"Waking Up in Tuscany"

Trip Start Jun 06, 2008

Trip End Jun 24, 2008

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Where I stayed

Casa Emilia

(Chiusdino hotels)

Flag of Italy Chiusdino, Tuscany, Italy
Sunday, June 15, 2008

The first thought that struck me when I awoke is that it's a gorgeous day, and I can tell it's so, without having to get out of bed! In Venice, there were windows in the apartment of course, but because the buildings are multi-story and so close to each other, we had to poke our heads outside and peer upwards over the rooftops. In bed here in Casa Emilia, the morning breeze was gently lifting the lace curtains and the birds were calling to each other across the valley. I love living in the country back home in Texas, and I truly feel in my element here. Another peaceful moment came when the church bells started ringing, calling the locals to worship.
A cup of caffe and a chocolate-filled croissant later, DH and I are off to find San Galgano's Abbey and Church. Dave's blog also gives a little history on Galgano Guidotti, the local son of Chiusdino, so I'll try not to get too much into the details. Basically, the young knight Galgano received a vision from the Archangel Michael, renounced his warring ways by plunging his sword permanently into a stone, and became a peace-promoting hermit

Galgano's sword in the stone

. The year following his death (in 1181), construction began on the abbey and the church, and Galgano was canonized in 1185.
The site is not far from here, so it makes a good first-day excursion for us. The abbey is in ruins, but enough of the walls remain to give one a feel for the place. Around the 1550's an unscrupulous abbot started selling off the treasures, and even the lead in the roofs, which contributed to the demise of the abbey. The church is still being used today, and in the floor in the center of the nave is the stone with the embedded sword. Dave and I just drank in the beauty of nature all around us and the spirituality of those long-ago monks still lingering.
Back in the car, we realize we're hungry and so we're going to try the ristorante in Chiusdino once more. No such luck. The sign says "aperto" (open) and there's even a tourist menu tacked to it, but not a soul to be seen. Since non-tourist Italy seems to just shut down between 1 and 4 in the afternoon, we figure that's why we've missed getting in again, and so we head home to raid our own larder for a snack and try again later in the evening. If you've guessed our 3rd attempt was also unsuccessful, you're right! There's still plenty of daylight, so DH feels confident that we can hit the road, find a place to eat, and be back before dark. At this point, he's not so confident that he wants to try driving after sunset

San Galgano Abbey

. We take off, and soon discover that the roads connecting these hill towns are very winding. A couple of towns over we spot a promising pizzeria/ristorante and we pull over and park in a nearly-full lot with high hopes of another wonderful multi-course Iocal meal. The occupants of those cars are sitting outside enjoying a glass of vino or a gelati - who is crazy enough to want to eat a meal at 6:30??! The waiter apologetically ushers us to a table in the empty back room, and hands us the PIZZA menu. I love pizza - I especially love authentic Italian pizza - but folks, I've had all the pizza I really want for a while. **SIGH** We order our pizzas, vino and aqua, and I'm able to talk the waiter into making me an insalata mista (mixed salad) to go with it. The food comes out, and yes, it is delicious, and I had to reassure the chef who came out twice to check on us that it is delicious. My disappointment must have been really obvious! Two more foreign parties came in shortly after we did and got the same treatment, so I know they didn't decide to just pick on US. The chef didn't check on those tourists, though, because by now, he is busy fixing all those wonderful pasta dishes for the locals who are arriving at the proper time and being seated in the front part of the restaurant. Oh, well, at least our bellies are full now and we head home once more. Remember those very winding roads I mentioned earlier? They did not mix well with my pizza and wine, and so I went to bed that night feeling truly miserable. What started out as such a wonderful day sunk really low at the end. Maybe tomorrow will be wonderful all day - I can only hope...