM!

One of the most wonderful things about living in Caccianebbia is our neighbours.  I mentioned in an earlier Blog that Maria taught me to make polenta and her delicious tomato sauce. Many times, her husband Armando heads up our driveway in his Ape (a three-wheeled ute that sounds like a lawnmower!) with eggs, potatoes, onions, zucchini - whatever produce they have growing in their vegetable garden at the time.  On Tuesday, our other neighbour, Giovanna called in with a fresh ricotta she'd made that morning from the sheep's milk her husband had milked from their sheep. Last night, she and her daughter called in with some strawberry tiramisu.  The biscuits are soaked in milk instead of coffee and pieces of strawberry are mixed through the mascarpone and sprinkled on top. It was delicious! But it is the kindness of these people that is so overwhelming and makes us glad that we chose Caccianebbia as the place to live and to have our B&B.

The entrance to the Grotta of the Sibilla on Monte Sibilla

The man behind Picobello Trekking is Rob de Weerd who spends lots of his time in the mountains which are his great passion. The first top that he reached higher than 3000 meters convinced him. After Furgler, Muttler and other high mountains in the European Alps, Rob succesfully climbed Kilimanjaro (5895 mtr) and Gran Paradiso, the highest mountain in Italy. He has also done long and tough wilderness trekkings through rugged terrain in Europe as well as the Vancouver West Coast Trail, the Keppler Track in New Zealand, Langtan Lirung in Nepal and a heavy duty hike in Washington National Park.

From  2003 the Sibillini Mountains National Park became Rob's playground. He knows  the area very well and has guided many of people through this fantastic and beautiful mountain world. Now his hobby has become more serious and the result is Picobello Trekking - Rob's outdoor company that organizes guided walks (and more) through the National Park. He invites you to come with him because there are so many beautiful things to see and explore! Have a look at www.agricamppicobello.com for trekking ideas and prices. Personally, I like the idea of the Nightclimb to the top of Monte Sibilla including Italian Breakfast!

The vaulted ceiling was a great backdrop to the artwork

Despite poor weather, which resulted in a number of events organised around the banks of the lake to be cancelled, the regatta itself went well. The sailors who stayed at La Mela Rosa told us they enjoyed the challenge of a smallish lake which is very different and more exacting than open sea conditions.

The combined exhibition in San Ruffino abbey of Tiziana Dioguardi's watercolours and Natan Kaaren & Catharina Sonn Kaaren's handmade paper transformed into art was a great success with the sunny Sunday afternoon bringing a flow of interested art lovers.

For several years Ascoli Piceno, home of the famous oliva ascolana, has also become home of fried food, in particular Fritto Misto all’Italiana, attracting vast numbers of gourmands as well as the simply curious.

At the Fritto Misto in Ascoli one can taste fried foods from every region of Italy. There are activities for young guests, exhibitions of fried food and other curiosities,  conferences on the best products for the best fried result, the Ascolana olive and the recycling of the oil used for frying. And let's not forget vino and beer, with "Lezioni da bere" (Drinking Lessons), demonstrating which wine and/or beer goes with which fried food.

From 28 April to 1 May, 2011.

La giostra della Quintana at Ascoli Piceno is a medieval pageant culminating in a jousting tournament. Ascoli is broken up into sestieri (districts) and each one is represented in the jousting tournament by their cavaliere a cavallo (knight on horseback). Each cavaliere has to hit the Saracen (just a pretend wooden one!) with his lance getting as close to the centre as possible and at high speed. The sestieri,whose cavaliere gets the most points, wins the Palio, an ornate, embroidered banner, which is held by them until the following year. However, whilst the jousting is fun to watch, the splendid parade of 1,500 Ascolani in medieval costume accompanied by drums and trumpets is absolutely spine-tingling!! So, be there! If you miss the first one at 8pm on 9 July, 2011 then make sure you are there for the second at 3pm on 7 August, 2011.

N and her castle!

Easter Sunday and at La Mela Rosa we celebrated with a birthday lunch for a lovely friend.  The menu was all her favourites - stuffed mushrooms poached in vegetable stock, slow-baked lamb with an anchovy/garlic/parsley paste, sauteed artichokes and roast potatoes.  The pièce de résistance was the birthday cake - a pale pink castle covered in smarties and jubes.  For those of us who were REALLY greedy, the cake was followed by a small portion of our neighbour's fabulous tiramisu. YUM!!

Experienced cook, Mirella Corazza  from Smerillo will prepare for you an array of delicious dishes with the wild grasses and herbs that the contadini have known and used for centuries. Here are a few of those dishes to tempt you: Frittata alla mentuccia, tagliatelle alle ortiche (tagliatelle with nettles), torta delle rose (a cake made from rose petals).

Maria, the polenta and me

Our neighbour, Maria, recently taught me how to make polenta, a dish made from corn flour. She and Armando had grown, harvested and shucked the corn themselves and then had it ground at a local mill. The result was a slightly coarse, yellow flour that we gradually added to a pan of hot water, whisking all the time.  When it was at the right consistency (soft & creamy), we left it to cook through. Maria had already prepared a rich tomato sauce using the tomatoes she had grown and bottled last summer. When the polenta was cooked, we added some salt (if you add it earlier, the polenta is likely to stck to the pan) and then sat down with Rob and Armando to enjoy the result. Delicious!! 

Tiziana dioguardi at work

As I mentioned in an earlier Blog, there will be a sailing regatta held on San Ruffino Lake on 30 April and 1 May, 2011.  The lake, situated about 9 kms outside Amandola, is a temporary one formed each year in late March when the Tenna River is dammed.  Across the road at the 12th century San Ruffino Abbey, Tiziana Dioguardi, watercolour artist from Santa Vittoria will hold an exhibition of her paintings commencing on the afternoon of Saturday, 30 April and continuing for the following week.

Shoes!!

If you like to shop but you prefer a bargain to the "right" name, then you will have fun visiting some of the lesser known and so less expensive outlets in Le Marche. There's Fabi for men & womens' clothes and shoes at San Giusto; Nero Giardini for shoes (definitely made in Italy) at Monte Sant'Angelo; Majora for women's clothes and shoes at Corridonia; Malagrida and Tombolini, both selling men's and women's clothes, at Tolentino.  If you like hats, then you'll find a bargain or maybe just a great hat at Montappone, well-known in Italy for it's hand-made, straw hats.

Those people mad about shopping will love all the outlets in Le Marche. Tod's delle Valle for shoes, handbags, Fay jackets and coats; Prada for....everything Prada and Roberto Botticelli for shoes and accessories - all near Sant'Elpidio a Mare. Loriblu for those fabulous jewelled sandals at Porto Sant'Elpidio. Alberto Guardiani for men's, women's and children's shoes at Montegranaro. You'll come back to La Mela Rosa exhausted and poorer but happy!

Mele rosa or Pink apples.

Our B&B, La Mela Rosa takes it's name from the small, pink apples that have been cultivated on the slopes of the Sibillini Mountains since time immemorial.  The apples have an irregular, slightly flat shape and a very short stem. The sweet and slightly acidic pulp is intensely aromatic, while the colour of the apple is greenish with tinges of pink to red-violet. They were once much sought after because they kept so well. Harvested at the beginning of October, they were still excellent at the end of April. Then the desire for perfection took over and these rather plain-looking apples were not wanted. Fortunately, mostly thanks to the Monti Sibillini Moutain Community and partly thanks to the Slow Food movement, these rustic pink apples are again in demand.

La Quintana - photo by Norma Joseph

Ascoli Piceno, Le Marche

This hilltop town's primary claims to fame are its elegant architecture in travertine marble, and the stuffed and fried olive ascolane. "To have a glass of prosecco and sit on one of the most beautiful piazzas in Italy, eating a bowl of those olives and then going on to dinner — it's really a great evening," So says Frances Mayes, author of "Under the Tuscan Sun", to USA TODAY's Monica Hortobagyi.   italia.it 

For those who know Ascoli Piceno a little better, there is so much more to it than the travertine marble and the stuffed olives. For example, La Quintana - the medieval pageant and jousting - held in mid-July and August every year. 

On the road to Amandola...

And, of course, the reverse is also true, especially if you are travelling to Amandola in central Italy.  If you are brave enough to drive on the "wrong" side of the road and confront the Italian drivers, there are plenty of hire-cars at da Vinci aiport. However, if you fancy a more relaxed way of getting to Amandola, then catch the START bus that leaves twice daily (except Sundays) from outside 84 Viale Castro Pretorio, in the centre of Rome.  The trip takes about 4 hours and is cheap, comfortable and stress-free. As you wind through the mountain villages of the Sibillinis, you will succumb to the splendour of the landscape.

Solo & Regina del Bosco

The family owned and operated Fattoria Dezi is situated on the outskirts of Servigliano in the Fermo province of Le Marche.  The wines are a reflection of the Dezi family. They are genuine, solid and reliable. The Solo, a sangiovese is rich, flowery, compact and embracing. The Regina del Bosco is a montepulciano - an elegant wine, balsamic to the nose, a creamy and complex wine with a progressively intense taste. Unlike most vineyards in this region, wine tasting at Dezi's costs nothing...but you'll probably want to buy several bottles of wine to take away with you.

The camoscia alpino is on the left!

Today we went back again to Azienda Agricola Fontegranne. This time to take photos of the gorgeous camoscie alpino and their babies and for our friends to tase some cheese. (Their favourite was the Luna Ubriaca- the cheese that has been steeped in a locally made beer for several months). The camoscia ("chamois" in English) looks a bit like a deer but is actually a goat. Once the babies are weened, the milk will be used to make Fontegranne's goat's cheese and the Cheese for Peace which is made from a combination of cow, goat and sheep milk.

Cheeses at Fontegranne

Yesterday, we went to sample some fantastic cheese at Azienda Agricola Fontegranne at Belmonte Piceno in the Fermo province of Le Marche.  Most cheese in this area is made from sheep's milk (peccorino) but at Fontegranne, they specialise in cheese made from their own cows' milk.  They have at least twenty types of cheese - some with wonderful names such as Luna Ubriaca (Drunk Moon), Luna Rossa (Red Moon), Rosa Spina (Pink Thorn) - as well as goat's cheese in season.  Have a look at their site www.fontegranne.it

"Gli scolari del 'Cuore'"

Bronzes, such as this splendid one by Ettore Ximenes, can be seen at the Pinacoteca Civica, Palazzo del Municipio, Piazza Arringo in the historic centre of Ascoli Piceno.  For the price of 8 euro you have admission to the Pinacoteca, the Modern Art Gallery, and the Ceramic Museum.

The majestic gorge

The snow and ice will soon melt and once again the magnificent Gola dell'infernaccio will be accessible to walkers and sightseers.  This gorge is one of the most spectacular parts of the Sibillini Mountains National Park.  If your feeling fit, walk through the gorge and take the track leading up to San Lorenzo, the site of a monastery originally built in the 10th century, and situated on the crown.

Horse trekking near Lago di san Ruffino

Il Centro Ippico San Lorenzo, situated on the outskirts of Amandola, Le Marche, is run by Alberto Teso and his wife Cristiana. Cristiana is qualified as "animatrice pony".

Alberto is a level 2 qualified Italian instructor (Italy has 3 levels similar to the BHS in the UK) and competes when he has time in Grade 1 International Show Jumping (heights 120cms - 135cms).

They have quality horses that cater for novices or for the serious individual wanting jumping lessons, but they also have smaller ponies to cater for every child's dream. The centre is very much a family orientated centre catering for the experienced rider and the total novice. Instruction is in Italian but they are able to speak English although not fluently. Their desire to cater for all your needs is shown with the number of returning clients, but they will not allow risks to be taken.

For the experienced rider, horse trekking around Lago di San Ruffino is also available all year. The landscape is very varied and passes next to a deer park and, subject to the amount of time allocated to the ride, the trek can go all round the lake. Riders will always be assessed before being allowed out. The trek will be based on the ability of the riders from a simple walk, to trot or possibly canter (slow gallop).

Delicious mimosa cake!

La Festa delle donne (‘Women’s Day’) is celebrated on 8 March each year.  The symbol of the festival is the mimosa blossom which festoons the shops and restaurants.  Many women wear a spray of mimosa on their clothing.  Usually, the women go out together for a lunch or dinner. Dessert is traditionally Mimosa cake – a wonderful cake layered with  creme patisserie and pineapple, then covered in whipped cream and fine cake crumbs that (vaguely!) resemble the mimosa blossom.

Lago di San Ruffino

A.S.D. Italian Cup's regatta, called "Vela al Lago" or "Sail at the Lake", is to take place at Lago di San Ruffino on 28th & 29th April and 1st May, 2011. This is the first time such an event will take place on the lake.  Visitors will be able to take advantage of bus trips from the lake into Amandola and up in the Sibillini Mountains. 

Snowshoe walking in the mountains has become a practice that combines the love of nature with the passion for sport.

Il Rifugio "Citta di Amandola" is pleased to inform all nature lovers, especially those who enjoy the mountains, that from this winter snowshoes can be hired for one or more days at very reasonable price.

Il Rifugio "Citta di Amandola" (open all year) is situated at the foot of Mount Amandola, 1,200 metres above sea level in the Sibillini Mountains National Park. From there, you can enjoy a superb panorma that encompasses the entire Region. Easily reached by car, the Rigugio also offers the possibility of overnight stays and/or a great lunch. 

This is the period that begins on 6 January, the Feast of the Epiphany, and culminates on Martedi Grasso(literally Fat Tuesday but to Anglo Saxons, Shrove Tuesday). Venice’s Carnevale is well-known but it is also celebrated in towns throughout Italy, only in a more simple manner. Here in Amandola, the special deep fried pastries of Carnevale have already put in an appearance in the bakeries. The schools, the pre-school, the business and sporting groups are getting together to come up with some good ideas for their floats for the parade that will take place on the Sunday before Martedi Grasso ( this year 6 March). The whole town, but especially the children, enjoy the fun that comes with the costume preparations and the dressing up. The children go to colourful dressing up parties and take part in the parade, either on one of the floats or dressed up as their favourite character and watching the parade go by.

On 17 March, 2011, it will be 150 years since the Kingdom of Italy came into being thanks to historical figures such as Mazzini, Cavour and Garibaldi.  As part of his first speech to the new Italian parliament, King Victor Emmanuel said: It is no longer the Italy of the Romans, nor that of the Middle Ages; it must no longer be the battle-field of ambitious foreigners, but it must rather be the Italy of the Italians".

Here at La Mela Rosa, we are celebrating the 150 years by offering our guests 4 nights accommodation (17 to 20 March inclusive) at €80 per night instead of our usual €90.  Devonshire Tea on the house as well!

La Mela Rosa in the snow

Saturday 5 March, 2011 sleep free of charge in one of thousands of Italian B & Bs. To take advantage of this opportunity you must stay a minimum of two nights, so either Friday 4 or Sunday 6 March or both! B & B Day is an initiative of Bed-and-Breakfast.it. You can visit their site ( www.bed-and-breakfast.it)  and choose where you would like to stay for free.  La Mela Rosa Bed and Breakfast would be a good choice as we are participating in this initiative.

Ancona's port

Ancona is the capital city of Le Marche region and one of Italy's more important ports. Everyday, ferries go from Ancona to Greece and Croatia. Superfast Ferries and the Minoan line go to Greece whilst Blue Line and Jadrolinija do the Croatian run. In the summer(mid-June to mid-September), SNAV operates a fast catamaran service from Ancona to the Croatian port of Spalato.

It's snowing....

Well, we thought we were going to have an early spring - the skies were blue, the sun was shining and the temperature was averaging about 10°C. Not to be. Thursday we returned to winter and a white world!  The snow is still falling which is wonderful for the skiers and snowboarders who have taken to the slopes at Sassotetto near Sarnano in the Macerata province of Le Marche.

Amandola

I first lived in Italy in 1976/77, then again in 1979 and over the following 25 years visited Italy at least nine times. I travelled everywhere, or so I thought - Sicily, Umbria, Tuscany, Lombardy, Piedmont, Lazio, the Aeolian islands, Veneto, Campagna. But it wasn't until 2004, when Italian friends suggested we visit Le Marche that I first heard of it.  And no, it's not in France. It's the region that lies between Umbria and the Adriatic Sea and is by far the most magical of all the Italian regions.  Amandola, which we discovered thanks to Google when looking for a place to buy, is in the most spectacular part of Le Marche in the foothills of the Sibillini Mountains.

Where are the scones.....?

It may not be very Italian, in fact it's not Italian at all!  However, our guests have discovered the pleasure of a Devonshire Tea. There's nothing quite like warm, home-made scones piled high with lashings of our quince & strawberry jam and whipped cream.  Accompanied, of course, by a cup of Twinings English Breakfast tea with milk or lemon.....usually depending on the nationality!

The colosseum

If you are looking for a comfortable, reasonably priced hotel in Rome you will like the friendly, family-run Hotel Domus Praetoria (www.domushotel.com) in Via Milazzo, 42.  It's the perfect spot for anyone heading to Amandola and La Mela Rosa from Rome as it's about 2 blocks from where the bus leaves.  It's also about 2 blocks in the other direction from Stazione Termini.

What a choice...

This is a fabulous deli we discovered in Visso, in the Sibillini Mountains National Park. It is a real Aladdin's cave of prosciuttos, salamis, cheeses - all their own produce or, in the case of the cheeses, made for the deli but aged by them.  A variety of homemade cakes including the traditional riccotta and chocolate. Pickles, jams, pasta, olive oil...  The owner is the 5th generation in the shop and has worked there 50 years.

The duck!

The menu for Christmas lunch was a mix of traditional Italian and traditional Anglo Saxon.

Tortellini in brodo

Duck roasted in Marsala with potatoes, olives & onions

Lighly steamed broccoli

Cabbage & leeks fried with mustard & lemon juice

Christmas pudding accompanied by brandy custard and brandy butter

For the wine, we started with a pro secco then went on to a Rosso Piceno with the duck and a light sauterne with the pudding.

This venerable old gentleman was caught on camera over Amandola in central Italy last Christmas.  Rumour has it that he'll be making the same journey this year, but nothing is for sure in these uncertain times.

Even so, the friendly people who live in this beautiful, peaceful and relatively undiscovered part of Italy are expecting another bumper year in 2011.  What makes this area special and different is that celebrating the birth of Christ with family far outweighs materialism.

We hope you have a joyous Christmas.