10/28 – Lucca/Siena/Montepulciano

We bade farewell to our hosts.  Our agriturismo visit was not too far away, but it was a day to look out at the land.  We scheduled a long midday break in Siena.  The town did not disappoint.  Tourist season was ending and Italian young people lounged on the sloping sides of the main plaza.

Chet loves horses, and the Palio is run in Siena each summer.  He works at a horse rescue where the idea of racing the animals is looked down upon.  Immediately he began to examine the course. “They can’t run on these bricks.  I wonder how they prepare the track.”

“Obviously the people stand down in the bowl of the plaza here.”  Then we climbed the steps into still another gorgeous duomo, also patterned and inlaid black and white marble.  The real treat was inside.  Nothing prepared me for the Piccolomini library.  By now libraries were becoming a “thing” for me.

Fabulous volumes were on display – numes and poetry from Gregorian Chant, illustrated stories and calendars.  The size of the parchment pages indicates that this book would have been presented on a stand in front of a congregation so that all literate parishioners could follow along in the services. These ancient tunes resonate through the years.  I have seen single sheets, but nothing prepared me for the presentation of so many in this splendidly painted and carved library.

We drove past golden fields that afternoon, once again shifting from Medieval splendor to the celebration of life.

More than once we stopped just to walk along a path for a few moments, arriving in Montepulciano as the moon began to tease her way through the rosy sunset.

 

 

 

 

Agriturismo Nobile is a working farm.  We called once we realized that we had no address for the place on our reservation form.

“Please, tell us where you are.”

 

 

 

“I’m standing in front of a large statue of a horse.  We can’t bring the car in the city, and the roads are all one way.” The statue was da Vinci’s one design for an equestrian monument, a gigantic horse that was melted down for ammunition at some point.  The town replaced it.

 

Moments later a Roman god showed up in a van moments later.  Lorenzo apologized, “I’m dirty – I haven’t had a shower yet.”  A shower would not make him more beautiful – tall and muscular, long auburn curls, pruning shears on his belt.  He led us to the Agriturismo – which has no address, and set up our apartment for us.  “If you please, my uncle will be preparing dinner at 7:00.”

Agriturismo Nobile sits in acres of landscape out of Renaissance paintings; stands of olive trees, and rows of grape vines resting after the harvest.  “Oh my goodness, this is gorgeous.  Lorenzo, how long has your family been here?”

“About 600 years.”

 

 

Tonight was the night – countryside air, platter after platter of items grown on the farm, wines, olive oils, and yes, this was the place for steak.  The six guests tucked in.  Home made dessert wine and biscuits finished us.

10/29 – Montepulciano – film

Montepulciano perches on a narrow hilltop.  You can walk from one end of the town to the other.  There are only two directions – up and down.  Side alleys lead to one or the other of the two streets.  Tradesmen still make gorgeous copper housewares.  I bought a great pair of handmade shoes that actually fit.

The top of the hill has changed very little in 600 years.

The medieval town is a favorite film location.   Authentic looking wagons, market stalls and carts fill the plaza.  Upon closer look, the dust and dirt are painted on.  There is evidence that animals had been part of the work day.  PAs sweep aside the mountains of sawdust and dirt, while a young man sits in a yellow sedan parked next to the roped off sets and props.  He is guarding these masterpieces of stagecraft.  Old structures on the piazza appear as they if they were  newly built, and that today’s date is  off by some 500 years. Shiny burnt umber paint lends a sense of newness to the rooms surrounding the main square.

It turns out that The Medici was filmed here.  The new film will be about Michelangelo.

I sure hope they got a better make up artist.

 

Montepulciano Vino Nobile is one of the best wines anywhere.  It was time to taste some.

 10/30 – Salchetto Wine tasting

Lorenzo drove us over to the Salchetto vineyards.  I’m a great fan of organic wines because additives give me migraines.  Salchetto models organic techniques that use ancient and new innovations.  As we stand on the hilltop deck, they point out the heavy glass circles, solid glass with a cut something like a fresnel lens.  The glass circles are on top of ducts that reflect light down into the cellars.  Salchetto wines are made by natural light, using almost no power at all.

The modern steel vats are then emptied into oak, where they will be hand turned for months.  Green glass bottles plug into the top of each cask.  Invented by Da Vinci, they can immediately spot any spoilage in the fermentation process.  We were reminded that in Italy, everyone was a winemaker, and all houses had their own brand.  Montepuliciano now has a collaborative where many of the farms share resources to create the world class Sangioveses.

Spoilage detector – Da Vinci

Our only regret was that we shipped a case to California before we could drink it all.