Bravio delle Botte

Bravio delle Botti: Montepulciano, the last Sunday in August

If you are driving around the countryside near Montepulciano this week, you are likely to encounter pairs of healthy young men pushing large wine barrels up and down the rolling hills.

Most every hilltown has its ancient competitions held between the neighborhoods: Siena’s Palio horse race is probably the best known; you will also find an archery challenge in Montalcino, a crossbow competition in Massa Marittima, a pushing contest on a bridge in Pisa, even a race with donkeys pulling little carts in Valiano.

Dating back to 1373, the event in Montepulciano was originally a horse race like the Palio of Siena, but it evolved in 1974 to become the Bravio delle Botti, a barrel rolling race between the eight contrade (neighborhoods). The race, in honor of the patron saint St John the Baptist, takes place on the last Sunday in August.
The athletic spingitori, literally the ‘pushers’ of the barrels start at the Marzocco column in front of the Palazzo Avignonesi and run in pairs, sharing the exhausting efforts of pushing an 85-kilo wooden wine barrel up 1700 meters of steep roads in this 600-meter-high hilltown.

The first team to finish at the Piazza Grande in front of the Duomo takes the bravio, or award, of a beautiful cloth painted with an image of St. John the Baptist, Montepulciano’s patron saint. The panno, as it is called, is unique every year as it is designed and painted by a different artist. The artist for 2010 is Daniele Sasson, a Siennese artist, and the work is done in the Macchiaioli style, a technique made popular by Tuscan artists in the second half of the nineteenth century. This piece of art will be seen for the first time on 22 August.

The eight contrade of Montepulciano are Cagnano, Collazzi, Gracciano, Le Coste, Poggiolo, San Donato, Talosa, and Voltaia.

on vacation...

If you live in Italy, where do you go for vacation? The funniest answer, it seems, is California, which we try to do every December for 2 weeks.

However, even though the summer is our busiest season for Bed & Breakfast and cooking classes, I usually try to find a few days for my daughter and I to have ‘girl time.’ In the past we have taken trips to England, Barcellona, or Paris, or to one of the amusement parks in Italy, but this year we scaled back and had our trip closer to home.

Our first few days were camping. Well, maybe that’s exaggerating a bit, as we did stay in a campground, but in a bungalow with beds and a kitchen. Not exactly roughing it! And campgrounds in Europe are quite different from the US in that, besides the essential swimming pool, they have a lot of services such as a restaurant, night-time entertainment, and fresh pastries and cappuccino in the morning. Of course, there are spaces to bring your own tent, but for such a short stay, I was happy to just bring sheets and towels.
The campground was Barco Reale , the same name as one of my favorite wines from Tenuta di Capezzana, the estate where my friend Rolando Beramendi and I started the culinary workshops in 1992.

Part Two of our trip was at the seaside. I had the good fortune to have some credit with a small hotel chain for a translation I did. We ended up at the tiny Sette Archi hotel in Bocca di Magra, a small port at the end of the Magra River, just south of La Spezia. From our room, we looked over the docks and up to the marble quarries of Massa/Carrara… splendid views. From here we drove to the Sarzana train station and took the train to the Cinque Terre to visit friends for the day, so easy and so perfect.

But, the thing that pleased me most was the feeling of stepping back in time. This family-run hotel was full of mostly Italians, and all of us on mezzo pensione, which included dinner in their restaurant. In a few days you knew everyone, greeting them in the morning and saying good night after long evening walks along the waterfront. No WiFi, no public computer without a drive of at least 15 minutes. Imagine that! Forced vacation! We rode our bicycles, walked, swam, and read books.

Ironically, at the campground book exchange, I picked up the only English book on the shelf, one I had never read (some of you know my habit of adopting any stray books in English that I find): Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands. This book once belonged to Minni from Boulder, Colorado, and I thank her for leaving it behind. It opens with a letter from Dona Flor to the author of the book, and her comment about how she learned to cook by cooking: “Was it not by loving that I learned to love? Was it not by living that I learned to live?”

Let us cook, love, and live, then!

prosecco sorbettato

Weather reports say it's going to stay hot for a few days. Cicadas agree. The summer has been a long time coming this year. Yesterday's peaches at the market and the heat inspired me to pull out my Gelato! book and put together my simple peach sorbet:
5 peaches, peeled and seeded, 2 cups of spring water, and 2/3 cup sugar, all puréed together in the blender. After I chilled the purée in the fridge for a bit, I put it in my ice cream maker, and allora! Refreshing just like this, but even better in a glass of Prosecco, reminiscent of the Bellini cocktails at Harry's Bar.

Gnocchi cravings

Craving gnocchi. I started by boiling potatoes, the ones with eyes and toes because they are a little dryer. These potatoes, called Bolognese, are so sweet and seem to have just the right amount of starch for feather-light gnocchi. When I was in the states, I used russets, but now I'm thinking that next time I visit there, I will try a sweeter potato like a Yukon gold or the Finnish yellow.

I don't even bother to peel the potatoes; I just cut them in half and boil in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes for 3-inch chunks. A splash of cold water and the peel slips off pretty easy... then in the ricer,

add the egg and flour and knead lightly. I prefer simple gnocchi without the perforation of a grater or fork and just roll a piece out about 3/4-inch thick, then cut into 1-inch lengths.
For 1 kg (2.2 lbs) boiled and riced potatoes, I use 250 grams (9 oz) 00 flour, 1 egg, and a pinch of salt. Once cut, I dust them with flour and stick them in the freezer for a few minutes until I'm ready to cook them... not to freeze them, but to keep them from softening and swelling in the warm kitchen.

Originally I thought to make an aglione sauce with fresh tomatoes and garlic from the garden, but when I went out to pick, I realized we used up most of the ripe tomatoes in yesterday's gazpacho. There was an abundance of swiss chard, though, so this is what I came up with: I sautéed the julienned chard stems in olive oil with onion and a little pancetta. When they were soft, I added the julienned chard leaf and let that soften. A little broth, some mascarpone, and topped with sautéed bread crumbs and parmigiano...craving satisfied!


xOx (kiss on each cheek)

I could spend every day right here at Poggio Etrusco. I don't really need to go anywhere. But, when I do get out, it does make me happy. Yesterday I had the 'opportunity' to drive to Pisa airport to pick up my cousin's daughter who is having a summer vacation here on the farm. As always, I did the 'Nora Jones thing,' which is to take the long road home...past glorious fields of sunflowers. Every signpost called to me: Bologna, Viareggio, Artimino. I need more hours in the day!

And, today, back to work! Trying to refine the Tuscan Scrub, an exfoliant/moisturizer using my organic olive oil leftover from last year, blended with Sicilian sea salt. My feet have never been silkier! Today I am picking lavendar to dry and infuse in the mixture to see how that works.

arrivederci means 'to see each other again'

One of the hardest things about having guests stay at our farm is saying goodbye.

The first post of my first blog is dedicated to Hadass and Dan (and Naomi) who drove away today, off to Rome, and on their way back home to Tel Aviv. With their encouragement, I have finally taken the plunge into the world of blogging...

What will this be about? My Facebook experience (Poggio Etrusco and Pamela Sheldon Johns) has been lovely because it has been a two-way communication (and sometimes even multi-way) with people I know. But, I think that this will be different, more musing than schmoozing...
In any case, my idea is to share some of my life on this little farm of mine with you... and it starts with saying goodbye.

This is our ninth year hosting guests at our agriturismo. We have met so many wonderful people (and only one or two stinkers) from all parts of the world and all walks of life (including the joint chief of staff of the U.S. and the heir to the Playboy realm...not at the same time, by the way). The time we spend together is intimate. We are sharing our home, and our guests are on vacation, relaxed and open. But, we have discovered that as soon as we get attached, they leave. In the beginning, before internet communication had advanced to its current level, we sometimes never heard again from our visitors. Now, at least, we have a chance to stay in touch.

So this new blog of mine is intended to be an arrivederci, which literally translates to "we'll see each other again." I will keep you posted on what is going on here at Poggio Etrusco until we do see you again!