Another minor update on my allegedly food-driven
travels.

(I tried to email an earlier version of this report
to Christine but due to failed web-email interfaces
I think it never got there.)

As per plan, we flew to Milan and my dining partner
drove us to Parma where we ate at the bio-energetic
restaurant "Aprito Sesamo". It was quite a wonderful
meal, a fixed seven course menu.

The hoped for one-hour drive from Linate to Parma
didn't quite work out, as we were half way to
Parma before we actually found the autostrada...
I was navigating by compass (which ultimately
works, but incrementally).

Originally, we were going to spend the next three
days without planned itinerary in Tuscany. But
my ever-thoughful partner had a brainstrom and
suggested we immediately proceed to outside of
Assisi and stay at a biofarm there. This worked
out splendidly; we cut around Tuscany (sniff, sniff)
by heading nearly to Rimini before taking the beautiful E45
over the mountains towards Perugia. So although
a white truffle experience was not to be, this time,
we had an excellent black truffle experience in town;
but in house at the farm was farm-local olive oil, eggs, fresh
pasta, boar salami, sagratino wine, and oregano, upland
cress, and thyme from the garden, and some good cheese and
a Sagratino wine (I think I already said that), all of which
we happily prepared for ourselves in our little self-catering
farm unit.

There was a discussion of are fresh farm eggs
better ... the answer is yes, for poached eggs.

The next phase involved and equally moutnainous
drive, part through a valley (the Valerina?) which
has changed but half a naugt in centuries; and
then dropping down to sora where our next biostay
is. We have just arrived so more later...

cheers