benvenuto primavera!

hello spring!

we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming spring in italy this year!

with our neighbours, we joined a wonderful group of farmers and together
 traveled from tuscany to campania visiting vineyards,
 olive groves, citrus groves, farms, and an apple and pear orchard.

we stayed in a city, towns, tiny villages, a castle, and a farm.
 every morning we woke up to birdsong, or church bells or the sound of the ocean!
 it was quite magical and breathtaking!

 supporting agritourism is an absolutely brilliant way to nurture

 and appreciate the intimate connection of our food

 to farmers and their land.

it was so very inspiring to meet these lovely, passionate,

 proud, dedicated farmers who so kindly

 welcomed us, fed us, and taught us so much!

we so loved their luxurious 24 year old balsamic vinegar on ice cream,

 their fresh soft mozzarellas,

their rustic earthy pecorino cheeses.

we savoured many glasses of their beautiful local wines and limoncello.

we appreciated many many exquisite dishes that accentuated
and elevated their artisanal life’s work.
they included apples, cheeses, olive oils, meats,
 balsamic vinegars, honeys, herbs and breads.

with their help, we made our own pizzas too! 

i absolutely believe that our enjoyment was so vitally connected
 to meeting the people who's hands and hearts were involved.

besides the farms, we also explored milano, roma and firenze
 and enjoyed their amazing history, art and architecture. 

i studied fine art so long ago…it was spellbinding to 
finally see some of my favourite pieces!
 hello michelangelo, leonardo, and sandro botticelli! 
what perfect serendipity to also see botticelli’s primavera. 

and another favourite… his “the birth of venus” 

we meandered many miles on tractor lanes,
gorgeous cobblestone streets and curvy coastal roads.

we stumbled upon so many postcard perfect little vignettes…
it was so delightful! it was like being in a movie!
 i took thousands of pictures!

our adventure nourished everything i love and desire!

ohhh the museums, galleries, ruins, churches, chapels, markets,
  shop windows, trattorias, gelaterias, pasticcerias...

did i mention how amazing the food was?

we brought home honeys, olive oils, wine, balsamic vinegar,
pistachio pesto and lots of cookbooks! 

…and perhaps a few extra pounds!

after our guided tour with our big new family of farmers,
 mark and i explored sicily on our own...oh my...
that was another wonderful adventure! absolutely dreamy! 
 i will share some of those pictures next time!

 i do love going away but i really love coming home. 

benvenuto primavera!

warm spring hugs, 

laura

carl laidlaw orchards