Delightful Day in Radicofani

"On the border between Tuscany and Lazio, Radicofani was on the Francigena, the ancient pilgrim route between France and Rome and very important to control and defend.
Visitors known to have stopped in this village include Casanova, Mozart and Dickens."

After dropping our car-sharing mates (Giorgio, Marguerita and Anna) at Sabrina's La Foce cooking class at 9 am, Paula and I headed to the little medieval hill town of Radicofani, just about 30 km from La Foce.  We parked at the bottom of the town, hiked up for delicious cappuccinos at the cute bar where Ann, Mike, Mary S & I stopped in 2015 and then wandered around the beautiful little streets and even tinier lanes, visiting the church of San Agatha (town's patron saint) that had a beautiful Della Robbia ceramic altarpiece, using our newly installed QR Code app to read more about local history and figures, and taking pics of the glorious flowers - brilliant roses and geraniums in bloom everywhere. One elderly Italian man saw us gazing thru a gate at his pretty flowers and invited us (via hand signals) inside where he offered to take our photos in the garden.  Photos came out great ... he took about 20 of them!

Beautiful view from atop Radicofani's Fortress

Driving THROUGH
Radicofani!

After exploring the town, we decided to drive up to the fortress which we've noticed daily in the distance for the last two weeks, wherever we go in the Val d'Orcia. After checking the town map and weighing the different routes to get up there, Paula opted to drive thru the town gate and straight up the main (but very NARROW) street!  Fortunately there weren't many other cars around ... those ancient brick walls seemed awfully close to our rear view mirrors!!

Once at the top, we bought our €4 tickets and began our climb up the fortress!  The panoramic views of the rolling hills below (covered with vineyards and olive trees) were amazingly beautiful. On each level, we got to interrupt our climb and rest a bit while viewing the interesting museum displays. We learned all about Ghino di Tacco, Radicofani's most famous citizen. Ghino was considered by some somewhat of a local Robin Hood figure, by others a brigand!  He took control of the Radicofani fortress in 1297 and his various escapades were mentioned in Dante's "Purgatorio."

We finished our visit to the fortress by splitting an order of Pici Pasta Calcio & Pepe (cheese and pepper) at the fortress' little caffe overlooking the valley. Very tasty!  Then we scurried back to Chiarentana to pick up G, M & A who were just finishing up (@ 3 pm!) their market shopping in Montepulciano and their cooking class / lunch with Chef Sabrina.  They loved the experience!

Pre-Farewell Dinner Happy Hour by the Pool

Anna's wildflour
arrangement

Tonight was our shared cooking "Farewell Dinner" for Week 2 ... enjoyed outside under the pergola by candlelight. Anna & Marguerita made a pretty wildflower centerpiece; Ann & Joann made veggies; I repeated my Week 1 Chicken Francese; Cherny group made pasta; Jesus & Gladys brought tasty desserts.  Limoncello and grappa were also served (!)  A great time was had by all ... hard to believe Week 2 was coming to an end already ... it sped by in a flash!

Grappa toast under the pergola!

Return to Chiarentana & A Relaxing Afternoon

"We had never before been to Italy in May, and it is truly the most wonderful month.

The countryside is a riot of color and scent.  Every road, even the busy Autostrada,
is lined with brilliant red poppies, making the most mundane street look picturesque.  

The olive trees dotting the hills are covered with silvery green and the pale cream of new buds,

while the grass is tall and soft, every patch threaded with wild flowers."

Louise Badger, "Todo in Tuscany:  The Dog at the Villa"

So ... after wishing Mary a very fond farewell at 6:30 am, Paula and I showered, had breakfast at Nabucco and headed to Florence's Santa Maria Novella station to catch a 9:30 am train back to Florence.  Sure, we COULD have stayed in Florence all day and explored even more of her incredible sights, but we missed Mary ... and Chiarentana ... and decided getting back to Tuscany early in the day ... and spending an afternoon relaxing by the swimming pool, catching up on emails, journals and this blog ... sounded VERY inviting!  

Anna and Marguerita met us at the Chiusi train station and whisked us back to Sassaia. Ahhhhhhh. so wonderful to be back in this beautiful, peaceful place.  Paula made a pretty plate of pecorino, bread and salami, and took it, along with a bottle of prosecco, down to the pool. We  spent the entire afternoon totally relaxing.  When we planned this trip, we promised ourselves we'd spend SOME time each day doing nothing  ... but there's so much to do and see that it's sometimes quite easy to forget that promise.  Today was perfect ... great to be back in Tuscany and great to be doing absolutely nothing there!

Dinner at La Foce's Dopolavoro with Week Two friends!

Giorgio, Marguerita and Anna joined us for a delicious dinner at Dopolavoro, the cozy little restaurant on the La Foce estate.  Wonderful to have that time with those good people in such a delightful spot.  I had the "roast chicken with spicy sauce" which was delish.  One tasty tiramisu in a Mason jar (with 5 spoons) for dessert.  Delightful end to a delightful day ... though we DO miss Mary!!!

So Much More To See - Florence Day Two

"In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me,

shaped and perfect in attitude and action.

I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition

to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it."

Michelangelo

Up bright and early for our full day in Florence, Mary, Paula and I hustled down the street to Nabucco, the little bar that serves tasty breakfasts to those who stay at the Florence Grand Tour.  Had delicious cappuccinos, omelettes and spinach pastry ... then hurried across the street to Sant'Apollonia to view the amazingly restored refectory Last Supper fresco by Andrea del Castagno (1450),  painted almost 50 years before Leonardo's famous Last Supper in Milan.

Andrea del Castagno''s Last Supper (1450)

Off to the Odeon Theater building in the heart of Florence to meet our terrific guide Martina for our Art Viva "Original Florence Walk" 3-hour walking tour.  Beginning at the Piazza Della Republica where the original Roman settlement began, to Orsanmichele, to the Palazzo Strozzi (with, for some reason, a giant slide installed in its center courtyard), to San Trinita and the Ponta Vecchio, Martina did a wonderful job explaining the history and traditions of Florence. The Arno River was especially calm and beautiful.

On to the Piazza Della Signoria (where I became temporarily lost from the tour group ... thank goodness texts with Paula allowed me to find them and continue the tour)!  Finally, Martina walked us to Florence's most important buildings:  The Duomo, Campanile & Baptistery.  We learned SO much and enjoyed this tour immensely ... but as soon as it concluded we hightailed it on foot to Piazza San Marco where we toured the Museo San Marco and saw the amazing Fra Angelico frescoes highly recommended by Mary's cousin as one of the BEST sights to see in Florence.  We agreed completely. Fra Angelico's Annunciation fresco at the top of the friary stairs is one of my most favorite paintings EVER.    Also saw another Last Supper fresco in the San Marco refectory by Ghirlandaio (late 15th c.)

Fra Angelico's Annunciation

Time for a quick lunch (Aranci - Sicilian rice balls - and yummy fruit salads) at the Gran Caffe on Piazza San Marco and then a taxi ride to Santa Croce (1385), the first Franciscan parish established in a large city. In that beautiful church, we saw the tombs of some of Italy's greatest citizens:  Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, as well as a memorial monument to Dante, who was actually buried in Ravenna because he had been exiled from Florence. Also viewed a special photographic exhibit on the disastrous Arno River floods of November 1966 and the "mud angels" from all over the world who helped rescue and restore more than a million books, paintings, frescoes and sculptures.

Here at Santa Croce we saw two MORE Last Supper paintings - by Taddio Gaddi (1340) and Giorgio Vasari (1546) ... both severely damaged in the disastrous Arno River floods of 1966.  Saw an amazing video on the restoration process of the Vasari painting - which took over 50 years!  What an amazing "Four Last Supper Day" we have had!  (In preparation for this trip, I recently read Walter Issacson's wonderful biography of Leonardo da Vinci in which the author actually mentioned, described and depicted all the Last Supper paintings we have had the pleasure of viewing today!)

Next on our busy agenda, our 5:15 reservation to see Michelangelo's "David" at the Accademia.  Lines were long, even for those of us with reserved tickets, but eventually we got in, passed through security and saw that always awe-inspiring statue in its perfectly designed niche, surrounded by admirers speaking languages from countries all over the globe. I think it's about the fifth time I've seen the "David" ... and it still continues to amaze me.

Time for a quick rest (and phone charge) back at the Grand Tour, then off to dinner at nearby Carfaggi where we enjoyed an excellent meal (BEST Florentine Onion Soup ever!!), served by a delightful waitress, niece of the owner, who brought us complimentary Vin Santo with our dessert.



During dinner, Mary, Paula and I shared many laughs, a few tears, and a lot of fabulous memories as we re-lived our favorite (& funniest) moments from Rome, Tuscany, Assisi and Florence.   What wonderful friends these two women are to me ... and how grand that they have become such good friends to each other. These 15 days together have truly been a gift all three of us will always remember with great joy and great appreciation!  Buon Viaggio back to Syracuse tomorrow, Mary McAndrew!

Happy To Be In Florence - Day One

"Visiting Florence was like attending a surprise party every day."

Jennifer Coburn, "We'll Always Have Paris:  A Mother - Daughter Memoir"

Another early morning exit from Sassaia for Mary, Paula and me ... Jesus and Gladys met us by their car at 7:48 am to head to Chiusi and our train to Florence!  They were going for a day-trip, we three were staying two nights and then sending Mary off to the Florence Airport for her trip home to Syracuse on Wednesday.  

Train trip was smooth and easy. Mary sat with Gladys & Jesus; Paula and I with a lovely young Italian woman from Bologna who spent the entire two hours working on her English lessons. "It is so hard," she told us.  I'm so grateful that English is my native language. After studying the Italian language a bit over the past several years, I've come to realize how much more difficult a language English is!

Our arrival at the frantically busy and congested Santa Maria Novella train station was, as always, a bit of a shock to the senses.  After the extreme quiet and peacefulness of Chiarentana and Tuscany  ... I believe we were all thinking, "Why did we come here?  Why did we leave our pretty rooms at the Sassaia farmhouse ... and all those beautiful rolling hills in every direction????"  But then, we remembered we were in FLORENCE, the birthplace of the Renaissance, and a city that attracts millions of visitors each year - with very good reason!

Florence Grand Tour

We walked from the Santa Maria Novella train station to the Florence Grand Tour B&B, Via Santa Reparata, 21, where I've had the pleasure of knowing and staying with the lovely owners, Cristina and Giuseppe, since 2003.  Imagine my surprise when Guiseppe greeted us warmly at the door and THEN introduced us to "the new owner" (an American woman from Dallas)!!!  Cristina, Guiseppe, their daughter Isabel and their doggie Alberto are leaving Florence and moving to the villa they purchased several years ago in Tuscany's Chianti region.  Of course, I wish them well, but will miss having them there on Via Santa Reparata to refer friends to in Florence!

Our waiter

Our pizza maker!

After settling into our "Diva" Suite, Paula, Mary and I headed to my favorite lunch spot, Casa del Vin Santo. Along the way, they got their first glimpses of the amazing Florence Duomo, Campanile and Baptistery.   I could tell then that they had already adjusted to the hustle-bustle of Firenze and that they were thrilled to be here!  At lunch, we each ordered one menu item and share three ways:  Prosciutto with melon, margarita pizza and spinach - ricotta tortelloni with pine nuts.  ALL delicious.

Mary & Paula headed off to the Duomo for their 3:30 timed entry to climb up to the top of Brunelleschi's enormous dome. (473 steps up, 473 back down); since I've done that several times in the past, I made my way over to the Duomo Museum which I'd never visited before ... but had heard great things about.  Imagine an entire 4-story museum dedicated to just one single building - The Duomo!  It was amazing, one of the best museums I've ever had the pleasure of exploring!  After a couple of hours, M & P joined me and we had a terrific time watching the informative videos, gazing at the incredible models of Brunelleschi's dome and the original facade of the church, seeing the original gold "Gates of Paradise" doors by Ghilberti, Donatello's Mary Magdalene, Michelangelos's last Pieta.  Just simply wonderful.  After the museum, we were delighted to find NO line at the Baptistery, so stopped in there briefly to view its incredible ceiling mosaics.

Back to the Grand Tour to rest our feet for a bit, then we were off again for our 8 pm reservation at 4 Leone in the Oltrarno neighborhood of Florence, across the Arno River. We took some pretty sunset photos from the Ponte Vecchio, then, led by super-street-navigator Mary, found our way to the tiny piazza where 4 Leone is tucked away.  Oh, oh!  The host (an unusually grumpy Italian - quite rare!) didn't have any record of our reservation which we'd requested weeks ago, and informed me that there was NO table for us. A delightful, lovely, fabulous woman hostess came to our rescue and informed the grumpy guy (in rapid-fire Italian) that they DID have a table where we could be seated. As she graciously sat us at that table and then brought us complimentary glasses of prosecco, she said something about solidarity and women in Italian that I translated very roughly as, "We women must stick together!"

After a delicious dinner, our waiter called a taxi to take us up to the Piazzalle Michelangelo.  What a view!  The lights of the city, the Arno, the Duomo, Santa Croce below us were beautiful and a street musician's accordion music made the scene even more perfect.

When we were ready to head back to town, there wasn't a taxi in sight, so we got adventurous and decided to take the bus.  Regrettably, after about a 20-minute bus ride, the bus stopped and everyone got off!  We ended up getting a taxi back to the Grand Tour where we fell into our beds, exhausted, but very happy to be in Florence!

The Serpentine Road + An Italian Family Reunion

"Rolling hills, charming towns, cypress-lined "serpentine" roads ... this is the Val d'Orcia!

This lush, green part of the world stretches south from Siena to Mount Amiata

and happens to be home to some of the best wines in Italy.

It is, quite simply, the best slice of Tuscany's pie."

Georgette Jupe

Approaching La Foce's Serpentine Road

Heading to the pool
for breakfast!

Mary, Paula and I arose early this morning to another picture-perfect day. (We've heard it rained two solid weeks here before our arrival .... we've been SO fortunate to have had just that one rainy day in Assisi!) We're sharing our Ford Focus this week with Giorgio, Marguerita & Anna and wanted to get in a drive up La Foce's famous "serpentine road" before that group needed the car to head off to Montepulciano for the day.  Up, up, up we drove on the bumpy white road, and then along the top of the ridge  ... and were rewarded with some spectacular views of the valley below.  Mary even spotted the tall, manicured boxwoods of the La Foce Gardens and "our" house, Sassaia, in the far distance. 

Several months ago, when we were planning this trip, my friend Mary McAndrew emailed me that she has a Italian first cousin, Susie, who lives in Urbino, an historic town in the Marche region of Italy, across the Alpennine mountains.  We invited Susie and her son Benji to drive over to Tuscany today and join us for lunch at La Porta in Montecchiello.  Jesus & Gladys drove Paula, Mary and me to the Dopolavoro overlook parking lot where Susie & I were awaiting us!  Her handsome 38 year old son drove us expertly to Montecchielo.  What a great opportunity for Mary to reconnect with these terrific family members.

We all ordered a variety of delicious menu items:  Benji puréed cod (he gave me a bite and it tasted much better than it sounds!), Susie & I the spinach & ricotta ravioli with a marscapone/truffle sauce, Mary and Paula the pici pasta with ragu sauce.  Benji selected a Montepulchiano Vino Nobile which Paula duly added  to her wine journal.

Walk before lunch around the
charming, tiny town of Monticchiello

Daria treated us to her special cherry/cinnamon dessert wine.  When it was time for us to head back to Sassaia, and Susie and Benji to their homes across the mountains, it was pouring down rain and hailing.  Benji did a great job driving safely us back to Dopolavoro.  Paula and I felt so grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know these two lovely Italians and Mary was delighted to have had a reunion with them!

Giorgio, Marguerita and Anna came by Dopolavoro to pick us up on their way home from their day in Montepulciano.  Unfortunately, since there were now SIX of us sharing my rental car, Paula ended up riding in the trunk on our short ride back to Sassaia!  

All eleven Week Two guests made their way to La Foce for our Sunday 6 pm Garden Tour with Sibylla Holtz.  Luckily, the blue, sunny skies had returned and Paula and I couldn't believe how many more flowers were in bloom since last Sunday's Garden Tour!  Roses, peonies, all the flowers were glorious.  The sun was shining brightly and we could easily see Cecil Pincent's "images and shadows" on the manicured hedges in the garden.   At the end of the tour, Sibylla treated us to nibbles and prosecco in the garden - lovely!  (This was my 6th Garden Tour and the first time I received the prosecco!)  We all had fun shopping in the La Foce gift shop after the tour ... I bought the newly released Iris Origo book, "A Chill in the Air," and a cute sun hat for just €12 ... perfect for sightseeing in sunny Florence tomorrow!

When we all got home (Paula in the "trunk" once again!), we enjoyed Happy Hour outside at the green table on Sassaia's lawn which was quite delightful ... until the lawn sprinklers came on full force and chased us all inside to the Summer Living Room!

Early to bed ... big day tomorrow when I will have the immense pleasure of introducing Paula & Mary to Bella Firenze!