Un jour dans le Chianti

On our third day in Italy, we woke to blue skies! This day's adventure took us south to the nearby Chianti region. The drive in the countryside was truly lovely and we stopped frequently along the windy roads to enjoy the views. The vineyards were magnificent;the leaves colorful and the vines heavily laden with fruit just weeks away from harvest.

We arrived at our destination; the quaint, little town of Radda. As it is a bit off the beaten track, there were fewer tourists and tourist shops than Siena or Lucca. The black rooster is the symbol of Chianti and roosters were everywhere on everything...

Despite our relatively remote location, we couldn't get away from the reality of the plunging world stock markets...

Who knew if these men were contemplating where to go for lunch or if they, like us, were wondering what was going to happen to their retirement savings...

We found a cute corner cafe, Dante Alighieri, for an alfresco lunch. These diners happily awaited yet another delicious plate of pasta!

After lunch, we set off to visit a nearby winery, Castello d'Albola. This world reknown winery is owned by the Zonin family, who have restored the entire medieval complex beautifully. The oldest buildings on the estate date from the 12th century, when the property was owned by the noble Magnate of Monterinaldi. We had a professional but informal tour of the winery and sampled some delicious wines in the tasting room. Several bottles managed to find their way home with us!





Back at Villa Mezzola we greeted Ted and Edie's son Alex and three of his friends who had come down from Florence for the night. Lisa, Edie and I were the chefs of the evening and after picking up some supplies in town, we prepared a feast for everyone.

We savored the last few hours of the evening before packing our bags for an early departure back to Aix the next day. Arrivedercci!!



More info:

Castello d'Albola http://www.bardotti.com/albola.htm

Un jour à Sienne

Brighter skies greeted us on our second day in Italy as we headed off to Siena not only to visit this well known Tuscan city but to meet up with Nick's cousin coincidentally travelling in the area. About a 30 minute drive from Villa Mezola, we arrived with plenty of time to make our rendezvous on the Piazza del Campo.


Piazza del Campo, at the heart of Siena, is famous for its shell-shape, and is very much the focus of city life. "The piazza took shape at the end of the 1200s, on a space that was for a long time used for fairs and markets and was situated at a crossroad of important streets. The paving is made of red bricks arranged in fishbone style, divided into a sunburst pattern by nine strips of travertine. When it was built (the flooring dates back to the 1300s) it managed to hold the entire population of Siena, who gathered here to attend events, tournaments, and buffalo and bull races." Today, Il Palio, a traditional medieval horse race is run around the Piazza del Campo each year. This two minute a horse race is the greatest traditional festival in Siena and is held on 2 July and 16 August. "Thousands of people come as spectators and participants, transforming the main piazza into a teeming sea of people." 1

Fortunately for us, while we were there, it was just an ordinary mid-week day in October or we might never have found Nick's cousin. Jocelyn Bates, who lives in Portland, OR, was on sabbatical in Italy with her good friend, Pat, and it just so happened was able to meet up with us right here on the Piazza del Campo!

Within the Piazza del Campo is the Fonte Gaia, a fountain unique in its quadrangular form and surrounded by beautiful figures on the edges.







We all had lunch together at a small restaurant just a short walk from the piazza on via Rossi called Osteria L'Osteria*. Everyone enjoyed their meals but the homemade pasta with fresh truffles was out of this world!

After lunch, we strolled the streets of Siena walking off a bit of lunch. It truly was a colorful town to explore...

We noticed many young people walking around town with fresh wreaths on their heads like the one you can see in the next photo. We think there had been a graduation somewhere in town earlier that day...

We gradually worked our way over to another major landmark in Siena; Cattedrale dell'Assunta (the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption) located on the Piazza del Duomo. "The Duomo was begun in the twelfth century and is one of the great examples of Italian romanesque architecture. Its main façade, built with a dark green and white marble, was completed in 1380. It is a truly a beautiful building which was added onto through the years mixing Gothic and Romanesque architecture.

It contains works by many artists, including Donatello, Pisano and Arnolfo di Cambio. One of its main attractions is the marble-inlaid floor, to which many artists contributed." 2

Here is the backside of the Duomo as we are beginning our decent from the piazza and the town itself...


On the way down we took in the beautiful view of the town along with the Church of San Domenico. The church was begun in 1226-1265, but was enlarged in the 14th century to the Gothic appearance it has now....



As we walked to the car, Nick, Ted and Jono are either discussing the news of the 700 point plunge in the US stock market that day or how long they must wait for their next plate of pasta!


Back at Villa Mezola, we didn't have all that long to wait for another amazing meal. That night we went to La Tenda Rossa* located right in our little village of Cerbaia (near San Casciano Val di Pesa). One guide book descibed it this way: "There is a shiny red door through which you enter into a very special gastronomic world. The modern and comfortable environment, the politeness of the waiters are only details in comparison to the cuisine level. The food, always very well presented, is a refined elaboration of Tuscan and Italian recipes. The restaurant offers also a prestigious wine list." Another said; "It is one of the handful of restaurants in all of Italy to receive a remarkable two stars from in the revered Michelin Red Guide!" Needless to say, it was a gastronomic experience, the service was impecable and the six of us had an unforgetable evening. If you ever find yourself in Cerbaia, be sure not to miss La Tenda Rossa.

Tomorrow, we are off to the Chianti region to explore some smaller villages and go to a winery!

Arrivederci!!

*Osteria L'Osteria, Via Rossi, 7953100 Siena (SI), Italy+39 0577 287592

*Tenda Rossa, Piazza del Monumento 9-14, Cerbaia Val di Pesa, Firenze.Tel.+39.055.826132Closed: Wednesday, Thursday for lunch, August.

1. http://www.aboutsiena.com/palio-of-Siena.html

2.http://www.aboutsiena.com/monuments-in-Siena.html

Voyage en Italie

In mid October, Nick and I drove to Italy to rendez vous with our Duxbury friends, Ted and Edie and Jono and Lisa. One of their sons is doing a college semester in Florence and you don't need a better reason than that to plan a 10 day trip to Italy, do you!?!? Part of their 10 day trip included renting a villa for a week about a 15 minute drive south west of Florence in the small Tuscan town of Cerbaia. They invited us to come and join them there for a few nights and no arm twisting was required for us to say yes to that offer! Our first rendezvous point was Lucca, one of our favorite Italian towns. It was approximately a 5 hour, pedal to the metal, drive from Aix. We made it just in time meet for a late lunch in the Piazza Anfiteatro located in the center of town...

We enjoyed a simple pizza lunch at the aptly named Anfiteatro Pizzaria and then headed off to see the town. Being a cloudy, Monday afternoon, the place was fairly quiet and many of the streets which would normally have been teaming with tourists during the high season, were almost empty.



A highlight of our afternoon was visiting and climbing to the top of the Torre Guinigi. This 14th century tower is one of two towers you can climb in Lucca. Despite the overcast skies, the 360 degree views of the of the city and the surrounding countryside made the climb up 230 steps well worth the effort!

Somehow, no matter how many times I see them, the red tiled rooftops always captivate me...

It is very unique in that it has oak trees growing on top of it..and they were self seeded! Jono wrapped his flexible tripod around one of the trees and got this group photo. Missing:Ted and Nick who were discussing the world financial crisis at ground level.


The rooftop garden provided a great back drop for a great photo of Jono and Lisa...





and the 'sister act', Edie and Lisa..

We meandered about the town in and out of rain drops....




Driving out of town, I tried to capture the marvelous medieval walls that encircle Lucca.







Nick, Lisa and I followed Jono, Ted and Edie (with the GPS!) back to the villa and arrived about an hour later in Cerbaia right in the heart of the beautiful, Tuscan country side...



In order to get to Villa Mezola you must cross the narrowest of bridges....we wouldn't want to do this often, in the dark or in a hurry!! Notice the very sturdy looking side rails...

Once across the bridge, you drive slowly up a very narrow dirt road, being sure to stop along the way and take in the view....

which just kept getting better...

The last few hundred feet you must take care not to scratch your car on the side of an ancient rocky wall...

and then you arrive!!

The lovely villa, which sleeps ten, has many spacious rooms filled with an eclectic mixture of antique and modern furnishings, art work and sculptures.

This little bridge crossed from the pool over to the house....

On our first night, Edie and Ted's son, Alex, came down from Florence for the night.

We were all treated to a fabulous dinner prepared by Alexandra, the on site chef and caretaker. She served us antipasta of italian hams, olives and cheeses, a delicious entree of warm homemade pasta torte followed by the main plat of veal, potatoes and green beans. Desert was a rustic apple raisin tart with a small glass of the sweet italian after dinner wine, vin santo.

We loved this dining room with it's spacious, square table...

After a leisurely dinner it was time to say buona notte. We're off to Siena in the morning!! Arrivederci!!