CELBRATING THE NEW OLIVE OIL

Finalmente! The new olive oil is ready, frangrant and spicy, needing only a piece of toasted bread and a little salt to enjoy it at it's best. This weekend, November 7th and 8th, is the official Frantoi Aperti

when many frantoi (olive mills) will open their doors to the public, not only to buy the new oil, but also to see how it's made and maybe enjoy a few tastry treats as well.

Trevi, which calls itself the "city of oil" will once again host it's own very special celebration for the frantoi aperti. Click on the link to see what's planned: city tours, concerts, food and a local market among other things. I think I'll pass on the donkey rides, but everything else sounds pretty cool! Hopefully I'll also be able to buy some fresh pumpkin for cooking, and maybe some more of Trevi's famous black celery. It's going to be a delicious weekend!

New this year, the fun of the Frantoi Aperti will continue for FIVE weekends, from November 7/8 through December 5/6. More details on the Frantoi Aperti website.

FRANTOI APERTI 2008

Last Sunday was the frantoi aperti, the day when many olive mills invite the public to sample the new oil with bruschetta and other goodies. We started off in Trevi where the piazza was filled with vendors of oil, cheese, fruit, vegetables and other food things to eat. I took the opportunity to buy more celery, and the man told me to use the inner, white stalks of celery as an antipato with the new oil and a little salt. As usual, the simplest things are the most delicious!






As we tasted one of the oils in the piazza a woman walked up and I realized I knew her, or at least knew who she was. I couldn't remember her name, but I asked her "Are you from Philly, and do you have a restaurant in Foligno?" When she answered "Yes", I introduced myself and told her that I read her personal BLOG as well as the one she writes for her restaurant in FOLIGNO. The restaurant is called BASILIKO, and I'm hoping to check it out soon.

I also have Jennifer marked as a contact on my FLICKR PAGE. Whenever one of my contacts posts new pictures the thumbnails are posted on my Flickr homepage. Imagine my surprise I saw Halloween pictures of Salvatore, the chef who's restaurant we'd visited the night before! (Salvatore's restaurant is also in Foligno, and believe me when I say that experience will take a post all it's own!)
Jennifer told me she used to work for Salvatore, so the world just gets smaller and smaller!

At one of the frantoi, GAUDENZI, we found this ceramic olive oil container, complete with matching saucer and pitcher for catching all the spills. I'm still considering going back to buy this, but I have to figure out where I could put it. It's so beautiful it needs to be on display, but it also needs to be in a place where it won't be bumped. What do you think....should I buy it? The complete set is €120....quite a splurge for me, but I just keep thinking about it......

We ended up driving to three frantoi rather than waiting for the bus, and in addition to new oil we also bought some of the olive liqueur that Wendy and Art like so much. Loaded with fresh veggies, some cheese, new oil and some spirits we headed home via the scenic route, enjoying the beautiful fall day.

IF YOU'RE IN UMBRIA THIS FALL....

Two of our favorite events in Umbria happen in the fall, and if you're here in Late October or early November you should definitely try to make time for one or both events. Of course you know at the top of my list is EUROCHOCOLATE. This year it runs from October 18th through October 26th. This will be our fifth consecutive year for Eurochocolate and I can tell you that it has grown at an alarming rate during that short time. The last time we were there on a weekend Corso Vannucci in Perugia was wall to wall people, and it was a struggle to get near any of the chocolate vendors, so I'd recommend a weekday visit if you can. Don't expect any free samples be cause they seem to be pretty stingy in Perugia, but I guess most of us who attend such festivals already know what we like.

Coming up just a week after Eurochocolate ends is the annual tasting of the new olive oil at the FRANTOI APERTI. As of this writing, just four weeks from the November 1-2 dates, the website still shows last years' information, but eventually current details will be posted. Last year I wrote about the five different zones Umbria has for it's olive oil and how the oil differs from zone to zone. You can read about it HERE. Because we know we like the spicy oil from the area around TREVI, that's where you'll find us this year too, and I'm hoping the be able to buy some of that yummy black celery that Trevi is famous for as well. (Clicking on the Trevi link will take you to the details for their events for Frantoi Aperti)

Fall is a wonderful time to visit Umbria. The days are cooler and shorter but the crowds are gone and you can load up your suitcases with plenty of chocolate and new olive oil.....maybe even a bottle or two of wine and you'll be able to pretend you're still in Italy long after the vacation is over! On the other hand, if you buy our house in Umbria, you'll have a home away from home just waiting for you whenever the mood strikes...and I'll personally guarantee you that no matter what time of year you're here, you'll always find plenty of delicious food and wine. How can you possibly resist?