Food Glorious Food (and wine) – Cibo Cibo glorioso (e vino)

Delicious, addictive, porchetta.

Adriatic walk between Giulianova and Tortoreto

As I get older I feel the cold more, and on Friday morning I was chilled to the bone. We don’t have our heating on a timer here, just switch it on when we need to, (the Italian way) and on Friday morning we definitely needed it. The house soon warmed up, and by the time I made my Friday morning market trip, it felt positively balmy. My Friday mornings at Villa Lempa market are always fun. This week it was even better because I picked up Porchetta for lunch. Italian street food at its best!

Porchetta (pronounced por- ketta) is a wonderful boneless pork roast wrapped in fat and skin and generously seasoned with garlic, sage, rosemary and other aromatic herbs and spices.

Saturday was gorgeous. Bright sunshine in a cloudless blue sky. We visited Giulianova and walked along the sea front (lungomare) to Tortoreto Lido. Everyone was out biking, hiking, and enjoying the sunshine. There were even a few brave souls in the water. It made me happy to be alive and I didn’t feel so old anymore.

I realised on Sunday, that we’re getting rather low on wine. I think a visit to see Caterina at Barone Cornacchia is on the cards. We love their Pecorino, Trebbiano and Montepulciano d’abruzzo. They are also a lovely family, with a great history. Their home is set in the most beautiful surroundings and boasts its very own church. Only in Italy!

Is it summer already? – È già estate?

No, its not summer, just another beautiful day in Abruzzo. First two photos were taken at Tortoreto Lido, and the third is the Sunday morning view from our home. January is being kind to us.

We didn’t plan to go anywhere on Friday, but it was a holiday here in Italy (Epiphany), so we decided to treat it like one and took a drive to Tortoreto, a seaside town on the Teramo coast. Hubby drove the backroads, and the surrounding countryside along the way was breathtaking. So green it didn’t look real. We were surrounded by grapevines and olive groves. I wish I’d taken photos!

The seafront at Tortoreto Lido was dotted with people enjoying a walk by the sea under the cloudless blue skies. Next time we’ll take our bikes. The Adriatic coastline in northern Abruzzo and southern Le Marche is my favourite place to be. One beautiful town spills into the next. We haven’t visited them all yet, but intend to. So far Grottammare, San Benedetto del Tronto and Tortoreto have not disappointed. I don’t need to take long flights to visit beautiful places anymore, I’m already here. Now the only flights I need to take, are to visit my daughter in Denver. We lived south of Denver for almost thirty years, enjoying great views of the Rocky Mountains.

After our walk we stopped for coffee and dolce before heading home to cook a late lunch. I’m practicing some new dishes because we have our first little soiree in a couple of weeks. Hubby invited our friends Helga and Enzo to have lunch with us. Not only are they Italian, so food is important, but Helga is also a talented chef by profession. No pressure on me right! I love to cook, so it will be OK!

Saturday’s sunlight was filtered through mists, but it wasn’t cold. The stores in Ascoli Piceno were still full of bargain hunters, but we braved them (yes hubby came too), and we found one or two bargains ourselves. On the way home we stopped off at McDream Cafe in Villa Lempa for aperitivo, which was fulfilling enough to be lunch. Wine and food for two people, all for six euro…how can that even be possible? It gave me the energy I needed to do a little more landscaping in the garden when I got home. I know, I never stop do I? It will all be worth it when its finished. My final paradise? If the electricity and gas costs keep rising it may be paradise lost! We’re extremely careful with the use of both, but at the moment, it seems to make no difference! Do we thank Putin for this or is it just a case of utility company greed?

Utilities are costing more than food right now! Smile folks, we’re alive.