Blogging In Italy

Where do I begin? Perhaps with some history… In 1999, while in Firenze, we first learned about Brunello wine, a wine produced in the Montalcino region and made of 100% Sangiovese grape, with strict laws related to its aging. We purchased a few bottles and brought them to our friends, the Feo’s, who had rented a villa in Massa Lubrense near Sorrento. We liked the wine so much that upon return to the states, we ordered several cases. Getting the wine through customs is a story of its own, as we did not know wine couldn’t be shipped to Texas. But persistence paid off…we finally rescued the wine from customs, and if you were at our house in Austin, you may have had a chance to enjoy some Pietranera with us. Several years later, try as we might, we could never find anything about Pietranera online or elsewhere.

Fast forward to 2007. On a trip to Italy for Benita’s graduation, we went on a tour of Poggio Antico, a Brunello winery. The wine was wonderful and the factory amazingly modern. (I posted a brief story about our lunch there and want to mention again that their Brunello is available in the U.S. and it’s wonderful.) But back to 2007….at the Poggio winery, Len was given a large brochure that listed all the Brunello wineries as well as a year by year star rating of Brunello wines. Of the 200 wineries listed, however, there was no Pietranera. We kept asking, but no one knew of them. “There are many wineries,” we were told.

Finally, something caught Len’s eye…Pietranera was part of a group called Tenuta Friggiali…he had found it! Once back in the U.S., he googled the name and voila, their website. How fun it would be to visit it someday and enjoy another bottle of Pietranera Brunello. Was it the best wine ever or perhaps just so special to us as it was our introduction to Brunello and the area of Montalcino. It didn’t really matter…we had found them after all these years and visiting their winery was on our bucket list.

Fast, fast forward to June, 2011. We drove through curvy hills and valleys of olive trees, vineyards, and fields of wheat and sunflowers to the beautiful town of Montalcino, home of Brunello wine. We had an appointment with Emanuela at Friggiali/Pietranera for  a tour and wine tasting and drove with the anticipation of two kids going to their favorite amusement park. We had written and asked to spend the night as we wanted to enjoy the evening in Montalcino.

Emanuela was patiently waiting for us, as we got a little lost, and she graciously showed us our room. Our room was in a house on the property, but since no one else was staying there, she said it was basically ours to use. We learned that they only rent rooms on an exception basis, and we were certainly honored to be an exception.

Our tour would begin when we returned from lunch (they don’t have eating facilities), and would end with a wine tasting in “our” villa. Imagine, after all these years, we would be having a Pietranera wine tasting in our own villa!

Still to come: The Tour, The Tasting, The Villa, Dinner on the Hill, and a most unexpected time with The Owner.  For now, enjoy some pictures of the setting and our villa!

Ciao,

Judy

While wandering through a few of the stores in Castiglione d. Lago, the town above Lake Trasimeno, I, well my purse anyway, knocked over a bottle of homemade olive oil. It shattered, and most of the oil splattered on my right foot and shoe. Fortunately, all of the glass stayed on the floor. Anyway, the leather on the shoes was originally two toned…light and dark brown leather. Now the top of the right one, on left of picture, is mostly dark brown. I take this spill as a sign of good luck and figure I’ll just rub olive oil on the other shoe, just like Len used to do to his baseball mitt as a kid. (His grandmother wasn’t so pleased as olive oil was a luxury then.) And actually, the oiled shoe looks better! So, lessons learned:

• buy a smaller Italian leather purse, which I did today…(great excuse!)
• buy Clarke shoes, especially two-toned, because they are so comfortable and can accommodate color modifications
• buy new Italian leather shoes  (another great excuse, but who needs an excuse!)
• be grateful…it’s better to knock over olive oil than red wine!

Ciao,

Judy

I have mentioned this enoteca before, but it is certainly worthy of its own page. Roberto and Lucia are the owners and are here daily to serve and satisfy. The name, loosely translated, means drunken cheese. Apparently, their invitation is to enjoy cheese, drink some vino or birra, and thus feel good… and that’s exactly what happens at this lovely place on Piaza Signorelli.

Caccio Brillo is the first place Len and I lunched at in Cortona. We shared a plate of mixed cheeses and salumis, all locally produced and freshly cut. The main cheeses we eat are a variety of Pecorino, while the salumis (salami and sausages) are boar…all very delicious, even though I am not a big salami eater. To wash it down, we often drink a delicious and very reasonably priced glass of brunello,  but there are many wines and beers to satisfy any palate.

There is a small lovely room inside, but the best part is sitting outside observing all the people and events happening in the piazza, and meeting people. This is definitely a local gathering place, which we love. Meet Oreste, pictured below, who is often here with his buddies. He has never been outside of Italy, never been on a plane, and only been to Firenze because his in-laws live there. It is also from here that we observe the local children play soccer some evenings.

We have also met some lovely American and UK travelers, and today met the Hilder family from the UK. Even though they had their own tour guide, we had fun sharing some of our experiences and knowledge about Cortona with them. After all, we have lived here now for 11 days!  Many people from the UK tell us they visit Italy to get away from the rain. Although Mrs. Hilder was a tad worried they had brought it with them, the threat today cleared. Happy travels to the Hilder family!

Ciao,

Judy

After 11 days of perfect weather, we had a hail storm this afternoon. As it was blowing away from our house, and we (and our laundry) were safely inside, it was fun to watch. Our poor neighbors across the street, however, were running for cover.The white in the picture is actually hail in front of their door. I am taking the photo from above the green plant beneath our window. The brownish color down the middle is a stream of sand rushing down the street.

After the rain stopped, we headed for a quick dinner around the corner at a Spagetteria we had yet to try. Penne with oil, fresh raw tomatoes and basil…simple yet delicious. Since the weather was so iffy, I left home without camera or purse. Nothing else to record tonight, right?

Well, after dinner, the sky turned a deep blue as the storms vanished, so we walked the town. When we entered the piazza, who else but Maestro Einstein playing the flute again. And again, no camera…only the second time. We sat on the tall stairs of the Commune and listened to him play Swan Lake and other pieces. The photos are of the Commune, just not from tonight. One of the best parts tonight was watching a young girl, about 18 months, pointing at the maestro while dancing around him. Of course, I was thinking of Maven, my beautiful 6 month old great niece. After dropping coins in his box, I asked Einstein when he might return, but he wasn’t sure. Hopefully, hopefully, I will be able to capture him on camera before we leave.

As for the trip to Montalcino, there is sooo much to write it will take several posts, but they will start soon!

Ciao,

Judy

We are in Montalcino for one night…Brunello country, our very favorite vino.  So much to tell but limited internet, so for now, we had lunch at Poggio Antico, a winery we toured a few years ago and just happened to find. Both the wine and the food were  wonderful…Len had lamb chops and I had ravioli, and of course, we each had a glass of Poggio Brunello. Tonight we are staying at Tenuta Friggiali/Pietranera and have our own villa, although we only rented a room. So much more about that later, but for now, enjoy the pictures from Poggio, which you can buy in the US….well, the wine anyway. What a day!

Ciao,

Judy

6.19.2011
Touchdown in Roma