Montevarchi

May 25, 2013 Tuscany

I took the train from Rome to Montevarchi last Wednesday, Julie arrived on Thursday, fell ill on Friday & stayed in bed for two yukky, coughing, miserable days.  But, she’s up & at it.  We walk all around the little town, explore its three, nearly deserted main streets with ancient buildings and churches.  We wander into covered alleys with a stone Madonna and angels, admire fine shops & galleries, enjoy the restaurants, bars.  At the street market we buy cheeses, salted anchovies, prosciutto, luscious tomatoes.  We love Montevarchi.

There’s an ampule of the virgin Mary’s breast milk in the tabernacle of the high alter of the church of San Lorenzo in the Piazza Varchi in the center of town.  It says so in my guidebook.

The house we’ve rented from Paula & Guido Ciocolini, 10 Via Vespucci, is lovely, roomy (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms), comfortable (frette linens, acres of closet space), with a great kitchen & porch, set in a beautiful garden on a quiet street, just a few blocks from the old, medieval town center.

The weather stinks.  Except for a few hours of sunshine we've had nothing but dark skies, rain, wind, & freezing cold.  We wear the same outfits every day, our light wardrobes packed for the warm spring weather we expected hangs untouched.  Every other day we call Guido to raise the thermostat.  Nevertheless, we grab umbrellas & carry on.

Julie & I, Jewish chicks from Hollywood, are the only tourists in town, an unheard-of luxury considering the hungry hordes swarming over well-known places in Tuscany.  Why, we wondered, are there so many fine shops filled with luxurious fashions, leather-wear, wine, cheese, gourmet delicatessen and art in our obscure little burg, population 25,000?  Are they all so wealthy?  Explanation: a huge PRADA discount outlet (40% off) on the outskirts of town that brings shoppers (primarily Asian as far as I could tell), from all over the world.  Should any leave PRADA with a few euros still in their pockets, it’s possible they might drift into town to check out other merchandise – and Montevarchi’s shops are ready.

We visited stunning Sienna, rented a cool, 5-speed Lancia, and drove around the Chianti countryside, got lost in search of lunch, but found surprises in hillside villages.  And then (drum roll, please), at 12 noon on Thursday, May 23^rd. we checked into the utterly charming 4 star Canalgrande Hotel, a 14^th. Century palace, in the old city of Modena, washed our hands & faces, & sashayed over ancient streets lined with buildings painted orange, olive, pink, dark blue, yellow… to the OSTERIA FRANCESCANA where the chef at “THE THIRD GREATEST RESTAURANT IN THE WORLD,” was preparing to feed us lunch.

I’m not going to tell you about the 12 courses & 7 wines*, conceived in the mind of chef Massimo Bottura on an acid trip, who calls his dream menu, “Sensations,” designed to titillate & awaken them all. 

Instead, here’s a picture of the dishes Julie & I cooked for lunch today from ingredients purchased at the Modena Agriculturel Market – a world class culinary emporium where Massimo’s wife, Laura, an American from New York, suggested we go to buy balsamic vinegar – and whatever else we pleased.  The main dish was whole wheat faro pasta with olive oil, garlic, parsley, fresh peas, & grated pecorino.  We also had a rocket salad with lemon juice & black olives & a glass of chianti.  Later we’ll have warm apples baked with butter, chianti, & Eucalyptus Flower honey.

Outside it’s raining cats & dogs.