Ciao Bella! DD’s 1st Italian Trip or How we ate our way through Italy
Jun 21st, 2009, 08:38 AM
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<b>Wednesday, May 27th - Day 8: A Scenic Drive through Snow Mountains, Plains and Kilometers(sssss) of Detour</b>
We were pleased to see that the haze we had been experiencing had somewhat cleared because it had drizzled a little bit during the night. Also the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees. Ok, this resembled more the way I had pictured Umbria in May!
I will not go over the details of our breakfast, it was a replay of the day before. We ate as if there was no tomorrow, or in other words, we totally pigged out. What can I tell you? That’s the story or our lives.
<b><i>The Plan</b></i>
The high-level plan was simple and meant to be easily accomplished: Drive through the Piano Grande region, Castelluccio and Norcia.
The detailed plan provided several alternatives to connect the dots. If you want to follow the events of the day you might want to dig out those long-forgotten maps of Umbria
1. Gualdo Gattaneo to Foligno on S316
2. Foligno to just before Spoleto on S3, a.k.a Via Flamina,
3. Exit S3 on S395 direction Grotti
4. Past Grotti change to S209 direction Cerreto di Spoleto
5. Stay on S209 until Visso
6. Change to unnumbered road and follow signs to Castelluccio, visit town
7. Castellucio to Norcia on the same unnumbered road, visit Norcia, have lunch
8. Exit Norcia on S396 until Serravalle where a decision point would be made
Version A, to be followed if we were tired and wanted to head back home:
9a. Hit S320, heading west-north west, direction Triponzo and Cerreto di Spoleto and backtrack our way back via S209. This section is marked as scenic.
Version B, to be followed in case we were still in the mood to keep on going:
9b. Hit S320, heading south , direction Cascia
10. Continue on S 471 until just before Ruscio (marked as scenic road)
11. Turn off at unnamed road, direction Anatolia di Narco
12. Use the tunnels to return to S3 just north of Spoleto and head back home
<b><i>The Ascent, Part 1</b></i>
We loaded ourselves into the car at around 10:30AM and were close to Spoleto at around 11:30. DD slept the entire way. We easily found the next road on our route and happily drove along enjoying the view. If you have been to Estes Park in Colorado, this road is very similar to the drive between Denver and Estes (without the aspens): narrow valleys and gulley winding along the Nera river. Every couple of kilometers the valley would open up and we would see fish farms. Very scenic and highly recommended.
Once we were past Triponzo, the slow uphill grade began to steadily increase. I told DD that it was time to wake up because the view was truly gorgeous. After Visso the forest got wilder and wilder. As we went up we began to see snow markers along the road. The valley began to widen until we could see it almost crumpling upon itself for form individual peaks. Tall and rugged, rising above the tree line.
Up and up we went. And suddenly, we saw snow on the mountain tops. We got out of the car a few times to delight in this majestic landscape. We could see ski lifts in the distance. (Note to self: consider a skiing vacation in Italy.)
Humm… how high are we? The town of Nera had been at 780m elevation but within a few more kilometers we were above the tree line and into what can only be described as an Alpine landscape: sparse, short, tufts of grass and tons of tiny purple and yellow flowers with the snowy caps in the background. Spectacular!
As the road continued along the high valley, we would see livestock huts, hiker shelters and lots of little paths. Hiking in this area must be absolutely dreamy! We went past the Passo de Gualdo marker, elevation 1496m. Ok, we had almost doubled the elevation within less than 10km.
<b><i>The Plateau</b></i>
We noticed that the valley kept getting wider as we formally entered the area known as the <b><i>Piano Grande</b></i> (“The Big Plain”). One more curve along a little hill, and we could see the town of <b><i>Castellucio</b></i>.
The town sits on top of a hill completely surrounded by the plain. Like a little island rising from the sea. Except that this sea was made out of yellow flowers.
We drove up to the town and were rather surprised to see the parking full of RVs. Not the huge, bus-like ones, but still rather large. This was the only area over the duration of the trip that we saw them. But it only makes sense, hill towns and big cities are not very RV-friendly. There were two big buses unloading French and German tourists.
After buying a bottle of water that nobody wanted in order to use the bathroom at the bar we went for a walk around town. It revealed that massive renovation was taking place. New sewer lines and pavement were being laid, stone fences were going up, houses were being remodeled. The signs were unmistakable; this area has been officially ‘discovered’. If you want to enjoy it while still reasonably unspoiled, hurry up! Even so, you might be too late.
And go you should because the panoramic views from the town are absolutely gorgeous.
We got back into the car and drove past Castellucio into the true Piano Grande. We noticed a few places offering horseback riding. DD immediately asked if we were going to go riding. ‘No’ I replied. ‘No? Not even in Tuscany?’ countered DD. ‘No’ I insisted. ‘But why?’ asked DD, rather perplexed. ‘Because no one put in a request for horse-back riding during the planning phase of this trip’ I stated using my final-answer voice.
<b><i>The Ascent, Part 2, </b></i>
The next kilometers took us into the <b><i>Monti Sibilini</b></i> National Park and another elevation gain of 267m over 16 kilometers. The area is absolutely beautiful and I cannot recommend it enough.
<b><i>The Descent, Part 1</b></i>
The segment of the road between the Sibilini and Norcia was full of sharp switchbacks at a steep grade. We descended 1115m over 27 kilometers. As the crow flies, the net distance traveled must have been not more than 10 kilometers.
I don’t want to discourage anyone from doing this drive so I must say that the roads were not scary at any point. Yes, there were switchbacks but up they were pretty manageable. I could have driven this road (on an automatic car, don’t know how to drive stick shift, and this was not the area to learn) without too much anxiety. We were on the road by ourselves most of the time.
<b><i>Let’s Eat Some Norceleria in Norcia </b></i>
Norcia is known as the sausage-making capital of Italy and lends its name to the art of making sausage itself: Norceleria. Naturally we had to try some. We parked our car just outside of town and walked in just as 10,000 little kids were being released from school.
The town was bustling for all of five minutes, when suddenly every single business shuttered up and the people went home for lunch, leaving the streets completely deserted of locals. A few tourists, including us, wandered around looking completely out of place. We walked the main streets and some little streets but there was nothing! Only tourist shops posing as delis were open.
We resigned ourselves and found a place to have a little lunch. <b><i>Locanda del Teatro</b></i> was the liveliest place around and had a few outside tables under umbrellas. The temperature was finally pleasant enough to sit comfortably outside during lunch, yeah!!!
We sat down and spied on the table right next to us. They had just been served this gorgeous platter of antipasti. ‘We want what they are having’ DH requested once the waiter came to take our order. DD wanted pizza but they were not making it, so she ordered a pasta dish instead. This is what we had:
DD- Fettuccini al Funghi – Pasta was al dente, well flavored and lots of mushrooms. Very good and filling. DD stuffed herself but could not finish it up. This would become an issue afterwards.
DH and I – Antipasti Platter: Three different cured meats, five different kinds of sausage, a cheese-topped bruschetta, a surprisingly delicious tiny slice of frittata, a little pizza pie, pickle, an unidentifiable paste of vegetable origin and a tiny mixed salad. Delicious and a steal at 7E per platter. I could have this dish every other day (and weigh twice as much as I do)
<b><i>Decision Time: Version A or Version B </b></i>
We exited Norcia and promptly came to the point where we had decide which route we would follow, heading back to Spoleto or continuing further south towards Cascia and Ruscio before turning home (an additional 30 kilometers of driving on a white-marked road). DH was enjoying the drive, I was happy as the navigator and DD did not have an opinion so we decided to keep going.
The road between S. Anatolia and Ruscio was a bit more winding than I expected. The bad news was that now that DD was fully awake and had a full stomach, she started getting some motion sickness. Well, there was not much to do about it now but we had to keep going. She tried to go back to sleep but she had already slept too much.
We found the road we wanted and turned towards San Anatolia di Narco. I saw a sign on my peripheral vision. ‘Was that a street closing sign?’ I asked DH. He was not sure either. Being the sensible man that he is, he turned around to check it out. Indeed, the sign said that the road we wanted was closed. Ooops.
We returned to the road we had been following and stopped by a shop to ask about the closure. DD went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face trying to feel better. In a mixture of bad Italian (on his part) and bad English (on the locals side) we found out the road was indeed closed and would reopen at 6:00PM. Two hours from now.
The map was consulted. Turn back and retake Version A or continue south on a new route? It looked to be about the same distance-wise and if we replotted at least we would be going through a new area.
10. Continue on S471 past Cascia to Leonesa
11. Take R521 past Rivodutri direction Rieti/ Terni until we hit R79
12. Continue on S79 until just before Terni
13. Hook onto S3 (Via Flamina) north of Terni and head back to Spoleto
I estimate around another 100kms than what we had originally planned.
<b><i>The Detour or The Ascend Part 3 and The Descent Part 2 </b></i>
I instructed DD to sit up and stick her head outside the window. She eventually began to feel better and after a while managed to fall back asleep. This still caused me stress and took away some of the enjoyment of what would have otherwise been a delightful drive.
Past Leonesa we started going up again. Steadily up. Before Rivodutri I mistook the turnoff and we into a paved but small white-road. This was not the plan but it was somewhat of a short cut that took us by the town of Labro.
After finally hitting S79 we went down, down, down to the floor of the valley. Yeah! We drove past the Lago di Pediluco. This area is very, very nice but I was also getting tired. Mountain driving is hard not only on the driver, but also on the passengers that get constantly thrown around with gear shifting and switchbacks.
Finally, we reached Terni. We needed gas due to our unexpected detour so we went into the city outskirts. 42E for a tank. How much had Hertz charged us to pre-purchase the tank??? We were not sure of the exact number but it was a heck of a lot more than that.
The trip home on S3 was uneventful. DD was mostly recovered. We exited S3 by Trevi, drove on an unnamed road to Montefalco and then back along the now-familiar road to Gualdo.
Within 5 minutes of parking by the agro, DH and I were collapsing by the pool and DD went to take a loooong hot shower and wash her hair. It was 6:00PM, cocktail hour had arrived.
<b><i>Where should we go for dinner?</b></i>
By 8:00PM we finally decided to do something about dinner. If I had had any kind of groceries I would have stayed in, but alas, even the breakfast supplies left over were not enough.
We drove to the actual town of Gualdo Cattaneo, up on one side, down the other on the same street for all of three minutes. Nothing to be had.
We continued to Bevagna and parked outside. Rain clouds were getting threatening and the temperature was plummeting. We looked around a few places but we were in the mood for something light. Pizza would be OK. The first cold drops of rain decided the issue for us: <b><i>La Farafalla </b></i> would have to do.
This is what we had:
Disclaimer: I was not in the best mood, so take that into consideration when you read my comments.
DH – Pizza Capricciosa. He was happy with it, I did not taste.
DD and I – 2 Pizzas Prosciutto e Funghi – the crust was a bit too charred and the prosciutto was beyond salty. DH, who cannot bear to leave anything on the plate, ate most of it.
2 Cokes, 1 bottle of house red, 1l of acqua. 41.50E.
The night had definitely turned cold outside and the heat was turned on inside the restaurant for the benefit of the people closest to the door. We were at the other end and I found it to be too hot. They had a TV and everyone was watching some kind of soccer match. DD enjoyed it, I did not.
By the time we were done with dinner the rain stopped long enough for us to return to car. We drove back to the agro where we once again crashed for the (last) night.
<b>Next: Let’s go Find the Tuscan Sun</b>
We were pleased to see that the haze we had been experiencing had somewhat cleared because it had drizzled a little bit during the night. Also the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees. Ok, this resembled more the way I had pictured Umbria in May!
I will not go over the details of our breakfast, it was a replay of the day before. We ate as if there was no tomorrow, or in other words, we totally pigged out. What can I tell you? That’s the story or our lives.
<b><i>The Plan</b></i>
The high-level plan was simple and meant to be easily accomplished: Drive through the Piano Grande region, Castelluccio and Norcia.
The detailed plan provided several alternatives to connect the dots. If you want to follow the events of the day you might want to dig out those long-forgotten maps of Umbria
1. Gualdo Gattaneo to Foligno on S316
2. Foligno to just before Spoleto on S3, a.k.a Via Flamina,
3. Exit S3 on S395 direction Grotti
4. Past Grotti change to S209 direction Cerreto di Spoleto
5. Stay on S209 until Visso
6. Change to unnumbered road and follow signs to Castelluccio, visit town
7. Castellucio to Norcia on the same unnumbered road, visit Norcia, have lunch
8. Exit Norcia on S396 until Serravalle where a decision point would be made
Version A, to be followed if we were tired and wanted to head back home:
9a. Hit S320, heading west-north west, direction Triponzo and Cerreto di Spoleto and backtrack our way back via S209. This section is marked as scenic.
Version B, to be followed in case we were still in the mood to keep on going:
9b. Hit S320, heading south , direction Cascia
10. Continue on S 471 until just before Ruscio (marked as scenic road)
11. Turn off at unnamed road, direction Anatolia di Narco
12. Use the tunnels to return to S3 just north of Spoleto and head back home
<b><i>The Ascent, Part 1</b></i>
We loaded ourselves into the car at around 10:30AM and were close to Spoleto at around 11:30. DD slept the entire way. We easily found the next road on our route and happily drove along enjoying the view. If you have been to Estes Park in Colorado, this road is very similar to the drive between Denver and Estes (without the aspens): narrow valleys and gulley winding along the Nera river. Every couple of kilometers the valley would open up and we would see fish farms. Very scenic and highly recommended.
Once we were past Triponzo, the slow uphill grade began to steadily increase. I told DD that it was time to wake up because the view was truly gorgeous. After Visso the forest got wilder and wilder. As we went up we began to see snow markers along the road. The valley began to widen until we could see it almost crumpling upon itself for form individual peaks. Tall and rugged, rising above the tree line.
Up and up we went. And suddenly, we saw snow on the mountain tops. We got out of the car a few times to delight in this majestic landscape. We could see ski lifts in the distance. (Note to self: consider a skiing vacation in Italy.)
Humm… how high are we? The town of Nera had been at 780m elevation but within a few more kilometers we were above the tree line and into what can only be described as an Alpine landscape: sparse, short, tufts of grass and tons of tiny purple and yellow flowers with the snowy caps in the background. Spectacular!
As the road continued along the high valley, we would see livestock huts, hiker shelters and lots of little paths. Hiking in this area must be absolutely dreamy! We went past the Passo de Gualdo marker, elevation 1496m. Ok, we had almost doubled the elevation within less than 10km.
<b><i>The Plateau</b></i>
We noticed that the valley kept getting wider as we formally entered the area known as the <b><i>Piano Grande</b></i> (“The Big Plain”). One more curve along a little hill, and we could see the town of <b><i>Castellucio</b></i>.
The town sits on top of a hill completely surrounded by the plain. Like a little island rising from the sea. Except that this sea was made out of yellow flowers.
We drove up to the town and were rather surprised to see the parking full of RVs. Not the huge, bus-like ones, but still rather large. This was the only area over the duration of the trip that we saw them. But it only makes sense, hill towns and big cities are not very RV-friendly. There were two big buses unloading French and German tourists.
After buying a bottle of water that nobody wanted in order to use the bathroom at the bar we went for a walk around town. It revealed that massive renovation was taking place. New sewer lines and pavement were being laid, stone fences were going up, houses were being remodeled. The signs were unmistakable; this area has been officially ‘discovered’. If you want to enjoy it while still reasonably unspoiled, hurry up! Even so, you might be too late.
And go you should because the panoramic views from the town are absolutely gorgeous.
We got back into the car and drove past Castellucio into the true Piano Grande. We noticed a few places offering horseback riding. DD immediately asked if we were going to go riding. ‘No’ I replied. ‘No? Not even in Tuscany?’ countered DD. ‘No’ I insisted. ‘But why?’ asked DD, rather perplexed. ‘Because no one put in a request for horse-back riding during the planning phase of this trip’ I stated using my final-answer voice.
<b><i>The Ascent, Part 2, </b></i>
The next kilometers took us into the <b><i>Monti Sibilini</b></i> National Park and another elevation gain of 267m over 16 kilometers. The area is absolutely beautiful and I cannot recommend it enough.
<b><i>The Descent, Part 1</b></i>
The segment of the road between the Sibilini and Norcia was full of sharp switchbacks at a steep grade. We descended 1115m over 27 kilometers. As the crow flies, the net distance traveled must have been not more than 10 kilometers.
I don’t want to discourage anyone from doing this drive so I must say that the roads were not scary at any point. Yes, there were switchbacks but up they were pretty manageable. I could have driven this road (on an automatic car, don’t know how to drive stick shift, and this was not the area to learn) without too much anxiety. We were on the road by ourselves most of the time.
<b><i>Let’s Eat Some Norceleria in Norcia </b></i>
Norcia is known as the sausage-making capital of Italy and lends its name to the art of making sausage itself: Norceleria. Naturally we had to try some. We parked our car just outside of town and walked in just as 10,000 little kids were being released from school.
The town was bustling for all of five minutes, when suddenly every single business shuttered up and the people went home for lunch, leaving the streets completely deserted of locals. A few tourists, including us, wandered around looking completely out of place. We walked the main streets and some little streets but there was nothing! Only tourist shops posing as delis were open.
We resigned ourselves and found a place to have a little lunch. <b><i>Locanda del Teatro</b></i> was the liveliest place around and had a few outside tables under umbrellas. The temperature was finally pleasant enough to sit comfortably outside during lunch, yeah!!!
We sat down and spied on the table right next to us. They had just been served this gorgeous platter of antipasti. ‘We want what they are having’ DH requested once the waiter came to take our order. DD wanted pizza but they were not making it, so she ordered a pasta dish instead. This is what we had:
DD- Fettuccini al Funghi – Pasta was al dente, well flavored and lots of mushrooms. Very good and filling. DD stuffed herself but could not finish it up. This would become an issue afterwards.
DH and I – Antipasti Platter: Three different cured meats, five different kinds of sausage, a cheese-topped bruschetta, a surprisingly delicious tiny slice of frittata, a little pizza pie, pickle, an unidentifiable paste of vegetable origin and a tiny mixed salad. Delicious and a steal at 7E per platter. I could have this dish every other day (and weigh twice as much as I do)
<b><i>Decision Time: Version A or Version B </b></i>
We exited Norcia and promptly came to the point where we had decide which route we would follow, heading back to Spoleto or continuing further south towards Cascia and Ruscio before turning home (an additional 30 kilometers of driving on a white-marked road). DH was enjoying the drive, I was happy as the navigator and DD did not have an opinion so we decided to keep going.
The road between S. Anatolia and Ruscio was a bit more winding than I expected. The bad news was that now that DD was fully awake and had a full stomach, she started getting some motion sickness. Well, there was not much to do about it now but we had to keep going. She tried to go back to sleep but she had already slept too much.
We found the road we wanted and turned towards San Anatolia di Narco. I saw a sign on my peripheral vision. ‘Was that a street closing sign?’ I asked DH. He was not sure either. Being the sensible man that he is, he turned around to check it out. Indeed, the sign said that the road we wanted was closed. Ooops.
We returned to the road we had been following and stopped by a shop to ask about the closure. DD went to the bathroom and splashed water on her face trying to feel better. In a mixture of bad Italian (on his part) and bad English (on the locals side) we found out the road was indeed closed and would reopen at 6:00PM. Two hours from now.
The map was consulted. Turn back and retake Version A or continue south on a new route? It looked to be about the same distance-wise and if we replotted at least we would be going through a new area.
10. Continue on S471 past Cascia to Leonesa
11. Take R521 past Rivodutri direction Rieti/ Terni until we hit R79
12. Continue on S79 until just before Terni
13. Hook onto S3 (Via Flamina) north of Terni and head back to Spoleto
I estimate around another 100kms than what we had originally planned.
<b><i>The Detour or The Ascend Part 3 and The Descent Part 2 </b></i>
I instructed DD to sit up and stick her head outside the window. She eventually began to feel better and after a while managed to fall back asleep. This still caused me stress and took away some of the enjoyment of what would have otherwise been a delightful drive.
Past Leonesa we started going up again. Steadily up. Before Rivodutri I mistook the turnoff and we into a paved but small white-road. This was not the plan but it was somewhat of a short cut that took us by the town of Labro.
After finally hitting S79 we went down, down, down to the floor of the valley. Yeah! We drove past the Lago di Pediluco. This area is very, very nice but I was also getting tired. Mountain driving is hard not only on the driver, but also on the passengers that get constantly thrown around with gear shifting and switchbacks.
Finally, we reached Terni. We needed gas due to our unexpected detour so we went into the city outskirts. 42E for a tank. How much had Hertz charged us to pre-purchase the tank??? We were not sure of the exact number but it was a heck of a lot more than that.
The trip home on S3 was uneventful. DD was mostly recovered. We exited S3 by Trevi, drove on an unnamed road to Montefalco and then back along the now-familiar road to Gualdo.
Within 5 minutes of parking by the agro, DH and I were collapsing by the pool and DD went to take a loooong hot shower and wash her hair. It was 6:00PM, cocktail hour had arrived.
<b><i>Where should we go for dinner?</b></i>
By 8:00PM we finally decided to do something about dinner. If I had had any kind of groceries I would have stayed in, but alas, even the breakfast supplies left over were not enough.
We drove to the actual town of Gualdo Cattaneo, up on one side, down the other on the same street for all of three minutes. Nothing to be had.
We continued to Bevagna and parked outside. Rain clouds were getting threatening and the temperature was plummeting. We looked around a few places but we were in the mood for something light. Pizza would be OK. The first cold drops of rain decided the issue for us: <b><i>La Farafalla </b></i> would have to do.
This is what we had:
Disclaimer: I was not in the best mood, so take that into consideration when you read my comments.
DH – Pizza Capricciosa. He was happy with it, I did not taste.
DD and I – 2 Pizzas Prosciutto e Funghi – the crust was a bit too charred and the prosciutto was beyond salty. DH, who cannot bear to leave anything on the plate, ate most of it.
2 Cokes, 1 bottle of house red, 1l of acqua. 41.50E.
The night had definitely turned cold outside and the heat was turned on inside the restaurant for the benefit of the people closest to the door. We were at the other end and I found it to be too hot. They had a TV and everyone was watching some kind of soccer match. DD enjoyed it, I did not.
By the time we were done with dinner the rain stopped long enough for us to return to car. We drove back to the agro where we once again crashed for the (last) night.
<b>Next: Let’s go Find the Tuscan Sun</b>
Jun 22nd, 2009, 11:52 AM
#82
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<b>Thursday, May 28th - Day 9: Is Civita di Bagnoreggio a tourist trap? Pienza, Love at First, Second and Third Sights</b>
We finished what was left of our breakfast supplies and went to pay for the hotel. DH tried the credit card multiple times and it did not go through. Silvana explained that they often have communication problems and that she could put in the entry manually later. We like to leave with a receipt in the hand so since we had the money available, we paid cash.
We were on our way by 9:30AM.
<b><i>The Plan</b></i>
This was an easy one:
1. Drive from Gualdo Cattaneo to Civitá di Bagnoreggio, visit town.
2. Civitá di Bagnoreggio to Pienza (our destination for the next three nights)
3. Visit Pienza
<b><i>A Little Background</b></i>
I learned about the existence of Civitá in a Fodor’s thread that started out with a few honest questions and quickly deteriorated into Rick-Steves-bashing. I did a quick search for the town and came up with only a couple of vague postings.
During one of my gazillion trips to Border’s I was browsing through RS’s Italy book (the same one I would later buy at Marshalls for $3.99) and finally found the connection. The controversial Mr. Steves was raving about Civitá. Aha! So the issue was the recommender, not necessarily the recommendee. My curiosity was perked.
From a logistics standpoint I needed to make a stop between the agro in Umbria and our destination in Pienza. The obvious stop was Orvieto, but DH and I had been there. When I set out to plan this trip I wanted to leave a few places for DD to ‘discover’ as an adult on her own, or perhaps on an Italian Honeymoon? Orvieto and Volterra fell into this category so they were not options.
Civitá was just about in the perfect geographical position to fit the bill. It was a small town that would not take more than an hour to explore and the descriptions I had read seemed to be interesting enough. And that is how it landed in The Plan.
<b><i>Let’s go to Tuscany, by the way of Lazio</b></i>
We drove to Bastardo onto Due Santi and around Todi until we hit S448. The beginning of this stretch was not very scenic but it got quickly interesting once we approached the Lago di Corbara area.
It was a pleasant drive, no tight curves or steep grades. The road was rather empty and it seemed that it was a sparsely populated area. I suddenly asked DH: ‘Did you see that woman?’ ‘Yes’ he replied. ‘Do you think she was a hooker?’ I asked again. I was unsure as the clothes she was wearing were on the threshold of acceptability for non-hookers: denim miniskirt and a yellow t-shirt. I guess modern fashion has reached the point were hookers are dressing more modestly than some girls at the mall. Oy!
Just before he could answer we saw another girl reclining against he hood of the car, she was wearing denim short shorts and also a yellow cut-off t-shirt tied on the front to reveal her full abdomen and other assets. Yup, no doubt about it! We were in one of those areas. I mentally went over the clothes DD had packed, wondering if there was any yellow t-shirt that had to be confiscated for the duration of the trip.
As we drove on we saw a few campers parked on little openings in between the trees one of them had a pair of legs sticking out the driver’s window. I thought it was hilarious in a sad sort of way.
Anyway, the area does have some nice views of the reservoir.
<b><i>A Small Town with a Big Bridge </b></i>
We drove in circles around Bagnoreggio until we finally saw the signs directing to the ‘Old Town’. I wondered how the parking situation would be but as we had not seen big buses along the way we headed for the parking area just at the foot of the town.
I don’t know if this area gets really crowded over peak season but the approach into the parking area is narrow and must be crazy if buses cross. We parked where we wanted without problems.
Tiny <b><i>Civita id Bagnoreggio</b></i> (population 6, according to RS) is the minimum common denominator in the definition of a Hill Town. Though the ‘Town’ part is debatable: two streets, a piazza and church sit at the tip of a very steep hill made of tufa stone.
Aside from the old path which from what I hear requires more mountain climbing than hiking skills, the only access into town is via a humongous bridge built after WWII to replace the one which was destroyed. There is no car access but we got some cool pictures of a service guy going up the bridge on a Vespa (‘I think I can, I think I can,…’).
This town can be enjoyed from three different vantage points:
1. From the restaurant at the bottom of the bridge where you can be entertained by look of complete disbelief on the faces of formerly unsuspecting visitors: ‘what do you mean that I’m supposed to go up there!?!??’
2. From halfway up the bridge, where you can stand around pretending to take pictures of the countryside while recuperating your breath in order to tackle the second half of the incline.
3. From the top, giddy from happiness caused by lack of oxygen to brain
Well, it was not THAT bad. It looks a lot worse than it really is. But the effort is rewarded. The town is as cute as they come. The views of the surrounding rugged tufa mountains are absolutely gorgeous.
Yes, every single business is geared towards the tourist. The old houses are being renovated at fast-track speed, possibly for artist studios or B&Bs. Authentic? Well, that is debatable. I don’t think its going to make it into any book of historical restoration. Worth the trip? Yes, at least to us.
There were two groups of students on day trips. The smaller kids were in the 8-10yr old range, they were speaking English. I would have asked where they came from but one of the boys was getting a sound scolding from one of the teachers: ‘You cannot walk around without looking where you go and bumping into people. You are a KID, you cannot expect adults to move for you!’. D was astounded, ‘But that is a mommy-type scolding!’. ‘Yes’, I said, ‘and we would be better off if teachers could still impart civility and manners to their kids’. After thinking about it for a while DD agreed.
The older group was composed of young teens, possibly 14-15, they could not have cared less where they were.
The town is extremely photogenic and fun to explore. After poking our heads into every single garden and alley we sat down at <b><i>La Cantina</b></i> to have a little pick me up:
1 Melanzzane (eggplant) bruschetta – tasty but the olive oil could have been of better quality
1 Funghi (mushroom) bruschetta – edible, rather bland
1 Prosciutto bruschetta – good, this would be hard to screw up
1 rosemary-baked potato – it was the underdog item of the order and what a surprise it was! The potato had been rubbed with oil, coarse salt and rosemary and then roasted over the open fire. The skin was deliciously chewy. Delicious!
1 coke. 1 beer, 1 glass of red wine. 14Euros. The bathroom was tiny but spotlessly clean.
We returned to our car and as we drove out I noticed a sign saying that the parking was to be paid at the restaurant in town. Well, too late, my most sincere apologies, but there was no way I was going up that hill again.
<b><i>The Rugged Mountains turn into the Rolling Tuscan Hills</b></i>
It was time to head North into Tuscany. We drove on S2 (Via Cassia) along the shore of Lago di Bolsena, the view was magnificent.
When I saw the signs heading off to Pitigliano, I was tempted to take the opportunity, it was early enough. But since I had it in The Plan for the day after tomorrow I figured it could wait. And wait it did! It’s still waiting and will continue to wait until the next trip because we never made it. I should have, could have….
We drove past Acquapendente, saw Radicofani in the distance (Should we? No, we will do that on Friday!), drove past San Quirico and finally got our first view of <b><i>Pienza</b></i>. It sat like a tiara on top of a slowly sloping hill. I think I loved it from this moment.
Our hotel, <b><i>Piccolo Hotel La Valle</b></i>, was just outside the city walls. We found it without problems and parked the car on the premises (included with room). The small hotel was pleasant enough from the outside but the surprise comes once you walk past the reception desk and you see the through the glass doors, over the garden and into the full expanse of the Val D’Orcia. It was breathtaking.
I abandoned DH to complete the check-in process and stepped into the garden. The roses planted all along the low stone wall where at that precise moment when they are just over their prime, the petals have not fallen yet and the colors are still bright. Kind of like a courtesan that knows that her appeal depends on her wits and experience as much as on her looks.
The countryside was perfect. There are no other words to describe it. Perfect. It was the ideal combination of natural beauty and manmade artistry. Bales of hay were rolled in the golden fields. Rows of vines accentuated the curvature of the hills. Barns and Farmhouses distributed randomly across the valley. The golden sunlight caressing the air. Wow! Double Wow!
I don’t know who is granting building permits in this region of Italy but it must be the one incorruptible agency in the entire world, I can imagine millions of would-be hoteliers lining up to build and restore. Or perhaps it’s the complete opposite! Someone is bribing them high enough not to grant building permits.
The triple room was small but adequate and did not have a view (curse my thriftying ways!) but I didn’t care. That view was only a staircase away. Once we settled in we headed out to explore Pienza.
<b>TO BE CONTINUED<b>
We finished what was left of our breakfast supplies and went to pay for the hotel. DH tried the credit card multiple times and it did not go through. Silvana explained that they often have communication problems and that she could put in the entry manually later. We like to leave with a receipt in the hand so since we had the money available, we paid cash.
We were on our way by 9:30AM.
<b><i>The Plan</b></i>
This was an easy one:
1. Drive from Gualdo Cattaneo to Civitá di Bagnoreggio, visit town.
2. Civitá di Bagnoreggio to Pienza (our destination for the next three nights)
3. Visit Pienza
<b><i>A Little Background</b></i>
I learned about the existence of Civitá in a Fodor’s thread that started out with a few honest questions and quickly deteriorated into Rick-Steves-bashing. I did a quick search for the town and came up with only a couple of vague postings.
During one of my gazillion trips to Border’s I was browsing through RS’s Italy book (the same one I would later buy at Marshalls for $3.99) and finally found the connection. The controversial Mr. Steves was raving about Civitá. Aha! So the issue was the recommender, not necessarily the recommendee. My curiosity was perked.
From a logistics standpoint I needed to make a stop between the agro in Umbria and our destination in Pienza. The obvious stop was Orvieto, but DH and I had been there. When I set out to plan this trip I wanted to leave a few places for DD to ‘discover’ as an adult on her own, or perhaps on an Italian Honeymoon? Orvieto and Volterra fell into this category so they were not options.
Civitá was just about in the perfect geographical position to fit the bill. It was a small town that would not take more than an hour to explore and the descriptions I had read seemed to be interesting enough. And that is how it landed in The Plan.
<b><i>Let’s go to Tuscany, by the way of Lazio</b></i>
We drove to Bastardo onto Due Santi and around Todi until we hit S448. The beginning of this stretch was not very scenic but it got quickly interesting once we approached the Lago di Corbara area.
It was a pleasant drive, no tight curves or steep grades. The road was rather empty and it seemed that it was a sparsely populated area. I suddenly asked DH: ‘Did you see that woman?’ ‘Yes’ he replied. ‘Do you think she was a hooker?’ I asked again. I was unsure as the clothes she was wearing were on the threshold of acceptability for non-hookers: denim miniskirt and a yellow t-shirt. I guess modern fashion has reached the point were hookers are dressing more modestly than some girls at the mall. Oy!
Just before he could answer we saw another girl reclining against he hood of the car, she was wearing denim short shorts and also a yellow cut-off t-shirt tied on the front to reveal her full abdomen and other assets. Yup, no doubt about it! We were in one of those areas. I mentally went over the clothes DD had packed, wondering if there was any yellow t-shirt that had to be confiscated for the duration of the trip.
As we drove on we saw a few campers parked on little openings in between the trees one of them had a pair of legs sticking out the driver’s window. I thought it was hilarious in a sad sort of way.
Anyway, the area does have some nice views of the reservoir.
<b><i>A Small Town with a Big Bridge </b></i>
We drove in circles around Bagnoreggio until we finally saw the signs directing to the ‘Old Town’. I wondered how the parking situation would be but as we had not seen big buses along the way we headed for the parking area just at the foot of the town.
I don’t know if this area gets really crowded over peak season but the approach into the parking area is narrow and must be crazy if buses cross. We parked where we wanted without problems.
Tiny <b><i>Civita id Bagnoreggio</b></i> (population 6, according to RS) is the minimum common denominator in the definition of a Hill Town. Though the ‘Town’ part is debatable: two streets, a piazza and church sit at the tip of a very steep hill made of tufa stone.
Aside from the old path which from what I hear requires more mountain climbing than hiking skills, the only access into town is via a humongous bridge built after WWII to replace the one which was destroyed. There is no car access but we got some cool pictures of a service guy going up the bridge on a Vespa (‘I think I can, I think I can,…’).
This town can be enjoyed from three different vantage points:
1. From the restaurant at the bottom of the bridge where you can be entertained by look of complete disbelief on the faces of formerly unsuspecting visitors: ‘what do you mean that I’m supposed to go up there!?!??’
2. From halfway up the bridge, where you can stand around pretending to take pictures of the countryside while recuperating your breath in order to tackle the second half of the incline.
3. From the top, giddy from happiness caused by lack of oxygen to brain
Well, it was not THAT bad. It looks a lot worse than it really is. But the effort is rewarded. The town is as cute as they come. The views of the surrounding rugged tufa mountains are absolutely gorgeous.
Yes, every single business is geared towards the tourist. The old houses are being renovated at fast-track speed, possibly for artist studios or B&Bs. Authentic? Well, that is debatable. I don’t think its going to make it into any book of historical restoration. Worth the trip? Yes, at least to us.
There were two groups of students on day trips. The smaller kids were in the 8-10yr old range, they were speaking English. I would have asked where they came from but one of the boys was getting a sound scolding from one of the teachers: ‘You cannot walk around without looking where you go and bumping into people. You are a KID, you cannot expect adults to move for you!’. D was astounded, ‘But that is a mommy-type scolding!’. ‘Yes’, I said, ‘and we would be better off if teachers could still impart civility and manners to their kids’. After thinking about it for a while DD agreed.
The older group was composed of young teens, possibly 14-15, they could not have cared less where they were.
The town is extremely photogenic and fun to explore. After poking our heads into every single garden and alley we sat down at <b><i>La Cantina</b></i> to have a little pick me up:
1 Melanzzane (eggplant) bruschetta – tasty but the olive oil could have been of better quality
1 Funghi (mushroom) bruschetta – edible, rather bland
1 Prosciutto bruschetta – good, this would be hard to screw up
1 rosemary-baked potato – it was the underdog item of the order and what a surprise it was! The potato had been rubbed with oil, coarse salt and rosemary and then roasted over the open fire. The skin was deliciously chewy. Delicious!
1 coke. 1 beer, 1 glass of red wine. 14Euros. The bathroom was tiny but spotlessly clean.
We returned to our car and as we drove out I noticed a sign saying that the parking was to be paid at the restaurant in town. Well, too late, my most sincere apologies, but there was no way I was going up that hill again.
<b><i>The Rugged Mountains turn into the Rolling Tuscan Hills</b></i>
It was time to head North into Tuscany. We drove on S2 (Via Cassia) along the shore of Lago di Bolsena, the view was magnificent.
When I saw the signs heading off to Pitigliano, I was tempted to take the opportunity, it was early enough. But since I had it in The Plan for the day after tomorrow I figured it could wait. And wait it did! It’s still waiting and will continue to wait until the next trip because we never made it. I should have, could have….
We drove past Acquapendente, saw Radicofani in the distance (Should we? No, we will do that on Friday!), drove past San Quirico and finally got our first view of <b><i>Pienza</b></i>. It sat like a tiara on top of a slowly sloping hill. I think I loved it from this moment.
Our hotel, <b><i>Piccolo Hotel La Valle</b></i>, was just outside the city walls. We found it without problems and parked the car on the premises (included with room). The small hotel was pleasant enough from the outside but the surprise comes once you walk past the reception desk and you see the through the glass doors, over the garden and into the full expanse of the Val D’Orcia. It was breathtaking.
I abandoned DH to complete the check-in process and stepped into the garden. The roses planted all along the low stone wall where at that precise moment when they are just over their prime, the petals have not fallen yet and the colors are still bright. Kind of like a courtesan that knows that her appeal depends on her wits and experience as much as on her looks.
The countryside was perfect. There are no other words to describe it. Perfect. It was the ideal combination of natural beauty and manmade artistry. Bales of hay were rolled in the golden fields. Rows of vines accentuated the curvature of the hills. Barns and Farmhouses distributed randomly across the valley. The golden sunlight caressing the air. Wow! Double Wow!
I don’t know who is granting building permits in this region of Italy but it must be the one incorruptible agency in the entire world, I can imagine millions of would-be hoteliers lining up to build and restore. Or perhaps it’s the complete opposite! Someone is bribing them high enough not to grant building permits.
The triple room was small but adequate and did not have a view (curse my thriftying ways!) but I didn’t care. That view was only a staircase away. Once we settled in we headed out to explore Pienza.
<b>TO BE CONTINUED<b>
Jun 22nd, 2009, 02:58 PM
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'Kind of like a courtesan that knows that her appeal depends on her wits and experience as much as on her looks.' Lovely.
I love your most expressive report!! I look for it first thin every morning, here in the Down Under. Thank you.
I love your most expressive report!! I look for it first thin every morning, here in the Down Under. Thank you.
Jun 22nd, 2009, 03:19 PM
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Like everyone else above, I LOVE your trip report and your writing! In less than 5 days, we are off to Italy - for our 14 year old daughter's first trip there - and I'm hoping for more installations of your report before we leave. Don't leave me hanging!
Jun 22nd, 2009, 06:10 PM
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marigross,
As I understand it, Tuscany is an agricultural preserve. That means there are very strict historical preservation laws when it comes to building.
You will notice Umbria does not have the same laws and a lovely hilltown centro storico, even in tiny Spello or ancient Gubbio, is surrounded by more modern sprawl.
Thanks goodness for these preservation laws!
As I understand it, Tuscany is an agricultural preserve. That means there are very strict historical preservation laws when it comes to building.
You will notice Umbria does not have the same laws and a lovely hilltown centro storico, even in tiny Spello or ancient Gubbio, is surrounded by more modern sprawl.
Thanks goodness for these preservation laws!
Jun 22nd, 2009, 07:21 PM
#86
The Val d'Orcia is a Unesco World Heritage site.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1026
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1026
Jun 23rd, 2009, 04:58 AM
#87
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<b>CONTINUATION of Thursday, May 28th - Day 9</b>
Once we settled into our room it was time to go and see if the town really was as interesting as it looked from the outside. We asked at the hotel desk if they could make a reservation for us at Latte di Luna in the evening. It was cloudy and everyone thought it was going to rain, they said that were still not sure if they would be able to use the outside tables and were not taking any more reservations for the night. We were disappointed but made a reservation for the following evening.
We left the hotel with two other restaurant recommendations. We would go find them and look over their menus before we made a decision.
<b><i>Is this love that I’m Feeling?</b></i>
It took less than 90-seconds to walk from the hotel into the walls. It just kept getting better and better. The streets were filled with tourist but did not feel overrun; it was more of a lively, busy feeling. There was a strong odor of cheese in the air –this IS the capital of Pecorino cheese after all- but we like cheese and were not offended. I can imagine some people being overpowered by it.
Pienza, formerly known as Corsignano, is the brain child of its native son Aeneas Piccolomini, a.k.a Pope Pius II. He undertook a massive project to remodel his hometown to meet the highest humanistic and artistic cannons of his age, following the purest Renaissance ideals.
We walked through the main street onto the piazza and went into <b><i>Palazzo Piccolomini</b></i> to inquire about the next English visit timeslot. It was only 20 minutes away so we purchased our tickets, 19E for the three of us; only guided visits are allowed.
We sat in the stone benches that surround <b><i>Piazza Pio II</b></i> to wait for the time to go in. Tourists were moving around but here and there small groups of people having animated conversations, could they be locals? Was this a hill town in which people actually lived?
I cannot explain it with words, but for me Pienza just had a good feel, something personal and intimate. I’m sure that others will not feel the same way about this town because to this day I cannot describe exactly what it made it so special. It just pleased me to be there.
It was 5:30PM and time to go into our visit, the last of the day. There were four other parties in the group, perhaps 12 people. We were herded through the very interesting rooms, questions were very briefly answered. I inquired about a cloth and the guide just replied ‘Yes, it’s authentic’, then I asked about the books in the library, ‘No, these are just decoration’, no further information. It might have been a language issue but the guide spoke English very well. An elderly couple was asking questions in French without better results, DH thought the guide spoke decent French. This was DD’s first guided visit of the trip and was rather shocked at not having the time to examine things at her own pace.
I took the opportunity to deliver my speech on the wonders of independent travel but also to drive home the point that she had enjoyed a ‘personal guide’ because of all the hard work, reading and planning that I had done. These things just don’t happen on your own.
We discuss this often as she is convinced that spontaneity will always carry the day and that I live a too-structured daily life. I can certainly be spontaneous but I know that getting good results that way usually comes from grasping opportunities that come along by sheer dumb luck. Wonderful when it happens, but impossible to count on.
I just took every chance I got to briefly point out whenever we had an advantage because of basic pre-planning. Yes, I was droning but that’s what mother’s do.
Anyway, the palace was nice and the small garden was awesome. This is the first recorded palace to have been specifically designed to maximize the expansive views over the area it presided.
<b><i>It’s time to WUI in Pienza</b></i>
We were told by the guide that our ticket was good to go into the Cloister at the hotel next door. We went in to admire some more views from their garden. I didn’t inquire into the hotel prices but I would venture to guess that it’s not cheap. The restaurant looked very nice and appealing, several dishes seemed interesting enough, and it was not outrageously priced (but not cheap either). It could be a dinner alternative.
We wandered the streets looking for one of the restaurants recommended by the hotel, La Fiorella. We all found something on the menu but it was still closed and we did not make a reservation.
I cannot remember the name of the other restaurant but it was outside the walls. We exited town through the Porta al Prato and wandered into Piazza Dante Alighieri, the neighborhood park.
We found the other restaurant but did not look as inviting as the one we had seen before. We decided to return only if La Fiorella did not have space available. We promptly returned to the park and found an empty table at <b><i>Il Caffe</b></i>. Within minutes we were happily sipping white wine and watching Pienza go by. The drinks were served together with a bowl of peanuts and something which looked like croutons on steroids but turned out to be deliciously toasted in garlic and good olive oil. They were replaced when we ordered a second round (or was it the third? The glasses were small.)
As the stores starting closing up some of the workers exited town. This seemed to be the area where people met for a coffee or a drink before going home. There were certainly tourists mixed with the locals –well, WE were there – but it had a feeling of business-as-usual.
For the first time in the trip we saw people sitting in the restaurant with their dogs under the table. This is so common in Germany, France and Switzerland that I had been surprised by the lack of dogs in bars. Well, Pienza had a lot of big, beautiful, well-behaved dogs. And babies, lots of babies and toddlers! The park was full of children running around.
<b><i>Time for Dinner</b></i>
It was 8:00PM before we finally got up from our table and headed back into the town for dinner. We returned to the restaurant where we looked in before, <b><i>La Fiorella</b></i>. They still had a few tables available and we were promptly seated. I think that they had at least one table free throughout the evening, I did not see anyone being turned away with the exception of a party of six.
This is what we had:
Primi:
DD: Ravioli filled with Ricotta – very nicely al dente, the filling could have been better seasoned but good overall.
DH: Dried Meat and Salumi Platter – Good variety of cuts, the one in Norcia was a lot nicer
Me: Tagliatele in a Duck Ragu – Excellent, a bit on the salty side. There was only enough sauce to coat the pasta but a lot of ground duck. I thought it was very well balanced and certainly enough to be a meal by itself.
Secondi:
DD: Sliced Steak – Its good that DD likes her steak medium rare because I think that she was not consulted. It was more rare than medium and very good. Well seasoned and drizzled with oil. She enjoyed it.
DH: Rabbit with Olives in a White Wine Sauce – It was tender and tasty. I would have ordered the rabbit but I don’t like olives, I asked the waiter if he thought if I would be OK just removing the olives and he said no, the taste would still be in the sauce. He was right. DH sucked on each of the gazillion little bones that have to be dealt with whenever eating rabbit. He liked it very much.
Me: Pork Loin medallions wrapped in Pastry – I was full from my primo so I might have been nitpicking with this dish. The presentation was beautiful, the pork was tender and well seasoned but the pastry crust got soggy immediately. I ate all the pork with the herb rub, after the first few bites I did not eat the pastry. Perhaps if I had been really hungry this dish might be getting a stellar review.
1 bottle of wine , 2 cokes, 2 machiatti – 105E.
We stumbled out into the cool night with full, warm bellies. The walk to the hotel was just long enough to start digestion. We went happily into our beds wondering what more could Tuscany offer.
<b>NEXT: Can we follow Stu’s Directions?</b>
Once we settled into our room it was time to go and see if the town really was as interesting as it looked from the outside. We asked at the hotel desk if they could make a reservation for us at Latte di Luna in the evening. It was cloudy and everyone thought it was going to rain, they said that were still not sure if they would be able to use the outside tables and were not taking any more reservations for the night. We were disappointed but made a reservation for the following evening.
We left the hotel with two other restaurant recommendations. We would go find them and look over their menus before we made a decision.
<b><i>Is this love that I’m Feeling?</b></i>
It took less than 90-seconds to walk from the hotel into the walls. It just kept getting better and better. The streets were filled with tourist but did not feel overrun; it was more of a lively, busy feeling. There was a strong odor of cheese in the air –this IS the capital of Pecorino cheese after all- but we like cheese and were not offended. I can imagine some people being overpowered by it.
Pienza, formerly known as Corsignano, is the brain child of its native son Aeneas Piccolomini, a.k.a Pope Pius II. He undertook a massive project to remodel his hometown to meet the highest humanistic and artistic cannons of his age, following the purest Renaissance ideals.
We walked through the main street onto the piazza and went into <b><i>Palazzo Piccolomini</b></i> to inquire about the next English visit timeslot. It was only 20 minutes away so we purchased our tickets, 19E for the three of us; only guided visits are allowed.
We sat in the stone benches that surround <b><i>Piazza Pio II</b></i> to wait for the time to go in. Tourists were moving around but here and there small groups of people having animated conversations, could they be locals? Was this a hill town in which people actually lived?
I cannot explain it with words, but for me Pienza just had a good feel, something personal and intimate. I’m sure that others will not feel the same way about this town because to this day I cannot describe exactly what it made it so special. It just pleased me to be there.
It was 5:30PM and time to go into our visit, the last of the day. There were four other parties in the group, perhaps 12 people. We were herded through the very interesting rooms, questions were very briefly answered. I inquired about a cloth and the guide just replied ‘Yes, it’s authentic’, then I asked about the books in the library, ‘No, these are just decoration’, no further information. It might have been a language issue but the guide spoke English very well. An elderly couple was asking questions in French without better results, DH thought the guide spoke decent French. This was DD’s first guided visit of the trip and was rather shocked at not having the time to examine things at her own pace.
I took the opportunity to deliver my speech on the wonders of independent travel but also to drive home the point that she had enjoyed a ‘personal guide’ because of all the hard work, reading and planning that I had done. These things just don’t happen on your own.
We discuss this often as she is convinced that spontaneity will always carry the day and that I live a too-structured daily life. I can certainly be spontaneous but I know that getting good results that way usually comes from grasping opportunities that come along by sheer dumb luck. Wonderful when it happens, but impossible to count on.
I just took every chance I got to briefly point out whenever we had an advantage because of basic pre-planning. Yes, I was droning but that’s what mother’s do.
Anyway, the palace was nice and the small garden was awesome. This is the first recorded palace to have been specifically designed to maximize the expansive views over the area it presided.
<b><i>It’s time to WUI in Pienza</b></i>
We were told by the guide that our ticket was good to go into the Cloister at the hotel next door. We went in to admire some more views from their garden. I didn’t inquire into the hotel prices but I would venture to guess that it’s not cheap. The restaurant looked very nice and appealing, several dishes seemed interesting enough, and it was not outrageously priced (but not cheap either). It could be a dinner alternative.
We wandered the streets looking for one of the restaurants recommended by the hotel, La Fiorella. We all found something on the menu but it was still closed and we did not make a reservation.
I cannot remember the name of the other restaurant but it was outside the walls. We exited town through the Porta al Prato and wandered into Piazza Dante Alighieri, the neighborhood park.
We found the other restaurant but did not look as inviting as the one we had seen before. We decided to return only if La Fiorella did not have space available. We promptly returned to the park and found an empty table at <b><i>Il Caffe</b></i>. Within minutes we were happily sipping white wine and watching Pienza go by. The drinks were served together with a bowl of peanuts and something which looked like croutons on steroids but turned out to be deliciously toasted in garlic and good olive oil. They were replaced when we ordered a second round (or was it the third? The glasses were small.)
As the stores starting closing up some of the workers exited town. This seemed to be the area where people met for a coffee or a drink before going home. There were certainly tourists mixed with the locals –well, WE were there – but it had a feeling of business-as-usual.
For the first time in the trip we saw people sitting in the restaurant with their dogs under the table. This is so common in Germany, France and Switzerland that I had been surprised by the lack of dogs in bars. Well, Pienza had a lot of big, beautiful, well-behaved dogs. And babies, lots of babies and toddlers! The park was full of children running around.
<b><i>Time for Dinner</b></i>
It was 8:00PM before we finally got up from our table and headed back into the town for dinner. We returned to the restaurant where we looked in before, <b><i>La Fiorella</b></i>. They still had a few tables available and we were promptly seated. I think that they had at least one table free throughout the evening, I did not see anyone being turned away with the exception of a party of six.
This is what we had:
Primi:
DD: Ravioli filled with Ricotta – very nicely al dente, the filling could have been better seasoned but good overall.
DH: Dried Meat and Salumi Platter – Good variety of cuts, the one in Norcia was a lot nicer
Me: Tagliatele in a Duck Ragu – Excellent, a bit on the salty side. There was only enough sauce to coat the pasta but a lot of ground duck. I thought it was very well balanced and certainly enough to be a meal by itself.
Secondi:
DD: Sliced Steak – Its good that DD likes her steak medium rare because I think that she was not consulted. It was more rare than medium and very good. Well seasoned and drizzled with oil. She enjoyed it.
DH: Rabbit with Olives in a White Wine Sauce – It was tender and tasty. I would have ordered the rabbit but I don’t like olives, I asked the waiter if he thought if I would be OK just removing the olives and he said no, the taste would still be in the sauce. He was right. DH sucked on each of the gazillion little bones that have to be dealt with whenever eating rabbit. He liked it very much.
Me: Pork Loin medallions wrapped in Pastry – I was full from my primo so I might have been nitpicking with this dish. The presentation was beautiful, the pork was tender and well seasoned but the pastry crust got soggy immediately. I ate all the pork with the herb rub, after the first few bites I did not eat the pastry. Perhaps if I had been really hungry this dish might be getting a stellar review.
1 bottle of wine , 2 cokes, 2 machiatti – 105E.
We stumbled out into the cool night with full, warm bellies. The walk to the hotel was just long enough to start digestion. We went happily into our beds wondering what more could Tuscany offer.
<b>NEXT: Can we follow Stu’s Directions?</b>
Jun 23rd, 2009, 08:16 AM
#89
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I totally relate to the direction thing, I'm left handed, am always the navigator and starting to be the driver more and more...have a great sense of direction, but have trouble with the lefts and rights (which had caused a few hot works between DH and myself), I said this way (thinking I'm pointing left), he goes straight or right....must be a left handed thing 
Still really enjoying your report, this area will be our next trip to Italy, so thanks for all the detail, it will help!
Still really enjoying your report, this area will be our next trip to Italy, so thanks for all the detail, it will help!
Jun 23rd, 2009, 11:51 AM
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<b>Friday, May 29th - Day 10: Navigating Under the Tuscan Sun and a New Moon in Montepulciano</b>
The morning was bright, clear and just a tad on the cool side. We sat in the garden for breakfast and ordered ‘due cappuccino e un thé’. DH was having some problems with acidity in his stomach and favored tea for the rest of the trip whenever available.
Breakfast was excellent in the style of German buffets. The selection of cheese and meat was not large but adequate to satisfy our need for savory foods in the morning. They had eggs beautifully fried over bacon, they were cold but if one steps away from the paradigm, were surprisingly good. The yolks were bright orange and not overcooked. Fruit, yogurt, cold cereal and granola were available. The most extensive variety was in the sweet rolls and tarts.
<b><i>The Plan</b></i>
Today’s plan was to follow what many Fodorites and Slow Travelers simply know as Stu’s Drive:
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscan...ng_tuscany.htm
Basically you drive a figure ‘8’ with the town of San Quirico D’Orcia at the intersection.
<b><i>Are we good enough at following directions?</b></i>
As I mentioned before, I was using the Michelin #536 Regional Map of Central Italy (1:400,000) as my main navigation tool for this trip. Stu Dudly recommends using the Touring Club Italiano (1:300,000) map of Tuscany to follow his drive.
I had been able to highlight the route on the Michelin map before going on the trip so I figured we were basically set. I will only say that he knows what he is doing and if you chose to follow his advice, do it completely and get the TCI map. It would have made my life easier this day.
We set out of Pienza at around 9:00AM, about two hours ahead of his schedule. We decided to go visit the town of <b><i>San Quirico D’Orcia</b></i> until we caught up with the recommended times.
The town is great but my heart had been given to Pienza so I did not fall in love with it. We walked around a bit and visited the church. We peeked into the Albergo dei Capitano, the hotel is lovely, the garden is great but I think that in a future trip I would still go back to Pienza.
It was time to move on and we headed to <b><i>Montalcino</b></i>. We successfully followed Stu’s direction and parked the car outside the Rocca. It was way too early to engage in wine-tasting so we didn’t go into the Enoteca.
It was market day and the town was busy. Tourist tend to get all excited about market days in towns, but we had seen this type before and mostly by-passed it.. These are not Christmas markets that have lots of beautifully crafted art, they carry things that people need and do not have readily available in small towns: power tools, underwear, consignment clothes, detergents, work boots, etc.
We visited a few churches. Stopped by a pharmacy to get DD an ointment for her dried-out skin which was beginning to scab in some areas, 7.90E (the cream did not heal it but at least it kept the skin from getting worse). DD picked up a slice of pizza to go (1.80E)
It was 11:15 and we needed to get going because I wanted to hear the monks chant at <b><i>Sant’Antimo Abbey</b></i>. To say that the abbey and its setting are picture-perfect could not even begin to describe the beauty. We parked and walked to the church. Inside we could admire the clean, stark lines of pure Cistercian Romanesque. The space designed to lift the soul towards heaven.
DD and DH were wearing shorts. No one said a thing (including me), but DD thought she was inappropriately dressed and went back to the car to get a pashima to wrap around her waist.
The sign where the times are posted is a little confusing. It said that the church would close at 12:00. What it means is that traffic in and out of the church should stop at 12:00 when the monks come to pray. There were a lot more people outside than inside, maybe they did not want to hear the chants but I thought they might be looking for the chanting somewhere else.
The chanting was as nice as the ones DH had heard in Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain. We heard some really awful Gregorian chanting in Spain too, the monastery in Samos comes to mind. The Sant’Antimo service was sung by 10 monks, enough voices to bounce around in those endless walls. I thought they that the prayers were heartfelt and the experience was rather emotional, but I was raised Catholic and have always been interested in the history of the Church. DD had never heard it live so she was really moved. DH examined the construction of the walls and roofing the entire service. I still love him.
I thought that the visit to Sant’Antimo was the highlight of the day.
The next section of the drive took us past Castiglione d’Orcia, back to St. Quirico (completing the first loop of the ‘8’) and on to find the unpaved road between ‘nowhere’ and ‘nowhere else’ that was just before the town of Torrenieri. This is where having the TCI map would have helped. We took a few wrong turns and had a bit of a hard time identifying the correct road. But once we found it, it turned out to be one of our favorites segments of the day.
This was the one place where we actually saw a big flock of sheep. Does anyone know where do they keep the flocks that must exist somewhere to make all that Pecorino cheese?
We eventually returned to the paved road, direction Pienza. We bypassed the town and drove on to <b><i>Montepulciano</b></i>. I was not expecting this town to be so big, based on what I don’t know, but I just thought it was a hill town on steroids. Not only that but this town is STEEP. I had worn my cute ‘Let’s-go-for-a-drive’ shoes and halfway destroyed my feet walking through this town.
Everyone was walking around schlepping half cases of wine. We walked around the piazza and went into the church. Nice but I have no recollection of it whatsoever, or pictures so it must not have been very impressive. We needed to find a bathroom so we followed the signs for the public facilities. The line was long but there was no choice but to wait. This is when we began to see an inordinate quantity of teen girls gathering around a storefront.
We wanted to find the bodega Redi which had been recommended by the hotel to go for a little wine tasting and to see the cave underneath (or above, depending from which street you access). While we were searching for this place we saw more and more girls gathering. I wondered if there was some kind of CD signing event.
The Redi place was eventually found, we had to ask twice. We saw the huge barrels and thousands of stacked bottles as we descended into the cave. Eventually we reached the exit (or entrance) where there was a sour-faced attendant pouring wine for those who she deemed worthy. We must have had our ‘We’re-not-spending-big-bucks’ faces on because she very reluctantly poured wine for us.
We reemerged into the Tuscan sunlight to find the streets swarming with girls. Once I started paying attention I noticed a few wanna-be-a-Goth makeups, and three girls running around with capes. Aha! Once I knew what to look for I could see a bunch of Twilight t-shirts. They were filming the sequel to the teen-vampire movie, New Moon.
The Italian scenes are supposed to take place in Volterra but I guess that any hill town can substitute for the other if needed. DD has a few friends which are die-hard Edward fans (no, not me, no, even if I did go -on my own and by myself- to the midnight release of the last book in the series) and wanted to get a few pictures. We finally ran into the filming crew and watched the proceedings for a while but they were only beginning to setup and looked like it would be a long time before anything actually happened.
It was just after 4:00PM so we decided to skip Monticciello and return straight to Pienza. We returned to the hotel, DD went to wash her hair and DH and I took a bottle of wine to the garden and enjoyed the view while quietly talking. Sometimes we are happy with just looking at each other.
<b><i>It’s time for Dinner</b></i>
We had our 8:00PM reservation at <b><i>Latte di Luna</b></i> to attend to so we bundled up a bit and went into town. The cool wind was blowing but we still decided to risk sitting outside for dinner.
The previous evening we had stopped by to inquire even if we had been told that there were no tables available. The waiter remembered us and apologized profusely and asked where we had finally eaten. He seemed genuinely interested.
This is what we had:
Antipasto:
DH: Zuppa di Funghi (Mushroom Soup) it was basically a bread soup on a tomato-based broth with lots of mushrooms in it. Very good.
Primi
DD: Pici e Pomodoro Ragu – a thick hand cut pasta (like a fat spaghetti) with a tomato sauce. It was delicious.
DH – Tagliatele al Tartufo – Pasta was tossed on a light buttery sauce with aromatic shavings of truffle over it.
Me: Pici e Bascaiola (sp?) – Pasta was tossed with a light tomato and mushroom sauce. Delicately spicy and very subtly flavored. There were many layers of taste. This was a simple yet very refined dish.
Secondi:
DD: Maiale Bistecca – Grilled pork steak, I have never seen that cut in my local supermarkets but it was delicious and tender. Once again, the flavors were subtle.
DH and I: Cinghale Cacciatore – Stewed wild boar. OMG. This was delicious. Could have it once a week for the rest of our lives and never tire. This was the purest essence of boar. The pieces were so tender they fell apart when touched with the fork.
1 potato contorni, 1l house wine, 1l acqua, 81E..
This place is solid. The quality was uniform throughout the meal. The was service attentive. DH and I agree that it was the best value:taste ratio of the entire trip. We tried to make reservations for the following night but they were closed to host the communion party of the owner’s daughter. Damn.
We returned giddy with happiness to the hotel after having one of the most satisfying vacation days EVER.
<b>NEXT: The Plan calls for a visit to Tom’s towns: Sovana, Sorano, Pitgliano; but do we go there? </b>
The morning was bright, clear and just a tad on the cool side. We sat in the garden for breakfast and ordered ‘due cappuccino e un thé’. DH was having some problems with acidity in his stomach and favored tea for the rest of the trip whenever available.
Breakfast was excellent in the style of German buffets. The selection of cheese and meat was not large but adequate to satisfy our need for savory foods in the morning. They had eggs beautifully fried over bacon, they were cold but if one steps away from the paradigm, were surprisingly good. The yolks were bright orange and not overcooked. Fruit, yogurt, cold cereal and granola were available. The most extensive variety was in the sweet rolls and tarts.
<b><i>The Plan</b></i>
Today’s plan was to follow what many Fodorites and Slow Travelers simply know as Stu’s Drive:
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscan...ng_tuscany.htm
Basically you drive a figure ‘8’ with the town of San Quirico D’Orcia at the intersection.
<b><i>Are we good enough at following directions?</b></i>
As I mentioned before, I was using the Michelin #536 Regional Map of Central Italy (1:400,000) as my main navigation tool for this trip. Stu Dudly recommends using the Touring Club Italiano (1:300,000) map of Tuscany to follow his drive.
I had been able to highlight the route on the Michelin map before going on the trip so I figured we were basically set. I will only say that he knows what he is doing and if you chose to follow his advice, do it completely and get the TCI map. It would have made my life easier this day.
We set out of Pienza at around 9:00AM, about two hours ahead of his schedule. We decided to go visit the town of <b><i>San Quirico D’Orcia</b></i> until we caught up with the recommended times.
The town is great but my heart had been given to Pienza so I did not fall in love with it. We walked around a bit and visited the church. We peeked into the Albergo dei Capitano, the hotel is lovely, the garden is great but I think that in a future trip I would still go back to Pienza.
It was time to move on and we headed to <b><i>Montalcino</b></i>. We successfully followed Stu’s direction and parked the car outside the Rocca. It was way too early to engage in wine-tasting so we didn’t go into the Enoteca.
It was market day and the town was busy. Tourist tend to get all excited about market days in towns, but we had seen this type before and mostly by-passed it.. These are not Christmas markets that have lots of beautifully crafted art, they carry things that people need and do not have readily available in small towns: power tools, underwear, consignment clothes, detergents, work boots, etc.
We visited a few churches. Stopped by a pharmacy to get DD an ointment for her dried-out skin which was beginning to scab in some areas, 7.90E (the cream did not heal it but at least it kept the skin from getting worse). DD picked up a slice of pizza to go (1.80E)
It was 11:15 and we needed to get going because I wanted to hear the monks chant at <b><i>Sant’Antimo Abbey</b></i>. To say that the abbey and its setting are picture-perfect could not even begin to describe the beauty. We parked and walked to the church. Inside we could admire the clean, stark lines of pure Cistercian Romanesque. The space designed to lift the soul towards heaven.
DD and DH were wearing shorts. No one said a thing (including me), but DD thought she was inappropriately dressed and went back to the car to get a pashima to wrap around her waist.
The sign where the times are posted is a little confusing. It said that the church would close at 12:00. What it means is that traffic in and out of the church should stop at 12:00 when the monks come to pray. There were a lot more people outside than inside, maybe they did not want to hear the chants but I thought they might be looking for the chanting somewhere else.
The chanting was as nice as the ones DH had heard in Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain. We heard some really awful Gregorian chanting in Spain too, the monastery in Samos comes to mind. The Sant’Antimo service was sung by 10 monks, enough voices to bounce around in those endless walls. I thought they that the prayers were heartfelt and the experience was rather emotional, but I was raised Catholic and have always been interested in the history of the Church. DD had never heard it live so she was really moved. DH examined the construction of the walls and roofing the entire service. I still love him.
I thought that the visit to Sant’Antimo was the highlight of the day.
The next section of the drive took us past Castiglione d’Orcia, back to St. Quirico (completing the first loop of the ‘8’) and on to find the unpaved road between ‘nowhere’ and ‘nowhere else’ that was just before the town of Torrenieri. This is where having the TCI map would have helped. We took a few wrong turns and had a bit of a hard time identifying the correct road. But once we found it, it turned out to be one of our favorites segments of the day.
This was the one place where we actually saw a big flock of sheep. Does anyone know where do they keep the flocks that must exist somewhere to make all that Pecorino cheese?
We eventually returned to the paved road, direction Pienza. We bypassed the town and drove on to <b><i>Montepulciano</b></i>. I was not expecting this town to be so big, based on what I don’t know, but I just thought it was a hill town on steroids. Not only that but this town is STEEP. I had worn my cute ‘Let’s-go-for-a-drive’ shoes and halfway destroyed my feet walking through this town.
Everyone was walking around schlepping half cases of wine. We walked around the piazza and went into the church. Nice but I have no recollection of it whatsoever, or pictures so it must not have been very impressive. We needed to find a bathroom so we followed the signs for the public facilities. The line was long but there was no choice but to wait. This is when we began to see an inordinate quantity of teen girls gathering around a storefront.
We wanted to find the bodega Redi which had been recommended by the hotel to go for a little wine tasting and to see the cave underneath (or above, depending from which street you access). While we were searching for this place we saw more and more girls gathering. I wondered if there was some kind of CD signing event.
The Redi place was eventually found, we had to ask twice. We saw the huge barrels and thousands of stacked bottles as we descended into the cave. Eventually we reached the exit (or entrance) where there was a sour-faced attendant pouring wine for those who she deemed worthy. We must have had our ‘We’re-not-spending-big-bucks’ faces on because she very reluctantly poured wine for us.
We reemerged into the Tuscan sunlight to find the streets swarming with girls. Once I started paying attention I noticed a few wanna-be-a-Goth makeups, and three girls running around with capes. Aha! Once I knew what to look for I could see a bunch of Twilight t-shirts. They were filming the sequel to the teen-vampire movie, New Moon.
The Italian scenes are supposed to take place in Volterra but I guess that any hill town can substitute for the other if needed. DD has a few friends which are die-hard Edward fans (no, not me, no, even if I did go -on my own and by myself- to the midnight release of the last book in the series) and wanted to get a few pictures. We finally ran into the filming crew and watched the proceedings for a while but they were only beginning to setup and looked like it would be a long time before anything actually happened.
It was just after 4:00PM so we decided to skip Monticciello and return straight to Pienza. We returned to the hotel, DD went to wash her hair and DH and I took a bottle of wine to the garden and enjoyed the view while quietly talking. Sometimes we are happy with just looking at each other.
<b><i>It’s time for Dinner</b></i>
We had our 8:00PM reservation at <b><i>Latte di Luna</b></i> to attend to so we bundled up a bit and went into town. The cool wind was blowing but we still decided to risk sitting outside for dinner.
The previous evening we had stopped by to inquire even if we had been told that there were no tables available. The waiter remembered us and apologized profusely and asked where we had finally eaten. He seemed genuinely interested.
This is what we had:
Antipasto:
DH: Zuppa di Funghi (Mushroom Soup) it was basically a bread soup on a tomato-based broth with lots of mushrooms in it. Very good.
Primi
DD: Pici e Pomodoro Ragu – a thick hand cut pasta (like a fat spaghetti) with a tomato sauce. It was delicious.
DH – Tagliatele al Tartufo – Pasta was tossed on a light buttery sauce with aromatic shavings of truffle over it.
Me: Pici e Bascaiola (sp?) – Pasta was tossed with a light tomato and mushroom sauce. Delicately spicy and very subtly flavored. There were many layers of taste. This was a simple yet very refined dish.
Secondi:
DD: Maiale Bistecca – Grilled pork steak, I have never seen that cut in my local supermarkets but it was delicious and tender. Once again, the flavors were subtle.
DH and I: Cinghale Cacciatore – Stewed wild boar. OMG. This was delicious. Could have it once a week for the rest of our lives and never tire. This was the purest essence of boar. The pieces were so tender they fell apart when touched with the fork.
1 potato contorni, 1l house wine, 1l acqua, 81E..
This place is solid. The quality was uniform throughout the meal. The was service attentive. DH and I agree that it was the best value:taste ratio of the entire trip. We tried to make reservations for the following night but they were closed to host the communion party of the owner’s daughter. Damn.
We returned giddy with happiness to the hotel after having one of the most satisfying vacation days EVER.
<b>NEXT: The Plan calls for a visit to Tom’s towns: Sovana, Sorano, Pitgliano; but do we go there? </b>
Jun 23rd, 2009, 11:54 AM
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Thanks to all for the continued encouragement!
About the left/right thing: Once I verbalized to DH that 'this way' is to the side I'm sitting and 'that way' is to the side HE is sitting we seldom have problems with it.
About the left/right thing: Once I verbalized to DH that 'this way' is to the side I'm sitting and 'that way' is to the side HE is sitting we seldom have problems with it.
Jun 24th, 2009, 07:11 AM
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<b>Saturday, May 30th - Day 11: There’s Always a First Time</b>
I chose not to setup the alarm to wake up this morning. I figured that we would cover as much from The Plan as we wanted without attempting to do all five towns. The morning was cloudy and blustery. We still could see across the valley but it was obvious that the weather was turning.
DH and I woke around 8:00 and went down for breakfast. We let DD sleep while we decided how to tackle the day. We had to sit inside because the wind was cold and blowing too hard. We still could enjoy the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
<b><i>The Plan</i></b>
Drive through five towns: Arcidosso, Roccalbegna, Sovano, Sorano and Pitgliano.
<b><i>The Unprecedented Event</i></b>
I must confess that the thought first came across my mind the previous evening. DH and I were talking over dinner, reviewing the day, and he was confused about whether something we had seen was located in Montepulciano or in Montalcino. We were confusing hill towns on the SAME day we had seen them. My response had been ‘wait until we add five more towns tomorrow!
If I think about it with true honesty, the decisions of first not setting up the alarm and second of not waking DD for breakfast were a clear indication that a decision had been taken in the far reaches of my subconscious mind.
As I was sipping my second cappuccino and trying to get myself going for the day, I just opened my mouth and the words came out: ‘I like this place so much that I wish we could just stay here and not have to go anywhere’. I was shocked at myself. DH did not say a word, after 11 yrs he knows my pondering moods.
‘Hummm’ I thought, ‘And why not?’ This unprecedented thought took my inner travel-planner by surprise and could not come up with any good counter argument. I continued my train of thought, ‘I own The Plan, The Plan does not own me’ was immediately followed by ‘There is always a next time’.
I looked at DH and finally said the words: ‘I don’t want to go anywhere today. I want to stay in Pienza. I want to read in the garden. I want to lazily walk across town.’. He smiled at me; I think he knew long before I did that this would happen. His response: ‘Whatever you want to do is fine with me. I don’t need to go see any other hill town’. I could have married him all over again.
<b><i>A lazy day in Pienza</b></i>
We left DD a message at the desk and took off for a morning stroll through town. We went past the Porta del Prato and the park, following the Passagiata signs. This led into a linear park bordering the newer part of town and overlooking the magnificent countryside. Walking very slowly it took us about 20 minutes to reach the end of the walkway and we turned back. I played around with the camera and found the panoramic setting. Naturally more playing with the camera followed.
We walked back to the park and found a bookstore. If I was going to spend the day reading I needed an extra book as I only had about 50 pages to go on the one I had brought with me ‘In the Company of a Courtesan’. I was pleasantly surprised when I found a paperback copy of Ken Follet’s ‘Pillars of the Earth’. The 1008-page book would take me through the rest of the vacation and the trip back home. BTW, I finished it on Sunday and I absolutely loved it!
As we walked across town we finally found a restaurant I had been keeping an eye out for, Il Rosselino. It was tightly shut and no menu was posted outside. We decided to ask the hotel to make a reservation for us anyway.
DH wanted to have some coffee so we walked into a bar across the piazza, <b><i>La Posta</b></i>, he ordered a machiatto (yeah, right, he had had tea for breakfast because of acid stomach) and I a café latte. He had wanted to have it standing up at the bar but then a table opened up inside and we sat down. His coffee was good but mine was probably the best coffee I have ever had.
It was served in a tall, thin glass with a long spoon. Half of the glass was filled with coffee and the other half with the frothiest, creamiest foam ever. I took a little coffee with the spoon and took a dollop of the foam. The foam held until the coffee was finished.
The tour busses must have begun to arrive because suddenly the bar filled up. The group was Italian and they all crowded the counter, ordered coffees, gulped them down, paid and left within 15 minutes.
We returned to the hotel where we found DD sleeping again. She had had breakfast by herself and was now napping. We informed her of change of plan and freed her to go into town by herself if she wanted.
We stopped by the reception and asked them to make a reservation for us at Il Rosselino for the evening. The owner (or the owner’s mother) was less than enthusiastic about this place. She thought that it was a bit overpriced, she mentioned Il Chiaustro (at the hotel next to Palazzo Piccolomini) as also being in this category, and wanted to guide us towards La Fiorella. We told her we had been there already and we would like to try out Il Rosselino anyway. She made the phone call and we had our dinner set for the evening.
The wind was on the cool side but I still managed to find a spot in the garden where I could pull a lounge chair and read. Every once in a while I looked around at the countryside and mentally patted myself in the back ‘Yup, you’ve done well girl!’.
Around 3:00PM we decided to go around town once more. We had seen an interesting place during our morning stroll, <b><i>Il Giardino</b></i> and decided to check it out. They looked half-closed but we walked in and sat in the terrace. They were open for drinks but not for full meals, no problem, that’s what we wanted to have anyway. They might normally close over lunch but the owners were having some sort of family celebration (no one was in communion-age so it was not the same as the Latte di Luna family) and had setup a table for 20.
We enjoyed the views, the people watching and the white wine. I ordered a plate of salami to carry us over the afternoon drinking and into dinner. The service was spotty but we were definitely not in a hurry. We must have sat around for almost two hours enjoying the beautiful countryside.
There was a bit of controversy over the bill. The first two glasses of wine were charged at 2E each and the second round at 3E. Turned that when she had poured the second round the waiter figured that she didn’t have a lot left to the bottle and split the remaining wine between DH and I. This is common enough but it was the first time in my life that I have been charged for the ‘extra’ wine. With the 9E salami platter, the bill came to 23E. They charged coperto for the salami AND the sitting in the terrace.
We returned to the hotel where we found DD also coming back from town. She had had pizza and gelato in between poking into stores over the afternoon. Around 8:00 we started getting ready to go out for dinner. Jackets and scarves came out of the suitcases because the temperature was going down.
<b><i>The perfect way to end the day</b></i>
When we walked into <b><i>Il Rosselino</b></i> we still had no idea of what they served. The tiny (only 12-settings) place was still completely empty. It became a bit awkward when DH asked to see the menu before we sat down, but then, it would have been worse if we sat down and could not find anything we wanted to eat in the menu.
A quick scan of the menu revealed several good options so we sat down. The owner poured prosecco and brought out a basket with delicious slices of bread topped with wilted onions. This was looking better and better.
A four-person group arrived around 8:30PM and a couple of minutes later another party came in. Both groups had reservations and that was it. 11 people for dinner and the restaurant was full. They turned away people several times over the evening so reservations are crucial of this place.
This is what we had:
Primi:
DD: Ricotta Ravioli – tossed in a light tomato sauce. Forget about the ones she had had at the Fiorella, these were the real thing. The filling was light and perfectly seasoned. Very good.
DH: Tagliatele in a Cinghale Ragu – The wide tagliatele seemed to be freshly made and were the clear star of the dish. Served al dente and very well seasoned. The boar meat was minced not ground. The sauce was just enough to coat the pasta. This was after all a primo piatto.
Me: Porri Flan (Leek Flan) – Chosen from the antipasti section of the menu. Caramelized leeks were baked on eggy custard with pancetta wrapped around it. It was topped with a little béchamel and broiled until golden. The result was gorgeous! The texture was a bit quiche-like and I had expected a smooth flan, but I’m nitpicking, the flavor was delicious.
Secondi:
DD and DH: Pork Roast on a Chianti Vin Santo sauce, served with asparagus on the side. The outside was beautifully caramelized and the inside was moist and delicious.
Me: Roasted ‘Faraona’ – Served with green beans on the side. I think that a Faraona is a hen, but I have not been able to find the translation. It was so good that it landed in my best single-dish list, tied for 1st place. The owner/server asked me if I wanted the breast of the leg and thigh. I prefer the darker meat so I chose the leg. WOW. The skin was crispy, the layer of fat underneath had been completely rendered, and the meat was moist. The true mark of a master chef is to take simple dishes like this one and elevate them into the culinary pantheon. A light balsamic vinegar sauce- spooned underneath, not drizzled over - complimented the taste of the meat perfectly.
1l Acqua, 1 bottle and another half bottle of red wine, 2 machiatti. 112E.
Considering the refinement and attention to detail of this dinner I did not think it was overpriced at all. A definite recommendation!
It rained a bit over the dinner but it stopped long enough for us to get back to the hotel.
<b>NEXT: San Gimignano in the rain, do we feel the evening magic? </b>
I chose not to setup the alarm to wake up this morning. I figured that we would cover as much from The Plan as we wanted without attempting to do all five towns. The morning was cloudy and blustery. We still could see across the valley but it was obvious that the weather was turning.
DH and I woke around 8:00 and went down for breakfast. We let DD sleep while we decided how to tackle the day. We had to sit inside because the wind was cold and blowing too hard. We still could enjoy the view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
<b><i>The Plan</i></b>
Drive through five towns: Arcidosso, Roccalbegna, Sovano, Sorano and Pitgliano.
<b><i>The Unprecedented Event</i></b>
I must confess that the thought first came across my mind the previous evening. DH and I were talking over dinner, reviewing the day, and he was confused about whether something we had seen was located in Montepulciano or in Montalcino. We were confusing hill towns on the SAME day we had seen them. My response had been ‘wait until we add five more towns tomorrow!
If I think about it with true honesty, the decisions of first not setting up the alarm and second of not waking DD for breakfast were a clear indication that a decision had been taken in the far reaches of my subconscious mind.
As I was sipping my second cappuccino and trying to get myself going for the day, I just opened my mouth and the words came out: ‘I like this place so much that I wish we could just stay here and not have to go anywhere’. I was shocked at myself. DH did not say a word, after 11 yrs he knows my pondering moods.
‘Hummm’ I thought, ‘And why not?’ This unprecedented thought took my inner travel-planner by surprise and could not come up with any good counter argument. I continued my train of thought, ‘I own The Plan, The Plan does not own me’ was immediately followed by ‘There is always a next time’.
I looked at DH and finally said the words: ‘I don’t want to go anywhere today. I want to stay in Pienza. I want to read in the garden. I want to lazily walk across town.’. He smiled at me; I think he knew long before I did that this would happen. His response: ‘Whatever you want to do is fine with me. I don’t need to go see any other hill town’. I could have married him all over again.
<b><i>A lazy day in Pienza</b></i>
We left DD a message at the desk and took off for a morning stroll through town. We went past the Porta del Prato and the park, following the Passagiata signs. This led into a linear park bordering the newer part of town and overlooking the magnificent countryside. Walking very slowly it took us about 20 minutes to reach the end of the walkway and we turned back. I played around with the camera and found the panoramic setting. Naturally more playing with the camera followed.
We walked back to the park and found a bookstore. If I was going to spend the day reading I needed an extra book as I only had about 50 pages to go on the one I had brought with me ‘In the Company of a Courtesan’. I was pleasantly surprised when I found a paperback copy of Ken Follet’s ‘Pillars of the Earth’. The 1008-page book would take me through the rest of the vacation and the trip back home. BTW, I finished it on Sunday and I absolutely loved it!
As we walked across town we finally found a restaurant I had been keeping an eye out for, Il Rosselino. It was tightly shut and no menu was posted outside. We decided to ask the hotel to make a reservation for us anyway.
DH wanted to have some coffee so we walked into a bar across the piazza, <b><i>La Posta</b></i>, he ordered a machiatto (yeah, right, he had had tea for breakfast because of acid stomach) and I a café latte. He had wanted to have it standing up at the bar but then a table opened up inside and we sat down. His coffee was good but mine was probably the best coffee I have ever had.
It was served in a tall, thin glass with a long spoon. Half of the glass was filled with coffee and the other half with the frothiest, creamiest foam ever. I took a little coffee with the spoon and took a dollop of the foam. The foam held until the coffee was finished.
The tour busses must have begun to arrive because suddenly the bar filled up. The group was Italian and they all crowded the counter, ordered coffees, gulped them down, paid and left within 15 minutes.
We returned to the hotel where we found DD sleeping again. She had had breakfast by herself and was now napping. We informed her of change of plan and freed her to go into town by herself if she wanted.
We stopped by the reception and asked them to make a reservation for us at Il Rosselino for the evening. The owner (or the owner’s mother) was less than enthusiastic about this place. She thought that it was a bit overpriced, she mentioned Il Chiaustro (at the hotel next to Palazzo Piccolomini) as also being in this category, and wanted to guide us towards La Fiorella. We told her we had been there already and we would like to try out Il Rosselino anyway. She made the phone call and we had our dinner set for the evening.
The wind was on the cool side but I still managed to find a spot in the garden where I could pull a lounge chair and read. Every once in a while I looked around at the countryside and mentally patted myself in the back ‘Yup, you’ve done well girl!’.
Around 3:00PM we decided to go around town once more. We had seen an interesting place during our morning stroll, <b><i>Il Giardino</b></i> and decided to check it out. They looked half-closed but we walked in and sat in the terrace. They were open for drinks but not for full meals, no problem, that’s what we wanted to have anyway. They might normally close over lunch but the owners were having some sort of family celebration (no one was in communion-age so it was not the same as the Latte di Luna family) and had setup a table for 20.
We enjoyed the views, the people watching and the white wine. I ordered a plate of salami to carry us over the afternoon drinking and into dinner. The service was spotty but we were definitely not in a hurry. We must have sat around for almost two hours enjoying the beautiful countryside.
There was a bit of controversy over the bill. The first two glasses of wine were charged at 2E each and the second round at 3E. Turned that when she had poured the second round the waiter figured that she didn’t have a lot left to the bottle and split the remaining wine between DH and I. This is common enough but it was the first time in my life that I have been charged for the ‘extra’ wine. With the 9E salami platter, the bill came to 23E. They charged coperto for the salami AND the sitting in the terrace.
We returned to the hotel where we found DD also coming back from town. She had had pizza and gelato in between poking into stores over the afternoon. Around 8:00 we started getting ready to go out for dinner. Jackets and scarves came out of the suitcases because the temperature was going down.
<b><i>The perfect way to end the day</b></i>
When we walked into <b><i>Il Rosselino</b></i> we still had no idea of what they served. The tiny (only 12-settings) place was still completely empty. It became a bit awkward when DH asked to see the menu before we sat down, but then, it would have been worse if we sat down and could not find anything we wanted to eat in the menu.
A quick scan of the menu revealed several good options so we sat down. The owner poured prosecco and brought out a basket with delicious slices of bread topped with wilted onions. This was looking better and better.
A four-person group arrived around 8:30PM and a couple of minutes later another party came in. Both groups had reservations and that was it. 11 people for dinner and the restaurant was full. They turned away people several times over the evening so reservations are crucial of this place.
This is what we had:
Primi:
DD: Ricotta Ravioli – tossed in a light tomato sauce. Forget about the ones she had had at the Fiorella, these were the real thing. The filling was light and perfectly seasoned. Very good.
DH: Tagliatele in a Cinghale Ragu – The wide tagliatele seemed to be freshly made and were the clear star of the dish. Served al dente and very well seasoned. The boar meat was minced not ground. The sauce was just enough to coat the pasta. This was after all a primo piatto.
Me: Porri Flan (Leek Flan) – Chosen from the antipasti section of the menu. Caramelized leeks were baked on eggy custard with pancetta wrapped around it. It was topped with a little béchamel and broiled until golden. The result was gorgeous! The texture was a bit quiche-like and I had expected a smooth flan, but I’m nitpicking, the flavor was delicious.
Secondi:
DD and DH: Pork Roast on a Chianti Vin Santo sauce, served with asparagus on the side. The outside was beautifully caramelized and the inside was moist and delicious.
Me: Roasted ‘Faraona’ – Served with green beans on the side. I think that a Faraona is a hen, but I have not been able to find the translation. It was so good that it landed in my best single-dish list, tied for 1st place. The owner/server asked me if I wanted the breast of the leg and thigh. I prefer the darker meat so I chose the leg. WOW. The skin was crispy, the layer of fat underneath had been completely rendered, and the meat was moist. The true mark of a master chef is to take simple dishes like this one and elevate them into the culinary pantheon. A light balsamic vinegar sauce- spooned underneath, not drizzled over - complimented the taste of the meat perfectly.
1l Acqua, 1 bottle and another half bottle of red wine, 2 machiatti. 112E.
Considering the refinement and attention to detail of this dinner I did not think it was overpriced at all. A definite recommendation!
It rained a bit over the dinner but it stopped long enough for us to get back to the hotel.
<b>NEXT: San Gimignano in the rain, do we feel the evening magic? </b>
Jun 26th, 2009, 02:06 PM
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Marigross: I've just discovered this wonderful report, and now am very late to start dinner!! It's addicting. I was lucky enough to spend several days near Pienza, and we kept going back because it was such a favorite town,. Thanks for the reminder. You are an excellent conveyor of your experience!
