Our new Italian friends, Alina and Franco, invited us to dinner at their house one evening. We had a wonderful time, with great company and great food. Even though Alina is the only member of the family that speaks English and none of us speak Italian, we didn’t have many problems communicating.
Alina made pasta al funghi and insalata caprese, accompanied by the family’s red and white wine, from their own vineyard. It was delicious. Desert was gelato with home grown strawberries. We even had homemade Vin Santo and Limoncello! This dinner was the highlight of our trip.
Gary took this one, so he’s not in it. That’s Aurora waving!
This is Alina’s father in law, with the olive trees and then Cortona in the background. The family raises olives, grapes, wheat, and corn.
Gary and Dave in the cantina, where they make the wine and cure the prosciutto and salami.
Beth and Alina in the cantina.
Franco, slicing homemade salami.
These are capers! This vine was here when the family bought the place over 40 years ago. Alina and Franco gave us a jar of capers to bring home. They are delicious.
Basil
Franco’s father in the vineyard. I think these are sangiovese grapes.
The prosciutto will be ready next year. They raise the pigs themselves.
Still a little jet lagged and very hungry on our first full day in Cortona, we stumbled into La Bucaccia for lunch. It was almost 2 pm and we were the only customers. The food and service were fabulous. At the time, we had no idea that our server was also an owner and the chef.
Gary and I with Chef Agostina
We liked La Bucaccia so much, we ate here again for dinner and another lunch. Dinner was packed and we were lucky to get a table. I still hadn’t looked up the place to find out that it had loads of rave reviews and we should have made a reservation.
Dave and Beth at our first lunch at La Bucaccia.
During one of our grocery trips to the Coop in Camucia, we ran into the owners and their daughter. It was like meeting old friends. (Camucia is the town at the bottom of the hill where many people in the area live. Camucia is Carbondale to Cortona’s Aspen. Only much closer.)
Check out La Bucaccia’s website for more photos of the fascinating 13th century building that houses the restaurant.
People have been living in a walled city on this site for at least 25 centuries – probably more. After visiting, I can see why you’d wouldn’t want to leave.
Cortona was one of the 12 major cities of Etruria – that’s pre-Roman Tuscany. There’s a fascinating Etruscan museum in Cortona, with artifacts, jewelry and even a written contract dating back as far as the 900 BCE.
Beth and Dave at one of the six original Etruscan gates. Most of the city walls and six of the gates are pre-Roman.
A typical street view.
This land at the top of the hill has been a fortress since the 13th century. The current building was built in 1561 and restored in the 1970s. Today, it’s an art gallery with a breathtaking view. “Our” house was at the base of the hills in the distance.
The night sounds are so beautiful this time of year. Every night, the frogs serenade us from just before dark to around 3 am. Last night I decided to see if I could capture their song. I took the little Cannon camera down to the dam and took a video of the moon. The moon was the only thing that would show up and I was really just down there for the audio. There’s nothing to see here, but the sound gives a hint of what it’s like on spring and summer nights out on our screened porch.
