Day 36 – June 24, 2025 – Foiano, Italy
This morning John, Kristin and I took a 40-minute walk and we showed her the way we usually go to town for our coffee. We have a 10:30 appointment at the winery so time did not allow us to walk all the way into town and back. It was still cool enough, but as we were walking back, you could feel the heat starting to pick up. It’s been very hot here, like at home, but there is less humidity. It still feels, in my opinion, that the sun is a lot more intense here than at home, but it could be my imagination.
Everyone had a quick bite to eat, and we all headed out for the winery. This place was beautiful! The Fabbriche Palma estate is located on the hills of the Valdichiana between the medieval villages of Lucignano and Monte San Savino and has been owned by the Palma family for fifty years. The estate extends across the hills of Arezzo’s Valdichiana over an area of 50 hectares (about 123 acres) and they grow Sangiovese, Colorino, Viognier, Traminer and Trebbiano, and the international varieties of Syrah and Merlot. Their grounds are stunning and they hold special events there as well. We had a great tour of the grounds as well as the history of the winery and then their wine making process. Afterwards, we headed upstairs for our tasting along with about 10 others that were from Germany but spoke English.
The table was set beautifully and our host, Andrea, who is also a sommelier, enlightened us with his knowledge of the wines and how to pair them with the spread of food in front of us. We tried one white and three reds and then a little taste of grappa at the end. The food was good too, even though it’s the typical spread of cheese, bread and cold cuts. They had fresh tomatoes and then porchetta, which is a moist, boneless pork roast that is usually stuffed with spices and herbs. It was all delicious and everyone enjoyed it.
After the winery, we drove to the town of Lucignano to show the others around and most of the shops were closed. We got there during their “siesta” time, but the gelato shop we went to was open, so we all enjoyed a gelato and then headed back to the villa.
John got some work done while Michelle, Vance and I headed for the pool. Today was hair day for me (sigh) so I cut the pool time short and did what I needed to do.
Our chef, Maverik, showed up about 4:45 pm to start preparing for our dinner. He is 66 and speaks very good English. I think it was determined he has lived in the UK but is originally from South Africa. He has been in Italy for 40 years. Our appetizer was carrot flan with a creamy béchamel sauce and some Parma ham. OMG, it was sooooo good! Next was half-moon gnocchi stuffed with pesto and tomato sauce on top. That was followed by pork tenderloin in a puff pastry with caramelized red onions. And dessert was a strawberry tiramisu. The whole meal was absolutely delicious and my choices were a hit with everyone. I liked that the portions weren’t overly huge and I didn’t feel like I’d eaten too much. Maverik did a wonderful job and he cleaned everything up so there was nothing for us to take care of. A great experience and wonderful early birthday dinner!
After Maverik left, we all sat outside in the dark and managed to get in two rounds of Rummikub before calling it a night. Tomorrow we are touring with Barbara to Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano for more wine tasting! Ciao!
