The Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta on the road from Pienza to San Quirico d'Orcia

In 2001 I came to live in Italy. I had some fun, wrote a journal and this is the blog of my story...

"Tuscany is a state of grace. The countryside is so lovingly designed that the eye sweeps the mountains and valleys without stumbling over a single stone. The lilt of the rolling green hills, the upsurging cypresses, the terraces sculptured by generations that have handled the rocks with skillful tenderness, the fields geometrically juxtaposed as though drawn by a draughtsman for beauty as well as productivity; the battlements of castles on the hills, their tall towers standing grey-blue and golden tan among the forest of trees, the air of such clarity that every sod of earth stands out in such dazzling detail. The fields ripening with barley and oats, beans and beets. The grape-heavy vines espaliered between the horizontal branches of silver-green olive trees, composing orchards of webbed design, rich in intimation of wine, olive oil and lacy-leaf poetry. Tuscany untied the knots in a man's intestines, wiped out the ills of the world. Italy is the garden of Europe, Tuscany is the garden of Italy, Florence is the flower of Tuscany." Irving Stone from my favourite book " The Agony and the Ecstacy" A fictional biography of Michelangelo



78. Villa Le Corti

So what to do on a hot sunny Sunday in May? I pop into Panzano to pick up some fruit and veg, cheese and salami at the local market and knock up a big salady lunch which we lazily enjoy in our woods.




We leave for the Villa at about 4 o'clock and park up on their olive grove with what seems like half of Florence! Fortunately the Villa and grounds are so vast, it doesn't seem crowded at all.


There are 104 different estates offering tastes of Tuscan's finest reds. Most with 2 or 3 different types. We wander round the beautiful 15th century villa and into the huge marquee which has been erected.




Obviously there is only so much wine you can drink without passing out, let alone fully appreciating, so I earmark 10 different Brunellos, of which I get to taste 9. A couple of wines from the Carmignano region and some Vino Nobiles from Montepulciano. We also get to taste a 1985 500th anniversary Chianti Classico Riserva from Castello di Verrazano. My top pick of the afternoon is a 1999 Montesodi from Frescobaldi, a snip at 45 Euro and Annette falls in love, surprise, surprise with a 60 Euro Brunello riserva, a 1997 Poggio Banale from La Poderina...



We take some of our wines outside and relax on our trusty rug. There are also plenty of food stalls and we buy a wonderful cheese selection from nearby farm, 'Fattoria di Corzano e Paterno? mmm Have I died and gone to heaven!!!


Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)