Lamara, The Silk Woman

To get to Lamara Bezhashvili’s house, we drove from Signagi, past the swinging meat carcasses on the side of the dusty roads. We made a right turn onto a village side street and found her animal-friendly Eden behind the high walls. Sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, a spooky cat, and snake-eating birds. There is an ancient distillery, carboys filled with amber wine, almond and chestnut stone fruit, and mulberry leaves. And of course, the silk worms.