Francesco showed me around the town, we got gelato at a little shop that won the Gelato World Championship 3 years in a row. I've never tasted anything like this gelato in my whole life. I tried pistachio, tiramisu, and hazelnut, it was kind of like heaven in a cup. Pistachio was my favorite, the taste was so rich and it finished with an amazing warm, toasted, nutty flavor on the exhale. It was so good. After we wandered around the town we ate at his friends restaurant where we tried the local Vernaccia white wine, only produced from the grapes grown around San Gimignano, it was wonderful. We also had a type of bread soup, I think it was called Ribollita. they use stale bread and cooked vegetables and make a stew like pottage that's delicious. then we had fire grilled steak sliced and put on a bed of arugula. it was amazing. once again, surrendering my long time vegetarian ways for this trip is truly helping me appreciate this culture. The steak was wonderful and the arugula added a nice contrast to the meat and a peppery hint to the meal. simply amazing.
And then there were the Castles.... you know... only built around the 1300's. they were amazing! The history here is so rich. It's interesting realizing that I'm in a place that is so interwoven with it's past, yet so distant from it because of the global economy and tourism. Francesco was telling me that the only thing produced in the rural areas around here now are grapes and olives. He said there's no more goat or pig farmers and they have to ship in most everything besides wine and olive oil. They've gone from being a sustainable community to one that is dependent on import and export of resources... sadly my Italian is still non existent and his English isn't quite up to par to be able to discuss sustainable culture and the effects of globalization. In any case, this town was quite charming, very touristy, but it was a wonderful visit.
to get to this town you have to take winding little country roads that climb up and down the Tuscan hills, the only downside of this trip was that despite the fact that I NEVER get carsick I found myself feeling slightly ill as we zipped around corners and covered the hills. this sensation would only grow worse as we traveled on the ever so winding road to the Chestnut Festival in the mountains outside of Florence the next afternoon.
The mountains in this part of Italy are much smaller than the Wasatch or Rocky mountains, they reminded me more of the Tennessee Smokey Mountains. The festival was in a tiny town, we stopped and asked directions from an ancient Italian woman who was just sitting in the sun by the side of the road, she pointed us the right way and we found ourselves lost in this little village who's streets were lined with booths selling raw and roasted chestnuts, locally made cheeses, deserts and pastries that use the beloved Chestnut, candies, anise chips, cheap wallets and handbags, etc... there was a one man band like Burt from Mary Poppins, he wandered through town playing songs. There was also a 'mid life crisis' band for 40-something year old Italian men playing Pink Floyd cover songs... each song would end with "GRAZIE!!!!!" even when no one was clapping... it was kind of out of place, but that made the whole thing all the more entertaining.
we got an AMAZING lunch. Polenta with wild mushrooms, potato tortillini, and divine sausages that are specifically made in the region outside of florence we were visiting. not to mention the deserts made out of candied chestnuts... we also got a bag of roasted chestnuts, which were amazing too. I never realized they were so sweet, they were right off the fire too, so they were all warm, charred and smokey. we got soot all over our fingers, but it was worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment