Back home, ahhhh . . .

Well, being a homeowner in Tuscany certainly has its benefits, but there's also a lot of chores and responsibilities that come along with the fun. Today, for example, Joe and I drove north of Florence to go to the IKEA store to stock up on things for the rental season. Our housekeeper Nadia sent me a nice note at Christmastime, which, in addition to the holiday good wishes, alerted me to the fact that we need some fresh towels and sheets for the apartment. So today we took a trip and made Nadia very happy by buying lots of towels, sheets, wine glasses, kitchen tools, etc. We filled the back of our car with all sorts of new things.

After our excursion to Florence, we headed back in the direction of hone and stopped at Montepulciano for a snack at the Bottega del Nobile on the corso as you head up the hill. We tried several half glasses of vino nobile and brunellos along with a nice plate of various pecorino cheeses, then headed home to unpack the car.

Tonight, we decided to try a new restaurant, La Fattoria di Bellandi, which is just 15 minutes away in the borgo of Contignano. What a great meal!

The owner/chef, Enza, came to the tabe to describe the specials and make recommendations. She didn't speak a word of English, but I happily followed along, asking questions, and by the end of the night we were old buddies, exchanging recipes and discussing the merits of "cucina povera" versus the "non genuino" food served in many restaurants. An old man sitting alone at a nearby table came over to tell us about his Nonno who went to America and lived there for some 60 years, working as a goldsmith. Another woman heard me say "siamo Americani" and she came over to ask us where we were from and complimented me on my Italian. It really felt good to have so many different conversations in Italian with strangers--it made the night so much more rewarding. I have a feeling that they don't get too many stranieri at that place.

Did I mention that the food was fabulous? My coniglio Ligurian style included pignoli nuts, green olives and white wine. Joe's tagliata was perfectly cooked and flavored with rosmarino. The homemade pasta was so light and tender.

By the time we were leaving, Enza kissed us and our waiter walked us out to our car. We felt so comfortable there. I told her "torneremo subito," and we will!

Oh, and when we were coming home, two huge porcupines walked in front of our car as we were coming up the driveway. How cool is that?