Our first trip to Italy- Tuscany and Rome: November 5-14, 2004
Day 1&2- Pienza and Montalcino
This was our first trip to Europe and it was the trip of a lifetime- it could have not been a more incredible experience. I spent many months doing online research and reading every Italy guide book I could find to decide just where in Italy to go. I then combined all of my research with the great tips and suggestions from travel reports on the SlowTrav, TripAdvisor and Vinocellar websites.
Since our focus was food and wine, we decided on Rome and Tuscany, as there were direct flights from Newark into Rome and Tuscany was just 2 hours North, where there would be plenty of wine, olives, olive oil and cheeses to sample. I looked at all of the medieval towns in Southern Tuscany, then chose Pienza, home of Pecorino Cheese, because it was right in-between Montalcino (20 mins by car) and Montepulciano(15 mins by car)- our 2 destinations main for winery visits.
We left on a Friday night from Newark at 5:30 pm and flew on Alitalia to Rome, arriving after about 8 long (& uncomfortable) hours at 7:40 am on Saturday morning in Rome. (Note: Alitalia surprisingly had the worst food and the most uncomfortable seats of any airline I have ever flown. The Italian flight attendants were also quite abrupt and unfriendly. I suggest trying to avoid this airline if at all possible).
When we arrived, the terminal was empty, so it was a quick walk to the
baggage claim area and not long before our luggage came out. We saw an ATM, so we got our first Euros and were outside in less than 10 minutes. As we exited the terminal, we met our Rome Shuttle driver that I had booked online for $42 Euro. He helped us with our luggage to his Mercedes sedan and drove us to the Rome Termini, where we would catch our train to Tuscany. On the 30 minute drive from the Airport into Rome, we passed right by the Colosseum and Forum, which was a thrilling start to our trip! (www.rome-shuttle.com)
The Rome Termini was busy and crowded with lots of people, which reminded us of NYC. We held onto our bags tight and found our way to the the ticket counter and bought our train tickets to Chuisi in Tuscany. Most people spoke Italian and English and were helpful to us. The train was pretty empty, so we had plenty of room to spread out in a private car for the 1.5 hr. trip.(www.trenitalia.it) We were surprised to see so much Graffiti everywhere but soon we were in the country and it was beautiful. We awoke in Orvieto, just a few stops from our destination of Chiusi in Tuscany. Having never been to Europe, and knowing how tired we would be- I was nervous about trying to rent a car at the airport in Rome and drive for several hours in a Foreign Country, so I chose Chiusi, as it was the closest train stop in Tuscany to Pienza, where we would be staying. It worked out perfectly. Arriving in Chiusi, we were happy to see the Avis Car rental just across the street. (www.italyautorental.com)
Although we had maps, it was very easy to find our way out of Chiusi, there were signs at every turn that got us to Pienza, which took about 40 minutes. Along the way we got excited seeing vineyards, olive trees and cheese shops everywhere. The scenery was spectacular! Green rolling hills and beautiful stone houses, castles and churches.
We arrived in Pienza a bit after noon and found our bed and breakfast, Le Traverse just outside of Pienza. (www.letraverse.it) I found Le Traverse a 3 room B&B on the Karen Brown web site and had read great reviews from former guests. It was even prettier than the web site pictured!
We drove up the cedar-lined driveway and saw lots of potted flowers, vineyards and olive trees- it was spectacular! Pinuccia Barbieri, the owner met us and showed us around the property and then to our room. There were men on ladders picking olives everywhere on the property and Pinuccia explained that she would be pressing her olive oil in a few days, once all of the olives were picked. She said that she and her husband also grew grapes: her husband made wine (just for personal consumption and for guests) and she grew all kinds of fruits for the fruit jams she made from her property (which we had each day at breakfast, blackberry being the favorite). Our beautiful room ($155/nt. Euro) was in a separate building from the main house and had a private entrance. Just outside of our room, was a stone patio where we had breakfast, and a panoramic view of Pienza above on the hill. I could see why many honeymooners come here- it was like a dream it was so beautiful. After a quick unpack, we realized that we were starving, so Pinuccia made us reservations at Ristorante Del Falco in Pienza for lunch. We were excited and anxious about our first food experience in Italy as we knew only a few words of Italian and we did not know quite what to expect. The staff spoke little English but were expecting us and made us feel very welcome and comfortable. We chose a table outside, since it was warm out, the waiter tried his best to translate the menu.
We ordered a bottle of Aqua Minerale and a bottle of wine: 2001 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for $22 Euro that was very good. We started with complimentary Crostini, topped with shaved fresh porcinis “from the Pienza forest”, pecorino and olive oil- the flavors were so intense and more spectacular than we had ever tasted. We ordered 2 pastas to start: Ravioli with Sage, Ricotta and Spinach and Pici (homemade Spaghetti) with Fresh Porcini Mushrooms- both- WOW! Then we shared 2 main courses: a grilled Filet Mignon topped with Porcini Mushrooms and a Grill Plate of Sausage, Lamb and Pork- it was all amazing. We had sides of grilled vegetables and the most incredible thin fried Zucchini topped with olive oil and shaved pecorino. We were stuffed when they presented their Amaro Del Falco, a complimentary Digestiv of the House and almond cookies. What a way to start with our first food experience in Italy!
We could have gone back to Le Traverse for a nap, but decided to walk off our feast in Pienza – such a beautiful fairytale-like town. We walked through the high stone walls onto the main street that was lined from end to end with small shops full of pecorino cheeses, pasta, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes and porcini mushrooms. We found a gelateria close to the center of the village- we were feeling tired and jet-lagged, so we thought cappuccinos might perk us up- they were incredible paired with chocolate gelato that was like a creamy frozen dark chocolate truffle mousse- exquisite! The cappuccinos gave us our second wind- so we walked around Pienza and started to plan what we would buy during the week to bring home- we were in food heaven!
Dinner that night was at Il Rossellino, a small (5 tables) restaurant in Pienza. We were surprised that we were the only people there on a Saturday night for dinner. The owners spoke very little English, but were accommodating in every way. We heard a cork pop and were given complimentary glasses of Prosecco to start while the owners showed us a giant platter of fresh-picked Porcini Mushrooms and jars of black and white truffles that smelled more intense and incredible than anything I have ever smelled. We decided to kick off our first night with a Brunello di Montalcino, and the owners suggested a 99 PianCornello Brunello that was excellent. ($45 Euro).
We started with an Asparagus Souffle and a fresh shaved Porcini and Pecorino salad that was exquisite. Our pasta courses were Tagliatelle with shaved white truffles and Pasta Il Rossellini (Pici pasta with a meat and porcini ragu). Our entrees were an excellent Chiana Filet Mignon and Lamb Chops. For dessert, we had a Chocolate and Orange Souffle, paired with Conte Emo Capodilista a wonderful orange flavored liqueur and Terre Davino Barolo Chinato- an almost herbal tasting red dessert wine.
On Sunday, we drove to Montalcino and visited the Abbey of Sant’Antimo, about 10 minutes outside of Montalcino. (www.antimo.it) The beautiful stone church and abbey dates back to the 12th Century and was beautiful. Monks that live at the abbey chant several times a day, but a church service was in session, so we did not get to hear them- but it was still worth the trip to see the beautiful stone abbey. On our way back to Montalcino, we passed many wineries like La Poderina and Biondi-Santi. Back in Montalcino, we visited La Fortezza (the fort) and the Enoteca La Fortezza wine shop, which was pretty crowded with tourists. We were warned in advance that the Fortezza prices were on the high side, but it was fun to see and sample so many great Brunellos that we had never had before. They waived a tasting fee, since I told them I worked at 56 Degree Wine in the US.
We tasted the following wines:(Bottle cost in euro)
97 Count Costanti Reserva- excellent- $95, 96 Soldera Reserva- excellent- $135, 98 Talenti Reserva- acidic, tart- $39, 99 Cerbaionia- good-$79, 99 Fosscaole- good- $45, 99 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova- good, with some raisiny flavors- $44. We were tempted to buy … but decided to wait to purchase any wine as this was our first wine stop of the trip. (They charge $120 Euro to ship a case to the US).
Lunch was at Poggio Antico Winery Ristorante. The restaurant was very pretty and elegant with just a few people at tables but was almost too quiet and too formal. I had the $54 prixe fixe and Joe had the $37 prixe fixe menu so we could share a variey of things to taste:
We were served a complimentary aperitif: a 2003 Serraiola white wine paired with a complimentary pureed cabbage and bean soup- followed by…Sausages with Warm Grapes, Bacala with Chick Pea Sauce, Papa al Pomodoro Soup, Bigoli Pasta with Smoked ham, Mushrooms & Reggiano Cheese and Ravioli with Wild Boar and Reggiano Cheese sauce. We each had the same entrée, a Beef Shank, off the bone with a brown gravy and potato puree. For dessert, we had Orange and Lime Sorbetto and Coconut-Mint, Chocolate-Truffle and Strawberry-Mango Gelatos followed by a Chocolate-Grand Marnier Torte and a Ricotta Torte with Espressos. For wine, we ordered a bottle of the 2002 Poggio Antico Rosso di Montalcino ($28 Euro) that was a perfect match for the food and was excellent.
After lunch we walked around town and visited some of the food and wine shops that were open, we visited Mariuccia Bakery and had some of their incredible almond paste Italian Cookies- the best Italian Cookies we have ever had.
Dinner was in Pienza at Le Pergola. The restaurant was casual and cozy and was the busiest we had seen so far, with people at almost all of the tables on a Sunday night. We were offered complimentary Prosecco to start and ordered a bottle of 2002 Butera Nero D’Avola for $14.50 Euro that we just loved with its rich dark fruit flavors- especially at the price. We were still somewhat full from lunch, and the jet lag was starting to sink in, but we had to try as many things as we could- as we loved their menu. We shared a salad of fava bean timbale with pecorino cheese and balsamic dressing, followed by ricotta cheese and porcini dumplings and a barley risotto with pumpkin and rosemary. Everything was excellent- but we had trouble eating even half of our food, as we were so tired. They made small personal size wood oven pizzas, so despite being full, we had to try a Pizza Margherita and a Pizza with Smoked Mozzarella and Proscuitto. We skipped dessert but they presented us with a complimentary home-made sorbet that was made with mixed fruit and Fennel Seeds- it sounds unusual- but it was so unique and delicious -we ate every bit! It was a fun dinner and the least expensive dinner of the trip. We especially loved the olive oil here and we were excited to hear that they bought their oil from Le Traverse- where we were staying! |