Boogacres: Cortona, Italy, October 23, 2014

Stompin and shopin!

Well ... we got up ...

And THEN, we all came downstairs dressed as Lucille Ball of the "I Love Lucy Show" prepared for our grape stomping at the Palazzo Vecchio Vineyard.

Five Lucy's. Ready to stomp some grapes.

It was a chilly day with temperatures in the high 40's, so we loaded up in scarves, coats, ponchos, basically anything we could find to keep warm.

Our driver today, Mario, spoke NO English. We miss Stefano!! While leaving the villa, we tried to get him to stop in the driveway for a photo of some old dried grapes still clinging to a grape vine. I thought it would be a nice juxtaposition photo ... old dried up grapes along side 5 beautiful Lucy's. We were all shouting for him to stop. He didn't get it. Finally, he stopped 1/2 way up the hill, we crawled out of the car and trekked back down the driveway to the grapevine for this amazing photo.

The Lucy's find a grape vine.

Then we dragged our happy asses back up the hill to put the car back on, I mean crawl into the tiny VW van. The two tallest of the group, Jean-Marie and I jumped into the very back seat. It was very cozy to say the least. And we were off to Montepulciano.

We really had no idea what to expect at the vineyard, so we approached with a mild case of trepidation. And then ...

Milco and Simone

We were greeted by two musicians, Milco, playing the accordion and Simone, playing a guitar. The mood changed instantly and the fun began. Milco and Simone serenaded us with Italian folk songs as we followed them around the villa to the "grape processing area," where buckets of grapes and a wooden wine cask awaited. The music continued as we took turns in the cask stomping the grapes.

Lucy Stevie

Lucy Mary Ann

Lucy Jan

Lucy Jean-Marie

All Five Lucy's

Now, if anyone asks me if I have stomped grapes ... I can say, "Why YES! I have. In Montalpiciano, Italy. And I can definitely recommend it!" What fun. I was quite surprised at the temperature of the grapes. They were cold. Can't find a cold glass of wine here, but the grapes were certainly cold.

Stomped Grapes Ready for this Year's Vintage

We stomped the heck out of those grapes. Then the proprietor, Maria Louisa Sbernadori, had a tractor with a wagon filled with grapes waiting.

"Grape Ride" More Grapes to Stomp.

We hopped into the wagon for a "grape ride" (likened to a hay ride in the USA) and rode around the vineyard with our musicians following along, singing songs and laughing with us.

The Grape Ride Parade

The views of rolling hills embellished with grapevines and olive trees covered the Tuscan Countryside. Combined with the music, squishy grapes, grape wagon ride, our Lucy costumes and all the laughing and giggling, made for a non-forgettable experience.

Hot Water to Clean Our Feet After The Stomp. Priceless!

After we got out of the grape wagon, we found five chairs, five buckets of HOT water, towels and our shoes sitting beside each chair. Hot water has never felt so glorious! We soaked all the grape skins and juice from our feet, put on our shoes and were escorted to delightful little tasting room.

Palazzo Vecchio

The Villa has an interesting history. Originally built as an orphanage run by Monks, it later became an agricultural school and is now a vineyard. So incredibly warm and cozy, the tasting room was decorated with items found on the property when the Sbernadori family bought the estate.

The Palazzo Vecchio Tasting Room

Plows, tools, an old stove, bottles, wine making equipment and furniture were around the room, with more current "country farm villa" accessories throughout. A stunning candle chandelier wrapped with grape vines hung over the long table set with five beautiful place settings waiting for us. In the center of the table was a centerpiece made of a long strip of iron with iron pegs which held empty, upside down bottles of wine. Way cool. I have a friend in Basalt who can probably make one for me.

Frederica served us a very tasty lunch. One of the better ones we've had since we've been here. Started with "Panzanella," a dish very similar to "Pappa." But this had no tomatoes, rather bread with fresh herbs from the garden. Delicious! It is similar to our Thanksgiving stuffing.

Roasted Pear Dessert

We had a cheese plate next, then meat balls with a red sauce and mashed potatoes followed by a beautiful and tasty dessert of roasted pears, sprinkled with sugar, cloves and cinnamon cooked in a red wine reduction sauce. Fruit group!! Now folks ... all of this good food is NOT going to motivate me to cook again, but it may get me to supervise a meal or two. Any body feel like cooking??? Oh, I forgot to mention that Milco and Simone entertained during lunch with more Italian songs.

Palazzo Vecchio Coffee Room where we met the artist, Marcus,who designed the wine label.

After lunch, we shed our Lucy costumes, went to the coffee room and started ordering some wines. I don't even drink red wine, but it's so good here. I've ordered another two cases. It should arrive in California in about three weeks. We are going to have a wine and cheese tasting. Still looking for someone to cook.

Lucy Wigs Get Tossed!

It was difficult to leave the warmth and charm of Palazzo Vecchio. The people there made us feel so welcome that we felt like dear friends by the end of the day. This will definitely go down as one of the highlights of this trip. Stevie, you really out did yourself on this one. Everyone thought you'd lost your mind (except for me, of course! You know I love an opportunity to dress up and act like a crazy American!!)

Montepulciano

We left and drove to Montepulciano for a little
shopping fix. Montepulciano was another typical ancient walled city. They are starting to look the same now. But Montepulciano was quite nice. Very hilly. Lots of stone on the streets, walls and homes, lots of tile roofs but the one thing missing was grass. There are no yards in these walled cities. What would Scruffy do?

Mary Ann, Jan and Jean-Marie shopped, while Stevie and I found a cheese shop and a bar.

Pecorino Cheese is stored in Ash. I'm bringing some home.

The bartender had no cold chardonnay and couldn't grasp the concept of putting ice in the glass of wine. I finally had to reach across the bar, grab the glasses and show him what to do. (No, I didn't grab him by the scruff of the neck. I've mellowed in my old age!) He totally thinks Americans are nuts!!

We're back at the villa now. Lucia and Francesca are in the kitchen cooking. They're trying to build a fire, since it's really cold outside. We need a boy scout The sunset was magnificent. The day was even better. We're sitting around talking about the Lucy Day. Here are a few more fun pics that deserve honorable mention. More tomorrow.