Com’e il tempo? (How IS the weather?)

Saturday

So warm, so sunny and today – so bright that I can see the distant Alps from the northern side of the Venetian islands.

Sadly, the Italian train that I am now on is not blogworthy. I was looking forward to a late departure, a broken ventilation system, the rambunctious discussions amongst fellow passengers – all common experiences from the past, but instead, our world has become so homogenized that even the Italian trains are running punctually and the lovely voice of the conductor tells us all to please keep our voices down to a subdued level. And the odd thing is that everyone is complying with the request.

In Florence, the “one way street” (all going the wrong way) capital of the world, I picked up the car that would serve as transport to and within Umbria. I’m not even going to list all the things that went wrong with that small portion of the day. But then, it’s all in the past, because indeed, I am writing this from Umbria.

Therefore (doubters of private Internet deals, relax!) there is a Bruno, and there is an Umbria, and there is a farmhouse, and there is even a farm of sorts since Bruno – an older guy with a ponytail – cultivates certified organic sunflowers. And, judging from the proliferation of plums on the premises – fruit trees as well.

I am onto my next internet challenge. How can a farmhouse accommodate a computer?

Answer: it cannot. There isn’t a phone jack, to say nothing of some fancy Ethernet or wi-fi connection. And the nearest town, Todi, is a winding-up-and-around-on-unpaved surfaces 15 minute drive away. For today, I am stumped. Tomorrow is another blogger day.

(p.s. I begged someone off the street --literally--to let me use a phone line!)

what else... organic sunflowers 

Sunday

I’ve been asked what the thrill is of going to a farmhouse, given that I live in such close proximity to the countryside back in Madison. To me, “renting a farmhouse in Umbria” is really a code name for an experience that I think tops most, if not all vacations. What are the essentials?

The farmhouse has to be relatively old, though comfortably modern inside (I am looking for visual appeal here, but I’m getting too used to an easy existence to call “roughing it” a vacation);

It has to be in a stunning setting – certainly hilly, with views, fields of crops of the type that postcards depict (sunflowers, vineyards, etc);

I t absolutely has to be close to a town or village where one can find at least one great but simple eatery where locals congregate to feast on regional cuisine;

That same town has to have a bit of history to tantalize the eye and the mind.

Todi represents all the above and it does so perfectly. Not many outside of Italy (including me until last year) have ever heard of this place. It is a perfectly preserved medieval hill town (the recent attention to “faithful preservation” is in part thanks to the fact that Todi is less than two hours from Rome and many rich artsy types use it as a summer and week-end retreat). It is stunningly beautiful, perched high above the surrounding fields of sunflowers and forests of old oak.

Enough touristy descriptions. I wanted to say that this morning, Todi delivered something equally important: breakfast.

for one person??