Travel day to Tuscany – Day 1 – Thankfully our Air B&B host lined up a taxi this morning to take us to the rental car place. It was kind of a goat screw (quagmire, cluster f__#) to be honest. We had to be out of the apartment by 10:00 but weren’t picking up the car until noon. When the taxi driver stopped we were in front of a store that rented e-bikes and scooters. Oh and cars too – in small print. And it was 10:15 but the door was locked and there were no lights on in the small place. What now? The taxi driver couldn’t have cared less. Took our bags out, put them on the street and wanted his payment. So we were left standing there looking at each other like, “what do we do now?” A few minutes later a guy walks up to unlock the door, wants to know who we are and what we’re doing there – not the friendliest sort. When Bob explained the situation he informed us the car was not there and would not be available until noon, like the contract said. BUT he could hold our bags for us (for a fee of course) while we killed time until noon. There’s always an angle. But at least the paperwork got completed so picking up the car should go smoothly, right?
Thankfully there was a little coffee shop around the corner (I know, imagine that) to hang out in and kill time – without dragging our luggage with us. Back at the store front by 11:45 and it is locked down yet again. Man of one today apparently. My suspicion was that the car was indeed there, but hadn’t been cleaned or prepped for pickup so he had to do that. In the end, it really doesn’t matter does it?
We got the car. Bob was at the wheel to get us out of the city. Saying that was an adventure is an understatement. Talk about anxiety kicking in. Even with the phone gps on, it was brutal. The streets are very narrow. There are locals zipping all over the place. There are scooters running up beside you on both sides – everywhere. There are people walking all over the streets oblivious to moving vehicles – well, they aren’t oblivious but they act like they are because they walk right out in front of and beside you as if said tonnage of metal couldn’t crush them. Everything happens so fast there is little time to react. But we made it. Barely. By the skin of our teeth – whatever the hell that means. And yes, I’m being a drama queen. I’ll own that.
It did feel good when we finally hit the outskirts of town and the traffic got lighter. Bob had picked out a restaurant in the town of Greve – Chianti for lunch. It was a little out of the way, but we had plenty of time since we couldn’t check in until 4pm anyway. When we walked into Il Vescovino Ristorante I was surprised to find the place empty since it was around 1:30 and clearly lunch time. But as we were escorted through the dining room we could see everyone was seated outside on the veranda where the view was gorgeous. It was another wonderful leisurely meal with great service and a perfect way to start our Tuscany adventure – until we went back to our car and got cussed out by a local (at least we think we did). He must not have liked the way we parked.
We checked into Vento D’Orcia (pronounced “orcha”) about 5pm. Our first glimpse was stunning. Then we met Ana and it got even better. Then she showed us our rooms and we were all in love. With our rooms, with the views, with her – everything. This. This was what we imagined when we thought of Tuscany. Ana surprised us by having dinner for us tonight (we knew she was cooking one night but didn’t know which one out of the five while we’re here). It was such a blessing to be able to unpack and simply walk downstairs for dinner. And what a dinner it was. There are only three rooms here and we have two of them. There is a couple from California (leaving tomorrow) in the third room who will also be joining us for dinner.
Ana outdid herself for dinner. We had a homemade pasta dish with a locally made sauce, local sausage with a side of potatoes and black cabbage (we learned is a type of kale), a twist on a local tiramisu dessert and finished with homemade limoncello. Those are going to be hard shoes to follow. Ana is such a delight and incredibly sweet. This is going to be an amazing stay.
Tomorrow is cooking class! Woohoo!!
Day 2 – After a wonderful breakfast by Ana we were off to our cooking class at Locanda Demetra this morning. Everyone we met when we arrived was welcoming and friendly. Our chef, Allesandro, was outstanding. He began by telling us a bit of his personal story and how he got where he is now (37 years old), some family history and the history of their farm/business. He then took us on a tour of the gardens where we learned more about the different gardens and how they eat and prepare food in their restaurant based on seasonal production – how everyone ate in the past, before any kind of produce was available all year round.
After over an hour we were ushered into the classroom. Amazingly, we had a private class. They accept a maximum of ten, but we were the only ones in the class today. Everything was already set up with the ingredients for our dough to begin. Two of us had flour/water only dough and the other two had egg with theirs. After mixing and kneading we left the dough to rest while we worked on dessert (because it needed to chill before eating)!!
We learned how to make Tiramisu and it truly is very easy. Something very doable at home. Whipping an egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of sugar together until creamy, then add 100 grams of mascarpone cheese and whip again. Layer the mixture in a small vessel with crunchy lady finger cookies quickly dipped in coffee, sprinkling each layer with cocoa powder. We had extras to decorate the top to make it even prettier. Love it!
Next on the menu was Pancetta Wrapped Nut Encrusted Pork Medallions. Cut lean strips of a pork tenderloin, wrap with pancetta (or bacon if you wish), dip into crush nuts (any kind you like – we had a mixture of pistachios, almonds, walnuts) and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes. So easy to prepare – I will definitely be making these.
And now our dough has rested enough that we could work with it. Allesandro showed us how to break off sections, roll the dough into a rope, chop into small pieces and roll on a special board with grooves made for gnocchi. It created a gnocchi like noodle and was very cool! He also showed us how to use a knitting needle like tool to wrap a piece of dough around creating a fusilli type of pasta. We all got busy learning that technique and once you got the hang of it, it really didn’t take long to create a plate of it.
Next came linguine noodles using the Italian Guitar and it was so cool! First a piece of dough was flattened into a very thin rectangle using a pasta roller similar to this one. Once it was thin enough he cut shorter pieces to fit on top of the strings of the “guitar” and pressed them down with a rolling pin to cut them. It really was fun. Each of us had our turn at trying the technique.
Last but not least we got to make some ravioli! There was a bowl of a basil pesto sauce already prepared for the filling. Again Allesandro took a piece of dough and flattened it through the pasta roller then cut in shorter lengths, one for each of us. He demonstrated how to “measure” where to put the filling, fold over the dough and crimp and cut with a pastry wheel cutter. It really was easy and the result was stunning to us amateurs.
We started a little after 10am. It was now around 2pm. Man the time had flown! After cleaning up we were ushered to our table where the results of our morning began to show up one by one. The linguine pasta was topped with a meat sauce, the gnocchi type pasta with a tomato sauce and the ravioli with simple olive oil, lemon and Parmesan. At this point all of us are holding our bellies talking about how full we are and then they bring out the pork medallions. I think all of us had forgotten about the pork. LOL Oh my … we each ate one and brought the rest along with pasta we couldn’t finish back to our room for a snack later. But wait! There’s more! Tiramisu! Oh yeah, we had room for that.
Did I mention two bottles of wine were included that we drank along with all the food? Yeah, there was that too. I swear to you we needed cranes to get back to our car. I need a nap. Instead we opted to walk around town to see if it would help digest the crazy amount of food we had just eaten. The restaurant is located right outside of Montalcino so we found a spot to park and walked around town for an hour or so. Other than a number of churches and lots of wine shops we didn’t see much of interest, so we just headed back to our B&B.
I was starting to crash in the car (30 minute drive) but since I was the navigator I had to hold it together. It was hard man. I struggled. When we got back I flopped on the bed and my body shut down for a good hour. I guess we worked hard then ate hard and I was a whipped puppy! None of us needed anything else to eat tonight (except Bob – he still got hungry). I’m not even sure I’ll be hungry for breakfast tomorrow. We will see.
It was a fantastic first day in Tuscany!!
Day 3 – Ana outdid herself yet again this morning with a breakfast for royalty. She also set us up with a tour of a local olive grove very close by. But before our tour we decided to check out the town of Pienza since we had an hour or so to kill. We walked around a bit but didn’t really find much in the way of shopping (except for maybe wine). We are, after all, in wine country. Then we were off to Olioinvidia for our olive grove tour at 11:00.
Olioinvidia is a small family owned farm very close by our B&B. Chiara and her husband Luca own and manage this farm of 3500 trees on their own. The only time they hire additional help is during the harvest when they have ten extra people come to help pick the olives. It takes anywhere from 20-45 days depending on the year. The trees production varies – one year strong, the next year low. Chiara and Luca bought the farm about six years ago and have been working it for the last five years. She said most groves are planted half one year and half the next year so the production remains the same each year. This grove is about 25 years old and when it was planted they just put them all in the ground at the same time, hence the up and down production years.
All the olives are picked by hand, carefully washed and taken to a mill that very evening. The mill is on the corner of their property (they don’t own it) so they take each day’s harvest that evening. Because they are a small operation they can do that. The bigger companies store their harvest until it’s complete then mill all at once. Storing the olives, as you can imagine, degrades the oil inside and changes the flavor and nutrition of the oil. The fresher the oil the spicier it tastes and the higher the wonderful polyphenols are. Also, while the oil is green when fresh, all olive naturally turns more golden as it ages. This is why you will see oil in green bottles to give it a greener appearance. It takes a LOT of olives to make a liter of oil. Since they’re a small operation they have a limited local client list.
After the tour was over she set us up for a tasting with some lovely snacks to relax and enjoy the view. They do ship, but it is expensive. While I love, and prefer, the bottles we elected to go with the cans so we could pack them in our luggage.
We drove into Montepulciano for lunch – a small town about 20 minutes away we hadn’t explored yet. Parking in these small town are a bear. Even if you can find a parking lot, most likely it’s full. When you can find one it’s guaranteed you’re at the bottom of the hill and will have to walk UP to get anywhere. EVERYTHING is uphill here. Both ways. Chiara recommended a bistro in town for lunch. Of course it was a the top of the hill. It was only .5 mile from where we parked. Uphill. It was not my finest hour. But lunch was good and Mike said it was the best espresso he’s had since he landed. So there’s that. I had to chuckle at the sign posted that said, “NO ICE WITH WINE,” and, “NO CAPPUCCINO WITH MEAL.”
After lunch we just meandered around the town for a while – uphill of course – and managed to find Talosa Wine Store (another of Chiara and Luca’s recommendation) for a wonderful wine tasting. Going down into their 500 year old cellar to see how the wine is stored was pretty cool stuff. The current family has owned the vineyards for over 50 years and produces about 100,000 bottles of wine a year made mainly with the Sangiovese grapes.
Another day in the books, we started thinking about heading back to the car. Got lost. Walked forever. Were whipped puppies by the time we made it back to our rooms.
And then, a couple of hours later we have to figure out dinner. It was a whole thing. Everything’s a thing. There isn’t much close by and what there is requires reservations – which we didn’t do. Ultimately we drove towards Pienza (the closest town), found a parking spot and started walking. Again. It’s about 7:30 by now and quite a few places we passed were already full. Luckily we found one that had a couple of tables outside that let us in. None of us were too keen on sitting outside because it was a bit chilly (cold front here) but beggars can’t be choosers. And we had our first American meal in Italy. Paddy and I got “chicken burgers” and the boys both ordered pulled pork sandwiches. And they came with frittes (fries)!
And with that another day bites the dust.
Day 4 – It was nice to wake up and have a leisurely breakfast this morning. We even had time to hang out with Ana a bit – I think she was ready for us to go after a bit thought. LOL The next thing on our schedule was a wine tasting and tour at DE’ RICCI in Montepulciano. Some of their cellars date as far back as 400BC. (Learn more HERE.)
If you look closely at the logo you will see a small hedgehog at the bottom looking up at the sun. Well, there’s a story there. And it involves one of the first weathermen (so the story goes). This one guy was so good at predicting the weather he was considered a sorcerer. At some point he caved and revealed his secret of predicting to avoid inquisition. He watched a hedgehog every day at sunset. If the hedgehog came out of its nest at sunset and saw the sun, the next day would be a beautiful sunny day. If he didn’t come out and see the sun, it would not be a sunny day. Once the king confirmed this, the man was named Riccio (hedgehog) and that’s where the Ricci family was born. Cool story, huh?
We met Marina (from Brazil) at the tasting and since she was traveling alone we invited her to hang with us. A young psychologist on vacation hung with a group of old people. LOL We had a wonderful time at the tasting (and are having some bottles shipped home) and then spent the rest of the afternoon at a new lunch place with another amazing view.
To keep from having to “figure out dinner” again, we brought back a meat and cheese tray from the restaurant we had lunch at. It served a purpose and was okay, but we’ve all decided we aren’t too keen on Italian ham. The pecorino cheese is another matter though – that stuff is yummy!
Tomorrow is another wine tasting (in a castle) and then driving out to see Italy’s Excalibur.
Day 5 – The only time we could book the wine tasting/tour at Castello Tricerchi was 10am this morning. It was 30 minutes away so we were in the car on the road by 9:20. Ana wowed us with yet another lovely breakfast this morning – she always serves something new and delicious! Hopefully we had enough food in our bellies to soak up the wine that early.
Alice was our guide – she was absolutely delightful! We must have some good karma going because this ended up being yet another personal, private tour/tasting. The castle was built in the thirteenth century and completed in the 1440’s, and the vines were planted many years ago but the winery has only been in production for ten years. Their most complex Brunello wine is aged for a total of five years. Four different wines are produced, each one using the same grape, Sangiovese. The difference in flavor comes from the soil the grapes are grown in. In the Tuscan Valley there are three main types of soil – sandy, volcanic and rocky with fossils. The way the roots grow in these different conditions produce different flavors. Fascinating stuff! Mike and Paddy walked away with a couple bottles and we grabbed one as a gift for Ana since Brunello is her favorite wine.
We found a nearby bistro for lunch and enjoyed yet another type of ravioli. And then we were on our way, an hour down the road, to see Italy’s Excalibur – the Sword and the Stone. As legend says, some cruel and arrogant dude (knight) named Galgano (the town is named San Galgano) had a visit from Archangel Michael asking him to turn from his evil ways. The story says Galgano followed Michael to the top of Monte Siepi where Galgano said it would be easier for him to split stones with his sword than give up his worldly pleasures. So imagine his surprise when he thrust his sword into the stone and it sank up to the hilt. That did it and Galgano was immediately converted. Cool story huh? Big expectations!
So we drove the hour to San Galgano to see the Abbey where this sword and stone is located. The Abbey was built in the 13th century and stands today with no roof because construction was never completed. The parking lot is a good 1/4 mile from the Abbey and it’s a nice flat, paved walkway line with beautiful cypress trees. After paying for our entrance and walking around a bit, not finding the sword/stone, we asked someone where it was located. “Oh it’s up on that hill, about a 5 minute walk.” I can certainly tell you the chapel on that hill was not a 5 minute walk, but off we went. (Didn’t I tell you EVERYTHING in Italy is uphill?)
Btw, an observation I had earlier was that there weren’t very many people here to see this amazing landmark. Hmmmmm. When we got to the top of that hill guess what we saw? A car in a parking lot. Not even going there. So we walked into the chapel to see an area about 4’x4’ marked off with a plastic dome over the sword in the stone. To say I was underwhelmed is an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, the chapel was lovely. The Abbey itself was a very cool structure. But it sure didn’t have the wow effect I (or the rest of us) had anticipated. And now we have a 1-1/2 hr drive back home. Lovely.
We elected to drive into Pienza and crossed our fingers we could find a little pizza place open to get dinner before going back to our B&B. We still had luggage to pack and regroup for our travel day to Rome tomorrow. Lots, if not most, of places around here don’t open for dinner until 7pm. It was 6pm. Thankfully we found one and enjoyed a couple of pizzas for our last dinner in Tuscany. As we sat there reliving our day guess who walks up to say hi? Marina!! How in the world she spotted us is a mystery! It was great to see her again and we actually exchanged information this time.
On the way back to the car a full moon lit the sky. Below is what the full moon looked like setting outside our bedroom window the next morning.
Tomorrow is Rome!
It's a Wonderful Life! 