Agriturismo Marciano…bellisimo!

May 18, 2011, Day Nine

When we booked five nights in Florence, I was afraid it would be one or two days too long but that wasn’t the case at all…on our last day in Florence, we both wished we had more time to spend in beautiful Firenze.  I was sad to say arrivaderci to Ulrika because she was such a pleasure to talk to and I wish we had more time to get to know each other.  Hopefully, we will see her again when her dream to visit New York comes to fruition.

Before heading to the next city on our itinerary, Siena, we had to make an important stop at Mercato Centrale to visit Nerbone’s…not for the delicious lampredotto but for their other specialty, porchetta!

[Excerpt from my “Rain, rain, go away!” chapter”, Porchetta is: …another regional specialty, which is a savory, meaty and moist boneless pork roast.  The body of the pig is gutted, deboned, stuffed with layers of of garlic, rosemary, fennel and other herbs; it’s then rolled, spitted, and roasted, traditionally over wood.]

Cristina, our food tour guide from the other day, had given us a heads up that Nerbone’s makes their porchetta only on Wednesdays so Brad and I knew this was something we had to do before leaving Florence.  Yes, we’ve been salivating since Saturday.  We placed our order with a special request for extra pork skin (this was Cristina’s suggestion).  Oh my friggin word!  This was the best decision we’ve made in Italy thus far…Nerbone’s porchetta was amazingly YUM! The thick slices of succulent and tender pork topped with shards of lovely crisp skin was a rich porcine delight! 

Fully-satisfied with our meal, we say "ciao! ciao!" to Mr. Nerbone (not really sure that's his name) and began our drive to Siena.  Figuring out which Tuscan countryside to stay at was not easy…there are so many options and everyone has different views and interests. But we did learn that Siena is one of the favorites.  We wanted a place that wasn’t thronging with tourists and still ruled by the locals.  Our main criteria was to find a place where we can enjoy the beautiful Tuscan countryside…just like the scenes from the movie “Under The Tuscan Sun”.  Surrounded by olive groves and the vineyards of Chianti, Siena is one of the most beautiful cities of Tuscany.

For the next three nights, we chose to stay at Agriturismo Marciano, a farmhouse just oustide the center of Siena.  Agriturismo (agricultural tourism) began in the 1980s as a way to encourage small farmers to survive in a modern economy.  By renting rooms to travelers, farmers can make ends meet, remain on their land, and continue to produce food.  A peaceful home base for exploring the region, these rural Italian B&Bs are ideal for those traveling by car.  As the name implies, agriturismi are in the countryside, although some are located within a mile of town just like ours.  You will find agriturismi vary wildly in quality -- some properties are simple and rustic, while others are downright luxurious, offering amenities such as swimming pools and riding stables. 

Agriturismo Marciano is an ancient mansion built during the 18th century…truly another gem we found in TripAdvisor, 4-1/2 stars and #2 in specialty lodging in Siena.  It is owned and managed by a couple, Nadia and Renato, and Nadia’s brother, Dr. Christian Betti. 

Upon inquiring about the property’s availability, Christian shared these photos with us. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/agriturismomarciano

However, seeing it in person took our excitement up several notches!  One always wonders how old promotional pictures were taken and whether they would be as nice as in the photos.  Here, for sure, in person was even more impressive.  The property includes 6 beautiful rentals.  The rooms are clean, spacious, and had many fine details to make our stay enjoyable.  The views throughout, especially from our window and the common balcony were simply gorgeous!

entry from parking lot

inside courtyard

entry to mansion

hallways leading to other guest rooms 

view outside our window

more lovely views

Nadia and Renato gave us a very warm welcome, and when Nadia noticed the can of diet coke in Brad’s hand, she took it from him and replaced it with a glass of wine from their very own winery.  She then asked, what is this with you Americans and your diet cokes? Lol! At that moment, we knew we were going to like Nadia. :)

Since we had a few hours before dinner, we made our way to check out Siena’s city center square.  Set on three hills, the city is drawn together by winding alleyways and steep steps.  The Piazza del Campo and the Duomo are major cultural landmarks of Siena.

Cathedrale di Santa Maria, better known as the Duomo di Siena, is considered one of the best gothic architectures of Italy

the Duomo's bell tower has approx 500 steps

Palazzo Pubblico, the Town Hall of Siena

inside Palazzo Pubblico

At Piazza del Campo, you will find people chatting, napping, soaking up the sun or simply people watching.

Siena is famous for the "Palio", the greatest traditional festival in Siena when the historic horse-races take place twice a year between seventeen contrade (or areas of the city) where they compete in a 2-minute race for a victory flag and bragging rights for the entire year.  It’s held right here where we're relaxing...at Siena's fan-shaped main square, Piazza del Campo. The transformation of the Piazza into a race track is quite amazing. They have to cover the ground paved with rocks with dirt and fence in the centre to contain the crowds who are watching the race.  

i borrowed this pic

We were very excited for tonight's dinner…we have dinner reservations at Agriturismo Marciano.  Nadia offers dinner to its guests and Trip Advisor reviews raved about Nadia's cooking.  Before dinner, Christian offered a tour of their vineyard and wine cellar.

beautiful sunset right before dinner

For dinner, we were joined by three other couples -- one from Chicago and the other two from Canada.  Brad and I don't really care to mingle with other travelers…we prefer to be by ourselves unless we encounter locals that are willing to engage in conversation with us, tourists.  Tonight, however, we don't have much of a choice so we put on our "social hats".  Fortunately, the conversation was easy and flowing as much as the wine was so we were enjoying ourselves.  The food was absolutely delicious.  Nadia prepared everything using fresh ingredients and recipes and techniques she learned from her grandmother.  She really outdid herself with the scrumptious meal we had!

caprese made with mozzarella from Naples, tomatoes from Sicily, basil and olive oil from the Marciano garden and olive farm.

La Lastra ~ Nadia & Renato's wine

pasta with braised asparagus from their garden

spinach from their garden, parmagiano reggiano and lemon juice

roasted peppers from their garden…caramelized to a sweet perfection

fried artichoke hearts - we loved these!

Tuscan beans 

Chiana beef…before

Chiana beef, after…bistecca alla Florentina cooked rare (al sangue) 

my (first) serving

another bottle of La Lastra... 

cheese & honey

homemade strawberry ice cream with vin santo (dessert wine)

ricciarelli - traditional Sienese cookies made with almond paste

Super Tuscan!

Renato's homemade limoncello…so tangy and creamy!

goofing around with Nadia & Renato

tonight's dinner guests with Nadia (standing)

Not only did we enjoy the feast served by Nadia and Renato, but we also enjoyed their company as well as the other guests.  We exchanged stories of our travel experiences and discovered we all have the same thing in common which is the love of good food.  The bonus here is that Nadia shared her delicious recipes with us.  In fact, we've prepared the fried artichoke hearts and Tuscan beans a few times already. :)  Grazie, Nadia!