Cinqueterre to Siena~Tuscany, Day 11 Italy

We were at train track 2, “bin” 2, at 8:15 a.m., and took the
milk train to La Spezia, the Intercity train to Florence, and lastly the bus
to Siena. Tuscany!

We settled into our Siena room which looked over a charming courtyard. We had
no problem picking up our reserved little Fiat and a fun little car it was.
Bill was a calm and cool driver.

The highlight of the day, and a grand highlight it was, was a dinner I still
savor, one of the best of the journey. We wanted to enjoy some true Tuscan
cooking, which is somewhat different than other parts of Italy, with more attention
to presentation and subtleties of flavor. It is often compared to French cooking
in its artistry. We dined at Taverna San Giuseppe, two doors up from our hotel.
It had a dressy, refined atmosphere and I felt sort of worn out from the day’s
travels and so admired the way everyone looked so fresh and put together.

I had malfatti al tartufo nero—malfatti casalinghi ricotta é spinaci
tartufo nero fresco. These were sort of patties of ricotta and spinach that
were sublimely seasoned with herbs and tasty black truffles in a sauce. Every
bite was a taste sensation. And I had the most artistic looking salad with
red raddichio leaves artistically laid over tomatoes and tender slices of potato.
It was subtly flavored … and so pretty that the people at the next table
asked about it. I didn’t write down Bill’s main dish, but he did
have a pretty salad of grapes and sheep’s milk cheese.

It was a special way to cap a long traveling day and a lucky dining choice,
indeed.

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