Life at Al Settimo Cielo

Green rolling hills of Umbria

Travel north out of Orvieto towards the small village of Ficulle up into the green rolling hills of Umbria and you will find us hidden deep in the forest. We have taken on a house sit at a remarkable property that resides on top of its own hill. Seven terraces cut into the hillside, who knows how long ago, have defined its name “Al settimo cielo” (7th heaven).

Set back a few kilometres from the main street down a twisty and bumpy dirt road that follows the ridge line, gorgeous views increase in beauty as you near the property. It’s quiet here and not just the kind of quiet found anywhere but profoundly quiet. The sound of birds and the rushing wind coming through the trees as it blows up through the valley are all that may be heard all day with the exception of a distant gun shot of a hunter or the crack of splitting wood from a far off neighbour.

Standing at the top of the hill, in front of the main house, you look back towards Orvieto across the bounding hills that disappear into the horizon. The river Chiani in the valley below winds its way south towards the Tiber followed by a road dating back to the Romans and Etruscans used to make the pilgrimage towards Rome.

In the mornings the fog hangs low clinging to the valley floor, flowing with the warm currents of air heated by the sun, up through the trees. Dotted throughout the valleys and hillsides, symmetrical lines of olive trees break up the randomness of nature and swaths of glowing green fields remind you that people have carved out a life here for thousands of years.

Etruscan caves

In fact the property is home to a handful of Etruscan caves dating back to around 1000 BC, some still as they were, hand chiseled from the tuff and others renovated into modern amenities such as a kitchen or storage space. In other countries these marvels of history would be preserved by government museums or historians but here ancient history lives in conjunction with modern living and what seems fantastic to us is common place to the locals. In fact Etruscan caves and Roman artifacts are everywhere and I dare say that many Italians have become jaded to their existence.

Marvelous gardens planted with still blooming roses and herbs are accented with old fig and olive trees. A now dormant vegetable garden is covered in compost and much of the property has been put to bed for the winter. On sunny days we have been out raking the endless leaves and tidying up loose ends. A series of small ponds, alive with gold-fish are reminiscent of a Monet painting with sculptures placed periodically throughout the property enhancing the beauty of nature.

We are occupying a small apartment on one of the lower terraces while the home owners are away. Outfitted with all the modern amenities, we are quite comfortable and have not missed daily doses of television or being plugged into the rat race, despite having WiFi.

To keep expenses at a bare minimum we have taken on the challenge of heating with wood, using a small but efficient wood stove. We have also been taking advantage of the stove’s small cooking surface to truly embrace slow cooking, simmering ragus, soups and even making the local flat bread (torta al testo) by the heat of the fire.

Our days are filled by writing and journeying out to visit nearby towns and by discovering, cooking and eating the foods of Umbria. As a chef I have spent most of my career in search of authenticity and I have found the simplicity and honesty of Italian cuisine much more interesting than the sometimes over contrived and confused cooking of modern chefs trying to be different. We are constantly amazed at how dishes that can be ancient in origin, like Umbrian chickpea soup, can be a revelation in flavour and inspiring in its simplicity. This type of cooking is what keeps me going back to the stove and searching for more dishes that tell stories of their past and have led to more modern incarnations. Dishes that garnish themselves, like tagliatelle with ragu ,a perfect omelette with truffles or mushroom risotto, revel in simplicity yet overwhelm in their complexity of flavour.

Today the hunters are out, after the abundant wild boar that roam these forests. Truffle hunters also wander the woods with their eager dogs sniffing out their quarry. Menus of local restaurants reflect this time of year with dishes including these delectable ingredients, usually simply prepared letting the flavours speak for themselves.

A woman in a local bar eagerly described what she will prepare with the boar her husband recently shot and the tie between food, daily living and indeed life itself is reinforced with us once more; calling us to take part in this beautiful Italian culture.

The locals and Italians in general are eager to help with our quest and offer advice on dishes to eat, towns to visit and wines to drink. They are well aware that the rest of the world envies their love affair with food and I think most would like nothing more than for us to share in that relationship.

Trips to the grocery store and food shops take the place of outings to restaurants, returning home with bags full of interesting ingredients like guanciale, Castelluccio lentils, cardoon, truffled wild boar sausage and of course plenty of local wines, which can be had very reasonably. For me, cooking the food is as much of a pleasure as eating it and the benefit of satisfying others with the fruits of my labour makes it enjoyable. The lingering aromas of a wood fire slow cooking a pot of food is just one more layer to the joys of cooking.

Christmas is now just days away and visiting friends and relatives hold the promise of cooking new things and embracing the flavours of the season. It is my favourite time of year for sharing a meal with friends and getting in the kitchen to let my inner Italian come out.

Our journey here in Umbria has just gotten started so please follow along. We hope we can bring out your inner Italian through our recipes and stories.