Chaine Des Rotisseurs
Fabulous, wonderful, extraordinary, exciting, simply beautiful……
how does one begin to describe a very special week in Tuscany
in September without falling into the common clichés
of travel magazines? Well, it is not easy. It is difficult
to know where to begin when recounting the experiences of
nine members and their spouses of the Arkansas Chaine Des
Rotisseurs at beautiful Villa Petrolo on the edge of the Chianti
Hills south of Florence. Built in the sixteenth century on
what was originally an Etruscan site, the villa dominates
the gorgeous countryside in all directions and evokes all
the grandeur of earlier times in Tuscany. The charm of the
villa is enhanced by the relaxed atmosphere that Luca and
Lucia San Just have provided, by allowing it to remain as
it was when the family still lived there in what is now best
described as aged elegance. Just steps away from the villa
in the winery, Luca San Just produces one of the finest merlots
in the world, according to James Suckling of the Wine Spectator.
We were fortunate to arrive just as the harvest was ending.
The teasing odors of fermenting grapes would occasionally
waft into the gardens of the villa from the cantina across
the road.
Any week in Tuscany, regardless of weather, itinerary or choice
of restaurants promises to have a few highlights and memorable
experiences even if by sheer accident. It would be difficult
to imagine so many highlights packed into six days as this
particular week encompassed.
Saturday: As the sun set across the hills of Chianti, evening
dinner at the villa was prepared by the locally famous Rosi
Frosonini whose family recipes included a unique starter of
large fried sage leaves with anchovies and cheese, followed
by the locally grown and very precious zolfini beans, and
a wild boar stew with dozens of secret spices that make up
the famous “stuffato alla Sangiovanese,” all served
with abundant red wines of the area.
Sunday: After breakfast, guest strolled the estate lined by
ancient stone walls along the winding paths between vineyards
and the olive trees, occasionally stealing sinfully ripe figs
as they found their way to the remains of the Templar castle
on the hill above the villa. A light lunch was followed by
a very memorable visit to the Charleston Enoteca (wine shop)
for a wine tasting and a guide through the labyrinth of Tuscan
wines with Paolo and Stefano Mearini. According to the Wine
Spectator, this obscure wine shop in Arezzo “has become
one of Tuscany’s top wine stores.” But the real
fun is to watch Paolo Mearini’s face explode in varieties
of excited and sometimes contorted expressions as he describes
the special wines in his cantina. The hunt began as our group
stalked the racks for the most unique, extraordinary and difficult
wines to find always guided by Paolo and Stefano’s expertise.
Monday: The group began the morning with a visit to the nearby
Meleto Castle outside Gaioli in Chianti. Our hostess was the
Contessa Marina Dona’ Dalle Rose, whose ancestors owned
the castle for centuries. The visit to Meleto was followed
by a visit to her uncle’s famous estate at the Brolio
Castle with a private wine tasting of the superb Castello
di Brolio and Castelferro 1999 in the wine cellars. Brolio
castle is an imposing fortress of the Florence State with
original walls dating back to 1484. The tasting was followed
by what seemed to be a step into an almost lost world of elegance
and sophistication as we joined the Barone Bettino Ricasoli
and his lovely wife, Baroness Costanza Ricasoli, two of the
Baron’s sisters and a few family friends, for a tour
of their home in the Castle and for lunch in their dining
room. And what a magnificent dining room it was, refurbished
in the gothic style, complete with thirty foot ceilings, fresco
covered walls, stained glass windows and a table that seated
twenty six. An elegant lunch was followed by the Baronesses’
own apricot and chestnut ice cream. Baron Ricasoli entertained
us with some of his family’s extraordinary history,
beginning with the fact that Ricasoli is perhaps the oldest
wine growing estate continuously owned by a single family
in the world. Records of Ricasoli winemaking date back nearly
a thousand years. The Baron’s great grandfather, known
as the Iron Baron, was not only a great statesman, being the
second prime minister of Italy, but a scientist and enologist
of some renown. It was the Iron Baron who literally invented
Chianti wine after years of research and a carefully selected
“formula” that governed the making of Chianti
for a century and a half. But, notwithstanding the elegant
setting and the sumptuous meal, it was without question the
graceful hospitality and refined charm of the Baron and his
family that marked this day as a day to remember. As a token
of our appreciation, Bailli David Cone presented the Baron
with a pin commemorating Arkansas’ Chaine chapter. With
great delight, the Baron accepted this token as a memory of
his new friends from Arkansas. He, in turn, presented each
guest with a bottle of his Castello di Brolio as a rememberance
of our day spent there.
Tuesday: On Tuesday morning we took a short train ride into
Florence and were met by Laura Gensini, a professor of art
history and guide extraordinaire, for a special walking tour
of the city she loves. After the tour the group fanned out
to explore different trattorias, osterias and restaurants
followed by hours of shopping the treasures of Florence. Guests
returned from a very full day in Florence ready to relax in
noble style with wines and a variety of aged sheep cheeses
before being served a delightful meal cooked by a few intrepid
chefs from our own group. The centerpiece of the Villa’s
ancient kitchen is a giant Tuscan fireplace and grill. What
could be more perfect than a grilled Florentine beef steak,
enormous porcini mushrooms, bruschetta with rucola, fresh
olive oil from the Petrolo estate and black truffles? A rather
tumultuous kitchen that evening produced a fabulous meal accompanied
by several bottles of the finest Brunello di Montalcino we
could find, and, what else but a rich tiramisu!
Wednesday: A free morning and light lunch at the Villa was
followed by an afternoon visit to the Antinori estate of Santa
Cristina in northern Chianti. Guided by the Marchesa Allegra
Antinori, we visited the cantina where the super Tuscan wines,
Solaia and Tignanello, are aged in oak barrels. Allegra gave
us the history of the creation of their famous wines and their
hopes for the future as well as her little cookbook with her
favorite versions of traditional Tuscan dishes. We were later
treated to a wonderful wine tasting and education on Italian
wines in the 800 year old cellars of the old monastery, Badia
di Passignano, conducted by wine expert Burton Anderson, (the
author of Vino and numerous books and articles on Italian
wines and food). Burton then joined us for dinner at Allegra’s
delightful restaurant, Osteria di Passignano, built into the
ancient cellars of the monastery, with its spectacular vaulted
ceilings. We ate what was undoubtedly one of the finest meals
of the week, a raw porcini mushroom salad with wild herbs,
followed by a light polenta soup with rosemary oil and ending
with duck in a wild fig sauce, all accompanied by a whole
range of Antinori wines. Upon departure, Anderson gave each
guest an autographed copy of his recent book.
Thursday: A morning visit to the outlet stores….yes
there are outlets in Italy, namely Gucci, Prada, Armani, Dolce
& Gabanna and Fendi just minutes away from the villa.
And while some were shopping others were cooking with Mauro
Quirini in the locally favorite Osteria Canto Del Maggio.
Mauro, once featured in the Wine Spectator, brings a deep
knowledge of tradition and culture to every dish he prepares
but even more he brings his passion, enthusiasm and marvelous
sense of humor. Mauro taught the more adventurous in the group
how to make his version of “strozzaprete” or priest
stranglers as it translates, a spinach ricotta dumpling served
with a pecorino cheese sauce and freshly shaved black truffles.
If you ever wanted to know how one large rabbit can serve
eighteen people, go no further than Mauro’s kitchen.
With the ingenuity of a Tuscan peasant, Chef Quirini skinned,
boned, stuffed and rolled the little animal until it was ready
for all to savor in a delicate herb sauce. The leisurely lunch
was followed by a sinfully delicious chocolate cake and wines
from Castello Brolio.
Later that evening, a candlelite dinner at the Villa was followed
by Tuscan/Italian folk music and dancing. After a few glasses
of wine and in the atmosphere of a Tuscan villa on a stormy
night, somehow dancing the Tarantella seemed the natural thing
to do!
Friday: The final day at Villa Petrolo was spent relaxing
by the fireplace, savoring the week’s experience and
soaking in the final moments of otherworldliness. Part of
our group decided to go on a picnic and chose to tour the
town of Montepulciano, a beautiful walled fortress with breathtaking
vistas of the surrounding countryside. We shopped for our
lunch and took it to a lovely setting by a farmhouse that
produced the locally popular pecorino cheese. We found a small
table covered by a canopy of wild vines for our picnic needs.
Sometimes life’s simple pleasures are best, and this
outdoor setting with the town of Montepulciano in the background
certainly proved to be one of the highlights of our trip.
Dinner that evening was a special treat. We departed for a
short journey through the hills of the Pratomagno to the hidden
town of Gello Biscardo (do not try finding it on the maps!)
to the wonderful little osteria of La Luna nel Pozzo where
chef Leone di Caprio (really!) prepared a special meal exclusively
for our group. It included eight wonderful dishes all based
on the freshest Adriatic fish that that chef di Caprio could
find that morning. We occupied the entire osteria and listened
to live music of the most delightful combination of cello
and accordion accompanied by the soulful voice of Georgio
Tozzini, as each dish surpassed the previous. At the end of
the meal Chef Di Caprio was applauded and presented with a
small token of the Chain’s visit by Bailli David Cone.
But Chef Di Caprio was not to get off so easily, as many gourmands
in the group insisted on knowing how certain dished were prepared.
When the group could not believe the simplicity of his explanations
he responded “the best things in the life are always
the simplest.” And when we think about the week we will
certainly remember Di Caprio’s words, after all, what
could be better or simpler than, good food, good wine, good
music and good friends?
How did such a week come about? As many unique experiences
do, a bit of accident, a touch of good luck and a heavy dose
of careful planning. Arkansas Bailli David Cone and Chevalier
Frank McGehee thought a trip to Tuscany for their local bailliage,
organized by Frank’s brother Scott, a professor of History
and long time resident of Tuscany, would be an ideal fall
event. Once the decision was made, the trip was booked by
nine Chaine members and their spouses within a week. The Arkansas
group left the organization of the trip to Frank’s brother
Scott and his Italian colleagues, with the sole request to
organize the “unique and unusual.” Scott, through
his company, Toscana International, began making phone calls,
and with the help of a few friends with special connections
the week was planned. And what is next? Possibly a repeat
week in Tuscany for those who were unable to make the first
trip, or, more exciting, a similar week in Sicily--the other
Italy-- to visit the great estates and private homes of the
ancient Sicilian nobility. It is a world little known to foreigners
but boasts one of the richest histories in the whole of Europe
and we will be sure to organize an exclusive “insiders”
sojourn. “Required reading for the Sicily trip,”
insists our history professor, “The Leopard by Giuseppe
Lampedusa,” but not to worry, there will be no exams!!
Vive la Chaine!! |