tuscany | An American in Rome

Pitigliano: Tuscany’s City Built of Tufo

Jan 29 2013 Published by L'americana under Travel

We had stopped by Saturnia and Sovana, but our final destination was the village of Pitigliano.

Perched on a rather perilous seeming cliff, the town is sometimes referred to as Italy’s Little Jerusalem. Though the synagoge is rarely in use, it has been turned into a lovely historical landmark.

The rocky village is worth a visit, full of twisting alleys, dark passage ways, friendly locals and delicious Tuscan home cooking to keep you warm even on rainy January days.

Plus, planters filled with kitties which is always sure to be a hit with me.

And an Ape in every shade!

If you want to book a trip, we stayed at Il Tufo Rosa, a comfortable home base with the bonus of delicious organic olive oil for sale downstairs. (Tufo is the kind of rock the city is built of).

We left Rome Saturday morning and were back by Sunday at 6 pm. It was a brief road trip and possibly too short a time in Pitigliano, but it’s doable in two days.

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Saturnia Hot Springs

Jan 16 2013 Published by L'americana under Travel

After a great lunch in Sovana, we had earned a little R&R. We piled back into our cinque cento, clown car style, and set off for the nearby village of Saturnia.

Exploring another Tuscan town was not the priority. Instead, we were on the hunt for thermal hot springs.

The Saturnia hot springs are in an idyllic little valley. The source is located slightly farther upstream and a fancy spa has been built around it. We were going for the eco-chic experience and headed for the outdoor pools.

The natural pools are gorgeous and located just below a little waterfall.

Unfortunately, the waterfall and the distance from the source, mean that in mid-January the water is not-so-hot. More like the tepid terme, rather than hot springs. Next time we might spring for the spa.

But the view really couldn’t be beat…

Just follow the signs to Saturnia, and then the brown signs with the spring icon. There is free parking heading down hill towards the springs.

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Sovana, Southern Tuscany

Jan 13 2013 Published by L'americana under Travel

With a New Year’s resolution to make the most of our time in Italy, a few friends and I hatched a plan to get out of Rome for the weekend. One of my colleagues is from the southwest corner of Tuscany, so that seemed like a good place to start.

We picked up our rental car and found ourselves in Sovana, 2.5 hours later.

Sovana has one main street that leads from the Cathedral at one end, to the ruins of a palazzo at the other.

The town’s claim to fame is that it was the birth place of Pope Gregory VII, who died in 1085.

The town was cute but also quiet. After fortifying ourselves with polenta al ragù…

And acquacotta, a soup from Maremma that is made with bread and egg…

…We piled back in the car for the next Tuscan town.

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New Olive Oil Will Ruin You For Life

Jan 25 2011 Published by L'americana under Italian Food

I moved to Italy expecting great food. I had no idea that it would be something as simple and fundamental as olive oil that would forever alter my tastes.

New olive oil is impossibly green:

It is a greenness that you can taste.

New olive oil still has the flavor of the earth that the fruit grew from.

This fall, I was up at my favorite agriturismo in Tuscany. And yes, I know how ridiculous that last sentence sounded, thank you very much. But bare with the unavoidable pretentiousness of putting that into writing, because the farm is amazing and every spare weekend I get, I sneak up there to Pienza. I went there for the first time in November with a friend because we were hoping to pick olives. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time.

After feeding us the newly pressed olive oil in an attempt to cheer us up in the inclimate weather, the owner of the agriturismo had a problem on his hands- we were hooked. Since the weather was too wet for doing any picking, he offered to take us to the mill. To his utter surprise, we said yes. To an Italian, the mill is boring. To me, it was fascinating.

Families drop off their olives in giant crates, labeled with their names, so that they can later pick up the oil that is specifically from their harvest.

First, the olives go rush by at hyper speed to shake free all the twigs and leaves.

The debris-free fruit gets transfered into a completely unromantic looking stainless steel vat.

But what comes out the other end is pure liquid gold- fresh, green oil:

Another spout takes care of all the water-y non-oil yuck. (Sorry if that’s all too technical for you. Just trust me).

The green green green oil is then transfered into the family’s jugs and containers so they can take home their year’s supply of oil.

If you’re dining out in Italy after the olive harvest, ask for “olio nuovo.” Drizzle it over bread (NO- no adding vinegar and dipping the bread), and you have a mini-feast for your pre-dinner enjoyment.

I’m only getting around to publishing this now because I became aware of my ever-dwindling supply of Podere San Gregorio oil. There’s no point in saving it since the oil’s flavor will change and mellow over time, but I hate to say goodbye.

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The Etruscan Philosopher

Nov 24 2010 Published by L'americana under Italian Art

This carving is called The Philospher because he has large ears to listen with, but a very small mouth to limit how much he speaks.

This sculpture is on the private property of an agriturismo in Pienza- Podere San Gregorio. It was incredible to be in the private presence of something so ancient. It felt unfair, like this should be open to everyone all the time. But as Luciano told us with a shrug, “Italy has many ancient things.”

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