Casa Teresina Blog

Paul and I made a lightning trip to Moggiona in mid-December to check out the installation of central heating, which had taken place during the autumn thanks to the cottage now being connected to the gas mains. Much to our relief we found that Signor Rossi, the idraulico (plumber), had done a marvellous job: the radiators look as if they have been there for ever, and the pipework is discreetly hidden.

New radiator in the kitchen at Casa Teresina

The new boiler, installed in a cupboard in the back bedroom, makes the best possible use of that space – never much use for anything else.

New boiler at Casa Teresina

The heating will make a huge difference to life at Casa Teresina in the winter: no more rushed trips to the icy bathroom for a shower first thing in the morning! That said, I’m pretty sure the open log fire in the kitchen will remain the focal point of the household during the darker months, for aesthetic rather than survival reasons. At least it is no longer a question of huddling round it trying to ignore the cold at your back!

Log fire in the kitchen at Casa Teresina

While we were there we also oversaw the installation of a new gas cooker, another step into the 21^st century for Casa Teresina. Having a cooker connected to mains gas removes the fear, ever-present during major culinary attempts, that the bombola (gas bottle) was going to run out half-way through cooking.

New gas cooker at Casa Teresina

Despite concentrating on domestic matters during our brief stay we still had time to enjoy two meals at Il Cedro, and to appreciate Moggiona’s pre-Christmas festive feel: two illuminated Christmas trees and a welcoming Buone Feste banner in golden lights across the entrance to the village.

Buone Feste

Easter Monday (Pasquetta) was a day of splendid contrasts. Up earlyish by holiday standards we began the day by attending the small ceremony held in Moggiona every year on 25 April, to mark Italy’s liberation by the Allies at the end of WWII. We joined a sizeable group of people – some of them old enough to remember the war – gathered round the war memorial on the wall of the official building at the heart of the village. Eventually a minibus delivered several officials, one in an impressively braided uniform carrying a banner and others with tricolore neckerchiefs, fresh from performing a similar ceremony down in Poppi. The brief and moving occasion included an address from a mayoral figure, during which he read out the names of some twenty or so Moggionans murdered in the wartime atrocity that took place in the village. Someone we took to be a representative of the veterans then presented certificates to three current villagers linked in some way to those families affected by the incident, including a lady representing her 102 year old uncle.

Liberation Day ceremony, Moggiona, 25 April 2011

Straight from the ceremony we than tackled the walk up to the cross on the ridge above Moggiona, and beyond, then down into Camaldoli and back again. Quite a climb (some 400 metres), but  a rewarding one, with magnificent views from the top not only back to Moggiona but over to Pratovecchio in the next valley. Along the route we discovered late primroses and violets, the occasional wild hellebore and beech trees fresh with their first flush of leaves. The theme of the day continued, too, as we crossed the sentiero dei Tedeschi, a mule track apparently used by the Germans to supply their lines as they retreated from the Allies’ advance. At the end of the long descent through the beech – and then more gloomy coniferous – forests we called in at the Tassini’s albergo in Camaldoli for a very welcome coffee and a couple of the best cakes we have had in this part of the world – an orange and pear sponge and a chestnut, apple and pine-nut strudel. Highly recommended.

Thence back to Casa Teresina for lunch on the terrace followed by an afternoon in the sun with our books. We rounded off this satisfying  day by cooking – with remarkable success -  a recipe for guinea fowl taken from The Tuscan Year by Elizabeth Romer, one of the many useful cookbooks to hand in the Casa Teresina kitchen.

Though Easter Sunday in Moggiona began cloudy and damp, it has developed into a beautiful afternoon perfect for walking in the hills.

Enjoyed an amazing 5-course Easter lunch at Il Cedro. Highlights included venison with endives and a special ‘tricolore’ dessert to celebrate Italy’s 150 years.

Am now attempting to walk it off with a walk up to the cross high above the village, with spectacular views over the hills towards Pratovecchio, and back round to the Camaldoli road through the forest and back to Moggiona.

We arrived here on Wednesday 20 April for our annual Easter visit. It is very late this year of course, so we are enjoying see a slightly different countryside:  more freshly green with trees in subtle shades from lime green to silvery grey. The violets and peach blossom are over but instead we spot wild irises at the side of the road and here and there trees with a deep red blossom, as yet unidentified. We have heard cuckoos calling across the valley behind the cottage.

The weather is bright and sunny by day with occasional wisps of cloud and we have so far enjoyed one lunch and an afternoon on the terrace. At night, though, it is still cold enough for us to need the log fire in the kitchen. It is no hardship to sit in front of it, glass of wine in hand, while waiting for the supper to cook.

Talking of wine, yesterday we enjoyed our first visit this year to Mauro’s shop Il Vinaio in Ponte a Poppi where we bought loads of fresh produce including carciofi (artichokes – currently in season) some excellent cheeses and a bottle or two of wine on Mauro’s recommendation. He is a great salesman but does it with such good humour and charm that we don’t mind falling for it! After that we treated ourselves to a coffee at Osteria Tempo Perso, also on the main street, a pleasantly relaxed establishment where you can read the Italian newspapers at big square tables. We came away from there with something too: a couple of tempting-looking jam and almond tarts.

Several important religious ceremonies traditionally take place in the village during the run up to Easter, starting at the church right by Casa Teresina. Last night (Maundy Thursday) it was the service of the ‘washing of the feet’ at which 12 villagers are chosen to represent the disciples for the ceremony. Tonight an effigy of Christ’s body will be carried round the village to several sites marked by a cross. A midnight service on Saturday night celebrates the arrival of Easter Day. All these occasions are marked by the tolling of the church bells, summoning the faithful, and a buzz of voices in the street outside our front door.

Welcome to the Casa Teresina blog! From now on we’ll be publishing regular updates and news about the house here. We’ll also let you know what’s happening in Moggiona and the Casentino, give some restaurant reviews and recommendations and much more. Come back soon to see the latest updates.