Thursday, Aug 31
Friday, Sep 1
Saturday, Sep 2
Sunday, Sep 3
Monday, Sep 4
Tuesday, Sep 5
Wednesday, Sep 6
Thursday, Sep 7
Friday, Sep 8
Saturday, Sep 9
Sunday, Sep 10
Monday, Sep 4 - The Piemonte Region, Italy
We spent the morning relaxing. The church bells have been keeping us awake at night, so we changed rooms. For a while we sat by the pool and vegetated.
At 2:00 pm we left to go see Diano d’Alba, another hilltop village nearby. Of course it had a medieval castle and a church. It also had a big enoteca, a wine-tasting co-op. We were the only ones there and got to taste at least ten Barberas and several Nebbiolos and Barolos. We bought our first 3 bottles of Piemonte Italian wine. The proprietor was very friendly and gracious and spoke very little English. He gave us our wine glasses. We are beginning to figure out a few more phrases in Italian. It does help to come back every year!
We returned to Sinio, driving through endless miles of vineyards and orchards. We spent some time talking with James and Denise, the hoteliers, and they gave us a bit of history of the region. Wine has been made in the area since before the Romans, and mostly was continued by monks. But the Burgundians brought “modern” winemaking techniques to the Piemonte. Our castle courtyard was so beautiful.
We ate dinner at Trattoria della Posta in Montforte d’Alba. It was a 6-course meal, with different flatware for each course. Octopus, raw veal with olive oil and pepper, stuffed onion (baked and stuffed with cheese, potato and sausage – divine), a light pasta dish with a fantastic sauce, veal shank in Barolo wine sauce, and dessert which was like a flan dredged in caramel sauce, called panna cotto – absolutely to die for. We ate out on the terrazzo and watched the sun set over the mountains between Italy and France. Torino (Turin) was between us and the mountains. No bugs, perfect temperature.
The cheeses you had to choose from for the final meal course were amazing. A whole cart full of them. They would cut what you want and stack them on your plate.
We learned a funny Italian idiom. Translated literally, “I don’t keep all my stuff on the piazza.” The actual translation: “Get your nose out of my business.” Dinner lasts 3-4 hours, every night.
