A Day in the Life of a Tuscan mountain village - Truffle hunt in Pettino

Traditional Italian way of life that have endured for generations in Tuscan mountain villages.  Locals here still grow crops, tend sheep, and gather truffles from the surrounding natural birch forest. On this visit we met a family whose ancestors lived thee since 1400.  Grandpa Dante is the head of the family, who found a young man named Mac from New Zealand to marry his daughter Francesca.  Mac and Francesca have a son Dante, and a daughter Polly.  The kids speaks both English and Italian.  Francesca, Dante, and Polly can inherit the land, but not Mac.  The original law requires only blood line for inheritance.  Their villages (3 clusters) from a little distance is shown below.  It would have 50 people in the summer, but only 15 people in the winter, as men and boys would roam their sheep, dogs, and cows to somewhere closer to Rome where better grass is found.  Winter is simply too cold on the mountain.

 Grandpa Dante is the man with his thumb up:

Grandma is busy making pasta:

Mac is a most charming guide who explains the life style and daily activities to us:

Francesca was busy cooking pasta for us.

Little Dante and Polly are entertaining themselves:

 
Lucca is the truffle hunter.  He and his hunting dogs:

Mari is showing one of the truffle found by one dog:

Most of us were just out having a great time.

A shepherd, his dog , and his sheep came toward us:

We got to play with the shepherd dogs too.
Everything seems so peaceful and so beautiful:

 
I also tried to make some pasta: