Arrivaderci Toscana

Our final night in Tuscany and we decided to go on a "date" to one of our all-time favorite restaurants: La Porta in Montechiello.

On the way there, we were treated to a fantastic sunset that cast the entire Val d'Orcia in a warm rosy embrace.

As usual, Daria and her staff put out an incredible meal with warm, attentive service. I had tiny quail legs sauteed in vin santo and served atop a bed of puréed potatoes, then a classic tagliata served rare--just oozing quality and simple flavors. Joe had veal osso buco and a starter of raw beef surrounding a freschissimi mound of dripping buffalo mozzarella.

Dessert was amaretti cookies in a bath of espresso and cream--like a deconstructed tira misu, but much better. 

Our wine, which Daria helped us choose, was a 2007 Castiglion del Bosco Brunello. It started out bursting with fresh cherries, evolved to taste like raw beef, then spiced up with notes of licorice and pepper. It was a wine that was a star on minute one and one that made me cry when I realized the final sip was about to be consumed.

An evening that began with the golden glow of a sunset and ended with the inner glow of a night well lived.

Radicofani

We live near such a cute village, but sometimes we don't spend any time there. Maybe it's just too close and we take it for granted. This morning we took a walk up and down the hill, stopping at Joe's favorite cookie shop and peeking in windows. We looked at my favorite terrace gardens and stopped to chat with Nadia, our housekeeper, who popped out of a shop when she saw us passing by.

Today we decided to go up to the top of the hill to walk through the fortress we can see from our house in the valley below. It was foggy and windy up at the top of Radicofani, which is on an extinct volcano. As high as the town sits, the fortress is even higher--offering amazing views across the Val d'Orcia and as far as the eye can see. We've tried to go there a few times, but it was under construction for a couple of years, then it was closed twice when we tried again. This time it was open and we were the first to arrive.

There is a bar and restaurant at the ticket booth where you can enjoy coffee, a snack or lunch. They even claim to make homemade pasta. Perhaps we'll try that next time.

The centerpiece of the fort is the giant stone tower. It's possible to climb the steps all the way up, stopping at each level to check out the small museum. It includes the history, since the 900s, of the fort, as well as some Etruscan pottery and other items found in area archaeological digs.

Even on a foggy day, it was well worth the trek up to the top.

Our new amico Claudio

We've had great fun with our newest Italian friend Claudio Gambale, who will be one at the end of this month. 

A day in Viterbo

Viterbo is a very interesting city. It's rich in history and is very well preserved. In the more ancient quarters of the city it's easy to imagine being a citizen during the Middle Ages. Down narrow alleyways and around corners--it's like a maze and easy to get a little lost as there seems to be no rhyme or logical scheme to the layout of the streets.

While the historical aspects are fascinating, it's the kind of place that is covered in pigeon shit and graffiti. There are beggars and homeless people everywhere. One guy was particularly scary as he was already huge and wearing at least eight long coats--one atop the other--and the top one was a leopard faux fur. He looked like a cross between a pimp and a linebacker.

The star of the architectural show in Viterbo is the Palazzo Papale, or Papal Palace, where five different Popes ran the Catholic church. In a nutshell, Rome was a warring mess in the 1200s and the Pope had to get out for safety reasons. He chose Viterbo, about an hour north of Rome, because it was surrounded by a large wall, it was on a hilltop, and there were two rivers that served as natural moats to protect the palace from marauding bandits and those who would be happy to get rid of the Pope.

We took a guided tour of the Palazzo and saw the Sacristy, the Duomo, the secret chapel behind the altar. Then we were taken into the large, locked room that was the site of the first ever conclave to elect a Pope. 

This first conclave was only attended by 19 Cardinals, but because they were all determined to get the top job for themselves, it took them 33 months to make a selection. Wow! And, the only reason they finally made a decision is that the people of Viterbo, who were sick of catering to every whim of this band of spoiled rotten Cardinals, interceded and said essentially that we are locking you in with nothing but bread and water and you will not be allowed out until a new Pope is chosen. Oh, and they also removed the roof so the Cardinals sat in the rain or sun all day without cover.

Finally, they chose this guy:

Time for a little yard work

On our way back home today, we spotted several outdoor stands selling annual flowers. Our big terra cotta pots certainly needed brightening up, so we stopped for a perky flat of red geraniums, or gerani rossi in Italian. Here's the great thing: in the States I would have paid $5 each, or even more for these big, healthy pots. But here, I paid less than 2€ each for these.

Sucker for a starving artist

We couldn't say no. 

Isabella Bise has a tiny shop off the main street running through Pienza. Each time we go by she is there, covered in paint, working on a Tuscan landscape. Today we walked in and she told us something about each of the 8 or 10 paintings currently in the shop. She apologized that the lighting didn't quite do justice to the vibrant colors, so she took most of them off the gallery walls and brought them outside so we could see them in natural lighting. 

Some were still wet and smelled of linseed oil. She had sticky, paint covered fingers and tried gingerly not to touch the fronts of the pictures. 

She worked so hard to make the sale, the better lighting, the little anecdotes, the reduced prices, and so now we own three works by Isabella.

Brunello di Montalcino

One day of every visit to Tuscany must include time in Montalcino to taste the latest release of brunellos. The 2010 vintage is considered to be the best of this century so far--rivalling and maybe even besting the last 5-star year, which was 1997. Since brunello is released in the fifth year after the harvest, today we got a chance to see what all the media hype around the 2010s is all about.

We began our morning with a tour and tasting at Il Palazzone, which Joe selected mostly because the American owner is one of his personal heroes. Dick Parsons has owned the vineyard since 2000. He is probably the most successful black businessman in the U.S. He has been the CEO of BET, then Citibank. Currently he is the GM of the Los Angeles Clippers and is also restoring and reopening jazz clubs in Harlem. Quite the Renaissance guy!! Joe couldn't wait to see the place.

The vineyard is run by married couple Laura and Marco. She is originally Scottish and gave us the tour. He is a little wiry man, who greeted us warmly, albeit with his pants unzipped. He has the kind of face that looks like he has worked outside every day of his life.

We tasted the 2009 and 2010 and truly there was no comparison between the two. The '10 was velvety in texture and tasted of fruits and river stones. It was subtle and elegant. We shipped six home.

Lunch was at Osticcio in the village, and while the food was good, the view out the rear windows really made the meal. The view from our table above.

Later we went to the Enoteca di Piazza, where Samuele, the same young guy that guided our tasting a few years ago, was there to help us empty our wallets again. We tasted many of the '10s, but only two stood out as stars to us: the Altesino, which scored a perfect 100 in Wine Enthusiast, to save for a special occasion, and the Madonna Nera, which was good too, but more of a weekend with a steak kind of wine. The other two we bought were the 2007 Brizio Riserva--fantastic. Then, because it was incredibly smooth and incredibly rare, we bought two bottles of the 1997 Fonte Buia, from that last exceptional vintage 18 years ago.

Here is Joe with a very satisfied look on his face, sitting in front of the Fortress in Montalcino.

Mystery del giorno

In the town of Castel del Piano there are several churches and, like the majority of Catholic churches around the world, they are still decorated with flowers and plants for Easter, just three days ago.

I'm certainly no expert on church decor and I would hate to hurt the feelings of any of the old ladies from the rosary and altar guild, but seriously: WHAT'S UP WITH THIS WEIRD HAIRY STUFF???

We just couldn't figure it out. The plants look like Chinese food bean sprouts that have continued to sprout out of their containers. They smell too. Funky and musty like a swamp. They were on every altar in this town. 

A quest for the best

Some weeks ago we read that the best olive oil in Italy, in fact, the best olive oil in the WORLD is made in a little town called Montenero, which is on the far side of Monte Amiata, about an hour's drive away. 

After a long stretch of winding mountain roads, my stomach was feeling pretty queasy and I was delighted when we finally saw the signs for Montenero, which was surrounded by olive groves.

We followed the signs for the Frantoio Franci right into the center of the village and found the little factory. There was no sign of any kind so we entered a glass door that took us right into the guts of the factory with its gleaming stainless steel equipment. Quiet now because it's not harvest time, still I could imagine all the clanking and chugging of the machinery in the fall season.

Stefania, a lovely woman with chic black lace-up boots, led us up and down stairs to the tasting room in what was an old stone barn in decades past. She guided us through a tasting of three of the firm's ten different oils. Stefania showed us how professional oil testers do it: using two small cups, one holding the oil and the other inverted over the top. We were told to twist the bottom cup in our palm for a few minutes to warm up the oil, thus releasing the complex aromas. After doing this, we poked our noses into the space between the two cups where the aromas were momentarily captured. Fresh mown grass, flowers and other scents of a meadow wafted up from the cup.

Next we drank the oil and sipped air in through our mouths to aerate the oil on our tongues. This was very much like a fine wine tasting. The luscious grassiness, some peppery notes and even a touch of cranberry was present in the flavors. The oil had a long finish and resulted in a fresh, clean, not oily mouthfeel after swallowing. All the complex sensations were very pleasing.

We repeated these steps three times and noted the differences between the oils. The final one, the Grand Cru, which is the oil that is the best of the best in the world was grassy, sunny, flowery, fruity, peppery and the flavors started out very subtle, but rose in intensity as the oil was warmed by our mouths. It was an incredibly intense experience.

We ended up buying a few bottles of the three we tasted and were rather pleased with ourselves that we had the great honor of tasting the best.

Tuesday is a shopping day

Weeks ago we made an appointment for today at Boscarelli to taste their most recent wine offerings. They are and continue to be one of our favorite producers in Montepulciano. We did a tour and tasting there three years ago and, just like today, Roberta was our guide. Today she showed us the plaque on the wall in the tasting room indicating that in 2014 she was named Il Premio Cantiniere del Vino Nobile, which is the top-rated cellarmaster in all of Montepulciano--no small prize, especially for a woman.

We tasted several of the wines ranging from their simple merlot and rosso to the more complex and riserva wines. For the 2011 and 2012 VN vintages, made from exactly the same grapes, we tasted them side by side to get a feel for how incredibly different they were because of the differences in the weather from season to season. We always learn so much from good wine people. Roberta is fantastic.

After that it was into the town for some things we needed. First, I had some keys made at the hardware store, then we needed all new pillows for the beds so we went to the linens shop. Then we had to replace the rubber gaskets in the Moka coffee makers. Then, because it was SNOWING, I needed a friggin' hat and my feet were freezing, so I bought boots too. WINTER GO AWAY!!

At lunchtime, we walked up the hill and stopped in at La Dolce Vita, which is one of our favorite wine bars. It also has a creative menu of light fare and an excellent choice of wines by the glass. Because it was so damn cold and windy, we needed something hearty. The Piatto del Contadino (farmer's plate) was grilled sausages over white beans and roasted tomatoes--just perfect! 

After lunch we walked all the way to the top of the hill and stopped in to visit Gianni at his ceramics shop. We were looking for something colorful to hang on the wall here in Radicofani. We found this lovely platter that fit the bill.

On the way home, we stopped in at the Biagiotti wrought ironworks outside Pienza because I decided we need a chandelier over our dining table here. They had dozens of choices--some large enough for a medeival castle banquet room. Here, we don't need anything quite that dramatic, but we narrowed our choices to three and will consult with Claudio to be sure he can install it before we actually buy one, maybe later this week.

Monday in Maremma

The Maremma is the area of southwest Tuscany that is mostly flat agricultural land leading down to the Mediterranean coast. Grapes, olives and fava beans were the predominant crops today, and there were countless wildflowers along the roadsides and in fields. On one long stretch of winding road we kept seeing people bending over in the grass foraging for something. Soon, we saw a woman grasping a handful of the thinnest wild asparagus. It looked dark green tinged with purple.

Later in the day we stopped for lunch in the town of Pareta and I secretly hoped the restaurant would have something on the menu with the asparagi selvatici (wild asparagus) in it--and they did. I had a piece of delicate asparagus lasagne made with homemade pasta. Joe had the maltagliati with baby artichokes and sausage--both delicious.

We visited three towns today: Scansano, Pareta and Magliano in Toscana.

Scansano is a working-class town, a little run down, but lively with lots of residents filling the lanes. There's a sidewalk that goes around the ancient walls of the town and it makes for a very nice and scenic passeggiata. The sangiovese wine made in Scansano is called Morellino di Scansano, which is a light and fruity wine, best served young. We stopped in an enoteca  and were able to taste several before choosing one to bring home.

Pareta is small, but has lovely views in each direction. Many homeowners have beautiful gardens, some with palm trees and citrus fruits as well. Being close to the coast, the climate is considerably warmer than central Tuscany and many flowers were in bloom there.

Finally, we went to Magliano, which is a gem of a village about the size of Pienza. There were many restaurants and wine bars as well as great shops for everyday living. Its position on a hill gives a stunning view over the Mediterranean and the islands off the coast of Tuscany. 

There was an antiques and artisans market today and I scored a couple of treasures:

This antique brooch has garnets and freshwater pearls set in what looks like brass. I will need Carolyn to identify it and maybe give it a polish for me.

I just thought this little English-made brooch with the hedgehog motif was adorable and unusual. 

The wine exchange experiment

Last year we tried an experiment, buying a wine rack for the apartment and loading it with six assorted bottles of regional wines--both reds and whites. I placed a sign on the refrigerator indicating that folks were invited to try a bottle as long as they replaced it before they left.

Sure enough, the system worked as there are still six bottles in the rack, but they are all different from those that we initially put there.

I got this idea from Ken Blackwell, the guy whose house I rented in Duras last spring when I was house hunting there. He had a rack with a sign on it in his livingroom and I thought it was a nice way to make sure that guests always had a stash--just in case they were caught short during dinner or on a rainy night.

Roasting the Easter bunny

I could never get away with this in the States. Who among us would actually eat rabbit for Easter?? It almost seems like a sacrilege, but yet here I am in Tuscany about to butcher the Easter bunny for dinner.

They all come complete with a head--eyeballs and holes where the ears used to be. They come with tiny kidneys, a heart and a liver too. I got out my trusty, sharp kitchen shears and turned him (her?) into something that looks more like chicken and less like a tragic figure. This is when I feel my most Italian, when chopping up small, helpless animals and turning them into a feast for the eyes and senses.

Even though it's still windy and raining, I put on some shoes and took a walk around the yard to get some herbs. We have great quantities of sage (salvia), rosemary (rosmarino), and bay leaves (lauro) here, so I never need to buy seasonings--only salt and olive oil. To the rabbit pieces I added quartered onions, chunks of fennel, a whole head of garlic and several carrots. Handfuls of herbs, salt an oil, plus a healthy dose of white wine go in next, then it will spend about 2.5 hours in the oven at 325' and the house will fill with heavenly aromas.

Here, it's ready to go in the oven.

For a first course I will make fettuccini topped with a sauce of sautéed exotic mushrooms. At the market yesterday I found a package of beautiful mixed mushrooms for €1.44! The price of food is so much cheaper here.

Ale, Flora and baby Claudio are due here about 7:30 tonight. As they are always late, it means dinner will be closer to 9. Oh well, it's the Italian way!