Rugapianavacanze

Hazy days in Tuscany

by iandsmith

By the time I arrived in Cortona after having dramas paying my B&B bill, it was time for a cuppa. The B&B is normally run by the matriarch and she was in hospital and the patriarch had no idea how to scan and use credit cards so I had to go to a bank. Unfortunately, the branches I went to were only small and couldn't handle something as difficult as an actual withdrawal, so I went back to the B&B hoping for a miracle. It didn't happen so I went back to Castiglion Fiorentino again and lucked out this time and made a withdrawal. By the time I got back with the money the son had arrived and he could use the credit card machine but it was all too late, I had the cash. Every cloud has a silver lining though and the son, reasonably fluent in English, explained to me the winemaking process and we sampled a couple and I ended up buying a bottle of his quality wine of which only 2,000 are made annually. I've now got some boasting rights with my son who is somewhat of a conoisseur.
So, by the time I arrived at Cortona, I was ready for some relaxing morning tea. At Piazzale Garibaldi I found the right spot.

Tasty Ribollita

by cjg1

Ribollita was a local soup I was able to have several times during my stay in Cortona. It's a soup that is made from leftover vegetable or minestrone soup with leftover bread thrown in. I always say leftovers taste best with the deepening of flavors and this soup is incredibly flavorful. I fully enjoyed this soup and was glad to eat such a local dish.

People of Cortona

by FieryRedhead

"Women of Cortona"

I was walking out of Cortona and kept getting glimpses of pink. I looked up and saw the most ancient, charming face peeking out her window.

It was much colder in Cortona than in Rome, and everywhere you could smell warm fireplaces heating homes.

"Local conversations"

Everywhere I went I heard the beautiful, melodic sounds of locals absorbed in conversations. I have no idea what they were talking about, but the personal connections between these people seemed to be paramount to anything else.

"People and pets"

We were waiting for the bus and I saw this man holding this precious little dog.

"Couple"

His name was Luigi. I didn't catch her name but they were amused at my request to photograph them. I was enchanted by the way he gently cradled her arm as they walked down the street together.

"Siesta"

The view behind this bench is of the entire valley and Camucia below. This man was there at various times of the day just simply relaxing and enjoying the view.

"Market Day"

To the left is where the market begins. The market was filled with women sorting through piles of clothing, bread, etc. while the men stood outside enjoying the morning.