Chianciano – Stefano’s Agriturismo

We spent a lovely afternoon with Stefano and his brother who run an Agriturismo - - La Pietriccia. They make their own wine and olive oil, raise the vegetables, fruit and meat they serve to their guests, and offer hugely entertaining and informative cooking classes. We made a local type of pasta (which we rolled into long strands by hand), an interesting kind of Gnocchi (made with flour and ricotta), a delicious cross between a lemon tart and cheese cake that was very light, and grilled pork sausage. Everything was served with wine (it is Italy after all) and there was much hilarity over the process of putting the long, translucent casing on the food mill to create the sausage. Stefano is a talkative, expansive type who loves food (as do all Italians) and is passionate about growing and cooking food that it is healthy, fresh, and delicious. His family has been in the area for generations; he showed us a fascinating scrapbook of the war years (WW1 and 2), and early agricultural processes.