Last night Jeff and celebrated the conclusion of our one year anniversary living in Italy. It was over a year ago that I first started this blog and announced to the world that we were planning to move to Italy for a year. On August 28, 2017 we began our epic Italian journey and shortly after that we moved into our apartment in Nettuno by the sea.
Italy is a Peninsula full of thermal activity, yet this is something you rarely read about in any guidebook of Italy. From top to bottom, Italy is speckled with hot springs ranging from high-end resorts to free cascades on mountainsides. Sometimes the hot spring will be a simple, natural pool out in a grassy field that will charge a small fee of €6 to enter. Such as Bagnaccio, where there is a snack bar, changing rooms and bathrooms and you provide the rest. I like Bagnaccio because it is a simple pool, low price and it has a nice grassy open area. I recommend packing a picnic, bringing a blanket or even lounge chairs and enjoying a couple of hours lounging at the hot spring. It is especially nice in Spring or Fall when you can soak up some warm sun while you lounge.
Recently a few friends from California were in the North of Italy and asked to meet us at the halfway point between us, which happily for us was Tuscany. We love an excuse to journey north and play tourists for the day. Our friends chose the lovely hill town of San Gimignano as a meeting place. The last time we were in Tuscany was about a month ago and the seasonal changes are beautiful to observe when driving through Tuscany.
Today we visited the area of Castelli Romani with the lakeside towns of Castel Grandolfo and Nemi. Castel Grandolfo is considered by some as one of the most scenic places in Italy and is the site of an ancient volcanic crater that is now Lake Albano.
Today we have taken a morning off and are currently sitting outside at a cafe right around the corner from our house. We come here often for cappuccino and a pastry, that is the normal Italian breakfast, Jeff is loving it. Today Jeff had a pear and chocolate croissant and I had a cappuccino, I have my jogging clothes on and am trying to will myself to go on a run.
In an effort to simplify and free up our time for more important things, we decided to try living in a “Tiny House”. A couple of years ago, my mom decided to turn my dads “Motorcycle Shop” into a “She-Shack”. The shop had sat unused since my dads death and she felt it was time to turn the old shop into a space that she could use and enjoy.
So first let’s talk about WHY you should roast your own coffee: Buying high grade, single origin coffee from your choice of countries costs the same as buying mid-range pre-roasted coffee from Costco. The benefits are you get to choose the beans and country of origin, control the depth of the roast and most importantly control your freshness.
I love when the cherries ripen and summers bounty begins with a flurry, the first fruits of the season! My parents planted this cherry tree in their back yared 50 years ago when their dreams were just beginning and their lives together were new. Now my dad is gone and my mom holds down the Homestead. Like the tree they produced beautiful fruit in the form a family that continues to grow to this day.
One sunny May afternoon I sat with my mom at the picnic table nestled between my tiny cottage and the cherry tree. We were discussing life as mothers and daughters do while our stained hands nimbly plucked the pits out of the plump cherries set before us. I told her I was going to start a blog and without raising her head or flinching an eyebrow she says “what are you going to write about?” I don’t know why this surprised me, but I didn’t imagine she knew what a blog was or why I would go through the foolishness of such a venture. Turns out she was an avid follower of “The Pioneer Woman” and completely acquainted with the concept of blogging from “Julie and Julia”. You gotta love a cyber savvy seventy-something!
Mom, this first blog is for you!
So Mom, to answer your question, I am writing about two of my great loves, homesteading and traveling. Two polar opposites of my personality, the part that wants to put down roots and the part that wants to fly. I love both. In every house that I have owned, I have immediately planted things. Yes, trees have been planted before couches are moved in.
I want to pick cherries and pit them with my own two hands. I desire to fill my home with the rich aroma of a freshly baked pie. 
I want to top it with the ice cream I made from scratch. I want to crack the eggs I just gathered from the chickens I raise and call my name. I would milk the cow too but alas, this is a story about an Urban Homesteader not a homesteader with acres and acres. But to me, a Homesteader does not mean someone with lots of land but a philosophy of life. Someone who wants to plant and grow their own food, learn the processes of creating the items that are long lost to our generation: how to ferment food, roast your own coffee, make homemade ice cream and generally connect with our soil and food.
My other passion is travel. It’s hard to put down roots and at the same time, leave them to travel to the great beyond. But this is exactly what I will be blogging about. How to enjoy living, embrace life and thrive wherever you are planted. Much of the year we spend living in other countries, experiencing their cultures, trying their food and recipes and learning to cook with local foods. Some of the countries we have lived in are Nicaragua, Italy, Japan, Colombia, Jamaica and Thailand. I have learned to cook their food and adapted my own recipes to use with locally produced foods so I could enjoy a little taste of home while on foreign soil. I will attempt to share my past travel experiences with you in my Travel Archive section, released a little at a time.
Our next big adventure will be a return to Italy in August. It is our hope to live there for a year starting late August. Until then I will be enjoying the beautiful sunny Central Valley of California, reaping the benefits of the rich productive soil and long sun drenched days of summer. I will be writing all about the bountiful harvest and recipes that result. I welcome you to join us on the journey of friends, food and travel!
Love,
The Homestead Traveler
For Other Great “Homestead” stories see our Archives:
The Cherry Tree (Published May 20, 2017)
How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans (Published May 22, 2017)
Successful Square Foot Gardening (Published May 23, 2017)
Yosemite (Published June 7, 2017)
My Tiny House (Published June 15, 2017)
A Morning Run in Nettuno (Published September 10, 2017)
A Visit to Castelli Romani (Published September 13, 2017)
Dinner for Six (Published October 1, 2017)
Italian Cooking School (Published October 8, 2017)
Culinary Tour of Napoli (Published November 17, 2017)
Changing Seasons in Italy (Published November 25, 2017)
Our Trip to Englands Cotswolds (Published January 12, 2018)
Cooking with Pasquale (Published January 28, 2018)
A Tour of the Garden of Ninfa (Published May 7, 2018)
A Trip to Montefiascone (Published May 17, 2018)
San Gimignano, a visit to a Tuscan Hill Town (Published June 9, 2018)
Tuscan Hot Springs of San Filippo & Saturnia (Published June 13, 2018)
August in Sperlonga (Published August 30, 2018)
Cherry Pie (published May 20, 2017)
Homemade Berry Pie (published July 23, 2017)
Almond Roca (published February 22, 2018)
Homemade Banana Cream Pie (published May 10, 2018)
Cannoli (published August 3, 2017)
Easy Authentic Tiramasu (published May 3, 2018)
Ooey Gooey Blonde Brownies (published August 11, 2018)
Old Fashioned Peach Crisp (published August 1, 2018
Classic Canned Peaches (published August 8, 2018)
Noyaux (Almond Extract made from stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017
Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream (Published May 25, 2017
Whole Wheat Waffles (published August 12, 2017)
Dutch Babies (published May 30, 2018)
Babaganush (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant Dip) Published July 29, 2017
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce (Published August 18, 2017)
Saltimbocca (Roman Style Veal Scallopini) (Published February 18, 2018)
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad (Bun Bo Xoa) Published March 12, 2018)
Spiced Chickpea Salad with Roasted Cauliflower (Published April 22, 2018)
Steamed Mussels and Fettuccine (Cozze e Fettuccine) Published May 4, 2019)
Shrimp Risotto (Risotto alla Gamberi) Published June 2, 2018)
Pasta Carbonara (Published May 12, 2018)
Arancini (Italian Fried Rice Balls) Published June 4, 2018)
Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan Style Veal Shanks & Saffron Risotto) Published June 20, 2018)
Lasagna Bolognese (Published Aug 3, 2018)
Kung Pao Chicken (Published August 23, 2018)
Eggplant Parmesan (Published August 29, 2018)
Gyoza (Potstickers or Chinese Dumplings) Published August 27,2018)
Cacio e Pepe (Published August 28, 2018)
Southern Fried Chicken (published September 11, 2018)
Festive Pineapple Sesame Coleslaw (published September 14, 2018)
Italian Roasted Vegetable Platter (published September 13, 2018)
Noyaux (French bitter almond extract from stone fruit) (Published Aug 7, 2017)
Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 6, 2017)
Canned Peaches (Published August 23, 2018)
Ricotta from Powdered Milk (Published Aug 5, 2017)
Candied Orange Peel (Published September 12, 2018)
