North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[John Bunker <john.p.bunker@gmail.com>]

Hello all,

Over the past four years I have been getting to know Isabella Dalla Regione.  Cammy and I have been to see her in Italy and she came to our farm in Maine this past fall.  She is one of the great fruit explorers of today.  She has two books out.  I have a number of copies of her first book that I'd be happy to pass along at my cost.  If you are interested, please contact me directly.  Below is a review I wrote about the book some time ago.

Happy New Year!

John Bunker

Palermo Maine

Arboreal Archeology
a diary of two fruit explorers
By Isabella and Livio Dalla Regione

151 pages; 155 illustrations, 147 in color;  Size:  6" x 8.25", soft cover

I first learned about Isabella and Livio Dalla Ragione in a wonderful September 2005 New Yorker "Fruit Exploring" article.  I knew then that they were just up my alley.  Isabella had been assisting her aging father during her "spare" time in scouring northern Umbria and Tuscany for and preserving rare old fruits in their living agricultural museum called San Lorenzo, situated outside  Citta' di Castello near Perugia.  When Cammy and I had the opportunity to travel to northern Itlay the following year, I was determined to pay a visit to the old farm where they lived.  In early November we spent the better part of a day with her, touring the historic orchards, exploring the fruit storage rooms, and chatting about the ancient endangered apples, pears, quince, grapes, medlars, cherries and figs they have saved from extinction.  We sat around a huge old rough hewn kitchen table in the ancient kitchen surrounded by hundreds of farm house artifacts that she and Livio had collected over the years discussing what can be done to save our agricultural heritage.   She even agreed to part with several of her most prized apples as we departed.  I must say that I've only know one other person as possessive about such things: me!   Although present during our visit, Livio was too infirm to visit with us.  He passed away  about 9 months later.  Fortunately, through Isabella, their amazing work lives on.  She and I  have kept up a correspondence during the past three years and I was pleased and honored to be asked to assist with the English translation of their book.  Arboreal archeology is a scholarly and folksy recollection of the fruit exploring work to which she and her father have been dedicated for many years.  Delightfully written, filled with stories, fruit descriptions and recipes.  The only thing that would be better is a visit to the farm itself.