I wish I could figure away to include the fragrance on this site!!!  Wisteria = Glicine

Like a stained glass ceiling, laced with fragrance that, oddly, gets stronger in the cool hours of the evening.  Breakfast room doors open.....

Weather is gradually improving, but we still have the soft, luminous light that comes with the spring showers.

Planning is beginning for a small film experience at the end of July!!  Films under the stars, beginning, we hope, with a dinner reception for the director and actors of the Saturday film.  These will all be new works from the 2012 festival season.

The 2014 Montisi Italian Film Festival program will be finalized in terms of the featured classics and contemporary films, in June/July so you can mark your calendars.  The New Works components will be drawn from the Vienna, Milan and Rome Film Festivals which will all be finished in November.  Dates for 2014 will be finalized at a meeting this week - probably April 12 to 8.

Off to buy a wisteria vine for a neighbor...  I think being a door-to-door wisteria salesman would be a good idea this time of year!!

Ciao!
M

Found out a well-kept secret about Il Barrino - they have a centrifugal juicer and can make these

at the drop of a hat!!!!  E3 !!!  And as the fruit season arrives there will be other combinations!!

Who knew??

M (yes, I took the photo, upstairs in the sunny window of the Trattoria)

Friday morning...time for a brief update. 

Tuesday morning was our first truffle hunt. Paolo is a professional truffle hunter with 3 preserves, near San Giovanni d'Asso.  Quite a lovely hike, best for the agile with good, grippy walking shoes or boots.  Very very interesting and lunch, after, with fresh truffles...delicious!!  He takes guests, up to 12 for about an hour and a half, digging truffles as we go - spring or Marzuolo Jan 10 to April 30, Scorzone or summer truffles June 1 to September 9 and finally the most expensive and dear Tartufo Bianco September 10 to December 31.  He will also take you through the truffle museum in San Giovanni d'Asso to through the fantastic outdoor art-piece garden, Il Bosco della Ragnaia, www.laragnaia.com/EN/intro .

 

After, you can pre-arrange a truffle lunch with many truffle courses at MaMa' in Montisi.

Just in case anyone is as charmed by the visitings of the pairs of pigeons to the pond as I am...finally one rested long enough for a few photos....she was getting a foot massage....

 

And for those who have asked about the herbs in the garden, yesterday I used the copper plant tags Jack, Steph and Maddie gave me for Christmas to label them all....

And now we have the wild nepitella (for mushroom dishes and carciofi alla Romana....a kind of wild mint.)  (Last year's was weeded out by Ivo's helper - since it's a wild mint, it's a weed, right??!)

This is called Curry Lavender in England and  Immortalle in Italy. It, too, grows wild on the hillsides.  I think it has a coffee fragrance...  Alberto and Giovanna use it at La Romita.  Flowers are yellow.  Now I'll figure out uses for it.  It's very interesting.




Yes, I DO need a weeder-in-residence....the grass starts never sleep....

 

And a final view of tulips under the apricot tree with the tangle of belladonna leaves in and around.

 



 

Ciao!!

Okay - It's official.  The Montisi equivalent of Punxsutawney Phil has opined ~

 

Spring WILL begin in Montisi, shortly.....ahhhhh...........

Finalemente!!!  The Montisi Film Festival is launched!!  We had a standing-room-only house for Mozzarella Stories and all the restaurants were full!  Even the 9:30 showing of La Dolce Vita was well-attended, ending at 12:30 a.m.  I am preparing for today's showing of Once Upon a Time in America, the original 4 hour version with a light dinner break in the middle.  I am going to see it as I have only seen the US short version.  A true classic of Leone.

Thanks to everyone who joined the Association in support of this effort and offered me moral support and a shoulder to cry on from time to time.  We had the producer and director of Mozzarella Stories in attendance last night and particularly the director, who works part time in LA, Roberto Bessi, is very interested in helping us with the festival.

Back the today's preparation. 

M