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By Suzanne Carreiro, July 26, 2010 09:13

Ciao a tutti,

Last week’s winner of an autographed copy of my book, The Dog Who Ate the Truffle, is Carol Troy of St. Helena.  Next drawing will be this afternoon–and the final one will be a week from today.

After spending 28 hours on the road and in the air, I returned in the wee hours on Thursday from Umbria. Today, I am writing from my home in Napa Valley.

During my last two weeks in Umbria, there was a heat wave.  In fact, all of Europe was bollente (boiling) with temperatures in the high nineties to over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit—and it was humid.  The heat made sightseeing more exhausting than usual, so we lingered over long lunches in steamy restaurants.  At least the heat and sun—and the heavy rains in May—were good for the crops.  Everyone says the sunflowers are a couple feet taller this year than normal. 

In spite of the heat, July is really beautiful in the countryside in Umbria.  The hills and valleys are a patchwork of colors. Fields of just harvested grain—oats, wheat, and barley—look like plush golden carpet.  There are acres and acres of green tobacco, corn, grapevines, and olive trees.  But the fields of sunflowers make the biggest splash.  About a week ago, they were in full bloom in the fields surrounding my country house in Romeggio (outside of Umbertide). But by now, they must be starting to droop.

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By Suzanne Carreiro, July 17, 2010 03:41

Assisi, Umbria

July 17, 2010

Ciao a tutti,

Congratulations to the second of my blog subscribers to win an autographed book—Louie Mele from Umbria!

Assisi is Umbria’s most popular destination—for tourists and pilgrims. The ancient city is filled with treasures—and among those are two unforgettable sites you won’t want to miss.  The Basilica di San Francesco (St. Francis) in town and la Porziuncula inside Santa Maria degli Angeli, near the superstrada E45 below Assisi.

We just visited both places—and if you are lucky enough to visit the Basilica di San Francesca between now and September 5, 2010 for a 10 euro ticket you can visit the restoration in the Chapel of Saint Nicola.

Inside you’re given a hardhat, an audio guide, and led up the scaffolding to see close-up the artist’s work on Giotto’s ancient frescoes. It was very exciting to be so high up in the ceiling and so close to the actual art!  Unfortunately we were allowed to take photos only on the third landing, and given only a few seconds to shoot.  If you are in Umbria during this period, it is really worth the price.  The ticket also includes access to an exhibition at the Palazzo Vallemani.  For information about visiting the restoration at the Basilica, visit www.icolorigiotto.it or call 199.75.75.16.

Fuzzy view of artist's tools.

La Porziuncula—the tiny frescoed chapel used in the 13th century by San Francesco—is easy to miss because most of us drive past it, heading up the hill to visit the famous town of Assisi.  Keep your eyes open for the Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli as you exit E45 for Assisi.  La Porziuncula is one of my favorite sites in Umbria.  No cameras allowed inside—so no pictures to post. 

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By Suzanne Carreiro, July 3, 2010 03:50

July 2, 2010 (2 luglio)

Umbertide, Umbria (Italia)

Ciao a tutti,

There are so many things that I love here in Umbria that we don’t have in the Napa Valley where I live.  One of them is schiacciata con cipolla (also called pizza con cipolla—with onions).  In the States we would probably call it focaccia because it is more like flat bread with lots of olive oil.  At its best, the pizza is crisp on the bottom, not too thick, and seasoned with lots of olive oil and a bit of rosemary.  The thinly sliced onions should be sweet and salty but not overbearing.

If you come to Umbertide, the best place to buy pizza con cipolla is at Il Forno Bastianelli. Look for the sign, Il Forno (the oven), on the left side on the street below La Rocca (The Fort), just past the parking lot, heading to the hospital.  The address is Piazza Marconi, 4, Umbertide.  Phone:  075-941-1545.

There is a deep pink apartment building next door on the right.  If you don’t make it to Umbertide, ask for the pizza at bakeries around Umbria.  You can also find the recipe–Focaccia with Onions and Rosemary–on page 17 in my book.

Ciao, Suzanne

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By Suzanne Carreiro, July 1, 2010 10:33

The program for Il Mercato delle Gaite

Il Mercato delle Gaite

Bevagna, Umbria (Italia), June 27, 2010

On Sunday, we went to Bevagna for the last day of Il Mercato delle Gaite, a splendid medieval festa in the small walled town in central Umbria.  The event that began twenty-seven years ago provides a glimpse into the daily lives of Umbrians from the years 1250 to 1350.

For ten days in June, the medieval shops/workshops (botteghe) and food stands (taverne medievali) are open, mostly in the evening.  This year, the first day’s entertainment included plays and concerts.

The neighborhoods, represented by the town’s four doors (gaite), compete in culinary arts, trades of yesteryear, and archery.

Sunday afternoon, two trumpeters heralded the arrival of the judges as they entered the ancient marketplace where tradesman dressed in period costumes showed off their skills as weavers, iron-workers, painters, bookmakers, and candle-makers.

The erborista explains the benefits of herbs.

A weaver displays her wares.

There were great buys on handmade items at the market—ceramics, leather journals, wool scarves, cloth dolls, and copper pans.  Food and drink were abundant at the taverne, where alcoves along the street were transformed into restaurants.  I usually eat at the taverne where the food is tasty and the prices are reasonable, but it was too hot to sit in the sun at the picnic tables.  Menus offered ravioli or pasta with herbs, garlic, pancetta, and cheese for 6 euro.

Side dishes were a great buy—panzanella (bread salad), cabbage, and fava beans each were between 2 and 2-1/2 euro.  Roast goose was 8 euro.  A liter of cheap wine was 4 euro, and one of Umbria’s top sagrantino wines could be had for 25 euro.  I was sorry to miss the fun of eating among the Italians at one of the communal tables, but it was just too hot.  Instead we ate at Ristorante Enoteca Onofri, my favorite spot in Bevagna.  Soon I’ll write about our lunch (pranzo).

An artisan making the bottom of a basket.

Today, Bill and I went to the mall in Collestrada near Perugia.  He wanted to buy a laptop—I was happy to go because I love to linger at IperCoop, the enormous grocery-department store.  The wine selection is even better than it was a few years ago.

I brought home a bottle of Perticaia Montefalco sagrantino and one of my favorite dessert wines, sagrantino di Montefalco passito.  These delicious wines are almost impossible to find in Califorina. The cheese case is enormous and so is the selection of salami and other cured meats.  The store is so unlike traditional mom and pop stores of yesteryear that it almost feels like a mall in the states.  A fun place to visit–and shop.

A presto, Suzanne

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By Suzanne Carreiro, June 27, 2010 09:31

Suzanne resting on Monte Acuto.

Ciao a tutti,

I am writing to you from my old apartment in Umbria, in the town of Umbertide.  If you subscribe to my blog, you’ll be able to follow me along on my month-long journey—I’ll be posting recipes, travel tips, restaurant reviews, photos, and more.  If you subscribe via email between now and August 3, 2010, you will be eligible to win an autographed copy of my book, The Dog Who Ate the Truffle: A Memoir of Stories and Recipes from Umbria.  Every Monday, I will draw a name from my list of subscribers.  I will notify the winner via email each week, but I will ship the book in September.

Bill (my SO) and I just returned from Bevagna, a small town in the famous Montefalco wine region where sagrantino grapes are grown.  We spent the day at the town’s Mercato delle Gaite, a festival where the entire town turns into a marketplace and “theatre” of the trades from the Middle Ages.  Tomorrow I will post photos and tell you more about it.

La Rocca in historic downtown Umbertide.

By the way, Thomas Dunne Books is releasing my book on August 17, 2010. I’ll be doing book signings around the San Francisco Bay Area and in Washington DC.  And I will be one of the authors featured by the National Press Club at their Book Fair in DC on November 9.  Hope to see you at a signing or event (see my blog for details).

Please pass this email along to friends who might be interested.  If you are already a subscriber, grazie mille!

Ciao ciao, Suzanne

Note:  Winners’ names will be removed from future drawings.  Each subscriber may win only one book.

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By Suzanne Carreiro, April 18, 2010 18:14

I couldn’t find matches at the supermarket in an Umbrian supermarket, so I asked a clerk for help.  “No, no signora, we don’t sell matches!”  he said, looking amazed at my dumb question.  “Where can I buy them?” I asked.  “La tabaccheria (the tobacco shop).”  His tone of voice told me the answer was obvious (maybe it was).  On the street, a giant letter T identifies tobacco shops.  They sell anything to do with smoking and an assortment of other things—cell phone minutes, phone cards, postage stamps, gum, candy, gifts, magazines, and matches.

Need aspirin?  Go to the farmacia—unless the laws have changed (grocery stores were lobbying to amend them)—that’s the only place you’ll find them.

There are still many specialty stores—grocery (alimentari), produce (frutta e verdura), pastry (pasticceria), butcher (macelleria), bakery (panetteria or panificio) and pasta—but most people like the one-stop shopping large supermarkets offer.  From the moment you push a coin into the slot to release a cart from its station in the parking lot, shopping in an Umbrian supermarket is an experience.  For example, the sugar is usually located near the coffee and baking soda is near the bottled water—in the USA both are in the baking aisle.  Eggs sit on unrefrigerated shelves next to row after row of shelf-stable milk cartons.  The fresh milk section—with just a few short rows of liter cartons—is notably small.  And late in the day expect the refrigerated milk to be sold out.

The produce department holds the biggest challenge for a successful (not embarrassing) shopping trip.  You need to remember three things: (1) wear the plastic gloves provided by the store to handle fruit and vegetables; (2) immediately weigh the bagged goods (so you don’t forget), selecting the item’s icon on the scale; and (3) put the price sticker that the scale spits out on the bag.  What humiliation if you arrive at checkout without prices.  The cashier will leave the register to weigh your purchases in the produce section while everyone in line glares at you.  Smile and feel grateful that at least you didn’t ask for matches, like I did.

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By Suzanne Carreiro, February 18, 2010 15:36

Umbrians are very forgiving when it comes to foreigners trying to speak Italian.  Just a few polite words and phrases—accompanied by pointing to what you want and using hand gestures to show what you mean—should gain you instant approval.

1. Where is the bathroom?: Dov’è il bagno? (doh-VEH eel bah-nyoh)
2. How much does it cost?:  Quanto costa? (KWAHN-toh KOHS-tah)
3. Excuse me:  mi scusi (mee-SKUU-zee).
4. Here it is/here they are:  ecco (EHK-koh).
5. I am sorry:  mi dispiace (mee dis-pee-AH-chey)
6. I don’t understand:  Non capisco (nohn kah-PEES-koh)
7. It’s nothing:  niente (NEE-n-teh).
8. I would like:  vorrei (vor-RAY)
9. Permission? May I come in?: permesso (PAIR-mehs-soh).
10. No:  no (noh).
11. Okay: va bene (va BEH-neh).
12. Please:  per favore (pair fav-OR-eh).
13. Thank you:  grazie (GRAH-tzee-eh)—this must be the most often mispronounced word.
14. Yes:  sì (see).
15. You’re welcome:  prego (PRAY-goh).  Also say prego when you motion someone to go ahead of you in line, for example.