Day 17 – June 5, 2025 – Foiano, Italy
This morning after breakfast, we headed to Montepulciano. We arrived about 9:45 and easily found a parking spot outside the city walls. Our tour of De Ricci cellars was not until 12:30 so we had plenty of time to walk around and check things out. John and I were here in 2023, but this was Steve and Patty’s first time. The first thing we noticed was a young man making pasta in the window of the shop, so we stopped to watch him for a few minutes.
Our next stop was in front of the Ercolani cellars where they offer free tours and tastings but do ask for tips. The first tour was at 11, so we said we’d come back and walk around in the meantime. We saw the little wine shop we sat at quite a few times as well as the shop we bought our beautiful pottery vase that sits in our living room. We walked up to the top of the hill, turned left and continued for a bit then headed back down to go for the Ercolani tour.
Ercolani calls it the “Underground City” where there are numerous cellars that make up the path that also include two authentic Etruscan tombs, workshops, and ancient wells. The barrels hold the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the vinsanto DOC. Our guide, whose English was great and he is originally from Argentina, gave us a great tour! We did not stop for the tasting as there was a LARGE group that had been in front of us and there was no way we could do the tasting and eat a quick bite before our De Ricci tour so we bypassed and looked for a quick lunch.
We came across a place that actually sold hot dogs/hamburgers using Chianina beef, which is one of the oldest breeds of cattle in existence, for both so John got a burger, Patty & Steve split one and I had a hot dog with fries. The burger was the size of John’s head, but he said it was fantastic! My hot dog was good, and it was nice having some American fries, lol! We were crunched for time and forgot to take pictures. John finished up faster than the rest of us so went ahead and got us checked in for our tour.
The De Ricci cellars are old and started back in the 4th century BC. A cave was hand dug back in Etruscan times and has been maintained and cared for by the family. “Back in the 12th Century, a man from Montepulciano could predict weather patterns with such accuracy that he was considered a sorcerer. To save himself from the Inquisition, he decided to reveal his secret – he said that his predictions were based on the way a hedgehog looked at the sun! The man was given the nickname Riccio (hedgehog) and was the ancestor of the Ricci family in Montepulciano.” The first wine cellar, the Cathedral Winery, was built in 1337 with respect to the local laws so it had to be at least 20 feet long and 16 feet wide. In 1534, work began on a new winery next to the medieval structure and in 1562 a palazzo was built above the cellar to protect/preserve it over time. The grapes used are Sangiovese and they are DOCG certified. We tasted six wines along with a small meat/cheese/bread plate and John bought a case, shock, lol!
After our tour, we headed to a little town called Bagno Vignoni, which is known for thermal hot springs. We walked around the little square and then found a spot (La Terrazza) to sit and share a bottle of Prosecco. We then headed to Pienza, where we walked through the town looking for a place for dinner. We found a little spot (La Vecchia Bottega) off the beaten path and had a wonderful meal. Wild boar stew, peppered beef, pici cacio e pepe, pici Bolognese, and salad. It was amazing! Pici is a thick, hand-rolled pasta, kinda like a fat spaghetti. It actually originates in Siena! For desert, we split the Vin Santo, which is a dessert wine and paired with cantucci, an almond biscotti which is dunked into the wine to soften it.
We had seen a couple as we were walking through Pienza that looked familiar and realized they had been at the first cellar tour (Ecolani). They ended up recognizing us as well and we chatted with them for a bit and they got a table where we were eating. They were from Australia and were staying in Pienza. How funny that we saw them in Montepulciano and then again in Pienza.
After dinner we headed back to the villa and called it a night. We have nothing planned for tomorrow and will just play it by ear. Another beautiful day in Italy – ciao!
