N.19 - Successful “Case History” of foreigners buying a property in Le Marche
Andrew and Babs Mitchell own a hilltop convent and mill in Le Marche. They’ve transformed the mill into a large family house, and plan to renovate the convent to offer luxury holiday retreats with four-room suites.
“Babs and I just love Italy,” Andrew says. “Every region is proud and competitive – they’ve all got the best food, the best wine, culture and history. So we figured we could spend the rest of our lives just going round Italy, and never get bored. No other European country has such a range of flavours, cultures, colours and spirit.
“To be honest, Le Marche was an accident. An old friend told us he was doing up a farmhouse in Le Marche and Babs and I asked “Where’s that?” When we started researching for where we might buy in Italy, it was quickly narrowed down to Le Marche. We looked through hundreds of properties online, but quite early on saw the one we eventually bought, which looked spectacular. Two fabulous 300-year-old buildings on top of a hill – both built in impossibly beautiful long, thin pink bricks.
“I went out in January 2005 to view properties for two weeks, covering about 3,000 kilometres and meeting with six agents. First I saw the property we eventually bought, then about fifty others to see if anything could get better. Nothing could. The convent is absolutely stunning, with curved roofs, cloisters and its own chapel. It’s been uninhabited for 45 years. The old mill had never been lived in, and didn’t even have windows. It had a donkey and a sheep in it when I first saw it. But it had magnificent walls, which were double-skinned. It looks like a house a child might draw – totally square, ten metres by ten metres. So we have three floors, each of a hundred square metres. The convent is also ten metres wide, but 35 metres long. And there’s a wonderful cypress tree on the hilltop, about 80 feet tall, that you can see for miles around.
“During the restoration of the mill, I came out for a few days every three or four weeks for almost a year to oversee the work. It was finished in August 2007. With the convent, our vision is eventually to refurbish in a very authentic, beautiful, original Italian style, and market it as upmarket holiday suites. We’ll do frescos on the walls, and maintain the convent’s original features and monastic character. That’s probably about five years away, when we’ve got the money together. We’ll provide massage and beauty treatments, and there’ll be a spectacular swimming pool themed as sunken Roman baths. Between us, Babs and I have backgrounds in marketing, hotel management and art history, so hopefully we have the right skills for the mission.”
Zucchine ripiene al forno (Baked Zucchini Boats)
It’s zucchini season again! Zucchini are sometimes dismissed as ‘bland’ but in fact their mild flavor can be put to good use. They make an ideal foil for all sorts of flavors, whether simmered in tomato sauce and marinated with herbs and vinegar or baked alla parmigiana. They also make fine vehicle for a savory stuffing.
Unlike, say artichokes, pepper or tomatoes, zucchini don’t have a natural cavity to hold the stuffing. You need to cut a zucchini in half lengthwise and carve out a hollow in each of the two halves so they look like little ‘canoes’. It’s smooth sailing from there. You can use the bread stuffing from last week’s post on stuffed artichokes, or the tuna-based stuffing we used to stuff peppers last year. But for something more substantial, try a stuffing of ground meats and flavorings, a mixture very much like the one you might use for meatballs or an Italian meatloaf. Then pop it in the oven (with our without tomato sauce) and let it all cook until golden brown.
Ingredients (for 4-6 as an antipasto or light secondo)
- 4 large zucchini
For the filling:
- 1 small onion
- Olive oil
- 500g (1 lb) ground beef (or mixed meats, see Notes)
- 100g (4 oz) grated parmesan cheese
- 100g (4 oz) bread crumbs (or crumbled, crustless bread, soaked in milk and squeezed dry)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper
For baking:
- Water or white wine
- 1 Tbs. tomato paste or purée (optional)
- Olive oil
Best Wines of Le Marche: Poderi San Lazzaro, Grifola, Marche Igt Rosso 2008
- Production area: Commune of Offida, in the Marche region of Central Italy
- Grapes: Montepulciano 100%
- Soil type: Predominantly calcareous clay
- Vine density: 4000 vines per hectare (1,800 per acre)
- Winemaking techniques: Submerged cap with frequent pumpovers each day for 6-8 days at temperatures of 25-30 degrees Celsius (77-86 degrees Fahrenheit). After racking, aging in barrique, where the malolactic fermentation develops naturally.
- Harvest date: First or second 10 days in October
- Yield: Approximately 50 quintali per hectare (2.2 tons per acre)
- Alcohol: 14,5%
- Bottles produced: 4000 per year
- Aging: 16 months in French barriques, followed by six months in bottle.
- Organoleptic characteristics: Ruby red, clear and consistent. The aroma introduces itself as intense and a good complexity, with fruity perfumes of plum and black currant, floral of violet and gerber. The taste is dry, warm, with well presented tannins. A pleasant but bitterish wine, with a fruity return.
- Price: € 16
Play is a serious game: Clementoni, Recanati
A company with over forty years of experience. A brand that is synonym of creativity, passion and attention to quality. A consolidated leader in the world of educational games.
A story to be told. A world to be discovered. From the games of yesteryear to today’s novelties, a fascinating story of forward-looking innovation and true passion. See on clementoni.com
Fried Black Locust Flowers and the Medieval Town & Castle of Gradara
Beautiful medieval Gradara. It’s a town in the Marche region of Italy, on the opposite side of Tuscany. Marche is less traveled by tourists but equally beautiful and more serene. In fact, this is one of my top three regions. Town after town, there’s always something beautiful to see. The people are relaxed and friendly. And the food, like in all regions of Italy, is superb.Gradara is the cradle of the tragic kiss between Paolo and Francesca told by Dante in the 5th canto of “Hell” in his Divine Comedy. This forbidden kiss has inspired so many artists and poets in different periods. Read More See on apronandsneakers.com
What does Porchetta mean to you?
I did a random survey on my foodie friends, acquaintances, chefs even some italians, “What does Porchetta mean to you?”
Some said a pork loin rolled up and roasted with some salt, pepper and garlic. Others didn’t have a clue or said the restaurant chain with the same name! If visiting a market day in any little village or city in Italy you would find a porchetta stall, serving freshly roasted pork with stuffing. But it is how it is cooked and what it is stuffed with that actually makes it a porchetta. Just because it is pork it can be the only food called porchetta – WRONG. Porchetta actually refers to anything roasted over a WOOD fire with WILD FENNEL. You can make any piece of meat that is porchetta along as you have roasted it in a wood fire oven and stuffed or even marinated or cooked with fennel (preferably wild). So you can actually find rabbit porchetta, duck porchetta etc, etc… See on lamiciacooking.wordpress.com
The Process behind each shoe: Antonio Maurizi Shoes
In this video Antonio Maurizi, a small company in Corridonia, Le Marche Region of Italy, explains the complex process behind a pair of shoes.
One of the most important processes behind every pair of shoes is the sewing of the upper. This determines not only the shape of the shoe but also the comfort…
Lana Del Rey wearing Alberto Guardiani’s Lipstick Heel
Lana Del Rey, new American starlet at the top of the charts is currently one of the hottest and most controversial names in US music. Sultry, sexy and stripped down, she was photographed by i-D Magazine in Alberto Guardiani’s Lipstick Heel.
Evermore popular among international stars such as Katy Perry, the Lipstick Heel is iconic, eccentric and feminine. Lana Del Rey, a fresh mix of mysterious showbiz glamour and feminine charm, is a perfect pair for the Lipstick Heel.
For this photo shoot, Lana Del Rey was wearing Dior with the Lipstick Heel.
Photographer: Scott Trindle; Stylist: Caroline Newell.
See on blog.experience.albertoguardiani.com Visit the Lipstick Heel Store
N.18 - Successful “Case History” of foreigners buying a property in Le Marche
Derbyshire-based Chris and Judith Thorp bought and restored a large 19th-century farmhouse in the hills of southern Le Marche, about twenty miles from the sea.
“Judith and I had each been to Italy as children,” Chris explains, “and when we had our twin daughters, we took them on holidays to Italy too. Gradually we just fell more and more in love with the country. We’d always dreamt of buying a property somewhere in the sunshine. France called for a while, but despite having little knowledge of the language, we just kept coming back to Italy time and time again. In 2000, we took a holiday in Umbria, and had our first peek at Le Marche. When we saw how it had landscapes like Tuscany, but felt very much off the beaten track, we were hooked.
So it was that they eventually discovered Le Marche, and more importantly a sadly neglected 19th Century farmhouse that was crying out for love and attention. It was not long before they took possession and then set about their plans for bringing it back to life through a sensitive restoration and conversion project. The house had been vacant for 50 years and was becoming ruinous, but the work went as smoothly as possible and before long they had brought the house back to a new life so that it could be enjoyed both by them and their guests alike.
It is a real joy for them to sit in their pretty garden with a glass of the local red wine in hand and gaze over the fields and wooded hillsides whilst listening to the birds or watching distant sheep as the sun sets gently in the evening sky. They love to share Casa Tranquilla with others and hope that it brings everyone as much pleasure as it does to them. The area has so much to offer in its landscape, climate, culture, traditions, attractions and culinary delights what we call the ‘real’ Italy, untainted by mass tourism.
N.17 - Successful “Case History” of foreigners buying a property in Le Marche
Ann and Dale Egerton from Somerset own a three-bedroom farmhouse in southern Le Marche, near the medieval hilltop village of Gualdo. The house, called ‘Il Querceto’ in honour of nearby oak trees, sits high in a rural valley with spectacular views onto the Sibillini Mountains.
“We bought it in 2001,” Ann explains. “We had been considering different parts of Italy for about a month when we heard about Le Marche, a region we knew nothing of until then. We went out to Le Marche to explore for a week, and absolutely loved it. It’s so peaceful, beautiful and timeless.
“The farmhouse gazes south over our field, which is used by the local farmer, across the valley and into the mountains. The Sibillini are snow-covered through the winter and awash with wildflowers in spring. We’re 45 minutes from the beach, and 45 minutes from ski resorts, which is fantastic. One of the best things about our location is the intense quiet. When friends of ours recently came to stay and they arrived in the evening, they were thrilled that the only thing they could hear in the whole valley was a nightingale singing.
“Il Querceto was partially restored when we bought it. I was learning Italian, and I spent a month out there working with our geometra, finishing the internal work, putting in a swimming pool and making a garden. Luckily he was also fluent in English. Working alongside local workmen my Italian vastly improved, albeit with a Marchigiani accent!
“Local people have been extremely welcoming and helpful. We now have many friends in the area. After ten years my housekeeper Ivana has become a very special friend. She speaks no English, which is good for my Italian as she loves to bring me up to date with the local gossip when I arrive. We have spent many fun-filled hours in the farmhouse kitchen with her, learning how to make pasta and meals the Le Marche way. Last September we went to her son’s wedding, which was our first experience of an Italian wedding, and wonderful. Ivana lives just down the lane and drives past Il Querceto every day, keeping an eye on it for us.
“Every year we spend as much time out there as we can. We love Le Marche’s relaxed lifestyle. The weekly markets are overflowing with fresh local produce and there is no better way to pass a summer’s day than sitting in the garden, relaxing over local food and wine, with fresh figs from our tree, and the best view in the world. After much soul-searching we’ve finally decided to put Il Querceto on the market, because in our retirement we want to spend more time travelling further afield.” www.italianfarmhouse.info seen on www
See on italianfarmhouse.info
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