Caffe Avec

Bramasole and Frances Mayes

@brittarnhild

Ever since I read Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, some time around 20 years ago, I have been dreaming of Bramasole, and also of Tuscany. In 2000 we bought our cabin from my parents, and when making the cabin "mine", I was working with my right hand, Under the Tuscan Sun, and later Bella Tuscany in my left, always. Not that Rastarbo, our cabin is anything at all like Bramasole, not that I am Frances Mayes. But the dreams her books created in me. They were prizeless. They still are. I have these two first books of her at the cabin, but after a while I had to buy an extra set to have at home. I needed them. Just like I need bread in the mornings :-)

Bramasole, Cortona, Tuscany, has been a dream for me. Then, when I started to travel to Santa Maria a Ferrano, for the retreats I realized that Tuscany was not only a dream. It was real. The same thing happened when I became friends with Frances on facebook. She was not only a dream anymore. She became real.......well, almost real kind of :-)

Then, when Terje and were planning 10 days in Tuscany, just the two of us, before continuing our Tuscan days with the kids, I started to wonder. May be Bramasole is not only a dream? May be Bramasole is real?

Long story made short.......with the help of Frances we ended up staying four nights in the most charming B&B you can imagine, up on the rooftops of Cortona (more about that later.......may be), and on our first morning in this charming medieval town, we met Frances Mayes outside Bar Cafe´Signorelli, in one of the two piazzas in Cortona.

You must come and see my garden, Frances said. It is not difficult to find, everybody knows where it is.

I needed to keep my dream a dream a little longer. Truthfully, I was rather reluctant to drive up to the house, afraid my dream would vanish.

We did not go that day,

neither the next.

Then our last full day came. We were heading for Arezzo, and I knew we simply had to drive up to Bramasole on our way. Bramasole is actually marked on google maps, so we had no problems finding it. And I got my dozens of photos, and a full proof that this peach coloured dream of a building, and its lush garden, is not only a dream. It is truth as well.

The gate was closed, and we saw no people.

And after we left I put some of the photos I´d taken up on facebook.

I got a lot of likes. I am not the only one dreaming about Bramasole. And I got comments. One of them from Frances - .......you should have come in to see the garden! Let me know if you want to come back.......

Of course we wanted to come back. Of course we let her know.......and of course we actually came back!

 

But that´s a tale for tomorrow :-)

Santa Maria filled with students and art

@brittarnhild

When I have been at Santa Maria in spring it has been quiet, with few people. Silent retreat almost. Not so this time. Every single bed was occupied, with students ands teachers from a German Steiner School. Terje and I slept in the nearby village, but were invited over for lunch and dinner.

The church was transformed into an art studio.

I am sure the breastfeeding Mary and her baby Jesus love the colours. (follow the link to see pictures of the frescos)

From inside the church I could enjoy the sight of art in progress.

and the smell of a meal. Food in progress.

 Another vegetarian meal at Santa Maria. Fresh greens, vegetables of the season, divine taste.

If I was born in another century I could have been a witch

@brittarnhild

If I was born in another century I could have been a witch. I love everything old and natural apothecary, herb medicine, teas and ointments made of weeds and roots.

Coming into the Antica Farmacia del Monaci Camaldolesi was like coming into heaven. Witch heaven.

A place where I, the witch, could sit down, studying the old books, learning more about the use of plants.

 Not only studying, but also having my own desk where I could sit down and write about the plants growing out in the monastery garden, and in the woods.

I could have been a witch, or the authorities might have believed so. 
I would have used my witch craft to do only good deeds of course. With prayers along with every weed.

In the end I had to leave all my dreams, but before finding my seat in our rented car, I bought a toothpaste, dentifricio alla menta, piemontese pura, and two types of tea, finocchio composto, fennel, and carciofo composto, artichoke.

If you come over, I will make you a cup of tea. A cup of witch tea.

By the way, here is a link to the old apothecary.

 

Truffle time

@brittarnhild

Eating in Italy is about following the seasons. You eat what is ripe, there and then. During our stay this time, it was truffle time. No doubt about that.

Thomas pointed out places for us on our map. Marking them with a ball pen. I love to have maps marked with ball pens, just as I love books with dog ears. Terje the driver. I the map reader. The map I´ve bought in Tuscany, GPS, google maps. Taking us to small villages, churches, monasteries. Since Thomas was the one who had marked the map there were many churches. And monasteries.

We drove roads less taken. Up, up, up. I was prepared to get a great view over Tuscany, but no, there were trees everywhere. Driving mountain roads in Italy is different from driving mountain roads in Norway.

We came to one of the monasteries exactly half a minute after closing time. "Sorry, we are closed!"

But on our way down, in the middle of no where, found another monastery. With a restaurant with a truffle menu. And an ancient apothecary.

Truffles. A new taste to me. I had to tell myself that this is something you like Britt Arnhild. And then I did. Then I loved it.Potatoes ands scarmorza cheese flan with fresh truffle. Followed by home made strozzapreti pasta with fresh truffle. Oh, I could eat it again, and again.

While I went for the truffles, Terje decided the hunter´s menu.
On our way up the mountain we had passed a deer and her baby, so I did not!

The old apothecary deserves its own blog post. We deserved another village, another stop. Another coffee.

Santa Maria in summer

@brittarnhild

I know Santa Maria a Ferrano in spring. After three spring visits I know the colours of the flowers, the smell of the earth, the singing of the birds.......in spring. Coming back in the heath of summer was different.

Red poppies instead of the blue irises. The air was different. The colours. The fragrances.

The main difference though was that Santa Maria was filled almost to the brim, with 30+ teenagers and their teachers from a German Steiner school. No room for us to sleep, so we stayed in Locanda Tinti, a small bed&breakfast in the nearby village. An absolutely charming place. The breakfast terrace made up for the two of us, a roof terrace on our own, and, according to Thomas (at Santa Maria) Italy´s best coffee.

Paola and Thomas were busy with the huge visiting group, but still had time for us. Inviting us over for meals, making plans for next years retreat, and most important.......showing us possible places to explore, on the road map we had brought.

Here you see Terje and Thomas in deep concentration, discussing possible roads for us to drive :-)

Santa Maria in spring. Santa Maria in summer.
Now I am curious what it looks like in autumn. In winter.

San Miniato, one of "a million" mountain villages in Tuscany

@brittarnhild

After a couple of days with our friends in Pastina, we headed east in Tuscany. Santa Maria a Ferrano, where I have spent Easter the last two years, was our goal. But on the way we needed lunch, and why not stop and explore one of the million mountain villages in Tuscany? Our choice fell on San Miniato. I don´t know why, may be just because I was the map reader, and I loved its name.

As it still was too early for lunch, we hiked up to the top of the town, past the cathedral, up to the tower of the fortress.

Almost too hot to hike under the burning Tuscan sun, but we made it, and was rewarded with an amazing view. Vineyards, hills filled with olive trees, another mountain town here, another mountain town there. A hundred shades of green and smiles full of love in the selfie we took.

San Miniato, situated between Pisa and Florence, is a Slow City, known for its truffles.
Of course we had truffle risotto for lunch. A glass of local white wine for me, sparkling water for the driver.

An alabaster workshop

@brittarnhild

Our first days under the Tuscan sun were spent with good friends in their home away from home in a tiny little village just south of Pisa. We arrived on the 28th of June, our 38th anniversary, and celebrated with a lovely Italian dinner out in their garden.

The next day we were ready to explore the area, filled two cars and drove over to Volterra, the hometown of alabaster. On the way we had a stop in Teatro del Silenzeo, outside Lajatico, the hometown of Andrea Bocelli. Bocelli helds a concert in this amphi theatre once every July, the rest of the year the theatre remains silent. The picture of me and Terje was taken outside the theatre.

Volterra is known worldwide because of its alabaster, and the amazing alabaster art.

After lunch on the main piazza in Volterra, Terje and I did a walk, and almost by chance we found an alabaster workshop. Free entrance, and a great possibility to watch this amazing craft.

Our bank would come after us to Tuscany if we tried buying one of the main alabaster pieces of art, I am sure. But luckily, they also sold more simple stuff, still very beautiful, for people like us, and suddenly Terje found his wife with a new nativity and a new Easter egg. With the bank remaining silent.

We left the workshop,

found other treasures,

and had gelato and coffee before heading back to our friends.

 

Making summer plans

@brittarnhild

I turned 60 in April. When I turned 50 I gave myself a special gift, three weeks in India. This year I am giving myself another special gift, three weeks in Italy. My husband will be with me all three weeks, and I will also bring  the kids, kids in law and grandson during one of these weeks.

All tickets are booked. Now we enjoy reading maps and guidebooks. And dreaming.

 

Made by glass and flame

@brittarnhild

Venice, or Venezia as I prefere to call it even in English, has for many, many years been my favorite city to visit.  There are many reasons for this neverending love, one of them is the many colours and shapes of the Venetian glass art. And of course its glass artists. One of the artists, Mauro Vianello, who makes the most wonderful masterpieces, using coloured glass sticks, a flame and his artistic skills, has a studio not far from the Rialto Bridge and Fish Market.

For many years Mauro´s studio was a shop with a working place where he made his masterpieces. Though recently he has made an important change. He still has his own work place, but the venue is not a shop anymore, but a workshop with several working stations.

Mauro has opened his place for students. Come for a day or a week. Get an introduction into the art of flame work. Learn how a Venetian artist works.

In two year´s time I am turning 60. My dream is to spend a month in Venezia then, and during this month I hope to be Mauro´s flame art apprentice. His student.

Here is Mauro´s blog:
www.glasshandmade.com

Here is his amazing YouTube page:
Mauro on YouTube

And here is his facebookpage:
Artigianato d'arte Venezia

 

 

When God created Burano

@brittarnhild

When God created Burano he lost his crayon box.

He reached out to pick them up, but then he saw the beautiful way they were laid out.

People made the crayons their houses.

And in the afternoons the woman sat outside with their lacework.

We met two of them; Italia and Carmela.

Italia. What a perfect name for a woman.

We visited Burano yesterday afternoon.

This tiny little island crayon box in the Venetian laguna.