Tuscany

Montalcino

Montalcino, Italy

Montalcino, Italy

While you’re in the Siena area, you’ll want to make a side trip to Montalcino. Montalcino is a walled hilltop town in Tuscany that has wonderful views of the surrounding valleys.

Located 27 miles south of Siena, Montalcino is where the famous Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino wines are made. It’s a small town and you can get there from Siena by bus. It takes 60 to 90 minutes on the bus and costs only about four Euros one way.

Montalcino is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d’Orcia. It is 42 km from Siena, 110 km from Florence and 150 km from Pisa. The Monte Amiata is located nearby.

montalcino-book I first learned about Montalcino from the delightful and informative book Vanilla Beans & Brodo: Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany. When I finally got to visit Montalcino in person, it was a real thrill to see the streets and restaurants that author Isabella Dusi described so evocatively in her memoir.

When you’re in Montalcino, make sure you see the 14th Century fortezza, and drop in to the Enoteca la Fortezza wine-tasting shop which is located under the fort. The Enoteca is a great place to sample the local Brunello and Rosso wines (phone 0577-849211). You can get a variety of Tuscan wines by the glass for about four Euros each. Since you’re there, you’ve got to sample the regional Brunello, which is about seven or eight Euros for a glass. They’ll serve it with plates of savory local cheeses so you can have lunch there.

Another great place in Montalcino for wine tasting is the Piazza del Popolo (phone 0577-849043). When you get to the Piazza del Popolo, find the Caffe Fiaschetteria Italiana No. 6. Check out the days. It can be closed on Monday and Tuesday, I’ve heard. You can get a wine tasting there with three or four varieties of Brunello to choose from, ranging from about four Euros on up to well over ten Euros a glass.

Ariel view of Montalcino

Ariel view of Montalcino

Also in Montalcino, check out the small civic museum, which has a really nice collection of Sienese paintings ranging from the 1400’s to the Renaissance. A few years ago the  Civic Museum moved its collection to a new home at the former St. Augustine Monastery on Via Ricasoli 31 (phone 0577-846014). It’ll cost you about five Euros and it’s open Tuesday through Sunday.

Another thing to see in Montalcino is the 12th Century Cistercian Abbey of Sant’Antimo, which is about ten kilometers south of Montalcino. It’s one of Tuscany’s most beautiful, intact Romanesque churches. An extra special experience is if you time your visit to coincide with the Gregorian chants that are performed daily by the monks that still live there.

There’s a tourist office in Montalcino that you can check with for the hours the chants are going to be performed.

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Italy and Tuscany: 2 Week Itinerary

 

map of Italy

Italy - so much to see!

Guest post by Judy Toth

Recently my husband and I spent two weeks in Italy.  We had never been to Italy before and I had quite a dilemma when I was planning the trip. So much to see, so little time!

I knew a little bit about a lot of places and so I started out trying to ensure we saw all the “high points” (museums in Florence, canals in Venice, historical monuments in Rome, the hilltowns of Tuscany, Pompeii, southern Italy where my mother was born).

As I began to try to fit this all in, I realized that I needed to pare the list down.  I know that our preferences for travel are to see and truly learn a small area rather than hit the highlights of a vast area and to have approximately 50% of our time planned and about 50% open for ‘serendipity’.

I also didn’t feel the pressure to make sure we “see it all now because we may never be back”.  Typically, when we find an area we like, we will go back to explore more on future visits.

Given those preferences I thought about what was really drawing us to Italy.  The first big draw was to see the area where my mother was born.  However, as I read about southern Italy, I learned that there is not much in the way of famous/historical sites and that area is less ‘user friendly’ for tourists.  Since this was our first trip to Italy, it didn’t seem like that was place to start.

tuscany

Tuscan countryside - it really does look like this!

Our second big draw was to see Tuscany.  That became the beginning of my plan—how much could we see in and around Tuscany in two weeks?  The plan we came up with was fly into Rome, train to Florence, drive to Pisa, drive through Tuscany, and train back to Rome.

We reasoned that we would start in the biggest city and, as we became more familiar with language, lifestyle etc, would work our way to smaller and smaller towns.

Our plan worked well and we feel that we learned a lot about a small portion of Italy.  In my next several posts I’ll share with you what we learned.

See Judy’s 2 Week Tuscany Itinerary here.

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Wonderful Place to Stay in Lucca

Garden room at Locanda S. Agostino in Lucca

Garden room at Locanda S. Agostino in Lucca

With 26/28 five star reviews on TripAdvisor.com, Locanda S. Agostino appears to be a sure bet for a wonderful place to stay in Lucca.

One reviewer admits that she would “prefer to keep this little gem of a place all to myself – but I just can’t, as I think that everyone should have the chance to have as perfect a time as we had at the Locanda”.

Another guest writes:

We stayed one night in the garden room earlier this month. Locanda is almost like a “stealth” hotel – the outside of the building is quite anonymous, but the interior is fabulous, with interesting art and beautiful decor. The garden room was absolutely gorgeous, with lovely touches like a vase of fresh pink peonies on the dresser. The furniture is antique, and the atmosphere reminiscent of the napoleonic era. The bathroom was lovely, hidden in the wall, with really great olive oil toiletries. You can borrow movies and music from the main hallway. Breakfast out on the little terrace was really good, and beautifully presented. Sarah did her utmost to make us feel welcome and recommended different bars and restaurants as well as places to see in the vicinity… I would definitely go back to stay at Locanda S. Agostino. And as soon as possible!

Rates for a double room are between 130 – 180 Euros a night, depending on season. Check out the photos on the Locanda S. Agostino website.

Piazza S. Agostino, 3
55100 Lucca (LU), Italy
+39 0583 467884

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Where to Eat in Tuscany: Insider Tips

Latte di Luna restaurant in Pienza, Italy

Latte di Luna restaurant in Pienza, Italy

Looking for restaurant recommendations for the hilltowns of Tuscany? I’ve gleaned some insider tips from Ferenc Mate’s delightful memoir A Vineyard in Tuscany.

Mate loves food and wine with a passion. While renovating his dream house in Tuscany and starting his own small winery, Mate enjoyed meals at these favorite restaurants:

Trattoria Latte di Luna in Pienza

Most of the reviews I’ve read stress that Latte di Luna serves simple, home cooked meals.  You won’t find anything fancy, but you will find tasty local specialties at  reasonable prices.  Very popular so make reservations. See photo at right and read  slowtravel.com reviews.

Trattoria La Torre in Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Although Mate recommends this restaurant, I found mixed reviews online. On the positive side, travellers Jane and Ken say “If you visit the abbey (which you should), then plan on having a very nice lunch in the ristorante. We so enjoyed it there.”

But TuscanHouse warns “Ristorante La Torre at the Abbey is a big operation to accommodate the frequent busloads of tour groups and sometimes fails to give good food or good service”.

Closed on Tuesdays
53020 MONTE OLIVETO MAGGIORE
Tel. +39 577 – 707022

Trattoria da Mario in Buonconvento

Buonconvento is a lovely small town and not very touristy. Mate mentions eating at Trattoria da Mario in Buonconvento, and apparently he is not alone in his enjoyment of this restaurant. A report on slowtravel.com has this to say about the eatery:

We came back and had dinner at Da Mario in Buonconvento. I will say no more than Da Mario is a gem of a local ristorante with great ambiance (mangiare a fuori) and dynamite food and is considered a secret find by the local inhabitants of this working village.

Via soccini, 60
53022 – Buonconvento
Tel. 0577.806157

La Tagliola restaurant

Trattoria La Tagliola in Arcidosso

Trattoria La Tagliola in Arcidosso

On TripAdvisor.com the one review for this restaurant proclaims “Migliore ristorante ad Arcidosso”. I don’t speak Italian but it’s safe to assume  this means something along the lines of “best restaurant in Arcidossa”. The reviewer gave it the highest rating – 5 stars.

On Trattoria La Tagliola’s website you can see more photos of the restaurant interior, along with a sample menu.

Bagnoli, Arcidosso
Tel. +39 0564 967351

Trattoria Sciame in Montalcino

Located just a block from the fortress, Trattoria Sciame in Montalcino is a small restaurant with a big reputation. Many independent travellers recommend Trattoria Sciame, as do the big guide books.  Frommer’s writes:

You’ll be lucky to wrest one of the seven tables (crammed into Sciame’s small, modern dining room) away from the devoted locals who fill it with clamorous chatter almost every night. The food here is firmly cucina casalinga. You needn’t decide on an appetizer because everything is gathered together in the antipastone misto. Top honors go to both the pinci al cinghiale (fat spaghetti in a sauce of tomatoes and wild boar) and the zuppa di fagioli (a bean-and-cabbage soup poured over bread, with a red onion slice over it). Afterward try a pollo arrosto (roast chicken or guinea hen) or the scaloppina agli asparagi (veal scallop with wild asparagus). For dessert, order the cantucci e ossi di morti con moscadello (almond cookies and brittle, hollow “bones of the dead” cookies with sweet white dessert wine).

Prices are reasonable – about $7 – $14 for each course.  Closed Tuesdays, the last week of July and the month of February. Reservations strongly recommended.

Via Ricasoli 9
53024 Montalcino
0577 848-017

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