(map) Verna di Umbertide, Umbria
Alberto Ciampelli and his wife and son have been bee keeping for years. With the incredible flowers in the Upper Tiber Valley, his api (bees) make fabulous miele (honey, although in Italian not a term you would use for your loved one).
The art of honey collecting starts with the honeycomb frames placed in a machine that removes the extra cera (wax, pronounced chey-ra), which is later used for candles and beauty products. The honeycombs are then situated in a centrifuga (a centrifuge) where the honey is extracted and then filtered into a large container… never big enough for one to fall into, unfortunately.
Actually, Alberto’s main job is exporting Italian queen bees abroad to bee keepers who want to tone down the aggression in their bee hives. Apparently, while Italian worker bees are still great honey producers, they are also less likely to attack you!
Be and let be… all’Italiana.
Contributed by Jean Tori, artist (www.jeantoriartwork.com), who rents holiday houses in her medieval hamlet in Umbria (www.caiporrihomeinumbria.com)
October 29th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
As a hobby beekeeper I can attest to the gentleness of Italian bees — I have some! Thank you for the fun story and photos.
November 4th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
I didn’t know that about the italian bees. Learned another new thing! I do love the miele though. Much better than American honey which is heated. I have had the mille fiori (spelling?) and the limoni. I have run out now and can’t wait to save up enough to buy more. I love it with a hot bowl of polento. My Dad and I used to eat it for breakfast on the weekends. Thanks for sharing.