Saturday, Worked in the garden, early to avoid the heat.  Then took a soak in the pool to cool off.  This is a classic Montisi summer afternoon....

 



And a summer lunch with fresh, chilled lemonade....

And then there's the problem of what to do when your cucumber vines run out of trellis (Italians don't grow cucs on the ground).  Well, if there's a plum tree handy, you create a cucumber tree... 

 

"But Mom!!  I didn't know cucumbers grow in trees...."

Off this afternoon to a private tour of the new archeological museum in Trequanda.  I'll keep you posted.

 

Sunday Morning....eerrr...afternoon...????

Greetings!  A smooth and uneventful transit over 'the pond' yesterday. Happenstance through Paris so arrived at 5 pm instead of 1 pm, so the day was longer, but more time to read and transition.

Ivo and I caught up during the drive down from Florence.  He's still marveling at the wet wet spring and early summer and warned me that everything, in terms of vegetables is late.  I was not prepared, however for the other effect that a wet pattern can have....

prepare for the Montisi jungle....

 



 



Contrast this last photo with the wisteria photo of spring!!!!

And you may recall how pleased I was to get the herb garden all sorted out and the lovely Christmas-gift copper labels placed.....??

 



Not a label to be seen!!  I think I'll cut and dry some bundles, yes?

And for anyone who knows how I've stewed over the slow progress of the white wisteria and white grapes on the Fresco Terrace....

 



The 'view' FROM the terrace....

 



Peaceful, but hardly panoramic...

Madelyn is in Athens, in a summer school program, and I think really enjoying it.  With a 10 hour time difference we haven't Skyped much.  She seems to spend 2 days in the classroom and the other 3 days out and about with her professor and classmates - museums, ruins, etc.  She says the food is really delicious and she and her three UCSD room mates have begun cooking a bit in their apartment.  She marvels at the freshness of the produce.  It will be hard for her to go back to US supermarkets, I think.  Luckily, there are now more and more farmers' markets around. 

I collect her in the mid-afternoon of the day of the jousting, here, August 4th, but we may get back in time to see the final runs.  We head back to Seattle August 18th, to await the arrival of son Jack and Stephanie's first baby!!

In the meantime Maddie and I and a few guests will enjoy the house, the garden and Montisi.  This will be a great year for plums and figs given the rains.  And possibly for belladonna lilies.  Madelyn's strawberry bed awaits a bit more sun and of course Mads to do the harvesting:

 



For those who follow the details, more antique prints are going up this month, portage thanks to Tom Corddry.  I have found 3 prints of wild orchids, a large print of a belladonna lily, an agapanthus (since I can't seem to get them to grow, it's the next best thing), a really amazing print of barn swallows for the limonaia and today, to honor my passion for asparagus, particularly the wild asparagus:

 



I intend to study hard and then with a few hints from Davide's zio, perhaps make some spring forays of my own!!!

One last glimpse

(note that this hydrangea is almost to the roof edge of the tettoio!!)...and I will say 'good-bye' for now.

M

PS To the Patrick clan -Thank you for the notes and for really settling in and, I can tell, enjoying Villa Maddalena as she was intended!!  It makes me very happy!!

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