Welcome back for “Day 2” of a recap of my recent “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy.  Your response so far to the trip has been extremely positive (thank you!), and I hope you’ll stick around each week until we reach the end.  Let’s get started on another day in Italy, shall we?

Day 2:  Orientation at the Agriturismo and Our First Winery Tour

The morning is overcast and cool.  I’m sitting on the terrace, nursing a bit of a wine headache and drinking my morning coffee.  We’ve been given an itinerary with lots of activities available at the agriturismo.  Wine tastings, farm tours, pasta-making classes – there’s something going on every day.  Much like a cruise, we can do it all or follow the Italian custom of “la dolce far niente” (the sweetness of doing nothing).  We’re headed over to the main house for an orientation about the region, the farm, and the week’s activities.

Ahhh, the church bells have chimed 8:00 a.m.  Time to get moving.

We hopped into the car and headed south along winding roads and switchbacks – down from the hilltops to the rolling valleys below.  We turned off the main road into Cretaiole (the agriturismo) and traveled along the dirt path until we came to a fork.  Not knowing which way to go, a car soon pulled up alongside us.  The window lowered, and it was Carlo, Isabella’s husband, who motioned for us to follow him to the main house.  We parked and walked up the hill to a charming stone villa, its mortar supplemented by broken pieces of terra cotta, old bricks, or other stone material that would fill up any holes that occurred over the centuries.  The villa had a large garden to the south (free for our use) that still had hundreds of late tomatoes, fresh herbs, and other seasonal greens.  There were also groves of olive trees (with olives still on them), fig trees, and long rows of grape vines (which had recently been harvested).  Behind the villa, the land dropped off sharply into a wide valley.  Another hill rose about half a mile away, its peak topped with another villa surrounded by cypress trees.

 

We walked into a glass-enclosed, attached veranda to the main house that sheltered two long, wooden tables.  Other guests were entering and milling about – all American.

Carlo entered, spotted me, and asked if everything at the apartment was OK.  I told him I had the money for the week’s rent and handed him an envelope full of euros.  He thanked me and departed.

I detail this conversation because he spoke only Italian to me and I spoke only English back to him (although I did manage a “perfecto” when describing the apartment), but we managed to communicate.  I came to Italy intending to try to speak SOME Italian, but when actually put on the spot, I’ve been freezing up – forgetting the words or stumbling over them in embarrassment.  I hope to do better as the week progresses.

Soon, our hostess, Isabella, arrived.  Tall, tan, with long brunette hair and looking very fashionable in a pant suit and silver necklace, she greeted us all warmly (and in perfect English).  We went around the room and introduced ourselves, probably sixteen people in total – all from the states.  Leigh and I appear to be the youngest couple here, but the age range appears to be mid-50s through late 60’s/early 70’s.

Isabella talked about her start, coming to the area from Milan on vacation and falling in love with local boy Carlo over twenty years ago.  She talked about the area’s history, its sense of pride and place, and how they worked very hard to keep the area “authentic”.  No modern architecture is allowed in the region, and there are strict restoration codes.  Great thought and care is taken in working to keep the local villages and hamlets alive – by locals – for locals.  Sure, tourism brings in money, but it is seasonal.  Families have worked this land for generations, and there is an almost unyielding defiance against progress and commercialization.  These are truly working farms, where most of the owners were literally sharecroppers on this land only a generation ago.  Only in the last two decades have they turned their toil and sweat of farm products, wine, and produce into a profitable livelihood.

Isabella also gave us practical information on such things as parking (heavy fines if done wrong), restaurants, sight-seeing, and money (most places only deal in cash).

We then reviewed the week’s activities, made our choices, and the gathering slowly broke up, Leigh and I wandering around Cretaiole for a bit to take pictures and take in the scenery.  Then it was back to Castelmuzio to our apartment (named “Il Nido”), where I cooked up some eggs and sausage from our stores and we grabbed a quick nap, resting up for our first adventure – an afternoon winery tour and tasting.

After rousing Leigh from her afternoon slumber, it was off to the winery at nearby Fattoria del Colle, just between the hill towns of Montisi and Trequanda (a mere ten minutes away).  Fattoria del Colle is not only another agriturismo, but also a noted local winery, run by Donatella Cinelli Columbini.  A woman-owned winery is rare in Italy, as the business of making wine has been controlled by men for centuries.

 

 

We travelled over a bumpy, one-lane, stone road and emerged on a beautiful hilltop overlooking the Val d’Orcia (Valley of the river Orcia).  This agriturismo was much larger than Cretaiole, boasting two swimming pools, a tennis court, room to sleep over 100 guests, and even had a restaurant onsite, but at this time of the year, was surprisingly deserted.

Our guide, Julia, appeared and bid us welcome.  Julia told us the history of the property (it was built in 1592) and gave us our first tasting – a rose.  We then took a property tour, stopping to enjoy sweeping vistas of the entire valley (we could see Montalcino in the far-off distance) and then toured the private quarters of the owners, lovingly preserved in all of its historical splendor – while still being occupied today.  Sipping Chianti, we viewed ornate, hand-painted ceilings and toured the original kitchen (which was fascinating, even by today’s standards).  We then descended into the cellars, this time to taste a sangiovese blend and also the star attraction of the region – Brunello di Montalcino.

We purchased several bottles (and had them shipped back to the states), kept one for ourselves, bid goodbye to Julia, and headed back to Il Nido.

Breaking open the bottle of Brunello, I prepared a dinner with what we had on hand.  I created a quick pasta sauce from fresh garlic, onions, smoked meats and tomato puree and added that to bowls of long, pasta noodles.  We dipped crusty bread into seasoned, local olive oil, ate our pasta, nibbled on fresh fruit, and drank wine, enjoying a quiet Sunday evening together.

Another spectacular day.  What will tomorrow hold?

 

NEXT WEEK:  Day 3 – A Farm Tour, “Light Lunch”, and Our First Dinner in a “Real” Italian Restaurant