6/3/2024 Farewell to Tuscany. Stops Along the way to Umbria, Perugia Chocolate Making and Transfer to Spoleto

In 217 BC, this abandoned castle and beautiful neighborhood 

was the site where Hannibal used his military genius in just two major battles at the River Trebia and Lake Trasimene, 

killing as many as 50,000 Romans.

This outside escalator to Corso Vannucci ascends to a mostly

pedestrian thoroughfare in Perugia, the hilltop town of medieval walls, cobbled alleys, elegant piazzas, and some Etruscan remains lined with prominent buildings, museums, and a cathedral. 

Corso Vannucci at a glance.

(No pun intended.)

Mary Angela, a former resident of New Jersey now living in Italy, 

discusses cocoa and chocolate making at Cafe Turan, 

a former goldsmith workshop turned eatery and chocolaterie, 

now owned by two sisters who opened the shop with their mother's help.

(Perugia is also known for its unusual and delicious gelato flavors.)

The next stop before our arrival in Spoleto was Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis.

Basilica di Santa Chiara (Church of Assisi)

Piazza del Comune (Assisi)

Assisi View from the top.

Entrance to the Basilica of San Francesco d' Assisi.

Above and below.

The crowd disperses from Assisi.

We finally arrived at our Hotel Dei Duchi Spoleto in time for dinner. Two long tables featuring typical Umbrian cuisine (often called cucina povera, or peasant cooking, due to its rustic nature and use of fresh, simple ingredients) were reserved for our group of 18. 

Umbria is also renowned for its gold-green olive oil, rich red wines, diverse grains, and salumi (cured meats). It was only a short time after the wine, olive oil, meats, and bread were placed on our table that a crack sounded like someone pounding the table as our small round table broke from the larger rectangular one it was attached to. Dennis came to the rescue, flinging himself onto the floor and trying to investigate the cause. (BTW, who expects a circular to stay attached to a rectangular one anyhow?) 

Dennis to the rescue!

(Photo courtesy of Jonell)

 6/2/2024 Pitigliano and Sovana Tour

https://youtu.be/uh42B5ssAKU

The fog envelops Pienza as it covers the rolling hills

outside my balcony this Sunday morning.

We left for Maremma, Tuscany's famous and wildest historic village 

built on tufa hills, surrounded on three sides by gorges, 

and initially settled by the Etruscans. 

Jews began settling in Pitigliano (AKA Little Jerusalem) in the 15th century, seeking refuge after being expelled from Rome's Papal State.

Interestingly, during World War II, their Catholic neighbors helped all of them escape the Nazis.

After lunch, we set off for the ancient Etruscan necropolis of Sovana, hiking through the woods to the ancient burial site, 

which was excavated in tufa stone.

A cave with sunken roads built by Etruscans near Pitigliano.

Dennis leads the way into a smaller cave.

The Winged Demon Tomb (above) and its headless statue(below).

On our way back through Pitigliano, we noticed numerous huddled groups braving the rain while trying to finish their Corpus Christi Festival artwork before the celebratory mass and procession began through the town center. 

 6/1/2024 Etruscan Museum and Montepulciano

This was my view from the balcony of my room at the Piccolo Hotel.

The Tuscan hills look like a painting instead of a photo.

Sunrises

Even the bathroom view was amazing!

This morning, we visited the four floors of the Etruscan Museum, housed in a converted 19th-century granary barn. The Etruscans were ancient people who lived on the Italian peninsula long before the Romans arrived. No literature survived their period, so all that is left are artifacts of weapons, cooking implements, and building tools.

Banquet Room.

Burial Urn (love the thumbs-up).

Serious meat hook.

Montepulciano is a medieval hilltop town in the Tuscan countryside, but more importantly, one of my favorite red wine varietals. It only made sense that lunch would be at the historic Fattoria della Talosa winery, which dates back to 1500. It was the first wine tasting inside an underground grotto I've ever experienced. These award-winning wines require a minimum of 70% Sangiovese varietal (another one of my favorites).

5/31/2024 Transfer to Pienza, Exploring Siena, Betty is Pooped (on) 

On our way to Pienza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, we stopped for a visit to Siena, home to Tuscany's most celebrated festival, the annual Palio horse race, and Siena Cathedral, one of Italy's most illustrious Romanesque and Gothic notable cathedrals. 

It was the first time in all my years of traveling that I had a Buddhist local guide for a Roman Catholic Marian Church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. And Lucca was indeed memorable. 

He pointed out the best Kodak spots for the Cathedral and narrated the most interesting stories inside the church, particularly the one about the ornate reliquary container above the altar with a relic of St. Catherine of Siena's severed, dismembered, mummified head. Her thumb is also in Siena, her foot is in Venice, and her left hand and the rest of her body are in Rome.

Also in the altar area were several frescoes, surprisingly centered around exorcisms and the Dominican nuns who performed them. When I told him my aunt was a Dominican nun, he asked me if she ever performed exorcisms. I told him I didn't think she did, and he said you should ask her. I said I couldn't. He wondered why, and I responded that she was dead. The look on his face was a myriad of emotions - embarrassment, apologetic, and unsure as to the best rejoinder. In the end, we both chuckled about his reaction and were shushed by a local for laughing.

The Siena Cathedral (from different vantage points).

A neighborhood local restaurant across from the Cathedral.

The entrance to the Siena Cathedral.

Torre del Mangia (Tower and museum in Siena).

Incredible gargoyles and animals are suspended from the walls.

Built in 1338-1348 in the Piaza del Campo.  

How to explain the Palio of Siena?

(see the photo below) 

It's a 500-year-old famous horse race with tales of danger, emotions, and unbridled passion, held twice each year, on July 2 (in honor of the Madonna of Provenzano's miraculous apparition) and August 16 (to honor the Assumption of the Virgin Mary).

Ten mixed-breed horses, chosen from the 17 neighborhoods, race three laps on a hard-packed tufo track to compete for bragging rights and possession of the large painted silk canvas drape (Cencio).

Horses rule. Jockeys, not so much. 

A riderless horse can still win if it finishes first.

The Palio.

The Goose Contrade.

The Rhino Contrade.

Betty's Bird Poop Contrade

5/30/2024 Wild Boar, Meat Platter, Lansagna, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Pasta-Making 

While still in the Chianti region, interesting dinner options were served in the Borgo Di Cortefreda Hotel. 

At this point of our trip, I wasn't too concerned about trying new tastes since their breakfasts had everything imaginable (including bacon that was actually crispy, scrambled eggs that weren't runny, coffee that didn't put hair on my chest, bocconcini, cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil for dipping toasted Italian bread, and English translations for four different types of croissants - including pistachio.

So I had a bowl of wild boar with mashed potatoes the first night, a meat platter with hunks of beef, pork, chicken legs, and the best sausage I have ever enjoyed (no vegetables, no salad, no fruit) on the second night. I could only eat one sausage before I was bloated. Our waiter put a shoebox-sized to-go box in a bag for me to keep in my room fridge overnight. I cracked up when I looked in the box and saw just 4 pieces of meat lying there, looking lonely. I was still so full the next day that I couldn't face dinner the last night, but then I fell victim to a sizeable piece of bechamel lasagna, hit the sack, and listened to my fat crinkle.

Up early to visit Pruneti and its 35,000 olive trees. Founded in 1872. Marketing began in 1900. The third generation, Paolo and Gionni Pruneti, took over the family business in 2003. Today, numerous awards, recognition, and certificates are available worldwide.

Our tour guide. The first thing we learned about extra virgin olive oil is that it should not be bought in a green plastic bottle. 

The second thing we learned was that it was not used for cooking. Instead, it should be added after the cooking is done.

Our tasting flavors (left to right).

                    PRUNETI ORGANIC MONOCULTIVAR LECCINO                        PRUNETI ORGANIC MONOCULTIVAR MORAIOLO

PRUNETI ORGANIC MONOCULTIVAR FRANTOIO

Tastes intensified as we moved from Leccino to Moraiolo to Frantoio, but the Leccino clobbered my sinuses and triggered repeated sneezing when I least expected it.

Our next stop was San Casciano in Val di Pesa, a local agriturismo (farmhouse), where we had a hands-on cooking lesson for homemade orecchiette pasta.

There's nothing like bruschetta with fresh garden tomatoes 

and ice-cold Prosecco!

The farmhouse is over 100 years old.

(Photo by Dennis Mullaney.)

The family almost totally renovated the deteriorating property.

(Photo by Dennis Mullaney.)

Outdoor grill.

(Photo by Dennis Mullaney.)

David did a fine job prepping the pork with olive oil, salt, garlic, 

and rosemary.

Amazing aromas filled the air and had us salivating!

Susan and Jerry work on slicing and shaping the orecchiette.

 The orecchiette is ready to be served. 

Moira focuses on dessert.

Lunch was phenomenal. No one died. 

Catherine told me I did a great job kneading the simple, supple dough of semolina flour, water, and salt.