Welcome
once again to the cyber pages of Tuscan Life. In
our last issue we visited the lovely central-Tuscan
town of San Miniato. This time, we venture farther
south in Bella Toscano to another gorgeous
city, Pitigliano. My interest in Pitigliano was
piqued by two sources: the marvelous website of
Don and Linda Freedman, TheTravelzine.com, and by
Hugh Johnson's gorgeous book, Tuscany And Its Wines.
As a change, this newsletter will quote both those
sources on the charms of Tuscany! We are also adding
a new feature to the newsletter, which our quotes
complement: we will be occasionally reviewing books
and guides to Tuscany, to further enhance your enjoyment
of, and to help you plan your trips to, our wonderful
region.
A trip to Pitigliano is an easy
stop on the way from Rome to any of our lovely villas
near Florence, and it is also a very short day-journey
from Podere Santa Maria , our villa
in the Val D'Orcia.
Pitigliano is known for its sharp
white wine, and the following recipe would pair
wonderfully with the Bianchi di Pitigliano.
Pollo al Mattone
Chicken under a brick!
This delightful and delicious chicken
dish requires just a little ingenuity on the part
of the cook. A mattone is a terra-cotta
brick, and specially glazed ones, just for this
purpose, can be found in cooking shops in Italy.
But it is easy to replace the mattone with a large
heavy terra-cotta brick or tile that will fit inside
your frying pan. If the tile or brick you are using
is unglazed, simply wrap it in foil. You will need
one small young chicken for every two people.
Each chicken should be cut in half,
and carefully pounded (without shattering the bones)
to as even a thickness as possible. Marinate the
chickens for 3 hours in a mixture of:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 sprig chopped fresh rosemary
the juice of 1 lemon
After removing the chicken halves
from the marinade, pat them dry. Wet chicken will
not brown as nicely as dry, making this an important
step in the process. Season liberally with coarse
sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Pour a generous amount of olive
oil in a heated, heavy skillet, and place the chicken,
skin side down, in the pan. Place the brick or tile
on top of the chicken, and fry on medium low heat
for 20 minutes per side. The results will be a flavorful
and tender chicken with a crisp and crunchy skin.
Buon Appetito!
Review: Tuscany And
Its Wines
by Hugh Johnson
Photographs by Andy
Katz
Hugh Johnson, a well known wine
writer, and Andy Katz, a respected travel and landscape
photographer, have teamed to create a visually stunning
guide to both Tuscany and its wines. Johnson organizes
his material into four geographical sections; he
discusses the wine and viniculture of the Arno Valley;
the Chianti country south of Florence; Siena and
the area south of that city; and the Tuscan coast
and the Maremma are included in the final section.
Johnson includes a guide to choosing Tuscan wine,
and another section of the book is devoted to choices
from each of the explored regions.
There are wonderful historic photos
of wine production in various areas of Tuscany,
and a discussion of the history of local viniculture.
Johnson's strength lies in his suggestions to the
traveler of where to buy and taste wines, as well
as where to dine and enjoy them. His prose is occasionally
esoteric, and a little vague in the descriptions
of the wines themselves, but this is a good introduction
to the many varieties of vino Toscano ,
and an excellent guide to some delightful places
connected with the wine.
Johnson's prose is strong on geographical
descriptions that ignite the imagination of the
armchair traveler, if a bit short on solid information
about the wine. Here is Johnson on Pitigliano and
its surroundings:
"The Etruscan citadel of Pitigliano
stands on an impregnable rock embellished as a stronghold
by the Aldobrandeschi, its medieval lords, and their
successors, the Counts Orsini of Rome (and of Twelfth
Night ). The 15th-century exodus of
Jews from Spain enriched Pitigliano and almost certainly
gave its white wine its more than local reputation.
At one time it was Tuscany's best known...
"Sovana and Sorano are neighboring
villages where little has happened to overlay the
Etruscan past. They can still be approached by hidden
lanes, sunk as deep as 30 metres into the rock by
the Etruscans and lined with their noble architectural
tombs, sculpted into the cliff-face."
The very best thing about Tuscany
And Its Wines is the photography
of Andy Katz. The pictures are elegant in their
composition and rich in color. What I enjoyed most
about the photographs was Katz's ability to capture
the feeling of a town or area in a single photo.
Too often travel photographers provide us with a
glimpse of a private corner, or obscure path, that
would be impossible for the tourist to connect with
when traveling on their own. Katz, instead, gives
us pictures of a Tuscany that seems accessible despite
its breathtaking loveliness. These are some of the
most beautiful pictures of Italy that I have ever
seen, and I strongly urge anyone planning a visit
to lose themselves in Katz's remarkable photos.
Tuscany And Its Wines
Hugh Johnson
Chronicle Books, San Francisco
The Wine of Pitigliano
BIANCHI DI PITIGLIANO D.O.C.
This distinctive white wine is
made from grapes harvested in Pitigliano and the
nearby vineyards of Sorano and Manciano. Grapes
from which the Bianchi di Pitigliano are produced
include the Trebbiano Toscano, the Malvasia, Verdello,
and the Chardonnay.
The pale, organic color of the
wine is reminiscent of the yellowish tones of straw,
and perfectly evocative of the sunny countryside
slopes on which the local vines flourish. The nose
of this wine is thin, vinous, cool and delicate.
The Bianchi di Pitigliano has a clean, dry taste
that nicely supports hints of bitter fruit.
This wine is best served chilled
at temperatures between 9-11 degrees Celsius. It
is not necessary to let the wine breathe, and some
say that the Bianchi di Pitigliano is best when
opened immediately before service. The wine nicely
complements soups and risottos, chicken dishes,
and seafood.
Pitigliano
Pitigliano, breathtaking for its
situation atop a steep tufa crag, presents visitors
with a stunning view of its houses perched on the
cliff's edge. The steep sides of the tufa that the
town rests upon are a honeycomb of ancient Etruscan
tombs and caves, and old wine cellars. Once inside
Pitigliano, visitors will find its picturesque mediaeval
center to be charming. The streets are filled with
flowers and a climb up any number of steps will
lead to the many exciting panoramas that line the
edges of the town.
The town, once known as "Little
Jerusalem," harbored a fairly large Jewish community
for centuries. Records show that in 1622, an edict
was passed requiring the Jewish citizens of Pitigliano
to mark themselves with special clothing: men were
required to wear a red hat, and women had to wear
a special red symbol on their sleeves. In 1841,
at least 10 percent of tiny Pitigliano's population
was Jewish, and over a quarter of the volumes in
the town's library were written in Hebrew. This
community was decimated in 1945, but vestiges of
Pitigliano's Jewish ghetto can still be seen and
visited. The ghetto itself lay between the via Zuccarelli
and the via Marghera. Last restored in 1995, parts
of Pitigliano's formerly grand synagogue still stand,
and it is possible to pay a visit there. The synagogue,
which was originally covered with ornate rococo
plaster friezes, can be found in the warren of alleys
around Vicolo Manin.
Other sites of interest include
the Fortezza Orsini , which contains
an Etruscan museum and an interesting ancient sundial.
The fort and the adjoining Palazzo Orsini
can both be visited, although there is
a separate entrance fee for the Etruscan museum.
The Fortezza stands in the Piazza della
Repubblica , which also contains a large
fountain. Passing through the Rocca, one can reach
Pitigliano's 4th century aqueduct on the way to
the synagogue. A visit to the cemetery outside the
city walls is also suggested; it is along the road
that leads to Marciano.
As I mentioned in the introduction
to this issue of our newsletter, my interest in
Pitigliano was awakened through reading about the
travels of Don and Linda Freedman, a Toronto, Canada
couple whose website, www.TheTravelzine.com
, contains their informative and entertaining
travelogues, several of which cover their extensive
travels through Italy. TheTravelzine has this to
say about Pitigliano:
"The tufa stone artisans who built
this town were caring and
meticulous. The skillful blending
of shapes, sizes, textures and
colors creates a soft, magical,
alluring feeling throughout the town.
The design of passageways, as impressive
as that of the homes,
combine harmoniously to delight
the visitor with the unique and
special character of the surroundings.
We hope this genuine
medieval town never modernizes
and forever maintains its present beauty."
Well crafted descriptions and recommendations
make the Freedman's site a must for anyone interested
in Tuscany.
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