Friday was mostly a day of chores such as supermarket shopping (horrible, apart from the area where varieties of focaccia and pizza slices were being baked) and cleaning and Greg catching up with business on the computer.
Saturday we decided to stay the night at Alain Ducasse's L'Andana (www.andana.it), about 25 Km away, rather than just go for dinner, convincing ourselves that the reason was so that Greg wouldn't have to worry about driving home. What a wonderful experience. We spent the very warm afternoon at the pool, surrounded by beautiful Tuscan gardens, grape vines and olive groves. Dinner at the restaurant began with the best Belini (Prosecco with peach juice) we have ever tasted, followed by superb appertisers and mains where the quality of the produce was allowed to speak for itself. Walking back through the gardens at the end of the night made a perfect ending to the day, with the evening temperature just right. Our room and all of the public areas of the hotel were decorated with that classy Italian country style so we felt very spoiled and comfortable. Breakfast on Sunday morning could be eaten in the gardens or in one of several beautiful rooms. As there was a little rain (yes, rain!) and the verandah areas were all taken we chose to eat inside and therefore were looked after by Stephan (and that led to one of the best dining experiences of our lives).
After returning to the boat about midday we went driving along one of the many wine trails of the area to visit the town of Massa Maritemma. One special red style of wine is "Monteregio Di Massa Marittima" which must have at least 80% sangiovese grapes. It is a luscious but soft style which we have been very pleased to learn about. There are about 30 vineyards along one of the 3 wine trails very close to our marina and the map we were given the other day (when we went looking for the butcher at Roccastrada) highlighted the vineyards plus any special food places in the area. We stopped at one of these to buy locally made pasta, pasta sauces, wine, cheese and panchetta. Without the map there is no way a stranger would recognize what treasures could be found in the inconspicuous building - it seems that all of our experiences in this area keep leading to even more enriching experiences that are helping us to appreciate that it's even better here than the Chianti area of Tuscany we have visited several times in the past.
Massa Maritemma (about 20 km from the marina) is another interesting hilltop town with a huge piazza surrounded by the Duomo (church) and other buildings all built long ago with that beautiful grey/pale brown stone. One of the buildings is now an archaeological museum with exhibits to show the life of the Etruscans, who lived in the area from the 9th and 8th centuries BC (yes, BC!) until the 3rd century AD, by which time the Romans had completely taken over. The surrounding areas were extremely rich in a variety of minerals so the Etruscans were very skilled at mining (there is also a mining museum). Walking up and down the streets of these hilltop towns helps one to appreciate why people there live such long lives.
Sunday evening was the best experience of all, made possible by Stephan's recommendation at breakfast. A friend of his, who used to work in the kitchen at L'Andana, now owns a restaurant (Ristorante Al Convento www.alconventoscarlino.com) at another stunning hilltop town called Scarlino, only 7 km from our marina. So we had to go for dinner last night just in case we left for Elba today. What a special treat to find that the tables of the restaurant were set up for the summer in the garden, overlooking the entire valley of vineyards and farms plus the seashore of the Golfe of Follonica and the island of Elba in the distance over the water. Now it's usually a given that a restaurant with such a great view would have lousy food, but we had one of the best meals of our life, probably enhanced by the glorious sunset and the experience of yet another great but different wine of the region, Alicante. To finish the wonderful evening we drove to the top of the town where an ancient castle is perched, flood lit to add to the effect.
The weather predictions for today included a small storm so we decided not to sail to Elba until tomorrow. Besides, we want to return to the restaurant for dinner tonight because we may never have the chance to go there again and we need to visit the rest of the town by daylight before we go to the restaurant.
So today has been an easy one, with a wander around part of Follonica and catching up on "duties". I did want to try out the Pizzeria at the top of our hill overlooking the marina so we shared one for lunch, with salad and rose, sitting in one of the fancy "tents" in their garden because we had 10 minutes of rain before the sun exploded again into a blue sky.
Gourmet notes:
At Trattoria Toscana, the restaurant at L'Andana, Greg's first course (primo) of Pappa al Pomodoro was so good that I found a recipe as soon as we returned to the boat. I would like to prepare it while we are in an area where the tomatoes have so much flavor that I might be able to emulate the restaurant's version.
Dessert wines (a glass of each)were "Solalto" - le Pupille and "Abatieo" - Antinori.
At Al Convento, Scarlino, my first course was Caponata, a vegetable dish from Sicilia; this version was layers of eggplant, zucchini, semi-sundried tomatoes, with a little melted mozzarella cheese that held the layers together. I need to find a recipe because it was exceptionally tasty.
The wines were Poggiosi Lupi "Alicante" (red), Poggio Brizante "Morellino do Scansario" (red), Fattoria Aldobremolesca (dessert, red).