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We’re in Monterosso, a small village on the sea along the
Italian Riviera. Last week we were in Tuscany. It was a
whirlwind week of eating at our favorite places, seeing the
city, and exploring the Tuscan countryside. We’ll remember the
sun dipping toward the horizon as we sipped wine with Fabio in
his vineyard just outside Panzano. Later in the week we relaxed
at a famous spa in Montecantini. What a great week! Then we were
off to the Cinque Terre.
We’ve spent the last couple of summers in Monterosso so it’s
great to see our friends here. Just today we saw Gianni in the
piazza and he invited us for a glass of wine before dinner. We
stepped into a cantina and he had them fill our glasses with
Vermentino, a fragrant single grape wine. A friend of his joined
us, a farmer, a “man of the earth” he said. The wine was from a
vineyard just down the coast. He said the wine was good, the
agriturismo (farm) beautiful and the owner “a man who does
things correctly”. After bidding him “Bouna Sera” and went home
for dinner. Sipping our homemade Minestrone on the terrace of
our apartment we agreed this was just the kind of moment that
keeps us coming back…that small town, old world feeling of
belonging. Here the doctor stops his bike, with his medical bag
in the basket, to say hello and answer a question. The butcher
grinds the meat when you order it, the pizza man remembers your
favorite toppings, and at the produce stand all you have to say
is “minestrone” and she fills a bag with the best seasonal
vegetables to make the perfect soup. In such a small town
everyone knows you’re here within an hour of arriving. You are
liable to find yourself with your feet up, licking a gelato and
wondering why you’d ever need to hurry again. Ah…la dolce vita!
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