This morning we woke up to our little world covered in snow, the first in this winter and a rare thing in Umbria anyway.

It feels even more quiet and isolated than before.

For more than a week we are staying in our Umbrian country house in an almost idyllic "protected area".

It feels ghostly: the everyday life (or what is left of it), the fears and the sufferings of our fellow citizens in Italy lie behind the gently rolling hills, the bees are buzzing in the spring sun and hyacinths and lime bushes exude their sweet fragrance.

This reminded us of the book "Decamerone" by Boccaccio. It describes a group of young people who flee to a country house near Florence at the time of the plague in the 14th century. They pass their time with storytelling.

And so we came up with the idea of sending stories, pictures and experiences from our Umbrian hill over the next few days (and weeks?)

One of the specialties of Umbria are legumes: lentils, chickpeas and a variety of beans. They are used for an almost endless number of healthy and protein-rich dishes, which are part of the basic diet in Umbria. At La Rogaia we have our own, especially delicious version of a chickpea and chard soup.

When autumn is coloring the woods of Umbria and when you can hear the echo of the hunters calling  from hill to hill it is high season for the typical autumn dishes. And Mamma Ornella is in top form in her kitchen at La Rogaia! Here are a few samples from her cuisine ...