September 21, 2013. Cortona
Yes, THAT Cortona, the setting for Francis Mayer's book, Under The Tuscan Sun. But we have a few stops to talk about before we get there.
Montalcino
Our senses are becoming dulled by so much quaintness. What? Another medieval walled village? Yawn. This one is super cute with lots of restaurants, bars, and a little shopping. We easily burned off breakfast just climbing the endless steps to get there.
Pienza
Another quaint walled city, but this one is famous for producing Pecorino sheeps cheese. When traveling with backpacks you have to be very selective about what you bring back. My souvenirs of this trip will be a couple wheels of Peccorino and a small piece of pottery from the Amalfi Coast area. Note the laundry hanging outside the window. I don't think many people use dryers here.
This bronze is unusual because it's only about a foot thick and can be viewed from both sides. From only a few feet away, it looks like a full size sculpture.
We really enjoyed making our selection from this man's cheese shop. He spoke not a lick so there was much pantomime and waving of hands. We tasted several of the cheeses. It's the same cheese but the taste is different depending on the age. The really aged pecorino smells and tastes like your Dad's socks. We passed on that one.
I have to say that the food in Italy is not what I expected. That yummy stuff they serve at Carraba's is about as Italian as Taco Bell is to Mexican food. It's all pork all the time. Pork, Pork, Pork, Pork! Fresh, smoked, sliced and diced, and processed into salami and cold cuts. Most menus will have two overpriced steaks (40 euro) and one token grilled chicken dish. They eat processed pork products three times per day. Can that be healthy? The mistreatment of pigs I alluded to in a previous post is rampant in Italy. Can't wait to get to Amalfi so I can eat fish. My brain says "vegetarian" but my taste buds scream "carnivore"!
Cortona
The assent to Cortona could give you a nose bleed. Then you park your car and continue on a very steep road to reach town. There's a lot going on here. People strolling in the square, dining at outside tables, walking their dogs.......
Hotel San Michelle
Great hotel from the 1500`s. And,..........wait for it...................Ice!!! At last!!!
We happened to arrive during the annual documentary film festival called Hai Visto Mai. The San Michelle Hotel and Loggia Winery sponsored an event in honor of the festival. The wine flowed freely, killer appetizers, a DJ cranking out suitable music, and an art installation called Osservatorio Ideale 2013. The inside of the "installation" is filled with moss and birdhouses.
"Larsen," I say, "I think the artist challenges the viewer to explore the rules encoded in the subconscious that shape our aesthetics, to consider why we find beauty in the juxtaposition of chaos and order. What do you think he's trying to say?"
Be nice to your bartender and he'll be nice to you. This guy wouldn't let our glasses get empty.
The next morning we happened upon an Italian wedding. How bout that dress? The bride's mother was in Christmas red and the made of honor wore bright Kelly green. There must be more to this than first meets the eye.
Nothing on our agenda for Cortona. Slept in, walked around, went to a pastry shop and had a selection of sweets, then down to the square to sit and drink wine while we people watched.
Here we are leaving Cortona headed for Amalfi. I don't think the pictures really show how steep the streets are. I was sliding out the front of my sandals. With the backpack strapped on I was afraid I might pitch forward and roll down the hill like a basketball!
The pics I took of the landscapes in Tuscany just don't convey the beauty. Here are a few miscellaneous pics I like.
