Agriturismo Podere Santa Maria
Pienza, Tuscany
Maura's heart-warming Tuscan dinner
Agriturismo Podere Santa Maria is an agriturismo close to Val d'Orcia and Monticchiello. It is also close to Pienza and Montepulciano.
If you follow the road up the hill, which is lined with cypress trees, you will find the main house and the guest house next to it, with the swimming pool behind them. There are three guest rooms, with a small reception hall in the middle and separate doors leading to the three rooms. The rooms are simple country houses. They have tiled floors, whitewashed walls, wooden frames and wooden furniture, just like any other Tuscan house. The main house is surrounded by vineyards, and there are duck and goose pens at the entrance opposite the main house, and livestock like sheep and donkeys along the hillside path.
Maura, the hostess, is the jewel of this agriturismo. The family and the guests of the Agriturismo share the homemade Tuscan dinner prepared by Mrs Maura. The long wooden table in the spacious living room is connected to the kitchen. It can seat ten people. All the dishes served in this house are made with ingredients grown on the farm, and even the beer served at the table is produced on the farm. One guest from Scotland recommends this beer to me, saying that it tastes great.
Cheese and salami plate
Apple salad
Marinated artichokes
Pecorino al burro (Tuscan-style pasta with breadcrumbs)
Roasted rabbit and duck
Homemade tiramisu
Wine and homemade beer
Dessert Wine and grappa (highly recommended!)
Homemade
Tuscan dished
Dinner starts at 8 o'clock in the evening.Dinner starts at 8pm and goes late into the night with Maura's cooking and the lively conversation between guests from all over the world. After the guests have finished the home-made dishes and the tiramisu dessert, the host brings out his secret weapon, the dessert wine and "grappa". He explains that grappa is made by distilling the grape skins left over after making wine, and he serves it in little shot glasses. It was pretty alcoholic, but good. That was not the end. When the dinner was finished at 11 PM, the host asked, 'Who wants coffee?
Even if you don't go sightseeing or do something exciting somewhere, the warm and wonderful dinner here alone makes your day-long trip special.
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