Italy summer vacation part two, Tuscany

After our Umbria adventures our sights turned to Tuscany. There we met up with our friend Chris and his family to celebrate his 50^th Birthday. We had a large group of fourteen people in all. Thankfully we also had a beautiful and large villa reserved, Villa Il Laghetto, near Castroncello. This location may seem in the middle of nowhere but it was the perfect base for our day trips. Upon arrival we were greeted by Chef Alessandro who cooked dinner for us all – no small feat for this many people. Getting everyone situated, including six children, would have made preparing dinner that same night nearly impossible. Chef Alessandro ended up making breakfast for most of our stay, which made getting out of the house fantastically easy.

The next day, after breakfast, we were off to Siena which was just over an hour away. We happened to stumble upon the celebrations for the winner of the historic Palio di Siena – a horse race which has been held in Siena for centuries, and now takes place in the Piazza del Campo, the main square in the city center. The city was absolute madness, in a good way, with the winning horse being paraded all around town. Our must-see attraction was the Siena Cathedral which was simply amazing. Weather you appreciate architecture, paintings, statues, tilework, or mosaics you will find them all here in abundance.

On a related note, we made one reservation, while we were in Tuscany with our large group, and it proved to be a rather unfortunate experience. We made the reservation at La Prosciutteria Crudi e Bollicine Siena and really should have taken a closer look at the menu and the restaurant. It is not that the food was bad. As a matter of fact, it was authentic for that area. But the first problem was the seating situation. Even with a reservation, the quarters were very tight for our large group and we encroached on other peoples’ tables. The second problem was that none of the kids would touch anything on the menu, and there were no simple spaghetti dishes which could be served as a backup. We learned a lesson that day: Rather than reserving in advance with a large group, walking around and simply finding a place which could seat us comfortably worked a lot better. On the way back we stopped at the Fèlsina wine estate which was a bit of a failure as well. The estate itself was lovely and the wine all right, but the hosts seemed annoyed that we brought kids who would not sit quietly at the table – needless to say we did not stay long.

The next day was probably one of my favorite days of the entire vacation. Our objective was to do a scenic drive through various villages and we started with Montepulciano. Montepulciano is an absolute gem of a village sitting atop a high ridge with amazing views of the Val d'Orcia and Val di Chiana valleys. After finding some parking, which was a bit of a challenge, we first climbed the Palazzo Comunale tower. The views are phenomenal from the tower and it is easily a must do when in Montepulciano.

But it is the second main attraction in the village which took our breath away, namely the De’ Ricci Winery which is only a few steps away. The small entrance is deceiving. After descending underground one quickly realize why this place is often referred to as the Cathedral of Wine. Right under the main plaza you will find gigantic pillars which seamlessly blend with the underground cave to crate a marvelous structure which resembles a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. Inside you will find barrels of wine so large they will blow your mind. From what I understood, this cathedral is still actively used to refine some of the winery’s production. It gets even better from there. Heading down a bit deeper through a narrow tunnel allows one reaches a large circular cave. This cave dates back all the way to the Etruscan period around the 4^th century BC. Surrounding it are tiny passage ways and rooms where one can imaging people gathering and sleeping such a long ago – an absolutely stunning experience.

Shortly thereafter the two brothers who run the winery, Nicolò and Francesco, chauffeured us to the actual vineyard for a lunch and a tasting. They both were wonderful hosts, patiently explaining the food the wines we were tasting. The large outdoor space and tasty food kept the kids entertained, while we enjoyed a delightful experience inside. We had such a good time that we ended up ordering a whole case of wine to be sent back to Austin. We had to wait for it a bit once we got back as they refused to send it to Texas until the temperatures dropped in the late fall, to ensure the wines would arrive as tasty as we remembered them – they did.

Next on our itinerary was Pienza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Val d'Orcia. The drive between Montepulciano, through Montichello, to Pienza is very lovely - although we would have enjoyed in even more in a proper sports car instead of our Jeep Compass rental. On the way there, we had to make a little detour however to the Strada di Terrapille, also referred to as the Gladiator Road. If you are a fan of the movie Gladiator then this is a must stop for you just before Pienza. Here you will find the Elysian Fields where Maximus walks through the wheat fields towards his home. Depending from which side you approach, it may be a bit of hike to get there. And while there are a few private property signs, it did not stop us nor a handful of other visitors. You will find the house from the movie and if you are patient, you can find the exact location from which the memorable scenes in the movie were shot.

Once we got our workout out of the way, it was time to explore Pienza. Our first stop was Bar Il Casello. While the service left a lot to be desired, the views from the town wall were amazing, and the drinks were very lovely as well. We were pretty parched at that point, so take the drinks comment with a grain of salt. Thereafter we explored Pienza, which like so many little villages in this area is full of cobblestone streets and quaint restaurants. We let the kids explore the place on their own, while we looked for a suitable restaurant, knowing full well that sooner or later we would run into them again. We eventually settled on Case Nuove as it had a lovely outdoor sitting area where we could all eat comfortably, while all the kids played tag through the adjacent alleys. We were not disappointed, the home-made pasta was delicious, especially the Pappardelle al Cinghiale. The portion sizes were very generous, we over ordered by quite a bit, and the service was excellent.

This lovely stop unfortunately concluded our Tuscan adventures for this time. The next day after breakfast we were back on the road. While our friends finished up their trip in northern Italy visiting Lake Como and Milan, we headed way south to Puglia to explore the Adriatic coast of Italy. As a side note, the Gladiator stop was my only contribution to the Tuscany adventure – our friend Nancy planned everything else including the Villa, the Chef, any required tickets and so on. Needless to say, she did an absolutely amazing job!