Returning to Cosa Bolle, a number of years ago I got involved with a Florentine travel site called Firenze.Net, which had me do a number of things, including a weekend in search of Medieval (and earlier) Tuscany, winding through Certaldo, Volterra and Colle Val D'Elsa. They posted the material but never paid me, and since the drives are nice, I may as well share them. The itineraries are detailed enough that I'll be posting them over the next three issues of Cosa Bolle. Here we go:
A Tusco-Medieval Exploration
Florence is, in many respects, the embodiment of the Renaissance: Its rise to political power coincided with and probably made possible the age of the great Tuscan Masters; the wealthy bankers who financed Kings abroad spent lavishly on the home front to make certain their city, and even more importantly, their homes and parish churches, were second to none. Thus the extraordinary reconstruction of Florence that took place in the 1400s and 1500s, which swept away much of the old: San Lorenzo and Santo Spirito were rebuilt, Ognissanti, Santa Trinita and Santa Maria Novella were in part refrescoed, chapels were added to other churches, the hillside behind Palazzo Pitti was transformed into a formal garden and others were added around the city, squares and palaces were redone, Vasari built the Uffizi, and the list goes on. By the late-1500s, however, the balance of power was shifting elsewhere and the pace of construction tapered off, leaving those who visit Florence with a view through a Renaissance window.
Of course it's not entirely Renaissance -- a few earlier things have survived, in particular the Baptistery, San Miniato, Santissimi Apostoli, and many of Giotto and Cimabue's works, and there are some more recent things as well. But if you want to get a feeling of what Tuscany was like in the Middle Ages, you have to go out into the countryside, to visit the towns that flowered before Florence's rise to power, and then languished in her sway.
This itinerary begins with Certaldo (where all the photos were taken), home of Boccaccio and now one of Tuscany's prettiest hilltop towns, then goes to Volterra, whose influence extended all the way to Corsica in Etruscan time, and then on to Colle Val D'Elsa, whose citizens were given Florentine citizenship for the courage with which the resisted the Pope's armies in 1478, and which now produces 90% of Italian crystal. It will take about three days to do, and will make for a pleasing long weekend or minivacation; you can also do it in stages. In terms of planning, you will need a car, and if you can you should schedule your visit to Colle for a weekday, so you can visit the Vilca glassworks; to make an appointment (a requirement), and to get an idea of what you'll see, visit their site, http://www.vilca.it.From Florence to Certaldo, a fortress on the pilgrimage route to Rome and home to Boccaccio.
Leave Florence via il Galluzzo and follow the Cassia, the old road that leads via Siena and Viterbo to Rome. Follow it past the American War Cemetery, until you come to the turnoff for Scopeti, a sharp right that immediately crosses a bridge. The road climbs through a forest and comes out in some of the more northeasterly vineyards of the Chianti Classico region. Macchiavelli wrote The Prince while he was exiled to L'Albergaccio, following the return of the Medici family to Florence in 1498, and his melancholy "here I am stuck in the middle of nowhere" letter to a friend, which the town now proudly quotes, was doubtless inspired by the tantalizing view of the Florence nestled in the valley below. L'Albergaccio is now seat of the Chianti Classico Consortium, while Machiavelli's house, owned by the Serristori Family, is a hotel/restaurant, and can be visited. The large villa on the next hill over is owned by the Hare Krisnas.
When you reach San Casciano, park in the lot by the light across from the gate. The town was originally under the Bishop of Florence, but passed under the city Government in 1272, and subsequently was the seat of the local government. It was also Florence's last line of defense, and was consequently heavily fortified. Enter through the gate and follow the street to Piazza Pierozzi; the church past the arch is San Casciano. It was built in the 1790s and has a number of elegant 17th and 18th century paintings. If you instead take Via Morrocchesi, you will reach the Chiesa della Misericordia, built by the Dominicans of Florence's Santa Maria Novella in 1355. It was reworked in the 1600s and heavily restored after the war, but is still quite pleasant. And it has the Misericordia's Museo di Arte Sacra, which hosts a number of important works donated to the brotherhood by the faithful over the centuries, including Simone Martini's Crucifixion and Giovanni di Balduccio's pulpit, with bas-reliefs of the Annunciation and Saints Dominic and Peter. If the door is closed, the Misericordia (next door) has the key.
Return to Piazza Pierozzi and follow Via Roma to the Chiesa di Santa Maria del Gesù, which now hosts the Diocese's museum of sacred art, an impressive collection of works from isolated and abandoned country churches, including a copy of Pontormo's Pala Pucci (over the right-hand altar), a Coronation of the Virgin by Neri di Bicci, Coppo di Marcovaldo's stories of Archangel Michael, and Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Madonna with Child. Once you have seen the collection, continue down Via Roma to Piazza della Repubblica, a nice park with a wonderful view over the Val di Pesa.
Retrace your steps to your car and continue along the Cassia. When you reach the end of San Casciano turn right, towards Certaldo (22 km). The road winds pleasingly through the countryside, and then climbs the hill to San Pancrazio. In the middle of town you'll see a yellow sign pointing left to the Pieve di San Pancrazio a Lucardo, which is behind a stand of cypresses to the left at the top of the rise. It's an interesting Romanesque Pieve (XI century), and though it was heavily restored a century ago, it still has a pretty fresco of the Madonna with Saints Sebastian and Rocco to the right as you enter. There is also a crucifixion by Santi di Tito above the altar at the top of the left aisle, and if you look up at the clerestory of the nave you'll see elegant windows that were added to provide light. Unfortunately, the back of the church is encased in a farm building, so you cannot see the apse from the outside.
Return to the main road and continue on towards Certaldo, going down the hill and bearing left at the intersection. The road climbs up through Fornacette; at the top of the hill turn left, and immediately left again onto the dirt road that leads to Lucardo, a fortified hilltop town dating to the VIII century. The drive is magnificent; park in the square in front of the church. Should it be closed ring the bell at # 14, and when you've finished admiring the interior, which was reworked in the 1760s and has a number of pleasant paintings, including a Madonna and Child with Saints Sebastian and Michael based on a work by Cigoli, circle around on foot up to the gate. The plaque commemorates Giovanni Paolosanti Luccardesi, personal secretary to Dukes Ferdinano I, Cosimo II and Ferdinando II, and notes that he was nicknamed L'Indiano (the Indian) because he made several trips to India and Goa. The courtyard is surprisingly peaceful and offers pretty views of the countryside.
Return to your car and drive back the way you came, turning hard to the right after about a hundred yards, at a farmhouse. The view opens out and is again very pretty. The lane feeds into the main road; bear left for Marcialla, and turn hard right as soon as you reach the square in the middle of town, onto a thin road that doesn't have a sign. It winds down the hill, through pretty countryside, and will lead you into Certaldo.
Certaldo is actually two towns that are closely related:
Certaldo Alto, a fortified hilltop town, and Certaldo Basso, a village down on the valley floor. As you might expect, Certaldo Alto is older; it was a stronghold of the Alberti family, and though it paid tribute to Florence it was autonomous until 1184, when the Florentines captured the then Count and forced him to submit. The Florentines subsequently strengthened Certaldo's defenses considerably, probably in part because they had just razed the nearby town of Semifonte for daring to challenge their authority, and consequently wanted to strengthen their hold on the region. Boccaccio, whose family was from Certaldo, lived there intermittently throughout his life, and in 1415 the town was assigned to a Vicar, who also governed the surrounding area.Certaldo Basso, on the other hand, grew along the Via Franchigena, the pilgrimage route to Rome, during the XIII and XIV centuries. It's now the driving force behind the local economy, while Certaldo Alto watches on from above.
As you enter Certaldo you will see brown signs for Certaldo Alto. Follow them, but when you come to a traffic light with a sign pointing up a hill to the right, go straight instead, following the sign for the strada panoramica, or scenic route. The signs lead through the middle of Certaldo Basso, to a dirt road that circles around behind Certaldo Alto. Magnificent views, and as you cross the ridge crest you will see San Gimignano's towers off in the distance. Park in the lot and walk up the street into town.
You'll pass through a vaulted archway and emerge on Via Boccaccio, the main thoroughfare. The first impression will be one of dusky red -- Certaldo is built of unfaced brick rather than plastered stone. Immediately to the left is the Church of Saints Jacopo and Filippo, a remarkably simple Romanesque church built in the 1200s that has Boccaccio's tombstone set in the floor in the middle of the aisle, and a Della Robbia Madonna at the altar flanked by a couple of elegant Della Robbia tabernacles. The church also has an elegant cloister, which houses the town's Museo di Arte Sacra.
Upon exiting the church continue up the hill to the Palazzo Pretorio. Built in the 1100s, it was initially the stronghold of the Alberti Family, and subsequently became the residence of the priori, or governing magistrates, who affixed their coats of arms to the walls of the building. The current battlements were added in the 14th century. It's open daily except Mondays 10-12:30 and 2:30- 7. You'll pay the admission charge in what's known as the Stanza del Cavaliere, or Knight's Hall, which has a number of frescos, including a disquieting allegory depicting Truth ripping out Falsehood's Tongue with Tongs -- evidence the hall was also used for trials.Across the atrium is the Sala delle Udienze, with a fragmentary fresco of the Pietà by Pier Francesco Fiorentino, and a pleasing Doubting Thomas touching the wound on Christ's side, by Benozzo Gozzoli; to the back of the room is the civilian jail cell, which now has a number of Etruscan artifacts found in nearby tombs, some pot shards from Semifonte, and interesting graffiti on the walls and ceilings, some of which are quite old. To do the graffiti on the ceilings the prisoners formed human pyramids.
Returning to the Sala delle Udienze, the inscription on one of the walls, Odi l'Altra Parte e Credi Poco, -- Listen to the other Side and Believe Little -- says a lot about the climate of the times.
The small chapel next door with the pleasant painted altar was where the Vicar took mass, and where the Condemned prepared to meet their fate. The next room, the Sala dei Dieci di Balia, is where the town senate met. It opens out onto the courtyard behind the Palazzo, which has a nice lawn; the view from the battlements is quite pretty, while the walkway leads to
San Tommaso, a deconsecrated church that has a number of frescos, and the Tabernacolo dei Giustizziati, the tabernacle of the condemned, which was originally located down on the valley floor near the bridge over the Agliena, and has a Benozzo Gozzoli's beautiful fresco cycle of Christ's passion (1466-7) -- a fitting message of hope for those about to die.Reenter the Palazzo Pretorio; at the back of the courtyard under the arches are the prison cells, which feel suitably cramped and claustrophobic, and again have some interesting graffiti, including a sun whose rays likely represent the days its maker spent in jail. It's worth noting that men and women were kept in different cells. The upstairs is equally interesting; circling clockwise from the back are the Camera dei Forestieri, or guest room, the Vicar's alcove, the servant's quarters (now used as a gallery), the quarters for the Vicar and his family, and then the front of the Palazzo, which was instead the seat of government, and has a number of frescos, including a graceful Madonna with child and a fragmentary San Martino giving a frightened looking beggar half his cloak. The view over Certaldo is also quite nice.
You will next want to see Boccaccio's house, located mid-way down Via Boccaccio to the right (going down hill), open daily except Mondays 10:30-4:30, admission free. Though by the time Giovanni Boccaccio was born his father had already moved the family to Florence (he was a merchant), Giovanni did spend time in the house intermittently throughout his life, and died in it in 1375. Following his death it changed hands repeatedly, and was finally bought in 1825 by Marchesa Carlotta Lenzoni, who transformed it into a museum/library, furnishing it with period furniture, and commissioned Piero Benvenuti, one of the major court painters of the time, to do a portrait of Boccaccio at his desk in the upstairs room. The building was flattened except for that wall by Allied bombs and subsequently rebuilt; now you can distinguish the older section by the way the bricks of the façade reflect the light of the sun. Inside you'll find a section devoted to Boccaccio's life, translations of his works into other languages, including Arabic and Japanese, and, upstairs, the study where he worked.
The other thing to see in Certaldo Alta is Palazzo Giannozzi (Via Boccaccio 35), an elegant Renaissance palace that now hosts Artesia, a pottery and artist's studio where you can watch the artisans decorating wares with traditional designs. And of course make purchases; Cinzia Orsi warns that the pieces are decorative, and some contain low levels of lead in the glazes. Nothing dangerous, but you will want to fill the bowl you buy with fruit rather than use it to serve a salad. The shop is open normal business hours during the week, and on weekends too.
At this point you will have seen Certaldo Alto, except for the Porta del Rivellino, the gate at the end of Via di Rivellino, Porta Alberti, at the far end of Via Rena (the opposite corner of town), and the vaulted walkway that passes through the foundations of palazzo Giannozzi, which you can enter from Piazza Santissima Annunziata. You can explore the rest of the town, or, if you wish, take the funicular that goes down to Certaldo Basso from Porta Alberti.
If you'd rather take another drive in the country, you can go see San Michele Archangelo, a 1/8th scale copy of Brunelleschi's Cupola built on the site of Semifonte in 1597 by Tito and Gregorio Pagani. It really does look like the original, and it's somewhat disquieting to see Florence's most distinctive landmark poking up the trees in open countryside. To reach it, retrace the strada panoramica and follow the signs for Poggibonsi, then Fiano, and when you come to a fork, bear right, for Sciano/Barberino. The road winds up into the hills and is quite pretty. It's 10 km to San Michele; once you have seen it continue on towards Barberino. Turn left on the Cassia, towards Florence, and if you plan to spend the night in Certaldo left again at the sign of Marcialla, in the middle of town, to return to Certaldo.Dining in Certaldo.
Among the options for Certaldo Alto are:
Il Castello (Via della Rena 6, at the far end of Via Boccaccio from the Palazzo Pretorio; http://www.albergoilcastello.it/). Simple food and pleasant atmosphere; they also offer rooms.
L' Osteria del Vicario (Via Rivellino 3, next to the Palazzo Pretorio; http://www.osteriadelvicario.it). An elegant setting and elegant, refined cuisine. Expensive. They also offer rooms.
Certaldo Basso has a number of things. Gambero Rosso's restaurant guide speaks highly of the Ristorante Boccaccio in Piazza Boccaccio.
Thoughts About Cooperative Wineries
When people think of the wine world, they generally think of individual wineries, ideally with famed winemakers and top-rated wines. There's another side to the picture as well, however: people who grow grapes, but for one reason or another don't make wine -- their day job doesn't give them enough time, or they simply don't want to jump through all the hoops that selling the wine one has made requires. Some of these people sell their grapes to their neighbors. Others instead join cooperative wineries, supplying the grapes to the cooperative, which then makes the wine and sells it to the public.
Cooperative wineries come in all shapes and sizes, with reputations ranging from very good -- Produttori del Barbaresco's wines were among the first really good wines made in Barbaresco a century ago (the cooperative was founded in 1894 by Domizio Cavazza, the head of the enological school, closed by the Fascists in the 20s, and reopened in 1958 by the Parish priest, who made the first three vintages in the church basement) and still set the standard for Barbaresco today, while St. Michael Eppan (San Michele Appiano, in Italian) sets the standard for the Südtyrol -- to dismal, places where people buy wine by the gallon from gasoline pumps that have (I'm not making this up), rather than octane levels, the alcohol contents of the wines they dispense. The higher the alcohol, the higher the price.
The reason for the disparity is fairly simple: some cooperatives promote quality from the outset, rewarding members who grow really good grapes and employing the best techniques to make the wine (San Michele Appiano also runs a winemaking school), and then aim their wines at wine lovers and other high-end markets, for example top restaurants. Others instead simply pay members for their grapes by volume (more grapes = more money) and aim their wines at local consumers whose first criterion in selecting a wine is its cheapness.
Many of Tuscany's cooperatives (e.g. the one with the gas pumps) fall into the latter class. As did, until recently, the Cantina Viticoltori Senesi Aretini, a cooperative founded in 1973 in Sinalunga (north of Montepulciano and west of Cortona), whose 250 members farm about 240 hectares of vineyards distributed between the provinces of Siena and Arezzo. However, conditions are changing -- demand for cheap wine has been falling for a while in Italy, and Italian consumers are much more interested in quality than they once were. In short, the future for humdrum wines is bleak, and therefore Angiolo Del Dottore, who became president of the Cantina a couple of years ago, decided it was time for a radical change: He contacted Maurizio Castelli, one of Tuscany's leading consulting enologists.
Maurizio was underwhelmed by the cellars, but quite impressed by the vineyards of the farmers. "The grapes were very good," he said, and though few enologists of his caliber would be interested in working with a coop, he decided to accept the challenge. A leap in quality of the kind he and the Cooperative's management had in mind required strict day-to-day supervision of a sort Maurizio simply doesn't have the time to provide, so he called upon Mery Ferrara, a young enologist with an iron will -- "she scares people," he says -- to handle the project. The first vintage under the new direction was the 2006, and they have just presented the Riserva. To be frank, it impressed me, as did the current vintage wines.
Viticoltori Senesi Aretini Arianna Bianco Vergine della Val di Chiana DOC 2008
This is a blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia. Pale slightly greenish gold with brilliant reflections, and a very fresh nose with floral accents, honeysuckle in particular, and hints of honeydew melon. On the palate it's light, with bright white fruit, a mix of plum and grape with hints of gooseberry, supported by fairly brisk acidity and slight petillance that adds a peppery sparkle to the tongue, and flows into a clean tart finish with yellow plum acidity and underlying bitterness. Pleasant in a clean, direct key; it's quite refreshing, and will be a nice summer wine. Expect it to go quickly.
1 star
Viticoltori Senesi Aretini Orcia DOC 2008
Deep black cherry ruby with black reflections. Bright, very fresh nose with lively red berry fruit supported by grilled bell pepper and some berry fruit jam. In a word, zesty. On the palate it's medium bodied, with bright berry fruit supported by smooth sweet tannins that have a very slight greenish veneer from grapes, and flow into a clean fresh berry fruit finish with a bitter tannic underpinning. There's not much acidity, but it's quite fresh, and quite approachable; it will drink well with simple pasta dishes or meats, and, because of the richness of the fruit and smoothness of the tannins will be a good bet with not too spicy oriental dishes as well.
1 star
Viticoltori Senesi Aretini Chianti DOCG 2007
Dusky black cherry ruby with cherry rim paling to white on the nail. Fresh bouquet with brambly greenish vegetal acidity, balsam, hints of graphite shavings, and tart berry fruit with some underlying chalk dust too. On the palate it's bright and fresh, with fairly rich cherry fruit that gains definition more from dusky bitterness than from acidity, and is supported by smooth sweet tannins. It's quite direct, an up-front wine that will do a fine job of accompanying foods, for example meat-based pasta dishes, light stews, or quickly grilled meats, and, because of the character of the tannins, with mildly spiced Chinese, for example from the Cantonese School.
2 stars
Viticoltori Senesi Aretini Chianti Riserva 2006 DOCG
Deep pigeon blood ruby with black cherry rim. The bouquet is bright, with lively cherry fruit supported by jammy berry fruit accents, and is pleasing in a cheeky tomboyish sort of way. On the palate it's fresh, and bright, with rich berry fruit supported by deft berry fruit acidity and by smooth sweet tannins that have a slight burr and flow into a clean fairly rich berry fruit finish that gains depth from some black currants. Pleasing, and very approachable; it will drink extremely well with foods, and while there are Chiantis that display more depth or complexity out there, this is a classic food wine of the sort that will go so fast you'll be tempted to look for a hole in the bottom of the bottle.
2 stars
Bottom line, I was quite favorably impressed; the wines are fruit forward, welcoming, and very pleasant to drink. And I was even more impressed when we were told how much they're going for: Prices (at the cellar) range from 2.5 Euros/bottle for the white, to 5 for the Riserva. One could spend much more and do much worse. Granted, these are wholesale prices from the source, but an honest importer could do very well by this cooperative, supplying customers with good inexpensive wines, and given the current economic situation a good quality/price ratio is even more important than usual.
The Cantina Viticoltori Senesi Aretini is a specific example, but it's not unique; I have tasted through wines of other cooperatives blessed with forward-looking presidents like Mr. Del Dottore, and have noted similar (though perhaps not so dramatic nor sudden) improvements. For consumers this cannot help but be positive, and I expect the trend to continue.
This time's proverb is Neapolitan: Ommo senza vizie, menesta senza sale - A man without vices is like a soup without salt.
Until next time,
Kyle Phillips
Editor, The Italian Wine Review
http://www.italianwinereview.com
Want to comment? Drop me a line at Kyle@cosabolle.com
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