Here is a charming, Romeo and Juliet type balcony off to the side of the house:
And the grape vines and olive tree groves which have been brought back to life by a local gardener who knows the land well:
Okay, I'm
My family is from the east coast of Italy. I am not talking generations and generations ago, either; my mom could not speak a word of English during the early part of her life. My cousins in Italy would write long letters to my mom and I would watch her write out English translations to simple Italian phrases because they wanted her to teach them English.
Of course, none of my Italian family owns a villa. They are simple people with simple lives.
I, if I win a big lottery, will be the very first villa owner in my family. And I will invite the entire clan there to drink the wine made from my grapes and eat bruschetta made with olive oil from my harvested olives.
BRUSCHETTA CON POMODORI (GARLIC BREAD
WITH TOMATOES)
6 slices crusty Italian bread, halved crosswise
1 lg. garlic clove, crushed and minced
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
6 lg. firm ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 c. minced fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, or to taste
Preheat the broiler. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet and broil 5 inches from the heat until lightly browned. Turn and brown the other side.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, and 3 tablespoon of the olive oil, and brush the mixture on one side of the bread slices.
In a skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, add the tomatoes and salt. Heat until the tomatoes are just heated through. Stir in the basil and vinegar.
Top the toasted slices with the tomato mixture.
Serves 6.
And I will invite all my blog and bookclub friends! So, get your passports ready.
Cara mia, ti voglio bene.
passports are ready and bags are packed.
ReplyDeleteOh, but wouldn't it be wonderful??
ReplyDeleteYou know, I watch that video and my soul yearns to be there. I've never been to Italy, but there's something from my heritage and my ancestry that craves the homeland of all the generations before me. It's in my blood, somehow. I feel as if it's the root of my soul.
ReplyDeleteI'm a mutt so I have no need to return to any perceived homeland. And it's just a perception you have, if Italy was so wonderful your kin wouldn't have moved here but would have stayed in their homeland.
ReplyDeleteFancy places offend my soul so I don't want one, if I win a lot of money I'm getting remote acreage in the country. I'll build a small modest home and a big shop to invent in.
The only advantage of a lot of money is that it would draw some women that was willing to have sex with me, we're all whores and all women have their price.
I have my villa for sale on the Mediterranean coast, south of Barcelona. Why don't you buy it!
ReplyDeleteThe Catalans also make a kind of bread with tomato called "pa amb tomaquet." You toast (or not) the bread, rub with garlic (if toasted) and tomato, drizzle a little olive oil, sprinkle a little salt. Yum.
Dvora follows a blog called "A Small Village in France"
ReplyDeleteWould that be a small drinking village with a fishing problem? LOL
Dvora, the pa amb tomaquet sounds very similar to my bruschetta because when I make it, I do not add the balsamic vinegar.
ReplyDeleteAs for buying your villa; I need to win the lottery first. :)
Beautiful photos and I think you really ought to get over there. Sell half the stuff you own as soon as the kids move out...and simplify simplify...then make a great month long holiday out of it ha ha!
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie with Diane Lane...based or inspired from the book...it was very cute...
The kids are gone, gone, gone! and instead of moving to Italy, we are going to be moving to Florida, on the ocean and I am very excited about that because I'll be living near my family. I think I'm ready to not work for a while and enjoy life.
ReplyDeleteCandy, I have missed you a lot and am so glad to see you in these parts. xoxoxo
Moving to Florida? Don't you know that nature and humans are turning Florida into a wasteland? Well, maybe you won't live long enough to see the worst of it. I spent two years there thanks to the Navy, too damn many bugs there.
ReplyDeletei have my dream house posted too.. but we could never afford it with my income and jeff at what it is now. they want 324,000 for the house..lol.
ReplyDelete