In late May, Ed and I spent a magical week in a small village in Eastern Tuscany.  No guidebooks or Trip Advisor. No “must see” tourist attractions. Instead, we savored livin’ like a local while we visited our friends Nancy and John — expats from Berkeley who have lived in a small Tuscan town since 2010. Ed worked with Nancy at Apple and was delighted to renew their friendship.

Magical Meals

Nancy chronicles her Italian life on her blog, Itch.world. On this site, she provides a weekly “3-minute escape to Italy.” (Highly recommended!) With her vast knowledge of the local area, she was able to curate fantastic local meals for us.

We enjoyed the perfectly grilled steak and Tuscan red wine in the small village of Montrechi

And, an “al fresco” lunch at an agriturismo inn. The proprietors, a brother and sister duo, opened the restaurant just for us.

On Nancy’s recommendation, we made a reservation for dinner at a communal table at Le Bindi in another small village. This restaurant has one seating for 21 people at 8:30 pm. All the other guests were Italians, mostly in their 30’s.  Most did not speak English. The one gal who did speak English, probed, “How did you find this place?” This meal included over 20 courses over three hours and cost only 25 Euros. A bargain!  

Following a Favorite Son

When Nancy arrived in this area of Tuscany, she overheard a question, “Did you find the PDF?” Since she had worked in Silicon Valley, Nancy thought the people were talking about a computer file. But, no … instead, “PDF” is an affectionate term for Piero della Francesca, a baroque artist who was born in this area in 1416. (!)  Since we were now pretending to be locals, we decided to pay homage to him by visiting his art.

The road signs clearly show where his paintings are displayed.

In Monterchi, the Madonna del Parto is displayed in its own museum, which is an old school house owned by the town. (This is the only museum we’ve ever been to with only one piece of art.) The museum also plays a 12 minute video which describes the advanced geometry and symmetry used by “PDF” in 1460 when he painted this masterpiece.

In the painting, Mary is obviously pregnant, which apparently was quite controversial at the time of its origin. According to a New York Times article, the town (which claims to own the painting) will not loan it out for exhibits at other museums around the world, as they are afraid they won’t get it back.
Other PDF masterpieces, also called “the Pieros”, are housed in nearby villages:  In San Sansepolcro, you can pay homage to The Resurrection.

And in Arezzo, his intricate masterpieces adorn the walls and ceiling of the church of St Francis .

Piero della Francesca’s work is awe-inspiring, and definitely worth visiting. This area is also known as “Terre di Piero”, and you can follow a trail of his art using this itinerary.

Village Life in Eastern Tuscany

Our AirBnb apartment was nestled into the old town wall. It was centrally located so we could easily walk to the Wednesday town market, where a farmer sold the freshest vegetables imaginable. We purchased local ravioli and were able to create our own Tuscan feast at the apartment.

This old castle, which houses a pizza restaurant, is where local soccer teams come to celebrate the end of the season.

We were escorted through the Busatti textile factory in the basement of a store in town.  The weavers use the same techniques that they’ve used for over 100 years. The owner told us that he was dismayed when Gumps went out of business, as they had been an excellent customer!  (Apparently Jerry Brown is a good customer as well.) We purchased lovely napkins and dishtowels that were woven using traditional methods.

Most of all, we loved how Italian villagers celebrate daily life in Tuscany.  Lunch is a delicious ritual. The pace is slower and not as hectic as in the city. The gelato is divine.  Nancy and John have embraced this lifestyle with aplomb, and we were lucky to share it with them during this magical week.  

Grazie tanto!