A Taste of Summer!

I thought I would take advantage of the delicious Sicilian blood oranges which are abundant in the supermarkets here in Italy. They are citrus fruits born of contrasts grown in a dry climate with strong temperature fluctuations which creates the red pigmentation of these oranges. This cake contains no flour, just ground almonds and 9 eggs! Once baked, you gently heat some honey with the orange juice and dribble it over the surface letting it sink in. An absolute treat which reminds you of the warmer days to come.

From winter to spring in a few steps

Walking from one side of the valley, sometimes a matter of steps, to the other feels like moving from spring, with alpine flowers in bud and bloom to winter with snow and ice.

Walking through swathes of snowdrops in flower and budding daffodils to

the wintery scenes on the other side of the stream.

Walking up the Sabbia valley in the sunlight and after sitting in the sun eating our lunch and setting off to go down the valley on the other side..

we decided after looking at the path covered in snow it was prudent to return the way we came.

Massera

We discovered this semi derelict village on our walk down from the alpine village of Alpe Piane, a walk lasting 7 hours! Traces of once thriving hamlets are found throughout the valley with crumbling rusticos and you can picture these communities in their heyday. They would have been close knit communities, dependant on natural resources to survive and I can imagine life, although simple would have involved much hardship in toiling the land. I would think that generations of families would have lived under one roof with the younger generation having to take on the mantle and responsibility as the elders became less able. All that is left now are these crumbling ruins that we often see whilst walking. However, Massera, seems caught in time; there is evidence of a once industrious community with an old restaurant sign, a school perhaps and of course a chapel but the town is shrouded in tall empty buildings with Vendesi signs. There is still evidence that it is partially inhabited though with a set of curtains at a remote window or boots placed outside a door but who can possibly live here! There is no access by road and on foot, it is a gruelling path of rock. I imagine it is some stoical old Italian who has refused to budge from all he or she has ever known.

Cervarolo war memorial

I came across this memorial site on my first visit to Italy and it’s poignancy was heightened by my grief at the time. On each tree is a plaque with flowers, dedicated to a young soldier from the village who lost his life in the Great Wars. They are young men with their lives ahead of them, many of them no older than my own son.

The reward for previous labours

Cracking nuts by the fire.

Hazelnuts, walnuts and chestnuts ready to crack or roast. The hazelnuts on the left still need extracting from their husks. If the don’t ‘roll’ out easily or they have some of the husk still attached, or they have a tiny hole then they will be no good and need discarding.

The black walnuts are really good. When they are ripe and come off the tree the husks become a soggy black staining mess which needs to be cleaned off – not an easy task. I’ve always read that you have to wait to this stage to harvest them but we found that if you got to them just before this stage then the green husk could be easily and cleanly peeled off. Once they have been aired and dried the nuts inside taste just as good and it’s a lot less mess and work. Beware if you are handling the walnuts once the husks have gone black they really stain!

Mountain shrines

Shrines are integral to the landscape in Italy and here in Valsesia are dotted over the hillside. I believe they are a place of solace for many people; you will often see a candle tucked into the shrine or a figure of christ which a visitor has left. I gain no comfort in that sense as I am not religious but I can stop and admire the artwork which is painted in traditional hues of terracotta, blue and orange.

Italian alpine weather (again)!

It’s one of those glorious days (most days are) when you really appreciate the mountain climate; the middle of winter with the doors open and warm sunshine streaming in. Sitting in shirtsleeves on the balcony, mind you the locals are dressed as if they were in the middle of Scotland!

It’s a fact that unless you have lived in the mountains probably escapes you, and we only discovered it when we moved here, the mountains break up the clouds giving a largely dry and clear climate. The valleys are sheltered so little, if any wind, and dry air because the air has warmed and dried as it drifts down from the peaks a phenomenon known as the foehn effect.

We appreciate it even more when we get reports from the UK that is the usual grey and damp story from there!

Daily routine

Although we strive to make everyday special, and to some extent different; however there are some seasonal tasks which ‘frame’ the day. It’s not exactly a daily task but chopping kindling and bringing in firewood for the next few days is one of those and is always a satisfying task. With frozen ground underfoot and the warm winter morning sunshine raising a sweat; it’s a great way to start the day preparing the fuel, and then end the day (well at least start the evening, as it gets dark about 6.00 pm here at the moment) indoors with the hot glow of a roaring fire lighting up the room.