WHEN SOMETHING LOOKS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT PROBABLY IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
We had promised to return on Friday to pay for the ceramics we had selected on Wednesday. I got a little nervous about time since Friday would be our last full day in Armena and there would be a lot of additional last minute errands and packing to do. You can bet that after two weeks in one place there are going to be things that have somehow disappeared causing a minor panic until they show up in the most unexpected places. We still can't find the coffee press we bought back on one of the first days we were here. With that kind of stress building in my head I decided it would be better to go today to pay for the plates, bowls and little gifts we had picked out and work out the shipping arrangements.
We had gone through this years ago but I had forgotten about the issues of shipping from Europe to the United States. It's a nightmare. Spoiler alert, anyone who thought they might be getting a beautiful serving platter or set of nesting bowls as a gift from Italy is going to be very disappointed. Those fifteen euro platters and five euro bowls that seemed so cheap became scarily expensive when the shipping bill was finally calculated. Those bargain items amassed a total four hundred in additional euros to get to the United States.. I had gone on the errand to settle up and that left me to make the final decision on whether to ship or not to ship. Well, those cheap but beautiful dishes are still on the shelf where we first found them waiting for someone else to pick them up at a bargain price sans shipping.
Today was supposed to be another leisurely day and Emmy decided to take advantage of that by staying by the pool sipping limonada and plunging into the pool's refreshing blue waters when the heat became to much.
Rick and I decided on lunch in Montalcino. In lieu of the dishes he decided to add to his linen napkin collection from a store we bought from on every former trip we had taken to Montalcino.
We were such regulars that the store's owner recognized us when we walked in. These dishtowels could easily slip into our luggage avoiding any serious shipping charges.
After asking the owner of the linen store for a lunching recommendation we decided on the Grotto del Brunello, a little restaurant on one of Montalcino's steeply inclining streets.
The outside tables were perfect for a warm day in spring and eating al fresco.
We had finally come to the end of our pasta tolerance and both of us decided on salads for lunch. Rick's was a nicoise
I went for a more Italian concoction with Gorgonzola, pear and walnut
Rick chose to stay seated at the table with a glass of wine while I went off to photograph. Lunch had lasted just long enough for the shops to reopen at three. This was really the first time this trip that I had time to do a little exploring in Montalcino. Many of the shops that I remembered were gone but a small selection of antique shops had opened in spaces that were vacant during the pandemic. Remembering Eric and Laura's story of wanting to return to San Quirico to find a painting they passed on several years ago I fell into that same pit of desire when I threw caution to the wind and walked into one of those dangerous antique stores.
On one of our first visits to the area we discovered an antique store in Montalcino long gone now. There we found a painting we both fell in love with. We bought the painting and it is one of our most cherished pieces for what it represents and the memory it holds every time we look at it.
My unexpected object of desire was hanging cock-eyed on a back wall in the Officina Metropolitana, an antique shop near the end of the Via Mazzini. The style and theme were similar to the one we have but it was a winter scene where ours depicts summer. The piece was vastly overpriced but unlike Eric I took a picture and asked for a card so when I return I'll know where to go to find it. If it's still there then I'll know it needed to come home with me all along.
A day in Montalcino wouldn't have been complete without a stop at "Why Not" and I didn't shy away from one more scoop of gelato.
That evening was to be our last dinner shared with the Saraceis before leaving for the Amalfi coast.
All the Saracenis and Emmy, Rick and I would be at the table. We set up the table on the patio overlooking the pool.
It was requested that I repeat the watermelon salad from the night before. Giulio prepared the first course with pici his mom Stefania made. Stefania prepared chunks of marinated chicken and served it with a side of spinach. Alessandro bought the gelato. We mixed the generations much like we had done for the past 23 years. Starting out with our parents being the matriarchs and patriarchs and our children being wee.
Now we were the older generation and our children have become the young adults. Happiness is a table full of good food, a bottle of wine and an extended family filling our world with conversation and laughter.
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