Ceramics and Olive Oil!...updated

So, my buddy left me on tuesday morn and I was a wee bit weepy....as in cried my eyes out for an hour after she walked down those steps.  Not only because she was leaving me in Italy but also because it will prolly be a yr before I see her again.....not fun living a million states away from her.
But man, oh man............did we ever manage to have Good Times in the time we had together!! A lifetime memory maker, for sure!
So.................life in Italy continues.....that night I was invited to the gardens for apperitivo and vino with marie and lorenzo...and their friends who own a B&B in Buti, Italy....who actually are from Santa Fe.  It was fun to listen to their stories, actually in english, and eat real live italian pizza...

ever seen how capers grow??  these were growing out of stone wall right near us!

Next morning bright and early I was up to meet marie for cappucino in the piazza and then off to walk to the ceramic shop that has been owned and run by Guido and Clara for oh....so many years!

The actual name of their shop is Guido Nesti Ceramiche.

Guido talking to marie....it's all in the hand talk!!

 

he hand punches every single design onto the pottery and tiles before he draws the design on

and then Clara, his wife, hand paints each piece!

 

Marie is the owner of the apt I stayed in, who has much knowledge on the history of her town (and she's actually from the UK!), was about the best tour guide and hostess that I've met, and now has become a very dear friend as well.  We will continue to communicate and share our "girl stories"! heheh.

the olive grove she took me to

 

but even before we got into the grape vineyard or the olive grove, we came upon this...a kiwi orchard!! and they make a kiwi liquer that is killer....I mean, killer! Their grandmothers told them to drink this because it serves as a laxative...hmmmm, me thinks granny had secret staches of this stuff!

I'd never seen how kiwi grow before!

cute lil tour guide...ahem!  he and 2 others actually manage the groves, weigh the olives, press them, separate them and bottle it.  and they are tour guides.  Multi-taskers? nada,,,,,just hard workers. His uncle owns the business!

First, you smell-a the olive oil-a

Then you taste-a and swish-a the olive oil-a

then you taste-a the olive oil-a on the bread-a

then you buy-a the olive oil-a to take-a home because it's the best dadgum olive oil-a you've ever put into your mouth-a!

you taste cinghiale (boar) because it's a native tuscan food and you must try all things native to where you are.  They hunt the boar in their fields because they eat all their crops....hmmm, does that sound familiar?  My boys would love this but me?....not so much. Pretty wild taste. Acuna Matata!

But this??? Oh MY!!  They make a chocolate sauce like Nutella but instead of using butter, they use their olive oil!  This, my friends, is to die for!  Also has hazelnuts in it. If you're at my house anytime soon, you'll definitely be tasting this!!

So, as I wind down this post, I realize I not one pic of the actual olives on the tree!!  hahaha....after sitting for almost 5 hrs at the cutest lil tasting table, with 2 other couples from austraila,  and their wines? Well, I guess that just got left out. 

These Italians DO love to sit around a table for a very long time-a!!

Goodbye Vicopisano!!  I love this lil village and truly felt right at home here....especially the park where I sat for hours and wrote and watched the people.  Truly a unique experience!