Win a week in Tuscany!
Closed
Figs on a Plate
Exploring Tuscany in a Fiat…Mamma Mia! My traveling companion and I met up with another friend from Rome in charming San Gimignano. With no particular plan, we set out in his little Fiat 500. Getting directions in English can be daunting, but hearing them in Italian is a comedic symphony! Throw a male driver in the mix, and watch out! At every block, he stopped a new person on the street to get to the next block. We were actually impressed that a man was not afraid to ask for directions. We were less impressed realizing that he was incapable of remembering more than one direction at a time.
“Siamo perduto! A destra o sinestra? Dove si trova la funicolare?” We laughed so much; it was so Italian!
Era piu caldo dell’inferno in his non-air conditioned Fiat.
Along the way we had a fabulous lunch in Pancole at Le Renaie’s, Leonetto restaurant. We ate outside on the shaded terrace, overlooking the flower garden of hydrangeas and citrus trees. Dining was a delicious experience as we tasted all the good things Tuscany has to offer: wild boar and polenta, ribollita, the freshest of vegetables and, of course, awesome local wine. This restaurant is definitely a must to mangiare with the locals. That particular day, they were excited about World Cup. It’s funny how one remembers little details while traveling.
We arrived in the tiny, history-rich town of Certaldo, home of poet and author Giovanni Boccaccio. We rode the funicular to Certaldo Alto where the ceramic shop Artesia Bottega Artigiana immediately beckoned me. I love all Italian ceramics. But one hand-painted dish, in particular, caught my eye. It was a splendidly painted scene of a Tuscan landscape including a farm house, cypress trees and figs, a fruit I happen to love since childhood. It was not only expensive but quite large (28 inches round). How could I ever get it back to the states? After a ridiculous amount of time pondering whether or not to purchase it, I decided to leave the shop empty-handed and regretful as one often is when a missed shopping opportunity passes.
On the return to San Gimignano, we stopped at the gloriously air-conditioned Azienda Agricola S. Quirico winery for a tasting of Chianti, Grappa and Spumante di Vernaccia. Vernaccia is the local wine produced around the hill tops in San Gimignano, and since the Renaissance it has been considered one of Italy’s finest white wines. We bought wine and olive oil to bring back home.
Certaldo is way off the beaten path, and once I returned to the U.S. I knew I’d likely never return to see that dish again. However, the idea of not owning it was constantly on my mind. After weeks of research I finally was able to contact the owners of Artesia. Three months later, a crate the size of a much larger Fiat than the one that took us to Certaldo arrived by UPS. The spectacular dish, my forever reminder of a wonderful day spent in Tuscany, is now the focal point of my dining room.
