May 19, 2023: The Bittarelli Farm

 I woke up this morning and rushed to get ready. I thought that I had already adjusted well to the time change, but was sorely mistaken. I slapped on my makeup, threw on some clothes and rushed to grab breakfast downstairs. Again, this consisted of a croissant, yogurt and an espresso. 

We then headed to another language class with Catia. She taught us how to say the numbers in Italian and assigned each of us a number. My number was 11, "undici!" We also discussed phrases such as "Che cosa e", "Che coso sono", etc. These questions are, "what is this" and "what am I". We also learned the difference between masculine and feminine endings. 

We then jumped on the bus and headed to Agricola Bittarelli which is in the hills of Trasimeno. Catia explained to us how Lago Trasimeno acquired its' name. She said that it translates to "the lake that dries out". She said that the Etruscans knew even 2,000 years ago that this lake was a 'closed lake' and that there is no other water source that contributes to keeping the lake filled. So though we were probably annoyed by the amount of rain that we were having, that it was benefitting the community by keeping the lake filled and the region nice and green. We also saw some beautiful poppies along the way since they are in bloom. 

We arrived at the farm and saw so many animals. I was able to pet the horse, see the lamb and hold the bunny that they had. I also went for a ride on the swing set on property. The horse is apparently six years old and use to have a friend with him pre-Covid. That horse apparently tried to escape the grounds, hurt himself and acquired an infection, so he unfortunately passed away. The lamb is apparently a twin but is not breastfed like his brother, so is much smaller in size. The farmer tends to feed her four times a day. The chickens we saw on property loved having free range of the coop, which in turn, produces better eggs. 

The land was absolutely breathtaking and the views were exquisite. Patricia was the land owner and Manuela was the chef on property. They both did not speak English so Catia served as a wonderful translator for them so we could hear about the farm's history. 

They explained how only four people work the farm. This was incredible to me based on the size of the farm. They also went into talking about how the land contains Japanese trees which help in the preservation of the oxygen within the environment which helps both the plants and animals inhabiting the farm. 

They also showed us the vineyard on property which grows grapes used for white wine. They said that the plants are not originally from Italy, but Spain, however, the base now is American. Each plant is able to produce one bottle of wine. They also explained how the sun and water quality can change the taste of the wine. 

We then observed the olive trees and they explained how it needs pruning only once a year. The harvest season is usually in October/November. The best way to acquire an olive is to gently comb the branch and to catch the olive with netting immediately. They stressed "the sooner the better". They said if this isn't done effectively and quickly that it could affect the aroma, the color, and the taste. 

I tried a cherry from the beautiful cherry tree on property. You could tell that it was a natural, unprocessed cherry. It was a gorgeous vibrant red. In America I am so used to seeing a dark colored cherry or a bright, processed maraschino cherry. The cherry I had on the farm is exactly the way fruit should be, organic. I feel like there are many times where even after washing fruits and vegetables back home, I still don't feel like they taste the way that they should or like something is still off about them.

The Fagiolo legume grown on property is only grown in 25 countries. When it is in harvest, every day for the next twenty days, it must be collected early in the morning. The ancient Cappelli grain grown also contains a low percentage of gluten which was very interesting. It made me wonder how well it could be tolerated by supposed gluten intolerant individuals depending on their intolerance level. 

We then enjoyed a scrumptious multiple course meal. The first course was a "beans on toast" sort of situation as well as bread with their in-house infused olive oils. One oil was infused with lemon and the other with chili peppers. The second course was what looked like a pasta salad but was made with some sort of grain or rice. This had green and black olives and tomatoes. This had the chili pepper infused olive oil on it and it was so amazing. Then, we had a soup made with the fagiolo legumes and Mateo drizzled some olive oil on it for us. The dinner concluded with fava beans, white bread and pecorino cheese. Pecorino cheese is made from sheep's milk which made sense since they had many sheep on property. The cheese is more sharp in its' taste, but was still very tasty to me. 

The dessert was a shortbread perfectly decorated with homemade apricot jam. It tasted very similar to a thumbprint cookie which my family makes every Christmas except this was apricot jam rather than raspberry. This reminded me of home which was really nice. 

We then went to the warehouse and were able to purchase some items made on property. I chose to grab plum jam and the 'condimento al peperoncino' oil (chili pepper infused oil). I plan on having a dinner party with my Italian pasta, olive oil and jam for charcuterie. 

We then drove to Sanfatucchio which is still in Umbria to go to Palazzo Duchi della Cornia. This is a medieval fortress and the frescos are attributed to "degli Dei", Pomarancio, the Hall of Eneide to Circignani, the Hall of Annibale and the Hall of Cesare.

Catia went over how the establishment has murals based on mythology and went over the battle of Troy and how Paris stole Helen. Though this is commonly talked about within Greek mythology, it is a Latin poem which ties with the Vatican, so it is also referenced within Italian culture, as well. 

All of the murals on the ceilings were spectacular and contained family crests, family members, zodiac signs,etc. Catia spoke in particular about the Corgna family. Ascanio della Corgna was an Italian nobleman and the first sovereign marquis of Castiglione del Lago. His uncle was the pope in 1550 with the name Julius III. His wife was Giovanna Baglioni. They had a son named Diomede della Corgna.When Julius III was elected the family bought many existing villages and fortresses and renovated them. 

The medieval fortress known as Rocco del Leone is connected to the Palazzo. The fortress is shaped in an irregular pentagon shape and was connected through steps in case of an attack. It was built to be a part of the central defense system connecting the whole peninsula. This was first owned by the Baglioni family but was then acquired by the Corgna family. 

We traveled through the fortress and took pictures on each of the towers. I felt a little claustrophobic maneuvering the underground passage.   

Nicole and I went to get an afternoon cappuccino. We later found out that this was a very American concept and is frowned upon in Italy. I ordered my cappuccino, "Vorrei un cappuccino por favore" and asked the man, "quante" to figure out the price. We consumed our drinks and I noticed that not only him but other people walking in looked at the two of us rather odd. I asked Mateo and Dr. Ross and they said that it was due to us ordering a cappuccino after 12 o'clock in the afternoon. They said that a regular espresso is not looked down upon, but that Italians believe that milk consumption that late in the day not only spoils a meal, but ruins proper digestion. 

I personally thought this was absurd considering how much cheese Italians consume during lunch and dinner, but that was my last time trying to order a cappuccino in the afternoon. In America we have any type of coffee whenever. Though consumption of it is frowned upon at night due to the caffeine content, no one is really judgmental over it. 

We then had risotto for the first part of dinner. This is a short grain that has a creamy consistency with butter, onion, parmesan, etc. It was incredibly flavorful and creamy. It tasted very similar to a wild rice blend that my mom makes at home, so it definitely was familiar to me. 

We also had some breaded eggplant and mixed vegetables with potatoes. I did not eat a lot of the potatoes considering how much starch I had been consuming all day but the mushrooms and squash I had were tasty. The eggplant did not have any type of oil or sauce on it. I am use to breaded eggplant having some type of tomato sauce on it. 

For dessert, we had a black cherry gelato that was very nice. I spent the rest of the night staying up late to finish some homework. I learned throughout the day how important it is to pay attention to details. Every food item we had at the farm took so much patience, care and time to create. I think that is a vital theme for dietetics. Putting passion and care into the profession will bring the best results. Sharing our passion and love for food with others will help inspire our patients to make required changes and to be excited about it. 

A lot of people don't know the beauty behind food innovation or don't have a positive outlook on healthy food items. By presenting people with creative options and highlighting quality items, it could definitely alter someone's life and the direction of their health.