What a beautiful day. We are in a lull in our summer heat. We are totally enjoying it! Last night we had thunderstorms in the wee hours and nice rain. I woke to very cool temperatures — 61 F. And fog hanging in the valley. Refreshing. Here is a picture of the super moon rising over our Piazza.

Yesterday we took a trip down to Etrusco, our favorite butcher. We don’t get there often so we buy a lot when we go. We bought a beautiful Tomahawk steak, two fillet mignons, a flank and a skirt steak (I think? I am never sure), two tomahawk pork chops, sausages and hamburgers. He brought out big tubs of shrink-wrapped meat for us to see. For each piece of meat I bought, the butcher went to great lengths to tell me how to cook it. Mostly it involved holding the fatty edge on a hot griddle or pan and letting the fat sizzle and melt. Then cook one and a half minutes on each side in the rendered fat. He also was super proud of his lamb. I am excited to try it because he explained the lambs were two years old and castrato. This is a lot older than most “Lambs”. Perhaps it is the castrated part…I don’t know. He again told me how to cook it, even to giving me a big piece of fat to use. I know this butcher well. He only sources from local farms and knows that they were raised humanely, and treated well during their life. I prefer to buy meat like this. He wished a buon Ferragosto! Happy feasting.
The Saturday market was abuzz with activity. It’s high summer now and the produce is abundant. I probably got a little carried away. I bought a ton more of the wonderful tomatoes, green beans, baby zucchini, arugula (super bitter to go with the steak tonight), sweet new red onions, a pepper, friggatelli, eggplants and a melon. I visited Angelo to buy prosciutto crudo to go with the melon. A feast for a festa! This picture is only some of the bounty! I love our local market and am really happy I will still be able to walk to it from our new apartment. Not many towns have a market like this. I feel blessed.

I will take a picture of my dinner tonight if I remember. Here is a picture I took of my Rocky-cat helping me out while I am preparing dinner. I am constantly stepping over him or around him. He is very helpful!

Finally, an unbelievably beautiful sunset a couple of days ago.

Buona festa a tutti!!
Happy for you Kathleen!
My heart aches to be back. Returning the 4th.
Hi Audrey, I think the markets here, and particularly our Saturday kilometer zero market — all local and produced by the vendors – is my favorite. Not just every town has one of these.
Hi Liz! Yes, he is always under foot. In fact he thinks our feet are his best friends. I don’t think he associates them as part of us as a whole. He likes to be in the middle of the action. Sweet boy!
Just gorgeous!!! You are blessed. I miss the markets in Italy.
That all looks so delicious. Rocky is so, so funny. I was terrified of stepping on him when we were there. He is so quiet that you don’t know that he has flopped himself down behind your feel. He loves to hang out with people, so he WAS usually right by our feet. I learned to look all around before getting up from a chair. Managed to not step on him. Thank goodness.
Matt, you’re the best! I’m glad you liked it… a day in the life I guess. . .
What a great way to start my Saturday! A sweet post of daily life in Umbertide, ending with a stretched-out cat and a sunset – what could be better?