The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
May 7 - Around Cortona and Panicale
Everywhere you turn in both of these hill towns is another postcard shot. Aside from size the big difference is that Cortona is a tourist destination and Panicale is, well, just Panicale ... a small town where life still goes on pretty much as it has for centuries.
Cortona sits on a hill overlooking the Valdichiana (Chiana Valley). It is just north of Lake Trasimeno on the very eastern edge of Tuscany and has become a popular tourist town. I suspect this has as much to do with the fact that it is easy to pronounce as for its Medieval charm.
For us it is always about the people, and in Panicale those have been Stefania and her brother Andrea who, along with their mother and Andrea's wife, run the Ristorante Masolino. All three women are award-winning chefs and Andre keeps things humming in the dining room. He has a superb table-side manner.
The setting sun gave the stone buildings of Panicale a stunning golden glow.
© 2007 Restaurant Doctor
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