another job for "Joe - fix"....

Just as everywhere in our travels, once Joe mentions that he is a retired woodworker, the jobs come out of the woodwork !

The front door to our apartment was not locking properly...but it is now !

Hugs, Chris and her "I'm happy with a hammer in my hand" husband

Buona Pasqua Tutti !!

Happy Easter everyone....we miss you all !!

Hugs, Chris and her "I feel the urge to bake bread" husband

...our apartment in Orvieto....

the pictures speak for themselves....

Hugs, Chris and her "no more frills !!" husband

butterflies surround the bed...

hmmmmmm....

animals decorate the apartment

our kitchen...

the bathroom down a few stairs...

Bella Toscana....

We've taken some rides into Tuscany, and it is every bit as beautiful as we remember.  We stopped in Pienza and had lunch at a tiny restaurant (5 tables) where we had eaten 2 years ago...the owner recognized us, and we had a nice chat with him...the food was amazing as ever (are you tired of hearing about the food yet ?????)

Happy Easter - Buona Pasqua - to all in case I can't write on Sunday...we're without those pesky internets again, so we're part of the college cafe culture here !

Hugs, Chris and her "I love a scenic drive" husband

our cute restaurant owner...

the happy couple... 

beautiful Pienza

the road of love !! 

amazing views from Pienza

the entrance to the city

the main square and well...

...la cucina povera...the poor kitchen...

La cucina povera is a style of cooking that emphasizes using fresh, simple ingredients...sometimes yesterday's leftovers... in creative and delicious ways.

Our final meal at Baia di Trentova was a prime example: we started with Maria's fresh ravioli stuffed with ricotta di bufala sprinkled with scamorza and parmigiano cheese followed by escarole and bean soup.  Next came chicken cacciatore, pepperonata (marinated peppers with olives, capers, and pine nuts), a wonderful plate of wild chicory that was picked that day and sauteed in olive oil and garlic, and  polpettine pane (small balls of bread with mozzarella and parmigiano, fried lightly and salted)...strawberries marinated in limoncello and birthday cake !

The pictures don't do the food justice...you'll just have to imagine how good it all was !

Hugs to all, Chris and her "I'm feeling richer by the moment" husband

yummy ravioli...

escarole and bean soup

doing the happy food dance !

wild chicory and bread "meatballs"

great wine...

no meal is complete without after dinner drinks !

the dying city...

Yesterday we traveled to one of Italy's most beautiful hilltowns - Civita di Bagnoregio - it is called the dying city because it sits atop a hill that has been slowly eroding...to the point where there is no road left with which to access the village.  In the 60s, a bridge was constructed between the main town of Bagnoregio and the small, medieval Civita.  It takes 10-15 minutes to walk up the steep incline into town, and it is stunning ! There are shops and excellent restaurants located there, but very few people.  In fact, it's said that only 10 people and one dog are permanent residents ...although we saw several cats !

Our meal there was delicious...fresh lasagna with artichokes, and ravioli filled with ricotta simmered in butter and sage...a classic.  Along the lines of "you can't make this stuff up...", the owner of the bistro knew our B&B owner...a bit later, a guide with some Japanese tourists came in...she went to school with our B&B owner !

That morning in our internet cafe, we saw the chef from the "meatfest" restaurant and we shared a laugh...

Picolo mondo (small world) !

Hugs, Chris and her "I hope Civita lives on forever" husband

an  Easter concert...

On Monday night, we were lucky enough to attend an Easter concert in the duomo...it was spectacular !  The director and violin virtuoso was Uto Ughi, and he conducted the Rome symphony orchestra...TV cameras were rolling...in fact, we're probably on Italian TV somewhere....listening to classical music while looking at Signorelli frescos...it doesn't get much more inspirational than that...

Since we're coming up to Pasqua (Easter) here, there are free events every night...churches that are usually closed to the public have been opened, and spring is in the air (although it's still chilly...).  Flowers and trees are blooming everywhere, and our car excursions through the countryside have been lovely.

Here are a couple pictures of the duomo all lit up with sconces...and, unfortunately, TV cameras...

Hugs, Chris and her "I've seen the light" husband

...when pigs fly....

This is certainly the home of pork...there is cinghiale (wild boar) everywhere...it's very similar to domesticated pig, but, well...wild....

Used in stews, pastas, as the main meat in a meal...even in a chocolate sauce...believe it or not !  There is also porchetta done quite a bit here...a pig stuffed with herbs, rolled up and roasted...yummy, or as they say here "gnam, gnam".

We're working on trying it all...

Hugs, Chris and her pork-lovin' husband

ah, the duomo....

The cathedral in Orvieto was begun in the 1200s, and has been worked on continually...in fact, many of the artworks and statues have been replaced over the years in keeping with various "styles"...everyone's got to redecorate, right ??

We visited the museums in town where most of the unused masterpieces are now housed...pretty amazing...paintings and sculptures from the early 1200s through the 1800s.  The bronze doors on the church were commissioned in the 1960s...the work never ends !

On the top of the tower is "Maurizio" who strikes various bells from the 1400s to signal the time every 15 minutes...he's a busy guy....

Hugs to all, Chris and her "go ahead and give me some tools for that church" husband