The spectacular beauty of this country just rolls on!! Montalcino is about 80 km’s to the south of Radda. The hills flatten out a bit and the landscape gives way to rolling fields of wheat and hay, colorful wildflowers, and a great abundance of poppies. On this stay we did our fair share of walking (twice guided by very sweet dogs) which included some beautiful abbeys, one of which had a wine tasting room (you got to love the Catholics J) and a unique area called The Crete. The land in The Crete is extremely eroded, and its hillsides drop away into limestone precipices that create a dramatic affect against the beautiful rolling green countryside. Because we still are in the region of Tuscany the cuisine has not dramatically changed. However, this is truly the Center of Pecorino cheese (pictured is a fondue of Pecorino with prosciutto covered in the local honey … YUMMMMMM) and a great fat and eggless pasta, called Pici, that is a wonderful base for ragu. We also have enjoyed some really nice artisanal beer and of course the Brunello is GREAT. So at this point the walking vs. eating equation is a bit unbalanced L. Next stop, we are heading back into undiscovered Italy, the town of Camoldoli in the Casentinese Forest.
green with envy!
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