Later in the afternoon yesterday Alessio, Aurora and I took a trip on the bikes to a nearby farm to buy some eggs. We knocked on the door and entered a little farm shop with eggs, asparagus, cheese, salami and cherries. The lady ushered me and Aurora through the back where we met three dogs and a small group of unkempt men and one woman sat on stools who greeted us 'ciao', 'buonasera', as we walked past. We were then met with stables full of milking cows. The pregnant ones were separated and a little further on was the milking parlour; great big cows attached to the milking machine. The lady led us through to show us the machinery. There was that glorious smell of fresh farm milk, the smell that used to be at Grandad's farm when it was time to feed the lambs.
There were two huge metal cylinders, and a smaller one into which the milk ran. A big bucketful sat on the concrete floor and the dogs waited patiently by the door, licking their lips.
Today, after breakfast, we drove into Udine, into the mountains. The town was picturesque with yellow and orange houses dotted around. We had a look inside a big church and then wandered through the town to the cafe we had booked for lunch. Greta and Alessio ordered us the famous ham with melon, bread, and a dish which looked like an omelette but instead of eggs consisted of potato and lots of cheese! The waiter brought out the ham on great big plates; one full of parma and the other a mixture, including one kind which was just thinly sliced fat! (Lardo).
Greta and Alessio don't really drink, but said that I couldn't come all the way to Italy and not try the wine, so I had a glass with my meal. Afterwards I tried my first Italian coffee (not home brewed), and it was the best I have ever tasted; such a strong and glorious flavour.
After our meal we took a walk around Udine and captured some fantastic views of the surrounding fields and mountains - little orange roofed Italian houses looking up at us from the valley.
Greta and Alessio invited some friends over for tea and their little girl, also called Aurora, who looks like a little Italian doll with her ringlets and big brown eyes.
We spent the first hour playing in the street with their hyperactive five year old neighbour, Matteu. We raced up and down the road on bikes, scooters, and me on foot (a little too big for a toddlers trike).
After a quick game of hide and seek, I helped prepare the table for tea and then we ate: pasta with tomato sauce, salad, and for afters - Nutella cake!
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