Wieserhof

That's the name of the farm we've been staying at for the last few days. It's been in the family for over 200 years and the young man tending the cows on the previous post plans to continue on.

The family is exceedingly kind and friendly. They invited us for coffee yesterday. When Maria placed a gorgeous homemade strawberry and whipped cream torte in front of us she explained that in their region they ALWAYS serve a treat with coffee because, after all, coffee is really nothing but water.

She sent us back upstairs with fresh home-baked whole grain hazelnut rolls for breakfast. We have also been enjoying their fresh eggs and milk.

This region of Italy is called South Tyrol, and is separated from the rest of Italy by the Dolomites. I was surprised when our hosts greeted us in German. Apparently, except for the 2 cities, only German is spoken here and the culture is decidedly Tyrolean. When we explained that we were from "the OTHER Washington," they said they knew what we meant as they also refer to themselves as "the other Italy."

That huge stove is a wood stove and is going all day. They cook and bake with it, and it provides all the hot water for the house and radiator system that keeps everything toasty warm. Good thing. They said one month ago they still had 3 feet of snow on the farm.Read more