The cliché “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” is an ok one by which to live. So when the mercury hits 38C+, the humidity means you stick to everything/everything sticks to you and the light is so bright it seems like you’re inhabiting the latest 3D animated film, it’s time to escape to il mare, il lago, la montagna, (sea, lake, mountains) or anywhere less sticky than urban Italy.

The only rules that govern life these sultry, halcyon days are, 1) siesta from 1-4pm (or later), 2) don’t dine before 9pm (or later), and 3) la passeggiata e il aperitivo! (An evening stroll walk and an aperitif.)

Buon estate a tutti! (A great summer to all!)

Bread is never, never thrown out. Left-over bread soaked it in water is at times fed to the chickens, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl. But only if there are already enough bread crumbs for cooking and you are not about to make bruschetta (toasted bread, rubbed with garlic, sprinkled with salt and drizzled with olive oil, pronounced broo-SKET-ta) or panzanella.

Panzanella is a keynote dish of cucina genuina (“genuine cooking”, ie, traditional cuisine of homegrown ingredients) and all of the farmwomen make it in the summer. I like Peppa’s version best: here is how she makes this dish once considered a piatto povero (poor man’s dish).

PANZANELLA (“dried bread salad” – pane means “bread”)

Ingredients for 4 persons:
about 1 lb of nearly stale good homemade bread (or if purchasing, Italian or French-style breads)
4 ripe tomatoes
6 leaves of basil
1 large purple onion
1 stalk celery
1 medium-sized cucumber
extra-virgin olive oil (accept no substitutes and get the BEST you can)
salt, pepper
wine vinegar
optional: variety of salads (but not iceberg lettuce!)

Soak the bread in water til it softens, then squeeze all water out. Cut into small pieces, all vegetables. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper, vinegar and keep in cool place (though not refrigerator) til served.
Best NOT prepared ahead and refrigerated.

Variations: in the Lazio region, tomatoes and onions are omitted and capers, garlic, anchovies and parsley are pulverized together with mortar and pestle. Hot red pepper is added.

I enjoy adding new variations to the traditional panzanella (which was made only from ingredients out in the garden in the summertime): black olives, carrots, radishes, corn…even tuna.

(Extra Secret: And here is a secret learned from my Sicilian mother-in-law about the use of purple onion in salads: slice finely about 20 mins before making salad and salt. This will draw out the water, ie, “tenderize” the purple onion. Add to salad as is and then add extra salt to salad, if needed.)

For more of Umbria’s recipes, see the COOKING page of www.annesitaly.com.

You would do well to wander into the Galleria Gilibert. It is a delightful place steeped in atmosphere, with its dark wood paneling and old bookcases containing antique books and its walls hung to the ceiling with antique prints and old maps. It looks like a setting for a Victorian novel, Dickens, perhaps. If old books fascinate you, you may never leave.

Everything you see is part of one man’s private collection, the late Alfredo Gilibert. His lifelong dream was to open this shop and he succeeded in doing so, together with his son, in 1992. His son, also a passionate collector, has now taken over. You will be met by two delightful women who will happily tell you about the treasures around you, but who are also just as helpful with questions about the city.

On the floor upstairs there is a large, airy space which is used for various cultural events such as book presentations, discussions and exhibitions.

(Insider’s hint: Ready for another caffé? The sophisticated, historic Caffé Baratti e Milano – small photo to the left – is just across the gallery and should be seen. Try some of their famous Gianduja chocolates!)

For many centuries, tales of these two Roman galleys resting on the lake bottom led to unsuccessful attempts to raise them. Raided by divers in 1895, the water level was lowered and the ships finally raised after Benito Mussolini ordered the lake to be drained in 1927.

These ancient ships measure 210 by 66 ft. and 233 by 80 ft. Many of the objects found on the ships can be seen in museums in Rome, although the ships themselves were burned by the retreating German army on May 31, 1944. Today, replicas and artifacts of the ships sit on the shore of the lake in a museum built specifically for them.

These are structures that range from the rustic to the quite beautiful, and are built into corners of Venice’s various calle and Campi (alleys and piazze) in many locations around the city.

Once you notice them, they’re everywhere! Their function is to encourage the gentlemen to just hold on a little longer until they reach a café or arrive at home rather than quietly relieving themselves in discreet corners! If a fellow were to try to do so, well, an unfortunate splash back effect comes into play!

An elegant solution for poetic justice (and clean streets!), we do believe.

The castle belonged to a branch of the Ricasoli family from the 13th Century, according to historical records, until it was sold to the Societá Vinicola Toscana in 1968. It’s dour, grey-stone exterior conceals what would once have been an intimate, romantic, albeit grand, home. Walls are decorated with trompe l’oeil, similar to that found in French and Bavarian castles, and the seemingly broken doors (in faux marble frames) were, in fact, designed to ensure that no room was sound-proof, thereby preventing intrigue during the Sienese-Florentine wars. The pezzo forte (lit. “strong piece”, as in highlight) of the tour however is without doubt the original, cosy theatre, built in 1740, and still containing some original scenery from a play performed in 1742.

All behind an unpromising facade perhaps, but beauty and history there for those in the know.

www.castellomeleto.it

Many elements of the church are Romanesque, dating back to the 11th century when Robert Guiscard ordered its construction. Visitors enter by a bronze door, forged in Constantinople in 1099 and once completely covered in gold and silver leaf. It shone so brightly Medieval worshippers talked of entering Il Paradiso.

Guarding the doorway are a lion and lioness, representing strength and charity. A local legend says that during a Saracen invasion these lions sprang to life and devoured the invading pirates, although today they seem too dentally challenged to pose much of a threat.

Rising 52 metres above the duomo is a mid 12th century Moorish/Norman bell tower. Fast forward a few hundred years and a substantial remodelling so that baroque and rococo styles are represented too. The duomo is both a pattern book for architecture and a refreshingly calm place to visit.

As it turns out, the tree — near Trevi in a little hamlet called Bovara — isn’t that hard to locate. Legend has it that the martyr Emiliano, the first bishop of Trevi, was tied to the tree and decapitated in the year 304. Emiliano became a saint, and the tree seems to have become immortal.

Despite late freezes which have killed off generations of trees in the surrounding grove over the centuries, l’Olivo di Santo Emiliano continues to flourish and produce fruit which the nearby Benedictine abbey uses to make their extra virgin oil.

The trunk has become twisted and gnarled, the bark black with age, and the catalogue number painted on its side seems somehow insulting. But still some majesty—the kind that only something which has witnessed almost two millenia can claim—remains.

San Marino was founded in 301 A.D. by Saint Marinus, a stonecutter from Dalmatia, who was fleeing from religious persecution under Emperor Diocletian. San Marino still has a reputation for welcoming people seeking protection. Even Garibaldi stopped there for 24 hours in 1849 when fleeing the Austrians with his troops. During WWII, over 100,000 were given safe haven. Today, the Republic has diplomatic relationships with over 100 countries, is a member of the UN, and even held the Presidency of the Council of Europe for six months in 2006-07.

San Marino claims to be the oldest republic with the longest continuous democracy in the world. Its first legislative statutes, enacted in 1253, are still in effect! (The 31,632 San Marinesi are very proud of that fact.) In 1797, Napoleon legitimized San Marino by recognizing it as a sovereign power. Two Captains Regent govern for six months, appointed by the democratically elected Great and General Council.

Three towers now sit high upon the mountain in the old town. The first, Guaita, built in the 11th century, was critical in the battle against Rimini’s 15th century Malatesta rulers. The second tower, Cesta, was built in the 13th century, while the third, Montale, was erected in the 14th century. All still standing tall, for the MANY visiting travelers to see.

Magic!

Brent has lived in Italy for 20 years, and eight years ago he fell in love with and then purchased a goat cheese farm, named Valle di Mezzo (Middle Valley), that had fallen on hard times. Brent then set about increasing both the size of the herd and the variety and quality of cheeses. Now the cheeses range from the freshest — ricotta and soft cheeses days old — to fine, mature wheels and rounds (some aged more than a year). Some of the cheese types are traditional, while others Brent has developed himself, such as those wrapped with herbs from Valle di Mezzo) or in plant leaves (walnut, chestnut or grape from the farm, or tobacco leaves from the nearby valley).

Brent, who is ebullient in both Italian and English, welcomes many visitors at the farm – ranging from residents of nearby Anghiari and Sansepolcro to school groups, restaurant owners and travelers — all of whom enjoy meeting the goats and purchasing the cheese where it is made.  For their part, the goats seem to enjoy the attention.

The current herd is 88 goats, all but three of which are female that produce milk for Brent’s fabulous cheeses after the babies are weaned. Baby goats are born from about March through May. This year there were 146 kids, 80 female and 66 male. Most goat births are twins, but healthy living at Valle di Mezzo this year brought seven sets of triplets!

The female goats (and the three males) are fortunate to have clear, fresh air and the wonderful views from the farm. When Brent ends up with too many goats, the extra female kids most often go to other goat farms.

And what happens to the male kids?  Don’t ask! They don’t belong on a goat cheese farm!

Further pictures and information about the farm, the goats and the cheeses can be found at www.valledimezzo.com.