a change of pace

I spent this past Saturday on the small sheep farm of La Porta dei Parchi in the charming little village of Anversa degli Abruzzi. It was an Accent organized trip to tour the farm and the production of it's primary purpose, cheese. I'm sure those of you who know me well are unsurprised that I would choose to take this tour. Cheese is probably my favorite food group. Some of you may be nitpicking that it doesn't have it's own food group, it's in the dairy food group, yada yada yada. But I assert that it should. I love almost every form it comes in, from a thick creamy blue to a sharp New England cheddar, and I strongly believe it improves every savory dish out there. It's a love affair to say the least. 

So that morning I woke up at the buttcrack of dawn and lugged myself onto the bus to try myself some freshly made Italian cheese. We drove two hours outside of Rome and into the countryside of Lazio. Anversa degli Abruzzi is located within the Sagittario valley of Majella National Park and our bus driver took us all the way up the tiny and steep hill that the farm sits on, precarious winding dirt roads and all. We filed off the bus and were greeted by the jolly round farmer, Nunzio, the head of the farm. He led us to wait under his fig trees while our welcome meal was prepared and immediately began plucking figs right off of the trees for us. I had never seen or enjoyed a fresh fig before but I found them delicious. Next we enjoyed a late breakfast of pizza rossa, salami, and cheese made on the farm, after which we began the tour of the cheese-making process. 

Marco, our chaperone (left) and Nunzio (right)

late breakfast on the farm

We began with the barn that the sheep and goats are kept in, as well as the machine that the farmers use to milk them. It was just a regular barn, minus the dead pigeon that hung above the sheep pen to ward off fellow birds. It was a little unnerving but the sheep were adorable. They were mostly concerned with eating their hay, but every so often one of them would trot over to investigate the large group of students watching them. 

 
Nunzio then led us to the kitchen - for lack of a better word - where they turn the sheep's milk into cheese. I'll spare the details for those of you who wish to keep eating cheese, but I found it fascinating anyways. Nunzio and his cheese cooking friend demonstrated the steps of the process and described the alterations that differentiate each cheese. We even were given a taste of the first cheese form, which tastes much like what I expect solid sheep milk would taste like. I can't say I cared for it much, but it was still fascinating. It makes me wonder how and when humankind got the idea of making cheese. I should investigate that. 

Mr. Cheese

cheese in it's first form

Once the tour was over, Nunzio led us behind the barn where there was a beautiful view of the Sagittario valley. There were also some more animal pens. Most of them were empty and some held pigs, but one held two puppies of the several sheep dogs that roam around the farm. They were ca-yoootttt, so of course we all took turns holding them and taking pictures. Here's a couple of the hundred that I took. 

Once everyone had had enough puppy love, we lazed about under the fig trees, visited  other animals or picked tomatoes from the garden while our lunch was prepared. It was lovely to be a guest of such hospitable people and in such a beautiful place too. The weather was a heavenly 75 degrees with a slight breeze, and the surrounding landscape was breathtaking. I now understand why the majority of Italians live in the countryside. It's a beautiful way of life, whether you live on a sheep farm or just in a residential town. 

Nunzio and a baby donkey

Katie hated the figs

The lunch was, I must admit, disappointing. It began with several different cheeses the farm produced, only three of which I liked, with three different salamis and an apple marmalade. Next we were served some mediocre pastas, followed by a mysterious meat course. The dessert was a panna cotta drizzled with some kind of fruit syrup, but it must have been made with sheep's milk because it tasted a lot like the cheeses that began the meal. I didn't care for it. 

mystery meats (yech)

And yet the trip was not a letdown by any means. We finished our trip by walking down the hill into the town's center, half of which was built on the side of the neighboring mountains. The little houses were old but quaint and well kept, and they were huddled close together with steep narrow stairs snaking between them. Several people came out of their doors or peeped out their windows to greet Nunzio as he led us through his delightful little hometown. I got the feeling that everyone knew everyone in Anversa degli Abruzzi and it was endearing to see such a close knit community. It was such a strong juxtaposition to Rome, where no one smiles at each other and everything moves so fast. That said, I think I'm much more of a city girl than a country girl, but the experience was oh so refreshing. 

  
At midafternoon, we said our goodbyes to Nunzio and Anversa degli Abruzzi, and traipsed lazily back to the bus. I slept the whole way home, and it was marvelous. A marvelous end to a marvelous day.

real life.