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tagesk · 02-10-2008, 02:26 PM

Sometimes it becomes evident that more-than-average effort is necessary to get what you want. Yesterday it was made clear
to me that if I wanted to spend the day riding in Toscana, and Capa della Famiglia was to come with me, she needed to be
pleased in general, and have her desires fulfilled in particular. Since riding with her is a different thing all together, I am willing
to go that extra mile to make it happen.
I start the run-up with speghettini con vongole, just the way she likes it - with the right amount of chili pepper, and made with
butter and oil (not just oil). To this I serve a cool (definitely not cold!) Vernaccia di San Gimignano (which is a white wine). Then
some pecorino stagionata con miele.

It is furthermore made quite clear that the mountain of lemons that sits in the kitchen must vanish. A mountain of lemons in the
kitchen in the morning means SHE will have to.... OK, OK, I hear you!
So in the darkness of the night I transform them into (what in August will become) limoncello and jar upon jar of lemon marmelade
(no more than 700 grams of sugar per kilo of lemon - I want it to be a little sweet, but the sweetness must not overpower the lemon).
Watch this space for pictures of breakfast later on - the marmelade you will see on the Tuscan bread will be this one. The picture
shows one of the many batches.

And then there are the nagging needs of the body. As I said, I have to struggle to get what I want (which is to ride with Capa
della Famiglia, in case you got the priorities wrong here!).

When I wake up after a fulfilling night, I open the shutters and look out. In my world, nothing can beat Toscana with it's light-blue sky,
the sun slowing coming into the valley, roofs with old hand-made tiles, the more than 1.200 years old church over at the cemetary,
olive grooves, and on the high hill, the thousand year old fortress La verruca protecting it all. This day has potential to become special.

We're off to a small village in central Toscana. The thing is, I write for a Norwegian magazine. One of the comments to an article
was that I just had to go to this village and see how beautiful it was. I am, as always, happy to oblidge. The readers are Kings in this game.

We ride south into central Toscana, where we stop in Saline di Volterra for cappuccino e svoglia con ricotta. Above average, and
the bar has been carefully noted. The road from Pisa to Saline, the SS 439, is a nice road to ride on a fine Sunday morning. Not just
straight ahead, but not too many twists either. A village here and there, but not too many. Just perfect.
It is when I sit like this on a Sunday morning in the sun, with a cappuccino that a sigar would have added just that little extra touch
to make it unforgettable. But alas....

We continue south, and pass through Pomerance. The valley is full of geo-thermal power-stations. Fat, shiny and ugly pipes that carry
steam zig-zag the fields and forests. I understand the need, I just wish I didn't have to see it on an un-spoiled Sunday morning like this.
If I had remembered how ugly it is I would have taken another road. Now it is too late. On the other hand, as an engineer I find it cool
(if I might use that term here) to see the shiny pipes dive into the ground. Of all dogma, to let form follow function might be the best one.
But it is Ugly As Hell.

We pass through the ubiquitous village Montecastelli. Just as we leave it, and are picking up spead, I see in a glimse a sign-post
out on a field. In Italy, all things are under-wmphasized and under-communicated. So we stop and ride back to see.
It is nothing special, really. Just a 2.700 year old Etruscan tomb carved out of the rock. Inside there is a main room, and four separate
burial chambers, each with a bed (complete with pillow). All carved out of the rock. As I said, nothing out of the ordinary.
By the way, if you look closely at the image you might notice that I am wearing a somewhat striking-coloured safety-west.
Ugly As Hell

We continue though the rolling hills of Toscana, and pass Belforte. It looks as if the road up to Belforte might be worth a try some day.
I make a note of it.

Then we finally spot today's goal: Montalcinello. It looks just like any other hill-top village here in Toscana. A fortress, a church or
two, city wall, splendid view, a few thousand years of history. Nothing special.
Later we learn that the village was mentioned in a document dated 918 (not 1918) and then it had already been there for a long time.
We also do not forget that we are in the midst of the Etruscan "country". A few thousand years is nothing.

We park the bike on the piazza, in front of the little church. It is 13:30 (one thirty), quiet, and exactly as a village in Toscana should be
like at this time on a Sunday morning. Everyone is with the extended family, having pranzo, living life at it should be lived here.

We enter the combined bar and trattoria, and are pleasently surprised to find that is streches through the building with several small
and welcoming room with a few tables in each. We choose a room that is not empty; another couple is eating secondo. After a while,
two elderly couples take the last table - none of us wants to eat in solitude.

We go for gnocchi quattro formaggi (where gnocchi is like a pasta, but made from potatoes. The point is that they hold on to the sauce
better, and tastes more). Then pesce miste fritte (different fishes, fried) with faggioli and insalata mista as contorni. Looking good!

The waiter says that if we want, it being such a nice day and everything, the couco has promised that if anyone wants just gorgonzola
and not all four cheeses that would be no problem. We jump on it! Looking better!
Then, after a few minutes, the waiter comes back and reports that the cook doesn't have enough gnocchi to make two servings. He can
either use a normal pasta (orecchio) with the same sauce, or we can order something different. We go with the pasta - gorgonzola is our favorite.

The sauce is nice and thick, we haev some white wine, fresh bread, and we are happy.
Then the waiter appears (again!). This time with one serving of gnocchi, quoting the cook as to someone has to enjoy the single last
serving. And that is, obviously us. The picture above shows Capa della Famiglia just done with the orecchio con gorgonzola, getting ready
to some gnocchi con gorgonzola. This reminds me that I believe Gorgonzola is a village somewhere near Milano, and that I need to go
there to eat gorgonzola.
Anyway, we are starting to suspect that this this place with this cook might be something worth remembering.

The fish arrives, and it is just excellent. I pour some oil made nearby on the faggioli, and have a jolly good time. Then the couco
himself comes out, asks if everything is in order, and says that if we like onion with the fish he'll run out and slice some for us.
Looking good, well above average!

Now, the problem with Italian lunch is that in general the Italians aren't very good with dolce. Dolce Vita, yes. And svoglie. But aside from tiramisu and a few others, there isn't much to be happy about. I mean, how many times do you want to eat dry and boring torta della nonna? But again Francesco surprises us. He has one last pice of a delishious, soft, humid and excellent cake with a "lid" from cioccolata.

As we are paying, Francesco comes to ask if we liked his food. We did, indeed! So he tells us about the village, the trattoria he is
running here, what he serves, what he can make, and so on. It really requires some effort to explain that the reason we decline his
offer for some grappa is that we are on the bike. We would really like to say yes, but we have had some wine, and enough is enough.
I don't know if he blieves us.

I can recommend La Fattoria di Francesco Nilo. Montalcinello, +39 0577-798057 (+39 340-3122709).

Sorry hat you cant' see the bike on any of these picutes, but I simply couldn't bring it in with us.

We walk the narrow streets of Montalcinello, talking about Life, Universe and Everything. I am thinking about sigars.

It is time to ride back home becuase Capa della Famiglia doesn't like to ride in the dark. We stop below Volterra, at a bar we often use.
The reason is the excellent service.

Someone, not me, prefer tea (give me a break, we're in Italy!) but I am too experienced to say anything. Today the owner gives us a few
home-made dolce made from mandorle. If I ever forget why I come here, remind me that this is why!

226 km (140 miles) on a splendid Sunday.

Thank you for your attention.

[TaSK]

02-10-2008, 02:26 PM	#92
tagesk Tuscan rider Joined: Jun 2007 Location: Tuscany, Italy Oddometer: 2,158	Montalcinello Sometimes it becomes evident that more-than-average effort is necessary to get what you want. Yesterday it was made clear to me that if I wanted to spend the day riding in Toscana, and Capa della Famiglia was to come with me, she needed to be pleased in general, and have her desires fulfilled in particular. Since riding with her is a different thing all together, I am willing to go that extra mile to make it happen. I start the run-up with speghettini con vongole, just the way she likes it - with the right amount of chili pepper, and made with butter and oil (not just oil). To this I serve a cool (definitely not cold!) Vernaccia di San Gimignano (which is a white wine). Then some pecorino stagionata con miele. It is furthermore made quite clear that the mountain of lemons that sits in the kitchen must vanish. A mountain of lemons in the kitchen in the morning means SHE will have to.... OK, OK, I hear you! So in the darkness of the night I transform them into (what in August will become) limoncello and jar upon jar of lemon marmelade (no more than 700 grams of sugar per kilo of lemon - I want it to be a little sweet, but the sweetness must not overpower the lemon). Watch this space for pictures of breakfast later on - the marmelade you will see on the Tuscan bread will be this one. The picture shows one of the many batches. And then there are the nagging needs of the body. As I said, I have to struggle to get what I want (which is to ride with Capa della Famiglia, in case you got the priorities wrong here!). When I wake up after a fulfilling night, I open the shutters and look out. In my world, nothing can beat Toscana with it's light-blue sky, the sun slowing coming into the valley, roofs with old hand-made tiles, the more than 1.200 years old church over at the cemetary, olive grooves, and on the high hill, the thousand year old fortress La verruca protecting it all. This day has potential to become special. We're off to a small village in central Toscana. The thing is, I write for a Norwegian magazine. One of the comments to an article was that I just had to go to this village and see how beautiful it was. I am, as always, happy to oblidge. The readers are Kings in this game. We ride south into central Toscana, where we stop in Saline di Volterra for cappuccino e svoglia con ricotta. Above average, and the bar has been carefully noted. The road from Pisa to Saline, the SS 439, is a nice road to ride on a fine Sunday morning. Not just straight ahead, but not too many twists either. A village here and there, but not too many. Just perfect. It is when I sit like this on a Sunday morning in the sun, with a cappuccino that a sigar would have added just that little extra touch to make it unforgettable. But alas.... We continue south, and pass through Pomerance. The valley is full of geo-thermal power-stations. Fat, shiny and ugly pipes that carry steam zig-zag the fields and forests. I understand the need, I just wish I didn't have to see it on an un-spoiled Sunday morning like this. If I had remembered how ugly it is I would have taken another road. Now it is too late. On the other hand, as an engineer I find it cool (if I might use that term here) to see the shiny pipes dive into the ground. Of all dogma, to let form follow function might be the best one. But it is Ugly As Hell. We pass through the ubiquitous village Montecastelli. Just as we leave it, and are picking up spead, I see in a glimse a sign-post out on a field. In Italy, all things are under-wmphasized and under-communicated. So we stop and ride back to see. It is nothing special, really. Just a 2.700 year old Etruscan tomb carved out of the rock. Inside there is a main room, and four separate burial chambers, each with a bed (complete with pillow). All carved out of the rock. As I said, nothing out of the ordinary. By the way, if you look closely at the image you might notice that I am wearing a somewhat striking-coloured safety-west. Ugly As Hell We continue though the rolling hills of Toscana, and pass Belforte. It looks as if the road up to Belforte might be worth a try some day. I make a note of it. Then we finally spot today's goal: Montalcinello. It looks just like any other hill-top village here in Toscana. A fortress, a church or two, city wall, splendid view, a few thousand years of history. Nothing special. Later we learn that the village was mentioned in a document dated 918 (not 1918) and then it had already been there for a long time. We also do not forget that we are in the midst of the Etruscan "country". A few thousand years is nothing. We park the bike on the piazza, in front of the little church. It is 13:30 (one thirty), quiet, and exactly as a village in Toscana should be like at this time on a Sunday morning. Everyone is with the extended family, having pranzo, living life at it should be lived here. We enter the combined bar and trattoria, and are pleasently surprised to find that is streches through the building with several small and welcoming room with a few tables in each. We choose a room that is not empty; another couple is eating secondo. After a while, two elderly couples take the last table - none of us wants to eat in solitude. We go for gnocchi quattro formaggi (where gnocchi is like a pasta, but made from potatoes. The point is that they hold on to the sauce better, and tastes more). Then pesce miste fritte (different fishes, fried) with faggioli and insalata mista as contorni. Looking good! The waiter says that if we want, it being such a nice day and everything, the couco has promised that if anyone wants just gorgonzola and not all four cheeses that would be no problem. We jump on it! Looking better! Then, after a few minutes, the waiter comes back and reports that the cook doesn't have enough gnocchi to make two servings. He can either use a normal pasta (orecchio) with the same sauce, or we can order something different. We go with the pasta - gorgonzola is our favorite. The sauce is nice and thick, we haev some white wine, fresh bread, and we are happy. Then the waiter appears (again!). This time with one serving of gnocchi, quoting the cook as to someone has to enjoy the single last serving. And that is, obviously us. The picture above shows Capa della Famiglia just done with the orecchio con gorgonzola, getting ready to some gnocchi con gorgonzola. This reminds me that I believe Gorgonzola is a village somewhere near Milano, and that I need to go there to eat gorgonzola. Anyway, we are starting to suspect that this this place with this cook might be something worth remembering. The fish arrives, and it is just excellent. I pour some oil made nearby on the faggioli, and have a jolly good time. Then the couco himself comes out, asks if everything is in order, and says that if we like onion with the fish he'll run out and slice some for us. Looking good, well above average! Now, the problem with Italian lunch is that in general the Italians aren't very good with dolce. Dolce Vita, yes. And svoglie. But aside from tiramisu and a few others, there isn't much to be happy about. I mean, how many times do you want to eat dry and boring torta della nonna? But again Francesco surprises us. He has one last pice of a delishious, soft, humid and excellent cake with a "lid" from cioccolata. As we are paying, Francesco comes to ask if we liked his food. We did, indeed! So he tells us about the village, the trattoria he is running here, what he serves, what he can make, and so on. It really requires some effort to explain that the reason we decline his offer for some grappa is that we are on the bike. We would really like to say yes, but we have had some wine, and enough is enough. I don't know if he blieves us. I can recommend La Fattoria di Francesco Nilo. Montalcinello, +39 0577-798057 (+39 340-3122709). Sorry hat you cant' see the bike on any of these picutes, but I simply couldn't bring it in with us. We walk the narrow streets of Montalcinello, talking about Life, Universe and Everything. I am thinking about sigars. It is time to ride back home becuase Capa della Famiglia doesn't like to ride in the dark. We stop below Volterra, at a bar we often use. The reason is the excellent service. Someone, not me, prefer tea (give me a break, we're in Italy!) but I am too experienced to say anything. Today the owner gives us a few home-made dolce made from mandorle. If I ever forget why I come here, remind me that this is why! 226 km (140 miles) on a splendid Sunday. Thank you for your attention. [TaSK] __________________ '00 R1150GS - Adds life My Riding in Tuscany-thread is here. Renting out motorbikes in Toscana, Italy Proud contributor to Wisdom and GSpot FAQ and European Ride Report Index. IBA: 33616 tagesk screwed with this post 02-10-2008 at 02:54 PM.