Toscana

This past weekend we took a school trip into the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany to see the spring come in. Everything in Tuscany is currently that color between yellow and green, only interrupted by red poppies that grow everywhere around the small towns we visited. The Val d'Orcia is a UNESCO World Heritage site, essentially due to it's beauty and history of popping up in famous paintings.

Our first stop was the Tana Gatta vineyard in Montepulciano. The valley has become famous for it's sheep's cheese, among other fresh delicacies. We had a light lunch of the pecorino cheese and sausages made on the farm, followed by a pasta dish (yes, gluten free for me) and lots of their own wine. After lunch they showed us the giant barrels where the wines are aging, and the owner poured me a glass straight from the barrel.

We stayed the night in Pienza, a small commune famous as the birthplace of Pope Pius II, who transformed the small town into an experiment in renaissance architecture. The Duomo di Pienze, an imposing cathedral, was built right on the edge of the cliff that supports the town. It has ever since been slowly sliding down the cliff, and we walked inside to see the deep cracks forming in the floor and walls where bit by bit the choir is falling off from the rest of the church. It's funny how much of Italy is slowly falling down, sinking, or leaning over.

Sunday we traveled through Montepulciano and to the Bagno Vignoni, or hot baths. The baths are walled up inside private (and pricey) resorts now, but there is a small ditch that runs through the town and carries warm water over the cliff into the valley where anyone can dip their feet in. The water was dusty from chalk, and just luke-warm, but enjoyable.

Our last meal in Tuscany was at the Pulcino Winery. The owner, a man nicknamed Pulcino which translates roughly to 'little chicken' or 'chick', made his fortune selling fossils he found on his farm to wealthy Germans. He now owns a beautiful vineyard where they make amazing wine, and he hoards a collection of fossils (including mammoth teeth!) among his wines in the cellar. So if you'll excuse me, I'm off to dig around frantically for things that look old and important so I can start my own Tuscan vineyard.