Yes, here in the Lunigiana we’re blessed with a laid-back lifestyle and a land full of good things to eat. After documenting the processing of Armando’s pig, we’ve been invited to eat much of it at Armando and Francesca’s house. Tonight we’ll be eating cotecchino con pure, or a sausage made from the meat and skin plus some mashed potatoes.
But things aren’t all paradiso found in northern Tuscany. Nope. After our snow storm, in which our entire village lost water for an entire day, the murkey russet sludge started coming from our pipes at the exact moment we lost electricity. It was time for bed, luckily, so we hibernated a while.
But then came the rain. A torrential downpour that put soccer fields completely under lakes complete with ducks.
That was yesterday. You can see the blue bike stored under the overhang in the picture.
It rained all night, then stopped for about three hours. Now it’s raining gatti e cani, cats and dogs. I’m glad we’re on a hill. I wasn’t so glad when the hill was iced over.
Then, to top it all off, someone hit our car while it rested peacefully in our little community parking area. A tail light is broken, a bumper smudged in black. No note, not even in Italian.
Ok, so there are good things to balance the bad. Above is a picture of a presepe entered in a nativity scene competition in Pontremoli done by grade school students using only pasta shapes. It sits on a bread paddle. I think. It brings a smile anyway. Click to see it bigger. How many pasta shapes can you see?
So, I know I’ve been somewhat discouraging with this post, but hey, come and visit the Lunigiana some time. Perhaps take a vacation rental.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow, when I get to have some real turkey, one of Armando’s, that doesn’t have a breast so large it couldn’t walk around proudly. I don’t know about you, but porn star turkeys are about the last thing I want on Christmas.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make a holiday a good one. Hope yours is all you want it to be.
More Stories from the Lunigiana
Lunigiana Saffron: Terre di Bigliolo
Mille Miglia 2018: Colorful Classics Come to the Lunigiana
Dr. Sukkar and the Mediterranean Diet
The Last Pizza on the Terrace 2013