July 7, 2023 (Author: J)
The fourth day of our ABD tour was probably my favorite of the trip. I woke up to a beautiful Tuscan morning – clear sunny skies, rolling green hills, and peaceful quiet. Because we had a later start, I decided to begin my day by visiting the hotel gym.
Hotel Borgo di Cortefreda’s gym is a small, windowless room in the basement that contains a few pieces of ancient cardio equipment. I was the only person there. I stepped onto the elliptical and started to pedal; nothing happened. After an unsuccessful attempt to revive the dead machine, I switched to the treadmill. I stepped up on the machine, started the treadmill, and … nothing. Then, as I was standing on the treadmill fruitlessly adjusting the speed and incline, the belt suddenly lurched to life. I pitched forward but thankfully managed to catch myself. (If I hadn’t, I imagine it would have been weeks – if not months — before anyone discovered my mangled body).
After the excitement of my workout, I went back upstairs to get ready for the day and wake up my family. While D and P were getting dressed, I got a jump start on breakfast. The highlight of the breakfast buffet at Hotel Borgo di Cortefreda is the pistachio croissants, which receive a coveted 10/10, must eat rating. I would have been happy with just the croissants, but I did round out my meal with fruit, yogurt, and coffee. In case you were wondering, D and P did eventually join me. Neither of them tried the croissants.
From breakfast, we headed directly to the lobby to meet our group for the day’s activities. We boarded the coach to find it adorned with streamers, banners, and balloons. One of our fellow travelers was celebrating her 50th birthday and Gabby and Massi had gone all out with decorations. It made for a festive atmosphere on the bus as we made the short trip to Fattoria Poggio Alloro, a family farm in the rolling hills near the town of San Gimignano.
At the farm, we were greeted by Sarah, one of the farm’s proprietors. Then we were given aprons and Sarah showed us how she makes homemade pasta, effortlessly turning out everything from long, skinny fettucine to cute little bowtie farfalle. After the demonstration, it was our turn to make our own pasta dough. Each of us received the flour, water, and eggs needed to make Sarah’s recipe. As we laboriously turned out hunk after hunk of overworked, dry noodle, we began to worry that we would actually have to eat the fruits of our labor. Fortunately, it turned out that our pasta was for display purposes only. (And it does look almost edible in the photos that Gabby took).
After pasta making, we had a short tour of the farm, led by Sarah and her dog, Cappuccino. We learned a bit about wine making, met some heifers, and saw the various crops the farm produces. Then, it was time for wine tasting. (If you are counting, this was our 3rd wine tasting in 2 days). The wine tasting was held on a patio with glorious views of the countryside with the towers of San Gimignano in the distance. While the adults tasted wine, the guides took the junior adventurers for an olive oil flavoring activity. P was light on details about what the activity entailed, but he did present us with a small bottle of sage and basil flavored olive oil upon his return.
While P was laboring, D and I did the hard work of drinking several glasses of wine before lunch. Then it was time for lunch – and more wine. Our meal included a classic Tuscan bruschetta, which is just grilled bread with olive oil; two types of homemade pasta, fettucine with a red sauce and a saffron vegetable sauce; salad; and a choice of chocolate mousse or panna cotta.
After our meal, there was time to visit the farm’s gift shop before returning to the bus. I purchased a copy of Sarah’s cookbook and suggested that we ship some wine home. D refused, claiming that he “did not drink wine.” (As you may recall, this same man had just participated in 3 wine tastings over a 24-hour period). As I sit typing this without any Tuscan wine, I regret my decision to go along with D’s wine purchase veto.
We spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel and visiting the hotel pool. Dinner that evening was at Castello di Oliveto, a 15th-century manor home. The castello sits at the top of a dirt road that our big coach could not navigate, so we were divided into two smaller vans. As we set out for our destination, we quickly noticed that the van’s air conditioning was blowing hot air. The twisting roads combined with the roasting temperatures were a recipe for motion sickness. Fortunately, however, once made aware of the situation, our driver was able to fix the air conditioning by administering a gentle beating to the van’s dashboard. After the temperature in the van improved, I was able to enjoy the rest of the ride to the castello.
Castello di Oliveto was once a vacation home of the Dei Pucci family, nobility from nearby Florence. Today, it is an event venue. On this evening, our group had the castle and grounds to ourselves for a private tour and meal. We ate in a large banquet hall surrounded by portraits of the castello’s more illustrious visitors, they included popes and kings, but no tour group participants. The food was excellent. And there was more wine, of course. Our meal began with Pappa al Pomodoro, a Tuscan dish made of tomato sauce and old bread. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but it was delicious. The vegetarian entrée was a tagliatelle with a meatless ragu; again, it was delicious.
After dessert, we were serenaded by a group of comedic folk singers. The highlight for me (and low point for P) was when D was selected to play the part of a guy in a long wig during one of the songs. I have no idea what the song was about, but D really sold the hair. Our evening at the castello ended with a sunset walk back to our coaches, which returned us to the hotel for another good night’s sleep.
Travel Monkeys 