Palazzo I Ricci

The Ricci family was just that, molto ricco.  If their imposing palazzo right in the heart of Montepulciano is any indication, they had money, power, influence and lots and lots of wine, water and food stored in the cellars beneath their palace.  In fact, when the family began digging to set the foundation for this huge palazzo in the early Renaissance, they came upon.... you guessed it, Etruscan ruins.

The family crest, seen here, greets you as you enter the palazzo and begin descending into the labyrinth of the cellars. 

On the right you see rather fierce black birds along with the family motto: Provoke and Protect.  On the left is a porcupine.  The porcupine was considered a powerful little creature and he is now featured on the family wine label.

As you descend, there are layers and layers of bedrock, along with a special kind of cement that the Etruscans used.  The cellars are dug into clay and tuffa, that keep the place at the perfect temperature for storing food and wine.

Exploring the caverns:

Florentine steak

 Okay, so I have always wanted to try a Florentine steak, a huge slab of Chianina beef from the distinctive breed of cattle from Tuscany.  When you order it at a restaurant, it is handled as a sacred event.  They bring the raw steak out for you to admire.  Then they cook it... barely! (and seriously, do not ask for it to be well-done)  The steak is just seared on both sides and it is done.  It's basically rare to medium rare.  Then, it is sliced up by the maestro:

And you enjoy it with a Vino Nobile:

And then a stroll home while pondering the glory of it all:

Etruscan ceramic lab

 Today my class drove to Chiusi and the Kamars ceramic studio.  Kamars is the Etruscan name of this area.  This studio makes beautiful works using ancient techniques, including the clays and pigments.  

Flavio Foderini, seen in the back here, has been running the family business since his dad handed it over to him.  Here he is presenting a work to Pope Francis:

Flavio is glorious, with fantastic forearms, beautiful hands and a great sense of humor.  He gave us a lesson in clays and pigments, an overview of Etruscan design, and then set us to work:

With my plate, I'm afraid I went a little Grecian.... it's not exactly Etruscan.... but oh well:

Tonight he is going to fire them and on Friday, our last day of class, we get them!  Yay!

Etruscans, Etruscans... a marvel and mystery

 The Etruscans were the people, the culture and civilization, that lived on the Italian peninsula and thrived from around 700-300 B.C.E.  And when I say thrived, I mean created a social structure, an aesthetic, a fascinating cosmology, a life that suggests quite a bit of leisure time and attention to health and beauty.  And, unlike the Greeks and Romans, women were independent, valued, respected, and their contributions to society were unmatched.  It was almost matriarchal.  There is a lot to learn about this civilization and every time I visit a museum I vow to read more about them. 

Most of the material culture left behind is found in their tombs.  Like the Egyptians, they prepared the body for what they believed to be a journey to a new world.  The Etruscans cremated their dead, put the ashes and bones in canopic jars, and then, along with many household items, food, wine, favorite things, were put in an underground tomb:

The canopic jars were ceramic, with interesting decorations.  It used to be thought that the head lid was meant to resemble the person inside.  But now, they think it's just a reminder of a human form.

The practice of making canopic jars was prevalent in this area, which is Chianciano, which is where the museum is that we visited.  In other areas, travertine and alabaster were used to create urns that featured the deceased lounging at a party... which is what they thought the afterlife was all about!

Another interesting thing that was found in this area is a set up for wine making.  A press, a filter, a spigot.... and... hundreds of grape seeds that had calcified (in the little tube):

This varietal, I forgot which one, is still being grown in this area!

Lastly, check out this Etruscan sculpture:  woman, seated on a throne, with a baby in her lap.  It's the pieta!

We rode the bus back to Montepulciano.  As I was walking up the hill, I decided to try a small pizzeria that I have been curious about.  Here's the T:

 

 

Sunday routine ~ a stroll, lunch, a sweet and coffee

 Buongiorno e buona domenica!

My usual Sunday involves an early morning walk down to the Conad and a hike up the hill with my groceries.  Then I like to go to mass.  But today:

No problem.  Just onward.  As I was walking to the grand piazza I heard drums and I knew that something was cooking.  Historically, drums mean trouble.  They are a harbinger of looting, pillaging, causing all sorts of issues like broken pottery, cigarette burns in carpets, and general messes.  But I followed the beat of the drums until I came to this spectacle in the piazza.  Now is the time when all the contrade (neighborhoods) are getting all psyched for the annual wine barrel roll from the base of Montepulciano to the top.  Each neighborhood has a team of two men who roll this enormous wine barrel, weighing over a 100 pounds, up the steep streets of Montepulciano:

After this, I headed home to make a gorgeous lunch.  First, chop carrots and onions:

Then, add a sauce with black truffle:

Add pici fatto a mano to salted boiling water:

Pici is a tradition Tuscan pasta.  Thick and chewy.  Molto!

Open a simple bottle of Dei Rosso, which is grown and made right in the Val d'Orcia not 2 miles away:

Then.... nestle in to the Loggia of Splendor:

Always a dolce and caffe on Sunday.  So, :

Ah....ponder, think, be thankful for everything:

A presto!  Ciao!

 

Godimento Divino!

 Godimento Divino translates to "Divine Enjoyment" and divine is definitely is!  Last night, Mike, a fellow student, and I dined there and.... well.... it was superb.

The restaurant is built into what was once an open courtyard as there is an old well right in the middle of it.  Lots of romanesque arches and big chunks of tuffo sticking out of the walls.

We began with a selection of local salumi (cured meats): wild boar, cappocollo, pork with fennel, prosciutto...  gorgeous:

Amazing.  Then I had the roasted rabbit with fennel, potatoes and spinach as sides.  SO very divine.  The best rabbit I've ever had.  Moist, savory, salty....

The wine is just a simple Rosso from the Cantina Cantucci.  Fab.  Mike had fresh tagliatelle with shaved black truffles.

And for dolce, I had the vin santo with biscotti.  Love it!

Squisito!
 

Montefollonico and the noble Trecci's

 A group of hardy fellow students and I walked the 2.5 hour hike to the hilltop town of Montefollonico:

The long and winding strada bianca that leads to this medieval borgo that for most of its life was the home of a monastery where the monks made felt and other woolen products.  The wool was sent up to them and they did the rest.  Apparently it was a lucrative business as it kept the monastery going strong for centuries. Now it is a tourist attraction, for very few tourists.  The population of the town is 149.  Alas. 

 Here we are in our moment of victory!

And here we are all smashed into a taxi to take us home.

I finished my two weeks of private lessons today.  What a wonderful experience.  I worked with Vanessa and we had such fun.  I learned a lot and gained much confidence.  A little stroll around Montepulciano this afternoon.  One spot I think it so interesting and lovely is the Porta della Farina.  Literally, the portal for the flour.  This was the way in from the mills that were located in the valley.  

Notice the remaining fresco decoration.  Right next to it is the chapel that belonged to the noble family I Trecci.  This sweet little chapel is so darling and intimate and it is connected to an interesting study, that frankly looks like some 300 year old scholar is still using it.

Behind iron bars is a real prize, a bottle of I Trecci Vino Nobile from 1870.

The portal, the chapel, the study are all connected to the Palazzo of the family Trecci:

I would love a palazzo :)

Conad run

 

Grocery shopping in another country is always interesting... at least to me :)

Thoughts from the Tower of Splendor

 

Saturday hike ~ la strada bianca

 Just two quick videos today!

First:

And then:

Villa Trecci

 

Yesterday, myself and a group of students from Il Sasso took the long and windy road from Montepulciano to Villa Trecci.  It was about a one hour hike, up and down hills, to this beautiful park.  On land that was once part of a noble family's estate, Villa Trecci was conceptualized as a place where the land could be reimagined as a thriving and eco-sustainable Eden.  There is more than meets the eye here.  By that, I mean that a lot of stuff is going on 'behind the scenes.'  

There is no irrigation here.  Instead, the park uses a series of underground cisterns that are filled by the rains every spring and then called upon to water (minimally) the sections of the park that may require it.

There are many large beds of plantings, mostly of native vegetation and flowers.  Lilies, irises, lavender, rosemary, etc. 

Many trickling water features and here and there.  The rose garden has multiple varieties of old roses that were saved from extinction.

You can see Montepulciano in the WAY distance.... try not to think about the fact that you have to walk BACK!

The grand daddy of their olive orchard is this 200 year old wonder:

Oh.  It reminded me of the ANCIENT olive trees I saw in Puglia years ago.  They were anywhere from 800-1500 years old.  Mind-boggling.