Tuscan Hill Towns Day 7
Tuscan Hill Towns
DAY 07 - May 11, 2005 - Cooking class & Visit to Colle di Val d'Elsa Siena
We woke up to gray skies but no rain. It was cool last night so we slept well with the windows open as there is no A/C. We had breakfast with our group and then went to the office to try to use their internet computer. It was a bit complicated as they were running a Linux system and I was not as familiar with it - also all of the instructions and commands were in Italian - a double challenge.
At 10 AM we met the owners of our hotel and joined them in their kitchen to learn how to prepare an authentic Tuscan meal. The group was teamed into certain specialties. We made pasta, sauce, apple cake, cantiucci biscuits, and bruschetta - all from scratch! I was the photographer. We learned several great hints that will help us in our own cooking but we know now the true secrets of delicious Italian cuisine are the fresh ingredients. The highlight of the morning was lunch and eating our own cooking.
We had about an hour of free time and then at 2:15 we met Dominico and traveled by bus to a nearby hill town called Colle Di Val d'Elsa. We were driven to the top of this old walled town and then walked through and down the very narrow streets to meet the bus below. We had the opportunity to photograph the windows, doors, people and views as we navigated ourselves through the narrow streets. When we were done we were very glad that we had walked down instead of up.
At 4 PM we met the Dominico and the bus and drove to San Gimignano. As we drove there we saw the bright red poppies dotting the road sides and ditches of the Tuscan countryside. Dominico was kind enough to stop so us serious photographers could capture their short seasonal beauty. Giulia asked us to contribute another 10 Euros per person to make this extra excursion. The interesting part about this old medieval city was that in 1200's it was a famous hostel for traders going from Siena to Florence.
We spent about two hours wandering through the rock walled fortress and making our way throngs of tourists and Italian school children on school field trips. It was an incredible city with fabulous views of the surrounding countryside from every overlook. In one of these I found a group of octogenarians sitting in the sun talking and enjoying the late afternoon sun. I asked them if I could take their pictures and they readily agreed. This is the general rule here in Italy. People are very gracious and willing to have their pictures taken. They are pleased to see themselves when I show them the 2" replay of the picture I have just taken. We tried to communicate and it worked as I finally figured out they wanted to know where I was from. We were to be back at the main gate at 5:45 but had to wait until after 6 PM for the bus to return to the parking lot as the traffic was quite heavy.
We retraced our path back to the hotel and even in heavy traffic we arrived at 6:30. We had just enough time to get organized and back to the terrace where we met Simone Giovannoni for a slide presentation and talk on Siena in preparation for tomorrow's visit. He gave us a map and many suggestions so we can have a self guided tour of Siena. He showed us some slides and a video of a famous traditional horse race that occurs twice in the summer in the city. We were able to ask questions and start to plan our independent time there tomorrow. He is a very good presenter as he is animated, organized, humorous, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel in tune with his excitement for this portion of Italy.
We left the main area of the hotel for dinner but on the way we saw the sun begin to set behind the Tuscan Hills. Several of us stayed to take some pictures as the sun moved in and out of the clouds casting a red aura to the countryside. As we went to dinner, we had another fine three course meal with wine and water.
At 10 PM we returned to our room to prepare for our departure tomorrow and write this Journal.
Accommodations: Villa Lecchi Hotel Meals: B, L, D
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