San Settimio

Riserva Privata San Settimio, Arcevia, Italy.

At the wedding of Claire Haugh and Michael Blake, Saturday 18^th June, 2016

In the weeks leading up to San Settimio, mysterious names started to appear gradually in the WhatsApp group:  Roisin, Indalecia, Matty, Fedelma, Mercedes, Audrey, Senan, Serendipiti, Nadia, Frances, Dec, Catherine, Vnukova, Maura, names which meant nothing to us, but whose faces would later be revealed.  Questions demanded and patiently answered by Michael and Claire.  And an impressive spreadsheet prepared by Roisin for car sharing.

Then appeared the music requests... amusing, a lengthy list of lively music – lots of excitement and anticipation for the party.

Postings became lively as the day came closer, and at last arrival at our destination. 

We flew from Geneva to Ancona, and spent one night there.  A fairly old-fashioned hotel, a bit shabby like the busy port itself, but with a certain charm.   We climbed up cobble-stoned streets to wander around the old town, and found a tavern for a glass of wine – amply accompanied by olives, miniature pizzas, and some cake….  We still had to eat dinner.
which wasn't great, nothing like San Settimio...

The next day, Thursday, back to the airport to pick up John's cousin Michael Blake and his wife Cathy who had just flown in from Bally Glunin Park in Hamilton, Australia.  Wonderful to see them again – we talked non-stop as we climbed up into the mountains towards Arcevia, admiring villages set perilously on steep faces of the mountain, roof tops stacked on top of one another.  

At Arcevia we tried to get lunch at a bar, but there was a power failure and they could only serve us a glass of wine.  Ha.

Eventually Palazzo, and then San Settimio.   400 hectares of natural beauty high in the

mountains, with stunning views of a patchwork countryside stretching in the far distance to more hills.   In the park old stone farm houses were spaced around the hills, some clumped together around an open area where a not quite infinity swimming pool has been constructed, taking advantage of the magnificent views covering huge distances across the mountains.   Also higher up in this area a special stone circle, with a smaller centre circle of metal and stone – providing an intimate meeting place for the ceremony. 

The many old stone farm houses spotted around the reserve are now apartments for guests at San Settimio, very pleasantly fitted out and very comfortable.   More than 50 guests, old and young, were accommodated in these apartments.  Some were a distance apart, but we happily walked or went by car to gather together for meals, either at the restaurant or near the swimming pool.  Nestling in the bushes a small Buddha, great sculptures, and another Buddha. 

Our companions on the road were wild flowers, trees and grasses and a family of white geese or a family of ducks, who inhabited the lake near where we were staying.

The first evening there were just around 20 of us, with others gradually arriving.  However, the next morning at breakfast, mysterious arrivals during the night meant 50+…  

Our long meals, which included farm produce of olive oil, wine, honey and olives, were convivial, with a great deal of moving around, conversation and laughter.   Gradually getting to know the faces that went with the names….

Many hours were spent around the pool watching the young in action, ball games in the pool and soccer on the grass out of the pool.   Wow, the water was a lot colder than I am used to, I just had one try but it was a very short swim.  

Kieran, Beatrice and Maria.

Perhaps this is Matty?

Is this Kieran???

Michael and Claire, Matty and Laura

I don't know who these feet belong to, but the view is great!

A wonderful smorgasbord lunch was served each day under the pergola near the pool, with many Italian delicacies – hmmm – those grilled aubergines and grilled peppers – delicious, and perhaps some of us were a little greedy.  Time passed pleasantly talking and eating, and before we knew it, siesta time.  

Days drifted by, and then it was the big day.   Hair dos appeared, nails beautifully coloured and polished, and a bit of happy bustling around.

The warp and the weft: Michael and Claire

We were summoned to appear at the special circle at 5.30 to admire each other before the ceremony at 6pm. 

An altar had been set up with huge candles in glass, and a magnificent bowl of flowers in lemon and cream.  How could I have chosen lemon and cream for the table runner I wove for them?  Just perfect, something was connecting there.

A wonderful medley of colour appeared as we gathered around the circle.  Long skirts, short skirts, pants, ties, jackets, open neck shirts, waistcoats, some AMAZING shoes,  (Marlene you beat them all) in character with the wearers.  

We chatted outside the circle, but once inside and seated we were asked to be silent.

Eventually we were all in place and waiting for the bride: Michael and son Robbie very handsome in their smart shirts and waistcoats.   A large gong announced the beginning of the ceremony and first of all the children arrived – all gorgeous and so beautifully dressed.   Then Claire and her father.  What a stunning bride, looking so happy and beautiful.

We were asked to close our eyes and breathe deeply to allow our minds to drift into the atmosphere of the ceremony.    The ceremony conducted by interfaith minister Maura Clesham, included several candle lightings, poems, music and prayer.  Exchanges of vows and rings.  Gentle, warm and loving, emotional - fortunately Claire had provided for all circumstances and had a large handkerchief tucked insider her dress.

The pathway and the wedding party were strewn with rose petals and we posed for lots and lots of photos!!  An occasion to be remembered.

We all piled into cars for the wedding party at the restaurant.  Outside huge tables groaning with antipasto, enough to feed hundreds.   

Michael and Cathy - wondering where to start!

Eventually we went inside to sit down at large round tables, all beautifully decorated with flowers, with the same colour theme of lemon and cream. 

It was a memorable evening, great speeches and topped by Robbie, Claire and Jocelyn singing a Congolese song in harmony – so beautiful. Food was incredible, rack of lamb, crackling pork, salad and so on…All followed by music and dancing, with great cheers to greet Dominic, Beatrice and John who arrived at long last. 

A happy late arrival

Late arrivals - we were very happy to see them.

A novel wedding cake consisting of a stack of rounds of delicious cheese, was cut and distributed.    In the background the Blake flag - brought from Bally Glunin Park, Hamilton, Australia. 

To bed around 2.30am – to get up again at 6am to pack the bags and leave.  What a wonderful few days. 

Thank you for sharing your photographs, here are some to enjoy:

San Settimio is situated at 400 meters above sea level, in a natural setting of great beauty about 30Km from the sea, close to the small medieval village of Palazzo.  With excellent accommodation in separate farmhouses, and a large conference centre, it provides farm activities, horse riding, quad biking, a treatment and beauty centre.

It is owned and run by a very pleasant Italian family, managed by the wonderful Carolina, and we enjoyed the magnificent produce of the farm:  wine, olive oil, olives and honey.

www.jean-lombard.com

Château May 2016

Sunday, 5th June:  Today - will we go - will we stay - the weather was so uncertain this morning, we couldn't make up our minds whether to go to the randonné at Jalogny, a next door village.  About 10am, we decided yes we would go.   It was great, if muddy and a bit slippy, up hill and down dale, I was glad to have my two walking canes, they were a great help on the steep lanes.  Some of the small lanes had shallow streams running down which made it very tricky to get through.  However, over all it was very enjoyable.   When we returned home we ran a hot bath with some special salts and luxuriated in that for some time.  Now our legs are a bit tired, but we feel proud of ourselves after 10 kms!!
There was a refreshment stop at the 16th century Château de Borde, and we were able to visit the chapel.







At Chassigny sous Dun:  A Dyeing day yesterday with La Guilde de Filage en Bourgogne, my local spinning and weaving group.  

Last week we visited two villages both called Lombard to research the history of the Lombards for John's family memoirs.  It was a very successful trip and we were joined by John's brother Stephen and his partner Barbara.  Although it was disappointing to learn that neither of the villages knew why, nor how, their village was named Lombard, a very kind historian who spent some time with us at Lombard in the Doubs, suggested that the village may have been on the route of the Lombard financiers who travelled across the country lending money and delivering important papers.   He told us that the first mention of the name was in 1303 written "Lombart".   The Lombard village in the Jura, had very little information for us but was a very pleasant village to visit.  

 


On the way home we visited the very pretty village of Chateau Chalon perched on high cliffs, and then followed the road to Baume les Messieurs where we visited the ancient Abbey and took some photos.The monks who first founded Cluny Abbey walked from here to the site in Cluny in the 10th century.

 Will the rain ever stop – grey skies, rain and more rain.  Our cave is flooding, fortunately it has a flagstone and earth floor.  The flooding is caused by an underground stream that usually runs quietly under the house, but now we can hear it rushing through.  The ditches are filled with rushing water, and the meadows are overgrown and battered.  Some of the farmers managed to make hay for the first time and get it bailed in waterproof bales just before this last bout of heavy rain and storms. 

Everything in the garden is being battered, but the roses like the rain.  How fortunate that we live on the side of a hill - how difficult it would be in the valley.

Roses are coming out in full force and are very beautiful, but have very little perfume without any sun to warm them.

A true Burgundian..harvesting starts in July.

The figs are growing - but will they ripen?

I hope the cherries will ripen soon - a little bit of sunshine needed

Serious writing has started again and I have been doing a lot of research on Medieval Dublin and enjoying it, so now I have gained some more useful background to help me with the sequel to Claudette.The wet weather has given me some forced work time.

On Saturday I spent most of the day in the Haut Beaujolais with my spinning group La Guilde de Filage en Bourgogne.  We were at a tourist centre demonstrating our craft and explaining how the fibres become yarns and then made up articles of covering or clothing.  I learn something new each time I meet with them, this time I learnt about using nettle fibres and linen.   Next meeting will be a dyeing day.

Yesterday I was trapped inside for most of the day because of the weather, so I kept busy with writing for a while and then some spinning and some dyeing with turmeric .  After a quick visit to the garden to cut some willow branches I started making a small basket.  My hands are no longer strong so its difficult these days to bend and curve the canes and hold it all together.

It is sad to see France in so much turmoil over their new labour laws, some of them, and of course the unions, just don’t want to change their very privileged laws and come into line with the rest of Europe.  The French are so used to strikes – they get notice beforehand on the internet and work around it, amazing how resilient they are and what they put up with.

Well its time for dinner preparations.... beef and mushroom ragout, with cauliflower cheese.

Tomorrow morning I hope to walk with Katia if it's not pouring rain, and in the evening we will to to  l'Estaminet in Mazille with some friends to eat Moules Frites.

Early May - and my first posting:

What a complicated and long journey to get here, flight cancelled out of Sydney, extra overnights etc, however we arrived to beautiful weather, blossom and sunshine.   

Unfortunately the good weather didn’t last long, and the last few days have been wet and grey, and we are in winter clothes again!  The valley looks beautiful under floating misty clouds, the sun peeping through spasmodically.   Each day I try to pull out some weeds, now I am ending up bogged in mud, but it’s very satisfying and they are not hard to pull. Of course they will pop up again shortly and grin at me cheekily.  I am on my third wheel barrow load!

I think we have recovered from jet lag, and have been getting in a walk every day, sun or rain.  People stop and chat, lovely to catch up with everyone again. There is such a feeling of history here, life goes on as it has done for thousands of years.

Our kind neighbours had opened the shutters and blinds and turned on the electricity, but inside the 60cm thick walls of our stone house it was very cold, and we have had to light fires to try to warm it up a bit.

The first day, one of the neighbours passed buy with fresh bred and brioche buns, so kind.  Despite being tired, and a half hour drive, that same day, Saturday, I went to a meeting of the Guilde de Filage en Bourgogne (Spinning and weaving group), so I missed several others who called in.  The spinning group are a diverse group of very interesting women and very committed to their craft.  For me it was a lovely opportunity to catch up with them again, to bring them some Corriedale fleece from Australia to share, and to also to show some examples of the work I had done since I last saw them. Our next meeting will be demonstrating in a tourist centre in Beaujolais, followed by a dyeing day at someone’s home a week later.

Sunday, an early walk, then down the road to the War Memorial to take part in the ceremony of “Victory in Europe Day” .     The names of the fallen from our village are read out followed by a solemn echo of “Mort pour la France”.  After that we walked up the hill to the Mairie for a vin d’honneur, a great opportunity to meet and greet several people at the same time.   A bit later we went to a neighbour for an aperitif, and caught up on all the village happenings.   The rest of that afternoon I snoozed in a sun chair in the courtyard….

 There are lots of birds nesting, and as always our courtyard is their home, this time to a family of redstarts the nest placed securely and cosily inside a stone lintel.  A couple of partridges appeared with some young, feeding amongst the weeds.  The blackbirds singing always remind me of my childhood in Ireland, and expect to see and hear some robins and a variety of finches.  The weather is so peculiar, there are some differences in the patterns of nature, so will see what happens.

I was very surprised to find some lettuce growing, lots of sorrel and some fennel, so I was able to make a salad from fresh garden produce already. 

Not warm enough for me to sit out at my stone table yet to start writing.  Instead, I am inside listening to podcasts of Irish medieval history to try to get some background and to help me to continue my story about Claudette and the branch of her family who went to Ireland. 

This morning we went into Cluny – amongst other things to visit the bookshop and discuss what stocks of books are still there.  It was a miserable day so we ducked into Chez Sissi for a ‘petit café and were delighted to find it is still only €1.30.   How amazing, long may it last.