Doing laundry in Italy. (fare il bucato)

When traveling through Italy with only one suitcase it is extremely important to have clean clothes. So how do I get my clothes clean?

In the 18^th century I could have washed my clothes in a public laundries that were called “fulleries.” I would have had to join the workers called “fullones” and beat my clothes with a stick or jump in to stomp on them with my bare feet. After what would seem like backbreaking work I would than have the luxury of hanging my clothes in an nearby field to dry.

Um, no thanks.

(public laundromats back in the day)

While visiting Trento, I was able to find a laundromat that was self-service.

It also was conveniently located to a café that takes to go coffee to a new level. They do not use disposable cups in Italy instead they place your coffee on a serving tray and when you are finished you return it. It sure beats Starbucks!

(coffee to go)

(enjoying my coffee)

I am currently staying at a home that has a combo washer/dryer all in one unit. The only downfall is that it takes over four hours to clean my clothes. This is considered a luxury in Italy. Most households wash their clothes and hang them out to dry in the sun. Fortunately for me (because that does not sound like fun way to spend an afternoon) it rains almost every day in Friuli.

This also gives me the precious time that I can devote to more important things, like drinking good wine and eating scrumptious food.

I never thought that laundry would become such a chore.

(after a hard day of chores)

Happy cows make happy cheese in Friuli.

In Cormons, a small commune in Friuli-Venzia Gulia, I had stumbled on a small farm that is run by Giuseppe Zoff and his daughter Laura. It was there where I sampled his artisanal cheeses and returned a few days later to purchase cheese, fresh milk, and the most delightful and fragrant yogurt.

Giuseppe Zoff and his family have been breeding and raising Italian Simmental cows for three generations. In following his grandparent’s traditions, his cows are raised without chemicals and are never feed corn.

In fact when I walked up to his cows for their photo shoot, I was immediately struck with the most intoxicating smells of a sweet perfume in the air. The hay the cows were munching away on smelled of lavender and jasmine tea with honey.

They looked happy and they should because Giuseppe explained the importance of maintaining a stress- free environment for his over seventy cows. I even noticed that there were sprinklers and ceiling fans to keep the cows properly ventilated from the warm days.

He informed me that happy cows make happy milk, which makes high quality cheese and meat. If you would like to visit the agriturismo to meet the cows or to buy any of the fabulous products visit him at http://www.borgdaocjs.it/ They also a separate house where they rent out five bedrooms if you need a place to stay.

Happy cow (mucca contenta)

An assortment of cheeses of different ages and yogurt.

Azienda Agricola Zoff