Floss is Empty, Pre-Tirement is Over

Well, it had to happen. Not only has my last container of Italian floss (or Filo Interdentale, which I bought at the Mercatale Conad, my favorite little store in the world) run out:

and not only is it almost a year since we started our big pretirement adventure, it looks like I may have to actually retire from my pre-tiring to start up gainful employment once more. Which means that the Six Months blog is going into hibernation, until the next pretirement (hah!) or at least our next trip to Italy. We can’t stay away from Andrew and Marianne and the Upper Tiber valley for too long. Not to mention that I’m craving risotto from Calagrana and pizza from Bar Fizz (Quattro formaggi co cipolla, of course) daily:

Ciao-

PS: Hey, why not come over to my cocktail blog Spiked Punch and say howdy. It’ll help ease my “pre-tirement is over” pain.

Marianne’s Antique Pasta Roller

In Col di Rosa (our landlords Marianne and Andrew’s wonderful house outside of the town of San Leo Bastia), there is not only a lovely separate apartment that you can rent (if you visit Italian rental site Amici Villas, that is) but also the possibility that you might get invited upstairs for a meal cooked by Marianne. I’ve detailed one we had here, but didn’t talk enough about how amazing the kitchen/dining room is, packed with intriguing pieces like this antique pasta maker:

I probably didn’t talk enough about how wonderful a cook Marianne is, either, but really, you should go over to Italy and discover that for yourself.

*Note: We were on pre-tirement, and now we’re back. Want the full story? Start the pre-tirement journey here. Want to go backwards? Read the last pre-tired post here and scroll back. Or, just keep coming back for pretty Italy pictures.

TTITIM #1: Andrew and Marianne

Today, our pre-tirement ends, as we leave the Niccone Valley with the dogs, some new art, some jam and snacks, some wine, some knicks and knacks, a huge host of lovely and memorable memories, and a ten-pack of fazzoletti (or tissue) for the ride to Milan (which happens first, then the drive to Frankfurt, from where we fly back to Seattle). We would have none of the above (except the dogs, who came with us naturally) without the #1 thing of the list of Top Ten Italian Things I’ll Miss: Andrew and Marianne. If you’ve never seen the blog until this post, then where have you been? If you have seen it, you’ve heard me mention Andrew and Marianne before, because they’ve been an integral and amazing part of our Italian experience, starting with the fact that they made it possible by letting us live at Cielo Chiara (which they own) for an incredibly reasonable price (hey, you can stay there, too, by the way--just head over to Amici Villas) and put up a fence around a giant part of the yard for the dogs, and ending with the fact that they’re having coffee with us as we head out of town. But between that starting and ending has been the best part, as we were able to hang out with them tons. At one point, I referred to them as our British/Italian (since they are British, but have lived in Italy for 20 odd years) Auntie and Uncle, but then stopped, cause I don’t think many people like their relatives nearly as well as we like Andrew and Marianne. They’ve been wonderfully welcoming, fun, and helpful, keeping us sane when we were having problems getting acclimatized near the beginning, helping us feel like locals by taking us to Maestro Dante (read up on my Maestro Dante blogs if you haven’t—it’s the Italian trucker restaurant extraordinaire) many times, introducing us to a big bunch of new pals here (folks like Roger and Rhiannon and Andrew’s brother Richard), and making us feel like family by having us over for many memorable meals at Cucina la Marianne. I’m just rambling, but really, if you want a dreamy Italian country vacation or pre-tirement (and who doesn’t? Only bad people I believe), then you have to get in touch with Andrew and Marianne. Thank you both, tons, for everything, every story, every meal, every beer and glass of wine, every laugh and every helping hand, and every meal on your deck:

We’ll miss you both terribly. Wait! I almost forgot the third member of the Andrew and Marianne Italian family, who we’ll also miss tons, bubbly boy Oscar (here in a rare sleepy moment):

And now, before I get too teary-eyed, it’s time to hit the road.
*All TTITIM

Lunch at Cucina la Marianne

This is one moment where I hand my head in shame--with all the food and restaurant and eating posts, I have yet to post about perhaps our favorite eating spot: Cucina la Marianne. Or, eating at our wonderful landlords and pals Marianne and Andrew’s house. We’ve had a whole host of happy lunches there, sometimes eating on the deck (if warm enough) and sometimes in the wonderful kitchen surrounded by Marianne’s lovely dishes:

We’ve had the best (I think) creamy-gorgonzola-y sauce and pasta there, yummy veggie lasagna and creamy lush cheesy cannelloni, as well as incredible (even more so cause change is needed at times) Indian food. A week or so ago, though, we stopped by for bruncheon fare, with our charming hosts and new pals Terry and Michele. We started with some snacks and soon followed an orange and fennel salad:

Oh, even before that, our starter, which we’ve had a couple times, and which is one of our all-time favorite Italy dishes, mushrooms in cream and garlic. The mushroom are whole and just bursting with flavor, while the cream just riches up the dish and the garlic provides accents (the picture is not doing the combo any sort of justice):

Next on the amazing menu was a roasted veggie tart: red and yellow peppers, artichoke, and olive oil with a bit of salt and pepper. Simple, tasteful, and allowing the vegetable flavors to shine, this dish would have been worthy with solely veggies, but the crust, the crust brought it to another level as it managed to be both firm and flakey:

That tart, the mushrooms, and the sprightly salad would have been enough (you might think), but Marianne also served up a scrumptious quiche with asparagus and tomatoes and another great crust (and really, what a lineup of veggies between this and the tart--it’s like a whole farm on the table), with (and this was such a pleasant surprise for us Kansans) baked potatoes on the side:

Hold on! I almost forgot (and I never forget this usually), there was also a bright, fresh, green and red (lettuce and radicchio) salad. I always like having a good bunch of greens on the side (keeps the insides healthy):

The piece de resistance (as they say) was still to come, however, a coffee cream pie that was full of coffee flavor (but not so much it overwhelmed) with yet another great crust, and served up with fresh strawberries:

Another delicious lunch served up by Marianne, accompanied by good conversation (and, naturally, good wine).  We’re lucky Americans-in-Italy indeed. You know, now that I think about it, if you have your own dreamy Italian trip with a stop at one of the Amici Villas (all of which are in the most beautiful place on earth), you might also be lucky enough to eat at Cucina la Marianne (just be nice and see if the invite comes). I think you should start planning.