A Miracle

Will it work Part II

 It's just a little stick

He showed me how to prepare a grape branch for grafting

It is an especially sweet grape 

growing in the fertile soil, under spewing  Mt Etna Volcano.

We walked through the vineyard, always aware of the smoke rising from Mt Etna

See the rocks at the base of the barrels? 

 Mt Etna volcano reminds everyone who is  in charge. 

And what about that stick?

It came home with me to give to my neighbor who is going to graft it onto his grape stock. 

  What else do you give a neighbor who has taken such good care of my animals  and property while I was having a grand time in Italy. 

And now my neighbor has achieved the almost impossible.  

That dried up old stick I carried around with me has come back to life. 

 

Salute

Gina

Christmas 2022

 

Merry Christmas to You and Yours.

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white

Gina

Sicily, the Beautiful

 So strange to come home to snow

I came from Blue Waters, Sun and Sand, the Island  of Sicily.

Sicily is about Ceramics, a very original type of ceramics.

Sicily is about great food.

Sicily is about Sunshine, the  Ocean and boats.

She stood watch by my villa door

Every building in Syracuse looks like it belongs on top of a wedding cake. 

And Sicily is about History.  

Giina

Will it work?

 It's just a little stick+

He showed me how to prepare a grape branch for grafting

It is an especially sweet grape 

growing in the fertile soil, under spewing  Mt Etna Volcano.

We walked through the vineyard, always aware of the smoke rising from Mt Etna

Every now and then flying rocks from Mt Etna volcano remind everyone who is  in charge. 

And what about that stick?

It came home with me to give to my neighbor who is going to graft it onto his grape stock. 

  What else do you give a neighbor who has taken such good care of my animals  and property while I was having a grand time in Italy. 

Salute

Gina

Mary is to blame

Biscotti was on her mind

It snowed all day.
A good day to bake Biscotti.

Biscotti di Noce will last 2 months if placed in an air tight tin. 

Ready to go back into the oven. 

(Biscotti, twice baked) 

There was no vin santo for dipping.

My sour cherry Kirsch Likör was even better. 


Traveling through a small town  in Italy we noticed  a long line of women standing outside a bakery.  
Of course I had to investigate.  I came home with a large sack of biscotti because I didn't know how to tell the nice lady that I only wanted a few pieces.  

Biscotti was piled into the window well of the small bakery.  
There were flies.  Yes, you guessed it.  The next generation of flies made it home with me.  


Gina 

Here is the traditional Biscotti Recipe

https://ginaceramics.blogspot.com/2015/11/i-just-had-to.html

Not really a Christmas Story

Tucked away in the most northeastern corner of Italy

A special place called Südtirol

Where the cows go to green pastures and come home every evening to be in their cozy barn, where each cow has a hand painted name plate and her own window to look out from.

This is also the place where I buy my hand knit sweaters.
(The black sweater on the left is my newest acquisition).

From a special shop by the name of Trachten Stueberle

Where every balcony is  adorned with the most impossible and

luxurious flowers.

And where an elderly gentleman, of nobility, lives behind these towering walls.

He lives there, by himself, hidden.

In this enormous castle.

And every year I ask the locals: 'what do you hear from the old Gentleman' ? 

And always, a shrug of the shoulders follows.

And every year, I am hoping, that the elderly Gentleman will see me from his window, and send his manservant to invite me to have tea with him. 

And then I will sit quietly and listen.

Where is this magic place, you ask?

It is called Toblach/Dobbiaco in the Südtirol, where both Italian and German is spoken.

Each year I discover a little more and one day I will know everything.

Gina  

Repost 2011

There is a reason

why I love Italy the way I do.

It's the water

Of the many lakes of Northern Italy, at the foot of the Alps. 

Villa Carlotta

So plain on the outside but wait until you are allowed to go inside. 

The top floor of Villa Carlotta is still occupied.  Her flag is flying when the Marquese is in residence.  

The flag was flying the day we visited.  

Fine silks in Bellagio, the pearl of the region.

I seldom succumb, but this time I came home with three beautiful, hand painted silk scarfs.

To see Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper was a privilege.

Next time I will not climb all the way to the top of the world's 3rd largest Duomo in Milan.

It is dizzying.

When in Milano one must visit Da Vinci, La Scala and the famous shopping mall and maybe the awe inspiring Duomo. 

What I loved most of all were the waters of the many lakes.  They were pure and clean.  Every Body of water was crystal clear. Not a piece of paper, not a spot of oil on the water, no refuse of any kind.  

I hope that one day you have an opportunity to visit this spectacular region of Italy. 

Gina

Italy is calling

Italy is calling and I must go!

 I can't resist. 

Be well dear Friends, 

Gina

On the way to Venice

When you are your own travel agent,

you are bound to make a mistake now and then.

On our way to Venice from Tuscany,

we drove and drove for hours on tiny mountain trails. 

We ended up on a mountain top where fine Arabian Horses are bred.  

 In fact, Andrea Bocelli owns one of their Arabians. 

Traveler recommendations were so positive that I reserved two nights. 

We stayed one night. I could not sleep one more night on that precipitous mountain side. 

I listened most of the night to rumbles (imagined) of the earth. 

We gladly forfeited one night's stay. 

Yes, our next stopover had room for us even though we were one day early. 

In the small hamlet of Pra, 

near the university town of Este, 

we found Acienda Agricola Marin, a 16th century country villa. 

Even with battle scenes covering every wall I slept just fine. 

Because the land was flat as a pancake.

 The breakfast room walls were covered with battle scenes of yore.  

I found this charming little scene in one of the dark corridors. 

So many details, so much material for future projects. 

Acienda Agricola Marin in still a working Farm.  
The villa is hidden behind tall ancient walls.  

A country church, across the lane, chimes the hours. 

Just the way I like it.  

Gina

https://betweennapsontheporch.net/

https://normandylife.blogspot.com/