Saluti a tutti!
On Monday we arrived at Spannocchia, a beautiful tenuta (estate) in the hills outside of Siena. It is known for its work in preserving a breed of heirloom pigs, the Cinta Senese, that have been an important part of life in this part of Tuscany for hundreds of years.
Viewing the garden from the terrace at Spannocchia.
Besides learning about the Cinta Senese and sampling the various kinds of cured meats made here, we walked the grounds and heard about the history of Spannocchia, walked through its farm and olive orchards, and took a regional cooking and pasta class. Do you know why dried pasta is traditionally from southern Italy and fresh past from the north? We sure do — the heat! Pasta can be dried in the sun in the south and remains fresher for longer in the north.
Resting on the stairs and watching the evening light arrive on the terrace.
Enjoying the cool spots inside the villa.
Speaking of heat, today we spent most of the day exploring the incredibly beautiful hill town of Siena. Supposedly named after Senius, one of the sons of Remus (as in the brother of Romulus, the founder of Rome), Siena is one of the classic Tuscan cities, with beautiful art, architecture, landscapes, and, of course, gelato, which some of us may have enjoyed multiple times throughout the day…
View from the Torre del Mangia with the beautiful Duomo in the distance.
Looking down at the Piazza del Campo from the Torre del Mangia.
Rolling Tuscan hills and terracotta rooftops.
The Piazza del Campo and the shadow from the Torre del Mangia. Notice where all the people are gathering? In the ombra (shade)!
For hundreds of years Siena has been the arch enemy of Firenze (Florence) where we head in the morning. Non vediamo l’ora! (We can’t wait!)
A dopo,
Farm-to-Table Italy 2016