ON THE ROAD AGAIN

We have known this area for 18 years … 7 as visitors, 11 as residents. So we were surprised to discover an azienda agricola only 15 minutes away.

And surprised how we found this place …

… though it was typically Italian.

We live on a “private” gravel road, about 1 mile long (hereinafter, the “Road”). Private is a vague, ambiguous word. In this case, it means the residents, rather than the town, maintain it … even though the Road is open to the public.

A gravel road can be good … scenically winding along rolling Tuscan hills, through some woods, along a vineyard, passing olive trees and fields of wildflowers. Wild animals appear, from deer to porcupines. And the uneven surface keeps cars’ speeds more moderate.

For years, friend and neighbor Piero (“Piero”) had been doing the maintenance work, and owners with property along the Road (“Owner” or “Owners,” respectively) paid 100€ a year. Several years ago, an undisclosed and unidentified number of Owners complained that Piero wasn’t doing a good enough job (not true) … and were upset that other Owners hadn’t been paying at all (not acceptable).

Several Owners decided to form a homeowners association, which in Italy is called a consortium (the “Consortium”). The Consortium would hire an attorney to draw up necessary paperwork … force all Owners to pay an as-yet undetermined annual fee … levy sanctions on those Owners who did not pay … maintain the Road in an as-yet undetermined way … pay said attorney for any and all work done.

We had a small meeting … one Owner said he’d find a lawyer, and volunteered to be president of the Consortium. Notifications had to be sent to all Owners. But nobody knew all of the Owners … and after months of searching, apparently several blanks remained.

I don’t know the recording system in Italy or Tuscany or Florence or our comune, but I glean from this experience that there is none. No recording agency, no database, no organization, no Zillow. The individual notaio who prepares a buyer’s paperwork is the keeper of the documentation. He who does the deed, keeps the deed. … the “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” method of record keeping. I was glad to be out of the find-the-Owners loop.

The attorney sent us a certified letter asking for money to send us certified letters.

Some Owners don’t have houses, just land, along the Road, and didn’t want a Consortium at all. Two hired their own separate attorneys and objected.

I still don’t know if formation of a consortium requires a simple majority … super-majority … unanimous consent.

These steps, of course, cost us more than 100€ … none of which went to maintenance.

The Consortium was in limbo.

Then Covid struck. Limbo became atrophy. Nothing was done for two years … on the Road (now, equal parts rocks and potholes) or work to establish the Consortium.

The Consortium process descended into one of Dante’s rings … the president said the lawyer stopped responding to calls and emails, and then stopped responding to us. Our WhatsApp group became a place where we sent seasonal greetings or snarky comments. Mostly the latter.

One Owner (the “Jerk”) harassed and belittled the Owners individually and the Consortium in general. On a plus side, I learned a bunch of bad words. One day, the Jerk threatened to sue all Owners if his automobile incurred damage of any kind or nature whatsoever as a direct and proximate result of the deterioration of the Road due to the inaction of the Consortium. My legalese … I’m mocking him [wink].

Guess what? Two weeks later, the Jerk announced that two tires and rims on his car were damaged.

His panties twisted one more time, then the Jerk quit the group. Hallelujah.

Winter was rainy, and the Road went from getting worse to getting dangerous. A 3-foot muddy edge started to collapse. It deepened and grew wider, making the Road narrower. For two weeks, a yellow cone and 2 umbrellas (yes, really) marked the spot.

Then one morning, Piero warned that the Road was closed! Near the sunken edge a big hole appeared … in the middle of the Road.

At that point, David & I realized the Road could wait no longer. We talked with Piero and two other family patriarchs, Riccardo and Fabrizio. Three locals with a combined age of about 225.

Within a week, Riccardo contacted the comune to ask them to pay, since their trash trucks use the Road 5 days a week. They made a counter-offer … they’d fix the area around the hole, and the Owners would pay 70%. On the next sunny day, 3 workers with heavy equipment did the work.

For that repair and some maintenance for the entire Road, Riccardo collected 150€ from the Owners who were willing to pay. Then David, Piero, Riccardo, and Fabrizio … with shovels, rakes, and brawn did that maintenance work. They even brought in a skip-loader, operated by Marco.

It seems that the skip-loader driver was Marco’s side hustle … he really is a chef at his in-law’s azienda agricola.

Two nights later, that’s where we ate dinner.

And what an amazing dinner it was!

Stay tuned … dinner is in the next chapter.

WALNUT-CINNAMON RICOTTA CUPCAKES

1 cup ricotta
⅓ cup olive oil
½ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1–¼ cup flour
¼ cup chestnut flour
2 tsp. cinnamon … plus more for sprinkling
1–½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Pinch salt
½ chopped walnuts
12 pieces of white chocolate
12 walnut halves … for decorating

- Preheat the oven to 350° F (170° C). Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- Place 1 piece of white chocolate into each muffin cup.
- In a mixer bowl, whisk ricotta, oil and sugar … then add eggs until well blended.
- Stir in dry ingredients.
- Fold in chopped walnuts.
- Pour into prepared muffin cups.
- Sprinkle each with some cinnamon, then each top with a walnut half.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, until done.
- Serve at any temperature.
Enjoy!