The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Re-Balancing
Jet lag doesn't seem to be near the problem that we experience from extended periods of no sleep. Even if you can manage to catch some sleep on the plane -- which I seldom can -- it is hardly restorative. So flying here from the Pacific Northwest involves a short night of sleep to start with, then about 30 hours in transit with layovers (and the occasional mad dash) before the aging body can finally stop moving. Had it not been my last chance for a meal at Acquacheta I wouldn't even have worried about dinner last night.
We've been in Montepulciano on almost every trip we've taken to central Italy -- nine or ten at this point -- so this place feels like a home away from home. What has really sealed that deal for us was discovering Politian Apartments, six delightfully restored one and two bedroom apartments in a historic palazzo in the historic center of town. The building and gardens date from the early part of the 1800s. It was built as a home for a large family and their servants and has been in the family of the current owners since 1889. Like many historic buildings, it became far too large for the needs of a modern family. Giacomo and his sister Maria have lovingly preserved the original features of the building while providing all the creature comforts, up-to-date plumbing and electrical. We spent ten days here over Christmas in 2012 and have been itching to get back ever since.
Our apartment is located on the first floor (one flight up from the street) with direct access to the garden. There are two large bedrooms of close to 300 square feet each with windows facing the main street. The plus in this apartment is the two large bathrooms with showers. We have a Washing machine (so we can pack lighter) and a combination living room with open kitchen/dining area. The kitchen is fully equipped with a fridge, dishwasher, gas stove, electric oven, toaster, and all usual tools needed to cook and eat well. There's even free WiFi access and permit parking on the street in front. Everything in this medieval town is within easy walking distance. All in all, very civilized lodgings!
The day was cool, damp and foggy, but hey, it's December in northern Italy! We were craving
something warm and filling and around here that means ribollita. Ribollita is a famous Tuscan soup, a hearty stew-like
concoction made with bread and vegetables. There are many variations but the main ingredients always include leftover bread,
cannellini beans and inexpensive vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, beans, silverbeet, cavolo nero, kale, spinach and onion.
Its name literally means "reboiled" and like most Tuscan cuisine, the soup has peasant origins. It was originally made by
reheating (reboiling) the leftover minestrone or vegetable soup from the previous day with whatever scraps of bread were
lying around.
On our last visit to Montepulciano in 2012, I remembered having some excellent ribollita at Trattoria di Cagnano, a short
walk down the main street of town from our apartment. We were thinking a bowl of ribollita and perhaps splitting a pizza
(they have the only wood-fired pizza in the historic center of town). The plan was good but by the time we'd finished the
ribollita we were comfortably full, so we promised the waiter we'd be back for a pizza that evening ... and we were!
The pizza was big (about 15-16"), inexpensive (6.50 euros) and absolutely delicious! We went for the Pizza della Cassa
(literally the house pizza) with fresh tomato sauce, ricotta and fresh spinach. It's a shame that we don't see much ricotta
on pizzas in the US. (The exception is Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, reputedly the best pizzeria in America!) It was so good
that I'm betting we'll be back for it again before we leave. Ricotta could be a real opportunity for an American pizzeria
that wanted to stand out from the herd.
They also offered a pizza covered with french fries that sounded a bit gimmick-y to us, but we saw one ordered while we were
there. The pizzas with eggs on top might be worth a try, though. We had one of those in France a few years back and it was
quite nice. So little time, so many possibilities!
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