How not to be grateful for "the season" which closes tomorrow: for the magnificent season of this seemingly endless Indian summer in all its beauty

view from the inn this morning

of the season which allowed us to leave some Sagrantino grapes on the vines to dry/sweeten naturally for our Passito

for the season which "gave" us a magnificent grape harvest and an outstanding olive harvest. Tomorrow we deliver the last olives to the mill for their cold press and close the inn.

I am extremely grateful for a Genius Loci season which defied all dire predictions, an inn season which gave us enormous satisfaction, for gorgeous weather, for quality harvests...and good health. Yes, this has been a magnificent season!

For one reason or another I have skipped a Friday, perhaps two, of our Gratitude Friday "Club". This week, I am posting two entries: after our return from our delightful time in Le Langhe of Piedmont, I excitedly went up to the inn to give Michael some of the special wines and gourmet products which we had lovingly bought for him!

This is the usual view from the inn, but a view I saw with "new eyes" after our trip. I am so grateful to be surrounded by this open expansion of beauty, by "that certain" rarefied light, by world famous hill towns, by gently descending and breathtaking vineyards which will soon be crimson red... and unspoiled countryside.

May I always be able to fully appreciate this "normal" beauty and see it with "new eyes".

I am grateful that Maurizio and I enjoy the same type of places, the same relaxed pace, the same passion for art and beautiful countryside.

I am grateful that we both enjoy taking short breaks to circumscribed areas...and that we both love mid-October with its warm days and cool nights. These October breaks come at a propitious time: immediately after the fatigue of the grape harvest and toward the very end of the Genius Loci season which is in wind-down mode before its November 1 closing.

The urge arrives punctually and irresistibly every mid-October. We have taken many memorable trips in this period. This week it was to Piedmont and the Langhe area with its unique scenery, glorious weather, new small towns to visit, many picnics and lazy drives through breathtaking vineyards, fun wine-tastings, fine food and a permeating sense of leisure.

No small thing for which to be grateful. The compatibility and ease of togetherness is paramount...and this is not always a given.

Mid-October beckons, invariably, every year. It is a time of year we find irresistible - perfect for a short break. It comes just after our own vendemmia (grape harvest) and toward the end of our busy and long season at Genius Loci.

In recent years we have escaped, usually quite last-minute, to Cinque Terre, Venice, the Alps, Lake Como, Lucca, Ravenna, Le Marche...and this week to the Langhe in Piedmont, land of the most noble wines of Barolo, Barbera and Barbaresco.

bucolic scenery

an old-fashioned steam-engine train

a stunning backdrop of fresh snow on the Alps

and leisure wine tastings

With its striking new website, Giuditta Brozzetti Textiles, one of the most prestigious Umbrian artisan traditions, a boast for the entire region, has truly taken long strides into the next generation. Marta Cucchia, representing the fourth generation of this long-standing and on-going art of hand-woven textiles on antique looms, not only continues to design, create and weave personally, but has also designed both a new and artistic brochure AND website.

www.brozzetti.com

Marta's dedication to her art, to the continuation of her family tradition, to excellence...as well as to documentation and research are exemplary. She has created a Workshop - Center for Documentation and Research on the Art of Textiles, creating a valuable venue for bibliographic and iconographic studies.

We are back from a very enjoyable trip to Le Langhe. More soon.

AGAIN, TO MY FELLOW GRATITUDE FRIDAY BLOGGERS, I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING LATE.

My time is more and more often NOT my own, my energy level is too often depleted and my battery often needs recharging.

While I mentally "wrote" my Friday entry, only today am I finding the time to literally write and post it.

I am extremely grateful for having LIVED in two countries, for having experienced Italy in the most authentic way: through marrying an Italian in Umbria and being part of his traditional ways. Nothing could have contributed any more fully to what I see as my "deeper awareness" of myriad aspects of culture, mores, mentality, history, art, national character or of politics than this dichotomy of "modes".

The aspects are too many and too complex, the nuances are multiple, the self-enrichment is too far-reaching... AND the frustrations and difficulties are ever-present and challenging...to even attempt to address in this entry.

The value of this dichotomy, of this "faceted" experience, however, is INFINITE, affording me a deeper awareness of almost everything, allowing me a better understandiing and a fuller objectivity. The social historian, Barzini, once said, referring to the split loyalties , "those with two nationalities actually have no nationality". True in a way! But IF blind loyalty, lack of objectivity, "empty" nationalism are signs of having ONE nationality instead of TWO... then, having "none" would be a gain rather than a loss.

While not always easy, I am nevertheless, grateful for my two nationalities and for the ensuing deeper awareness and enrichment they have afforded me!

How often do we give thanks for normality? Perhaps not often enough. This was a week of exceptional normality: of business as usual, the daily round; routine, order, regularity.

It was a week of gorgeous weather, instilling me with renewed energy and a desire to take on new creative projects - of trip planning - of excellent coffee and leisure starts to pleasant days - of spending quality time in my beautiful kitchen with Maurizio, making our very special breakfast bread and cooking up the season's bounty - of attending a local sagra - of spending time with splendid guests at Genius Loci - of conducting several wine tastings with a lavish array of my gourmet spread - of seeing our gorgeous area through our guests' eyes as we accompanied them on a wine tour of the Sagrantino area...

of awakening each morning, after blissful sleeps, to cobalt blue skies

and the softest caress of September temperatures - of having tender Virgola in our lives - of dedicating part of our days to Genius Loci, the fruition of our vision - of eating well-prepared, healthful, mostly home-grown food - of keeping a close watch on our various medical issues within a functional, nationalized medical system - of keeping abreast of world news and of exchanging emails with far away friends and family on the marvel that is the Internet...

of falling asleep inundated with a sense of pride, admiration and love for Mar and Michael and Maurizio, my ever-present Rock of Gibraltar.

Indeed, it was a normal week of awe at Nature's beauty and bounty - of a deep appreciation of the mystery of the subtle change of the season - of readying ourselves for the grape harvest and the magic of wine-making - of observing the almost ripe olives which will soon, so generously, bless us with magnificent extra virgin olive oil to accompany us daily throughout the year.

Oh, yes indeed, it was a week of normality...of marvellous normality. Today I express gratitude for an often overlooked magnificent normality.

Virgola - immediately after surgery

adorable Virgola - a week after surgery but before her setback

I apologize to my fellow GF club members for not posting last Friday: I was hard-put to find the time AND to be able to contemplate gratitude. Our precious little dog, Virgola, was making a regular recovery from her major surgery for an intestinal occlusion until Thursday night-Friday when she had quite a setback. She suddenly refused all food and water and was clearly in pain. While several vet visits and many tests were inconclusive, the vet feared a serious complication which, without a second surgery, would be life-threatening. We were devastated at the thought.

Fortunately, she got better without our knowing exactly what caused her trouble. So... double gratitude is in my heart today: for her seemingly FULL recovery by now AND... for our Genius Loci clientele. This gratitude is ever-present but there are some periods when I am overwhelmed by our marvellous clientele. THIS is one of those periods!

While there are way too many guests to name each one... each one is remembered vividly. SO MANY of them inspire me in their dedication to a cause, in their pursuit of excellence in what they have chosed to do, in their altruistic interest in others. SO MANY are exemplary in their integrity, their openness, in their kindness and generosity. SO MANY make a real difference in this world. SO MANY go out of their way to express their gratitude and appreciation of what we have strived to accomplish with our inn. SO MANY keep in touch with us, send us their colleagues and friends and return for a second or third stay.

Our magnificent clientele, discerning, aware, informed, and so very pleasant, is our MOST VALUABLE ASSET. To them, each and every one of them who have crossed paths with us, who have marvelled at our "essence of Umbria", who have shared their hopes, aspirations or concerns with us, who have entrusted us with their most special occasions and their precious vacations... I am grateful. We treasure you and will always go the extra mile for you.

Yesterday, our beloved little Virgola, had emergency surgery for an intestinal occlusion caused by a large sorbo seed/stone lodged in her small intestine. She had been sick since Monday but it wasn't diagnosed until yesterday afternoon. The Vet closed his office immediately, preparing the operating room. We picked her up a couple hours later. The surgery was JUST in time...before perforation, septecemia, or necrosis.

How grateful I am for our little sweetheart. I hope that she recovers fully from this emergency. Tender, tender, tender Virgola. What joy she bring to our lives!