Archive for December, 2009

It’s not the English who are coming, it’s the Scots!

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

Having posted on the blog the news that work had started on the nieghbouring house and that the owners were the Roscoes we were delighted to get a email from Pamela and John Roscoe confirming their existence and the news that they are not English but Scottish. This is good news as currently if someone wants to know were we live they can ask for “gli inglesi” and having “gli inglesi uno” and “gli inglesi  due” wouldn’t be very nice. Having “gli inglesi” and “i scozzesi” will be much better. Much less confusing.

Memi, their neighbour who also makes the best pasta in San Giorgio if not in Italy, was delighted with the news particularly when we told her that they can speak Italian.

Eating well in the Marche

Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

espresso guide
The Espresso magazine publishes an annual guide to the best restaurants in Italy. There are 10 restaurants listed for the Marche. 5 of the 10 are in the north of the Marche and so within our “eating range”.

Uliassi     (Senigallia)  Average price: 110 euros. 

Madonnina del Pescatore     (Marzocco near Senigallia).  Averageprice: 130 euros.

Symposium Quattro Stagioni   (Serrungarina) . Average Price: 100 euros.

Hotel Giardino   (San Lorenzo in Campo).   Average price: 48 euros.

Antico Furlo    (Acqualagna).  Average price: 58 euros.

We have eaten at the Uliassi which, at 100 euros per head, is a “very special occasion” restaurant. However, it is great, particularly the fish antipasti. Service is very attentive and the only embarassing moment is when the chef suddenly appears at the table to introduce himself and once he has said “buona sera” there are some moments of embarassing silence as no one knows what to say next.

Hotel Giardino always has good food, beautifully presented and at a reasonable price.  

We haven’t tried the other three restaurants but are happy to be taken to them by anyone visiting. The Antico Furlo overlooks the river in the Furlo Gorge. We often go to the gorge which was one of Mussolini’s favourite stopping of points on his way from Rome to Rimini. There is a bar beside the restaurant and it has a dining room devoted to his memory complete with the dining service he used. The “Antico Furlo” is a hotel as well as a restaurant and some of the furniture in the rooms were brought by Mussolini from the Palazzo Venezia in Rome so that he would feel more at home when spending the night at Furlo.

Turbo Gas Plant

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

turbo gas meeting

Living in the valley of the River Metauro we sometimes miss what is happening in the next River Valley. Today in Mondavio I noticed this poster about a proposed Turbogas plant near Corinaldo. In fact the proposal is to build a plant which will produce electricity from imported methane gas. The plant, if it goes ahead, will produce sufficient electricity for the whole of the Marche. The proposal is already meeting stiff opposition and comments about the project have to be submitted to the relevant authorities by mid December.

One issue that is causing concern is the pollution it will cause. This explains the large yellow circle on the poster and the implication that San Giorgio will be in line to receive its share of pollutants.