Montepulciano, Tuscany, Italy, Friday, September 28, 2012

Palazzo Zerilli Bedroom

Having an open agenda, we slept in today. Well, one of us slept more in than the other. The other, waking up, did a short early morning stroll around town, and spent time as the only person in the Duomo. We did lounge around in our spacious Palazzo until noon or so. We decided to eat a full meal for lunch at the place we could not get into last night. Getting there at 1300, it is pretty crowded again. When I ask about a table, he asks If I have a reservation, and I think, here we go again. I say no, a pause, and then he points us to two seats. The tables are all pushed together communal style, and we have to ask a couple to move so we can get to our seats. They are Italian and don’t say anything as we sit down and wait to order. To the other side of us are many more Italians, and nobody says Buona Giorno or anything. It felt a little weird at first.
We order two pastas, a salad, and to be different, a melted pecorino cheese and pear appetizer. Mezzo litro of vino rosso to wash it down. Nobody tries to talk to us until the peccorino cheese dish comes and the guy next to me says a molto bene followed by ymangiare. We try it and it is wonderful. We have used Peccorino Romano as a grated cheese ( mom brings it from New York) but this is fresh sheep cheese, not aged Peccorino, made in the town of Pienza over the hill. Pienza is famous for their Peccorino cheese. It is great and even though I am not a pear person, I must say the fresh pear slices were really good with it. We really love the simplicity of Italian cooking, combined with fresh ingredients, the flavors and tastes have been amazing. The man next to me asks in Italian where I am from. I tell him Colorado, USA and then he points to my face and says Italiano? I tell him my grandparents came from Italy. Where he asks and I tell him Sicilia. This brings out a Sicilia e fantastico and he tells other people that I am Italian from America and now everybody saying Italiano, va Bene and speaking to me. It was quite humorous the way it opened things up. His wife speaks some English so we can talk to her and get translations. She says he likes to talk as he is continuing conversations with people around him and with me as well as about me to everyone. Have we been to Sicily? He writes on a business card the name of a beautiful Sicilian town we must visit and the hotel and restaurant to stay and eat at. The other couple on the left of me also try talking to us and again she speaks English fairly well, him just a little. They live near Venice while the other couple is from Milan. The Venetian lady asks us about the election and says she likes to read about politics. In Italy, they are entertaining because the politicians do not care if they have girlfriends or not and just say what they think. We have a great time chatting with them and soaking up the whole Italian restaurant family style vibe. When the Milan guy wants to know where we live so he can look on a map, I write down Frisco, Colorado and St. George, Utah and tell him due casa. Knowing we are retired, he starts telling the others in Italian, he is retired, he has due casa, he is living very good, and I am able to pick most of it out so I let him know I know what he is saying which brings parlo Italiano. No un poco. The Venetian man says in Italy, the retired people do not travel because they do not get much money so he will never retire. He asks what I did for work and when I say air traffic controller, he tells me that is what his father does, at Marco Polo airport in Venice. I say trenta ano (30 years) and he asks if I smoke a lot. I guess the controllers here do! Every conversation we have gets translated for all to hear. It is a great time!

Town From Below

After lunch, we walk to the other side of town to see a church and stop in the grocery store so we can eat a light meal in tonight. We buy some fresh Ribolitta soup from the deli counter along with some cheese and bread. A large bottle of beer to have break from all the wine goes in the mix. As we leave the market, we run into Vladimiro and Angelica, the couple from Milan we sat next to in the restaurant. We chat some more on the street before we say another goodbye. They are staying in Pienza tonight or I think we would have ended up eating with them again.
We stroll back to the palace, happy with the nice fun time we had and glad that we just took it easy today. Nothing left to do except make dinner later and go to bed.
CNC
“How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterwards”- Spanish Proverb

Expenses 

23E- pasta with 4 cheese, pasta with garlic ragu , melted pecorino with pear, salad, 1/2 liter wine. At Osteria dell’Aquacheta
10.45E- Tuscan bread soup, Gorgonzola cheese spread, bread, large beer, pecorino cheese. from Conad
89.50E- Apartment

Miles Walked – 2.5 Miles