Italy - Volpaia

On our recent trip to Italy, Vicki and I visited a delightful little village called Volpaia in the hills high above Radda in Chianti. The hills and valleys along the narrow winding road were filled with vineyards in autumn color. We parked near the outdoor restaurant La Bottega di Valpaia and asked for a table. We were told that the only table available was a small one near the entrance so we took that even though there were many empty tables toward the back overlooking the valley. We asked about those tables and were told they were reserved. We found ourselves seated next to two very loud German men and knew this would not be a pleasant lunch so we got up and removed ourselves.

We walked up to the village and found a very pleasant place to eat, Osteria di Valpaia,with quiet terrace seating—this was more like it! I had a dish of sautéed chicken breast with mushrooms and olives in a lovely wine-based sauce.

Vicki had an excellent plate of ravioli and we also had a two contorno, wonderful vegetables—zucchini, red onions, carrots— that were lightly grilled to retain some of their crispness, and I couldn't resist a bowl of delicious sautéed potatoes.

After lunch we walked around the village, which has a winery right in the middle of what looks like residences. There was a lovely view of the from the northern wall and a got a great photograph of a house surrounded by trees in a myriad of fall colors.

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