I woke up the first time at about 6:30 and then rested a while and then came out to write a little before 8 and I have been enjoying the morning ever since. I met the German couple who are here for the fourth time. They are very nice and seem to also be good friends with Edith and Catello. I have been enjoy sitting in my little corner table even if I had to move a bit to give the German man a sunless spot for him and his wife to have breakfast. It was great to watch all the action unfold. First the waitress coming out to set the tables, the the German man out for a dip, having brief conversations with him and any one who walked by the patio. Finally Gary showed up and even Peggy made it out before Christine. I went up to get Christine when I thought they were going to run out of the freshly sliced peaches. This breakfast routine is becoming a favorite. Two dabs of jam on the bottom of the bowl, some crunchy flakes on top, covered with plain white yogurt. The texture, the crunch, the smell, the taste. I love it. Our server knows now that I want a cappucino. I wish I had gotten her name. The German couple gave her big hug and she beamed to see them. Chris (we’re not to know he’s a doctor) went by to pay his bill. I had heard the family of three over the hedge, but I think they were gone. Someone later said they had a train to catch. It is very interesting how when you are traveling people come into your life, you make quick friends, and then they or you are gone moving on to the next set of new friends. I don’t remember exactly how it came up, but apparently Edith asked Chris when they wanted to leave and if it would be all right for the men to work on the road for about an hour. I think she asked around 8:30 and by the time I heard about it, it was approaching 9:30 and no one was even working on the huge trench that had been dug right across the hill that lead up to our parking lot. This all seemed so Italian. This gave us time to see the two apartments that the two families had been staying in. They each had two rooms and two baths and the one that the P family was in could easily could sleep six. We even walked through the one that the family of three had been in and it was quite nice too. Edith said something later about the apartments going for €80 per person per night, so that didn’t seem like such a great deal even in comparison to Borgo Argenina. Edith showed up and caught us snooping around , but she didn’t care and it gave her a chance to get after the workers to close up the hole.
It was sometime in this sequence that we asked Edith what exactly “Allora” means. She smiled with that twinkle in her eye and said “Allora, it means everything and nothing at the same time.” I also had found out that Edith is 52 almost exactly me age. It seems weird for the innkeeper to be your age. For so many years they were always the motherly type. Hmmm, the joys of getting older.
It also seemed like a great time so I asked if she would give us a tour of the wine production area. Both families followed her down to the cellar below the house and even the German woman Gisella was delighted to come as she had never had the tour either. The tour was great. We learned about the double fermentation process saw all the vats and even had a barrel tasting from two huge vats. I think we tasted a 2006 and more of the 2004. We all took pictures and had a great time. While we were there you could hear the backhoe and the workers nearby. While there we got the word that the trench had been cleared, so Chris and Susan and family went out to load up and get on the road. We asked if Edith would show us the chapel and she did. The outside is much more impressive than the inside. They are hoping to get some money from the government to help restore it.
As we came up from the chapel we stopped and settled our bills. I paid cash for the dinner and we found we had to pay for wine on top of the dinner. So it wound up being €40 same as at Elena’s. It wasn’t clear exactly how fast we were trying ot get out of there so Christine and I dawdled a little as we packed. I even took a whirlpool. But Gary came up and let us know they were ready to go even as I was finishing up my bath. So we hustled, threw it into a new gear and got all our stuff down before 12. Somehow we got it all in the car once again and we pulled out at about 12:04. Good bye Fattoria Tregole.
On to Capricci di Merion in Umbria
We headed over to the main road at Badesse and got on the same Super strada we had been on to go to Montalcino, but we turned off and headed toward Arezzo and then Perguia. Gary knows no speed but super fast. So I prayed a lot for the strength of the tires and I hoped Christine was sleeping, but we got there in about an hour and 15 minutes. We turned off the big auto strada at the Lago Trasimeno exit but drove toward the lake instead of up toward the town. We realized about where we needed to go and finally saw a sign and from there it was pretty easy. They call I Capricci di Merion an Antiqua Residenza, but it really is nestled in the town and a bunch of housing behind. No one appeared to be there when we arrived. We left the women sitting under a tree at a table sitting in the garden patio area. Gary and I check in and went through the room selection process. He has gotten the choice at Tregole so I got the choice here. It was either the Casanova room on the second (really third) floor or the Moliere room on the third (really fourth) floor. At Moliere had the balcony and a shower, I chose that one. The views of Lago Trasimeno was spectacular. Once the rooms were chosen we had to get the luggage up, but the woman at the desk had already shown us the elevator. WE knew this time that you have to hold the button down to make it work. It was perfect as all our stuff weighs a ton. How did we ever get it into that little Peugeot?
Once we got all the stuff in the rooms we went down to find the ladies still at the table where we had left them. We asked where we could get pranza (lunch) were asked if we wanted to have lunch here at the hotel and we thought “why not?” so they immediately started stetting up the exact same table at which the girls were setting. Our waiter was named Livio. We thought he was the chef, but that turned out not to be true we think. (actually we later found out that he really WAS the chef!) The meal started with a flute of some kind of spumante. The menu stated “Welcome to our Historic Villas of Merion, the noblewoman of the latest 800 that made it erect as a proof of love. The feeling that has ispired this villa, relives in the magic atmospheres breathing among these boundaries, in the delicious dishes that we offer you and in the delicate melodies of the Harp played live. Only after having enjoyed of these details, we will be certain that you will understand our pride of having seen you happyguests.
The bread was great although it looked almost white in color. Gary had some Prosciutto di Norcia tradizionalmente servito con la torta unbra and Christine had Timballino di fagiolina del lago con sfoglie di oarmigiano e frittelle di tuberi. Peggy had mazzancolle al te verde su piccola parmigiana di melanzane al bastilico, mezzancolle flavored fith green tea on an aburgine scented with basil. I was trying to eat a bit light, but Livio brought me a dap of pate when the others had their Primi Piattis. For my main course I had Raviola aperto all verdure e burrata, grtinato, su battuto do pomodoro, raviolo filled augratin with vegetables and burrata with chopped tomatoes. Peggy and maybe Christine had the tagliatelline di casa accoppiate al gusto d’aneto, capesante e pomodorino. For dessert we had a peach frozen thing and something else which was great but I don’t remember. All in all it was a pretty spectacular lunch. We also had two bottles of Gary’s Isod Reserva which still held up pretty well.
We went up to the room and rested and relaxed and had a generally slow day. We went down and check ed out the pool and then went back at 8 to use their spa which they call a wellness centre. It had a sauna, a whirlpool and a “doccia emozionale” which I think means an emotional shower! It had for different programs whch sprayed various versions of hot and cold water much of which was way too cold for me. The whirlpool was great except when all four of us got un water splooshed EVERYWHERE! Peggy spent much of the rest of the time tryhing to mop it somewhere with her foot. The sauna was great. Christine even gave it all a shot. Once we got dried off we all walked into Tuoro to see what we could find to eat. We walked up the hill from Capricci past a little park and then into a square with a bar that was playing a soccer game on an outdoor TV. We quickly realized that it was a replay of the 2006 World Cup finals against France that was exactly one year ago July 9. We found a great little Osteria down a side street called Osteria Pergola. They had some killer rolls (coperti) Christine and I split a Caprese and I had gnocchi which was great. This was finally a reasonable dinner about €26 per couple. Probable the cheapest meal we have had so far. We sat under a huge blooming wisteria which made it perfect. At dinner Christine and Peggy had a little issue about what I had blabbed about Danny and Wildwood but there isn’t much that needs to be said other than the by the next day God had worked it out in their hearts. We had a gelato in the town square, I got some cash and then we walked back to the Capricci. Another relaxing but great day.
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