Siena with Lenore and Patrick

Toiano & the view from the cottage

This summer we have returned once again, to Italy; specifically to the Siena region of Tuscany.  Why? For so many reasons: first the country is extraordinarily beautiful. Neither of us are Italian or have any Italian ancestors that we know of, but the Tuscan landscape personally resonates with us.

It's not an untamed landscape: it has been cultivated and sculpted by humans for three thousands years--and we like the changes wrought.  Tuscan farmers are proud of their land and heritage, and they work hard to develop, use and preserve their land.  The houses, even the new ones, must harmonize with the history and setting & the town or "commune" makes sure the rules are followed. We love the Italian cypress and pine trees; sometimes so formal, other times random, but always purely Italian.

Tiziana's garden

The fields are carefully delineated and planted--this year wheat, the next sunflowers or corn.  Much of the land is devoted to olive groves and vineyards.  The look and cultivation of those are prescribed and time-honored: the grape vines are carefully pruned and trained and the olives trees, which may be a hundred years old or more, are trimmed and cut back every two or three years, so they are seldom more than 15 feet tall. In the spring everything is green and vibrant; the roadsides are a riot of red poppies.  Later the fields are golden brown and the yellow broom or "ginistra" is the predominant blooming color.

Last year we had stayed in a lovely country house, Casabella, and we had wanted to return to it again this year, but we were too late in making our request.  Marzia, Casabella's owner, however, came to our rescue and found us a cottage in the same community of Toiano: Tiziana's Cottage.

Tiziana's Cottage--from the gardens

Though smaller than Casabella, the cottage is so sweet and is surrounded by gardens filled with roses, lavender, and oleander--all in full bloom. With its many patios and niches, you feel as if you have several outdoor rooms and lots of extra space.  Olive, peach, cherry and other fruit bearing trees are scattered throughout. It is a delight to behold and a joy to walk and relax in. It has a small swimming pool, great for cooling off during hot afternoons.

All this beauty does take a lot of care and effort, and Tiziana spends much of her time doing just that, but she was never too busy to answer our questions or give us touring advice. But she was also very unobtrusive and allowed us our privacy.  Not only that but we learned she is a prime mover in one of the Sienese contrade (neighborhoods), Lupa.  She made arrangements for us to tour the chapel, headquarters, costume room and museum of the contrada, and we learned a lot about the Palio, the annual barebacked horse race run through the central Campo each year.  Lupa's horse has won a few times over the years, and the banners given to the winner are proudly displayed in Lupa's offices.  We were also invited to one of the contrada's suppers and dined with some of the members.   We felt very lucky to get on the inside of one of the proudest and most beloved traditions of Siena.

This year like last, we were lucky enough to be able to share our sojourn in Tuscany with friends; this time, Lenore & Patrick, whom we first met in Alexandria more than 35 years ago.  They arrived four days after us and were as thrilled as we with Tiziana's Idyll.

Siena's Duomo

There is so much to see and do in Siena and Tuscany, but we all agreed that one of the best things we could do was simply to relax and enjoy the cottage and garden and its picturesque setting as much as possible.

One of our favorite activities was to prepare a lunch or dinner featuring local vegetables, fruits, cheeses, meats, and, of course, wine and then eat in the garden.

That way the four of us were able to spend many hours in the garden, talking, swimming, and visiting--it had been more than ten years since we had last been with Lenore & Patrick, and there was much to talk about and to catch up--especially about our children and grandchildren. We each agreed that we have the cutest and smartest grandchildren ever.

Still, we wanted to share Tuscany with them.  Our first trip with any visitors is always to the city of Siena, itself.  We love walking through the town, although climbing its hills can be tough some days.

The Duomo, or Cathedral, is the prettiest and most interesting we know, and the Campo is a unique central piazza. After seeing those sights, we were able to take them to our favorite Siena restaurant, Osteria il Gatto Nero, where the pici, a local variety of pasta, is always great. We love the owner/chef, Marco, who has an extraordinarily gruff exterior, but is really a creampuff; he especially loves the ladies.

Another day we piled into Berlingo Betty and made the hourlong drive to Florence, parking just outside of town in Piazzale Michelangelo.

Florence

From there you get a fabulous view of Florence. In town, it is a madhouse of tourists- it is nearly impossible to work your way through the crowds at times and getting into the major museums like the Uffizi or the Academy requires long waits.

Fabbialla

We decided just to walk around and shop--Lenore in her work life puts on plays and musicals and is always looking for ideas for costumes.  In one of the market stalls, she noticed top hats--half an hour of bargaining later, she was taking home 12 of them!  Wish you could have seen the beaming smile on her face--she found a treasure and had made a good deal; even got a very cute hat for herself thrown in.

On another day we traveled to Fibbialla, Lucca.  Patrick has been working on his family genealogy and recently discovered one of his ancestors came from this little town sometime in the middle of the 18th century--and ended up working for Thomas Jefferson with his gardener at Monticello.

Pisa

Fibbialla is quite small, and we could find no trace of his family in the graveyard, but it was fun to explore the little town perched high up in the Luccan hills. We ended that day of exploration in Pisa, where along with the other tourists we documented our efforts to topple the Leaning Tower--it survived.

Val D'Orcia

We also made sure to show them Pienza, a tiny but picturesque town that has its origins in the 15th century when Pope Pius II decided to raze his native village and have a planned Renaissance town erected in its place--and to name it after himself. It is situated high above the Val D'Orcia, so the views from the town are spectacular.

Pecorino cheese shop

The town hasn't grown much since that time, so you can easily explore it in its entirety in an afternoon, including touring the Pope's summer residence and the small cathedral. The town is also the home to some of Italy's best Pecorino (sheep's milk) cheese.

Cooking with Danilo Becattini

One of our top priorities for Patrick & Lenore's visit was to take them to Poggio alla Croce and to introduce them to the Family Becattini.  We stayed in Poggio last year for a month and came to love the family.

Danilo, the father, is a wonderful chef, and although they no longer operate their family restaurant, he continues to provide  cooking lessons to friends and guests.

On the day of our visit, Danilo agreed to show us how to make pasta dough and then to use that dough to make spinach and ricotta filled ravioli. Patrick & Lenore were ready & attentive students & marveled at all that could learn from Danilo in just one morning.

At Castle Brolio

Part of the delight of cooking with Danilo is that he is such a cheerful and loving man, with charisma to spare--anyone who meets him instantly becomes his friend.

Though he speaks little English,  he is infinitely patient, and it is not at all hard to follow his instructions, even without the help of an interpreter, although on our visit a family friend, Antonella, did serve as our translator.  Of course, following the cooking lesson, we all sit down to a sumptuous lunch of what we made.

The trip to Poggio always includes a detour to Castello di Brolio, home of Count Bettino Ricasoli (A 19th-century politician and polymath and Italy's Thomas Jefferson), and, of course, drinking the superb Chianti Classico, which is based on Count Ricasoli's recipe.  Please don't think that the cheap Chianti that you have drunk in some Italian-American restaurant bears any resemblance to Chianti Classico, because it doesn't. They are two very different and distinct wines.  When buying Chianti Classico, always look for a black rooster near the cork.  It indicates official classico, and you will definitely taste the difference.

Patrick and Lenore's visit, like many good things, ended far too quickly for us.  After an all too brief eight days, we were sad to put them on their plane back to America--but hope they will remember their Tuscan interlude with as much pleasure as we.

Larry, Sue, Lenore & Patrick in Florence