Alistair and I have been here for a few days getting things set up. On Wednesday our students arrived and we had a fairly chilled out day. We served lunch al fresco on the roof terrace so that they could take in the wonderful views down into the valley. An afternoon siesta was called for, after their early start, and then time to explore the Villa and surroundings before Janet cooked her famous Risotto with pancetta, zucchini e funghi for dinner.
On the second day we started on the Quilting projects: tracing templates for a Foundation Pieced Mariner's Compass or designing a Wall Hanging incorporating Flying Geese and Applique. After another lunch on the sunny roof terrace, the afternoon was spent doing more work on the quilting projects, until it was time to leave for dinner at Daniella's, down in the valley.
Sitting under the vine-covered arbour on a long table with a dozen other guests, there was plenty of time to chat whilst being served a constant stream of food by Luciano and Daniella - eight Anti-pasti dishes, all local recipes made with local ingredients, followed by tortiglioni, chicken in proscuitto, wild boar ragu and potatoes, followed by Daniella's cake with fresh summer fruits and mascarpone. All washed down with a plentiful supply of local wine, water and limoncello to finish.
The full photo album from this year's June Retreat can be viewed here.
