Autumn
in
Plane
fares were made through Bestfares.com. The tickets were $457 round trip
from
We used initaly.com for the car rental. You need to be careful about all the extras car rental companies add on to published fares. This was all-inclusive and it went very smoothly. I had checked a lot of other places. They use Autoeurope. We got a Fiat Punto manual transmission for a total of $451.30. We were very happy with the car and the service.
Before we left, we used the Chase Manhatten service, currencytogo.com, to change dollars to lira. They had no service charge, and the rate was better than oanda.com. The money came in two days.
I found our first farmhouse on line without an agency. Our only problem here was a misunderstanding about the rate quoted. It worked out fine, but you should get the quote in lire instead of dollars. It was $240 total for 4 nights. (lachiusa@lachiusaa.com; http://main.netmedia.net/lachiusa/engcom.html)
From
travel-italy.com, we booked the farmhouse in
Finally, La Torretta in Casperia in the Sabine Hills. Also through the internet at latorrettabandb.com ( latorretta@tiscalinet.it) . It was clearly a professionally run establishment, and we were more than satisfied with everything.
The flight was long but
uneventful. We arrived in
Narni is an intimate and unspoiled hill-town jutting into the Nera valley on a majestic spur crowned by a formidable citadel. The fortress draws an admiring glance before you notice the welter of chemical works around Narni Scalo, the new town.
We got lost trying to find Carsulae, then stopped to explore Todi, one of the most enchanting hill towns, a warren of narrow, medieval streets twisting and plunging off at every angle, with many alleys whose graceful sets of shallow stairs flow down the center.
It’s a cobble of mottled grays accented with brick, all surrounding a picture perfect central square celebrated as one of the finest medieval spaces on the peninsula.
We parked outside the Porte Fratta and walked and walked. We visited the Duomo, atop a broad flight of steps. It represents a
merging of the last of the Romanesque and the first of the Gothic forms
filtering in from
We went to the charming Caruso at Corso Cavoni 21 for lunch. Our table was right by a 3-foot thick window sill with a gorgeous view. The meal was great. I had an antipasto misto which was very varied and Jerry had tortelli in tartufo sauce. We had a local white wine and good bread and the bill was L32000. It was pouring when we came out, but immediately it stopped and a beautiful arcobaleno (rainbow) appeared.
We drove north and decided to skip
We are a few miles outside of Umbertide, so we took ourselves off there for the evening
In ancient times an
important trade centre on the
We provisioned at the “Coop” (the ubiquitous supermarket of the area) and toured the Rocca, built from 1374 to 1390 to a design by Angeluccio di Ceccolo, known as "Trucascio" and carried out by Alberto Giudalotti. The fortress consists of a massive square tower 40 metres high and three lower crenellated keeps. The walls are over two metres thick and formerly the gates were supplied with drawbridges. Recently the Rocca has been completely restored and opened to visitors like us, who can now move from the dungeons to the top of the highest tower. The halls are used for multifunctional cultural exhibitions and events. They were getting ready for a major art show and the walls were bare.
We were hungry and
walked for over an hour looking for an open restaurant (as in most of
Got a pretty good night’s sleep and woke to birds singing and beautiful sunshine (No rooster crowing, however, these chickens must be pretty lonely). Had a light breakfast and started out.
The Valdichiana:
prosperous cattle country that produces the much prized Florentine bistecca. This former swampland was
first drained by the Etruscans, whose work was allowed to unravel in medieval
times, when the encroaching marshes drove the farmers of the region back up to
the hill-towns. Only in the 19th c, with the reclamation schemes of
the
—This stony hill town is one of the oldest cities in
It was pouring when we came out, so we forwent
further touring to head south around
The city seems not so much to rise as to grow out of the flat top of its butte. The buildings are made from blocks of the same tufa on which Orvieto rests, giving the disquieting feeling that the town evolved here of its own volition. A taciturn, solemn, almost cold feeling emanates from it stony walls, and the streets nearly always turn at right angles, confounding your senses of direction and navigation. It’s as if somehow Orvieto resents the humans who overrun it. The stoniness is greatly relieved by the massive Duomo rising head and shoulders above the rest of the town, its glittering mosaic façade visible for miles around. We walked around this glorious church, which had been recently cleaned and renovated and sparkled like gold in the sun.
Also on the façade are some scary relief panels carved by the Maitanis, father and son. This panel depicts a jumble of the wailing faces of the damned and the leering grins of the demonic tormentors dragging them to eternal torture.
When we went inside, we were curiously alone. When we began to enter the chapel, we discovered that we had to buy tickets at one of the tourist shops in the piazza. Jerry went and got them and ten we spent a long time in this wonderful place. I bought a book with Signorelli’s famous frescoes. Created in 1504, these are some of the most intense studies ever seen of the human body, plus a horrifically realistic and fascinating rendition of the Last Judgement. Just before we went into the chapel, three busloads of French tourists arrived, so we were fortunate to have beaten the crowds.
It was pouring and getting dark when we came out, so we took the scenic route home, stopped at the Coop for bread, cheese, olive oil, Proscuitto, and pulpa.
where we found the remains of a prehistoric village near
the city. “Iguvium” was an early city of
Through Costacciaro on the edges of the Parco Regionale del Monte Cucco.
to Fossato di Vico, a hill town whose 11th c Romanesque gem, San Pietro, contains some fine Nelli frescos. It was locked, but had a charming little park with a moss-covered fountain.
To Gualdo & Nocer Umbra to the OUTSKIRTS of Foligno.
We decided to head directly for Montefalco, passing
through Bevagna a serene and handsome backwater, with a windswept central piazza of austere
perfection and 2 of
We parked below the town and walked up.
As you’d expect from the name (Falcon’s Mount), the town commands the Vale of Spoleto. The local tag of “la ringhiere dell’Umbria” (the balcony of Umbria) may be a touch hyperbolic but the views are nonetheless majestic and once past the modern suburbs you enter one of the finest hill-towns in the area, a maze of tiny, cobbled streets, with an artistic heritage out of all proportion to its size.
The town was the birthplace of 8 saints, good going
even by Italian standards, and began life as a small independent medieval
commune known as Coccorone(also the name of the restaurant where we had lunch). It was
destroyed by Frederick II in 1249, his only legacy a gate named in his honor,
and thereafter Montefalco took its new name.
Its chief historical interest lies in a brief interlude in the 14th
c, when the town became a refuge to Spoleto’s papal governors, left vulnerable
by the defection of the popes to
Walking along the city walls which delimit the historic centre of Montefalco one encounters the four gates to the city, or what remains of them. Porta S. Agostino, where we entered, is the most majestic of the lot with its Ghibelline battlements; Porta della Rocca, where we viewed from the balcony, was demolished at the beginning of the 20C; Porta Camiano takes its name from the adjacent district; while Porta Federico Il, where we exited for Santa Chiara, is named in honour of the Swabian emperor. A number of patrician palaces border Piazza del Comune and Corso Mameli, offering fine examples of I 5C -17C civic architecture. Palazzo Comunale is the municipal office building dating from the 13C; of the original construction a two-light window remains, while the portico dates from the 15C. The Torre (tower) affords a lovely view. The Museo Pinacoteca di S. Francesco is a museum containing paintings from the 13C - 17C. Of particular interest are the frescoes (1450-1452) by Benozzo Gozzoli in the central apse, which illustrate scenes from the life of St. Francis including his glorification among the Saints of the Order, his early companions, and the most prominent Franciscans.
Then we had a special lunch at Coccorone Largo Tempestive set in a medieval building on the corner of Largo Tempestive and Via Fabbri. There was a fire roaring (where they grilled steaks and sausages while we watched) in the small, elegant dining room. We were most anxious to try the famous Sagrantino di Montefalco (a dark red wine with a rounded mouth feel and tannic bite—about the biggest and most complex wine you’ll get in Umbria—and finally recognized by the new DOCG classifications). We had a delicious bottle of Rocca di Fabbri 1992 with our primi (pasta with eggplant and truffles) and secondi (veal and braised beef with truffles) and salad. Bill was 130,000L.
Back through Bevagna to
where we actually found a place to park inside the walls.
We only really wanted to see
When we left
We got to the Coop and Jerry went in for bread and fruit. I waited and read the International Herald Tribune about the American election (what is going on??). While he was in the store, there was a sudden flash of lightning, a crash of thunder, and a severe hail storm. The skies cleared in time for the ride home.
Its origins hark back to time immemorial, as is testified by the nearby deposits of bronze objects found a century ago, and was an Etruscan trading station situated on the right of the Tiber, to barter with the neighbouring Umbrians. The village, perched in a charming position with an incredible view of the entire valley, still presents an intact mediaeval layout.
We headed for Monterchi, got a little lost, but had a beautiful ride. When we finally found it and the home of the Madonna del Parto, it proved worth the search. This psychologically probing fresco by Piero della Francessca depicts the Virgin Mary 9 months pregnant with Jesus, shown to us by a pair of angels who hold back the curtains of the ark of the covenant.
We wanted to get to
since most things there close shortly after
We went first to the
Finally we wandered up the Corso
Italia to the Piazza Grande, a charmingly off-kilter square leaning
precariously to one side with a graceful loggia designed in 1573 by Vasari. There we found the unusual church, Santa
Maria della Pieve.
This 12th c building is Lombard Romanesque architecture at its most
beautiful. It has an eroded craggy façade of stacked arcades in luminous
beige stone. The spaces between the columns of the arcades get narrower
at each level, which, along with the setting on a narrow street, only l\adds to
the illusion of great height. The fat 120-foot bell tower of the hundred
holes, with its before window was a 1330 addition.
The arches in the interior are just starting to get plucked to Gothic pointiness, and dozens of windows light the place. On
the high altar above the raised crypt is a 1320 polyptych
of the Madonna and Child with Saints—all wearing gorgeously worked fabric—by Sienese master Pietro Lorenzetti. In the crypt, with its carved medieval
capitals, is a 1326 reliquary bust by Arentine
goldsmiths Peter and Paul; inside are the remains of
We left
Another wonderful day (what could be called “a perfect fall day”). Although thousands of pilgrims journey here annually, there were few there when we arrived. We parked in a large empty lot overlooking a valley and picnicked away.
Then we drove up to the sanctuary and got a guidebook. The place is a host of interconnected chapels used for worship (Some formerly were the bedrooms of saints, and you can stay there also). The Della Robias were outstanding.
Left a bit late after settling our bill—some confusion re. Agreed upon rate. Settled on higher rate with no charge for heating (a common practice here). The whole bill for dinner was 150,000+ 10,000L—undercharged for the wine.
Took the scenic route to
where we parked below and walked up to the town.
The
It’s very, very nice—modern and clean with a beautiful view. The girl in charge, Lisa, is a bit of a cold fish. She is English.
"A terrace overlooking the world" is the
most complete definition of Montespertoli, which from
the center of the Chianti area boasts views of
Montespertoli considers itself one of the capitals of Tuscan wine and each year holds the first weekend after the 6th of November a festival for "Vino Novello”.
We arrived shortly after 4 and walked around and watched the sun set. Posters announced the the festival would begin at 5. We got some hot roasted chestnuts and waited. Nothing happened. We shopped at the Coop, then returned. It was happening!! There were 13 wines to tase and we did. We narrowed it down to 5. We got some bruscetti from the ladies auxiliary and then returned for our final decision. We got 2 Primula Rossas (excellent) and 1 Parri (which has a strong cherry flavor) for 12,000L. They had a kind of “scorecard” to make notes—might be a good idea for Chowderfest. Then home to do laundry (a whole nother story).
We retrieved our laundry and hung it up—one blue load and one pink. We changed our plans a bit since the Duomo at Siena doesn’t open til 2:30 on Sun, so we decided to begin with SantAntimo, the abbey on the front of the Frommer’s guide.
We drove along the SS2 (the via Cassia) between rolling, undulating, tactile hills where cereals are grown, passing through Cuno, a rare example of a fortified agricultural village built at the beginning of the 14th c and other similar villages Monteroni d’Arbia and Lucignano d’Arbia. The sun came out over the peaceful setting of
standing intact amid olive groves. One of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in T. This abbey has inspired many poets and painters and enchants everyone who goes there, and it did us. The ancient church, built of creamy travertine, called "the singing stone" for the way it reflects voices. It seems that the stone itself is singing! It is one of the few places in the world for the genuine "Gregorian chant"(Absolutely without music, only human voice). The very earliest surviving church dates back to the 9th c, but local people prefer to think that the church was founded by Charlemagne in 781. The soft, honey-colored alabasted interior has an odd luminous quality thatis seen to change according to time of day and season. Recorded chants echoed around the walls. Today, the church is tended by Augustinian monks.
We had planned to stop at Bagno Vignoni to soak our feet in the thermal springs there, but a fine November Sunday had brought out hundreds of Italian tourists, so we passed and went through
A tiny medieval borgo. For defense purposes, it was built atop a hill, which divides the Orcia and Asso valleys. Its main attraction is the Collegiata, a simple but extremely moving romanesque structure. There was also a grandiose Romanesque portal (c. 1080) with late 13th-century lions and caryatids sculpted on the façade.
Impressive from a distance with its broken-toothed fortress on a high hill,
Montalcino turns out to be surprisingly tiny when you get close. It has a few sights and churches and a good small museum, but what we really came for is to sip the town’s beefy Brunello wine.
Developed in the late 1800s, when attention was focused on the Brunello grape (it was actually Sangioveto Grosso, a clone of Chianti's Sangiovese), this superior variety, carefully handled and extra-aged, yielded superior wine. We looked for a restaurant with bistecca and found Ristorante Gardino ‘da Alberto’ where we enjoyed pasta with wild boar sauce (this is a very active hunting area), grilled bistecca, and a salad with the best bottle of wine I’ve ever had: Col d’Orcia Brunello 1995. We stopped at the Entocaon the way out and bought 3 different bottles for special occasions.
The sky was clouding over as we reached the city. We found a place to park just outside the gate and walked up to the Duomo. First we visited the Ospedale di Santa Maria delle Scala (a name we had seen often as it used to sponsor many little walled towns). It has recently been converted into Siena’s principal cultural and museum space. There were beautiful frescos by Domenico di Bartolo, among others, depicting the good works of the hospital.
The Duomo was magnificent, but horribly crowded with tour groups. It was built between 1136 and 1382 and is one of the most spectacular buildings in Italy, and one of the few to have been built south of the Alps in full Gothic style. Many ordinary citizens helped to cart the black and white stone used in its construction from quarries on the outskirts of the city.
We walked to the famous Piazza del Campo just at dusk. The shell-shaped 12th c space is bordered by elegant palazzi.
It has an elaborate fountain as its focal point, the Fonte Gaia. I got a noce (walnut) gelato. Jerry passed. He has a bad cold and is not feeling well.
Arrived home to find our laundry all over the courtyard. Jerry’s going to bed.
Began by driving to Gaiole via San Polo in Rosso, which was closed. We wanted to get there early for the monthly market day, which was not held for some reason.
We walked a while in this small town then drove up to the fortified village of Barbischio, on a winding little road to the east, with an occupied tower.
A couple of km south of Gaiole, the twin circular towers of the Castello di Meleto peer from behind a screen of cypresses over the road leading to Castagnoli, where the houses form a fringe to a thickset fortress. We drove up to Castello di Brolio just outside the nearby village of S. Regolo It was closed but impressive enough on the outside. The building itself passed to the Ricasoli family as far back as the 12th c, and was the subject of frequent tussels between the Florentines and the Sienese. Demolished by the Sienese army, it was rebuilt in the 16th c, then in the 19th c it was converted into a colossal mock-medieval country residence by the vinicultural pioneer Baron Bettino Ricasoli, where Chianti Classico was born. We thought we would sample the fruits of his labours in the estate’s salesrooms, but the tours weren’t running and we didn’t care to just taste.
North of Gaiole is the beautifully isolated Badia a Coltibuono. (Catamura del Chianti—excavations on grounds) The abbey’s core was founded in 770 but the monastery was owned and expanded by the Vallombrosan Order from the 12th c to 1810, when the Napolionic suppressions passed it into private hands and it became an agricultural estate. We saw the 11th c San Lorenzo church.
Seven km north of Radda on a secondary road is the Castello di Volpaia, now a fancy hotel and vineyard. We also stopped at the Romanesque parish church of Santa Maria Novella. We were planning to take a hike from here but decided to press on.
We stopped for luncj at Villa Miranda in Villa, just east of Radda, a wayside inn from 1842, with thick stone walls, yawning brick arches and wood beams rubbing the ceiling. There were several parties of locals enjoying a good home cooked meal.It was 143,000L, but that included an incredible ravioli topped with fresh white truffles. We also had ribboleta (a thick bread, cabbage and vegetable soup). I had “grilled meats” (Jerry had to eat half—there was a thick pork chop, a sausage, chicken and pigeon) and he had Braccola di maiale, a grilled pork cutlet. And we had the house wine, Villa Miranda Chianti Classico.
one of the 3 players in the original Lega del Chianti and still an important wine center, retains its medieval street plan and a bit of its walls. The street plan of this minuscule but historic center is focused on Piazza Ferrucci, where the frescoed and shield studded Palazzo Comunal faces a church raised on a high platform. Neither is an outstanding building on its own, but taken together they form an impressive ancient core that gives Radda its appeal. The center of town is the 15th c Palazzo del Podesta, studded w the mayoral coats of arms of past podesta.
Then back to our home base,
An Etruscan center later fortified by the Florentines as an outpost against rival Siena, CinC is one of the more medieval-feeling hill towns of the region and a triumvirate member of the old Lega del Chianti. C’s medieval walls survive almost intact, and the central piazza is dominated by the imposing crenellated Rocca fortress. The Church of San Salvatore on the square dates from the 16th c. Following its destruction in WW2, it was rebuilt and extended in a neo-roman style. Inside was a fresco of the Madonna and a wooden statue dating back to the Renaissance and representing the former patron saint of the town, St. Barnaha. The wooden gold-ornamented urn on the right contains the relics of the present patron saint, St. Fausto and his wildly dressed skeleton is seen below
The nearby Via delle Volte is an evocative tunnel street w open windows facing out to the valley below—it’s a soldier’s walk from the town’s days as a Florentine bastion.
Outside town on the road to Radda is a 6th c BC Etruscan tomb, the Ipogeo Etrusco di Montecalvario. It’s a perfect example of its type, a little green beanie of a hill surrounded by pines, topped with a pair of cypress, and slashed w stone-walled tunnels leading to the burial chambers beneath. We pushed the button on the little fuse box-looking thing on the right to flip the lights on.
This is a modern, industrial and commercial Poggibonsi. There were about 12 blocks set off for stands. The vendors all had trucks specially made for the mercato. We bought a spit-roasted chicken, some baby green beans, little red tomatoes and pecorino chesse for our supper. There were all sorts of fish, clothes, shoes and housewares.. This was definitely the real thing and we seemed to be the only tourists.
I’m very glad I came back to this hill town, mainly for its Collegiate church, a 12th c Romanesque building with wonderful frescos from the Old and New Testament; a St Sebastian flanked by frescos, cone of which was a terrifying depiction of hell; and a great pair of frescos by il Ghirlandaio in the chapel of Santa Fina. We shopped a bit and got a beautiful watercolor for Paige and Tom.
This really was a “windy city”, this City of Alabaster “on a towering bluff that gets all the winds and sees all the world.” The city seems to rear higher than any other in Tuscany, rising a precipitous 1800 feet above the valley below. It’s a fortress-like town, drawn out thinly along a narrow ridge with a warren of medieval alleys falling steeply off the main piazza
You cannot talk about Volterra without mentioning Alabaster, an artistic handicraft that boasts a centuries-old history and a nobility of traditions that can be felt in every nook and corner of the town. It is a calcareous substance mined in the surrounding area that has been widely used for millennia since the Etruscan craftsmen carved it to obtain urns to keep the ashes of their dead. Many of these cinerary urns are now exhibited in the Guarnacci Museum where the visitor can appreciate all the exquisite workmanship of the bas-reliefs. At the end of the 18th century, after a long period during which the craft of alabaster had virtually died out, Volterra saw a new Renaissance, and workshops sprang up with a high quality production that reached every part of the world, thanks to the resourcefulness of the so-called "Alabaster travellers". The secrets of the manufacture of this warm and luminous stone have been handed down for ages from generation to generation, and still represent one of the highest peaks of the italian artistic handicraft. In the characteristic workshops of the historic centre, where everything is covered with white dust, or in the many displays all around Volterra, the visitor will find great or small masterpieces to satisfy any taste. We got an egg for Meagan.
We also visited the town hall, once again covered with coats of arms of previous mayors. And the Duomo had some interesting sculptures, especially a wooden Deposition, carved in 1228, and a remarkably humane painted terra cotta Virgin and Child believed to be by a local, Zaccura da Volterra (1473-1544). On the ceiling were several very pretty della Robbias
Then we had a wonderful lunch at Vecchia Osteria dei Poeti, via Matteotti 55, a hole in the wall with high vaulted ceilings and lots of light. The place was full of Volterrians on their luch break. We started with fantastic appetizers: crostini with funghi and truffle butter. Then jerry had pappardelle con funghi and conghilio and roast potatoes. I had gnocchi with peas, cream and gorgonzola; white beans with tomatoes and pinzimonio (a dip made with olive oil, salt and fresh pepper, served with raw veggies for dipping). The fennel was especially good and was a welcome change from all the meat. We had the house red, which, oddly enough was called El Palio after the Sienna square.
Through Pomarance to Tuscany’s deep south. The Maremma was a stronghold of the Etruscans, but it was a swamp from the Dark Agtes to the 1600’s and is still a highly undeveloped region. Set in the Colline Metallifere (metal-bearing hills), from which lead, copper and silver ores were mined, Massa Marittima is far from being a grimy industrial town. Its history is closely associated with mining, and there are some excellent examples of Romanesque architecture.
This lovliest of ruins, a graceful Fr. Gothic church that lost its floor and roof centuries ago, stands in an isolated position. With its huge nave and aisles open to the sky, this is one of the most outstanding examples of Cistercian Gothic architecture in Italy. They are currently restoring is and have put lights in the floor, so the lines of the abbey are unspoiled. We arrive just at dusk and it was hautingly beautiful. It honors the nobleman turned hermit, Galgano Guidotti in the 12th c. We then went up the hill to the original church founded by the saint. It seemed to be locked and guarded by a dozen cats. The cleaning lady appeared and rather ungraciously let us in. Inside, the cupola consists of concentric rings of red brick and travertine, creating a striking color contrast. In the center we saw the sword which St. Galgano is said to have thrust into the massive rock as a sign of his renunciation of worldly life. It was NEAT!
The heartland of the crete is this area southeast of Siena. The region is studded w lonely cypresses on sun-baked clay hills, and contains all the other classic Tuscan images, the wild landscape of eroded crete, clay, which you see in many Sienese paintings. We passed through this town and came to Chiusure, a border castle of the republic of Siena in the 13th c. We climbed up and were rewarded with fantastic views of the crete and of the Abbey.
Dramatic and forbidding, the Benedictine monks who chose this spot definitely wanted to leave the world behind. Around a curve, suddenly the red brick complex looms. The moat and stronghold effect of the massive structure remind one that even here in the Middle Ages, defense was an issue. Cypresses and chapels and footpaths surround the monastery, which looks like a beautiful prison. Once inside the 15th cloister, the impression of a fortress dissolves into the serene quiet of a light-drenched courtyard. Somewhere in the complex, monks labor over the restoration of old books, or engage in concocting Flora di Monte Oliveto, an herbal liqueur used as a curative. Their other main product is honey. (we bought some of each—we should be very healthy). Behind the bordering carved arcades, the Sodoma and Signorelli frescoes of the life and miracles of San Benedetto line the inside walls. It was begun in 1313 by Giovanni Tolomei, later on called Bernardo, with the help of the Sienese nobles Patrizio Patrizi and Ambrogio Piccolomini who lived as hermits with Bernardo. Other hermits joined them over time. The new foundation followed the Benedictine Rule. Around the Abbey are grouped smaller churches, chapels, churches and later additions adorned with graceful loggias. The main gateway is surmounted by a square watch tower decorated with an early 16th century terracotta of Virgin Mary and the Holy Babe with two Angels. Along the shady paths are several Chapels built in the memory of the Saints: Blessed Bernardo's Chapel near the cave where he dwelt (rebuilt in 1760), Santa Scolastica's Chapel built by Bernardo Tolomei and the Chapel of Santa Francesca Romana, dated 1644. The grand Gothic Abbey built in the shape of a Latin cross was rebuilt inside in the late years of the 18th century. The beautiful choir stalls were carved and inlaid by Fra Giovanni da Verona from 1503 to 1505, the lectern was made by Raffaello da Brescia in 1518 and the delightful wooden Crucifix is a work of art of the 13th century. Works of art are to be seen everywhere in this Monastery but particulary in the loggia running around the "Chiostro Grande" (larger cloister) where the walls are frescoed with 36 scenes from the Stories of San Benedetto da Norcia as they were told by St. Gregory. Nine of these frescoes were painted by Luca Signorelli from 1497 to 1498, the rest by Giovanni Antonio Bazzi nicknamed Sodoma from 1505 to 1508.
We will hear more of this village later. Its picturesque center (pop 931) is dominated by its castle with elegant Gothic 2 light windows. Belonging to the Scialenea family in the 12th c, it was subsequently a grange of Santa Maria delle Scola (the ospidale in Siena). In the center is the 14th c churchof San Giovanni Battista, while in the lower part of the village, surrounded by cypresses, is the church of San Pietro in Villori
Now we journey into the high Renaissance in Pienza. Pienza is an architectural expression of the humanistic world of the 15th century. A glorious experiment in town planning, it was virtually rebuilt between 1459 and 1462 by the architect known as Il Rossellino, by commission of the humanist pope Pius II (Enea Silvio Piccolomini). Corsignano (as Pienza was originally called) was Piccolimini's birthplace; after elevation to the chair of St. Peter, he decided to transform it into a model town. It is charming. The most important buildings all face onto the central Piazza Pio II: the cathedral, Palazzo Piccolomini (Rossellino's masterpiece, inspired by Palazzo Rucellai in Florence), Palazzo Comunale with its colonnaded portico and elegant tower, and Palazzo Vescovile (Episcopal Residence). A true jewel of the Renaissance—Many Renaissance artists painted their idea of the perfect city. Rossellino was the only architect who actually got the funding to build one. Pope Pius II used his money and power to remake the central square of his home village in the image of Renaissance order, proportion and grace. A papal bull has ensured that not a whit has been changed over the centuries. The piazza, bordered by the cathedral and several palaces for bishops, canons, and the Pope, is staggeringly, astonishingly beautiful. Pienza is glorious in all its parts, from the felicitous residential street along the ramparts, to the iron flag holders and cunning rings fashioned in animal shapes, where horses used to be secured. Today, no horses, and no cars either, which contributes to the silent and unified feeling of the town. The back end of Rossellino’s airy cathedral is sinking, the porous limestone beneath it giving way a little every year.
We bought a hunk of pecorino wrapped in walnut leaves in one of the streets leading into the centro then had a very good lunch at Ristorante “Dal Falco”, Piazza Dante Alighieri 3, along with lots of German tourists. Jerry had Pici con funghi (handmade thick spaghetti) and faraona (guinea fowl with olives). I had gnocchi alla tartufati and a special order: peccorino all griglia con prochiutto (grilled peccorino stuffed with proschiut). We had the house red and it was a very good meal. When we left it was (surprise) raining.
On the 14-kilometer drive from Pienza to Montepulciano, we rounded yet another bend in the road and there, on the opposite side of the valley, nestled in quite comfortably under the lovely hill town was San Biagio, considered to be Antonio da Sangallo the Elder's masterpiece and one of the most significant structures of the Renaissance. Set just outside the southwest wall of town in a quiet pastoral location, its clean lines and harmonious structure (Greek cross with a dome) are a joy to the eye, and although it is quite small it appears to be utterly monumental. It was beautiful, but it was POURING, so we decided to skip one of the things I had been most looking forward to
Rose at 6:30 to get to Florence early. We have heard na==many horror stories about the hours-long wait at the Uffizzi. There’s no better way to experience the village life of Chianti than to drive along the Chiantigiana (SSN222), which cuts right across the hills from Florence to Siena, connecting with a tangle of minor roads that traverse the most unspoiled parts of the region. After a harrowing drive into the city, we found a parking place near Santa Croce, getting to the gallery about 9 (1 hour to the outskirts, 45 min to get in). We were the ONLY people there—no line at all. We bought a guidebook and were very happy we had. It was a great way to understand the art, which is displayed in chronological order, beginning in the 13th c with Giotto and going through the Renaissance to the mid 16th c. Only the Rubens room was closed and many of the paintings had been restored. I really liked the works of Perugino and bought a book of his work. The museum had been closed due to a strike when Paige and I were here in 1994, so I hadn’t seen it since 1968. It was wonderful.
We had lunch at the Trattoria le Belle Donne, on via Belle Donne, a half block up from via del Sole. Again there were no menus. Ihad a great sliced mushroom salad and pasta with tomatoes and mozzerella. Jerry had the same pasta and ossobucco. We ordered vino novello and got o bottle of the Parry we had bought in Montespertoli. After lunch we tried to find the ceramic place from Frommers. We walked and walked and found it—closed til 3:30 Then we stopped at the herbalist/perfume store where Paige and I had bought perfume. I got a bottle of Violetta del Bosca. Came home and strolled through Castellina in Chianti. Stopped at the Coop and got a bottle fo 1997 Vino Nobile de Montepulciano for dinner. Enoteca still closed
For every 10 tourists who give over a day to the vineyards of Chianti, perhaps one will give a few hours to the Mugello, the lushly fertile region on the Tuscan side of the Apennine ridge separating the provinces from Emilia-Romagna. Like Chianti, this is a benign, humanized sort of landscape, with nothing that will take your breath away—but it’s easier to avoid the crowds here, even though it’s a favorite weekend hangout of the Florentine bourgeoisie. Its celebrated olive groves and vineyards are concentrated in the central Mugello basin, formed by the Sieve and its tributary valleys; elsewhere the vegetation is principally oak, pine and chestnut forest, interspersed with small resorts.
Rufina
Dicomano to Vicchio
Borgo S. Lorenzo
Here we overlooked wonderful views of Mugello, enclosed north by the green blanket of beechwood, silver firs and mountain pines from Tuscan-Emilian Apennine, south by the ramifications surrounding Florence basin; west by Vernio and Calvana mountains and east by San Benedetto and Falterona Alps (where the Arno river has its source). In the heart of this land, in the centre, in a naturalistic and important background, we find San Piero a Sieve; it is a medieval village from which the Mugello plain extends, crossed by the Sieve, a rushing tributary of the Arno river.
Passo della Futo
Barberino di Mugello
Just outside town we had lunch at Albergo Ristorante Gualtieri, via S. Lucia 5. It was an excellent meal for 69,000L. We started with a zuppa di funghi (& garlic) that was stupendous. Then I had a mixed salad and jerry had pasta with wild boar sauce and vino rosso del casa. It was apretty ride home. We stopped at the enoteca for Badia a Coltibuono and got a 1995 and 1997 Classico and a 1999 regular for tonight. Also a plate (finally)
We had planned to go to the white truffle festival in San Miniato, but found another in the same San Giovanni d’Asso where we had enjoyed ourselves earlier. It’s a much smaller town and directly on our route. We were (as usual) the first to arrive shortly after 10 and were disappointed that nothing was happening. Then all the “shops” opened. They were actually street-level garages turned into stores for a day—funghi, melle, meat, ceramics, herbs, herbal remedies, olive oil, wine, even elementary school projects. It was great—we bought a lot of stuff. Then we went to the local association lunch place and had crostini al tartufo, tagliatelle al tartufo, and carpaccio al tartuffo with vino novella (brought in in great demijohns on an APE truck).
On to La Toretta in Casperia—it’s great, but was hard to find. This is a tiny walled city on a hill.
We had a very enjoyable visit with Maureen and Robert and the other guests then went for wood oven pizza with funghi. This is a very old house restored by them—Maureen is English with 25 years in the travel business and Roberto is an architect. Their apartment is upstairs where is also the big kitche for breakfast. The lower floor is a huge great room with a roaring fireplace. The guest rooms open off this room—I think there are 6. There is an American woman and her daughter her as well as us. The room is very comfortable and the bathroom is excellent. The town is tine, walled, and suto free. Maureen said until a month or so ago, no one could find it but she has been nagging the mayor and he has finally put signs up all over pointing to Casperia. She has lots of summer guests who come just to relax.
Guess what. Il Piove—siempre! Oh well.
We first visited L’Abbazia de Farfa, a famous building of the Middle Ages. We got there about 9:30 and walked around until Mass was over, about 9:45. The 12th c floor, a wild pattern of masaics, was beautiful. We couldn’t get into the library. As we were leaving, 2 tourist busses pulled up.
The we headed north for 4 Franciscan sanctuaries (St. Francis had rock beds in all of them) around Rieti. The first, Fonte Colombo, was a very simple mid-15th c church where he established the rules of the order (this is the Franciscan Sinai). Lots of tourists.
Next, Greccio, the Franciscan Bethlehem, where in 1223, Christmas Eve, St. Francis set up the first creche. It was a newer building, but interesting. In the old church we saw the rocky beds and the dormitario./ On the second floor is a whole collection of international nativities.
We found a great place in the country for lunch. Peppe Parco alle Noci (Sargenti S, Susanna 21, Rivodietri) with its own trout pond. We had tagliolini wit tartufo and trout (mine grilled, Jerry’s with tartuffo), a mixed salad, nice white Verdicchio e Trebbiano, noci liquer and café for 68,000L. On the way out, the owner said we might have a President by Natale (Christmas)—I had a noce gelato.
Poggio Bustone was next. It was pouring and the only people around were 2 young couples having a soggy picnic under the eaves. It was very dark. The last, La Foresta, was fronted by a gorgeous vegetable garden. We were alone. We rang the bell and a very nice young man—who spoke no English—opened and gave us a guided tour of this place where St Francis and 4 friends spend 4 months (on rocky beds) in the grotto. We saw the teeny tine old church and its newer (16th c) tiny extension. Also the stone vat where the miraculous wine grew. Some nice frescos also.
When we got home, Maureen had arranged dinner for us by the fire as the only restaurant for miles around is closed on Sunday. We have ravioli with sage and butter, good bread, a nice salad and wonderful fresh sorbet of apricots and blackberries. A nice end to a great trip.
No problem—got to the airport in plenty of time and slept part of the way home. We were a bit more comfortable on this flight.