Home away from Home…

Last evening I arrived at Il Borgo Villa di Bossi-Pucci in Chianti (Il Borgo means village in Italian – please visit our website for more information on this lovely resort http://www.villavita.net/ ). Alessandro, the property manager, was right on queue with the remote opening of the large gates that permit access to the estate. His warm greeting (along with his prompt attention to every detail from my last 8 months of emails) comforted me in knowing that this was the right choice for our very special group arriving tomorrow. His cat Red was also part of the welcoming committee – happy to let you rub his belly in honor of getting to know each other better. . . It was very good to be back here.

The evening show consisted of a refreshing rain storm complete with the sound and light show of thunder and lightning paving the way for a restful night’s sleep. The view is spectacular – even at night when it is illuminated only for nanoseconds by Mother Nature. This view stretches across an olive tree-lined valley to the next set of hills which display the profiles of more than one medieval castle in the distance. This area is not typically mentioned in the popular guidebooks. They are busy writing about Greve and Radda and Castellina in Chianti… which of course, are all very beautiful. But here in Montagnana, you are more likely to run into farm workers and local families than you are into tourists or international visitors.

A visit here in Montagnana to the local pizzeria and alimentari or mini grocery store, transport you into the real Italy – no English is served here – just honest to goodness delicious food and sincere appreciation for your business. I always ask for recommendations which are typically given gladly. Ordering some salami and cheese, the recommendation were the products made in Toscana, naturally! Again, the pride and confidence in a culture of quality and tradition is ever present. And the grocer was right – the salami was the best I’ve ever had; made locally... by his neighbor.