Feasting in August

I don't know why this page takes so long to load but it does. Sorry about the sporadic postings these days. I usually just about have time to check the NPR page and that's about it. But all is well here in Gravagna. August is vacation month for the Italians and there were tons of people here for Feraugosto this year. We went to the big dinner that everyone has up on the mountain and feasted to our hearts content. The following day there was a picnic lunch way up on the mountain where they pasture the animals and I think the Italian picnicing is about the most involved procedure I have ever seen.
First they load up their cars with all their food and it ain't no panino and beer. My wonderful Bertolini cousins invited us to eat with them and they pulled out lasagnas, roast lamb, torta, rice bomba, bread, salame, cheese, figs, baskets upon basket of wine, huge water coolers, tables chairs, cushions, tableclothes. You name it, they had it there. Italians apparently take picnicing very seriously. We started eating at about noon and it all wrapped up about six with plenty of napping in between. It should take six hours to eat dinner every once in a while and two or three days to prepare it. These are things worth doing.

Meanwhile the Wingates have been visiting. Henry and Ben have been busy with landscape painting and everyone in the village is curious about what they do all day in the big dark studio room. Ben and I had our seventh wedding anniversary and we celebrated with panna cotta ( a delicious dessert similar to creme brulee but without egg) over at Marietta. Delicious.

Lastly above is a photo of the cena this year and a token photo of Julia, well loved by all, most especially Giuseppe. Here he is telling me about his wife's artifical heart.