Last you heard from me about Italy, I was crying over mosquito-infested Florence. No more tears once we picked up our Peugeot SUV rental and skedaddled to our next spot: Greve-in-Chianti. Moreover, that frown of mine turned into the Cheshire cat smile once I found out our lux hotel upgraded us to the biggest room in the villa. Score 1 for the honeymooners! With the bar and gourmet restaurant, the open air fitness pavilion, and the spa in the bathroom with hydro massage jets, there really was no reason to leave Villa Bordoni.
But alas we did to do some wine tasting. The Chianti region is very hilly and peppered with hamlets (small villages) where you could stop, look out from castle ruins, finally eat good food, and drink mediocre wine.
I really was not pleased with the food in Italy until we got to Chianti. For example, in Florence I ordered anchovy spaghetti at a restaurant that came recommended from several sources. There wasn’t a single anchovy in my dish. The spaghetti had the anchovy taste so it must have been dipped in the broth, but that’s it. Can you imagine eating a plate of noodles without anything else? Most of our experiences were like that. All carb, no meaty substance. For one of our lunches we both ordered rigatoni with bacon and eggs. Sounds good, right? Our plates came out filled with rigatoni and maybe 15 bacon bits. Bacon bits, like the stuff that comes out of a shaker. So often I took one bite of my entree and sadly said, “disgusting.” I would bet on any restaurant in North Beach over many of the restaurants in Venice and Florence—let alone A16 or Delfina.
Oh goodness, I have a spoiled California palate.
Pictures from the Chianti region.
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