Had it not been for a second look/see in Montefranco; had it not been for deciding to round a corner after hearing music and voices just before we were going to return to Spoleto; had it not been for the kind mayor noticing these two strangers wander by as she and a few others were preparing for the next evening’s festival; had it not been for us returning to Montefranco at her invitation to partake in the festival; had it not been for the ever-so-friendly mayor introducing us to some of her friends… we would not have had the most memorable evening being treated like family in the home of these new friends. The gifts of travel!!
Montefranco has called us back more than once. We looked at several properties there – no joy as all required more work than we want to take on. But nonetheless, it’s a charming town and we found ourselves making a stop on a late Thursday afternoon to close our day of exploring more villages in the gorgeous Valnerina – the Nera River valley.
We’d wandered the small streets making note of the familiarity that had developed. The same characters gathered outside the one bar where tables and chairs line either side of the main street, one so small that you literally better tuck your feet in when a car passes…which fortunately isn’t too often. As we walked to one of the panoramic lookouts where the old fellows gather until they’re called for supper, we took in an admiring view of the valley below. Just as we turned to walk to our car, a familiar face appeared.
“Dario…รจ tu?”
“Si! Ciao Martino e Paola!”
It was the jovial Dario – one of the two friends Rachele, the mayor, had introduced us to at the festival. With a persona that fills the room, Dario is kind, welcoming, funny, and anyone lucky enough to consider him a friend is…well…lucky. And that would be most of Montefranco. It’s obvious he’s a beloved figure there.
He greeted us warmly. We talked of this and that, recounted our day’s adventures to him. He laughed as he said “Sapete piu di Italia da me!” – You know more of Italy than me! Not so, but we do find that most of our friends or acquaintances marvel at how many relatively obscure places we’ve seen and explored.
Before we went on our way, Dario asked if we could join them for dinner in their home the next evening. He would also invite Dominico and his wife Paola, the other folks we’d spent the festival evening with (that story is to come hopefully soon!). Of course, we accepted with great pleasure and agreed to meet at 6:00 in the same spot the next evening.
If you know Marty, you know we’ll always show up early. However, that gave us a little time to explore a few streets just outside the main town — always a fun thing.
Dario, whose beautifully billowing snowy white hair and beard make him hard to miss, and his incredibly sweet wife Giulia pulled up — “Park and meet us here!” We secured a parking spot a short walk away before hurrying back.
An aperitivo at the “one bar”, as we’ve come to call it, was shared before Dario and Giulia’s friend with a house for sale arrived. They’d told us of this – she’d just decided to sell due to age and no one in the family wishing to take it over. She prefers to sell by word of mouth and we were delighted to see it. An absolutely beautiful two bedroom house right in the middle of the historic center, it was in perfect condition and so lovely. The building dates to the 1200’s … wow. We are so undecided on things, though, that we have to use restraint when we see a place that is great, but perhaps not perfect when side by side with our wish list. It’s too early, as well, to start whittling down that list. We had a good chat with the owner and explained our situation which she generously understood.
On to Dario and Giulia’s house in the country! Their career lives were spent in Terni, but Montefrano is Giulia’s home town. Dario hails from Cortona but is a lifelong transplant to Umbria. Montefranco is the home of their hearts, which is so obvious when they speak of it. Dario has done much over the years to improve the community, as well.
Their country home is about 10 minutes out of the village on a mountain ridge. Dario instructed us to follow him and “Don’t have fear” – spoken with a playful twinkle in his deep blue eyes.
This place was Italian-dream-come-true spectacular. Originally a rock farm house in ruin, the couple spent great care in restoring it and developing the landscape around it. A fabulous stretch of grassy yard offers views that are breathtaking. A healthy olive grove surrounds the property which allows a yearly production of oil. Various trees, those indigenous to these mountain,s cover the property and the accompanying mountainside; Dario’s playground for truffle hunting. It is a magical place.
Dominico arrived sans his wife, a cardiologist who was at a conference in Rome. He is a neurophysiology physician, so we did indeed have some lively conversation over healthcare!
The dinner we were so honored to enjoy was crazy good, for lack of a better description. Full course…of course!…and absolutely delicious. An antipasto starter of so many wonderful things — I wish I could remember them all. Tartufo in oil (their tartufo and their oil), roasted vegetables in oil, a fried rice croquet (but not the Sicilian arancini) that was beyond good, a local prosciutto made by a friend of theirs, and more.
Next course: homemade tortellini stuffed with ricotta in a creamy zucchini sauce, the crowning touch a very generous addition of one of the more rare varieties of black truffles that Dario had found. We felt like royalty. I made such a positive fuss over the tartufo that Dario came back around and gave me an extra shaving…ha!
A thin sliced beef with a type of tuna sauce was our secondo, followed by a dessert of luscious strawberries and cookies. If there were someway to thoroughly describe the absolute deliciousness of all of this!! (Photos are on our Facebook page if you wish to see the accompanying visuals…but it’ll make you hungry!)
Wonderful wine accompanied the meal, but the final touch – the thing that made us feel so honored and welcomed as friends – was when Dario brought out the bottle of his family’s Vin Santo — the very special dessert wine that takes 7 to 8 years to make and must be produced with a “mother” starter. He shared that the mother, the madre, in this was from his great great grandfather’s production. It was extraordinary. I’ve had a lot of Vin Santo, but this was the best in memory. A special setting was a part of it, but the taste was golden, smooth, and perfectly balanced. What a treasure he shared!!
We talked late into the night, 95% in Italian so our brains were a little fried when it ended, but the laughter and serious talk and shared stories was priceless.
By midnight we figured we’d best hit the road back to Spoleto. Goodbyes and hopes of seeing each other again were exchanged, along with warm hugs and Italian style kisses.
We’ve been blessed with so many rich experiences in Italy over the years, but it’s these connections with others, the making of new friends who claim you as their own, that are the priceless treasures of travel. We are just so lucky.