On this morning we needed to be at the Farm by 10:30am. So we had time to wake up (we sleep as long as possible), make two coffees and head out the door. We arrived at the farm on time and headed out back to begin the tour. I pulled around to the back of the property and saw the Patriarch, Luciano, and I waved. I figured he didn’t remember me, but perhaps he would later. It had been over a year and they take a group of guests through here weekly. He is in his mid-70’s.
Once everyone arrived it was Carlotta doing most of the talking and translation for Luciano and both of them were simply delightful. I appreciate how she makes cute jokes about Luciano that he may or may not understand and then will translate. At one point she said, ‘He is a Diva.’ Then when he wanted to know what she said she told him. ‘Primadonna.’ It is hilarious to hear these words that have almost become English, like primadonna – applied in their pure and native form.
Luciano, like he did when I was here a year ago, showed us the farm, only it was a little different tour as it was a different time of year. We were able to see sheep, chickens, rabbits, pigs and also the process around things he produces this time of year such as grappa and olive oil. To smell the fresh olive oil in the big stainless steel container was heaven. To see his contraption of how he makes his grappa (aka moonshine was hilarious.) Luciano is truly endearing and tells you what farm life was like when he was a boy and how it has changed over the years. He said Italy has been about 30 years behind the US in farming techniques ever since WWII. But something about that seems amazing, the attention to detail and the fact that they don’t produce things here for mass profit and scale but for quality and to have just enough to live.
I also really enjoyed seeing the farm animals again and to realize the mother pig I had seen last year was still alive. Last year she had several piglets she was nursing, and when I asked what her name was, Luciano said he doesn’t give the pigs names because they will be butchered. That made me sad because as much as I was enjoying the salami, I hated to think that future salami would come at the cost of this mother pig. Well, as it turns out, there I was with the mother who was now 5-years-old and had a name as he planned on not butchering her. Her name was ‘Carolina.’ Pronounced ‘Karoleena’ and that was music to my ears to know she was now a pet of sorts. I saw her babies that were now over a year old and full grown in the other pin. I’m not sure all of them had made it as I seemed to remember so many more piglets, but that’s okay, at least I was able to return to see beautiful, Carolina.
After the farm tour they led us upstairs for lunch and served us several courses of bread with olive oil, salad, several different meats and cheeses with jams, and then the finale, Luciano’s grappa and vin santo and a side of biscotti to dip. The alcohol is strong and like moonshine and I remember last time I didn’t really like it all that much. This year it must have been a better batch as I tasted it first by dipping my biscotti and thought, ‘hmmm, not bad, not bad at all!.’ It was such and enjoyable lunch and we enjoyed getting to know new folks from the group. Everyone on this trip is wonderful and it is great to meet so many people from different parts of the country who share a love of travel, wine, and Italy.
After lunch we walked over to Pienza so that I could show Carla a little more of the town. It was siesta time so all of the stores were closed and the streets were completely empty. It is so surreal to be visiting Italy this time of year and seeing everything so empty and not dealing with any of the crowds of summer. It is actually very nice and I’m enjoying looking at everyone’s winter fashion. As we moved around each corner, Carla would gasp, ‘What, this is unbelievable. I want to move here.’ I thought, ah, yes, she now is infected.
After we walked around Pienza we looked to find a store that was open and where we could find bottled water. It was not to be. So we started thinking, hmm, maybe we need to be drinking the sink water if it is this hard to find bottled water. We would need to ask if that is a safe thing to do.
We came back that afternoon and I built another fire and Carla napped while I blogged. It is amazing to be on another trip where there are these actual rest periods where I can rest and blog and not feel like I’m moving around from sun up to sun down.
The dinner this night was going to be at La Porta – a wine pairing dinner with Daria. I remembered Daria from last year. A classy ‘Helen Murran’ type that knows everything about wines and talks to you before each course to explain the wine and the production. On Sunday, Isabella had offered ‘Van shuttle service’ to this event and the event that would be happening the next day. This isn’t something they offered when I was here before, but it definitely felt like this was a good idea to have a driver home from wine tasting events. She said in the orientation, ‘Um, yes, let me just say, the wine ‘tasting’ pours are very GEN-ER-OUS’ as she smiled and winked at all of us in the special magnetic way that makes Isabella so successful in this business.
When it was time for pick up, we all piled in the van for a $15 Euro each charge. It seemed totally worth it. It had started raining on this night and I remembered parking and access to this restaurant involved a long walk up a hill. It would be great to be dropped off out front.
There were two tables set up for our group on the main floor of the restaurant. It basically took over the whole restaurant. The was one small table that sat behind us as a party of two and another group of 5 or 6 that seemed like uptight locals. Everytime our groups got a little wild with laughter and conversation. The man at the head of the other table with a grey Prince Valient bob hairdo would clink his glass like we were at a wedding and he wanted to hush the room.
What was mostly making us laugh and noise levels rise was the two accounts of ‘massages’ that happened in the cabana earlier in the day. Two of the ladies had signed up and had no idea what to expect. After a few glasses of wine, we got all of the details and with each new insight, the laughter level would rise.
Let me just say, I had met this ‘massuese’ on the grounds earlier in the day as I was picking up fire wood. He came walking towards me like an Italian dream. I didn’t know who he was and he introduced himself as Simon, the massuese. He had just finished a treatment and was taking linens to the laundry room. He insisted on helping me with my wood basket so I woulnd’t have to carry it. I thought in my head, ‘What? This is the massuese? There is no way I could relax for a massage with this guy.’
Well, as it turned out the stories these ladies told were hilarious and very different than the experience you might have in the U.S. where we have much more modesty involved in the process and certainly it doesn’t involve a bottle of extra virgin olive oil poured all over you and rubbed into your skin and into your hair. Debbie, from Seattle, said she felt like an upside down mop when she left dripping with oil and it took 3 rounds of shampoo and body wash to get all of the oil out of her hair. She and Vicki, an Army Warrant Officer, stationed in Germany had two very similar but different experiences, but they both said neither experience was relaxing but made them laugh as they felt like a butterball turkey getting oiled down for Thanksgiving.
Of course in the midst of all of this talk, we had Daria telling us about the wines they produce in this region and the tip to not buy a bottle of 2014 Brunello. It was not a good year for Brunello. We dined on several courses with wine that were all delicious and not too much food in each course, but collectively, wow, a lot of food. We all went home thinking, how can we do this all week? It is only Monday? But regardless, it was too soon to start worrying about that.
Our trusty driver was waiting for us when we were done and took us on about a 15 minute drive back to Cretaiole, where the topic of the massuese came up in the van again. I suspect that will be a joke the rest of the week as more details emerged. It was late when we got back so we started getting ready for bed and I finished uploading pics for the blog. It takes about 5 minutes per photo as the internet is so slow, so it truly is a labor of love. I was taking a shower, brushing teeth, getting washed up – all between uploads.
Wine Pairing: Sweet wine, Lunadoro Ombra Sangiovese Late Harvest
Then, miraculously, I wasn’t tired, nor was Carla. We stayed up until about 2am and at that point I texted Marta to let her know, ‘Hey, we won’t be getting up for the art and artisan tour in Pienza, but will meet the group for lunch.’ With that we were very happy at the thought of a morning off and really more time to digest all of this food. It had begun raining more steadily and would be raining in the morning so it seemed like a great morning to sleep in. Lights out.