Good Evening Family and Friends:
When we got up today, we decided to take another leisurely day driving through the Chianti region with the goal of seeing some towns that we were not able to see before - and really, it's not everyday that you can get up with your best friend (and husband), and decide to have another day of fun driving in the country in the Chianti region of Italy.
There were hundreds of serious bicyclists out on the winding roads today. Sunday is the common day for this. Of course, the high performance motorcycles were out in full force as well - buzzing by, in between the cars and the bicycles. We'd be driving along in peace and quiet, and suddenly be passed by a hoard of motorbikes.
We saw four naive tourists, with fanny packs, Tilley hats, and water bottles, sauntering along the side of the road. They smiled and waved as we drove by. We thought they may have gotten misguided information from a friend of a friend who, "heard you could hike in the Chianti area past lush vineyards and rolling hills." I wanted to yell out the window as we drove by - "Have you lost all your marbles!" We drove a little further and saw a blue haired couple vigorously hiking along as well.
We continued on, driving through Greve in Chianti and on to Panzano. We wanted to return to the market in Panzano, because we knew there were artisans there as well as the ubiquitous fruits, vegetables and clothing. And - there was another spectacular reason...
Believe it or not, we had forgotten about the famed Butcher of Panzano, who has a shop called Antica Macelleria Cecchini, and whom also now has two restaurants in town. Anthony Bourdain had done a feature on the butcher of Panzano and we had gone right past the door of Dario's shop the day before!
We walked in the door of Antica, a rather small shop, and someone approached us immediately and asked, "Would you like a glass of wine?" Then we were asked to help ourselves to pieces of bread that had large smears of seasoned lard on them. That's right, I said LARD. Or, if you don't care for lard, you could have Panzano olive oil on crostinis. There were large loaves of crusty bread on a shelves, dozens of cookbooks on another, and of course a variety of fresh meats behind a glass counter. And - guess who was behind that counter? The butcher of Panzano, himself.
Dario Cecchini is the famous butcher at Antica Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti. He comes from a long line of butchers and has recreated an antique-style macelleria on the site of the family shop which was destroyed during the war. As well as being an extremely creative butcher and an excellent cook, he's a showman who has done a lot to promote Panzano and traditional food. Dario Cecchini is famous as a propagandist for bistecca alla fiorentina. His shop is a tourist attraction as well as a place to buy unusual cuts of fresh meat and prepared meats. (That's from the Internet to just let you know about him).
I walked up to Dario and humbly asked if I could take his picture. Instead of just snapping his photo, he invited me behind the counter, put his arm around me, and Ron took my picture with the Butcher! It's just not everyday a person gets their picture taken with Dario...
We left the shop, and happily stopped at Caffe Mokaflor for strawberry gelato and a cappuccino. The little cafe was mobbed with people and many loud Italian voices. We observed people helping themselves to pastries on plates on the counter before anything was even paid for. Here, when you've had what you like, you go tell the guy behind the counter, pay for it and it's as simple as that. Ron asked for two cappuchino's and the man behind the counter said "OK! Go sit down and I bring to you". Then Ron also asked for two gelatos, and the same man pointed to an older lady and said "You ask my mamma and she make for you!". It all seems to flow. This shop had large, spectacular meringues as well.
We left the caffe and walked throughout the market, again looking at the stunning array of fruits and vegetables, and at arts and crafty things. We ended up buying two old pictures in red frames, one of which is a scene in Venice, and the other a scene at a fountain in Florence.
Again, we saw a large, black man in traditional African garb, circulating through the market, with an armload of long, dangling, colorful, beads and some watches for sale.
We left Panzano and continued on through Castellina in Chianti through a town called Poggibonsi. Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany. It has a gothic church dated around 1252. We drove on through Colle di Val d'Elsa, where we happened to look left and noticed an intriguing, small fortress.
We stopped to take pictures by the side of the road. It was peaceful, and the countryside was beautiful. I looked up and saw that I was standing under a fig tree. There were birds chirping everywhere and of course the buzzing of a distant motorbike could always be heard.
We continued on our drive, the Fiat winding its way higher and higher until we entered the Commune of Volterra. Volterra is in the region of Tuscany, and the province of Pisa. We noticed the surrounding landscape was much less treed, and there were wide open spaces.
Volterra was a very interesting place. Volterra is known for its alabaster. The first thing we did was go investigate the Palazzo Dei Priori, the palace built in 1208. We climbed to the bell tower. We weren't allowed to go in to this tower, until the bell rang for 2:00 pm (or else we would become deaf, the lady told us). But, after it clanged twice, we stood under the massive bell and looked out across the countryside for the most amazing views. Volterra had a very dark, gothic Duomo called Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta. From there, we saw the Battistero di San Giovanni Battista, built in 989 AD. This was Volterra's octagonal baptistery.
Before leaving, we stopped at Caffe Lo Sdrucchio for insalata mista (mixed salad), and a small pizza to share. There was medieval flute music playing in the background. Volterra just seems like an odd place for hippie tourists, with binoculars, cargo pants, flannel shirts, wooly socks, and sandals. You look at them and think, "Where have you been for the last 40 years?
We left and started our journey back to San Casciano. The roads were so windy, I actually started to feel ill, and had to close my eyes and try not to think about it. We arrived back at the Villa, and we are now going to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and the view....
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