A Day of Good Health

Buon vino fa buon sangue.
Literally: Good wine makes good blood.
Figuratively: A glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away.

Italian adage

We headed south from our B&B to the Tuscan wine capitals of Montepulicano and Montalcino and the beautiful Val d'Orchia. Bro didn't mind sharing the road with the numerous cyclists out for a strenuous Sunday spin.

After parking the car half way up the mount of Montepulicano, our climb brought us to the Jesuit Church of Gesu where I lit a candle for Ruth, a friend with whom I have enjoyed many a concert and who passed away while we have been on our journey.

Reaching the top of the mount, in the Piazza Grande, we tasted the best of the Contucci family's Vino Nobile at its shop. We came away with a couple of bottles.

Then we descended into the stunning wine cellar of the Palazzo Ricci. It is appropriately named the Wine Cathedral. While the palace above dates to the 15th century, the cellars have sections dating to the 14th century and even earlier as there are remains of Etruscan tombs dating to the seventh century BC.

While sampling the noble wine of Montepulciano, the ruby red colour of the wine reflected the traditional costume of a troop representing one of the town's quarters. We had caught the end of marching of colours as the group returned home.

Leaving Montepulciano, we drove country roads, including across 10kms of gravel, westwards across the Tuscan countryside. We delighted in the lines of cypress trees. Across from La Foca estate, we stopped at the Dopolavoro ("After Work") cafe for a first-rate sandwich in the back garden.

Inside Montalcino's 14th century fortress, we sampled a flight of five of the best Brunellos made by some of the 249 smaller wineries that encircle the town. The mammoth winery of the area is Banfi, which produces much of the Brunello sold worldwide. We came away in agreement that we prefer the less tannic nobile.

Our final stop of the day was the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. My research had indicated that the monks performed their final mass with Gregorian chant. We arrived just as the bells chimed, calling the faithful to prayer. We found that the mass was being read in Italian so we took the opportunity to visit the frescoes in the cloister that present the life of the abbey's founder, Bernardo Tolomei. In a series of paintings encircling the cloister, Renaissance painters Luca Signorelli and il Sodoma visually presented three-dimensional stories on flat walls. I particularly liked this one with the detail of the cat challenging the dog over a table scrap.

We took a peek into the Abbey's refectory that was laid out for the monks dinner. The scent of fresh warm bread was enticing.

And so we took an early dinner ourselves at the Abbey's restaurant, located within its guard tower. It is operated by a very friendly family. Our starter of a mix of Tuscan appetizers was as delicious as it was beautiful. We paired it with the white wine produced at the monastery.

We returned to our B&B well content. Now it is time for sleep.

A presto!