
The new year started with the snow in Treville!
Happy 2009 to all our friends and guests that have enjoyed this enchanted little corner of the World over the years.
"why did we return at Villa Mimma....we find that we are returning home in Italy. We feel part of the family. Your parents and Andrea make you very comfortable when you arrive. They always give you a warmth welcome. when we got to our house....she had bought 2 kinds of cheese....some cold meat (she remembered thatJean loved it) orange juice and some milk....its little attention like this that you appreciate. In Treville it is a small quiet village with beautiful people. It is a place that you never forget in your heart. At night sometimes your mother came and chatted with us. we were always having supper outside in the gazebo....after playing cards. we had time to relax before heading the other big cities. we also met your Dads mom. she is quite in shape for her age. We had a visit of the basement and the other part of the house....very special. We wish Villa Mimma a long lasting life and God bless you all. .. Jean and ginette "
On the 12th of April Villa Mimma hosted a workshop organised by the village library aimed at children, where the writer Anna Vivarelli presented some of her books, interpreting her stories for an audience of little readers and their parents. The children were captivated by her fantasy tales and most of them went home with books under their arms. 


One of the highlights of the year was the carpetry exposition of Vera Vermeersch's work. From the 3rd to the 11th of May in the ex-church of San Giacomo in Treville, people had the opportunity to come and appreciate the beautiful rugs in wool produced by hand tufting in Vera's atelier in Belgium.
Sharing an Italian meal with my family is always one of the hights of people's vacation, especially those who stay for a few nights. Although we cannot offer proper cooking classes or proper restaurant meals, it is always possible to prepare a meal together and to sit around the table to eat it in good company. We now have two agas, one is in my Mum's kitchen and one is in the veranda, so it will be possible to cook using a stove with wood birning fire instead of electricity or gas!If you are after a proper cuisine class, instead, we know where it is possible to arrange a cooking lesson for something between €20 and €60 per person, depending on the duration of the teaching session.
Lucedio’s Abbey was built in 1123 by the Cistercian Monk, coming from The Fertè, on the grounds of the marchionesses Ranieri of Monferrato.
time in Italy the cultivation of the rice at the beginning of the XV century. With the passing of time the Abbey became a true economical and political power: three Popes passed from Lucedio, confirming the role of the Abbey and its lucky geographical position along the
Francigena Way.
The splendid medieval rooms of the Abbey are opened to the public for guided tours, wine and food tasting events, receptions, congresses and concerts; some of the rooms are also used for television filming or are used as the setting for some adverts.
From the naturalistic point of view it must be remembered that Lucedio is located inside a protected area whose regulation, together with technologies of low environmental impact used in Lucedio’s Farm, facilitated the return of the typical fauna of the rice field: as well as the frogs, a number of herons and of Italian knights have chosen Lucedio as their residence.
Here I would like to point the attention to the theatre in Genoa, the "Carlo Felice". This is a new theatre that was rebuilt after the original theatre was bombarded during the Second World War, as nicely described on the theatre's website.Its fame is due to the fact that the
inside is like being in a "covered" square. The photo shown in the main website doesn't give you the full feeling, so why not taking a trip there?
The calendar for the 2008/2009 season can be found through the following links:
- Opera and ballet;
- Symphonic season.
If you attend any event or if you visit this unique theatre, please do let me know and I'd love to see some recent pictures.