Spain 2025

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Hi everyone. Remember me? Yes, I’ve been bad about posting but you must forgive me. I’m still battling this coldzilla. Really! I’m entering my fourth week. Someday!

Anyway, this is a Trip Report. We had planned a trip and even though we both had this “cold” we had to go. We went to Valencia, Alicante, and Madrid. Three cities we had never visited. We love Spain. So here we go!

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We had both been sick for a week or more with a cold which was primarily a dry, hacking cough. We had improved somewhat when the time came to leave but we were still out of it. Nevertheless, we proceeded with plans and hoped we would improve during the trip. 

We picked up our cat sitter from the Perugia airport a day before we left. A nice British woman named Lucy. I feel comfortable with her caring for them.
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April 28
We drove to Bologna to the airport hotel where we always stay. We didn’t feel like going to the restaurant so we ordered room service. One of my issues is lack of appetite. Not much is appealing. And my taste for wine had disappeared which is serious!
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April 29
Next morning we had an early flight to Valencia. All went well and we arrived on time around 11am, we taxied into the city which didn’t take long. Our hotel is Only You Hotel which always makes me sing the song ☺️ Very nice. It was impacted by the country-wide power outage the day before. It took out their network of the TVs. So no TV anywhere worked. Otherwise no big deal.

We had lots of time so we went out heading for the Central Market. Before going Luther had a recommendation for a tapas place for lunch. . . so we went there. It was quite good. A quirky little place. Nearly empty when we got there it filled right up. Here is the cute little restaurant and pictures of some of our food.

I must mention the mussels especially. They were fresh, the first of the season, and harvested just off the coast of Valencia. I have. Never. Had. Better. Mussels. So sweet.

Then we headed back and crashed for a while. Remember, we were still felling bad. At around seven, we tried the TV, no go. Turns out all the hotel info was accessed on the TV. Too bad for us. We wanted to do room service this night but no menu available. Luther managed to get a bunch of paper printouts of the menu . We were not impressed. Finally, we decided to get a drink at the bar. There, we had issues accessing the menu online. What’s new? We went up to the ninth floor for a tapas dinner. I did this for Luther because the cold I had had made me totally not have an appetite. We had tapas. I managed to eat some.

We crashed and I had a good nights sleep. We both felt better next day. We had booked breakfast on the first morning. It’s expensive for all three days though, so we will go out for the other days. The breakfast was excellent. There was nothing you could have imagined that wasn’t there. 

We headed out to visit the Central Market, finally. It was amazing. Big building chock full of anything you could want. We bought our dinner. A small goat cheese cake, two packets of Iberian ham (super famous) and a baguette. Plus wine. Back to the hotel for naps and relaxing.

After naps we headed over to the Cathedral. I really enjoyed it. The site has been used by the moors for their mosques and the Christians, for their churches since the 600s. Admission was €6 for us seniors. It came with a great audio tour. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Back we headed to the hotel. We went straight to the hotel bar where we had some wine. 

Dinner was the stuff we had bought at the central market. Nice picnic. The cheese, a fresh goat, was amazing! I wanted to go back and get several more little rounds of it. So good!


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May 1 – May Day
Up late. A very windy day. Not too warm or cold. We planned a walk to the City of Arts and Sciences. Luther wanted to see the building. We walked about halfway but the wind was just horrible so we turned around and returned. Everything, I mean everything was closed.

On the way back we encountered a parade! For May Day. Labor Day. The day for the workers.  Lots of communists who are alive and well here. And I saw one group with 37.5 signs, advocating for a 37 hour work week. 

We had reservations for lunch Civera. Seafood is its specialty. But it was too early so we had a glass of wine in our hotel. 

The restaurant was very good. The only reservation was outside but thankfully the street and buildings sheltered us. We decided on some tapas. Big surprise. I ordered mussels and the little fried peppers they make here. And Luther got teensy fried fish with ham and an egg on it. The fish were so small, you could just make out the tiny eyes. Fries with eyes our friends call them. After finishing, they brought a small bottle of Muscat and cookies 🙂. Then we got coffee. And Luther got brandy, Grand Duca d’Alba. They poured him an enormous glass! 😳 and he had to stop them pouring more. As it was I had to “drive” home. i.e. navigate back. Well, needless to say naps were in order.

We stayed in and finished the cheese, ham and bread we had left. Next day we were off to Alicante on the Spanish train. Our first time using the Spanish trains.
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May 2 – Alicante
We had 10:20 reservations on the train so we got up and all packed up and out the door by 9:30. Being unfamiliar with this new system we wanted plenty of time. We taxied to the station, about eleven minutes away. Decided to have a cappuccino while waiting for the gate to come up. Then we waited on the platform until the train showed up. We had reserved seats so found them, no issues. The ride was a bit cramped and we arrived at 12:45, so it was a two hour plus trip.

Spain is reminiscent of the desert southwest of the U.S. scrubby, dry, canyons and gulches. There were areas with lots of what looked to be fruit trees and grape vines, but in dusty dry fields. Tall mesa type rocks and mountains devoid of greenery. So very different than Italy. It is where the spaghetti westerns were filmed.

Then after a while, it greened up and was very pretty.

We arrived in Alicante and taxied to the hotel. Hospes Amerigo. We were too early to check in so we left the luggage and went to the tapas restaurant place in the hotel bar. I have been totally remiss on the photos of the food. I wish I had done the tapas which were beautiful. We had amongst the two of us, a container of fried fresh sardines. A seafood salad served cold. Curried chicken samosa. Flatbread with titaina, sardines and mollitas. Super yummy and we were stuffed.

We checked into our nice room. With open bathroom plan. Later the steward brought us a bottle of bubbly on ice with a thank you note from the manager. We didn’t do anything special so I assume they do this for everyone? 🤔 Anyway it was nice and we drank it 🙂 We ordered room service. I was craving a simple salad. They are definitely short of salads here. All I could find was a Cesar salad with chicken. I ate the salad, not the chicken. Luther got a sandwich.
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May 3 – Alicante
We got up late and went to breakfast about 10:15. It was good but not spectacular. Then we went out for a walk. I had bought a linen shift the day before because I didn’t have anything appropriate for a beach place. It is very comfy even if it makes me feel like I look like the cleaning woman.

We checked out random streets and went looking for the mushroom street which I had seen pictures of. We went on a circuitous route but eventually did find it.

Then Luther led the way and we just window shopped and looked at menus. We happened upon the big market. It’s divided up into meat, seafood, and veggies. One whole floor was meat. Incredible. It was fun to check it out.

Now, I was Jonesing to go back to a restaurant I saw that advertised Mojitos. I thought that would be perfect. It’s been a while. And it was amazing. Fresh squeezed limes and a bunch of mint. Very delicious. 

We went to the seafront. Along the way I photographed the amazing Banyan tree in the park. The canopy is so large it shades the whole park. The trunk is enormous. The roots tall. I’m in awe of trees like this one. There are two huge cruise ships here. I guess it is a destination. The promenade is nice with walkways lined with palms.

Back and relaxing in the room. We went to dinner at 8:30 in the hotel restaurant. I wanted a green salad badly. So odd they are not common. They were kind and made one for me. Then Luther and I shared a paella with shrimp and cuttlefish. Good, but not my favorite. Was super dark in color. The rice was very dark from squid ink. It was a nice meal and we had a nice conversation mainly about public TV and NPR. I was always a doner, subscriber and listener. Big fan. But I guess those who use it will need to up the anti and support them more. They say the rural stations out in the middle of the country will probably go dark. Sad that where they need it most a reputable news source will be lost.


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Sunday – May 4 — bullet train to Madrid
We had plenty of time before we needed to check out. We had a good breakfast and packed up but remained in the room until checkout time. Then we waited at the outside tables until it was time for a taxi.

The train was already there so we could board. It was a super long train with engines in the middle as well as the ends. We had to walk a very long way to get to our car. The seat was much more comfortable than the one two days ago. Wide seat, spacious drop down tray and foot rest. The trip was about 2.5 hours. The scenery was varied. At first it was a dead ringer for the Arizona desert. As my friend said, home of the spaghetti westerns and this type area in Spain is exactly where they were shot. The it got lusher. Not sure what the crops were but they were green and there were forests of pines.

We arrived in Madrid at 1:15. And it was COLD! 😳 I was flabbergasted. The reports a week or two ago showed Madrid warmer than our other towns. Now, looking at the weather I see it will be highs of around 62 and rain all of our days. Oh well. I did not pack for this so we may need to pick up some coats or sweatshirts. 

We checked into the Hotel Urban. I had been pretty excited about our stay but I was very disappointed . The suite I booked wasn’t available for at least the first day. They had a junior suite. I had no choice really. The room is not suitable to me. Poorly designed. On the central courtyard. Very dark. Lighting lacking. Size much smaller. Of the rooms so far, this is the worst. I waited to decide the next day if I wanted to change. 

We went out to dinner at Casa Varona. We sat at a tall table. When we arrived it was empty, when we left it was packed. I had an asparagus dish with cherry tomatoes. We had fresh anchovies. Luther got the calamari sandwich. It was fun. Not great but fun. A 15 minute walk from the hotel. There is an interesting bunch of small streets behind the hotel full of shops and restaurants. Very fun. Home to bed.


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Monday, May 5
We decided to switch rooms. Really worth it. That room was like living in a cave. Horrible. It meant we had to pack up everything but I never had a less appealing room than that one.  

We had the breakfast this day. It was nice. More formal than most breakfasts. We both ordered the scrambled eggs and got other stuff from the buffet. 

Then we were off to visit the Reina Sofia museum. Mostly Spanish artists and architects. Very interesting. My back bothers me after a little while standing so I tend to go and look and then find a place to sit a while. Luther really enjoyed it.

It was well past normal lunchtime but not past Spanish lunchtime. We walked back toward the hotel and headed into that restaurant area and came upon Tabarina Elisa We sat at the bar. We had a few tapas. I finally got a Gilda. The “Gilda” tapa, a classic Basque pintxo, is named after the iconic film character Gilda, played by Rita Hayworth, in the 1946 movie of the same name. And I also got the mussels which were nothing like I imagined but were delicious. Luther got dado of cod and croquettes of Iberian ham and cheese. All delicious. 

Gilda

Back to finally move into our new suite room. Infinitely better. Big. Comfortable, windows all around with sunshine!! A table and chairs and a sofa and chair sitting area. Same type bathroom. So much nicer. The owner of this hotel group collected art from Papua New Guinea. These were in our room.

We went back to a restaurant we had passed today on our walk back. Triciclo. It is Michelin rated. I really loved it. It was very eclectic. I had cevechi of bass. And then a taco of stewed chicken and shrimp. Luther got the taco and suckling pig. They have three sizes for everything meaning you can get the small portions which works for me best. Very yummy meal.
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Tuesday May 6
Today was the day we planned to visit the Prado. The amazing art museum of mainly Spanish artists. We spent two hours in there and didn’t dent it. It was incredible. Many artists we didn’t know who were amazing. Then the well known Goya, Bosch, Velazquez, El Greco. 

By then it was nearly two so we went in search of lunch. We ended up at Marina Ventura near the hotel. We each had Spanish anchovies with toasts and tomato mush. Classic dish. Then I had a big salad. It had white asparagus and that was the draw for me. Also all the usual things in salad plus boiled eggs and tuna. Luther got the fried seafood plate. But nothing seemed fried. He had razor clamps, mussels, clams and prawns. A feast,

We planned a picnic in the room so found a grocery and I asked the man to help with a picnic. His face lit up and he enthusiastically helped pick out cheeses. I got three. Than some Iberian ham. And a bottle of white wine. Back to the hotel to kick back.
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May 7 – Homeward bound
We flew back to Bologna and retrieved our car and drove home. Always nice to get home to our Boyz Simba and Rocky.
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Thoughts on the trip.
Three interesting, and very different cities. We enjoyed them all for different reasons. I loved Alicante because of its laid back vibe. Valencia, although Spain’s third largest city, was very walkable and we loved the food. Would have preferred a different paella. Madrid, Luther’s choice, and the reason we came, was a pretty city. We were right next to the Congress and a lot of embassies. The little streets behind our hotel were fun and accessible with lots of restaurants.
Hotels.
Only You València. Perfectly located. They made the mistake of having all the hotel info on the TVs which are on one big network. The countrywide power outage took them out so it was impossible to see what they had. Room service etc. The room was a suite with sofa in one room, bed in the other. Nice bathroom but the maids sabotaged us by leaving the powerful squirter facing straight out. Everything was drenched. Only one treat was offered on one evening at turndown
Hospes Amerigo Alicante. Room was not as big but they brought treats. A bottle of Cava, bubbly Spanish wine first night, and a bag of cookies the second. Nice bathtub for Luther. Very nice shower. Open plan. Our favorite hotel.
Hotel Urban in Madrid. Good location. They stiffed us on our reservation and lied about why. They didn’t want to give us much restitution for the screw up. I was adamant they give us more which they finally did. They had a nice bar. The restaurant, Cebo, a recently awarded Michelin starred restaurant was way too precious. I would definitely NOT go back.

Hi folks!

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I decided to put out a quick post. Luther and I both are battling a mean cold. Called a raffraddore in Italian in case you’re interested. We went to the Books for Dogs charity Quiz Night. Fifty people packed into a small room. Superspreader event for sure. I’m glad it wasn’t COVID. We had a lot of fun but I’m not sure that makes up for battling this cough. We did come in second however…😉

Anyway last weekend was Pasqua, Easter. A Big Deal in Italy, and we kind of missed the whole thing this year. We had reservations with friends to go to Pasquetta lunch, little Easter, Easter Monday. But we had to cancel.

Sadly, we lost our beloved Papa Francesco on Monday. We will all miss him. The funeral and then the conclave to elect the next Pope will come next. I will be interested to watch it all.

The weekend before Easter, Palm Sunday we did go out for pranzo. All around Umbria they hand out olive branches rather than palm fronds on this day. You could see places everywhere to pick some up. Pranzo was at Ristorante UNE where we had been a number of times in the past…before they were famous… Last year they received a Michelin star. It wasn’t much changed, except for the prices doubled. It used to be €45 per person for a five course fixed price lunch, which was a steal. Now it is €90. But I get it. Thing is, there were only five tables for two for a Sunday lunch. I wonder if it’s because of the prices. Anyway, it was good, I took pictures of course. This first one was on our way up the little road to the village. So green.

Here are some of the courses. I enjoyed the meal but I was full-to-uncomfortable. The next three are just some of the ten different small appetizers we had. Captions under the photo if I recall what it is 🙂

Snails on a skewer with cauliflower
This was my favorite of the appetizers. Filled with porchetta with a cheesy dip,
Primi. A carrot flan with black miso, underneath the raw, thinly shaved mushrooms.
I just remember the top thing is rabbit. Those yolks are quail and barely soft boiled so they burst in the mouth.
Dessert. Ice cream stuffed with fruits and chocolate underneath the meringue
Assorted extra desserts…which I couldn’t eat! Too full.

Next week we have planned a trip to Spain. I sure hope we are both better by then! We will fly to Valencia then train to Alicante and then to Madrid. All new places for us. We have a house/cat sitter who arrives from London at the Perugia airport Sunday. That gives us a day to show her the ropes. Of course there will be a trip report! ☺️. Ciao for now.

AWOL!

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So sorry I have been gone a while. I was really hoping to wait for final bathroom pictures. It took longer than expected. But we are close enough for me to post pictures. My statement was the towel rack. I like it. Some might not but it is my little statement.

OK. Tell me what you think. I’m fine if you don’t like my green pop. 😁

Calagrana had a lovely bistro lunch on Wednesday. We asked friends Debbie and Bob to join us. And they invited their Swedish friends to join us. It was a lot of fun. Here is the food.

The meal was excellent as always.

Our weather is going to turn icky after today. Much rain ahead. But that is the way here. Spring we get rain. Dry from May to September. So happy to get the rain now.

Buona domenica a tutti!

Springtime!

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It’s so pretty around here right now. Everything is blooming. The winter crops are brilliantly green. Living up to the name — The Green Heart of Italy 💚. On my way to work at Books for Dogs I cross the Tiber. This, I think is a cherry.

I also walked to the supermercato near the centro after the market and got this snap of our fortress. Look at the carpet of daisies!

In the market I bought a “new to me” spring vegetable. There was no name on it and I forgot to ask. I can’t believe I haven’t seen this before. The lady told me how to prepare it as a pasta sauce. Here are a couple photos.

I prepared it as she suggested. Italians love to share recipes. I remember when I first moved here I never understood them. Now I do and that makes it much more fun. Here is a picture as I tossed the pasta, the veggie and the sauce of olive oil, garlic, anchovies and capers.

I also took a couple photos of my own flowers on the terrace. Here they are.

Finally, a photo by my friend Doug Hunt who lives near Assisi up on Monte Subasio. Quintessentially spring. It showcases the bucolic beauty of the Umbrian landscape. It is much the same as it was centuries ago. It’s part of what I love about Umbria. We are so fortunate to live in such a place. I thought you would enjoy seeing it.

This week the glazier comes to install the shower glass and the mirrors. After that we can use it! I still have a surprise to show you, once it is installed. Some might not like it. But I am sure I will. Wait and see!

Almost done

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These will be the last pictures until the bathroom is completely finished. We had the idraulico (plumber) put it all the appliances and fixtures yesterday. Then the elettricista came today and put in the above the shower lights. There will be another row above the sink so he will come back. The muratore came to install the bars and seat in the shower. I insisted I have the seat. I like to be able to clean my feet well and shave my legs and it is so much easier when I am seated. The last thing is the shower glass and the mirrors, which I think will be next week. Here are pictures.

On another note, I ordered a bunch of Mexican food from Mexabores. Seems it is based in the Netherlands. They have a lot of good stuff. It arrived today. I see some good Mexican in our future. They gifted us the Corona and the chips. The chips looks yum!

Ciao for now!

Bathroom – getting there!

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This will be a short post with pictures of the progress on the bathroom. It is starting to shape up. The first is of the finished niche in the shower, minus the shelf which needed an adjustment.

Next is the counter where the sink will sit. It is of the same stone as the shower floor and has two shelves and two cabinets. I wanted someplace to store things. I really like this one.

The glazier came to measure for the shower glass and the mirrors. They will be ready in a week. The plumber comes Monday or Tuesday. To install the toilet, sink and fixtures. Last will be the lights. And the heated shower rack.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Bathroom

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Hi everyone! I haven’t written a post for a while. I’ve been a bit busy with doctor appointments. I mentioned one small thing I wondered if there was medication for to my doctor. Well, from there it has spiraled right down the rabbit hole!

First, I will say I am feeling just fine so don’t worry. A couple small things not quite normal in my blood tests led to further blood tests and I mentioned my sister is being treated for Multiple Myeloma right now which does raise my risk level. So in an abundance of caution she recommend I visit a hematologist. Which I did last week. She didn’t seem concerned (definitely not Multiple Myeloma) but she wanted MORE blood tests, an ultrasound and a chest X-ray. Each thing needed to be done separately and entailed a trip to the hospital in Città di Castello, about 20 miles north. I like the hospital, there’s easy parking and there is zero traffic so it’s not terrible. Anyway. I’ve done the X-ray and ultrasound and the technicians both said no problems found. So just the last blood work to do. I guess I’m glad they are so thorough but it’s a lot of trouble! So that’s my world right now.

Otherwise, we have been having typical March weather it’s been warm for a while but now we are having a cold snap. It will go below freezing tonight so I covered my citrus trees. But I have a wonderful little display of Narcissus which are beautiful and up-lifting. Completely enjoying them.

Bathroom. Well, it’s been moving slowly but we are getting closer. My architect has returned from a trip to Sri Lanka on an architectural and garden tour. Maybe things will begin to go faster now. So the progress so far. Almost all the tiles are done and the floor is done. There is a niche in the wall I wanted and they were going to frame it in the same stone we are using for the shower and sink counter. Well, they cut the stone wrong so it’s waiting for the new pieces to be cut. Then the walls will be finished. Irma said the cabinet for under the sink is finished and they will be putting that in this week. The glass guy will come soon to measure for the glass and mirrors. Next week the plumber and electrician are being sorted to come. So we are getting there but aa always…piano, piano.

We have had some fun too. We invited friends who live here part time over to lunch last week. It was great fun. We met a new couple from Australia for aperitivo, also part timers here. They have a villa nearby and I am excited to see it sometime when they return. Other friends are just beginning to return for the spring. All of them part timers here. Winter is always very slow.

So that’s all the news fit to print! Take care everyone. Ciao!

Happy Women’s day!

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Today is International Women’s day. Here in Italy, women are gifted a sprig of mimosa to celebrate. I worked at Books for Dogs this morning and the town was festooned with mimosas. There were big buckets of it on traffic islands, and in front of stores. Women were walking everywhere carrying their mimosa. It is said the mimosa was chosen because it manages to flourish even in difficult conditions and is associated with women’s own resilience and ability to win their rights. Here’s mine. Gifted to me when I went into the Farmacia to fill a prescription 🙂

I normally park on the other side of the river when I drive to town on market days. The river was pretty and I saw my first fisherman!

My little kumquat tree is loaded with fruit. Most isn’t quite ripe yet. You can tell when they are ready because they get extra orange and soften. I have a great recipe for Chicken and Kumquats which I made tonight. My tree.

We have a plethora of pizzerie in our town 😁. They have all different types of pizza. From the super thin, almost cracker crust that is called Roman style to the thicker crust of the Neapolitan style. Last Thursday we went to Degusto which is very near us and Neapolitan in style. Delicioso. This is Luther’s. Mine was prettier but I didn’t take a picture before I destroyed it, by cutting it. Did you know they don’t cut pizza into slices here? You get the whole pie, uncut. I use scissors to cut it if I get it “to go”.

No bathroom updates to speak of. They finally got the wooden form that they needed to use to cut the tiles around the shower stone. But that’s as far as they got. I hope next week we have more progress. This has been a major roadblock. I realize things happen on “Italian Time” here but this is getting tiresome. Oh well. Piano, piano.

It’s Marzo!

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A gray Sunday but it’s my normal laundry day, because the electricity is cheapest on a Sunday, so I’m just enjoying a quiet day. Starting Tuesday the temperatures are really warming up. Daytime from 15 to 18 or about 60 to 65. Not too bad.
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This past week I made progress on the inscrutable Italian health system. It can be hard to get appointments here, especially if you want a location or a doctor specifically. But my doctor wants me to see a Hematologist because she has some concerns about my blood tests. She specified the appointment was urgent and was to be within ten days. Mainly this was to speed it up, not because it was really urgent. I went to the CUP in the Farmacia (they make appointments) who said I would get an SMS with the appointment. Which I did, the next day! So I’ve got an appointment next week. I’m not concerned at this time but it needs to be checked I guess. And I really am only writing about the process, which involves a steep learning curve. I am on the wait list for two other appointments. If it’s not an emergency it can take some time.
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Meanwhile I worked at Books for Dogs/Libri per i Cani yesterday. I’ve written before but this time I took a few pictures so you could get an idea of the shop. The charity supports two canile which are kennels for rescued dogs plus one other which rescues anything that needs help. I love that she, and she does this all alone, does this.

We get a constant stream of people either donating things for us to sell or those who love to browse for a bargain. We keep busy checking people out and also pricing and displaying the goods. There are a lot of regulars too. Some I like. Some are a bit of a pain. Yesterday a woman came in just at closing and spent a lot of time browsing. She had several things but wanted me to throw in a set of measuring cups that were priced at €2.00. Well, I wasn’t in the mood at that time so I looked at her and said “it’s for the animals”. She put them back. 🙄 Here is the shop. You may notice the Italians are dressed like for the Arctic? Stocking caps and puffer coats. Yeah. They wear these until June. They dress for the calendar, not the weather. To each their own, right?! 🤣

You can get some bargains there for sure. People sometimes bring in Armani designer items and other designer things. The goods do tend to turn over pretty quickly. They also sell furniture. They rent a garage for the bigger things and there is a catalog with pictures. This three piece set of antique inlaid dresser and bedside tables is in the shop. They are asking only €240 for the three.

They also sponsor fun things like quiz nights and bingo at a local restaurant. The quizzes are in English but the bingo is very popular with the Italians too.
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Bathroom. Slow but steady progress. It is amazing how much work goes into a small bathroom. Floor with spacers.

Grouted floor.

Grouted wall.

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Italians have something similar to our chicken soup. Not literally but the food that you eat when you’re not feeling great. Called pasta in bianca, pastina in brodo, riso in bianco or maybe straciatella (egg drop soup). All light and comforting. I made my version this week. It is a soup of pasta in a nice home made chicken broth with a bit of greens. Very much a classic and light comfort food. This is mine 😋

Buona domenica a tutti!

Feels like springtime

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We are heading into a slight warming trend. The earliest fruit trees are blooming pale pink. The almonds are white. It’s uplifting. We decided to go to Calagrana for lunch. They have begun to open for Sunday lunch again. It was fun. There were three tables of English speakers and two tables of Italians, one of which was 14 people. So I think we English speakers were overpowered today. This is a change from the past when it was primarily English speakers. I’m actually very happy about this. We saw some friends from North Carolina who have a home here. And the other table were all Books for Dogs people. The big Italian table were having fun and VERY loud. As always, the women sat at one end of the table, the men, at the other. 🙄

The food was delicious. I chose the Crostone topped with roasted peppers, anchovies, capers and tomatoes. So good. The combination of sweet peppers and tomatoes, tart capers and salty anchovies really worked. Picture by Ely of the ingredients.

Luther had the house smoked Umbrian trout with pickles and toast. No picture. Our second course choices were lamb chops for Luther and Guancia (beef cheeks) on puréed potatoes both really good.

Calagrana had a tough week this week with the loss of Archie, everyone’s favorite terrier. He worked the front of the house and had his own bench, which if you sat there, you shared with him. He had been at Calagrana for all the years I had been going and I really missed his sweet little self today. 😔 RIP Archie. 🌈

Bathroom. Last week they began the process of waterproofing the floor and walls. This is the future shower space. We are getting closer to the “pretty stuff” 🙂. Here are the latest pictures.

Buona Domenica a tutti!