Touch of Tuscany

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Our week in Tuscany was great! The place we stayed was perfect and the location was just where we needed to be.

We could drive in all directions and within 30 minutes be in any of dozens of medieval villages and towns that were built on hilltops with walls still intact, churches large and small, squares to sit and enjoy wine, cappuccino, or gelato, and walks down alleys of cobblestones. The views were always stunning from these hilltop villages. As we drove around we would be passing fields of vineyards or gray green olive groves, the many roads and drives were lined with towering cypress trees and dotted with ancient stone farmhouses.

We were trying to come up with three words to best describe Tuscany. It was a difficult task (but we may have found a new game in the process!).

Balanced                      Tranquility                                    Earthy

Instead of going on and on about all the beautiful places we saw in our week, I will let the pictures speak for themselves. 

Village of Ciciano

San Galgano Abbey

 Galgano Guidotti was born in Chiusdino in 1148, the only son of Guido and Dionisia. From his youth, Galgano leads rather a dissolute life, until, at the age of 32, the Archangel Gabriel appears to him in a dream and tells him to follow him. In the dream, Galgano receives an order from the 12 apostles to build a round chapel at Montesiepi and to retire there to live. His mother and friends try to convince him to desist, but his horse takes fright and takes him to Montesiepi. At Montesiepi, Galgano thrusts the Sword forcefully into the ground to make a cross and miraculously the Sword gets stuck in the stone. This situation causes quite a sensation and Montesiepi becomes filled with many pilgrims asking Galgano to outperform Miracles. Before his canonization in 1185, 19 such miracles occur.

Chapel where you can see the Sword in the Stone

Remains of the Abbey

Village of Monteriggiano

Very small village of Torri, right next to Montestigliano. We discovered this abbey in the back of Torri.

Beautiful countryside that is covered in sunflowers in July

Dom in Siena

Plaza del Campo in Siena

Sunrise in Montestigliano

Volterra

Wine tasting in Castello di Brolio with Megan and Bob

One of many delicious meals in Tuscany with Bob, Jan, Maureen, and Megan

MY AUSTRIAN VIGNETTE

A “vignette” is a small, colored sticker affixed to your car windshield to indicate that you have paid the “road tax”. It can be purchased for a valid period of 1 year, or as little as 10 days. On our drive from Munich to Italy, we knew that we would be passing very briefly thru Austria, before heading on into Switzerland and Lichtenstein. Our friends had told us that we wouldn’t be in Austria long enough that we’d have to worry about it.

Driving thru Austria consisted of traveling a series of extensive tunnels that bore literally right thru the Alps. At the end of one such tunnel, we came into a small, picturesque village. Fearful of the “Road Tax” police pulling us over and fining us up to 300 Euro for tax evasion, I elected to pull in for gas and to purchase my vignette. The girl behind the counter willingly sold me a 10 day vignette for the low price of 8 Euro. Newly affixed to our windshield, I pulled out of the gas station, turned left, drove 100 yards and over a bridge. At the end of the bridge was a Swiss flag and a “Welcome to Switzerland” sign. I had driven legally in Austria for about 30 seconds, and for only the low price of 8 Euro.

We laughed for quite a while over that one.

Cooking at Fattoria Resta

 A highlight of the week for sure was a day we spent near Buonocenvento, Italy at Fattoria Resta. On this beautiful ‘farm’, Anna Lisa Tempestini has a vineyard where she produces about 6,000 bottles of Martin del Niro wine. We were privileged to spend the day with Anna Lisa. She showed us her vineyard and the grounds where she lives, produces her wine, and does an occasional cooking class. She is a very interesting, energetic, and committed person! The buildings on this fattoria were just awesome. She and her husband have slowly restored the grounds and buildings over time and have done a superb job. There is even a small chapel complete with the altar that was there when they bought it.

Driving up to Fattoria Resta

  The first thing she showed us was a beautiful room just recently restored where they can host dinners (probably for 70 people if she needed to). It was simple, but so rustic, natural and unpretentious. We proceeded to follow her to basement where the wine is kept. In the middle of the room is a brick square (resembles a fireplace in size) that travels up the center of the room. They discovered etched in the brick a message from Martin del Niro, the head mason. He blesses the wine growers, and asks forgiveness for any imperfections in the building. It is dated 1573. They found another message in a tile on the roof, documenting the finishing of the building in 1575.

  We joined her in the kitchen and made a beautiful meal, complete with tiramisu! We made our own pasta and focaccia bread, chicken, a roasted eggplant dish, and a side of sundried tomatoes. Handmade pici (pasta) and fresh porcini mushrooms, which was impressive! It was amazing! As we finished Anna Lisa said, “Let’s carry the wooden table out on the balcony. It is such a lovely day to eat outside!” We set the table and we all sat down to the most wonderful lunch accompanied by some Martin del Niro!!! 

Anna Lisa put our beautiful pici in the boiling water - yes, they do add olive oil to the water

The day was just perfect. Anna Lisa was such a sincere, interesting, and easy person to spend the day with. We enjoyed the food, company, wine, and fattoria. Molto buona!!!! 

Resting after cooking and eating

Arriving at Montestigliano

From Lake Como we headed south for a week in Tuscany. We rented a 3-bedroom apartment that is part of a villa and working farm.  They used to produce grapes for wine, but now they just harvest olives and run the villa as guest apartments of various sizes. We had heard about this place from someone we met in France last spring. She and her husband are avid travelers and they had stayed here a half of a dozen times. It did not fail to live up to what we had been told!

This building had 2 apartments in it. One was ours.

A little outside sitting area across from our place. The surrounding hills and valleys were stunning.

Main Villa at the top of the drive from our place.

Days before our arrival, Francesco had emailed me and said there was going to be a dinner in honor of the owners granddaughter who was turning 18. Guests were invited as well as family and friends of Georgia, the 18 year old. Since it was the night we arrived we thought it was probably a good call not knowing where we were even going to be in the area.

The party was held in a huge barn type building where in a month all the olives will be laid out on straw mats to dry after harvest. The room itself was awesome – all stone with huge beams and a very high ceiling. The place was set up with long tables for guests and then another set for family and friends. It was a great way to meet the other people staying there as well. 

Megan and Janice

Maureen, Bob, Georgia and the cookie

 The party was just perfect – food, drink, singing, dancing and a relaxed atmosphere. When we knew we were coming to a birthday party Bob suggested we get a “German gift” for her. What do you bring an 18 year old from Germany? Well… we had just been to Oktoberfest so they sell these large gingerbread cookies on a string that girls wear around their necks. We looked for one that said Happy Birthday and couldn’t find one so we got one that said Oktoberfest.  It was in my purse, and after sizing up the situation it was going to stay in my purse. Megan would not hear of that and as we told the other guests about the cookie it became a game. Who could get a picture with Georgia and the cookie had to be in the picture too (without her really knowing it). We had some very good laughs with this and eventually she was told the story and happily put the cookie around her neck! 

Even the limbo

Italians singing karaoke. They were having a blast and many of the songs were oldies from America.

The whole night was a great way to begin our week in Tuscany!

The meal ended with limencello.