La Dolce Villa

To TV or not to TV

2012-02-21T12:11:00.000-08:00

For us, this question has always been easy at Villa Cappelli. I mean, have you seen Italian TV? Everything I’ve ever seen is consists of a lot people sitting around talking, which Italians do love to do, so it makes sense, but it’s not something I’d really sit down and want to watch, especially at my stage of Italian language. Without action, how the heck do I even know what the talking heads are talking about?

But this week we had our first group of Italian guests. And apparently, they wanted to visit a beautiful, ancient villa and watch TV. So…cut to a day into their stay and we had to install a TV antenna, and I’m sick to my stomach. It’s like painting a moustache of a Mona Lisa. My apologies to out guests, but it’s disgusting.

So, as soon as the guests’ cars leave tomorrow, that antenna is coming down. And if you come visit the villa, we’ll entertain you with great food, some fun card games, amazing laughs, great friends and sorry, but no TV.

Neve

2012-02-13T09:27:00.001-08:00

It snowed. I moved away from NYC and didn’t think I’d see the stuff for a bit. But there it was. A white blanket covering our ancient courtyard. Who was going to shovel this? Where are the building maintenance guys? Oh yeah, that’s me. Darn it.

Luckily the rain came the next day and washed it all away. We are so much luckier than the rest of the country or the continent. And I’m especially lucky. A south Texan is not used to dealing with snow. Heck, we shut down every major highway and overpass in Texas when it just drops below freezing.

But the cold has given me chance to get into a rhythm. Now I can now listen to my Italian lessons while doing chores, mostly cleaning and making lots of orange marmalade. I’m pretty sure now I can ask someone in Italian if they want something to drink. And with all this cold weather keeping us inside, that’s a VERY important thing to know how to ask.

Steven

"Major" snow storm

2012-02-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

Just experienced our first major snow storm here. Snow is quite rare but this winter has been very harsh throughout Europe. We were spared until yesterday while the rest of Europe got pummeled with snow and freezing temperatures. Over 150 people dead throughout europe.
Since we come from NYC and Boston, this is hardly a major snowstorm - maybe 2 inches max. But it's enough to create havoc. In fact, we haven't gone out of the villa since it started and already beginning to feel a bit of cabin fever.
Had to fix the makeshift covers we had on the citrus trees. The snow was too heavy and they came crashing down. Ruined some of the branches but I think generally they'll be ok. The temperature is staying just ever so slightly above freezing. The cats are huddled up next to each other. Our dogs are pretty sturdy so they'll be ok - especially Pony who sleeps in our room. Yes, he's spoiled.
With the cold the rain and the snow, we've been spending most afternoons making orange marmalade. The oranges are in season so they are fragrant, sweet and inexpensive. We're making about 35 jars a day.
Next up: more Tropea red onion jam. Then we'll have to fumigate our clothes.

South Texan in Southern Italy

2012-01-31T05:24:00.000-08:00

First, let me explain that from now on Paul and I will be “dual-blogging” about our experiences here in Italy. We are not allowed to read each other’s postings. The hope is you get two unique accounts of the same life. One from a south Texan far away from home and one from a southern Italian returning home.

So on that note, I really wanted to bring over my cowboy hat for the final trip. After all, I’ll be doing a lot of work outside now, so it’s bound to come in handy. Knowing it might get crushed in transit, I decided to wear it. If a 6’3” guy didn’t get noticed before in Italy, I think the cowboy hat was like waving a giant US flag. But this being Italy, instead of riding in on my horse, we just had it for lunch.

The first few days, to be honest, were a little rough. It’s not easy moving away from anywhere after 15 years, much less to a foreign country. So I was a little worn out I think from the stress of the move. That, plus, I learned a horrible new Italian word: sciopero. The first day here, and all the truckers were on strike. Now we might not be able to fill a big order for Williams Sonoma for our products. Ugh.

Then there’s the list of stuff that I still have to do. Buy this. Organize that. Talk to this agency about that thing. It’s enough to stress out even the most organized German boy.

Luckily, as I was enjoying a wonderful sunny day last week, I quickly realized something. The same Puglia sun that has a way of melting your delicious gelato also has a melting away all your worries.

I think things are going to be just fine.

Day #1 of Life #5

2012-01-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally did it. We moved here permanently. Packed up everything in NYC and moved to "the farm". It's kinda like "Green Acres" for modern times. The opposite of the Beverly Hillbillies.

I've come back to my roots and Steven has followed me - and his dream - will all his heart. I've made many darts and turns in my life. This is just another one.

I've lived as an immigrant who couldn't speak English. I joined a monastery without being religious. I married and have 3 amazing kids. I succeeded at the American Dream at the center of the storm: New York City.

Now, I have a new life; another dream come true: the dream of returning home.

It wasn't and won't be easy. It's Italy, after all.

There's a truckers' strike, so we're having trouble filling our first-ever order for Williams-Sonoma. We thought we'd be excited, proud, bragging. But not yet.

We're waiting for the rest of our belongings to arrive but, yes, there's a truckers' strike.

It will be beautiful, though. It's Italy, after all.

Summer Song

2011-07-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

Summer at the Villa - as in most places - is a very special, magical time. People open themselves up to their surroundings. They seem to feel like they want to be a part of their spiritual surroundings. The scents, the light, the flora are accentuated by only one thing - the sound of human song. As some of you already know and have seen, music exists in our kitchen. It makes the meal transcend simple nourishment. It also exists outdoors. As the sun begins to set, our voices rise to slowly lower the sun and gingerly raise the moon. But, being human, we can't help but laugh: it relieves the tension. We're not accustomed to baring our souls. The atmosphere makes us giddy with delight - and we break the spell.
PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY A VULGAR (explicit phrase) ENDING.

Fashion 2011

2011-06-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

In case you thought all we did at the villa was eat, drink, dance and sing, here's a recent example of something else that happens at the villa every year: an exquisite fashion show with large crowds, beautiful models and style galore.

Why our food tastes so good

2011-06-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

Many people often wonder why the food tastes so much better - even if you cook the exact same dish here, using the same ingredients, it somehow always tastes better in Italy. Some people say it's the water, some say it's the air, and some say it's the sun. Although any or all of those MIGHT be true, here's a video showing exactly why it's better at the Villa:

The Weather wasn't great but the guests were.

2011-05-23T12:29:00.000-07:00

We had two groups at the villa in late April/early May: One group was from Manchester England that comprised of at least three members of the widely acclaimed band, Elbow. You can see one of their performances here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NItwaz0nLJA

The second group (without their own CD's) was made up of guests from Washington, DC, Virginia, Alabama and Los Angeles mostly. John Vocino and Diane Evans, the hosts of the group, came to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. Besides having a totally entertaining Toga Party, they also decided to renew their vows with their family and friends. The ceremony was held up the street at the church of Santa Maria di Cesano, erected in 1055 AD and was officiated by the Monsignor Don Gaetano Valente - also the town historian. The Vocino's great-niece, Lucia Vocino Tarquinia, sang a goosebump-inducing rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" accompanied by her own beautiful guitar-playing.
When we returned to the villa, we were greeted and serenaded by a traditional folk group that sang Italian songs of country life from a hundred years ago. And a huge feast was prepared and served outside on the loggia. Needless to say, the entire week was emotionally packed.

New Year's Eve 2010

2011-03-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

There's no better way to ring in the New Year than with family and friends. As usual, Steven prepared an AMAZING meal. He cooked all local dishes that had the guests bewildered: "How can a guy from Texas cook dishes from Terlizzi that are better than our mothers'?" Yet he does - year in and year out. And how do you work off such a great meal? With dancing, of course! But our wine cellar wasn't big enough for this year's party so we inaugurated our new Great Hall that is perfect for parties, banquets, conferences and exhibits. Take a look.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

The past few years, I've been spending the Holidays at the villa. It's quiet, beautiful, relaxing and, I must say, downright contemplative. In fact, the past two years I've spend Christmas Eve and day by myself. As much as I like being social and spending holidays with friends and family, I can't bring myself to spending a day like Christmas with families that have young children - especially Italian children. At the expense of sounding totally Scrooge-like, Italian children seem to be the most spoiled, ill-behaved little monsters on the planet. God bless them. God spare me.
This is the first year we've put up a Christmas - see, I'm not a total Scrooge. In fact, we put up three Christmas trees. My three kids - not the spoiled, Italian kind - bought me a great gift this year. Rather than buy me something that would certainly pass with time, they bought me three cypress trees to replace the ones that fell down a couple of years ago. Before planting them in the garden, we grouped them together in the wine cellar and made them look like one giant Christmas tree by wrapping strings of lights around the grouping and then tying red ribbons on the branches. After New Year's, we planted them in their permanent place in the garden. Thanks kids!

Also, this year Terlizzi was lit up like never before. It was absolutely magical!

Thanksgiving #5

2011-01-25T15:02:00.000-08:00

This was our Fifth Annual All-American Thanksgiving. It's a feast that everyone enjoys and that Italians find wonderfully peculiar. We prepare things they've never tasted: stuffing, cranberry sauce, pecan pies and bars, etc. The feast also helps dispel Italians' notion that in America we only eat junk food. This year we also had the pleasure of our friend's, Dan Berndt, company. And Dan takes some of the most amazing pictures. Here are just a few samples.

Men Who Shall Cook

2011-01-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

Mid-October brought a very interesting group of people - from Canada. Eight gentlemen with an appetite not just for eating but for cooking, drinking, sightseeing and just enjoying each other's company decided to leave their wives and varied women-folk back in Nova Scotia and take a trip down Puglia way. Two are very well-know chefs with wonderful restaurants in Canada and the rest were just friends who wanted to eat, sleep and be merry learning how to cook. And cook they did! They are avid followers of Slow Food (even though the local butcher was a little too slow in procuring just the right cut of pork for their porchetta) and just general lovers of all that is good in the world. They even video-recorded the entire week for a documentary to be broadcast in Canada. Oscar has yet to join them.

The Invasion of the Vikings!

2011-01-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

This summer we had the pleasure of hosting some wonderful guests from the north - way north: Iceland. Maybe the further north that people come from, the warmer they are. An amazing group of people - but boy can they DRINK!! And they introduced me to Reyka vodka :-)

THE INSEPARABLES

2010-09-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

In Italy, Love Birds are called "Inseparabili". Once they find a mate, they stay together for life. They don't have to be of the opposite sex and, judging by the coloration of ours, I think they might both be males.
Everyone always says that if love birds are separated, they will die. They just can't bear to live without each other.
I've never had birds before but I've always loved the idea of hearing songbirds all day long. And boy do these birds sing!
We keep them in a cage on the loggia of the villa where they get lots of light and fresh air. It is the caretaker's job to make sure the cages are clean and stocked with water and feed.
One day last week, he was cleaning the cages as he always does - outside. I never said anything to him but I didn't think this was a good idea. If the birds somehow got out of the cage, they could simply fly away. I always thought this job should be done indoors where, should they escape, we could easily retrieve them.
Well, the inevitable happened. The bottom of the cage wasn't latched properly and when he went to lift the cage, the top separated from the bottom and one of the parakeets got out. He didn't go very far probably because he wasn't used to real flying. In cages they more or less just hop around - they don't really fly fly. So, there he was clinging to the outside of the cage while his mate was still inside. Maybe he wasn't sure that he wanted freedom without his mate. Or maybe he was trying to tell the other one that he should join him in the wilderness.
The caretaker called me frantically to come help. Just as I got there, he managed to grab the escapee and put him back in the cage. What he hadn't noticed, however, was that the cage still wasn't latched properly. As he picked up the cage, it came undone once again and this time both birds flew the proverbial coop. They were short flights. Hops, actually. But down the courtyard they went, ever further as they "got their wings." One flew into the jasmine bush and the other into the garden path. The caretaker managed to grab one in his hand. But the bird in the bush had found his freedom. Up he flew over the terracotta roof and into the olive orchards.
I was totally dismayed. Not because one had flown away but because I was afraid of what would happen to the caged one.
We kept the caged bird in the garden hoping its song would lure back his mate. We scoured the treetops, climbed balconies and terraces but all to no avail. He was gone.
I was distraught at the thought of the remaining one dying in his cage of a broken heart, of sheer loneliness, even though others kept reassuring me that parakeets always return. I waited and looked up at the sky as often as I could. No sign of him. That's when I decided that if he didn't return by nightfall, I would let the other one go as well. I'd rather have them try to find each other in the open fields than have one die in captivity. It was my only option.
As the hours passed, the caged one seemed to be singing louder and louder. Or was he crying? Screaming for help? I tried not to listen.
The sun was now setting and I had to think of letting him go in the morning. Just then, the caretaker hears another similar song coming from the upstairs terrace. It definitely wasn't the caged bird, it was a response. Up we went to the terrace and sure enough, there was the mate, singing as loud as he could in response to his mate down below. He had returned.
We brought the cage upstairs, placed it on the wall and licketysplit, he came hopping over to the cage. Both birds now singing together. It took awhile to lure and retrieve the free one but we finally did it.
Love conquers all - even freedom.

How to make Orecchiette

2009-08-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

For all you foodies, here's the secret to making authentic homemade pasta - find an old lady to do it for you. And then you can learn from her. Ours is the mother of our good friend Giuditta Mazzilli. Her mom was nice enough to come to the villa from the neighboring town of Giovinazzo to show us how "Orecchiette" are made. The recipe is very simple: semolina flour, a small amount of white flour, water and a pinch of salt. You add the water in small amounts because, as she wisely informed us, "you can always add more but you can't delete." Then you knead the dough, make long, tubular strips, cut little pieces with a butter knife and roll each piece on your forefinger and thumb as you cut the piece. Sound easy? Not so much. It's all in the finger roll.

Holy Week in Puglia

2009-08-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

I know it's a long time since last Holy Week, but since I had some nice pictures and it's a wonderful experience, I thought I'd post it now. Most of the towns in Puglia still have rather amazing Holy Week ceremonies. I only attended the ones in Ruvo di Puglia and Terlizzi but I was mesmerized, nonetheless. The silence, the devotion of the spectators and the detailed statues that are brought out in the middle of the night is something not to be missed.

The Cappellis pay a visit.

2009-07-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry that it's been so long since I've updated the blog but. But whatever. Here I am. In April, we were delighted to host an entire Cappelli clan. Actually, they were 2 different Cappelli clans since the Cappellis that came to visit are, unfortunately, not related to us Cappellis - not yet anyway.They came from Bronxville, NY, Scarsdale, NY and San Diego, CA. I have to say that although we don't think we're related, it really was like having an extended family stay with us. Lou Cappelli, the head of the family, was very intrigued when he discovered that his family on his grandmother's side most likely was originally from Terlizzi, as well. He was remembering Italian phrases in dialect from his childhood that could only have been from Terlizzi. The family's name was Baldassare which is a very common name in our town. They did some sightseeing but mostly we just did what most guests at the Villa do; we ate and drank and laughed and enjoyed our surroundings - those of nature and of humans.

Our Extra Virgin Olive Oil gets the DOP

2009-03-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

After just four years, Villa Cappelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil has been granted the highly coveted EU designation of DOP - Denominazione d'Origine Protetta. If you look on your store shelves, you will find very few olive oils with this highly esteemed label. According to Wikipedia, DOP (or PDO for anglophiles — Protected Designation of Origin) "ensures that only products genuinely originating in that region are allowed in commerce as such. The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of the regional foods and eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of different flavour. Foods such as Gorgonzola, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Melton Mowbray pork pies, Asiago cheese, Camembert de Normandie and Champagne can only be labelled as such if they come from the designated region."

As you can see, Villa Cappelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil is now in very exclusive company.

We are thrilled at our new seal that you will be seeing on our communications, packaging and website:

2009-03-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hello blogosphere. After a couple of years of writing the villa blog (Life at the Villa) in a dimly lit corner of the cyber netherworld (Mac), I've been coerced to take it beyond friends and family - why should they be the only ones to suffer my drivel?