Wednesday. The sun is so bright that it is a bit hard to read the screen as I type this on my little laptop beside the pool. It is 6.30 pm and the sun is just a hand’s breadth above the horizon to the west but still strong. Yesterday we drove west from Umbria and climbed into the Sibilini mountains, the mountains that had formed a spectacular backdrop to our terrace view for the past few days. Up close they were still beautiful. One big one with a bald top was a very old volcano, our host, Michael, had told us.On our last morning at Genius Loci, Michael took us for a tour of his tiny winery – a hobby rather than a business. We climbed down a little spiral stair into the tasting area and he showed us the little table for four set into a giant wine barrel that he had installed. His family had been making wine there for generations the old fashioned way, with a hand press and just a few small tanks and a few French oak casks. We bought a bottle of white and a bottle of red (Montefalco Sangiovese) to take with us.
So, over the mountains and into Le Marche and the tiny town of Belmonte Piceno. (the Piceno refers to the Piscine tribe that lived in this region.)
Tony Burke, former brother-in-law of Julie came to meet us and show us the way down a tiny gravel road to their farmhouse and the Casetta where we where staying. Lovely spot, amazing landscape. Not Tuscan though – here the hills are more rounded and less steep and there is more variety in the crops and not so many vineyards. As I look around there is not one flat area in view – everything slopes and waves in scallops and swells and dips. The Sibilini are in the distance with contrasting sharp, jagged forms against the skyline. (Bob has just brought a beer and I cracked a couple of the hazel nuts we gathered from the trees in the garden.)
We were made very welcome here with an evening meal with Tony and Madelaine and Tony’s son Tristan who lives in Sydney – we met him there. Tony served up some fab wines and Madelaine some fab food. The garden here is full of herbs and veggies and some lovely tomatoes.
Lazy day today. We went in search of hats (local specialty) but the places were all shut. So we stocked up at the local supermarket to feed ourselves. Supermarket had fabulous meat, huge steaks and other stuff. A man was expertly cutting wafer-thin slices from chunks of prosciutto – there seemed to be a choice of about 50 different sorts. Bob found a machine that gave you a degustation sample of several wines and Jack Daniels – he tasted the Jack Daniels. Later, by the pool, Bob saw a snake. He said it was a King Cobra, but this seems slightly unlikely. It might have been something to do with the Jack Daniels. Must go now, I have to light the barbecue and cook dinner.
