Podcast from Italy: Ashley & Jason Bartner

We are finally back after a great season of guests with stories about the farm, animals, guests and of course Gaggi!

Spring is in full swing and we decided to procrastinate on a rainy evening & instead of working down our to-do list we recorded a new episode! We share crazy and funny wild life encounters at our farmhouse and along our road throughout the last 16 years! An update on our wifi (thanks to all that reached out with ideas!!), the garden, pigs and other projects. Plus we are now living that sweet warehouse life! Jason talks gelato now that we finally have a machine, he's busy recipe testing away!

Happy Easter from Italy! We've been busy with Spring projects as usual during early Spring but for the first time Jason was at the helm of the tractor when we prepared the soil! Was it all he had built up in his mind over these past 15 years...? The pigs have finally arrived and making themselves at home nicely, it's really feeling like a farm now!  We discuss an interesting theory by a local butcher on why our cured sausages were a total fail. An update on archery and is this considered LARPing?!  And of course since it's Easter we talk pane brusca or crescia di Pasqua or savory Easter bread, a local tradition in our neck of the woods.  

This episode we connect the dots between our archery classes and the Ferrari Formula 1 racing team - we have something very funny in common! Our thoughts on "Clarkson's Farm" along with seed planning for this year. Then hot talk on appliances! It's a wild one! After that, stick around because I read a chapter from the book! Thanks for listening!!

We're getting pigs! An update on their arrival and the winter weather along with water cooler talk about what everyone's talking about in Piobbbico…!! We take a little getaway to Lake Garda and visit Verona for the European Outdoor Show. There's a short break in the podcast when Gaggi calls for an update on the weather and then promptly tells us we must be wrong!  An update on our energy bill and a disgusting story about country living and a major bullet dodged! Plus listen to the end to find out our new exciting hobby…! Thanks for listening!

A festive holiday recap - from dinner on Christmas and New Year's Eve with good ol' Dr. Gaggi to a satanic ritualistic sacrifice of sorts in the main piazza of Urbania during the La Befana children's festival vs. our memories of the same even 15 years ago and my has it changed! The sausages & salami have been made and hanging from the rafter, find out from Jason how he thinks they will turn out due to all this warm weather. Plus a sneak peek at the 2023 calendar as we discuss ideas for  Meat Week in September. But the most exciting news - Friday we are one step closer to getting pigs! Thanks for listening!!  

Ok so maybe this has become a bi-annual podcast! For those of you still listening, we start back in June and summer weather and the garden, then a hilarious story about our getaway to the Mediterranean where everything went wrong. An update on the "animal zone" including our newest edition to the farmhouse - Leroy our big blue Great Dane puppy! On to autumn and truffles, the soaring cost of energy and then remembering a few of our favorite Christmas markets in Italy and Europe! Happy Holidays!!!

It's been six months since our last podcast, there's a lot to catch you up on! From 'what's new in 2022' including my big ticket impulse purchase & an update on our citizenship to our 'new' tractor, and daily life in Italy: cyber attacked, cow herding up the mountain, the cost of la dolce vita is going up and so much more!

A review of my trip to FICO Eataly in Bologna, tales from an Italian hospital for foot surgery and Jason's new adventures with our neighbor's farm animals! A jam packed, hilarious podcast that's for sure. Thanks for listening!!

From an overpriced wine tasting to tractor shopping, a hilarious Gaggi story and memories of Thanksgiving past - we hope you enjoy the latest episode!

After a 6 month podcast hiatus we are BACK! With a hilarious update on life in the Italian countryside! From the glory garden and dry hot summer to a random rave, citizenship updated and meet the newest cat tiktoker! We share a few of our summer travels to Ravenna and Civita Nova Marche and laugh about my terrible ordering choices at a fancy bar. Thanks for listening!!

This week we are on fire, a lot has happened in our neck of the woods since the last podcast! From vongole shenanigans with Gaggi & Rossana, road work update, a "new look" for our old grocery store, a trip to the Farmer's Union, new tools for the garden, and answering questions about salt & yeast! Thanks for listening

After the snow the air has changed and it feels like Spring! We are busy soaking up the sun while working outside with the usual late winter cleanup of brush and tree trimming. Local gossip: the road meeting happened, we'll see if any action is taken. We answer a few of your questions until Jason is annoyed. And I read another chapter of the untitled, unpublished, unfinished book about our first year in Italy! Thanks for listening!

A Tim Dillon inspired podcast about conducting Fake Business of all sorts in Italy! A lunch in Fano with Gaggi & Rossana and an update from our neck of the woods with a breakdown on what we've learned about the Eco Bonus to restore a property.   The Covid Questionnaire to enter Italy: https://infocovid.viaggiaresicuri.it/returningtoitaly.html Check out the Tim Dillon Show Podcast - https://www.timdilloncomedy.com/  

Finally, a new episode! An update on the snow and salami curing, what we've been up to the past 3 months, along with our quick thoughts on 2021 travel and the big talk of town, the Euro Super Bonus! We're thinking of restoring a ruin...!

Road trip! The first week of September we visited the Cinque Terre for the first time, along with Carrara and Lucca. We share our favorites - focaccia, beach and the best way to see the famed five villages (hint it's not hiking!) As usual our travels revolve around food and the real objective to our stop in Carrara was for the local lard! Once back home we have been prepping early for winter plus a fish feast with Gaggi & his hunting buddy as a preemptive thank you for their morning coffees during the hunting season. It's a jam packed podcast!

Our days are spent jarring tomatoes, berry picking and not much else. Our big event this summer was Ferragosto and the old school Polenta Feast! We tell stories from this years festivities plus we read a another chapter from the book and it’s all about the first polenta festival we held at our farmhouse 13 years ago! An update on our immigration and listener Q&A: How to get a driver’s license in Italy as an expat.

We give you an update on how the surgery went for Jason's torn rotator cuff in a humorous recount of his hospital stay. A garden update - what to do with hundreds of kilos of potatoes?! Then we answer your questions about moving to Italy and starting a business along with sharing Ashley's dinner/cooking playlist favorites!

An update from sunny central Italy! While the virtual Move to Italy Workshops have been a great success (we are extending them thru the summer!), the virtual cooking classes are a technological fail due to our shoddy satellite internet. The garden is growing and looking amazing, eating beats, radishes, lettuces and carrots already! We take a few trips out and discover our new favorite way to eat out without worry of social distancing. Then a bit of immigration frustration and bitchin' about bureaucracy. And the biggest update - Jason needs surgery after tearing his rotator cuff and we weigh the options of private vs. public health care and the pricing.

This week’s podcast we sit outside, mid-day on the patio and answer your questions sent in via email/instagram/Facebook - everything from what we miss most from the States to how to make pizza sauce! We share our local recipe for Nocino (walnut liquor/digestivo). Of course, an update on the garden and Dr. Gaggi! And more details on the Virtual Move to Italy Workshop and Cooking Classes. Thanks for listening!

Thanks for waiting, there hasn't been much new in our neck of the woods. We give you an update on the restrictions and openings in Italy. Jason shares a few common bread baking problems and tips to he's learned along the way. And Gaggi returns to the Garden...

An update from deep in the Italian countryside! Bartering is alive and well in the foot hills of the Apennines, and we are now making our living off our free-range eggs! We answer your question on if we will reboot our online cooking classes, announce the ‘winner’ of our photo submission request and share our new favorite Italian TV show, Cammionisti in Trattoria. Jason scratches the surface of his bread baking obsession. Ashley reads a few chapters from the book - The Art of the Mushroom Hunt, A Patron Saint and The Harvest. Thanks for listening!!

An update from our neck of the woods in Le Marche, Italy during the nationwide shutdown/lockdown. Living la vita lockdown (a bad pun for Jason!), staying home & healthy, busy as usual with projects around the farmhouse and hoping for the best come April! Be sure to share your photos of where you listen to the podcast with #podcastfromItaly or message us on Facebook or Instagram!

A Coronavirus update from our neck of the woods in Le Marche, Italy. Back to work and Ashley's quickly on the IR (injured reserve)! The weather took a strange turn from mild and sunny to a snowstorm in hours. Plus Ashley reads another 2 chapters from the unpublished, unfinished book!!

A warm winter across Italy is bringing Spring vegetables to the market in February. Jason goes down the rabbit hole on local items for sale on FB Marketplace. He shares a few of his big finds! In celebration of carnevale we prepare cresce di Pasqua but end up with 8 kilos of FAIL! Water cooler talk in town is all about curing sausages! We learn we are not alone with some of problems this year curing our salami & sausages. And in the midst of winter projects we explore a nearby ‘ruin’ on our continuing quest to find our ‘forever home’ for one day…

Preperations for carnevale are in full swing & the parade of endless sweets: castagnole, struffoli, cookies and so much more!  We finally answer your burning question, Where’s the Tractor? Which leads us into a discussion on the garden and learning how to start thousands of seeds for our tomatoes, onions,… everything! On a recent wine tasting (for research purposes only), I happily discover a nearby winery, is one of the last in Italy making vin santo in the antique way - hanging the grapes in the kitchen rafters & letting the fireplace slowly smoke & cure the grapes before they make the wine.   Another chapter from the Book: This Ain't No Bathtub Gin    

Preparing for a move to Italy? We share a few of the most frequently asked questions and offer our candid answers: How much does it cost to move to Italy? Can I buy a house in Italy as a Foreigner? and How to Open a Bank Account in Italy.   An update on the 2020 Salami & Sausage making and the annual “Great Salt Debate” with Dr. Gaggi. We chat about the real cost of cheap flights and a truck stop find in Imola! Winter projects continue and it’s time to plan out our new greenhouse!   I read 2 chapters from the Book - Running Over the Hill & Guests - a look back at our first summer in Italy. Thanks for listening!!  

A jam packed post holidays podcast! After a quick look at the 2020 calendar of cooking workshops we're planning at the farmhouse, we jumped right in. We had a lot to talk about this episode: From the death defying drive over the Apennines with Gaggi & Ashley’s debut at the Christmas concert, to our thoughts on Livorno. Then we spent New Years in Corsica and finished the holiday season with the annual Festa della Befana in our neighbouring village of Urbania. A little reminiscing about our first time to the festival, 14 years ago! The conversation turns to the difficulties & realities of farming in Italy today. But what we are really excited to talk about is Avanti un Altro, a spectularly Italian, over the top, game show!  We share why this has become our new favorite, must-see TV show!  

A recap of all the holiday happenings in town from cappelletti making with Dr. Gaggi to Christmas cookies, Jason's scarring trip to the salon, 'war games' and packs of wild boar... there's lots going on in our valley lately! Plus Ashley reads a chapter from the book - remembering our first Christmas in Italy and that it wasn't what we had imagined... Buon Natale!!

Celebrating Thanksgiving with a road trip thru the Alps to find our Christmas trees to bring home to Le Marche! Our set destinations: Verona, Vipiteno, Innsbruck, Soprabolzano, Moena & Trento - stopping for cheese, meats, wines, hockey and Christmas markets along the way! Sharing a few of our favorite meals & memories - we realize we eat a lot! Thanks for listening to this holiday episode of our inconsistent podcast from Italy!!

The last guests of the season have checked out and we've got time to fire up the mics for a new podcast! This episode: Truffle Season updates & inside scoop, we just finished a 4 night Truffle Workshop so lots of great info to share!! Just as we are finishing the season, the house kicks back and throws us a curve ball... Now that we are closed for winter, it's time to start planning our trip north to the Alps for this year's Christmas Tree! Plus we share the details of our first ever Advanced Workshop for returning guests only. Thanks for downloading & listening!!

It’s been a busy 2 months at the farmhouse so we start the podcast with a summer update on what’s growing, cooking, delivery of wood and our ‘staycation’ in Fano. The weather forecast for autumn: Truffles!!! The talk of town is this should be a good year for white truffles with the ‘hunting season’ opening 1 October in Le Marche. We a day at the Fano hospital for a small surgery Ashley needed and share some of our observations and differences in hospitals in Italy vs. the US. A big shout out to our podcast listeners turned guests - you guys are amazing, thank you for all your support! The 2020 calendar of workshops is available online at www.latavolamarche.com - we hope the rest of you can stay & cook with us too!

A jam packed podcast: from piloting a boat along the Adriatic coast (when we had no idea what we were doing!), a small town boxing match & festival where we grilled our own bistecca, a very official letter from the local Post Master to finally, how to navigate the toll booth's in Italy! Thanks so much for listening!

We're up early & excited to share with you a few of our favorite local gems! After a 'staycation' with friends visiting we rediscovered our love for Urbino, the Furlo Gorge, Urbania & Gubbio. A Father's Day gift guide for the pizza maker, with a round up of a few tried & true tools we use. Local gossip: EU & Regional elections!

Easter celebrations, Liberation Day, Primo Maggio - all fell within 2 weeks this year! A recap of the festivities and how to grocery shop during the holidays (when shops are closed Sunday & Monday and we have a dinner for 25 on Tuesday). We've been busy around the farmhouse with lots of projects that have been checked off the to-do list - new patio, irrigation and more. Plus another chapter from the book: La Transumanza (cow herding in Italy!)... and we announce the 2020 calendar for La Tavola Marche (farm, inn & cooking school!)

We are so excited to make a BIG announcement on our podcast!! A very big collaboration is in the works and we share it here first! Plus a visit to AgriUmbria (agricultural expo) to pick out this years hens. A garden & Gaggi update of course along with the wild price of shutters. Yes, shutters. Easter is on it's way and Jason has been busy practicing the recipe for a local Easter bread, crescia di brusca. Plus I read 2 more chapters from the untitled, unfinished, unpublished book!

A lot to catch up on since our last podcast! Just in time for Spring & Summer travel to Italy, we share the inside scoop on international drivers licenses and if it's worth the trip to AAA.  An impromptu discussion on grappa and what it really is and an update on the garden and the latest projects around the farmhouse. Plus Ashley reads 2 chapters from the un-named/published/finished book!

Whenever conversations in Italy turn to politics, multiple terms for 'B.S.' are woven like rich tapestry into the discussion. We decided to explore the complex levels of severity when using the term "B.S." in Italian! After a winter getaway to Budapest to see comedian Bill Burr we share a few of the highlights of this stunning city along the Daube. Our short trip gets longer as we are hit by winter weather delays and airport closures due to strikes in Germany & Italy! Back home, we're planning for the next season of guests and cooking classes including the Wood Oven Workshop. Jason explains the thoughts behind creating the workshop and menu choices to highlight utilizing the oven at different temperatures.    

 We visit Gubbio for the World's Largest Christmas Tree Lighting! Gearing up for the holidays with bread baking and cappelletti making. A quick medical report/update, tracking an animal in the fresh snow...it's never dull in the countryside! 

A holly jolly packed podcast upon our return from a road trip to the Alto Adige/Sud Tirol/Alps! From minor league hockey, a wood working workshop to endless Christmas markets we recount our week including our first experience with "German Spa Rules"...! Happy Holidays  

Ahhh 'la dolce vita' the good life in Italy, that usually doesn't include visions of a broken pump and loosing water for 5 days! After a long and busy season we are finally back with a proper podcast. The water saga, antiquing in Arezzo, Truffles & Cappelletti making with Dr. Gaggi

After a summer hiatus from podcasting (it's our busiest time of the year at the farmhouse) we are back for a short & dirty podcast. Just checking in to say Ciao!

Thanks for tuning in to our latest podcast from Italy. Sharing a slice of our Move to Italy Workshops - we share a few tips & important questions to ask while house hunting in Italy! Then we turn to bitchin' about bureaucracy while stewing in paper work and immigration. Plus  few updates for the farmhouse & the local gossip! 

 A month after our last podcast & Spring has sprung! The chickens, turkey & rooster are happyily roosting in their new home - our coop! Spring garden updates and improvements...and frustrations! Jason explains how he utilizes our wood oven at different temperatures & cook many more dishes than just pizza, even a chocolate cake! The we chat about our 10+ year road to Italian citizenship and the latest in the saga! Thanks so much for listening, Jason & Ashley

It's Easter Monday and with full bellies we waddled to the mics for another podcast! Crescia di Pasqua vs. Colomba - local Easter eats! Spring update from the farm, an outlook on this years truffle season, Spring Events in the area and the long anticipated conclusion to our lighting dilema in the kitchen! Plus the biggest news of the area - a WWII bomb was found & triggered in Fano! Thanks for listening!

Holy Smokes - it's a crap-shoot most days in Italy if you will get everything crossed off your to-do list. The fireplace and kitchen are damn near done just in time for guests to arrive in less than a week! Which makes us pose the question - when to D.I.Y and when to hire the pros...A SPEICAL OFFER for our Podcast Listeners for our Move to Italy Workshops! Jaosn comments on Jeremiah Tower's article/interview in Bon Apetite and cooking with what's in fashion vs. what's in season.  A little local gossip of course and the usual updates from our farmhouse. What happens when you have credit card fraud in Italy? (Pray it doesn't happen) A few thoughts on the election coverage and politics in Italy. And GPS vs. an old school DRIVING MAP! Be sure to head to our blog - latavolamarche.blogspot.com for photos promissed in the podcast!

This week podcast is brought to you by Procrastination! As the snow continues to fall we put off painting and fire up the mics for another podcast! From the most amazing samples at the grocery store to Gaggi's birthday, we tell a few tells and explain what a typical day in the snow is like living in the Italian countryside! Thanks for listenting!

This week's podcast we apologize to the Florence airport for our disparaging words on a previous podcast and then quickly take back the apology! An invitation to Barcelona for a five start hotel opening at the Alamanac means a surprise winter getaway to one of our favorite ciities! We share a few of the best tapas bars & spots to visit off the beaten path. Staying at the ritzy new hotel makes us ask ourselves the question about what the definition of high end hospitality is today. After seeing a photo of us dressed up & Jason in a Tux Gaggi comments on Jason's resemblence to certain infamous Producer...it's hysterical! Always there's an update from the farm and what we've been up to from Fish on Friday's, Carnevale and the local gossip about the price of wine in 2018! And finally another chapter from The Book, Chapter 13: The Doctor's In -- thanks for listening! Ashley & Jason

A light hearted Sunday podcast sharing on thoughts on life in Italy - from our discoveries while doing a little light "breaking & entering" along our road to Spring Festivals and why coffee pods suck! Plus find out what cardinal sin we commited at lunch with Gaggi! Thanks for listening!!

A January update from our farmhouse & cooking school! With 55 kilos of salami hanging in our rafters, we’re adding another 55 kilos of sausages this Saturday. This warm winter we are ready for winter projects around the house after a short trip away. We flew out of our local airport of Ancona which was a pleasure (especially compared to Florence) and we share a priceless long layover travel tip! THanks for listening!!

A festive Christmas Eve episode with the holiday higlights from around town! An update on the kitchen renovation - it's finally done and then the fire department arrived...find out why! Happy Holidays - Buon Natale, Ashley & Jason