Chianti

We were up early for our train trip to Tuscany and Vicki called a taxi to take us to the train station, stazioni termini. She asked them to hurry (subito, per favore!) and the cab was there to pick us up in what seemed less than two minutes. Breakfast at the train station was cappuccino, cornetto, and fresh-squeezed orange juice—all for only four euros. Our train ride was uneventful, but when we got to San Giovanni Valdarno where we were supposed to pick up our rental car, we found that the Hertz agency was a few kilometers away and there was no taxi to take us there. Almost all businesses in Italy close at 1 p.m. and by 12:45, we realized we were not going to make it. So we called our hosts, and Bob Monroe said he would pick us up. This was just the beginning of the incredibly warm hospitality we received from our hosts.

Bob and his wife Ally live just outside the village of Moncioni, which is in the hills of Chianti. The little house we are renting, called Podere La Rota, is attached to theirs and as we approached it we were stunned by the beauty of the area, it was beyond even what we had imagined. Bob dropped us and showed us the ropes, including the two welcome platters full of many different delicious bits of food, also cornettos for the morning, even chocolate for dessert, which for the most part, was more than enough for our sustenance for the next two days.

La Podere la Rota

It was a warm afternoon and from the terrace of our house, there is a large grove of olive trees, heavy with fruit, along with persimmon, fig, and apple trees. The mountains in the distance displayed a heavily wooded area with trees beginning to change color―I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the camera.

Our evening meal consisted of the welcome feast of Italian meats, cheeses, salad and bread, accompanied by an outstanding Chianti, which Bob & Aly purchase from a producer and bottle themselves.

Our first meal in Chianti - lots of meat!

It is almost impossible to describe the view from the terrace of this wonderful little house. Its beauty is positively hypnotic, making it hard to do anything but sit and gaze out at the hills. The weather has been perfect so we have been able to spend many hours on the terrace, including dinner by candlelight every night. We head off for walks each afternoon, taking roads deep into the woods, which are thick with chestnut trees.

View from the terrace

The house too couldn’t be more charming. It has been perfectly restored, keeping the cotto floors and terracotta tiled roofs with the old wood pole beams. The walls are whitewashed and there are many lovely brick framed arches and sections of exposed stone walls. Every comfort has been thought of and provided. We have NEVER stayed in such a comfortable place in all of our travels in Italy. Lovely dishes, wine glasses, real towels, lights for reading, a wonderful collection of books about the area, a wood-burning stove, beautiful pieces of art and old photographs hanging in every room, and maybe the best of all—a huge bathtub, which sits right under a window overlooking the valley. This is not just a vacation house, you could live here happily for a long long time.

Sunset on the terrace

On Sunday, Bob and Ally brought us cakes from the local bakery and Ally left some of her homemade yogurt. We were lazy sods most of the day; Bob taking many photos and me writing and reading. Late in day we walked up to Moncione to buy a few things, including pecorino cheese so fresh you could hardly cut it. Accompanying us on all our walks is Bob and Ally’s dog, Livia. She is a large sheep dog breed native to the Maremma area of Italy. Livia is an incredibly sweet dog who acts as if she has known us forever.

Sweet Livia

Ally took us on Monday to pick up our rental car in Terranuova. Let the excursions begin! Of course, we first stopped at the huge coop in Montevarchi, where the selection of superb Tuscan food is beyond belief. Back to the house on the hill for an alfresco lunch feast. Once again, our hosts came bearing gifts: a basket of chestnuts from their tree and a new roasting pan to use over the fire. Dinner later was tagliatelle with shrimp and garlic.

Gosh, Vicki's cooked another fabulous meal!

Tuesday, after strawberries and Ally’s delicious yogurt, we head off to explore some of the Chianti countryside. Our first stop was Gaiole, an old market town for a quick cappuccino in its charming long, narrow piazza. Then we headed up to Vertine, a perfectly pretty little village with an 11th century church, beautiful gardens, and many breathtaking views across the hills. At the entrance to the town, in a grove of holm oaks, sits a very moving monument to the war dead of this small village.

War memorial - Vertine

Continuing on up the road, we stop at Meleto, a castle that served as a Florentine military post beginning in the 13th century. It was deserted as we were now well into the lunch hours. Back down the hill for lunch at a little Osteria in Gaiole on the river. Though modest, the Osteria was lovely inside, red and gold linens, white leather chairs. Bob had pappardelle with cinghiale sugo and I had pici cacio e pepe. Being artichoke lovers, we couldn’t resist something on the menu called artichokes in a paper bag. It actually was a delicious salad of thinly sliced artichokes with lemon and garlic. We haven’t figured out what the paper bag bit meant.

After lunch, we made our way to Badia aColtibuono, a stunning abbey that dates from 770. Though privately owned now, the owner’s wife Lorenza d’Medici, runs a cooking school there and all is open to the public.

Badia a Coltribuono

You can see in the pictures that the real story here is how splendid it is to simply drive these small roads through the valleys and hills of Chianti. The vineyards with their leaves turning red and gold, the groves of olive trees heavy with fruit, and the warm golden light on the stone farmhouses all combine to make you feel this surely is the most beautiful place on earth.

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