Savouring a dish of Pasta al forno and a glass of Atinori Bianca on the terrace facing the soft hills of the Tuscan countryside, I wondered whether the Count of Gherardesca, one of the many owners of Fattoria Montelucci estate during the 19th century, had once also enjoyed a similar meal on the same terrace!
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Last year I was hosted by Tasting Places at Fattoria Montelucci, in the Tuscany region of Italy so that I could attend a week of cookery classes, along with fourteen other future chefs, eager to learn the art of Tuscan cooking. Fattoria Montelucci has passed through the hands of many famous and notable Tuscan families - as well as clergy, one of them being Bishop Guido Tarlati in the 1300's. Tasting Places, based in London, hire the hotel section of the estate, to host their cookery weeks in the summer months.
Tuscany is world known for its excellent cuisine, which relies heavily on good olive oil and its variety of fresh tomatoes. Carla Tomasi, our very competent teacher, on a few occasions, took us to Pergine Valdarno, the nearest village to Montelucci, to visit the market where she and the locals bought their fresh produce on a daily basis.
One of the memorable afternoon cooking classes, we prepared dishes that included Pappardelle with a lemon butter sauce; chicken rolls with prosciutto, pecorino cheese and sage; Aubergine and pasta timbale. For dessert there was the most delicious Strawberry ice cream. All the dishes that we prepared each day were devoured at a dinner table set for the fourteen students attending the course! What also impressed me was the selection of wines we tasted every day, that are produced in the Tuscany region, all of which are suitable to serve at meal times.
What appealed to me about my one-week cookery course (besides the wonderful food) was that a few days had been set-aside during that week to allow for guided visits to nearby attractions. We tasted wine at Selvapiano, toured Arezzo; visited Florence and spent a wonderful day in the fascinating medieval city of Siena.
Besides there being many historical places of interest to visit in Siena, in my opinion, there are two major attractions. The first being its Gothic Cathedral dedicated to the Virgin of the Assumption; and the bi-annually bareback horse race that takes place in the Piazza del Campo. It is also a city that pays tribute to two saints; St Catherine and St Bernardino.
It is rumoured that the Gothic Cathedral was built with the desire to emulate the great Cathedral of its rival, the Santa Maria del Flore in Florence. The exterior may have some resemblance to the Florence Cathedral; but it is the interior of the Cathedral in Siena where the difference is of note. One can only marvel at the splendid two tone colour marble that has been used throughout the Cathedral - from the paving on the floor to the pillars and it's alter - it is truly magnificent.
The Tower of Mangia overlooks the Piazza del Campo, which is the main square and it is here that the most popular event, the Pallio of Siena is held. It is a bareback horse race held between the Contradas of the city (the seventeen quarters in which the historical centre of Siena is divided). It is held on the 2nd July and 16th August and the prize for the winner is the "pallio" a painted cloth. However, it is the honour that the winner receives from the residents of 'his quarter' that is more important. Once the race is won, the procession makes its way to the Cathedral where the winner is awarded the 'pallio' at a pompous ceremony.
Finding an open-air café on Piazza del Campo to rest our weary feet after a day of touring Siena was easy, and a glass of Florintina Chianti wine, with its perfect blend of four types of grapes, was the ideal choice to end the day with. We also treated ourselves to cantucci e vin santo (a type of biscuit that one dunks in a sweet wine) However, true credit needs to be awarded to our Tasting Places cooking teacher, Carla Tomasi at Fattoria Montelucci - under her guidance I can confidently say that the cantucci our class prepared was better by far!
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| For more information on cookery courses offered in Italy contact Tasting Places, London +44 0207 460 0077 or visit their website on www.tastingplaces.com or email
ss@tastingplaces.com. |
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