Hello. It's Me.

Hello.

It's me.

I've been wondering if after all these years...

omg.

I spent the long Thanksgiving weekend with Caitlin and Lucia belting out Adele songs while driving our tiny Fiat Panda through the Tuscan countryside.

Alas, this is how memories are made.

It's unlikely that I'll ever think of Adele again without remembering that weekend.

If you haven't heard enough of Adele lately, check her out with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots below.

Anywho, let's get to the rundown of our few days in the hill towns of Tuscany.

You might remember our driving adventures in Siena a few years back. I tried, thoroughly, to avoid reliving this situation during this trip. Caitlin and I had made these initials plans and Lucia, a Spanish teacher at ASM, decided to join us. I was thrilled. She's legally allowed to drive in Italy and was happy to be the main driver on the trip.

We all met in Florence and rented the car from there. We took off for San Gimignano, a town about an hour or so from Florence.

Piazza della Cisterna

View out over the countryside

After a nice lunch, we headed for Volterra, another nearby town. Some of the filming for New Moon, part of the Twilight series was done in Volterra (though most in Montepulciano) and I wanted to see it for myself!

But it was freezing!

Caitlin and Lucia all bundled up!

And after checking out the main square, we didn't stay for long!

We wandered to the edge of town before heading to our agriturismo and caught some great shots of the sunset.

We booked an apartment in an agriturismo in San Quirico d'Orcia.

We headed to a wine tasting the following morning at Avignonesi. On the way, we caught some shots of the countryside with the most amazing light.

This winery.

Simply stunning wines.

One of this winery's claims to fame is their Vin Santo. The grapes are aged for approximately 6 months before they are pressed. Then the wine will be aged in the barrel for over 10 years. These grapes won't be for sale as wine until at least 2028.

They produce both a red and white variety of Vin Santo.

The description of the Vin Santo process was incredible
and helps explain the especially high price!

These barrels are not moved once placed during the ten year process and they are not cleaned between batches. The 'mother yeast' that accumulates in the barrel is left to help develop and flavor each vintage.

They also produce some "regular" wine.

Time for the tasting!

We tasted four wines and then the Vin Santo, which has an extra fee to taste. We loved the Vin Santo and the last two reds that we tried.

Here's a little slo-mo action of the Vin Santo.

We bought some wine while we were there.

This amount of wine cost about 650 euro! Wowser.

But it is so delicious it was worth the splurge.

After a big wine breakfast, lunch was most definitely in order.

Traditional pici pasta with meat sauce

As we headed into Montepulciano, this walkway had a sign indicating that some Twilight part had been filmed here.

Montepulciano from a distance

It was so cold and windy we just couldn't bear to spend much time in the cute little towns.

We also spent a little time wandering San Quirico d'Orcia.

Then it was on to Montalcino to taste some Brunello. (Montalcino produces Brunello from the Sangiovese grapes, while Montepulciano produces Vino Nobile from the same grape. Learn more here.)

Caitlin time lapsed our entire time sitting in a little bar tasting two Brunellos.

Buying ceramics from this cute little Italian artisan

Montalcino in the distance

Bagno Vignoni- a nearby town

classic Tuscany.

Here's some traveler tips to help plan your own Tuscan hill town adventure.

We stayed at Antico Podere la Martinella. It was inexpensive, not in a major tourist thoroughfare, but still nearby a cute town with plenty of restaurant options. A car is necessary.

We ate at a couple of locally recommended places: Trattoria Osenna, L'officina (for great thin crust pizza), and Al Vecchio Forno.

Between Avignonesi and Montepulciano, we had lunch at Piccola Trattoria Guastini.

For wine tastings at Avignonesi, be sure to email in advance and make a reservation. Wine tastings and tours cost 15 euro per person and include tastings of four wines. An additional fee is charged to taste the Vin Santo, but it's waived if you purchase a bottle.

Found this amazing blog post about the area that you might also find useful.

Do you have a favorite Tuscan hill town? Please share!

Odds and Ends.

I'm spending some time at home in the States right now and I've got a few extra moments on my hands, so it's a good opportunity to try and catch up on a few tidbits I haven't yet shared.

Caught this sunrise as I made my way to work a few weeks ago:

Had the opportunity to meet and spend some time with author and Rolling Stone writer, Rob Sheffield. He spent three days at our school working with some students on writing. A few special people might be getting an autographed book under the Christmas tree.

Rob, 3rd on the left, is clearly demonstrating that we
know how to show someone a good time!

Halloween was not that long ago, so I'm not too far behind. I'm not a fan of dressing up, but I have one costume in my collection of things. Given the positive reviews, it's likely the only costume I'll ever wear again.

Cleopatra

Some of my friends had great and creative costume ideas.

Can you identify this set of costumes?

Reppin' a classic board game

if you need a good meth maker call Annaleigh,
stuff Jill with candy and beat her, and a controversial Presidential candidate

I found this set of signs posted in a record shop. I find it to be a quintessential example of how things operate in Italy.

signs showing all the different opening and reopening times

Made this amazing peanut butter pie a few weeks back. Deliciouhhhhhhhhssssssness doesn't even begin to describe it.

Early in the school year, a few of us went up to Lake Como and hiked around a bit. We were just a little ways off the beaten path. (cough, cough)

Happiness comes and goes, good friendship is for always.

And this lovely pizza was served to me not that long ago.

A Beast in the Kitchen

You may remember that earlier this year I enjoyed dinner prepared by Art Smith, a chef famous for his classic Southern cooking.

This restaurant was part of the USA Pavilion's participation in the EXPO in Milan and was open for 6 months.

Before it closed, I was able to attend another dinner, this time prepared by West Coast chef Naomi Pomeroy.

Like Art Smith, I had previously watched her cook on Top Chef Masters. She came in 4th on Season 3.

Top Chef is one of my most favorite shows.

Right behind Dancing with the Stars.

And Project Runway.

But Tom and Padma. Totally my jam. Love them.

So, we made a reservation for Pomeroy's visit in October.

Peggy, Ann, Lisa and me

We loved Naomi's food.

Even though some of it pushed our (my) eating boundaries a bit. (cough, cough...see the first pic!)

Steak tartare, quail egg, brioche tart

Ummm...this was pure deliciousness:

Tomato and taleggio, creme fraiche tart

Crispy pork rillettes

celery and fennel veloute

The pork was soooooooo tender:

Brined pork, wild mushrooms

And this salad was the bomb:

Fall chicory salad, apples, toasted hazelnuts

I wanted to lick this plate:

Bete noir, salted caramel sauce

Pomeroy, post dinner, discussing the menu

It's such a shame that this dinner series is over, but it was awesome to get to experience such a thing- twice!

Dinner was delicious! If you are on the West Coast of the US, you should make a point to head to Pomeroy's restaurant, Beast, in Portland, Oregon.

I'd love to go...maybe it's time to put some more domestic trips on the agenda.