Pranzo in Chianti

Buona sera a tutti!

Today was the Festa della Madonna, so nobody had school. So, we met the directors of CLIDA (Gabriella and Alberto) and our teacher, Maria (who looks like Donatella Versace) and her husband in the center. First, the 7 of us exchanged Secret Santa gift #1's. (Maggie Wright was away for the day, but we already had her gift thrown in there). We used Maria to mask our identities. Then, we got in separate cars and drove to Chianti to a beautiful villa with vineyards and olive groves. One of the guys who runs the place is friends with Maria and her husband, so that's how all this happened.

We got a great tour of the villa and the Italian-style garden (that's the kind with the bushes all pruned to geometric shapes). Then, we even got a tour of the private part of the residence (where the owners live when they are there). They had just left yesterday, so everything was perfect and spotless and the caretaker was happy to show us around. They had the most amazing libraries. There were three of them, one after another, and they all smelled like old books! It was so cozy. The villa was from the Renaissance, so that's pretty old. It was soooo cool.

After seeing the villa, we went and saw the wine cellars where they make Chianti. I love the smell of wine cellars. Fermented grapes! Mmmm. Everything was so clean and perfect. It was awesome. I can't even really describe everything. There were just rows and rows of huge oak barrels that were taller than I am. The wine was in there aging for a few years. I'm not sure when it was supposed to be done.

After the cellar tour, we were brought to a nice little lunch room where we ate for about 2.5 hours, I think. We started with antipasto, which included a buffet of bruschetta, 2 types of salami, 2 types of pecorino, spinach pie, and liver crostini. The rest of the courses were not buffet style, but were served to us. The first course was a lasagna covered in bechemel sauce. The second was two types of beef with rosemary potatoes and beans. One of the beefs was kind of like roast beef soaked in olive oil. The other kind was beef that was slow-cooked for 8 hours and very tender and juicy. Both were great. Throughout the first three courses, we were drinking Chianti Classico, and then the reserve label of Chianti Classico. Both were fabulous. For dessert, we had Cantucci (which is like a biscotti) and Vin Santo (dessert wine), along with an amazing cake. It was kind of like a cheesecake, but much lighter. It was called Torta della Nonna, which means "Grandma's cake." However, I feel like a lot of different cakes that I've eaten are called that... who knows. After lunch, we were informed that every single thing on that table had come right from the villa and its surrounding area. The wine and olive oil were made right in the villa, along with the bread, pasta, etc. The vegetables and beans were grown right there, and the meat was purchased from a place right below the hill where the villa sits. It was so easy to tell how fresh everything was.

After lunch, we had a nice tour of the area where they make Vin Santo and Balsamic Vinegar. They even had grapes hanging to dry in one of the rooms for the Vin Santo. It was so cool and of course, the view outside of every window of this villa was spectacular. We then toured the inn part of the villa, which was unbelievably beautiful. Clearly, it's very expensive for people to stay there. Everything was so cute and perfect and Renaissance. I loved it. The place is called VIGNAMAGGIO and their website is: http://www.vignamaggio.com. If I had money, I'd certainly stay there! They even had tennis courts and a pool. I had yet to see those accommodations in any of the Italian hotels.

Well, I think that's about it. We had a great day and now I have a terrible stomach ache. I think I'm going to be full until lunch tomorrow! Of course, Maria Pia insists on something for dinner. I told her all I wanted was fresh vegetables. We'll see what she ends up making. Anyway, now I have lots of homework and a wine headache, so this evening will be interesting.

The rest of the week is going to be terrible with the presentations and homework that I have due. I should have more to report by Saturday. Until then, I'll just be studying.

Ciao!

PS- Totally forgot to say that the movie "Much Ado About Nothing" was filmed at this villa, and Mona Lisa lived there when she was alive! The painting of the Mona Lisa by da Vinci was painted on this site. We even saw the background of the Chianti countryside that was used! Soooo crazy!