It had long been a bucket List dream of mine to visit Tuscany, the heartland of the most excellent Italian wines, during the grape harvest. In August, I realised that dream with a group of close friends. We spent two weeks in a five-bedroom villa just outside San Quirico d'Orcia and conducted several wine excursions to the nearby Montalcino, Montepulciano and Chianti regions.
These regions are home to three of Italy's most famous wines: Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, and Chianti Classico. All three are made from Sangiovese, Tuscany's dominant grape. We also wandered the narrow cobbled streets of several ancient towns in the Tuscan countryside, imbibing the fabulous medieval art and architecture, interacting with the friendly locals and sampling the superb cuisine.
We decided on the villa Podere I Pereti (a country house with pear trees) in San Quirico d'Orcia for both cost and location—it was broadly equidistant from the three major wine regions we wanted to visit. After a long day's drive from Rome, as our convoy of rented cars entered the courtyard of our temporary home, we were immediately enchanted by the villa and the stunning views of the Val d'Orcia. Built by builder Nonno Remo as his family home, it was later beautifully renovated. The property was surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, from which the Remo family used to produce Orcia red wine and green-gold olive oil. The first night, we asked the versatile Alessandro, the caretaker of the olive groves, to serve our first Italian meal out on the porch as dusk settled. He started with a delicious antipasti of pappa al pomodoro—a thick Tuscan bread soup prepared with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil. Shoulder-cut beef in a pepper sauce followed. Finally, he served the greatest of all Italian desserts, a melt-in-the-mouth tiramisu. Accompanied by a couple of bottles of Vermentino, the light-bodied dry white wine popular in Tuscany, we were transported into bliss under a night sky strewn with stars.
Each Tuscan town we visited was fascinating. They are typically built on a hill, with the centre around the largest piazza, dominated by the Duomo and campanile on one side, and surrounded by a few grand palazzos on the other. From the piazza, narrow streets radiated outwards, winding through the huddle of tall houses to the town gates built into massive Etruscan walls surrounding the town. This design had a specific purpose—defence against outside enemies—similar to Rajasthan's fortified cities.
The closest of these towns to us was Pienza, which was elevated from obscurity by Aeneas Piccolomini, who was elected Pope Pius II in 1458. He immediately set about transforming his birthplace with the construction of an impressive Cathedral of the Assumption and a clutch of palaces around the Piazza Pio II. We were charmed by this tiny jewel of a town. That night, we found a terrace restaurant overlooking the Val d Órcia, where we sampled local specialities like wild boar pasta in tomato sauce and veal filet with porcini mushrooms: accompanied by a couple of bottles of the superb Italian red Brunello di Montalcino and Pienza's famous pecorino cheese made entirely from sheep's milk.
We visited three significant wineries, but the best by far was Poliziano, a top producer of Vino Nobile De Montepulciano. Margherita Pallecchi, the export manager, warmly welcomed us and took us outside to view the vineyards stretching away into the distance to the town of Montepulciano. Extreme weather conditions have taken their toll on Italy's grape harvest, and Poliziano suffered a 30 per cent drop in production last year.
In the tasting room, Margherita poured generous helpings of several reds (and one delicious chardonnay called Ambrae) leading up to the grand finale with the flagship Vino Nobile de Montepulciano (minimum 90 per cent Sangiovese). The delightful afternoon was capped off by a visit to the wine shop and a photo-op with the great man Federico Carletti, who has taken his father Dino's vision to such heights.
In any discussion of what to see in Tuscany, one cannot leave out the beautiful city of Siena, second only to Florence, against whom it fought a series of wars during the 13th-16th centuries before finally capitulating in 1555. When you first arrive at the city, don't miss the classic view from just below the Basilica of San Domenico.
Our guide, Anja, led us up through narrow streets lined with patisseries displaying Sienese ricciarelli (sweet almond biscuit) towards the Piazza del Duomo, where the great cathedral built in a Gothic-Romano style sits with its zebra-striped campanile. Inside is the most staggering collection of medieval paintings, sculptures, stained glass and wood carvings by every leading Sienese artist of the time. Take note of the magnificent floor referred to as a "marble carpet" consisting of 56 carved panels depicting scenes from Greek and Roman mythology and the Bible.
Just a five-minute walk from the cathedral, one comes across a vast space shaped like a giant cockle shell. This square is the living heart of Siena, called the Piazza del Campo, which is paved with nine sections of red brick divided by lines of white travertine stone pointing directly to the Palazzo Pubblico. The imposing building is the seat of the city government, and it houses the Museo Civico, which displays numerous masterpieces of Sienese art. You can also climb to the top of the Torre del Mangia for the best 360-degree views of Siena.
Our final Tuscan town, San Gimignano, had a skyline with a forest of towers that stuck out like needles above the rest of the town. In the medieval era, these towers symbolised the wealth and power of the noble families that lived in them and were a form of strategic defence. These towers have disappeared from most of Italy except in San Gimignano, where 14 of the original 72 remain, giving it the nickname "Medieval Manhattan."
We climbed to the top of the tallest, named Torre Grossa (54 metres in height), to get a panoramic view of the Tuscan countryside. Back down, lunch was a delicious seafood risotto and a bottle of a crisp white Vernaccia from San Gimignano. Finally, we joined another long queue outside the world-famous Dondoli Gelateria. I chose the Champelmo, made from pink grapefruit and sparkling wine. It lived up entirely to its reputation of being the best ice cream in the world as the flavours exploded in my mouth.