The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Winter Planning Session: San Quirico D'orcia and Pienza
The day dawned cold but sunny, just begging us to get out and wander ... eventually. But for catching airplanes, we tend to start the day slowly, get out and about for a few hours, have lunch somewhere interesting and take an afternoon break. Those whose idea of a European adventure is to go, go, go from morning until night, seeing as much as possible (but experienceing little of it) surely think we are crazy. We think they have it all wrong, too.
As someone pointed out to us in New Zealand, we are travelers, not tourists. Our goal is not to SEE Tuscany as much as it is to BE Tuscany, at least a little bit ... to flow easily with the pace of life and come back with stories of people rather than simply pictures of buildings. Partially because of Margene's illness, we have been a little more insular on this trip -- and it IS easier to wander when the weather is warmer and more people are out and about. But we will come home with a sense that we have been immersed, at least for a moment, in something very different ... and that will make all the difference.
This may be a "Greatest Hits of Central Italy" tour but variety is the spice of life, so we thought we would check out someplace (close) that we'd never seen. The winner was San Quirico D'orcia, just the other side of Pienza and about a 20-minute drive from Montepulciano. It was a pleasant little hill town ... without the extreme hills of Montepulciano. Since we got a typically late start, our original plan was to find a spot here for lunch but it appeared that most of the eating establishments were closed for the holidays. So we backtracked to Pienza before the lunch hour ended. Generally speaking it is very difficult to find something other than a snack bar open between 2:00-7:30.
The Trattoria La Buca Della Fate was the real deal -- high ceilings, barrel-vaulted rooms and a kitchen that knew what it was doing. Margene's system is handling food better today, so she went for the gnocci with wild boar sauce. I needed some protein and opted for an exquisite roasted veal. The portion was small by US standards, but so was the price (about US$10) The food was first-rate, the ambience delightful and it proved to be a pleasant break in the day. I suspect this will also be our primary meal of the day as well.
We visited Pienza briefly on a trip several years ago and remember it as an interesting little hill town. It was all that, although the streets were virtually deserted at this time of year. We did wander a bit after lunch. I found the gelato shop (Margene still doesn't dare try that just yet) and Margene found her fedora (photos to when I can catch her unaware).
Just driving through Tuscany was a pleasure. The rolling hills were multicolor green, the castellos on the hilltops, the grape vines sleeping their winter sleep -- you just inhaled it like a green fog. We got a great angle on Montepulciano as we approached it from the south. Our apartment is uphill from the church on the left end of town. The scooter-like thing (made by Renault!) didn't really fit with these images but it was something new for me and I thought I would stick it in.
After a quick stop at the supermarket to stock up on a few things, our roundabout route up to our apartment took us past the Piazza Grande (main square). Since that is a serious uphill climb from our place, we cheated by finding a parking place at the top and wandering a bit, finally tucking into a little snack bar for some refreshment as the sun went down. Margene opted for an amazingly dense hot chocolate and a cream-filled doughnut (told you her stomach was coming around!) I went with a glass of red and a slice of lemon torte. Very civilized!
Tomorrow is the street market in Montepulciano and our landlord, Giacomo, will be coming up for a glass of wine around 6pm. Oh the whirlwind social life of the world traveler!
© 2012 Restaurant Doctor
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