{"id":3695,"date":"2014-09-23T15:38:34","date_gmt":"2014-09-23T13:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rickzullo.com\/?p=3695"},"modified":"2017-06-14T03:14:54","modified_gmt":"2017-06-14T01:14:54","slug":"traveling-along-the-via-francigena-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/traveling-along-the-via-francigena-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling along the Via Francigena"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"travelingWhile attempting to take notes in a bouncing van just outside of Florence, I listened to my guide Anna<\/a> describe our first stop on our tour of Chianti.\u00a0 \u201cWe will be traveling along the Via Francigena, stopping at San Donato where you will see a typical Tuscan hilltown which sits along this very important route.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Via who?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Via Fancigena. \u00a0You know, the pilgrim route from France to Rome.\u00a0\u00a0 Actually it goes all the way back to Canterbury, England, as first described by its archbishop, Sigeric the Serious, in the tenth century.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was I sleeping in history class that day, or did I just not understand the Italian pronunciations?\u00a0 Or maybe it wasn\u2019t my history so much as my catechism that was lacking.\u00a0 Quite probably, all of the above. \u00a0I tried not to let my ignorance show.\u00a0 Anna was too busy driving to notice, and at that point she was in full storytelling mode.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Via Francigena and Banking <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The first Christians in what is now France created roads between the most important places of Christianity, such as Santiago de Compostela, St. Michel, and Canterbury. \u00a0And of course Rome, where they stopped on their way to Apulia, boarding ships to take them to Jerusalem.\u00a0 This \u201cpilgrim road\u201d borrowed some of the miles along the former Roman road named \u201cVia Cassia,\u201d but with the addition of new routes, it became The Francigena.<\/p>\n

Very soon after the pilgrims established this road, it went on to become a useful trade route for merchants.\u00a0 All along the way, these travelers spread new customs and ideas, as Chaucer wrote about in The Canterbury Tales, describing how different cultures would meet at a typical \u201chostaria,\u201d sharing stories and adventures over a glass of wine.<\/p>\n

Traveling along the Via Francigena also meant currency exchange, so the banking system became more and more vital to satisfy the merchants\u2019 needs.\u00a0 Of course, during the middle ages, banking was the exclusive business activity of the Jews, since the bible (apparently) forbid money handling by Christians. \u00a0But after the secular Republic of Siena started its own monetary system with a silver coin, Florence received permission by the Pope to do the same. \u00a0Their \u201cFlorin\u201d was a gold coin, however, so even inside Tuscany, travel required currency exchange.\u00a0 Consequently some of the villages along the Francigena became crucial stops for conducting banking activities.<\/p>\n

San Donato in Poggio <\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of these stops was San Donato in Poggio; a lively, well-preserved hilltop town where about 800 people still live today, in a place recalling centuries past.\u00a0 Once upon a time, the art of banking was a common business in this village. \u00a0Unfortunately, someone with poor and\/or creative math skills would occasionally foul the books and subsequently run out of money. \u00a0This type of fraud made the whole town look bad, so the city government did not take it lightly.<\/p>\n

Banking was done on top of a desk, called a \u201cbanco.\u201d\u00a0 And when a failed money lender was convicted of fraud, the town\u2019s mayor would show up at his place of business with a large, heavy axe, and smash the desk into pieces: \u201crompere il banco,\u201d a practice still evident these days in the modern Italian word \u201cbancarotta,\u201d or in English, \u201cbankrupt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"san
San Donato in Pioggio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today San Donato is dormant in the morning, but very energetic when all residents are back from work, sitting outside the caf\u00e9s with their espresso.\u00a0 They are happy to see the occasional tourist around, because they are very proud of their small community, preserving the visual traces of the 9th and 12th centuries\u2014like the tower where a treaty was signed between Florence and Siena in 1265.\u00a0 The walls from that period are still standing, and they are a good example of \u201cincastellamento,\u201d or the fortification of a village\u2014which started after the end of the crusades to thwart the risk of being sacked by former crusaders turned bandits (religious zeal is all good and well, but it doesn\u2019t put bread on the table, after all).<\/p>\n

Volpaia and a Tuscan Lunch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

All of this \u201cpilgraming\u201d and \u201ccrusading\u201d was making me hungry, and Anna knew just the place to help satisfy my desire for some of that famous Tuscan cuisine.\u00a0 No, this food has nothing to do with the perplexing \u201cFlorentine Chicken\u201d or the lamentable \u201cTuscan Salad\u201d that you might find on any random \u201cItalian\u201d restaurant menu in the U.S.\u00a0 This was the real deal.\u00a0 But it wasn\u2019t so easy to find.<\/p>\n

The tiny hamlet of Volpaia is dominated by a 12th<\/sup> century castle and a few well-preserved medieval buildings where a population of less than 30 citizens are still living and upholding generations-old traditions.\u00a0 At a vibrant little wine bar\/trattoria called Bar Ucci<\/a>, Paola Barucci is running her family owned business, while her sister operates a competing restaurant literally across the street.\u00a0 Funny.<\/p>\n

Paola serves her \u201ccucina povera\u201d to clients and friends from all over the world.\u00a0 Simple, traditional meals based on basic Tuscan ingredients, and using vegetables from her own green garden for the Ribollita soup, crostini misti, bruschetta, panzanella, and insalata di farro (spelt salad). \u00a0And she has a great accent.\u00a0 If anyone has ever told you about the Tuscan accent, but you were unable to detect the subtleties, talk to Paola\u2026nothing subtle about the way she shouts \u201cCiao, Haro!\u201d as you walk into her bar.\"chianti<\/a><\/p>\n

For carnivores like me, she serves cured meats such as finocchiona (salami with fennel), prosciutto toscano (salty and spicy), and wild boar (cinghiale) salami.\u00a0 Remember that, besides the cured meats, Tuscan cuisine is not that salty.\u00a0 The bread is especially notable for its lack of salt.\u00a0 In fact, in the past it was completely unsalted\u2014which is why Tuscan bread is often called \u201cpane sciocco,\u201d no salt.\"cured<\/a><\/p>\n

Frankly I find the bread quite tasteless by itself, and I asked Anna why they make it that way. \u00a0She said, \u201cToday it\u2019s made that way out of tradition, but in the past it was necessary so as not to waste salt. The inland areas of Tuscany did not have easy access to the coast, which is where the salt came from.\u00a0 Pisa controlled the sea ports, and when there were occasional wars between Florence and Pisa, the Pisans would close the Arno River so that no salt was able to reach Florence.\u00a0 Consequently, the Florentines started to bake without it, saving what precious little salt that they did have to cure the meats.\u00a0 Salt was very pricey back then.\u00a0 It was highly valued even back in the Roman times when magistrates and soldiers were paid in salt\u2014and \u00a0this custom is still evident in the etymology of the Italian word \u2018salario,\u2019 or in English, \u2018salary.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chianti Classico – Monterinaldi <\/strong><\/h2>\n

So we had a delightful lunch at Paola\u2019s place, and I had a glass or two of Chianti Classico to wash it down.\u00a0 That\u2019s one of the great things about hiring a driver\u2014no need to hold back on the wine tasting.\u00a0 In fact, our next stop promised plenty more of that.\u00a0 My day just kept getting better.<\/p>\n

Notice the label on any bottle of Chianti and you\u2019ll see the Gallo Nero (The Black Rooster), the symbol of the biggest Tuscan wine region which lies between Florence and Siena.\u00a0 The presence of this emblem tells you that it\u2019s a unique and highly regulated wine, adhering to all the DOCG rules such as area of production, and grapes acceptable for the blend.\u00a0 Specifically, it must have a minimum of 80% Sangiovese blended with other local grapes such as Canaiolo or Colorino. \u00a0Furthermore, there\u2019s minimum amount of time that it must age in barrels (18 months for Chianti Classico, and 24 months for Riserva).<\/p>\n

Anna and I visited Monterinaldi<\/a>, a winery located on the border between the Florentine and the Siennese part of Chianti Classico, in the province of Radda in Chianti.\u00a0 The estate has been producing wine since the year 1,000.\u00a0 Wow.\u00a0 Of course, originally it was a modest production arising from a\u00a0share-cropping system, which probably churned out a barely potable \u201cfarmer\u2019s\u201d wine.<\/p>\n

They’ve come a long way in a thousand years. \u00a0Today it\u2019s a medium-sized producer (total average production is about 120,000 bottles) of high-quality Classico, Riserva, and a great Super Tuscan wine called \u201cPesanella.\u201d \u00a0This Super Tuscan represents the new style wine, an “international”\u00a0blend; a social wine created by the\u00a0wine maker Mauro Bennati,<\/span>\u00a0who has been working for the owners Daniele Ciampi and his wife Maddalena for the last 20 years.<\/p>\n

\"Monterinaldi<\/a>
Who wants to make their own wine?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As if the wine weren\u2019t enough to \u201cintoxicate\u201d you, the tranquil setting is an 18th century villa surrounded by a fairy tale garden framed by cypress trees. \u00a0The sales manager (and wine expert is his own right) Fabrizio gave me the full tour of the estate. \u00a0This is the perfect venue for a peaceful, informal wine tour.\u00a0 They offer wine tastings, food pairing sessions, and even a class called \u201cwine maker for a day,\u201d where you get to blend your own wine, name it, create a label and take it home with you.\u00a0 If it makes it that far.<\/p>\n

I left the wine expertise\u00a0up to Mauro and Fabrizio, and I\u2019m glad I did. \u00a0They gave me a bottle of their\u00a0Riserva and I brought it over to our friends\u2019 house for dinner that night, where the wine consummated its relationship with a nice bistecca fiorntina<\/em> in a spectacular fashion.\u00a0 (I was praised for selecting such a sublime nectar\u2026I didn\u2019t have the heart to tell my hosts the truth.)\"chianti<\/a><\/p>\n

Once again, I thank my friend Anna for a perfect day in Chianti.\u00a0 If this is your idea of Tuscan bliss, look her up.\u00a0 She\u2019d be glad to share her passion for this region with you.<\/p>\n

Anna Maria Madaffari of\u00a0Cooltours<\/a><\/p>\n

cooltoursbyanna@gmail.com<\/p>\n

+39 347 707 1332<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While attempting to take notes in a bouncing van just outside of Florence, I listened to my guide Anna describe our first stop on our tour of Chianti.\u00a0 \u201cWe will be traveling along the Via Francigena, stopping at San Donato where you will see a typical Tuscan hilltown which sits along this very important route.\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94,211,9],"tags":[221,290,213,291,292,63],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3695"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rickzullo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}