L agriturismo

Wow, what a day so far! I woke up and went downstairs to breakfast fast and heard the awful news about the election. I almost started crying. I wasn't hungry, but Maria's pastries looked too good! I spoke with Maria during most of the breakfast, and she showed me pictures of her grandchildren and the foods she makes. She is in her seventies (my Italian brain missed the other half of the number!)

I asked if I could walk around the farm. Instead, I got a 4-hour tour of the property from Maria. First, we walked downhill to the orange, mandarin, and lemon trees. She picked a basket of oranges, and I got to try an orange and a mandarin. All the fruit trees are mixed together. There also were figs, pomegranates, cherries, grapefruit, and medlars. I'd never heard of a medlar or nespola in Italian. The are.eaten overripe and taste like vanilla and almonds. The seeds are used for an amaro that tastes like almonds.

After that, she took me in her car to the villa across the way. It is 500 years old and still being renovated. They want to turn it into another lodging for bigger groups. There is a small chapel, which was beautiful. Then Maria started to sing, and I started to cry. Maybe the stress of the election news, or the beauty of it all, or both.

The house (manor, villa?) Was being renovated. I understood that they are doing it slowly, as they get loans from the government. The agriturismi are subsidized by the government to keep the farms going with the help of tourism. Downstairs was a disaster, with old and fairly new furniture and junk everywhere. But upstairs, there are 2 rooms that are almost completed, with bathrooms. Then she took me to the top floor. That started by climbing a ladder to a small doorway, then up some broken stairs. Maria told me to follow her steps exactly! Up there is what used to be the kitchen--an enormous room with a big fireplace. Off the kitchen, they have started building out more guest rooms. There are balconies with great views.

Then we visited a small building where they plan to have a bar (coffee area), it also needs a lot of work. But I could see that it will be great if finished. She also showed me where the pool will be. For that, they are waiting for permits.

Finally we stopped at a vegetable patch where Maria picked lettuce and some broccolini.

Back at the main house, she brought me coffee, and I relaxed on the patio.Meer informatie