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Sansepolcro is the center of the Piero della Francesca world. My parents are big fans, so today we hit the road to pay homage. First stop is a town called Monterchi, where there is a della Francesca of the pregnant Madonna. After a typical Tuscan/Umbrian drive on a tiny twisty road through amazing lush, green countryside, we arrive. the town is a perfectly situated hill town with stone walls and classic old buildings. the painting sits in a former school outside the walls. I'm unimpressed. It's hard to believe that this bland religious iconnery, with the ridiculous halos and the flat, unreal human forms and faces, also made the portrait of the Duke of Urbino, with his absolutely life like profile. We buy some postcards and move on. Next stop is a small town called Cirtena. We just do a drive by. It seems like another wonderful hill town, with a forest of pine trees surrounding the bastide walls. But it was a detour and not a destination, so we head off for Anghieri. We have a little bit of a tough time finding a parking space (I end up turning around and heading back out the narrow twisting streets, gettting some severe looks from the locals. I can't tell whether the car didn't belong there at all, or whether turning around is a sign of failure).
But once we get settled, what a cool town. Tiny streets, steep stepped walksways, towers, stone walls, piazzas, this is a great place. they are hosting their annual arts and crafts show. I don't see much that interests me, but it is interesting to have all these people selling their wares. We're all impressed with the town, I don't know if you would want to spend the night, but for a morning or afternoon visit, it has it all. It reminds me of Cortona (one of my favorite towns) in it's size and space.
Next we are off to check out Caprese Michaelangelo, Michaelangelo's birthplace. It's a 20 minute drive, continuing on the back roads through the hills...really fun to drive. We get there and hike up to another hill top medieval keep. This is one big museum. there's not much there, a video that we don't watch, reproductions of his works, an art gallery with inspired artists, and the ruins of a 500 year old village, but it is kind of cool to see the place.
Lunch is scheduled to be in Cortona at one of the great restaurants that we've ever been to. one problem...closed Tuesdays... So, Plan B. there is a place outside of Anghieri called Sorci, that is supposed to be interesting. That's an understatement.
It takes a while to find, a couple of missteps, but finally we follow a sign for a ruined Castello Sorci. Just nearby is a former tobacco warehouse turned into a restaurant. It's a prix fixe menu. Well, there's actually not a menu. We get sent up to the 2nd floor dining room (the place is pretty crowded) and wait. Finally a waitress shows up with water. Then red wine. Then an antipasti platter (cured meats, bread, and two bruschetti, one with a spicy tomato salsa, the other with chopped liver), very simple, but very tasty. Next is soup, a bean soup with tagliatelle that is thick, hearty and delicious. A pasta with ragu, very simple, but tasty follows.
Each course is brought in one large dish and we serve ourselves, not finishing any of them. The meat course is ridiculous. A plate of mixed grill. Sausage, lamb, pork, chicken, and potatoes. All incredibly delicious. A little green salad (just lettuce, but probably picked that morning, it's so soft and
fresh) ends the meal. then they bring the bottle of vin santo and some torta and we are done...stuffed and pickled.
the entire meal, including wine, cover and service comes to 18 euro each....Ridiculously cheap, considering how much food we had and terrific it was. this place is a keeper.
We waddle out and head for Perugia. We have a date with Stefano and Technotel.
there's only one problem. We don't really know how to get there. We come in on the autostrada and see the rest stop area where the shop is located, but the road heads the wrong way and we won't be able to get to it from this direction. So we head to the next exit and try to circle around. Big mistake. We're operating on pure luck...but we do sniff it out and find the shop. Stefano has the computer and phone and has solved the problems. he's a genius. We're expecting a 50 or 75 euro bill for several hours of his time and technical expertise, phone calls to TIM for support, downloading and installing software, using his phone as a test, and doing it all on the spot.
10 euros. That's 10 bucks. He spent at least two to three hours working on this. Dad forces him to keep 20 euros and we head off, computer in hand, happy again.
Back to town and a walk in the evening. Sansepolcro is nice and lively during the passagiata. We have a class of prosecco, write some postcards, and wander the streets. The town is OK, but I'm not enthralled.
But we're getting tired, so we head back. I buy some strawberries, fava beans, and pecorino. This could be dinner, but we decide to head to the hotel restaurant, which gets good write ups. It's very good. I claim I'm going to eat light:
I start with something called Toscana con fagliolini, patati, e pomodore (green beans, potatoes, and tomatoes). It's really good (apparently, the restaurant grows there own veggies), but what could be bad? Then it's a carpaccio (thinly sliced raw beef with parmigiano and diced celery), which may be the best I've ever had. I don't usually like celery, but this actually tastes good and is a great cool counterpoint to the cheese. Finally a cheese plate. I can't finish it, but the parmigiano is outstanding, the mozzarella di bufola wonderful, the gruyere and other cheeses all excellent. With the local white. I'm happy. Mom had an excellent raviloi, stuffed with potatoes and spinach and then lamb chops. dad had the farro bean soup (nice and thick) and the mixed fried plate.
meats and vegetables, fried. Bed is close and that's good.
Tomorrow, on to Lerici (and the fratelli Zurer, all in one room).
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