Cyprus Trees on the Country Roads of Tuscany

Val D’Orcia is famous for photos of perfect rows of the tallest cyprus trees that seem to march themselves up every long driveways that sit between golden rolling hills waving with wheat and neat medieval villages hugging the hills – all with Mt Amiata looking over them.

Three nights at the Agritourismo Il Rigo certainly put us in the middle of the rolling hills, but at this time of the year the tractors have been very busy and the fields are now ploughed in neat rows ready for  the Winter rest. We were treated to Tuscan hospitality by Lorenza and her daughter Louisa and son in law Mattias. Lorenza took cooking classes and we had a lot in common. She guided us through the wines of the region including a delicious Noble di Montapulciano – Poliziana and a  Montalcino di Brunello. The four course meal provided each night in the courtyard, outside, under lights in the calm evening was a selection of typical produce of this region – Fava Bean soup, Chianini Beef, Rabbit and of course the famous Pici noodles. The vegetable gardens not only supplied the kitchen but provided delightful colourful cut flowers for the house.

Famous photos of Val D’Orcia always include the charming chapel below and our first day was full exploring Bevagna, time for a long lunch on a balcony restaurant in Pienza and one of my favourite gardens La Foce. It was planned and developed by Iris Origo and her husband in the 1920’s where they added onto the original travellers lodgings into a beautiful villa and changed the bare landscape into productive farms, forests and the famous garden designed by Englishman Cecil Pincest. Iris was recognised for children’s education and started a school for the children on the estate teaching them to read and write.

Day two was allocated to the two ‘M ‘villages – Montalcino and Montapulciano  – I don’t think there is alot of love between the two and both are famous for their own distinctive wines. Although I have visited these regions many times on past tours it was a treat to become reacquainted and walk the streets with Philip.

I think the highlight for the day though was stopping for lunch on a steep windy forested road between Sant Antimo and Montalcino at an Osteria called Santa Caterina. It was packed with a huge group of cyclists who all seemed to be concerned about getting their batteries charged up and a long table of what was obviously a family gathering . We were astonished at the amount of food that kept coming from the kitchen – Bruschetta, platters of several types of pasta, roasted potatoes, salad and a huge rib of Chianini Beef – followed by Tiramasu. We thought our conservative order of warm chicken liver pate on bruschetta to share and a plate of Gnocci each – mine with traditional pecorino cheese and black pepper (so delicious) and Phil’s Wild Boar Ragu was fine for lunch but the servings were enormous and we couldn’t leave without being presented with a Tiramasu. It was an education in Tuscan tradition and the enjoyment of a long lunch. Sometimes the best experiences come from an unplanned spur of the moment decision.

Tuscan Cuisine is built around its heritage of salami varieties and the sheep milk perocorino cheese and they can be found for sale everywhere and definitely offered as platters on a menu’s at every restaurant  as an anti pasto. Our long walk up the narrow steep  main street of Montapulciano late in the afternoon is full of shops selling typical produce, little bars are set up and ready to open in the evening and of course they will be offering the stunning Montapulciano rosso and nobile wines.

Meeting our Italian friend Giovanni is always a treat. He came and stayed with us in New Zealand eight years ago now and demonstrated with me on one occasion his special biscuits called Bones of the Dead (Ossi Dei Morti)  these traditional biscuits  signify the defeat of the Sienese backed Monalcino against the Florentine backed  Monatpuliciano and still  600 years later there is a competivenes  between the villages . The little spa town of Bagnano Vignono looked idyllic and reflective in the early morning light.

All over Tuscany you see signs of the Via Francigena… In the middle ages this was a Pilgrim walk from Rome to France and it is said a monk could walk from Canterbury to Rome in 2 1/2  months. The Via Francigena was not a single road, rather, it comprised several possible routes that changed over the centuries as trade and pilgrimage waxed and waned. Depending on the time of year, travellers may have used any of three or four crossings over the Alps.  We have had our own route through Tuscany – Not walking !!! and enjoying comfortable accommodation but none the less we felt happy to explore this special corner of the world