The striking beauty of Sardinia needs few words to describe. This just-past-high-season-still-full-summer-weather trip was magnificent and unforgettable.

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Years ago when Mar was doing her primary research for two years in Florence for her Ph.D. at Yale, we went to Carnival in Venice on Martedì Grasso. NEVER will I forget the emotion of that experience, the dream-like quality of the slow-motion movements of the donners of historic, gorgeously detailed costumes against the unique architectural backdrop of Venice!

The elegant slow-motion-like movements of the donners create a feeling of suspension of reality, of an unreal sensation of floating and dreaming.

There is no hype, no clamor...just serene beauty with strains of Vivaldi seeping from remote corners, adding to the atmosphere and the sense of total mesmerization.

Mar returned this week: These are just a few of the images she captured which I would like to share with you.

Armed with my camera, unable to stay inside, I walked in the garden again today, admiring my mosses

and finding and admiring the tiniest new-just-bloomed wild flowers

trying to catch their beauty from different angles and with different light.

the ivy berries with their bright colors, intricate patterns and contrast are always among my favorites

Spring beauty on a winter day

Umbria has been blessed with a magnificent winter this year. There have been some cold nights, even some frost...even a couple of cold days - but it has been sunny, clear and warmer than usual. Nature is restless, ready to get on with spring! Characteristically jagged photinia buds are painfully swollen

daffodils are over 8-10 inches tall

bushes are on fire

lawns are carpeted in miniscule "occhio della Madonna" flowers with their distinct striping

and half-inch high mosses thread small cracks on the terracotta mattoni, with their intricate, delicate angel hair.

They have the tiniest fleck-like, brightly colored buds (unnoticeable without a macro lense), no larger than the point of a pin!

Forsythia bushes are showing their yellow tips, mimosa trees are a rage of yellow, Oregon grape holly buds are screaming to explode...

The magical beauty through a macro lense on a normal February 6 spring walk in the garden!

Genius Loci is surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the raging reds, rusts and yellows of the Sagrantino and the Sangiovese vineyards which contrast so beautifully against the grey-green leaves of the olive trees, ready to bear their season's fruit. Again, we are witness to Nature's cycles and her wisdom: a time to sow- a time to reap - a time to rest and take stock!

Our outing yesterday to attend the Mangiaunta Festival in and around Giano dell'Umbria took us to the very heart of Umbria, to what I describe as the very essence of Umbria: country roads through patchwork cultivations of vineyards, olive groves, secular oaks, wineries, olive mills, Romanesque art treasures...and the genuine, personal, human touch which shines through in so many ways.

the serenity, timeless, pristine and unspoiled beauty of the Umbria countryside

the timeless tradition of olive pressing - of extra virgin olive oil

In our garden, all around our house on the hill we have the good fortune to be surrounded by wild fennel. All summer we use it fresh. As fall comes, we pick the dried and still fresh seed pods to put away for winter use. We use the seeds in our many types of hearty winter soups, in potato concoctions, with rabbit, guinea hen and brasati. Wild fennel, fresh or dried, is one of my favorite herbs.

Our tomatoes keep coming - it is the best year we can remember for tomatoes from our garden. Each morning, early before the sun is high, we pick

the ripest ones of all types. A quick rinse and we are ready to divide them according to their use of the day:

the largest round ones to roast with herbed bread crumbs or to be stuffed with rice and then roasted

the largest San Marzano to be eaten for dinner as salad or as a topping for bruschetta or to mix in with a farro salad or to make panzanella

the datterini, Piccadilly and cherry tomatoes to make sauce,

>usually sugo finto - nothing more than a quick sauteeing of garlic, fresh parsley, olive oil and coarsely chopped tomatoes.

simmering sweetness!!!!

Of course, on some days there are still extra: those are the days to make pappa al pomodoro

This is a favorite, a Tuscan specialty which we have adopted and all enjoy immensely.

It is easy to make but requires a slow simmer to bring out all of its sweetness:

after peeling the tomatoes, we add them to a garlic and extra virgin olive oil saute of just a minute, adding tender and fresh basil leaves. We bring to a slow boil and let simmer for at least an hour. In the meantime we toast several slices of stale (or not) crusty Italian bread, rub the slices generously with garlic cloves, salt lightly, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and let them cool. About 20 minutes before the pappa is cooked, we break up the slices into the pappa and mix them in.

The pappa can be served immediately or served barely warm (more than room temperature). Garnish with a basil sprig and add freshly grated parmesan if desired and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It freezes well.

Early this morning, before the glorious summer sun warmed them too much, we brought in armfulls and armfulls of basil branches, rinsed them, patted them dry before picking through them to choose only the most tender leaves and flowered tips to make our third batch of pesto to put in the freezer for the winter.

The picking through part is a bit tedious - the rest is fun: a quick swirl in the food processor of the freshest leaves, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and quality pine nuts...and then quickly whisked into the freezer.

The bounty of summer seems endless...and keeps us happily busy!

There are surely as many types of panzanella as there are cooks:

While my usual version varies according to the abundance of the moment, it always has: softened stale Italian crusty bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, celery heart, garlic, lettuce, string beans and extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper.

Variations, according to availability, may include baby red beets, corn, beans, tuna, radishes, yellow or red bell pepper, leeks, barely cooked cubes of baby zucchini, hard-boiled eggs, farro or lentils.

We are blessed in Umbria with a long growing season: small tomato plants can be put in the ground by late April and are still producing in October with some latecomers in November. We can pick a few of the branches with green tomatoes in December, placing them in the house to ripen.

Personally ,we are blessed twofold - we also have a large terraced and well-irrigated, sun-drenched vegetable garden. While we have a full array of vegetables, our several types of tomatoes are the primadonnas.

This, along with my cucumber soup,

Next tiime I make this I will post more photos and a non-recipe

is one of my favorite summer soups:

the non-recipe

several large, ripe freshly picked tomatoes, skin and all
a couple garlic cloves
a small slice of a sweet red onion
a handfull of freshly picked herbs (maggiorana, thyme, parsely, basil, oregano, chives)
a spoonful or two of homemade herbed, toasted bread crumbs
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Except for the toasted bread crumbs, throw all ingredients into a food processor and blend quickly, coarsely, not to a smooth pureè.

Serve chilled or at room temperature, sprinkling of the toasted, herbed bread crumbs at the moment you serve the soup. If desired, add a dollop of low fat Greek yogurt or of sour cream and a thin stream of extra virgin olive oil.

Mar beautifully documented a gorgeous summer day from her room at Genius Loci http://www.geniuslociumbria.com - from sunrise to sunset. There was a magical stillness hovering over the countryside and at the inn, with all guests sleeping. Within less than an hour, Mother Nature put on a splendid show going from a moonlit night to the first signs of the rising sun, to a crimson sky, to immediate warmth which dissolved the mist, to hues of ochre which layered the rolling hills in gold, to a bright blue sky which shed its cheer all day.

4:40 AM

5:03 AM

5:08 AM

5:15 AM

5:21 AM

5:28 AM

5:32 AM

5:33 AM

roast goose - a summer picnic at Genius Loci http://www.geniuslociumbria.com

This is an easier version (compared to the grated zucchini version) of a wonderful zucchini casserole - an excellent way to make good use of the bumper crops from our daily picking of our zucchini plants.

A quick sauteeing (just to soften) of coarsely cubed zucchini (eliminate the soul ), new potatoes and onions, a sprinkling of garden fresh herbs and then mixed with a rather liquid bechamel sauce and freshly grated parmesan. Place under the broiler for a minute or two until golden brown.

From Genius Locihttp://www.geniuslociumbria.com Maurizio picked and brought home 25 kilos of the most beautiful, ripe plums from one of the many fruit trees. This afternoon we tackled the job of washing, cutting and sauteeing them very briefly in freshly ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves, lemon zest, natural brown sugar and Amaretto di Saronno. We had to do the work in batches since I have nothing big enough to hold that much.

We use this incredibly delicious mixture in many ways throughout the winter - the remarkable color alone brightens the dreariest day: as an ice cream topping, with Pan di Spagna for a quick cake, as a topping for a homemade crema, plain with a few crumbled brutti ma buoni on top, as a topping for cheesecake or, slightly drained, on a crostata.

1st batch (of 8!) ready to be sauteed

sauteeing slowly for just a few minutes

Since we don't personally eat jam, I give my sister-in-law another 20-25 kilos every year with which she makes jam for all of us and for our guests.