Our last day of the Prone to Wander retreat was spent at the farm (podere) with a relaxed schedule. After a late breakfast, we gathered for a cooking class taught by Orsa, our host and the culinary mind behind the lunches and dinners we ate at the retreat. She has her degree in culinary anthropology, so she has abundant knowledge of regional food, dishes, and cooking techniques.
She taught us how to make Pappa al Pomodoro or “bread soup.” With every meal, we were served a basket of Italian bread. One of the hallmarks of the bread of this region is that it’s made without salt. As Orsa said, it tastes “like nothing.” It became a regular thing for our group to ask for the salt grinder so some could be added to a pool of olive oil for dipping.
Apparently, though, there is some thought behind this bland bread recipe. The bread is more versatile for leftovers, which I’m sure is how bread soup came about. We used all of the leftover bread from our lunches and dinners to make the soup, along with shallots, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, and a few other things.
I’m not a big fan of tomato-based soups, but I learned I become a fan when you load it up with bread! It was delicious, and enjoyable to see Orsa in her element. She was such a gracious host to us all week and fed us so well. The meals were a highlight of the retreat.
We had the soup with a fresh fennel and citrus salad, which was another great example of the simple yet tasty food we were served all week. Now I want to make it…
Mom and I were going to be in Florence for a couple of days before heading home, so I also took advantage of the sunshine and warmer weather to wash and line-dry a couple of my linen dresses. A laundry service was available at the retreat. I took advantage of that for most pieces, but the linen dresses were easy to wash the old-fashioned way.
After our lunch of soup and salad, I took one more opportunity to do some plein air painting. As I’ve shared in previous posts about plein air painting in England and Italy, it’s not in my comfort zone to paint outside, but I love how it makes me slow down and examine an area closely. I feel like the three subjects I painted on that trip are embedded in my memory, and for me, that’s the whole point.
I painted in the same back garden I did earlier in the week, but this time, I faced away from the villa. There was a pair of trees that made an interesting shape, and the way the afternoon light hit them was lovely. I had a farm cat for company the last time I painted, but this time, a few of the workshop attendees asked if they could join me. I was hoping they would bring their sketchbooks and paint along, but they just wanted to watch the process. (Thanks to Paige for taking a couple of pictures of me painting.)
Here is the finished painting…
After painting and visiting, I took the rest of the afternoon to catch up on my journal and pack. Since I loaded up on linen garments at Siena, Mom was kind enough to lend the extra space in her suitcase to me. We rolled, arranged, and swapped items to try to even out the weight and make sure everything was securely packed. We then got cleaned up for our farewell dinner. After final group photos in the garden, we had an amazing multi-course meal to put an exclamation point on the retreat.
I’ve talked about Carolyn, the Prone to Wander creator and director, throughout my posts about Sovicelle, but I need to take a few lines to express what a delight it was to be a guest teacher at one of her events. She pays close attention to detail and ensures all of her guests are comfortable and have an enriching experience. Each night, when we came back to our rooms from dinner, there was a gift waiting for us. Some of the gifts were olive oil from the farm where we were staying, an incredible tote bag made from antique grain sacks, a handmade necklace, an apron, and oil color charts on linen (that I made for the group). I know I left the retreat feeling satisfied, creatively fed, and so thankful for the experience and beautiful people I met.
Carolyn and I had lots of conversations throughout the week, but when we hugged before the farewell dinner, it struck me how special it was that we finally got to meet. We have known each other for years through Zoom meetings, emails, and texts. We’ve been through big life events together, and she has been such an encouragement in my life. It was the perfect end to a special trip.
But the trip wasn’t over for my mom and me. We were headed to Florence for a couple of days, and for the first time on the entire journey, we would be on our own…
You can find more posts about my time in Italy here –
marbled paper & bookbinding workshop
Best view in Siena
Walking Through Siena, Italy
Shopping at the Siena Market
Plein Air Painting in Italy & Podere Tour
Dinner in a Castle | Tuscany Creative Retreat
Travel Journal Workshop
Arezzo Antique Market