Although I am up north in Piedmont, I find my mind constantly drifting to Umbria. The fall is one of the most beautiful seasons there. The days are shorter but they are still warm. There is the nip of fall in the evening air and you can smell everyone lighting their camini in the evening. The whole town smells like wood smoke. My stomach always rumbles at that smell because it reminds me eating lovely grilled meat. There is nothing like food cooked over a wood fire. This is a taste that most of us have lost. Living in a city, it is not usually possible to have a wood-burning fireplace. The city tames us by taking us away from our most natural and primal existence: I guess this is the price of modernity.

Yesterday I spoke with friends from Amelia who are enjoying the beautiful fall days and anxiously awaiting the olive harvest. I am already making plans to go down and help. The harvest is expected to be a little earlier this year, perhaps the end of October or early November. Let’s hope the good weather holds.