Cucina Povera Sarzanese

Every region in Italy seems to have their own versions of the traditional 'contadino' recipes;  in the Lunigiana there seems to be several typical recipes - Farinata, Panigazzi and Testaroli. To me as a 'stranieri' they seem to be almost interchangeable as the ingredients are all very similar and simple and they all seem to have been adapted in various manners to eat with sauces, salumi and cheeses.

Farinata - made with water, farina di ceci  extra vergin olive oil and salt seems to need a long time to sit before cooking  something about the flour needing to expand or gluten ? It seems with some batters you do and some you dont and I am sure some experienced cooks out there can tell me why? Cooked in a wood oven in a flat terracotta dish or dish of copper with a little oil I had this for the first time at a pizzeria a taglio near Ameglia(Bocca di Magra) and it was delicious as were the various pizzas they produced there too.

Testaroli on the other hand made from flour water and salt are a little like crepes and can be eaten with pesto, ragu or with oil and cheese.I have made these with farina integrale and though nice were a little heavy better with ordinary flour.I think they would be delicious also with Nutella

Pannigazzi are a bit like a piadina ( from Emilia-Romagna) and the batter here is white flour, water a little salt and a little oil with a little batter being put in a hot frying pan and moved around to create a thin 'pancake'.  These are generally eaten warm with cheeses or salumi.

Testaroli al pesto Genovese

Simple ingredients for simple pleasures.

Detailed recipes(in italian) can be found on the website of the Comune di Sarzana.

Critical path analysis, full steam ahead the last of the furniture and fittings have to be ordered!

I remember when studying maths or was it physics at school we studied critical path analysis. This was all about processes and determining which actions were critical to completing a process in the minimum or on time.

Well ...

Work is progessing, the marble on the stairs is going down necessary to position the floor tiles correctly, and the chandelier is ordered (it has to be assembled) I was told it was easy when I ordered it we will see, but its not critical. The wardrobes are to be ordered next week. Once the interior is painted and the floors down (actually tiles first then paint) the kitchen can go in which takes three days. The tilers for the floors should be starting before Easter with any luck as I need to get the doors ordered the tiles need to be down to get the correct heights for the doors - so tiling the floor is the critical process ... the doors which are coming from Germany have a relatively long lead time 6-8 weeks so it going to be tight - otherwise I may have an open plan house for the first guests!

A step back in time - Lunigiana

Visiting the house the other day the weather was fantastic - clear blue skies and views towards Capraia and Corsica in the distance(it could have been the heat haze). We ventured up to Fosdinovo late afternoon for a walk and stepped back in time - so quiet and tranquil a part of Tuscany often by passed by the tourists but not to be missed.I took these photo's which I thought would share with you. 

Sarzana lovely in August - but a delight all year round.

Sarzana has to be one of my favourite towns in the area. The second biggest town in the province after La Spezia itself it has a character all of is own and never ceases to delight. 

Dating from the Roman era, Sarzana is situated at a  strategic location that was a centre of communication at that time near two extremely important ancient roads, the Via Aurelia, and the Via Romea. Home to the Bishops of Luni, it was fortified in the middle ages when a wall was constructed around it. Subsequently it became part of the Republic of Genoa in 1748, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and finally part of the Kingdom of Italy. Sarzana began to flourish during the Renaissance and today has grown into a modern metropolis with the old town at its centre. Sarzana has a number of fine palaces and churches and in addition two fortresses!

Today Sarzana is known for its antiques and in the old centre are numerous antique shops. In addition to this the old town is tranfsormed during august into a veritable bazaar with all the historic centre full of antique stalls selling their wares from six in the evening until around midnight.Something not to be missed.The town has a real buzz.

A visit during an August evening can combine a stroll around the old town , an aperitivo in one of the bars,  window shopping for antiques and a meal in any one of many great restaurants in town. 




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Breakfast anyone?

I know breakfasts in Italy are meant to be only a coffee and croissant, a few rushed minutes on your feet in a bar, but I want Casa Colleverde to be known for its breakfasts.

Breakfast should be a relaxing time and they do say the most important meal of the day, well, so it will be at Casa Colleverde  as we are or will be a bed and breakfast.

So to make breakfast a meal to be remembered I have been practicing  my baking skills.Yesterday it was some soft white rolls and walnut bread, both good. I made some white watermelon jam the other day it was ok but not a favourite. My ginger and lemon marmalade was great but it gave me indigestion; the ginger I like it but it does not like me. My efforts at crepes were passable and I am sure they will get better, as I am sure my waistline will get bigger at this rate.

Tomorrow I am shopping for the ingredients for homemade granola let's see if I can find them all. I think I will draw the line at making homemade croissants though as I do not want to have to get up too early each morning! Cappuccino anyone?

We are opening.... from the 1st July and with maybe a Bapstism.. of fire?

Well... I had a meeting with the builders in the middle of the roof of the garage which will become a meditteranean gravel garden next to the concrete hole which will become the pool and the house without windows and floors which will become the guest accommodation ....I just wanted to say lads we are opening on the 1st of July and I am moving in on the 1st June can any of you think of reason why not ... he said looking around the building site. Ok good.

This is the third such project I have been involved in and I know it all comes together at the last minute, having said that it will be tense and my back and shoulder muscles are already telling me that already.

So we have an opening weekend offer from 1st July 3 nights for euro 100 per night and after that we have a discounted rate for the remainder of our first season.


I look forward to welcoming our first guests with a glass of chilled prosecco!

Ok my architect asked me if he could hold the party for the baptism of his baby here in June, would I be mad to say yes?

Swimming and Bathing in the Area

Rather than sitting by the swimming pool and enjoying the view some prefer to swim in the sea, from a sandy beach or the rocks.

If you like swimming off the rocks there is Punta Bianca half an hour away where you can dive into the sea from the rocks quite easily.Punta Bianca is just around the headland from Bocca di Magra from were you can look back towards Castelnuovo Magra on the hill and see Casacollverde a little to the right above the town on the hill.

A little further around the headland is Tellaro a lovely little port as nice if not nicer than any in the 5 Terre.(one of the Borghi piu Belli d'Italia) Tellaro is normally reached by road from Lerici but is currently cut off due to a landslide Just outside Lerici is a private beach called Eco del Mar a 'VIP" beach, with restaurant and massages etc. Lerici itself recognisable by its fort above the port is also well worth a visit and from here you can take ferries to Portovenere and the 5 Terre.Finally a little further along the lungo mare is San Terenzo a fraction of Lerici it has asmall sandy beach a is  pleasant walk from Lerici along the sea front.

Finally if long sandy beaches either public or private are your thing starting from the Bocca di Magra there is a succession of sandy beaches.

Me ? I think I will relax by the pool.

Saving water - a scarce resource

When something is plentiful and comes out of a tap you tend to take it for granted. After all the rain we have had in Italy you would not think that drinking water is a scarce resource but it is. You do not realise how much you use simply by cleaning your teeth and leaving the tap running, several litres when a small glass is enough. So simple measure to save water can go along way.

At Casa Colleverde we are trying to do our bit for the environment but at the same time as we rely on well water it is in our interests to conserve what we have got an not waste it.

We are installing shower heads which use 70% less water than normal ones and a washing machine which also uses less water and standard dual flush wc's. There are baths in the rooms for those who like them but personally I prefer a shower.

We are also installing a water tank under ground to take the run off from the roof for use in the garden and the swimming pool and two large water tanks to store the well water prior to treament for use in the house. This gives us some leeway should the well pump break down and we find ourselves without a plumber - normally this would happen on feragosto. We also have an old well into which we are diverting the run off from the paths. 

To be on the safe side although the well water is drinkable we are treating it using a Culligan purifying system which will be large enough to ensure all water in the house is treated.

Hopefully our well, if we use water sparingly will be more than enough to meet our needs

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Torre del Lago and Puccini

This year is the 57th Puccini Festival at the open air theatre on the lake. Puccini's association dates back to the late 18th Century when he came in search of a quiet place where he could compose his music. After success with Madame Lescaut and La Boheme, he was able to buy a house,the Old Watch Tower which gave the lake its name.
This year the festival in July and August includes La Boheme, Turandot and Madame Butterfly well worth a visit even for non opera lovers for the spectacle alone. Casa Colleverde is 45 minutes from Torre del Lago.
www.puccinifestival.it

Packing up the garden to be ready to move.

Having spent sometime over the last few days sweating over the computer doing a business plan, I thought "basta" - enough I need some fresh air.


With that in mind I decided to start digging up and dividing some plants in my small garden here in Foiano della Chiana ready for moving to the new house it maybe a little early but with the warm weather the plant are starting to bud.

It was only when I started that I found that I did not have enough plastic pots. So I am going on a mission this week to find some more. So far I have split the large leafed sage (the fresh leaves are great deep fried in a light batter as are the young rosemary shoots). The oregano plant became four smaller plants and I have potted some self seeded thymes which I found in the gravel so I have of four of these to add to those still to be dug up. The new garden is going to be a meditteranean garden with low growing sun loving plants in gravel - rosemary , lavender, rock roses,  thyme etc as well as broom, euphorbia and fico d'india. The centre pieces will be two old olive trees I have yet to buy.So the more I can save from this garden the more I can spend on the olive tree which I know will not be cheap.

Having said I am creating a mediterranean garden I am putting in some roses which I love and also represent my English roots. The roses I ordered from the UK and are healed in in the garden here. I  am hoping the weather does not get too warm too quickly as I will have to pot them up too rather than planting then straight away as the garden which is no way near ready.

If I find more pots weather permitting I will continue tomorrow.

Furnishing a Home

Having sold my house in London and a holiday apartment,3 years ago now,to fund Casa Colleverde; I have as a result shipped two container loads of furniture to Italy to furnish it. I only hope everything gels once all the wrapping is taken off. Some of the furniture has been in my rented garage now for over 2 years and it has been added to during this period and the time is now getting nearer when it will all finally be unwrapped to see if it has survived without being attacked by mice or damp.

Actually to be honest I have forgotten what I have got in the garage, there are lots of boxes with numbers and descriptions, I may end up with too much furniture, paintings or photos, lets hope not. I still have to buy some big items 4 beds and matresses, 4 sofas, 4 wardrobes and some other occasional chairs and  rugs in addition i need to get some of the little things which go to making a house a home.

 Normally when furnishing a home you do it over time its not a hurried process done all at once. You spend time deliberating over what would look best on a particular shelf or in a favorite corner or you may see something particular when you are traveling and buy it as a momento. It seems to me more difficult when your home is also going to be your means of making your living and you have to make decisions relatively quickly. I am constantly having a debate with myself as to how practical a piece of furniture is, is it easy to clean and will it last. Quite often though the decision is out of my hands things self exclude because they cost too much.

In a few months time I will know whether I have made the right decisions or not.