While in the garden this morning, I met Luciano, who is the patriarch of the family and a fixture of the agriturismo. He is about 70 years old, speaks no english, and insisted that I join him for grappa and vinsanto later in the evening. He also loaded me down with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and basil to make insalata, then wished me a friendly ciao.
Our first activity of the day was a tour of a nearby organic farm. The farm is a government subsidized venture engaged in a more traditional way of producing grains and dairy products. According to Sandra, the owner, the government is alarmed by a recent trend of obesity in Italian youth and attributes this phenomenon to increased gluten consumption as well as synthetic food products. Sandra and her pet donkey gave us a comprehensive tour of the facilities, then treated us to an organic lunch. She did not sing "coombaya" or chant "ohm" during any part of our visit; she is simply a staunch believer in a more natural way of living and eating, and offered some very refreshing insights on modern nutrition. After overcoming the shock of learning that Vancouverites don't have a monopoly on vegetarian, Gluten free, organic eating, I was immediately taken with Sandra's fundamentalist nutritional philosophy. None of the livestock are fed any antibiotics or steroids, and pesticides are not used in any of the crops. In keeping with the gluten-free ideal, the farm grows Farro, an ancient grain, as opposed to the genetically modified wheat common in industrial operations.
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| Sandra showing off a huge wheel of delicious pecorino cheese |
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| Did I mention that the farm featured kittens? |
After visiting the farm, we returned to Cretaiole for some downtime. This was enforced relaxation time because of the extreme heat in the afternoon hours. Temperatures border on 40 degrees celcius and our host Isabella told us that this was the hottest August in over a decade.
After our relaxation time, we joined a tour of one of our host family's properties, which is an ancient ruin site believed to have been a burial ground for Etruscans, then later repurposed as a hermitage by medieval monks. The site was a bit spooky but fascinating from an anthropological perspective. One culture's burial ground can be another's place of worship!
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| A carving of Jesus cut into the rock of the ruins |
We ended the day in Pienza at the lovely "Latte de Luna" restaurant, where I had the greatest gnocchi ever and Viv enjoyed a fantastic eggplant parmesan.
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| My bruschetta appetizer. I finished the gnocchi before Viv could get the camera out. |
Well, we thought we ended the day that way. At about 10:30, there was a loud banging on our door. Sure enough, there was Luciano, a bottle of grappa in one hand and a bottle of vinsanto in the other, inviting us over to the common room to drink with him (I think that's what he was saying). He rounded up some other people from the agriturismo, got the music going, and danced with all the ladies while the men drank his home made concoctions. Grappa is a spirit distilled from grape skins which have been cast off after the wine making process. It is clear in colour, 40% alcohol, and definitely an acquired taste. Vinsanto is a sweet red wine that tastes like ice wine. Both are drunk out of shot glasses. We finally retired, for the second time, at 12:45 on the promise that we would drink with Luciano again tomorrow.
Dave
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