PARTY-POUCH
We are delighted to introduce a new product to our website, Party-Pouch !. It occurred to us that living in Italy and the outdoor socializing that is an integral part of life here we needed an extra hand ! So along came Party-Pouch, it was so well received at wine tasting and BBQ type events that we decided the whole world should get the chance to see it and try it. Whether it is Music Festivals, Wedding Parties, Wine Tastings or just Private BBQ’s , Party Pouch is that perfect third hand to take the stress out of that problem of where to put your drink whilst you are snacking on all the goodies that are on offer. Many thanks to our lovely models: Sydney, Sean and Matthew who demonstrate them so perfectly. Give them a try, just £14.95 for 10 pouches, order here at our...
read moreEarly Christmas scenes in Le Marche
Woke up last Wednesday morning to find about 30 cm of snow on the ground. Very unusual to see snow here in November, according to the locals they have never seen it at this time for at least 10 years. Luckily we had picked our Olives and several other groves as well. Lets hope that the usual predictions of a long cold winter don’t actually come true this year. The forecast for next week looks better and all the snow has already gone here though its still hanging on in San Ginesio and Amandola which are higher up than us. Pongo didn’t know what to make of it when i opened the door to let him out, he stopped dead in his tracks and did a quick reversal into his kennel to think about...
read moreWelcome to all Our New Visitors
Thanks to Robert Hale and the Newsquest team at the Worcester News we managed to increase our profile here in Italy with a fantastic story about us .
read moreIl Divo
Last night whilst searching you tube for some culture i came across a concert by four guys i had never heard before, Il Divo, at an outside arena in Barcelona, and i have to say i was impressed. I am a big fan of Bocelli but wow ! this concert was something else. They seemed to sing every song that i like and the passion was unbelievable. Time to say goodbye, Hallelujah, You Raise me up, Amazing grace….even the lone piper was stupendous. It sounded fantastic on my cheapo computer so what it was like to be there one could only imagine, that audience was certainly privileged, oh ! to have been there. Sorry Andrea but Il Divo have a new...
read moreOn Another Planet
I despair at this world and the people who are “running” it. Today i see people are proposing that it would be better to spend £50 billion on sending people to Mars rather than spending it on a high speed rail link. Can someone please tell me how that will benefit anybody except the crackpot scientists who wish to enhance their owns ego’s regardless of the millions of people on this planet who are living in poverty and starving to death. Are they from the same group who has spent years proving how the Mammoth became extinct, that helps the starving doesn’t it ? I they hadn’t become extinct i suppose at least the starving could have eaten them. Who on earth is paying these “researchers” , like the ones who have been following snails around to see how far they travel at night and check at what speed they travel. Well done to the Indian scientists who spent £800 million sending a rocket into space just to prove they could, why didn’t they just ask the Russians if it was possible…they did it over 50 years ago. They could have taken a few thousand out of poverty with that. Where is the logic ? like spending a million pounds to recover a German bomber from the north sea and a future fortune to restore it in case we don’t remember what one looked like. Must remember to send them an old “Battle of Britain” film of the bombing of London in the 1940’s. I saw a comment by a passer by who was asked about the prospects of military action in Syria, she said how is it that we have no money to spend on hospitals, schools and healthcare for the elderly yet we can find money for another war !!! IS IT ME who has got it all wrong...
read moreThe Italian Way
I came across this and thought i would share it, made me smile…..it is so typical of Italian culture, so refreshingly different. Italian Food Culture in 20 rules From memoriediangelina.com – July 28, 9:10 PM There is much more to Italian food culture than many people outside Italy realize. Mastering the art of Italian cooking is not just a matter of learning recipes but rather requires coming to understand a whole approach to the preparation and eating of food. This approach can be understood, among other ways, through a series of unwritten “rules” that guide most Italians’ culinary habits. (I use the term loosely, as there are exceptions to most of these ‘rules.’ And there is no Italian food police to arrest you if you break them.) Rule 1: Eat in season. Rule 2: Eat locally. Rule 3: Look for a harmonious combination of ingredients and avoid clashing combinations. Rule 4: There is no such thing as a ‘main course’ in a proper Italian meal. Rather, a true Italian meal is a series of courses of varying number, depending on the occasion, but usually including a primo (first course of pasta, soup, polenta, rice, etc.) and a secondo (meat, fish, vegetable), often served with a contorno (vegetable side dish). Fresh fruit usually serves as dessert. Or more formal occasions, an antipasto comes before the primo, and a proper dessert may close the meal. Rule 5: The courses of a meal should provide variety without clashing. A delicate egg pasta would not generally be followed, for example, by a spicy dish like fettine di manzo alla pizzaiola. Rule 6: Pasta, risotto, gnocchi and the like are not served as side dishes but as a separate course. Rule 7: Salads are most often served as contorni (side dishes). Rule 8: Pasta should be eaten ‘al dente’. Rule 9: It is important to pair the ‘right’ pasta shape with the ‘right’ sauce. Rule 10: It is equally important not to over-sauce your pasta. Rule 11: Don’t assume that grated cheese goes on every pasta dish. Rule 12: Pasta salads are made with pasta secca, Rule 13: Except in the fanciest of restaurants, vegetables are not there for garnish. They are meant to be eaten. Rule 14: Salad dressing is made from oil and vinegar (or, less frequently, lemon). Rule 15: Cappuccino is drunk only in the morning, and never after a meal. Rule 16: Mineral water and/or wine are the beverages of choice to accompany your meals. Rule 17: Use a knife and fork! Rule 18: Do not cut your spaghetti. Rule 19: Do not eat bread with pasta. Rule 20: If you leave food on your plate, your host may wonder if you didn’t like it. ...
read moreStephen Fry Letter
An interesting and thought provoking letter that deserves some consideration. Stephen Fry The odd quotation, thought or reference that’s too long for Twitter Open Letter to David Cameron and the IOC Dear Prime Minister, M Rogge, Lord Coe and Members of the International Olympic Committee, I write in the earnest hope that all those with a love of sport and the Olympic spirit will consider the stain on the Five Rings that occurred when the 1936 Berlin Olympics proceeded under the exultant aegis of a tyrant who had passed into law, two years earlier, an act which singled out for special persecution a minority whose only crime was the accident of their birth. In his case he banned Jews from academic tenure or public office, he made sure that the police turned a blind eye to any beatings, thefts or humiliations inflicted on them, he burned and banned books written by them. He claimed they “polluted” the purity and tradition of what it was to be German, that they were a threat to the state, to the children and the future of the Reich. He blamed them simultaneously for the mutually exclusive crimes of Communism and for the controlling of international capital and banks. He blamed them for ruining the culture with their liberalism and difference. The Olympic movement at that time paid precisely no attention to this evil and proceeded with the notorious Berlin Olympiad, which provided a stage for a gleeful Führer and only increased his status at home and abroad. It gave him confidence. All historians are agreed on that. What he did with that confidence we all know. Putin is eerily repeating this insane crime, only this time against LGBT Russians. Beatings, murders and humiliations are ignored by the police. Any defence or sane discussion of homosexuality is against the law. Any statement, for example, that Tchaikovsky was gay and that his art and life reflects this sexuality and are an inspiration to other gay artists would be punishable by imprisonment. It is simply not enough to say that gay Olympians may or may not be safe in their village. The IOC absolutely must take a firm stance on behalf of the shared humanity it is supposed to represent against the barbaric, fascist law that Putin has pushed through the Duma. Let us not forget that Olympic events used not only to be athletic, they used to include cultural competitions. Let us realise that in fact, sport is cultural. It does not exist in a bubble outside society or politics. The idea that sport and politics don’t connect is worse than disingenuous, worse than stupid. It is wickedly, wilfully wrong. Everyone knows politics interconnects with everything for “politics” is simply the Greek for “to do with the people”. An absolute ban on the Russian Winter Olympics of 2014 on Sochi is simply essential. Stage them elsewhere in Utah, Lillyhammer, anywhere you like. At all costs Putin cannot be seen to have the approval of the civilised world. He is making scapegoats of gay people, just as Hitler did Jews. He cannot be allowed to get away with it. I know whereof I speak. I have visited Russia, stood up to the political deputy who introduced the first of these laws, in his city...
read moreWow,wow,Winery
Nice trip today with our new neighbors Kerry and Sam, we visited the magnificent Il Pollenza winery near Tolentino. The whole place is absolutely stunning, the buildings, the grounds and the interiors. We were treated to an ad hoc tour of the main house by a very kind tour guide even though we hadn’t pre booked. The estate which rises with lovely views of the Marches was purchased from the Antici Mattei princes more than twenty years ago by the owner Count Brachetti-Peretti. It included a beautiful sixteenth century building designed by Sangallo and 200 Hectares of land of which 60 are dedicated to vinyards. The ultra modern cellar is equipped with the very latest technology to produce a limited quantity of quality wines, the vats all bearing the family names are made in vitrified cement and stainless steel as requested by the great world famous winemaker Dr. Giacomo Tachis who first sensed the great potential of “il Pollenza”. Lying seven metres below ground the Barriccaia (barrel store) is perfectly situated for the ideal standard of preservation and wine aging. It can house up to two thousand barrels which could be either French or Slavonian Oak. Moving upstairs we were greeted by the wine tasting room, a name which does not do justice to the beautiful surroundings we had entered, from fine marble floors, elaborate furnishings to works of art, a stunning sight by anybodies standards. We completed the trip by visiting the attached shop where not only bottles of the IL Pollenza can be purchased but customers can have their own containers filled at extremely competitive prices. A most enjoyable and interesting visit, thanks to their kindness and...
read moreBikers = Earthquake ?
What a surprise we had last night ! we went to the Festa in Maesta (near Urbisaglia) expecting the usual fairly sedate musical entertainment, food and drinks and the local older generations tripping the light fantastic on the dancefloor. What we were confronted with was row upon row of Harley Davidsons, Ducati’s and Goldwings Etc. Etc. We must have got the date wrong because the “Bikers” were in town, hundreds and hundreds of them. All having a great time catching up on each others exploits, listening to the rock band and scoffing the foods of the night, which was mostly Maiale as the gathering appeared to be dedicated to Piglets, hence lots of people wearing pink piglet hats. I wouldn’t like to estimate how many bikes were there but it was certainly in the hundreds, and a great night was had by all and not a punch up or a drunk in sight……one has to wonder how many other countries could make a similar claim. Now for the strange part ! the very same night that all these roaring, rumbling bikes got back on the road an earthquake happens right on our doorstep in Le Marche ! Makes you wonder doesn’t it...
read moreInternational Variations
We welcomed another of our international workawayers this week, Branden from Canada and we learn’t yet another name for a strimmer. So now we have a “WEED WACKER” representing New Zealand and a “WHIPPER SNIPPER” representing Canada. No wonder nobody here understands what i am on about !
read moreAccommodation
For a luxurious self-catering holiday see The Hideaway website.For a peaceful bed and breakfast stay with a magnificent view have a look at Casale delle Rondini.
Why not combine a visit to your olive tree with a fantastic wine tour in Umbria?Explore the Gusto website.
List Italy is a comprehensive guide to services, businesses, properties and food in the Le Marche region of Italy.
More info on their website.
For some fantastic mosaic handcrafted art vist Ben Craven Mosaics.