Lunch with Celso

We are invited to Celso and Anna Maria’s home just outside of Arezzo for Lunch and a dalla Noce family “Get Together”

Susan’s has a younger brother, Celso, who lives between Arezzo and Capolona in a beautiful country home. He and his wife, Anna Maria, have a large piece of land and they operate a market garden, sell a bit of wine Celso makes, and they serve dinner to the locals who want a night out. It is not a place tourists would ever see: it is pure Italian.

Celso and Anna Maria wanted the four of us to come for dinner. Of course the whole family was invited and many were able to attend. So we gathered at Celso’s on the 21st of September for lunch: a lunch that started at 1:00 pm and went on till … well it just went on!

Celso and Joe setting up the tables, getting out the glasses, the wine, and making sure everyone has a seat. As you can see, we are eating “al fresco”!

Celsoand Anna Maria’s house is on a quiet country road surrounded by farms and large properties. This beautiful stone house is typically Tuscan.

Our lunch was in the large tent you see beside the house. In Italy the weather is such you can use this almost all year round!

When we arrived the table was just being set up so Joe pitched in to help Celso while I took pictures. Christina and Susan went in to help Anna Maria. As you can see, we were not the only ones coming for lunch. So, who all was coming?

Well, here we all are finally sitting down!

The we had Penne with Tomato Sauce.

Susan with her brother, Benito.

What kind of Pasta is the best? Two kinds!!!

We start with the “Antipasto” to get us going!

Susan and Benito get to work!

Fajoli!  Mmmmmmm!!!

Meat and Potatoes.

Maria Laura with husband Luca and children Lorenzo and Ilaria.

As you can see it was a wonderful day, warm and sunny. That is a wonderful part of Italy; you can depend on the weather to be nice in spring and summer. It is safe to plan outdoor events. Not like Vancouver, that’s for sure!

It was wonderful to catch up with Maria Laura and Luca and Simona and Alessio as we had attended their weddings in 2003. Those were two weddings we will never forget. They made for a memorable trip to Italy that summer. One day I will post my pictures of those wonderful events.

Now, back to the lunch. I love the food in Italy. It is a very important part of their lives and they put a great deal of thought into it. They chose ingredients with care, they concern themselves with freshness, use very little in the way of cans and preserved foods. And so the meals are excellent almost everywhere, especially in the country. And this meal at Celso’s was no exception.

Maria Laura and Zia Assuntina.

Zia, Maria Laura and Ilaria.

Sabrina and Christina.

Christina with Angiolina, wife of Benito.

Brother Franco and wife, Adriana.

Gigliola, Susan and Christina./

Susan, brother Armando and Christina.

Simona with Zia Assuntina.

Susan’s brother, Adelmo.

Susan’s sister-in-law, Gigliola.

Mario explains. Mario is always explaining!

Brothers and Sisters: in the back row from the left, Celso, Adelmo, Armando, Franco, Benito and in the front row, Susan, Pierina and Franca

And that was our lunch at Celso and Anna Maria’s. We started about noon and finished coffee and grappa around 5:00pm. The weather was warm and sunny, the air was perfect, the food fantastic, and the conversation interesting. It is hard to imagine a better way to spend an afternoon!

If I have left anyone out of the pictures, and I believe I have, I am sorry. With all of the eating and drinking it was hard to keep track of who I had a picture of and who not. But, we will do this again and I will get you then.