The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur In Italy
May 25 - The Hill Town Tour

On the way from Cortona to Montepulciano, we chanced upon Il Scoiattolo ("the squirrel") a delightful little Trattoria on the hill overlooking Lake Trasimeno. You couldn't ask for a better view, the sun was shining and the day was warm but not hot. We didn't see any squirrels, but there were lots of birds in the trees below the balcony. I went for the penne al arribbiata, pasta with a spicy tomato sauce. I don't have the recipe, but I suspect you could come close by pureeing pepperoncini into a more traditional bolognese tomato sauce. I had something similar in Venice last year, but they tempered the sauce with a little cream, a more interesting presentation.

In Montepulciano, we took a break in Caffe Poliziano, a deco-style café that claims to date from 1868. I loved the feel of the place and it was a perfect spot to break for an espresso before tackling the town.

For dinner we returned to Il Tinzimonio, a little spot we found last summer. It is in San Litardo outside Citta della Pieve. The patio was not open due to the rain but the dining room was clean and cheery. Margene and Elizabeth wanted to take the table linen home. The pizza was as good as we remembered and the food was well-prepared and very reasonably priced. I went for the cinghale (wild boar) while the others opted for roast chicken or canneloni. Everybody left with a smile, so consider it another successful dining adventure.

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