House Hunting in Saluzzo

Our (and our relatives’) efforts at procuring lodging in Lagnasco having proved vain, and having discovered that there are neither busses nor reliable internet in Lagnasco, we have decided to move to Saluzzo. We’ve been staying there anyway, and falling by degrees in love with it. The town is built right up against the hills, on the edge of the fertile plain. The beautifully preserved but still very much alive old city winds up the hill, culminating in its own castle, currently under renovation. We found a beautiful little apartment right in the middle of it, cobblestone streets, painted frescoes, and spacious vaulted ceilings and all.… Read more

Liquid Flowers

I was listening to a program on NPR by a guy in Vermont who decided to eat locally all year. He joined some farm co-op where he could pick up fresh vegetables in season, decided to drink apple juice instead of orange, because that’s what grows there, and uses maple syrup all the time, because that’s probably the most quintessentially native food in Vermont. I liked the idea. It’s so easy for us these days to lose touch with our communities. Everything is so mobile now. Not only do people move around a lot, but everything we own is made in China or Honduras, and even the food we eat has probably traveled thousands of miles to get to us.… Read more