Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Trip report: a taste of Italy Sicily, Sorrento, Orvieto, Siena, and Montalcino

Trip report: a taste of Italy Sicily, Sorrento, Orvieto, Siena, and Montalcino

Old May 25th, 2006, 12:48 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Trip report: a taste of Italy Sicily, Sorrento, Orvieto, Siena, and Montalcino

March 22 to April 21, 2006

I had been planning our next trip to Italy when my wife told me that a friend of hers and her husband would like to come along. They knew our travel style and it was what they wanted to do. So the travel plans changed a little to give my wife�s friends a taste of Italy. The plan was nine days in Sicily, seven days in Sorrento, two days in Orvieto, two days in Siena, seven days in Montalcino, and two days in Florence. The closing of the Florence airport changed our flights and my timing. The last two days would be one in Florence and one in Pisa.

Wednesday 22 March
The flight out of Wichita to Chicago was delayed so we had to hurry to make our Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, then the flight to Rome was late arriving and we hurried to make the flight to Cantina. At the Air One check-in the girl at the desk told us it was too late to check in even though the lounge was full since they hadn�t started boarding yet. I explained that we were late arriving because their sister airline, Lufthansa, was late. She didn�t care. Fortunately another girl at the desk told her to check us in. Arriving at Cantina we found that our bags didn�t make the plane. We filled out the forms making sure that they had the address and phone number of our first stop, La Masseria http://www.lamasseriabb.it/english/dovesiamo.htm

Thursday
We had no trouble picking up our car from Autoeuropa (rented through Autoeurope) and getting to the Autostrada. We got off the Messina-Cantina Autostrada at Giarre and pulled over on a very wide exit from the motorway. I then called Mario. In previous e-mails I tried to get directions to La Masseria but Mario said to just call him from the Giarre exit. When I called Mario said he would be there in five minute, driving a Jaguar. Five minutes later a white Jaguar pulled into the entrance/exit, waved to us, and headed out the exit. We followed. The white Jaguar speed through traffic and in three minutes I lost it. I called Mario and told him I was sitting in front of a church and read the name off it. Three minutes later a blue Jaguar pulls up next to us and says to follow him to Masseria. He drives slowly and ten minutes later we are at La Masseria.

Mario shows us around La Masseria and ended on the deck overlooking the orange grove. I asked him if there was anywhere to eat lunch, it was now 2:00 (waiting for our bags and filling out the forms had taken about an hour and a half). Mario said everything was closed but he could make something simple to hold us until dinner. We told him not to bother but he insisted and immediately started making lunch. While he was cooking I asked him if it was his son in the white Jaguar we followed. He had the deer caught in headlights look. Apparently we followed a stranger who must have waved to one of the cars behind us. When I explained what happened he thought it was funny and that explained why I didn�t wait at the exit.

Lunch was great. A large macaroni with bacon, peppers, and tomato accompanied by a carafe of local wine was more than I expected. Dinner was pasta with tuna sauce and grilled swordfish and lots of wine. Mario asks when we want breakfast and we figure we will be up early so we tell him 7:30.

Friday
We wake up at 5:30, so we get dressed and decide to walk down to the town of Macchia de Giarre. At 6:30 nothing is open and all we succeed in doing is waking every dog in town. After breakfast we call the number on our lost bag document and get an automated voice that tells us our bags have been found and have been picked up or are being delivered. There is no way to get a human on the phone.

We drive over the ridge behind La Masseria and take pictures of Mount Etna then head to Taormina. It is easy to get there, about 30 minutes, and we park in an underground garage and take the bus to the town. The Greek theater is amazing as are the views. We walk the town and have a nice lunch at La Cisterna del Moro where we can sit on the terrace and admire the view. A few necessities are taken care of: we hit the ATM (we already have euro from an ATM in Frankfurt airport but you can never have too much) and make sure our friends have their first gelato. They decide that a daily gelato break is a necessity.

Back at La Masseria we ask Mario for help locating our bags. With all our lost bag documents he can only get the same automated response we got. Mario calls a friend who works for Alitalia in Rome and then informs us he will pick up the bags at Cantina airport tomorrow and put them in our rooms.

We go into the dining area even though it is about a half hour until dinner. Mario is singing to 60�s rock and roll and cooking. When he sees us he changes the music to Italian and brings us a carafe of wine. He tells us that rock and roll is the music of his youth and we say �ours too, crank it up�! We sing and dance as Mario prepares a pappardella with mushrooms and veal with vegetables and fresh fruit for dessert and of course wine. After dinner be brings out the limoncello and we start to discuss politics. When the second bottle of limoncello is empty we decide it is time for bed. It was a great evening at La Masseria.

Saturday
The next day after a great breakfast Mario heads for the airport to get our bags and we head to Acriale. This is Saturday and market day in Acriale, my wife, Pat, is happy. After too much shopping we stroll the town and see the Duomo and go to the puppet museum (our friends are very interested in the puppets) but the museum is closed until 4:40. We have a nice lunch at La Leggende and then head back to La Masseria.

When we get back our bags are in our rooms. We find out later that the bags arrived 3 hours after we did and just sat for two days. Dinner was pasta, swordfish kabobs rolled in cheese and pine nuts, stuffed mussels and strawberries for dessert.

I really liked La Masseria mostly because of Mario. He made us feel welcome and went out of his way to do things for us. He was prompt with e-mail replies and when I said I wanted to do something other than wire a deposit he said no deposit was necessary. At 35 euro per person for the bed and breakfast and 15 euro for dinner I thought it was a bargain. In addition he didn�t charge us for lunch (I did offer) or for the vast quantity of wine we drank or for the limoncello. I highly recommend La Masseria. The web pages are accurate and the location, about five minutes from the Autostrada, makes everything easily reachable.

Henry is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 01:08 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,871
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Love your reports, Henry. More, please!
Holly_uncasdewar is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 01:10 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 6,157
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
A real pity about your bags, I am glad they eventually caught up. Nice informative initial trip report, I look forward to further episodes.
willit is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 01:47 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 19,419
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Very interesting report! Love the Jaguar mis-hap! More, please
FainaAgain is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 03:00 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,392
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes on 4 Posts
The Jaguar story has changed my mental image of Sicily forever.
Nikki is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 03:40 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you, Henry, for the beginning of a great report! More please!!
SeaUrchin is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 03:44 PM
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sunday
After breakfast we headed for Piazza Armenia and our next accommodation Sovoca
http://www.agrisavoca.com/services.html . I picked Sovoca because of its location but I did have trouble with e-mail, apparently no one speaks English. Once I switched to Italian there was no problem with the e-mail. At the reception, which appeared to be their living room, we were told to come back in an hour. They were having lunch. So we drove to Piazza Armenia about five minutes away and a nice lunch at La Pepita. Back at Sovoca we are shown to our rooms Pat and I have a room by the pool and our friends have a room by the main house. The place looks full.

After dumping our bags we head to Villa Imperiale del Casale about ten minutes away. Famous for its mosaics, we spend several hours touring the various sites that are now protected by Plexiglas. There was not much of a crowd but I assume that in the summer with a big crowd and the Plexiglas to hold the heat in it could quickly become a sauna. The mosaics are fairly well preserved and the colors are still vibrant.

Back at Sovoca we have dinner, nothing special and then head to bed. The next morning we find we have no hot water so at breakfast we tell the owners and they say they will move us to another room. Breakfast was just hard rolls and jam and one cup of coffee.

Monday
Today we head to Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples. It takes about 1:45 hours to drive. The area is fairly large and it takes a while to see it all. We use the audio guide and it is not bad but everyone laughs when it describes the stones as strewn ‘higgly, piggly’. There are large areas that are just rubble and my imagination is not sufficient to appreciate what it must have been, but across the street there are very well preserved (or restored) temples. These temples make the trip worthwhile.

We stop at a grocery store and get wine and cheese to snack on before dinner. We have been moved to an apartment so we have a place to sit around and enjoy the snacks with our friends. Dinner is much better tonight with antipasti of cheese and grilled vegetables then pork chops, sausage, and rabbit served head and all. I assume that they were not ready for us the first night and the meal was the best they could do.

Tuesday
The next day we head to Caltagirone, about 45 minutes away, famous for its earthenware potteries and the 142 lava stair treads with multicolored maiolica tile that lead up to the old town. These steps are a little higher than average and Pat’s short little legs had problems after the first hundred steps. We came down by another route. Of course there is much shopping for ceramic souvenirs. On the way back to Sovoca we stop in S. Michele di Ganzaria at a restaurant, La Brace di Giuseppe Ardito. We are a little off the tourist path and although no one spoke English they made us feel very welcome. The antipasto included bruschetta, pickled eggplant, small onions, cheese, salami, mortadella, fried ricotta, fried fritata, and an orange vegetable we couldn’t identify. The dish the waiter said was the best was Stigloila, kid stuffed with onion, eggs and pecorino. He was right. With wine and water the bill was 65 euro for four of us.
Henry is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 03:50 PM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,435
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
WHat a nice long trip you were able to take. It sounds heavenly.
yipper is offline  
Old May 25th, 2006, 04:09 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks, Henry - great report and looking forward to more. I have always enjoyed your posts.
nancy is offline  
Old May 26th, 2006, 07:04 AM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wednesday
The next day we head to Palermo. It is a beautiful drive and fairly easy even on the outskirts of Palermo. We have to drop the car at the airport, which is way outside of town. Fortunately we do not have to drive into Palermo. We need to gas the car and find no gas stations on the airport exit so we turn around and head back towards Palermo. After about five minutes we come to an exit for Cinisi and get gas and lunch. Back to the airport we drop the car, actually it was more like abandoning the car in Autoeuropa’s lot. Turned in the keys to the desk in the airport lobby and got the bus to Palermo. The bus took about 40 minutes to get to the train station where we got a taxi to hotel.

Hotel del Centro http://en.venere.com/hotels_palermo/....html?ref=3926 This hotel had mixed reviews on Venere but I thought that the rooms were clean, large, and quiet. At 64 euro a night this was a bargain. We had a balcony overlooking a side street from our bathroom and our friends had a similar small balcony from their bedroom. One of the complaints was an unhelpful staff. Well, they must have read that review because they were very friendly and helpful. They pulled out maps to show us the sights and recommended restaurants in the area.

We drop our bags in the room and head out to the city. This is a big city with lots of traffic and noise. Pat sees a market so we head up through a fairly large market area. As usual Pat finds a few things that she can’t live without. We go to dinner at Del Proverbia. It was recommended by Del Centro and very close to the hotel. The fixed menu is an antipasto, pasta, and meat. It was a good meal with a total price including wine for four of 45 euro.

Thursday
After a good breakfast, cereal, juice, pastries, ham, cheese, and coffee, we head out to a travel agent to get our tickets to Naples on a Tirrenia ship http://www.tirrenia.it/index_en.asp . It cost us 10 euro extra for four of us in two cabins to go through a travel agent. After walking the city, which I thought was safe and beautiful, we stopped for lunch at Di Vino Rosso Osteria di Veneria. The set menu was good and at 6.50 euro an excellent value.

We toured the Opera house at 2:30, we had checked earlier to find the time of the tour in English, and were duly impressed. The puppet museum is the next stop. It is down by the harbor. The hundreds of puppets are impressive in their detail. After the museum we strolled around the harbor area.

Friday
We have to check out by 11:00 but the hotel will hold our bags until we have to board our ship. We stroll through the Ballara market it is a lot noisier than other markets with the vendors all shouting what they have and how fresh and good it is. We wander around the fountains at Plazza Pritoria and visit the church of San Catalda and the small Norman chapel next to it. After visiting the cathedral we have a good lunch at Trattoria Massimo. After some people watching, and wine drinking, we head back to the hotel. They let us use their computer to check our e-mail then Nicolo, the desk clerk, calls us a taxi. I was really impressed with the service an attitude of all the people at Hotel Del Centro.

When we got to the dock they were loading trucks aboard so while the girls sat at the terminal bar my friend and I walked a couple of blocks and picked up some picnic supplies for the trip. At 6:45 we boarded the ship. It was like a small cruise ship. The restaurant was filling up before we left so we were glad we brought supplies. The cabin was small with four berths, the top two we folded up, and a large window and a small bath. The four of us had a picnic in front of the window until we could no longer see the lights of Palermo. Our friends went back to their cabin and Pat and I went to sleep.

Saturday
At 5:00 we got up and went to the cafeteria for coffee. At 6:00 we docked and left the ship and walked over to the next dock where the ferries to Sorrento departed. We had some time to kill so we sat at the bar at the docks and had breakfast. A 40-minute cruise and we were in Sorrento. We called Tina and told her we where in Sorrento then grabbed a taxi to our apartment.

Henry is offline  
Old May 26th, 2006, 09:17 AM
  #11  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We had about a five-minute wait for Tina. She represented Area Vacanze http://www.sorrentovacanze.com/e-home.asp and we rented two apartments in Residence Tasso http://www.sorrentovacanze.com/localdetail.asp?ID=2 . All our dealings with Tina were prompt and helpful. When we asked if we could drop our bags at 9:00 even if the rooms were not ready she said no problem, if the room was not ready she would store our bags in her office at the building. As it turned out we could move right in. At 525 euro for each apartment (the last week of low season) this was a bargain. The apartments were clean and functional and a half block from Piazza Tasso. The website gives an accurate description and the only slight problem was the traffic noise that echoes from the street below. The noise never kept me awake but the church bells at 7:00 Sunday did wake me. There was plenty of light since the windows stretched the entire length of the apartment. They had motorized security shutters on all the windows and the door to the balcony.

Dinner was at Osteria Buonconvento. The food is good and they have entertainment, a man who sings and plays the guitar. Waiters and customers join in the singing.

Sunday
The next day was spent wandering the town and the market. I stopped at a Bankomat to get euro. I have an ATM only card (no debit function) on the plus network and never had a problem getting euro. I didn’t even bother to look for the plus network on the bankomat, just inserted the card and pulled out 500 euro at a time. Pat did have a problem at Frankfurt when she tried to get euro. The machine said her card was not good for international withdrawals; this was the only time her card didn’t work. I was right behind her and my card (same account) worked fine.

Dinner was at La Gardenella. Good food at good prices.

Monday
Today we walk down to the dock and catch the ferry to Capri. The day is spent wandering through Anacapri. We stopped at St. Michael’s Church to see the tile floor of paradise on earth. Even the benches were done in tile. Lunch is at La Cisterna in Capri. The girls window-shop in Capri. I am glad it is only window-shopping since this is a designer’s row where the prices are astronomical, two thousand euro for one casual outfit! Back in Sorrento we have an excellent dinner at Laturna Due.

Tuesday
A quick train ride this morning to Pompeii. Even though we have spent about eight hours over two previous visits we still see new things and are still amazed at what we have seen previously. Back in Sorrento, while we stand in front of the web cam in a small intersection, Pat calls our grandson and waves to him. Since we told our daughter about the web cam and what time we would be there she has our picture on the computer. Hearing our grandson giggle because he can see us and talk to us makes the billions spent on this infrastructure worthwhile. We had another good meal at Gardenella.

Wednesday
Started today with a walk to the sea, the views are outstanding from almost every place. Stop at a bar in the market street to get breakfast. I ordered a ‘rum bomb’ the pastry was not cooked with rum but had a shot of rum poured over it when served, outstanding. Lunch was good at Villa Rubinacci. Pat finds shoes, purses, tablecloths and other assorted souvenirs.

Thursday
We have a few housekeeping chores to do today. Take our laundry to a place that will have it done by tonight. Stop at a travel agent to get train tickets to Orvieto. Try the rum bomb again, this time with strawberries, still a great way to start the day. Dinner is at San Antonio’s.
Henry is offline  
Old May 26th, 2006, 11:58 AM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,598
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sounds like a great trip so far. Wonder where you would have wound up had you been able to keep up with the white jaguar.

La Masseria sounds wonderful.
Luisah is offline  
Old May 26th, 2006, 02:28 PM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Friday
We head to Naples to see the museum. It is easy to get to, take the Circumvesuviana to Naples, walk to the metro (still inside the station) and get off one block from the Museum. I could have got closer with a switch of metro lines but it was easier to walk a block. Since we were hungry we walked across the street from the museum and had lunch, pizza. When we came out the locals were lined up six deep to buy slices of the pizza.

The museum itself is nice, being an old palace, but the artifacts brought back from Pompeii are the real stars. Unfortunately some of the rooms are closed, but we still enjoyed what we saw. Back in Sorrento we had dinner at Laturna Due again.

Saturday
We had called Tina on Friday and asked her to meet us at the apartment at 9:30. She was on time and we checked out and walked to the train station and caught the train to Naples. We had a little time to kill so we ate at the bar and watched the most police I have ever seen in the Naples train station, patrol. There were a couple dozen cops walking up and down the platforms, walking through the trains, and patrolling the station area. I felt safe.

We arrive at Orvieto and take a taxi to Valentina’s http://www.argoweb.it/bedandbreakfas...entina.uk.html . The rooms are nice and the location is great. The bathroom is pretty good sized and has a hairdryer. Our room has a little balcony over looking a small courtyard. We have stayed here before so Valentina greets us with hugs and kisses and enquires about our grandson (he was with us at Valentina’s a couple of years ago).

We have some wine at a little outdoor café by the Duomo and people watch. There is a lot of activity because of a big concert tonight. Valentina recommended a restaurant to us a made reservations and also got us a 10% discount. The restaurant is Pozzo Etrusco D’Aronne. We are greeted at the restaurant by a charming waitress who does her best to describe the menu using an Italian to English dictionary. We have a great meal at a good price then go to the basement to see the well.

Sunday
We explore the town. Checkout the great views from the fortezza walls and look in on the many small churches. Lunch is at Il Moro. Dinner is at La Boca and it is very good.
Henry is offline  
Old May 27th, 2006, 07:12 AM
  #14  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Monday
After breakfast we have Valentina call us a taxi. She waits with us to make sure we get to the train on time. We have no problem and after a change at Chuisi we arrive in Siena. We take a taxi to Alma Domus. The rooms are basic but we have a balcony looking out at the Duomo and the bathroom has a shower stall. Since it is within the walls I like the location and at 60 euro a night it is a good deal.

We have a good lunch at La Fenistra behind the Palazzo Publico. Our friends go off to explore by themselves and we meet up with a friend from Siena. After hugs, kisses, and a glass of Prosecco on the Campo our friend shows us around Siena. We stroll around the church of San Martina and the basilica di Siena and stop in to see an artist friend, Pier Luigi Olla who does some amazing work. After visiting a very small bar for an aperitif we have dinner with our friend and her family at La Cantina dei Tolomei. Seven people talking in English and Italian, all at the same time, was difficult to follow but I had a great time.

Tuesday
Spend the day exploring the city with our friends. After going through the civic museum we have lunch at Tratoria Papei right next store to La Fenistra. Dinner is at Enoteca I Terzi

Wednesday
Pat’s favorite day in Siena, market day. Pat finds a few things then we check out of Alma Domus and leave our bags. We walk down Via Delle Terme just to see where it got its name. We find a fountain and what could have been a hot spring but it is cold now. Nearby is what looks like an outdoor laundry centuries ago. We take the escalator back up and head to the campo for one last look. Then back to Alma Domus to pick up our bags and call a taxi. We pick up our car at Avis (rented through Autoeurope) and head to Montalcino. There is a lot of construction in the towns along the way and some new road construction but it is an easy drive south on SS2. We stop at the COOP in Buonconvento for some supplies because we know that the COOP in Montalcino is closed on Wednesday afternoon.

We arrive at La Crociona http://lacrociona.com/index.htm about 3 kilometers south of Montalcino. We go to the office and Barbara and Roberto are having lunch. After much hugging and kissing they tell us they will show us to the apartments. I have been here so many times that I tell them to finish lunch, just give me the keys and I will show the apartment to our friends. We are staying in the old hayloft. Our friends have the top apartment and we have the lower apartment. I show our friends the apartment and they are impressed. When they heard it was an old hayloft they didn’t imagine tile floors and wood-beamed ceilings with motorized skylights. Having a separate bedroom with antique furniture was also nice. A couch and television in the living room and a fully equipped kitchen was more than they expected.

We unpacked and had lunch in the apartment. A five-minute drive and we were at Sant’Antimo. After over a dozen visits it is still a special place. We then gave our friends a quick tour of Montalcino. Dinner was at La Crocina about a hundred meters from the apartment.

Henry is offline  
Old May 27th, 2006, 07:29 AM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 11,134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Wow, Henry, what a way to travel, can I tag along next time? Great report!!
SeaUrchin is offline  
Old May 27th, 2006, 07:47 AM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,754
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi Henry,

You trip sounds just wonderful, as always. Looking forward to the rest. Next time I go to Montalcino, I will have to check out La Crocina!

I certainly hope you had some Brunello for me....
Dayle is offline  
Old May 28th, 2006, 11:49 AM
  #17  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,155
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thursday
We spent the morning strolling through Montalcino and had lunch at Porto Cassero. I love the wild boar and white bean stew they serve. During the afternoon we tour Bagno Vignoni and Pienza. Dinner is in Montalcino at La Grappola Blu.

Friday
We head south on SS2 to Radicofani and the grand castle built by the Medici. The fortress has been renovated for tourists and is amazing. The views from the towers cover all the Val d’Orcia. We have lunch at a local place Pizzaria Pama that has good simple food. On the way back we stop at San Quirico and tour the town. Back at La Crociona Fiorella the mother of Barbara and Roberto gives us a tour of the new wine cellar. It is huge. Fiorella has decorated the tasting rooms with 17th century antiques, inlaid tables, chairs, mirrors and such that are absolutely beautiful. We also see that she has installed a hot tub and sauna for her guests. I tell her that La Crociona is starting to get too classy for me. We have dinner with Fiorella and her husband at La Crocina. We always have good meals here and I never get tired of it.

Saturday
Our friends head to San Gimignano and Fiorella takes us on a little ride around Monte Amiata. Our first stop is at the fattore http://lacrociona.com/villafattoreingl.htm in Monte Amiata Scalo. Fiorella wants to give instructions to her helper who is cleaning the rooms. Apparently a large family took all four apartments to use as a family reunion. The covered patio had all the tables together so they could all eat together. Fiorella thought that they went to a lot of trouble to cook the meals, she would have provided the dinner had they asked. I explained that with four separate kitchens each group only had to provide one course and they may have had more fun doing it themselves.

Our next stop was Castello di Potentino owned by the author Graham Greene. Fiorella thinks they are doing a good job restoring the castle. You can only tour by appointment but we do get to go in to the courtyard and look around. Next we go to Seggiano a very small hilltop town. After Seggiano we go to Castel Del Piano and have lunch at Dal Dombi, which is very good and very inexpensive. The waitress sees me writing the name of the restaurant in a notebook and asks why. I explain that I will write about the place for the Internet. She tells me that her name is Silene and that she speaks English and people should ask for her. I told her I would, though I never heard any English from her.

Dinner was in Montalcino at Grappola Blu. Always have good food at good prices here.

Sunday
Easter has arrived. I have been looking forward to this day because we have been invited to have Easter dinner with Fiorella and her family (husband, kids, parents, cousins). Now I will admit that I planned the vacation so I would be with Fiorella on Easter. She is a great cook. She still has cooking classes at La Crociona. Since I have planned the last four vacations to be at La Crociona at Easter and therefore be invited to dinner I think she may be getting suspicious. Dinner started at 12:00 and finished about 4:00.

The Menu for Easter Dinner:
Anipasto:
Blessed hard boiled eggs…blessed during Easter Mass
Fresh strawberries
Salami and proschuto crudo
Fried pasta and pizza dough
Pepperinchino stuffed with anchoivies and capers
First Plate:
Brodo (chicken broth with homemade taglietti
Bolito with chicken and tongue and a pesto like sauce made of finely chopped eggs, basil and cappers.
Homemade ravioli with ragu (meat sauce)
Second plate:
Roasted lamb and pigeon
Contourno (vegetable):
Roasted potatoes and green salad
Dolce (dessert):
Crème caramel
White chocolate cheesecake
Dark chocolate cheesecake
Traditional Pasqua (Easter) cakes.

Wines served:
A Riesling from Austria
Rosso di Montalcino
Brunello
Spumanti from Piedmonte
Grappa

After consuming most of the food above and more than my fair share of wine, I waddled back to the apartment.

Henry is offline  
Old May 28th, 2006, 05:15 PM
  #18  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Henry, I stayed last year at Valentina's in Orvieto for 3 nights and loved the place. Such nice people and really good cappuchino in the morning
nancy is offline  
Old May 28th, 2006, 05:26 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 894
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Cappucino at Valentina's?? We just stayed there a few weeks ago and breakfast consisted of regular coffee, Tang orange juice and croissants. We enjoyed our short stay but the breakfast was rather disappointing for a B&B.
CRAZY4TRAVEL is offline  
Old May 28th, 2006, 06:00 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 771
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Crazy4Travel: How disappointing! I can't imagine why they would not make the capucchino. I don't usually bother with breakfast items where I'm staying but I do remember Valentina's was nice.
nancy is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -