IL GIRASOLE (THE SUNFLOWER) AND MORE

The sunflower.  Each time I come to Italy I learn something new.  Italy is a large producer of sunflower oil made from the sunflower seed.  The problem is that Italy does not produce enough sunflower oil for the needs of its people.  So a huge amount is imported from other countries, Russia being one of them.  Italy is considered one of the largest consumers of sunflower oil in the European Union. 

Here is a picture of one of many fields of sunflowers in and around Tuscany.  This picture was taken a few days ago and as you can see  it is almost the end of the growing season for the sunflower.                                                                 

They turn brown, the harvest begins.  The process begins where they are eventually turned into oil.  If you want to see them when they are in full bloom, you must come here around mid July to Mid August.  Below I included some pictures taken from the web of fields in full bloom.  This picture is taken not far from IL Molino di Bordone.                                                                                                       

More pictures from around Cortona

Here you see a field that is almost ready for harvest

 Another field.  This one has a way to go before harvest. That hill town you see in the background is Cortona.  Cortona is what we in the USA would probably consider the county seat of all the small towns and villages in the area.  All of the towns are part of Cortona.  The mayor of Cortona is also the mayor of all the towns in the area.  Arezzo is the province in which Cortona is located. Similar to one of our states.  Tuscany (Tuscano) is the area.  In my case back home that would be New England.  This is probably oversimplified, but, hey, we're in Italy.  Remember a traffic light here is only a suggestion so be careful crossing the street.

Another view with some houses in the background and the mountains beyond

It looks like this in July and August

Another picture downloaded from the web.

More

And More

 By the way, if you were thinking of making your own sunflower oil, you need 140 plants that should produce 35 pounds of seeds.  From that you will get 3 gallons of oil.  WoW!! Hello Stop and Shop.

 FESTA DEL SETTEMBRE

Every year on a Monday in September this feast is held to celebrate the advent of Autumn.  Several streets in the town of Camucia are closed off to traffic and a massive feast takes place.    If you ever go make sure you are hungry before you get there.  There is so much food and it is so good.  It is really Italian and so is the taste.  These two pictures are of a candy vendor.  There were enough sweets there to make your dentist jump for joy.

Another view of just one of the candy vendors

 Of course the men sit in front of the cigar store and talk while the women do the shopping.

Others decide to join in the conversation

The streets are lined with all kinds of vendors

 Yep, we had to do it.  This ceramic  is hand painted and made in the region of Lazzo.  Lazzo is where Rome is located and, perhaps, where my grandfather on my fathers side came from.  I am still working on that, but it is hard to find records from the 1800's here in Italy.  If you want to find something that happened centuries ago, that is no problem  Anyway, we did manage to purchase four pasta dishes and four dinner plates for just 40 euros.  The problem now is getting them home.  We are working on that.  Probably do a carry-on.

Why not!  Fresh sausage, peppers and onions, just cooked.

Of course, there is no festa here in Italy without prochetta.

This is where we got the sausage.  Yep, Brenda had one too.  When in Rome.......

 This is part of the group who were on the walking tour with Caroline and Pino in the Dolimites in Northern Italy. Some of them came back to IL MOLINO to spend a few more days in Italy.  Here we are having supper.  Anna (Pino's mother and a great cook)  made her famous lasagna.  Nothing like we have at home.  It has eggs in it with light pasta and some meat and ricotta.  You can eat it and not feel like you ate a lead balloon.  Brenda also made some pasta with pesto and tomatoes.  We were not sure if the lasagna was enough.  Plenty of wine and tiramisu and espresso for desert.

Conversation after great dinner with espresso and tiramisu made by Brenda

Antonio (Caroline and Pino's oldest son) with grandma and adopted grandma

Remember this garden from last spring?

Here it is today

It was fun for me to plant and I am happy to see that it produces lots of veggies and herbs

Another view of the garden.  Guests are welcome to go pick from the produce.  We have tomatoes, carrots, beans, squash, zucchini, greens, strawberries, cucumbers, artichokes, just to mention a few.  Also tons and tons of herbs that are great for cooking.  That's it for now.  More to follow from our trip to Santa Maria di Castellabate on the Mediterranean next week.  Caroline and Pino will be back from Spain for a few days so we will have an opportunity to do more exploring.
Please excuse the spelling.  Brenda (my dictionary was not here when I did this blog)  She is at Anna's making egg plant in a jar with oil and a hint of vinegar.    Yum Yum.

GETTING READY FOR OUR THIRD TRIP TO IL MOLINO

Well, here we go again.  On Sunday, September 7, 2014 at 8:02 in the evening we board a Delta flight from JFK and head to Rome arriving on Monday at around 11:00 A.M.  From there we take a train to a place called Tarentola where Pino will pick us up and take us back to Il Molino for our 7 week stay.  We will be doing pretty much the same as our other visits.  There will be guests to accommodate, lawns to mow (hopefully not as many times as Spring), the pool to tend, dogs, cats and fish to feed,  and just general up-keep.  Caroline and Pino will be away on their walking tours of Italy while we are house sitting.Check out the new web site: www.caspin.com. or follow on facebook.                                                                                                .

This is a picture of Bianca.  As you can see she is holding a nice hunk of bread in her mouth.  Well according to Caroline, when we were there in the Spring, the dogs (Molly included, not pictured here) "look like they had a lot of love while we were gone".  Oops!!  I guess I have to be a little more careful  this time when it comes to feeding the dogs.  But, when they look at you with those innocent eyes,  how can you help not giving them a treat.  Ok that's it.  No bread from the bread man or what is left over from our 3 times a week delivery of bread.  Just your regular cups of  dog food daily and that's it.  Sorry girls.  By the way, did you know that bread is considered a utensil in Italy.  Just kidding.  But, think about it,  it does work as one.

Speaking of food, here I am last year sitting on the steps of a building in Cortona eating a nice refreshing gelato. Well I guess I'll have to keep that under control also.  I did, however, find out that gelato has less calories than regular ice cream. Ok, maybe one or two a week.  It is so good.  Especially when it is freshly made each day.  How could you resist.  Speaking  of food.  Just about everything you eat there in Tuscany is fresh and tasty.  The picture below is of the market in Camucia, a town close to us and where the Co-Op market is located.  We do spend a lot of time in that store.  Not to mention the money.

As you can see here, it is a great place to shop.  You are looking at the meat section in the background and just a small portion of the veggie and fruit section in front.  Prices are comparable to here and the store operates pretty much the same as in the U.S.  The difference, however, is the price of the Euro.  We have paid as much a $1.41 for each Euro.  This time I was able to purchase some at TD Bank for around $1.37.  So basically you are paying about 30-40% more than you would in the U.S.  That is true for just about everything you buy.  The dollar is getting stronger against the Euro, but we still have a long way to go.

Here is a picture of a place in the southern part of Italy called Plazzetto Florio.  This is a small bed and breakfast with efficiency rooms located in a small fishing village called S. Maria Di Castellabate.  Caroline and Pino will be home for a few days in mid September so we will be able to leave for some touring of our own.  We have reservations here for that period and plan to do some touring of the area.  This was recommended by Caroline so we know that it must be good.  I am not sure what that is at the top of the hill behind the inn, but you know I will find out and let you know in a future blog.  We also plan to visit Pompei from here.  I'll try to take many pictures and send them to you in a blog.

This is a view from one of the efficiencies.  I am not sure if it is the one we will have, but I was told we have a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean.  If you google Plazzetto Florio, you will see more pictures of the area.  This is a small out-of-the-way area.  That's what we look for in our travels around Italy.  We have already done the big cities and their attractions and now we want to experience the true flavor of Italy.  So far it has been a wonderful experience.  Stay tuned for more blogs.  Everyone has asked for more pictures, so that is my plan for future blogs.  Caio for now.