An entertaining time

I’m happy to report that there’s been an increase in the incidence of activity in and around the location of La Casa dei Due Baffi this past week and that, therefore, reports of this blog’s slow, sinking demise have been greatly exaggerated. This upturn has been helped to no small extent by the arrival of our inaugural visitors, a landmark first for our little Anglo-Italian patch.

Mind you, things looked a tad shaky at the beginning of the week when Monday turned out to be a bit of a damp squib, the most exciting thing being cleaning the kitchen in preparation for our guests. Stephen, however, rode into town late Tuesday, bringing a little frisson of big town glamour on his return from Milan as well as the present of a new lightweight black jacket (a sale bargain too good to miss) that will be just the thing to see me through chilly autumn evenings. Overall his trip seems to have had a worthwhile, and not only for the fabulous panna cotta he downed after dinner one evening.

Trenitalia was again graced with his presence on Wednesday when he made the journey into the mountains to collect my brother, Douglas, and his wife, Susan, from the railway station at Foligno. Should you happen to have a detailed knowledge of Italian geography you may think this an odd choice and that there must be somewhere nearer. Well, yes, but with all things considered this was the most convenient rendezvous spot for all the concerned parties.

Douglas and Susan had spent three nights in Rome before travelling to us, and whilst they could have continued on the train to Ancona before changing for Civitanova Marche, it was much easier and quicker for Stephen to travel to Foligno. Thanks to the extension of the superstrada and its warren of tunnels, it takes little more time to get there than to Ancona, whilst meeting them at Civitanova would have meant them arriving at LCDDB in the late afternoon. As it was, they were here in good time for a lunch of local salumi and cheeses - and the obligatory homegrown tomatoes, of course. We do have to get rid of them any way we can.

Having spent three days sightseeing in Rome and with many more such days in store as they make their way up through Italy, Switzerland and Germany to their finishing post in Paris, Douglas and Susan were happy to just potter– and we were equally happy to oblige. Wednesday, therefore, we introduced them to our local pet store, the Italian institution that is Acqua e Sapone and the joys of the Girasole shopping mall. Fortunately, this didn’t prove too much excitement for them and in the evening we joined Marco and Maddalena for pasta at the pub. They were impressed, as I invariably am, by just how fabulous Zeppa can make grilled bread, tomatoes and olive oil taste when we polished off a couple of plates of his crostini as an antipasto.

On Thursday afternoon we went to my new favourite place, Porto Recanati, for a promenade along the lungamare so Susan could take a detour to paddle in the sea. Being September, and midweek, it was considerably quieter than on our last visit the other Sunday, but was still as appealing in the afternoon sunshine. There were, though, enough people on the beach and in the chalets to prevent it seeming like a ghostly Eastbourne out of season and when, afterwards, we strolled along the main street there was no shortage of early evening shoppers. An aperitivo at Gelateria Giorgio was a civilised end to the afternoon before we heading home for dinner and more tomatoes.

Friday morning was a significant one for Susan as, while the rest of us were queuing for salumi in Sigma, she took herself across the road to Monti Moda, MSP’s chic boutique, to practise her Italian. It was obviously successful, for when we joined her later she was screened behind a curtain in the changing cubicle emitting the sort of pleasurable sighs you only hear (and I say this as an objective observation with no hint of sexism intended) from women trying on something that makes them feel fabulous. When she appeared it was to a stunned silence, for she had led us to believe that she was looking for a plain blue or white skirt to go with all her patterned tops. What she appeared in was an above the knee seagreen number in a damask design flaring out from a very deep waist band edged on both sides by gold chaining.

We quickly gathered ourselves and assured her that it was indeed lovely and a purchase was made to everyone’s satisfaction, especially the eponymous owners, Sig. and Sig.ra Monti. Stephen did, though, have to point out to Douglas later that when he got excited during a very halting conversation with Sig. Monti, a great horseracing enthusiast, and accompanied his shouting of ‘Doncaster’ and ‘The St Ledger’ with a vigorous stabbing of the finger, it was not a good idea. Such a gesture is regarded in Italy as incredibly aggressive and not to be used lightly. Mercifully, Sig. Monti seemed to take it in his stride, presumably making allowances for this latest in a long line of mad Englishmen to pass through downtown MS Pietrangeli.

After all that excitement, a quiet afternoon was in order – though it didn’t work out quiet to plan when Susan hit a snag when trying to book trains and hotels for the next week of their European tour as she failed to remember any of her passwords. Still, with forbearance from Douglas, advice from Stephen and a strategic retreat from me, all was eventually sorted in time for a glass of prosecco at Vittorio’s bar before moving on to Il Priore and introducing Douglas to their pizze.

Not wanting to be outdone by Susan but also wanting to avoid a repeat of the derision that had greeted him the previous day when he appeared in his cargo pants shorts (the legs of which could have been whipped into a encampment for a small cohort of Foreign Legionnaires) Douglas agreed, yesterday afternoon, to a shopping trip to Globo in Porto San Giorgio and the hunt for a more tailored look. Of course, being well into September, the choice was limited, but then again, being well into September the two pairs he came away with were at a discounted price – as were the skirt and shorts that Susan also decided were too good to pass up.

From there it was a quick hop to Fermo, which was looking even more to advantage due to the plant and flower exhibition in the Piazza del Popolo, where sections of the square had been landscaped with real grass and ornamental walls. It’s odd how, recently, we’ve managed to happen upon a market or such like when out and about, but this may have more to do with the frequency such things happen here in Le Marche rather than our inherent good fortune; I don’t think we should take it as a sign to risk our meagre savings on Euromillions. Still, after a saunter around the outside of the duomo and through the dappled sunlight of the Piazzale del Girfalco that fronts it, the piazza provided just the spot for the obligatory aperitivo.

Today was a quiet day at home before our visitors’ departure tomorrow for Bologna. It gave them a chance to make sure everything was washed and ironed (thank you, Stephen) and to gather energy for the days of sightseeing ahead. We did, though, finish with a flourish when we went to dinner at Arco, the osteria in Magliano di Tenna. As before, the food was simple but of wonderful quality, but this time, so that Douglas and Susan could get a taste of a ‘proper’ Italian meal we went for the full Arco mixed antipasti as a curtain raiser to the meal. We thought the plate of salumi was generous, and the galantina with insalata russa a lovely extra. Oh, and then there was the crostini with baccalà. You spoil us, ambassador. No, not mini slices of porchetta as well?

Yes, the antipasti more than fulfilled the Italian sense of generosity with its total of nine separate platters, and yes there was a lot of it, and yes we did manage to eat it all, and yes we still managed primi and secondi piatti. We were, however, defeated by the dolci and settled for their homemade biscuits accompanying our caffè. It was a fabulous end to Douglas and Susan’s stay, and we hope that they come to love this country as much as we do, where if something is worth doing then it is worth doing to excess.