A Tuscan View - from Umbria

New Year

12th January 2008

New Year and a time to reorganise, revitalise and prioritise. First of all (and most importantly), new boots - steel toe-caps, acid-proof, burn-proof, water-proof and rubbery. Next I have to start thinking about the year ahead. This is the big one and, if our project is going to work, we'll probably know by this time next year, so we have to get ourselves sorted. My job has now been split into two halves; morning and afternoons building (with new boots), and evenings trying to figure out how to use Dreamweaver and Flash to get our websites going (probably still in new boots). Not sure which is the hardest but, on balance, the frustrations of technology seem to outweigh those of a sledgehammer. My brain is being stretched and it doesn't like it.
Of course the antidote to all this is only about an hour away from us and is one of the reasons we are here. Florence.

Piazza della Signoria, Florence, at night.

We had to go over the Christmas period just to see what was going on and we weren't disappointed. The lights and the lighting proved to be as captivating and magical as we could have imagined, and even the children stayed the course with barely a murmur of discontent.
I haven't yet become used to, or complacent about, the fact that we are lucky enough to get onto the motorway a few miles from our house, and our choice of destinations, according to the big green signs, is as below. How could anyone grumble about that?

The stupidest thing I did today;
A new year and, so far, completely stupid-free.

Previous life

17th November 2007

In my previous life I would have liked to have been present at the illustrious gathering in Rome in 1546 during which Cardinal Farnese asked his bearded bumptious friend Giorgio Vasari to assemble a " catalogue of artists...". Perhaps I could have been the slightly faded courtesan in the shadows, dressed in second-hand silk with a whisper of ermine. I would have leaned in with naked curiosity as the conversation took its turn and Vasari paused to draw the breath that would exhale his magnus opus, 'The lives of the most excellent painters, sculptors and architects' - more comonly known as 'Vasari's Lives'.

Painted ceilings in Vasari's house, Arezzo

Born in Arezzo, Vasari initially trained as an artist and was very successful, but he obviously became so much more than that - in fact he became what Malcolm Gladwell calls a 'connector' with his finger on the very pulse of his day - a kind of impresario, remembered for his rather pedestrian painting and his innovative architecture, but most of all for his unique insight into the art history of the Renaissance.

His biographies are full of juicy snippets of gossip and, although many of his anecdotes have the ring of truth to them, I wouldn't be surprised if he'd made them up either and, frankly, I don't care. He is hugely opinionated and biased, but that's what makes him so readable. Love him or hate him, in the world of the Renaissance, it's hard to ignore him.

Vasari mada a fortune and bought himself a small palazzo in Arezzo "with enough space to make some beautiful vegetable gardens". We went there to have a look. The house is lovely; frescoes by his own hand, a visual ode to himself, and why not?

The Loggia in Arezzo, by Vasari

I'm glad he's not around to see the rather sorry state of his vegetable patch, though...

The best thing I ate today;

Coniglio alla porchetta (rabbit - don't tell the girls!)

Controversial I know, but I like a bit of rabbit. Growing up in the Norfolk countryside, it was something we ate quite a lot. I remember the excitement of my grandparents arriving on Christmas Eve, their car loaded with presents, and a seasonal Rabbit Pie for supper.

Fluff and cuteness aside, rabbit is, surely, a healthy and a free-range (or wild) ethical choice. Its mild, slightly gamey flavour is flattered by the oily aromatics of shrubby Mediterranean herbs as well as the aniseed flavour of fennel.

For lunch in Arezzo today, I chose 'Coniglio alla Porchetta' (roasted with fennel and squashed cloves of garlic). No veg, just a dish of spikey rucola which, with its peppery twang, creates a perfect pairing.

Where to get it;
Osteria Saraceno, Arezzo

Tip - It's called 'alla porchetta' only because the fennel is usually used to flavour pork - there's no pork in this dish.

A near perfect day

6th November 2007

Thankfully my declaration of Winter has proved to be a little premature and, as sometimes happens, the Gods conspire to throw together the makings of a near perfect day; blue skies, russet trees, the low mellow sunshine of Autumn - and Arezzo antiques market.

Arezzo Antiques Market - (1st weekend of every month)

This compelling jumble of tat and treasure is more of a spectacle than a place to procure a crafty bargain. We go with friends who claim to be on the lookout for large wooden rosary beads, “You know, big ones like the chief monk would have used”. We, on the other hand, are determined to buy nothing, steely in our resolve. It doesn’t last long, of course, and within the hour we are haggling over the price of an unfeasably large retro fan. Luckily, we are being tutored in the art of haggle by a ‘grand master’ and, after a flash of the cash and a strategic interlude (during which we visit San Domenico to discuss tactics under the gaze of Cimabue’s strikingly beautiful and asemetric crucifix) we return to the stall and clinch the deal. Kerching!

Crucifix by Cimabue in San Domenico - Arezzo

Arezzo is such a classy town, it was recently voted one of the best places to live in Italy (by Italians) and I can see why. Despite being full of Renaissance goodies it still manages to be alive and hip and trendy.

It was also home to the effusive artist/architect/writer Georgio Varsari, the ‘Nigel Dempster’ of the Renaissance and anyone who has a real interest in this period really must read his ‘Lives of the Artists’ (Volumes 1 and 2). They are sometimes acerbic, sometimes gushing but always fascinating - a bit like an historic ‘Hello Magazine’.

I say this was a near perfect day because, to make it perfect, you should really remember to book a table for lunch. We didn’t.

The Best thing I ate today;

Roast Pumpkin Risotto

I make this risotto a lot at this time of year and it’s very comforting; savoury, sweet and full of Autumnal goodness.

OK, this is more of an idea than a recipe because I’m sure most of the people reading ‘The best thing I ate’ have some idea how to cook.

A quantity of pumpkin depending on how many people you are feeding. Chop it into cubes and simmer half of it in a little stock until soft and then puree it. The rest, roast in the oven with olive oil, some branches of thyme and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Meanwhile, make a white risotto, with onions, garlic, white wine and stock and, just before it is ready, stir in the pumpkin puree with a slug of cream (or not) and lots of parmesan cheese. Just before you serve it add a handful of rucola and stir again. Serve with the roast pumpkin and thyme piled artfully on top.

I’ve also made this with small wedges of red onion roasted along side the pumpkin and served it without the rucola. Although it may seem like a pain to cook the pumpkin in two different ways, this risotto is all about texture as well as flavour. So give it a try.

Where to get it;
Make it yourself

Il Palio

14th August 2007

I love Siena.
It's so gracious and accessible, so beautifully planned, its wonderful 'campo' like a great shallow bowl, the herringbone bricks worn smooth with centuries of evening passeggiata. It is a perfect medieval whole with majestic towers looking out over the fields and vines of rural Tuscany in its undulating spleandour all around. There's something laid back about Siena, maybe it's because it is mainly pedestrianised, and you can browse and window-shop in the chic boutiques, gaze at the gothic palace facades, eat a take-away pizza in the campo or sip an aperitivo in one of the posh cafes.
The point is that you can understand Siena without having to set foot in a single museum, with its stripey Duomo and a glut of good restaurants there's enough to keep you at it day. If you want to go to a museum, which I usually do, there are loads; including the Palazzo Pubblico and the Campo which houses the marvellous equestrian portrait of Guidoricci da Fogliano, until recently attributed to Simone Martini. Martini Shmartini - I'm not really bothered who it's by, I just like to sit and look at it.
Next door the fabulous fresco, 'Good and bad in government' is also well worth a look.
But the thing that thrills me most about Siena is the mad hectic mayhem of Il Palio.

A bareback horserace around the campo, so full of energy and sheer excitement, and performed with such passion and intensity, it is one of the most spectacular events in Italy. Everything about it is riveting and frightening; from the intrigue of the loyal contrade and their brave, 'mercenary' riders to the violent frenzy of the race itself with the drums, the taunting songs and the swaggering winners. We took the girls and some friends to one of the trial races - the real thing having been deemed 'too scary for the young'uns' - which was packed with supporters and their children, the bleachers filled with young contrade dressed in their colours singing raucous songs and waving gaudy flags. We got a place on the inner rail opposite the Palazzo Pubblico and (this will give you an idea of how gripping it is) our girls - 6 and 8 years old - stood squashed and hot against that rail without moaning for over three hours.
Trial races are 30th June/1st July and 14th/15th August and the Palio (for real) is on the 2nd of July and 16th of August - if you dare!

Best thing I ate today;
A fig eaten straight from the tree
Early in the morning as the sun licks the mountains and rises in the sky, this must be one of the most voluptuous ways to start the day.
I have discovered two large wild fig trees weeping with ripening fruit. They are a vivid green with fine skins, some of them covered with pale delicate stretch-marks. Swollen and heavy and about to burst with ripeness. I could go on and on about how sexy they are, but it's all been said before. However, I must say that to tear one of these beautiful fruit apart and discover the warm, rosey sweetness inside is rather nice.
After an initial gorging I have been rifling through my cookery books for all things 'figgy' and am planning lots of good things including Jamie Oliver's 'Crostata di Fichi' ( Jamie's Italy).
So many figs, so little time...

Where to get them;
First crop figs arrive in June and July and are called 'Fiorone', the sweeter second crop is available from August until October on fig trees all over italy.

Montepulciano revisited

21st April 2007

Back in Montepulciano, and who can resist a ‘cappuccio’ (which seems to be what they call a cappuccino in these parts) in the Antico Caffé Poliziano, named after a renaissance poet who was obviously a big hit in Montepulciano (there is a palazzo named after him too). You won’t find any frescoes here though this is a rather decadent Art Nouveau tea room. With sumptuous upholstered banquettes, little marble tables and views from it’s pretty balconies that sweep across the Val di Chiana this is surely a place to indulge youself a little.
I once spent several hours in this elegant, Liberty style café while marito negotiated the finer points of the purchase of our casa with a wily estate agent across the road. The affable staff pretended to understand my terrible Italian and kept the children supplied with little titbits well beyond the call of duty. The coffee here is sublime and an aperitivo of your choice is beautifully presented on cute little trays with lots of lovely nibbly things.

The best thing I ate today;
It has got to be the ‘cappuccio’. This is my main addiction and I am a bit fussy about it. Aromatic, rich and smooth, its foaming top must be creamy and made with latte fresco, not UHT. Most importantly it must be hot and, surprisingly, sometimes it’s not in Italy. Maybe this is because they like to knock it back in one. I prefer to sip and linger perhaps in a nice café like Poliziano where they make it just right.

Where to get it:
On tap, practically everywhere in Italy.

Bella sorella

20th April 2007

My bella sorella has been staying for a few days and today we went to the lofty town of Montepulciano with it’s glorious array of renaissance palazzi and churches. We went in search of good wine and we weren’t disappointed. Up and up the narrow streets we went, pausing only for a few tastes of wild boar salami on the way. The tall one is learning a poem for school and our ascent is accompanied by the repetitious strains of ‘Nel cielo le nuvole giocano…..’, which is quite charming, to begin with. At last we reach the theatrical Piazza Grande, pass the mellow stone lion and griffin well and go into the dim interior of the Palazzo del Capitano where promising smells of must, cork and ageing wine envelop us.

First we try a Vino Nobile 2002. Dad, God bless him, was a wine importer so his girls have always been partial to a little ‘swirling and slurping’. Then we try an Avignonesi Vino Nobile Riserva 2004. A well remembered tip from Dad, “if a wine tastes good, don’t spit it out!”
We don’t.
After a few more sips we decide on 2 cases of Riserva, one for us and one for sis. She’ll be paying excess baggage on that then.

Best thing I ate today:
Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG Riserva 2004. One of the classic Tuscan wines. Sip this wine and roll the soft sensual flavours around your mouth. Sun baking on dusty white roads…ripe fruit falling from the tree. Sip this wine and feel glad that God invented the grape.

Where to get it;
Some good supermarkets and enotecas but by far the most civilized place to procure it is Palazzo del Capitano, Montepulciano.