Random observations:

April 28^th

Our stay at the agritourismo venue, Malvarina, just a few kilometers outside of Assisi in Umbria.

Dear FarmGirl,

“Our agritourismo spot is fantastic. We are at a farm/B&B on the side of a mountain overlooking a large valley. Assisi is just to the north a few kilometers. In the early morning we can hear the highway traffic from the valley below – just like in La Canada.

“As we relax on the patio at our unit, the birds are singing with great enthusiasm – even more so than at home. There are many trees and flowers – very similar to what we have in Southern California. The wisteria is particularly beautiful. The roses have buds, but are not yet open. Rosemary, with its blue flowers, is everywhere. Some open fields are covered with red poppies. We see iris, ivy, cedar trees (somewhat similar to our deodars, but smaller). Many of the trees are just beginning to leaf out.

At this farm they grow olives and press the fruit for their own brand of “olio.” They also nurture “truffle trees.” Apparently truffles grow under these trees and are harvested for sale in the fall. Their third product is honey, which must be very tasty considering the abundance of flowers in the area. They have horses and a large garden where they grow their vegetables. Everything is green. I’m sure it’s like California as the weather heats up and turns to “green and gold” with the green trees and dry grasses.

“They have cooking classes here also when there is a large enough group in residence. On our day of residence they had five people who helped the owner’s mother cook portions of our evening meal. The meal was excellent, helped along with plenty of local wine. It was interesting the way they set the table. The dishes and soup bowl were stacked according to time of usage, with the soup course served first. Dinner was not only excellent, but it was a feast.

FarmGirl would have loved to be there and experience the ambience. We will have to experience more of this life style in future travels."