Miracles of Le Marche: 4. eye-door

I felt this door was was worthy of a minor miracle. It belongs to a chicken shed, which today belongs to a kind English family who are just beginning the restoration of their newly acquired old Marche farmhouse. Perhaps the door will keep an eye on progress, and perhaps if it is hearby mentioned it might be saved and have a longer life. Clearly it has weathered unblinkingly many a hot summer and snowy winter, so perhaps now there's a chance it could move inside the house, be transformed into a cupboard door, watch over some neatly folded sheets, perhaps even have a pretty glass handle.

Lunch 2: Carciofi Palazzo Romani Adami

I was having lunch with some friends at the beautiful home of Cecilia and Teresa in Fermo. The artichokes they served from their kitchen were the best I have ever tasted and Lydia asked for the recipe, which was told in such detail it would be worthy of a film. This is what I remember they said:

Cut off the leaves and tough outer leaves.
Stuff the artichokes with chopped parsley and garlic.
Place stem up in a wide pan ontop of the stove.
Pour a little water, wine and olive oil into the water.
Add a little salt. Cover with lid.
Half steam, half roast on a slow heat, adding more water and wine as you go, turning the artichokes now and then so they don't burn, for 2 hours or more. You cannot leave the house as you must attend to them every now and then.
Serve hot when tender, or let cool and eat later. Even better tomorrow. Delicious.

Lunch. 1

There is great debate here in Le Marche about where exactly to choose a home betwixt the mountains and the sea. Living between the two, I feel that both the Sibillini Mountains and the Adriatic Sea possess a certain magnetism that requires me to set out to visit them, not unlike a pilgrimage, one uphill to the flower meadows then out of the mountain lake we jump and off we go freewheeling downhill though the valleys to the shore. Having both we are spoilt for choice at lunchtime, shall we have risotto with wild asparagi up there or perhaps spaghetti vongole down at the coast where the crisp cloth will already be on the table, the cutlery polished and where the waiter will remember my name.

Latest News from Casa Cavallina

News of covetable farmhouses and palazzi have been eclipsed by the little foal at CASA CAVALLINA. I visited yesterday and the stable door was open, no sign of them. Then across the field I saw the mare grazing. And beside her, barely visible lying flat on the ground, there she was. I waited. After a while she stood up on her spindly legs and skipped across the buttercups. Look at her nose-on and she is as thin as slice of toast ..

Opening The Door of Palazzo Alaleona

There is a large key securing Palazzo Alaleona and the door is very strong. Only the key that has opened the door for many years would not turn. After an hour and a half, after the arrival of a spare key and the failure of that, the heavy Palace door swung open with the help of a little lift from beneath. Her door had simply sagged a millimetre over the winter, what with the snow we had this year, and as it released we fell inside with the May sunshine.