It’s time for “Day 6” of a recap of my recent “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy.  We’re nearing the end of the journey, and I hope you’re enjoying the sights and sounds of Italy as I relay them to you each week.   Let’s get back to our Tuscan adventure!

Day 6:  It’s My Birthday!  An Unbelievable Wine Tour, Pasta Making, and a Communal Meal for the Ages

Today I turned 50!  What a way to celebrate!  Unfortunately, both Leigh and I had a restless night, so she decided to sleep in this morning while I went into Pienza to check out some of the local artisans and their works.

Feeling more and more comfortable with the twisting and turning roads, I drove them a bit more aggressively this morning (especially with no passengers), comfortably moving up and down through the gears of the manual transmission.  I pulled into the farm and said “Buongiorno” to both Carl and Luciano, who were busy with their daily chores.  Say what you will about Luciano and his nighttime escapades of grappa and dancing with the guests at Cretaiole – come morning, there he is – bright and early.  The work of a farm waits for no one.

I joined a few other guests and we met up with Marta (Carlotta’s counterpart).  We then took a morning walk into town to meet some of the local craftsmen and craftswomen to learn more about their specialties and to observe them working in their studios.  We visited a potter and were given a demonstration of painting and glazing techniques.  At the back of this shop was another hermitage.  This one held a “secret passage” that went underground from the shop (here on the outskirts of the city) all the way to the palace at the city’s center.  We learned that Pope Pius II used it as a way to “escape” his papal duties from time to time (as well as import diversions that were not so pious!).

Next, we visited a painter’s studio and watched as the artist worked on a commissioned landscape.  Using only her fingers to blend the paints on the canvas, we observed in amazement as she created a beautiful sunset, with streaks of orange, red, blue, and violet – all filling a darkening sky.  Then it was on to a leatherworks, macramé shop (yes, I said macramé), and a weaver’s shop.  Here an artist painstakingly moved the foot pedals of a loom to create a beautiful scarf.  We also learned that it can take up to two days just to set up the loom with all of its threads and patterns, while the intricate and detailed weaving can be completed in as little as half a day (by experienced hands and feet).

Following the morning tour it was back to Castelmuzio to pick up Leigh.  We drove west across the Val D’Orcia towards the hill town of Montalcino, famous for its world-renown red wine – Brunello di Montalcino.  Just outside of town and up a treacherous and winding dirt path, we arrived at the home of Annibale Parisi and his winery, Nostra Vita.  With spectacular mountain views and a peaceful breeze enveloping us, we met Judita (Judy), Annibale’s daughter, who gave us a tour around the property and its vineyards.

Annibale bought this land over forty years ago, and there was nothing but mountain forests and scrub bushes onsite when he (yes – Annibale is a man) built a home here for his family.  Being a creative soul and art lover, he began to fill the spaces with artistic endeavours.  In 2000, he and his wife, Elena (along with their three daughters) decided to create a winery, and they began the painstaking process of planting over 10,000 grape vines on their five acres of land (by hand).  They named the winery “Nostra Vita”, which means “Our Life”, and its symbol is the “V” of a huge oak tree that still stands watch over the hillsides from their front yard.

Annibale invites other artists from around the world to come and stay at his home, hoping they will garner inspiration from this beautiful land.  They add pieces to the property during their stay, leaving their mark and legacy on Nostra Vita.  Everywhere you look, there is art.  Sculptures, paintings, woodworks, landscaping projects – every turn of the property holds a surprise.

Then there is Annibale himself.  In addition to having a successful career as a wine consultant, his true passion is art.  Not just art, but creativity of any kind.  He draws, he sculpts, he paints.  He is an engineer and local historian.  On the tour we saw creations that had to be experienced to be believed.  A box of intricately carved wooden pipes (he doesn’t smoke) in one corner of a room, etchings in another.  He took us into his workshop, where he built his own beautiful wooden workbench from plans he saw in a French drawing from 1709.  He doesn’t work with any power tools here.  Everything is done by hand, from the planing of the wood to the drilling of holes to drive in wooden pegs for fasteners.

There are many varieties of trees in the Val D’Orcia.  In one room, on a giant bookshelf fashioned from iron (and in the shape of a tree), Annibale has created a shadow box “book” for each specimen.  On the inside, one side of the book holds a hand-lettered description of the tree, its background, and any other distinguishing information.  On the other side, a glass-enclosed shadow box holds a specimen of the tree’s leaf, its fruit or nut (if it produces any), and any other physical differentiation that helps identify the species.  The outer “spine” of the book is made from the bark of the plant itself, along with intricate calligraphy to identify the “volume”.  There were seventy of these, each individually hand-crafted and lovingly placed on its iron bookshelf frame.  Annibale did not create this for public display, a museum, or in conjunction with any natural resource office.  It is for Annibale alone – a way for him to learn about the countryside around him.  I felt privileged to see it.

 

On another section of the property, Annibale is working on a new project.  From the outside, it looks like a plain, square, flat-roofed workshop.  On the inside; however, it is something totally unexpected.  The room is divided into four quadrants, and each one is dedicated to a different artistic discipline (pottery and ceramics in one, metal working in another, etc.).  Each quadrant is bordered by metal framing, and the four “middle poles” all meet in the center of the room.  If more space is required, one can simply “push out” that section of the building, which then slides back on the diagonal from its central position on wheels along a metal track, opening up the space like petals of a flower.  This also allows light from the outside in, creating a small courtyard (or multiple building configurations, depending on how many sections are pushed out).  The mechanics are perfectly balanced, and can be operated by just one person.  There were no plan drawn up for this, nor was the engineering determined by a computerized program.  It was all Annibale – from his head.

This is a man who truly “must” create.  The ideas floating around in his head seemed limitless.  He talked excitedly about each project, snippets of ideas, and his overall philosophy.  A modern day Da Vinci, his friends call him “Maestro”.  A title well deserved.

Next came the wine cellars, which were decorated by art from local children.  Annibale’s creative spirit is also passed along through his wine bottles.  He hand paints either the labels or the bottles themselves on many of them (up to 75% of the 10,000 bottles produced each year).  Unreal!

Then it was out to the garden for a tasting, hosted by Annibale and Judy.  There was wine, cheese, bread, grappa, and good conversation.  Like every other place we’ve experienced thus far, there is no “hard sell” of the products.  If you do not want to buy any wine, they are perfectly comfortable with that (and we had to finally ask if we could purchase some).  Their aim was more to share their family history, their love of art, and to make a personal connection.  I’ve never experienced anything like it.

We then drove back to Cretaiole for Leigh’s “must do” of the trip – the pasta making class.  With most of our fellow guests, we gathered in the glass-enclosed veranda, where Isabella told us the history of the local “pici” (pronounced “peachy”) pasta, the “do’s” and “don’ts” of pasta making in general, and then some “hands on” training, where we learned to hand-roll the long slivers of fresh pici and prepare it for cooking (think thick spaghetti).

The wine was already flowing, and we then gathered up all of the pici to be prepared for an evening home-style feast.

I walked outside and watched as Carlo fired up a wood-fired grill, and we talked about grilling techniques and compared notes.  Over hot coals he began cooking off fresh pork sausages as well as ribs dressed with olive oil and rosemary.  Isabella came out, and Leigh and I talked with her at length about her travel philosophy and passion for the area.  All over the courtyard, people were connecting – sharing stories and becoming friends.

Then, we all sat down at two large communal tables and the feasting began in earnest.  First, it was the freshly prepared pici pasta, cooked perfectly and dressed in a savory meat ragu.  I also tried some with an eggplant sauce.  Both were excellent.  Carlo then passed through, serving us the ribs and sausages, straight from the grill.  Bowl after bowl of side dishes were passed around the tables.  There were chickpea salads, beans and olives, grilled vegetables, and other sides whipped up in the rooms of other guests and brought to the table to share.  More wine.  More conversation.  Luciano broke out the vinsanto and the grappa, personally serving each of us.  He then brought out roses and presented one to each lady.  He danced (with both willing and shy partners) to the music of Frank Sinatra.  We ate cheese and tiramisu.

Then, the lights dimmed and a chorus of “Happy Birthday” broke out.  Carlo presented me with a bottle of the family wine with a lit candle on top (I found out later that his birthday would be the following week).  Cheers, handshakes, and hugs all around.  It was the end of another unforgettable day.

I doubt any other birthday will top this one.

 

 

NEXT WEEK:  Wrapping it Up – A Last Day of Shopping, a Final Dinner, and Time to Come Home