Such beauty and peace

We arrived in Scotland yesterday afternoon to cool temperatures, a little wind and drizzle--a far cry from the 96 and sunny we left in France the day before. Still, the ride up to Crieff from the Edinburgh airport got more lovely with each mile and when we finally arrived at our rental house--The Bothy--we were astounded by the garden and the views. I think we shall like it here very much!

After some catching up with Don and Patty over a glass of wine, unpacking and organizing ourselves, we headed into the nearby town of Crieff to find some "pub grub." The Tower Gastropub was recommended and we ate a hearty and flavorful dinner. Mine was Cullen Skink, a chowder of smoked haddock, that was delicious, then I had lamb rogan josh, a traditional Indian dish, which was served with chutney, rice and naan. Really a lot of food! Our waitress was a bubbly Scottish lass named Jenna who oozed with enthusiasm about everything. I'm sure we'll make a return visit to The Tower.

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.