Gullible's Travels
Monday, November 30, 2009
Olive harvest 2009
The last visit of the year to Trullo Azzurro to close the place down for the winter and a very productive visit it was too.
Usual routine when we are flying RuinAir: straight from work Thursday evening to the SAS Radisson Stansted. A relaxing meal and an early night for the dawn flight to Brindisi and a sprint down the SS16 to Trullo Azzurro (tafka Hovel-in-the-Hills).
After a quick lunch at Trullo Azzurro we went to the bank to pay some gas bills and reinstate our Internet banking. That evening we went with Chris & John for a meal in Martina Franca.
Harvesting olives 2009 - Mark and John
The next morning C&J came round to help us with our olive harvest and a spot of lunch. Mary insisted on buying rather than borrowing the kit so we are now the proud owners of three crates, four nets (4m x 8m) and four olive rakes.
Harvesting olives 2009 - Nets, crates and haul
A couple of hours was enough to denude all our trees of their olives. We took them round to C&J's neighbours to add in to their harvest for pressing. Hopefully next spring we will get back a couple of litres of extra-virgin olive oil.
New patio paving
The other main reason for the visit was to admire, and pay for, our new patio (see "Trullo Azzurro works"). After lunch Donato came round to tell us about what he had done and receive his well deserved money. He has done a fine job and we are very happy with the enlarged sun-bathing area :-)
The rest of the time was bagging up all the linens into vacu-sacs, plugging in the dehumidifier and preparing the place for over-wintering. Job done it was home on Sunday. I travelled light: hand luggage only and that was a Waitrose bag-for-life!
The last visit of the year to Trullo Azzurro to close the place down for the winter and a very productive visit it was too.
Usual routine when we are flying RuinAir: straight from work Thursday evening to the SAS Radisson Stansted. A relaxing meal and an early night for the dawn flight to Brindisi and a sprint down the SS16 to Trullo Azzurro (tafka Hovel-in-the-Hills).
After a quick lunch at Trullo Azzurro we went to the bank to pay some gas bills and reinstate our Internet banking. That evening we went with Chris & John for a meal in Martina Franca.
Harvesting olives 2009 - Mark and John
The next morning C&J came round to help us with our olive harvest and a spot of lunch. Mary insisted on buying rather than borrowing the kit so we are now the proud owners of three crates, four nets (4m x 8m) and four olive rakes.
Harvesting olives 2009 - Nets, crates and haul
A couple of hours was enough to denude all our trees of their olives. We took them round to C&J's neighbours to add in to their harvest for pressing. Hopefully next spring we will get back a couple of litres of extra-virgin olive oil.
New patio paving
The other main reason for the visit was to admire, and pay for, our new patio (see "Trullo Azzurro works"). After lunch Donato came round to tell us about what he had done and receive his well deserved money. He has done a fine job and we are very happy with the enlarged sun-bathing area :-)
The rest of the time was bagging up all the linens into vacu-sacs, plugging in the dehumidifier and preparing the place for over-wintering. Job done it was home on Sunday. I travelled light: hand luggage only and that was a Waitrose bag-for-life!
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 10:13 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Yet another holiday in Puglia
This time we had a slightly different vacation, we took a holiday within a holiday: we took a couple of days out to go up to the Gargano, a national park at the top end of Puglia.
We flew EasyJet. British Airways were too expensive and we don't like RyanAir. Normally we would fly Alitalia but this time we thought we would give EasyJet try. The flights were fine but it was the four-hour stopover at Rome airport that was a bit of a drag. Next time it will be back to Alitalia.
Sunday we went to meet up with our neighbours Chris and John for live opera in Cisternino piazza then round to their place for lunch. Afterwards we were joined by Donato the builder to discuss paving our back patio.
Monday we spent down the beach, we tried out a new stretch of the coast at Torre Gauceto. Lovely sandy beaches unlike the rocky coast directly down the hill from us.
Tuesday morning we drove up the coast to meet up with Chris and John for lunch at Mattinato. In the afternoon we drove up to Vieste and back across the mountains over some of the twistiest hairpin bends I have the dubious pleasure of driving.
That evening we stayed in Monte San Angelo and went out for a meal in one of the two Michelin Guide recommended restaurants. The next day was more driving over the hills to Vico through the forest with a short forest walk in the middle.
These are ancient beech forests and just magical to walk through.
Wednesday evening was a repeat of Tuesday evening at the other recommended restaurant.
Thursday we drove over to San Giovanni to see the church built to accommodate the Pope's visit following the beatification of local boy makes saint (Padre Pio).
Friday was a quiet day at home pottering about and a second visit from Donato to discuss the exact line of the paving slabs. We were joined by a very friendly cat, so friendly it fell over in its enthusiasm to rub against my feet. We were afraid it might be another stray but it turned out to belong to a farmer who takes his cat to work with him unlike most of the other farmers who take a dog!
That evening we went back into Cisternino for a pizza followed by an evening of free jazz in the same piazza:
Then Saturday it was home via a shopping opportunity in Rome airport arriving home eventually after midnight.
This time we had a slightly different vacation, we took a holiday within a holiday: we took a couple of days out to go up to the Gargano, a national park at the top end of Puglia.
We flew EasyJet. British Airways were too expensive and we don't like RyanAir. Normally we would fly Alitalia but this time we thought we would give EasyJet try. The flights were fine but it was the four-hour stopover at Rome airport that was a bit of a drag. Next time it will be back to Alitalia.
Sunday we went to meet up with our neighbours Chris and John for live opera in Cisternino piazza then round to their place for lunch. Afterwards we were joined by Donato the builder to discuss paving our back patio.
Monday we spent down the beach, we tried out a new stretch of the coast at Torre Gauceto. Lovely sandy beaches unlike the rocky coast directly down the hill from us.
Tuesday morning we drove up the coast to meet up with Chris and John for lunch at Mattinato. In the afternoon we drove up to Vieste and back across the mountains over some of the twistiest hairpin bends I have the dubious pleasure of driving.
That evening we stayed in Monte San Angelo and went out for a meal in one of the two Michelin Guide recommended restaurants. The next day was more driving over the hills to Vico through the forest with a short forest walk in the middle.
These are ancient beech forests and just magical to walk through.
Wednesday evening was a repeat of Tuesday evening at the other recommended restaurant.
Thursday we drove over to San Giovanni to see the church built to accommodate the Pope's visit following the beatification of local boy makes saint (Padre Pio).
Friday was a quiet day at home pottering about and a second visit from Donato to discuss the exact line of the paving slabs. We were joined by a very friendly cat, so friendly it fell over in its enthusiasm to rub against my feet. We were afraid it might be another stray but it turned out to belong to a farmer who takes his cat to work with him unlike most of the other farmers who take a dog!
That evening we went back into Cisternino for a pizza followed by an evening of free jazz in the same piazza:
Then Saturday it was home via a shopping opportunity in Rome airport arriving home eventually after midnight.
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 9:26 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Trullo Azzurro works
A tale of temperamental water supplies and a new courtyard...
Another weekend in Italy, part relaxing and part maintenance of the property.
Thursday we arrived late on the Ryan air flight, Stansted to Bari, just in time to catch our outgoing tenants on their last night. They had not had the best of weather with thunderstorms most days. We are the last property at the end of the overhead power lines and sensitive to the effects of lightning. When the fuse trips it means no water - the water is delivered by tanker and supplied by a submersible pump. No power, no water.
That would be no problem except that the key to the technical cupboard, where the boiler and fuse box live, is temperamental and only opens to a sympathetic turn. To cut a long story short we decided to get a locksmith in and replace the lock for the benefit of future guests. That meant a trip to the hardware store in Locorotondo to get six extra keys cut for all the various sets. As Friday is market day we stocked up on food for the weekend.
In the afternoon after lunch I went for a siesta wearing some eye patches, fell asleep and woke up with a bad case of Panda eyes.
Later our neighbour Anne came round for a chat. It was she who bought down here first and inspired us by her example, see Trulli Limone.
Then it was the turn of neighbours Chris and John along with Donato the builder who organized much of the paving and walling for the original restoration. He was there to quote for paving the back courtyard which is gravel at the moment. We have had a quote from the architect which was way too much but going direct to the builder and for a lesser quality stone brought the price down by more than 50%. By lesser we mean the same stone but not the super smooth, front-of-house, quality of the main courtyard however perfectly adequate for our needs at the back.
The chianchi - paving stones - are recycled and full of character but hence not available off the shelf from the local stone yard. Donato will have to acquire a few square metres here and there until he has enough to do the job which may take several months. He seemed pleased that we were happy to wait even till next Easter - longer for us to save up the money.
John and Chris then stayed for supper and Mary cooked a rabbit tiede an traditional casserole.
Saturday was down at the beach at Rosa's for a sea food pasta lunch and snoozing. Careful application of factor 25 round the pink facial parts, war-paint stylee, greatly reduced the Panda eyes by turning the white parts pink to match the rest.
Sunday was a reciprocal relaxed lunch round at Chris and John's then home via Bari, Ryanair and Stansted. We stayed at the Radisson SAS on airport as it was after midnight by the time we got off the plane and through passport control. Then our usual alarm call and the Stansted Express into work. Boo!
A tale of temperamental water supplies and a new courtyard...
Another weekend in Italy, part relaxing and part maintenance of the property.
Thursday we arrived late on the Ryan air flight, Stansted to Bari, just in time to catch our outgoing tenants on their last night. They had not had the best of weather with thunderstorms most days. We are the last property at the end of the overhead power lines and sensitive to the effects of lightning. When the fuse trips it means no water - the water is delivered by tanker and supplied by a submersible pump. No power, no water.
That would be no problem except that the key to the technical cupboard, where the boiler and fuse box live, is temperamental and only opens to a sympathetic turn. To cut a long story short we decided to get a locksmith in and replace the lock for the benefit of future guests. That meant a trip to the hardware store in Locorotondo to get six extra keys cut for all the various sets. As Friday is market day we stocked up on food for the weekend.
In the afternoon after lunch I went for a siesta wearing some eye patches, fell asleep and woke up with a bad case of Panda eyes.
Later our neighbour Anne came round for a chat. It was she who bought down here first and inspired us by her example, see Trulli Limone.
Then it was the turn of neighbours Chris and John along with Donato the builder who organized much of the paving and walling for the original restoration. He was there to quote for paving the back courtyard which is gravel at the moment. We have had a quote from the architect which was way too much but going direct to the builder and for a lesser quality stone brought the price down by more than 50%. By lesser we mean the same stone but not the super smooth, front-of-house, quality of the main courtyard however perfectly adequate for our needs at the back.
The chianchi - paving stones - are recycled and full of character but hence not available off the shelf from the local stone yard. Donato will have to acquire a few square metres here and there until he has enough to do the job which may take several months. He seemed pleased that we were happy to wait even till next Easter - longer for us to save up the money.
John and Chris then stayed for supper and Mary cooked a rabbit tiede an traditional casserole.
Saturday was down at the beach at Rosa's for a sea food pasta lunch and snoozing. Careful application of factor 25 round the pink facial parts, war-paint stylee, greatly reduced the Panda eyes by turning the white parts pink to match the rest.
Sunday was a reciprocal relaxed lunch round at Chris and John's then home via Bari, Ryanair and Stansted. We stayed at the Radisson SAS on airport as it was after midnight by the time we got off the plane and through passport control. Then our usual alarm call and the Stansted Express into work. Boo!
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 8:00 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
XXL Weekend in Puglia (in Tweets)
Not so much a long weekend or even an extra long weekend but an XXL weekend. From Thursday to Tuesday because those are the days BA fly (plus Saturday but then it wouldn't have been much of a weekend):
# LGW disciplined passengers waited to be called by seat row number. Page & Moy special - older generation respect rules! Now in sunshine. 3:22 PM May 28th
# Day dawns sunny in Puglia. Nice people at Avis (Bari) gave us a Nissan Micra convertable. Top down to Locorotondo market for viands. 10:58 AM May 29th
# Puglia all local produce: sunshine + salad nicoise + strawberries & cream + half bottle of red wine = siesta. z z z! 4:31 PM May 29th
# Electricity off at meter in lane when we arrived. Curious. Discovered why yesterday. Controller for irrigation system stolen. B*****d. 8:13 AM May 30th
Shelling Puglian peas with the aid of crisps and a gin & tonic
# shelling peas in the sunshine with the aid of a packet of crisps and a large gin and tonic. 7:03 PM May 30th
Sunday lunch round at our neighbours John and Chris
# last full day in Puglia. Grey skies - boo! Impromptu lunch round at Carol & Mino's. Quiet evening in at Trullo Azzurro tonight. 5:33 PM Jun 1st
PS. Carol and Mino's gardener came round to quote for garden maintenance and replacing the controller. He said "I have a spare in the back of the car". With a length of cable the replacement is now safe inside the locked pizza oven so our plants will survive the summer and be pretty for our guests and us :-)
Not so much a long weekend or even an extra long weekend but an XXL weekend. From Thursday to Tuesday because those are the days BA fly (plus Saturday but then it wouldn't have been much of a weekend):
# LGW disciplined passengers waited to be called by seat row number. Page & Moy special - older generation respect rules! Now in sunshine. 3:22 PM May 28th
# Day dawns sunny in Puglia. Nice people at Avis (Bari) gave us a Nissan Micra convertable. Top down to Locorotondo market for viands. 10:58 AM May 29th
# Puglia all local produce: sunshine + salad nicoise + strawberries & cream + half bottle of red wine = siesta. z z z! 4:31 PM May 29th
# Electricity off at meter in lane when we arrived. Curious. Discovered why yesterday. Controller for irrigation system stolen. B*****d. 8:13 AM May 30th
Shelling Puglian peas with the aid of crisps and a gin & tonic
# shelling peas in the sunshine with the aid of a packet of crisps and a large gin and tonic. 7:03 PM May 30th
Sunday lunch round at our neighbours John and Chris
# last full day in Puglia. Grey skies - boo! Impromptu lunch round at Carol & Mino's. Quiet evening in at Trullo Azzurro tonight. 5:33 PM Jun 1st
PS. Carol and Mino's gardener came round to quote for garden maintenance and replacing the controller. He said "I have a spare in the back of the car". With a length of cable the replacement is now safe inside the locked pizza oven so our plants will survive the summer and be pretty for our guests and us :-)
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 9:03 PM 4 comments
Monday, March 30, 2009
Opening up Trullo Azzurro 2009
Another flying visit to Trullo Azzurro (http://www.trulli-puglia.com/) to open up for the season. We are perhaps more conscientious than strictly necessary but we are scarred by our early experiences a couple of years back when the building works were half done.
Basically we moved in too soon and bought furniture and bedding while the plaster was still oozing moisture into the atmosphere. The following spring everything was covered in mould and anything organic was green and hairy. The rush seat bottoms were fungoid in the extreme, the wooden spoons went in the bin and the mattresses are still speckled with grey markings.
Since then we have been zealous about bagging up linens every autumn into "Vacu-sacs" and installing dehydration tablets. Last November we bought an electric dehumidifier and set it going on low over the winter.
Then we go out in spring to unbag the linens, air the property and wipe off any mould. The last couple of years it has got easier with less and less to do. Still it is good to reassure ourselves in person that the place has survived the winter. This year a little weeding, sorting out a couple of welcome packs for our paying guests and a meal out with Neighbours Chris and John more or or less did the trick.
We arrived Friday at one o'clock Saturday morning had a glass of red wine and went to bed. Saturday did stuff then in the evening John kindly drove us to Ostuni for a meal at "Porta Nova". It was out of the Michelin guide and was classy and expensive.
The antipasti came not as a whole slew of communal plates but three separate courses all small but perfectly formed. The main dishes were hot on presentation but thermally could have been literally hotter. Room for a dessert and coffee. There was an extensive wine list at sensible prices, of which we consumed three, even so we still managed to run up a bill of 60 Euro per head. Good but VFM? I am not so sure.
Another flying visit to Trullo Azzurro (http://www.trulli-puglia.com/) to open up for the season. We are perhaps more conscientious than strictly necessary but we are scarred by our early experiences a couple of years back when the building works were half done.
Basically we moved in too soon and bought furniture and bedding while the plaster was still oozing moisture into the atmosphere. The following spring everything was covered in mould and anything organic was green and hairy. The rush seat bottoms were fungoid in the extreme, the wooden spoons went in the bin and the mattresses are still speckled with grey markings.
Since then we have been zealous about bagging up linens every autumn into "Vacu-sacs" and installing dehydration tablets. Last November we bought an electric dehumidifier and set it going on low over the winter.
Then we go out in spring to unbag the linens, air the property and wipe off any mould. The last couple of years it has got easier with less and less to do. Still it is good to reassure ourselves in person that the place has survived the winter. This year a little weeding, sorting out a couple of welcome packs for our paying guests and a meal out with Neighbours Chris and John more or or less did the trick.
We arrived Friday at one o'clock Saturday morning had a glass of red wine and went to bed. Saturday did stuff then in the evening John kindly drove us to Ostuni for a meal at "Porta Nova". It was out of the Michelin guide and was classy and expensive.
The antipasti came not as a whole slew of communal plates but three separate courses all small but perfectly formed. The main dishes were hot on presentation but thermally could have been literally hotter. Room for a dessert and coffee. There was an extensive wine list at sensible prices, of which we consumed three, even so we still managed to run up a bill of 60 Euro per head. Good but VFM? I am not so sure.
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 7:20 PM 2 comments
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Olive Harvest in Puglia
Not just any old olives but our own olives off our own trees. A quick Sunday afternoon harvest using equipment kindly lent to us by our neighbour Mino Maggi. In a couple of hours we managed to harvest about 35 kilo which should give us around 3 litres of extra virgin olive oil.
The olives looking ripe
Spreading the net
Net, crate and rake
Raking the olives off the branch
The final haul
We dropped the crates round at Mino's and he will add them in to his crop for pressing. We'll collect our little contribution's output next visit.
Not just any old olives but our own olives off our own trees. A quick Sunday afternoon harvest using equipment kindly lent to us by our neighbour Mino Maggi. In a couple of hours we managed to harvest about 35 kilo which should give us around 3 litres of extra virgin olive oil.
The olives looking ripe
Spreading the net
Net, crate and rake
Raking the olives off the branch
The final haul
We dropped the crates round at Mino's and he will add them in to his crop for pressing. We'll collect our little contribution's output next visit.
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 9:36 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Another dinner party in Italy
This time indoors.
We have had a number of DP's in Italy but they have been outdoor BBQ's of a more casual nature. Because of the weather this trip just gone, we planned an interior repast. We had our friends Andrea and Geraldine & Alasdair staying with us; Chris & John had their friends John & Linda staying with them.
Our table could really only take eight so a quick trip to Conforama yielded a half round glass topped table of just the right dimensions to squeeze Mary and I on the end. It worked so well we went back and bought a second one for the other end ready for our next big social event.
Clockwise: Alasdair, Geraldine, Andrea, Chris, John, Linda, John
You can tell how well a dinner is going by the noise level. Out in the kitchen the decibels from the Italian-style multiple simultaneous conversations was deafening :-) We went on till one in the morning and quite a few bottles of wine were drunk including a couple of magnums of the block-buster Primitivo from Colavecchia.
Left to Right: John, Mary, Linda, me, Alasdair, Geraldine, Chris
This time indoors.
We have had a number of DP's in Italy but they have been outdoor BBQ's of a more casual nature. Because of the weather this trip just gone, we planned an interior repast. We had our friends Andrea and Geraldine & Alasdair staying with us; Chris & John had their friends John & Linda staying with them.
Our table could really only take eight so a quick trip to Conforama yielded a half round glass topped table of just the right dimensions to squeeze Mary and I on the end. It worked so well we went back and bought a second one for the other end ready for our next big social event.
Clockwise: Alasdair, Geraldine, Andrea, Chris, John, Linda, John
You can tell how well a dinner is going by the noise level. Out in the kitchen the decibels from the Italian-style multiple simultaneous conversations was deafening :-) We went on till one in the morning and quite a few bottles of wine were drunk including a couple of magnums of the block-buster Primitivo from Colavecchia.
Left to Right: John, Mary, Linda, me, Alasdair, Geraldine, Chris
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 2:45 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Primitivo from Colavecchia
We are greatly indebted to our friends and neighbours Chris and John for all their help in getting to know the area in a way we cannot, not living there full time (yet). They have helped us sign up with the local council to pay our garbage tax for refuse collection and provided much useful local knowledge.
Chris and John
Key amongst this vital info is the existence of the Colavecchia cantina (just past Putignano and follow signs for Gioia del Colle). They make typical local wines and keep their overheads low by not bothering with bottling the stuff. Take along your own demi-john or 10 litre container(s) and get it filled direct from the tank!
Tasting direct from the "petrol pump"
Not only is it very quaffable wine - well made, gobs of fruit and a belter of a wine at 14 % - it cost a staggering EUR 1.10 a litre!! That is GBP 0.65 (USD 0.33) per bottle. So we bought 5 litres and bottled it ourselves when we got back to Trullo Azzurro.
We are greatly indebted to our friends and neighbours Chris and John for all their help in getting to know the area in a way we cannot, not living there full time (yet). They have helped us sign up with the local council to pay our garbage tax for refuse collection and provided much useful local knowledge.
Chris and John
Key amongst this vital info is the existence of the Colavecchia cantina (just past Putignano and follow signs for Gioia del Colle). They make typical local wines and keep their overheads low by not bothering with bottling the stuff. Take along your own demi-john or 10 litre container(s) and get it filled direct from the tank!
Tasting direct from the "petrol pump"
Not only is it very quaffable wine - well made, gobs of fruit and a belter of a wine at 14 % - it cost a staggering EUR 1.10 a litre!! That is GBP 0.65 (USD 0.33) per bottle. So we bought 5 litres and bottled it ourselves when we got back to Trullo Azzurro.
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 10:21 PM 1 comments
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
May Day 2008 in Trullo Azzurro
We have just had a long weekend in Trullo Azzurro. Out on the Italian public holiday (01-May-08) and back on the English holiday (05-May-08). That latter due to the English habit of moving holidays to the next available Monday.
Unlike the previous two <quote>holidays<unquote> this was billed as relaxing. South Africa was decorating and shopping and our previous Italian trip was unbagging the over-wintered bedding and weeding. Our efforts plus a "re-activation" of the gardener means the beds are looking good and starting to look established.
And mostly it was a relaxing trip too, I am glad to say. Apart from moving 20 quintale (two tons) of logs from where the lorry dumped them to the newly created woodpile.
The spring flowers are in full bloom. The poppies are everywhere and the road side verges are full of all manner of wild flowers.
One thing about the local market is that there are no beans from Kenya or mange tout from Mozambique. What you get is what is in season. Most noticeably on this visit fresh peas. In the pod of course not shelled or frozen.
We went to Locorotondo Market and bought food for the weekend. We had neighbours John and Chris(tine) round for Sunday lunch and in the evening, as if we weren't full enough already, went round to Mino and Carole's where we were arm-twisted into staying for the evening meal.
They had 15 for dinner as the first guests of the season had arrived: a Dutch family and a group of, mostly retired, English ladies on a painting trip. So Mary and I were co-opted into the brigade for table laying and mushroom chopping. We had mushroom souffle, green pea and bean risotto, vegetable stuffed chicken and one of Mino's signature dishes bread and butter pudding. All washed down with plenty of their own home produced wine.
We have just had a long weekend in Trullo Azzurro. Out on the Italian public holiday (01-May-08) and back on the English holiday (05-May-08). That latter due to the English habit of moving holidays to the next available Monday.
Unlike the previous two <quote>holidays<unquote> this was billed as relaxing. South Africa was decorating and shopping and our previous Italian trip was unbagging the over-wintered bedding and weeding. Our efforts plus a "re-activation" of the gardener means the beds are looking good and starting to look established.
And mostly it was a relaxing trip too, I am glad to say. Apart from moving 20 quintale (two tons) of logs from where the lorry dumped them to the newly created woodpile.
The spring flowers are in full bloom. The poppies are everywhere and the road side verges are full of all manner of wild flowers.
One thing about the local market is that there are no beans from Kenya or mange tout from Mozambique. What you get is what is in season. Most noticeably on this visit fresh peas. In the pod of course not shelled or frozen.
We went to Locorotondo Market and bought food for the weekend. We had neighbours John and Chris(tine) round for Sunday lunch and in the evening, as if we weren't full enough already, went round to Mino and Carole's where we were arm-twisted into staying for the evening meal.
They had 15 for dinner as the first guests of the season had arrived: a Dutch family and a group of, mostly retired, English ladies on a painting trip. So Mary and I were co-opted into the brigade for table laying and mushroom chopping. We had mushroom souffle, green pea and bean risotto, vegetable stuffed chicken and one of Mino's signature dishes bread and butter pudding. All washed down with plenty of their own home produced wine.
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 9:40 PM 3 comments
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Closing Down Trullo Azzuro for the Winter
This weekend just gone we spent a long weekend in Italy closing down Trullo Azzurro for the winter; out Friday, back Monday. Mostly putting all the bedding in VacuSacs and bringing the garden furniture indoors, emptying the fridge and a bit of a sweep out.
We were expecting to help our neighbours Carole and Mino over at Truddhi with their olive harvest but that has been postponed for a couple of weeks. Not that we are complaining because that gave us an extra day to do stuff.
We switched off the outside lights and the heating, locked up and that is it until the spring. The local agency who do our "changeover" will look in once a month to check things over and we may even pop over some time in the New Year.
This weekend just gone we spent a long weekend in Italy closing down Trullo Azzurro for the winter; out Friday, back Monday. Mostly putting all the bedding in VacuSacs and bringing the garden furniture indoors, emptying the fridge and a bit of a sweep out.
We were expecting to help our neighbours Carole and Mino over at Truddhi with their olive harvest but that has been postponed for a couple of weeks. Not that we are complaining because that gave us an extra day to do stuff.
We switched off the outside lights and the heating, locked up and that is it until the spring. The local agency who do our "changeover" will look in once a month to check things over and we may even pop over some time in the New Year.
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 1:10 PM 1 comments
Friday, October 05, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007: Cookery School Starts
Sunday was the start of the cookery school. Mino was in Wales at a food expo promoting Puglian food so we had Sunday lunch at his sister Zia's house. She fired up the pizza oven and we did a number of flour based dishes: focaccia, orecchietti, something else and then a tiedda (hotpot) of chicken and potatoes.
Zia and a forno a legno (wood burning oven)
It was all conducted in Italian as Zia has very little English which was good fun. Then we sat down with her family for Sunday lunch - it was a privilege to be invited into her home and family.
Zia and Mino also appeared on the BBC series "Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape" in the same Puglian episode as Rosa:
Rick Stein and Mino Maggi *
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1mktSR6H68
This was where the rest of the course was held. More tomorrow...
* Buy the book from Amazon ¶ Permanent link: 8:29 AM 0 comments
Sunday was the start of the cookery school. Mino was in Wales at a food expo promoting Puglian food so we had Sunday lunch at his sister Zia's house. She fired up the pizza oven and we did a number of flour based dishes: focaccia, orecchietti, something else and then a tiedda (hotpot) of chicken and potatoes.
Zia and a forno a legno (wood burning oven)
It was all conducted in Italian as Zia has very little English which was good fun. Then we sat down with her family for Sunday lunch - it was a privilege to be invited into her home and family.
Zia and Mino also appeared on the BBC series "Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escape" in the same Puglian episode as Rosa:
Rick Stein and Mino Maggi *
URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1mktSR6H68
This was where the rest of the course was held. More tomorrow...
* Buy the book from Amazon ¶ Permanent link: 8:29 AM 0 comments
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007: Trullo Azzurro Guest Book
We were reluctant to offer Trullo Azzurro for rent until we had the boiler fixed (see "A new boiler for Trullo Azzurro").
When we did open it up for booking via http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/ we were pleasantly surprised to get five bookings (plus one via a colleague). Plus we already have a booking for next year!
One couple were there when we arrived and raved about the place. After they left we read the guest book and it brought home to me the impact the place has on first time visitors. We have got so used to it we forget what an impression it makes. The comments were uniformly glowing. A couple of our guests kindly let us quote from their emails:
"Thank you, we had a wonderful time. We all had a wonderful holiday in a beautiful part of Italy, in a beautiful house. Our teenage girls loved it especially the historic sites (doing GCSE history this year)." Deborah & Roger - Aug 2007.
"Just a quick email to say we had a fantastic time at the trullo. The house was extremely well appointed and to a very high standard - there was nothing else we could have needed. We were nearly seduced into making an offer to the farmer who owns the trullo farm at the top of your hill we loved it so much!" Eleanor & Rick - Sep 2007
Most satisfactory :-)
We were reluctant to offer Trullo Azzurro for rent until we had the boiler fixed (see "A new boiler for Trullo Azzurro").
When we did open it up for booking via http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/ we were pleasantly surprised to get five bookings (plus one via a colleague). Plus we already have a booking for next year!
One couple were there when we arrived and raved about the place. After they left we read the guest book and it brought home to me the impact the place has on first time visitors. We have got so used to it we forget what an impression it makes. The comments were uniformly glowing. A couple of our guests kindly let us quote from their emails:
"Thank you, we had a wonderful time. We all had a wonderful holiday in a beautiful part of Italy, in a beautiful house. Our teenage girls loved it especially the historic sites (doing GCSE history this year)." Deborah & Roger - Aug 2007.
"Just a quick email to say we had a fantastic time at the trullo. The house was extremely well appointed and to a very high standard - there was nothing else we could have needed. We were nearly seduced into making an offer to the farmer who owns the trullo farm at the top of your hill we loved it so much!" Eleanor & Rick - Sep 2007
Most satisfactory :-)
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 9:05 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
A New Boiler for Trullo Azzurro
Sunday morning, despite the late night, our alarm went off at the normal weekday time. We were off to Italy for another 24-hour visit to check out the new boiler. For the last 18 months we have had an intermittent Error Code 2 and cold showers. Ignazio, the heating engineer, had installed filters, changed parts, flushed out the system - all to no avail. In the end he and Daniele agreed to rip the bl**dy thing out and install a simpler boiler.
With our first real paying punters arriving this weekend we needed to reassure ourselves that this one would really work. Cold showers are not good for word-of-mouth recommendations! As it turned out this new boiler does appear to function. It is a lot simpler, no remote, wireless controller but a good old-fashioned knob that you turn.
We met up with our new neighbours, Chris&John, and went out to try a new (to us) restaurant that they had been recommended: Il Cucco in Corso Umberto I, Cisternino. It is also an enoteca (wine shop). We had an excellent meal; the antipasti were many and varied, there must have been well over 20 different starters! Then the main courses were slightly unusual: roast beef with lampascioni, and pork fillet with a zucchini flower sauce. And of course a good selection of wine; we are gradually introducing Chris&John to the local specialities.
Finally an view of the Lamia I have not posted before. Standing on the roof of the pizza oven this is a view showing the stairs to the roof and, hiding behind the leaves, you can just see the boiler room door.
Sunday morning, despite the late night, our alarm went off at the normal weekday time. We were off to Italy for another 24-hour visit to check out the new boiler. For the last 18 months we have had an intermittent Error Code 2 and cold showers. Ignazio, the heating engineer, had installed filters, changed parts, flushed out the system - all to no avail. In the end he and Daniele agreed to rip the bl**dy thing out and install a simpler boiler.
With our first real paying punters arriving this weekend we needed to reassure ourselves that this one would really work. Cold showers are not good for word-of-mouth recommendations! As it turned out this new boiler does appear to function. It is a lot simpler, no remote, wireless controller but a good old-fashioned knob that you turn.
We met up with our new neighbours, Chris&John, and went out to try a new (to us) restaurant that they had been recommended: Il Cucco in Corso Umberto I, Cisternino. It is also an enoteca (wine shop). We had an excellent meal; the antipasti were many and varied, there must have been well over 20 different starters! Then the main courses were slightly unusual: roast beef with lampascioni, and pork fillet with a zucchini flower sauce. And of course a good selection of wine; we are gradually introducing Chris&John to the local specialities.
Finally an view of the Lamia I have not posted before. Standing on the roof of the pizza oven this is a view showing the stairs to the roof and, hiding behind the leaves, you can just see the boiler room door.
Labels: italy, restaurants, trulli
¶ Permanent link: 5:22 PM 3 comments
Friday, July 20, 2007
Pizza Oven Door
Italy still has a strong tradition of small local craftsmen; not everything is made in big factories. While we were round at Carole and Mino's we spotted a new wrought iron table base. We needed one as well so asked where they bought it. The answer was a local blacksmith. Perhaps he could make a door for our pizza oven as well?
The following Wednesday Mino guided us to a basement workshop down a back street where we met the man and, with Mino's help, discussed our requirements. The *following* afternoon we went back and collected a made-to-order table base and oven door. How is that for service!
Pizza Oven Door
It is a beautifully made door: solid, fits perfectly, opens smoothly, has a little spy hole to check on the inside, chunky rivets and little brass knobs. I am so pleased with it. ¶ Permanent link: 10:12 AM 1 comments
Italy still has a strong tradition of small local craftsmen; not everything is made in big factories. While we were round at Carole and Mino's we spotted a new wrought iron table base. We needed one as well so asked where they bought it. The answer was a local blacksmith. Perhaps he could make a door for our pizza oven as well?
The following Wednesday Mino guided us to a basement workshop down a back street where we met the man and, with Mino's help, discussed our requirements. The *following* afternoon we went back and collected a made-to-order table base and oven door. How is that for service!
Pizza Oven Door
It is a beautifully made door: solid, fits perfectly, opens smoothly, has a little spy hole to check on the inside, chunky rivets and little brass knobs. I am so pleased with it. ¶ Permanent link: 10:12 AM 1 comments
Monday, July 16, 2007
Water Delivery for Trullo Azzurro
Shortly after our arrival I walked over the stone cover of the cistern and got a very hollow sounding echo. With guests arriving imminently that was cause for concern.
We got Daniele, the architect, to introduce us to the water man. Well actually he introduced us to the water man's Mum who lives in the nearest hamlet just 1km away and who gave us her son's phone number. He was able to come round that evening and dump a tankful of water down our "pozzo" (well).
When the house is fully occupied we will need about one of these a week. Fortunately the tankerful only costs 20 Euro a pop so that is not too bad.
In this photo you can also see the recent plantings and the new irrigation system. That should keep the plants alive until our next visit.
Shortly after our arrival I walked over the stone cover of the cistern and got a very hollow sounding echo. With guests arriving imminently that was cause for concern.
We got Daniele, the architect, to introduce us to the water man. Well actually he introduced us to the water man's Mum who lives in the nearest hamlet just 1km away and who gave us her son's phone number. He was able to come round that evening and dump a tankful of water down our "pozzo" (well).
When the house is fully occupied we will need about one of these a week. Fortunately the tankerful only costs 20 Euro a pop so that is not too bad.
In this photo you can also see the recent plantings and the new irrigation system. That should keep the plants alive until our next visit.
Labels: trulli
¶ Permanent link: 12:54 PM 3 comments
Friday, July 13, 2007
Meeting the Italian Neighbours (1)
Carole and Mino Maggi live just 2.5 km away in the local village of Trito. They run a lovely holiday complex of trulli called "Truddhi" (apparently the local dialect word for trulli).
Carole is Welsh and met and married local boy Mino 30 years ago. They returned to Italy and have been there ever since. They are charming and friendly and said we could use their pool. We very gratefully accepted given the recent heatwave.
They also run a cookery school and do demonstration dinners. Mary and I are going on the course in September to learn how to cook real Italian, local style.
While we were out there with Bill, Andrea and Elaine they put on a demonstration dinner for their guests and us. Many of their guests were actually family so it was a very sociable evening. We arrived at 6 o'clock and watched while Mino and his sister Zia prepared and cooked the entire meal from scratch. We finally ate at 9 by which time we were ready for the food!
I was watching with great interest how Zia used the pizza oven hoping to pick up tips on how to use ours. More on the oven later...
Carole is Welsh and met and married local boy Mino 30 years ago. They returned to Italy and have been there ever since. They are charming and friendly and said we could use their pool. We very gratefully accepted given the recent heatwave.
They also run a cookery school and do demonstration dinners. Mary and I are going on the course in September to learn how to cook real Italian, local style.
While we were out there with Bill, Andrea and Elaine they put on a demonstration dinner for their guests and us. Many of their guests were actually family so it was a very sociable evening. We arrived at 6 o'clock and watched while Mino and his sister Zia prepared and cooked the entire meal from scratch. We finally ate at 9 by which time we were ready for the food!
I was watching with great interest how Zia used the pizza oven hoping to pick up tips on how to use ours. More on the oven later...
Labels: food, italy, truddhi, trulli
¶ Permanent link: 8:09 AM 3 comments
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Roasting our visitors
They stayed overnight and left on Wednesday morning the same day as Bill (pictured here buying melons in the local market) arrived for a week. Then on Friday two girl friends of Mary's, Andrea and Elaine, joined us for a very long weekend.
The first half of this trip has been full of visitors.
On the Tuesday 19 June, Jim - a work colleague - arrived with his wife Debby and their three youngest daugthers. He is American of Sicilian ancestry and so took the opportunity while working in the UK to get the family over, visit Rome and then drive down to get the ferry over to Sicily. As this was while we where in Puglia I said "Come stay with us" and so he did!
They stayed overnight and left on Wednesday morning the same day as Bill (pictured here buying melons in the local market) arrived for a week. Then on Friday two girl friends of Mary's, Andrea and Elaine, joined us for a very long weekend. It has been a heatwave round here. Bari reached 47 C (117 F), the hottest since records began. Fortunately up in the hills we peaked at a mere 40 C (104 F)
Everybody left on Wednesday 27 June so now we have ten days to relax on our own.
¶ Permanent link: 9:50 AM 1 comments
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Midway through our holiday
I have not been blogging because we are halfway through a three week holiday in Italy. This is a quick post as we have just popped into town to pick up a few items. So much to write about so here is a snippet to keep you going.
I did a full stock-take of the garden trees, with the help of our friend Bill who was visiting for a week, and can confirm that we have:
I have not been blogging because we are halfway through a three week holiday in Italy. This is a quick post as we have just popped into town to pick up a few items. So much to write about so here is a snippet to keep you going.
I did a full stock-take of the garden trees, with the help of our friend Bill who was visiting for a week, and can confirm that we have:
- 9 Olive
- 1 Walnut
- 1 White Mulberry
- 2 Fig
- 2 Pear
- 2 Unknown (probably apricot)
Now all I have to do is find out how to harvest and process raw olives.
¶ Permanent link: 10:50 AM 1 comments
Friday, June 15, 2007
Main courtyard before and after
In all the before and after pictures I had managed to miss those of the main courtyard.
Main courtyard before
So here is the very first time we went with the estate agents back in early 2004.
Main courtyard after
And this is how it ended up three and a half years and many euros later. ¶ Permanent link: 4:04 PM 3 comments
In all the before and after pictures I had managed to miss those of the main courtyard.
Main courtyard before
So here is the very first time we went with the estate agents back in early 2004.
Main courtyard after
And this is how it ended up three and a half years and many euros later. ¶ Permanent link: 4:04 PM 3 comments
Monday, May 21, 2007
Early May in Italy 07
Off to Italy *again* at the weekend. This time a free Alitalia flight courtesy of airmiles but the limited number of mile and availability meant we did have to catch an early flight. Up at 4am to catch a 6am flight and we only just caught it. The queues were horrendous and our flight got called forward twice: once at the check-in desks and again for the security screening.
As requested the gardener had started planting up the beds but has yet to start work on the automatic watering system. He has planted up the beds with typical Maquis shrubs plus some roses and iris.
Flower bed with shrubs
The weekend was spent doing a few useful things. Ordered a last couple of bits of furniture: a cupboard for the Lamia living room (storage is scarce) and a side table to put the small hi-fi on. We made another trip to Emmezetta (local hypermarket) and bought a giant parasol and an all-in-one TV and DVD player. We also bought a copy of The Blues Brothers to watch - in Italian of course - but I knew the lines so well that didn't really matter.
I also managed to clean out the pizza oven ready for my first attempt at real pizza cooking when we go out in June.
Note:
Edited post to replace camera photos with quality image from Mary's camera. [Tue 22-May-07] ¶ Permanent link: 12:49 PM 2 comments
Off to Italy *again* at the weekend. This time a free Alitalia flight courtesy of airmiles but the limited number of mile and availability meant we did have to catch an early flight. Up at 4am to catch a 6am flight and we only just caught it. The queues were horrendous and our flight got called forward twice: once at the check-in desks and again for the security screening.
As requested the gardener had started planting up the beds but has yet to start work on the automatic watering system. He has planted up the beds with typical Maquis shrubs plus some roses and iris.
Flower bed with shrubs
The weekend was spent doing a few useful things. Ordered a last couple of bits of furniture: a cupboard for the Lamia living room (storage is scarce) and a side table to put the small hi-fi on. We made another trip to Emmezetta (local hypermarket) and bought a giant parasol and an all-in-one TV and DVD player. We also bought a copy of The Blues Brothers to watch - in Italian of course - but I knew the lines so well that didn't really matter.
I also managed to clean out the pizza oven ready for my first attempt at real pizza cooking when we go out in June.
Note:
Edited post to replace camera photos with quality image from Mary's camera. [Tue 22-May-07] ¶ Permanent link: 12:49 PM 2 comments
Monday, April 16, 2007
Pasqua in Puglia 2007
I have been off air as we went to the Hovel-in-the-Hills™ for Easter. This was our first holiday there planned as a holiday not chivying the architect to fix the snagging list. We went out with friends Tim&Sarah, their two children Alex and Zoe plus an old friend Ros.
Alberobello: Of course the world heritage site of Alberobello is a must. A town of trulli only 20 minutes drive away.
Sarah, Tim, Mary and Ros relax: We managed to fit in a good amount of sunbathing.
Moore Family on the Lamia Roof: Watching the sunset from the roof top with a glass of prosecco in hand is a daily ritual after a hard day's sunbathing. ¶ Permanent link: 9:30 PM 1 comments
I have been off air as we went to the Hovel-in-the-Hills™ for Easter. This was our first holiday there planned as a holiday not chivying the architect to fix the snagging list. We went out with friends Tim&Sarah, their two children Alex and Zoe plus an old friend Ros.
Alberobello: Of course the world heritage site of Alberobello is a must. A town of trulli only 20 minutes drive away.
Sarah, Tim, Mary and Ros relax: We managed to fit in a good amount of sunbathing.
Moore Family on the Lamia Roof: Watching the sunset from the roof top with a glass of prosecco in hand is a daily ritual after a hard day's sunbathing. ¶ Permanent link: 9:30 PM 1 comments
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Opening up the Hovel
We had a couple of enquiries about renting "Trullo Azzurro" which have not, unfortunately, turned into bookings. However it was enough to prompt us to squeeze in an extra trip to Puglia to see how the Hovel-in-the-Hills ™ had survived the winter.
Mary was going to the Madame Butterfly on Friday with her friend Andrea so we had to fly out on Saturday. We could not face Ryanair and anyway they are not so cheap as you get close to the departure date. Instead we flew Alitalia changing in Milan Malpensa (MXP). That meant we arrived in daylight with the shops still open so we could get breakfast stuff and have time to examine the property on arrival.
It had survived the winter very well: last year's plasterwork had obviously finished drying out and the bags and boxes we used for storage had done the trick. The hot water and heating seemed to be working fine but the control box was being a little erratic. We got the underfloor heating working and the place slowly warmed up.
Sunday was a little overcast but Monday was bright and sunny so we could open all the doors and get the bedding aired on the line. We called in Daniele, the architect, and Ignazio, the heating engineer, to look at the boiler controls and discuss a few minor repair items about the place. Then lunch and back to Bari airport for the trip home. ¶ Permanent link: 1:32 PM 2 comments
We had a couple of enquiries about renting "Trullo Azzurro" which have not, unfortunately, turned into bookings. However it was enough to prompt us to squeeze in an extra trip to Puglia to see how the Hovel-in-the-Hills ™ had survived the winter.
Mary was going to the Madame Butterfly on Friday with her friend Andrea so we had to fly out on Saturday. We could not face Ryanair and anyway they are not so cheap as you get close to the departure date. Instead we flew Alitalia changing in Milan Malpensa (MXP). That meant we arrived in daylight with the shops still open so we could get breakfast stuff and have time to examine the property on arrival.
It had survived the winter very well: last year's plasterwork had obviously finished drying out and the bags and boxes we used for storage had done the trick. The hot water and heating seemed to be working fine but the control box was being a little erratic. We got the underfloor heating working and the place slowly warmed up.
Sunday was a little overcast but Monday was bright and sunny so we could open all the doors and get the bedding aired on the line. We called in Daniele, the architect, and Ignazio, the heating engineer, to look at the boiler controls and discuss a few minor repair items about the place. Then lunch and back to Bari airport for the trip home. ¶ Permanent link: 1:32 PM 2 comments
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Trulli Before and After (2)
More before and after pictures [click on images for larger version].
Back of the Lamia
The Cones from the Lamia Roof
Pizza Oven
¶ Permanent link: 5:08 PM 0 comments
More before and after pictures [click on images for larger version].
Back of the Lamia
The Cones from the Lamia Roof
Pizza Oven
¶ Permanent link: 5:08 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Trulli Before and After (1)
Having, finally, finished the work on the trulli we went through the photo archive and dug out some before pictures so we could show you the difference [click on images for larger version].
Cones viewed from the garden
Inside of the Lamia from the door towards kitchen and bathroom
Inside of the Lamia looking back towards the door
¶ Permanent link: 1:48 PM 1 comments
Having, finally, finished the work on the trulli we went through the photo archive and dug out some before pictures so we could show you the difference [click on images for larger version].
Cones viewed from the garden
Inside of the Lamia from the door towards kitchen and bathroom
Inside of the Lamia looking back towards the door
¶ Permanent link: 1:48 PM 1 comments
