[Itinerary Page]The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
May 19 - Monte San Savino and Cortona at Night
Again, despite our best intentions, we rolled out at the crack of noon -- too late for any extended road trip. While there is a lot to see in the area, we have generally not been enthused about hours on the road. We have a 3-hour drive on Saturday and that will be plenty of road time. So we looked for something a little closer that sounded interesting.
The inspiration came in an e-mail from Alison who talked about finding a stone lintel for their house in a salvage yard in Monte San Savino, a town that is known for antiques and ancient architectural junk yards. Need a 15th century stone sink? No problem! A 14th century door? What size? Fascinating!
Monte San Savino overlooks the green fields of the Chiana Valley from the top of its hill. The first settlement dates to around 1100, but it was another hundred years before Monte San Savino could be considered an important local center of Tuscany. During the Renaissance, the town reached its maximum expansion. It was also the home of a noted sculptor called "Sansovino." I don't know if he was named after the town or vice versa. The little town was destroyed in 1326 but rebuilt by the same people who destroyed it. Its importance as a trade center grew when the members of a Jewish community established themselves in the town in the 15th century and remained there till 1799 when they were expelled during the French occupation.
Was this more information than you really wanted? I spared you the various intrigues that defined medieval Italy -- rivalries between the major towns, the influence of the Medici, the meddlings of the church and on and on and on. The history is so thick you can cut it with a knife. Just another reminder of what cultural lightweights we really are in the US.
The town was only half an hour away but by the time we got there, Margene's stomach was doing cartwheels so we only managed to wander through one or two shops. I did manage to hit the gelato stand before we motored back to the house. That area of Tuscany is very wooded. It seemed strange to be winding through mountain roads in the woods. There is a little something for everybody in Tuscany and after spending most of our Italian time in Umbria, we are enjoying getting a longer peek at this part of the country.
I have harbored the idea that because Tuscany was "discovered" that it was more expensive than the relatively obscure Umbria, but in fact it is the opposite, at least according to Bob and Alison who should know. They say that Tuscany has handled growth much better and that the cost of living is actually less here than when they lived in Perugia.
We loafed around for most of the afternoon, interrupting things only long enough for a minor grocery run. Then it was up the hill to Cortona for dinner. We settled on the Trattoria La Grotta, the original spot that Bob and Alison suggested for our lunch on Tuesday (only to discover that it is closed on Tuesdays.)
Over a bottle of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano -- that is SUCH a nice wine! -- we sampled the menu heavily. The real surprises of the night were a riccota and spinach gnocchi (think dumplings) that was almost like balls of spinach mousse (very light) and a heavier but awesome potato gnocci in a Gorgonzola cream sauce. Through a minor translation breakdown, we also got some pici, the local hand-rolled pasta. Think of very thick spaghetti. It was also excellent, but not the WOW of the gnocchi.
For a secondi, we had a veal with lemon sauce and a paper-thin sliced pork loin that was absolutely incredible. We were both pleased that the meat courses were relatively small portions. A cup of espresso and we left happy to wander the virtually deserted streets of Cortona.
© 2005 Restaurant Doctor