661885 Sat Oct 24 05:20:05 -0700 2009 0 58 Italy 0 5127062 As I mentioned in an earlier report on our visit to Rome, you will want to know that we discovered that we prefer even a somewhat innovative cuisine over the most traditional kitchen. So here are our favorites and not-so-favorites from the Tuscan countryside. We stayed about midway between Siena and Montevarci. Our best access road was SS408 and the closest towns were San Sano and Lecci (don’t blink driving through, but it would be worth your while to stop and eat or shop for food). Radda, Gaile and Greve were also nearby. Far and away the mot memorable meals we had were about a half-hour’s drive away. Both had been recommended to us so they were destinations. Ristoro di Lamole in Chianti was high up on a ridge just outside of Gaiole in Lamole. We were two couples driving and they kept thinking we had missed it and should turn back, but fortunately we courageously journeyed on. Ristoro di Lamole calls itself both a ristorante and an enoteca and both the food and wine options were outstanding and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Everything we ordered (and one member of our party is cheese-phobic – not easy in Italy) was delightful. It was dark so we didn’t get to see the views, but I understand that they are remarkable. I only wish we could have gone again to see them (and eat again!). Osteria di Fonterutoli is actually in the village of Fonterutoli on Highway 222, but just outside of Castellina. It is a lovely setting, modern and romantic with an enthusiastic staff. The local wine (Fonterutoli, of course) is available and our waiter steered us to a good, but not outrageously expensive year. It was here that Mr. CG and I tried a version of beefsteak Florentina that was recommended by the waiter because it wasn’t a full kg. A creamy mushroom soup and a polenta helped to make this one of the best meals of the trip. The chef at Osteria di Fonterutoli is part of a US dinner/wine tasting tour conducted by I Selvatici, a winery near both Gaioli and Montevarci. Pure circumstance led us to this amazing tour by charismatic owner Giusseppi and his American girlfriend Barbara. They have an excellent Supertuscan and a Vin Santo that they claim is rated 98 by Wine Spectator Magazine. Not sure if that is true, but it’s darn good. Recommended. The two tiny villages near us had excellent restaurants, We had an excellent lunch on our last day at Malborghetto in Lecchi (marred only by two very loud, very well lubricated Americans at a nearby table – well, all four other tables were nearby). They had been there throughout the morning for a cooking class with the friendly chef. The other local restaurant we enjoyed – twice – was a small rustic restaurant in San Sano right in the middle of a beautiful nowhere. We ate there twice and it was where we first tasted Tuscan pici, a thick, chewy spaghetti-shaped pasta. We also had a quick cappuccino there one morning on our way to the Prada outlet in Montevarci, but that’s a story for another post. They also have a small deli/wine shop attached to the restaurant. We also had a surprisingly lovely lunch at Diva c Maceo in the charming village of Montepulciano that we would recommend. The only place in Tuscany that we would not recommend was in Siena: Antica Trattoria Le Torre. In spite of a helpful staff in a sudden downpore, like so many of the places that disappointed us, this was a little too touristy, expensive and “traditional” in its fare. Sat Oct 24 05:20:05 -0700 2009 24468 chicgail